Question about DD214

I was looking over my grandpas discharge paper again, and noticed something. Question 6 says Organization. What is this for? Also can anyone decipher what my grandfathers says? its hard to read, But I thought someone with a little more knowledge on the subject may be able to make it out.

 

Could be 'Ctl Movt Bn'

also SWAG

but the 'ovt' of convenience of govt in section 40 looks identical

 

Yeah he was in the Army. Can you tell me what that all stands for?

Thanks guys, But I'm a little lost here, What does all this mean?

 

On July 1, 1944 he would have been on Attu. He arrived back in the US on December 16, 1944. He was discharged in Texas, but at Camp Fannin not Hood.

Thanks for the link!

 

It likely is 443rd Chemical mortar battalion. But, that is not the unit he spent most of his service in. It is extremely likely that that unit was the one he was attached to on return to the states for discharge.

The fact he got a bonze star and was in the Aleutians along wth his 1942 induction date tells me he was in some other unit. Given his designation as an ammunition handler it is likely he was in some sort of artillery unit in Alaska or the Aleutians for much of the war. Which one I have no idea.

 

The 443rd both as a field artillery unit (8" towed) and as a chemical mortar battalion only existed from about early 1944 to the end of the war. Since we know he was Out CONUS (the current term meaning outside the Continental US) from April 43 to Nov 44 it is very clear he wasn't in the 443rd during that time.
Given his home of record is Platte Nebraska sending him to a base in the central US for discharge makes sense. This would reduce the cost of his train ticket home over being discharged far from there. Common practice then and now when possible.

Oddly, his discharge date is officially 16 Dec 1944. This is well prior to the end of the war. I suspect in this case he got some sort of medical discharge for something or another. But if that's the case why call his discharge a demob? The date of the discharge is just odd.
The US Army was hurting for people in Europe and knew they would need them for Japan. So why a discharge in late 1944?

 

Well if his discharge date is 15 Dec 1944 then he was disharged a day prior to his return from overseas on 16 Dec 1944.

Box #7 is his date of separation 12 Oct. 1945.

Also if you add box # 22 "Date of Induction" 23 Sept 42
and box # 37 "Total Months of Service" (36 Months and 15 Days) you end up right about 12 Oct. 1945.

 

He may have been added to the 443rd Chemical Mortar battalion cause the 591st was disbanded on January 26, 1945 but he was not discharged till October 12, 1945.

591st AAA Automatic-Weapons Battalion (Semimobile)
7 Feb 44 Formed Attu Island from 2nd Batt/78th Coast Artillery Regiment
8 Dec 44 Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada Port of Embarkation
17 Dec 44 Ft Lawton, Washington
26 Jan 45 Disbanded Camp Hood, Texas
They fired 40mm guns

Yep

The way I understood it was that he arrived back in the US. on December 16, 1944 but was not discharged til October 12, 1945. That still doesn't make much sense tho if they need men in Europe. On the discharge under wounds in action it says none. So I don't know of any medical issue's. He may have had injury's due to the conditions on Attu, but wouldn't they be listed?

 

The 16 Dec. 1944 in box# 40 actually refers to the revision date of AR 615-365

Look at this Document and you see the same date in box #40



http://www.ww2f.com/military-servic...help-fathers-discharge-papers.html#post532214

 

Yea, I noticed that later.

 

Thanks everyone I believe this bit of info filled in the last gap. I now know every unit he was in from entry to exit of service.

He entered active service on October 12, 1942 at Fort Crook, Nebraska. He was then sent to Camp Callan in La Jolla, California For Anti Aircraft Training with the 4th Army. After 7 months of training he shipped off for Attu on April 24, 1943 as part of the 78th Coast Artillery Regiment. Landing on May 11, 1943 the beginning of the Battle for Attu. He stayed with the 78th CA Rg until it was broken up into battalions on February 7, 1944. He ended up in one of the resulting battalions. The 591st Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion. The 591st stayed on Attu another 10 months Shipping home on November 28, 1944. After the 591st was disbanded on Jan 26, 1945, He was placed in the 443rd Chemical Mortar Battalion. Until his discharge in October 1945.

 

Oh yeah, When I registered here pretty much all I knew was that he served on Attu. And I definitely plan to stay. I've pretty much become obsessed with my families military history. And this site fuels that obsession