In search of great uncles records or info

Indeed.

The records consist mostly of burial records and personal effects. It also mentions cause of death - head wound.

Unfortunately it doesn't talk much about his unit. I'd love to know what happened on the day he died. If anyone knows where I can find that kind of info, it would be appreciated.

All in all, I'm happy I requested it. It provides some closure in a small way.

 

I agree with Lou, hiring a researcher would be next if you want to pursue that. He and I both used the same guy and I was also very satisfied with the work. Send me a PM and I'll give you the guy's info if you're interested. He will be able to give you a plan of action based on what you already know and some type of a cost estimate. Your great uncle's DOW status will let him know to look at dates before his DOD.

Another avenue you might want to try is contacting the NARA and requesting copies of the 23rd AE Bn records. I use this site: http://www.archives.gov/contact/inquire-form.html#part-b

Under "I have a question about research .......", choose "Records created by the United States Military" in the "select topic" section, then type your question as "I would like to request an index to the records of the 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion during WWII, along with a reproduction cost quote". You'll get an email acknowledgement of the request and the index/cost quote will come in the mail (at least my last one did). After Action Reports (AAR's) would be a good place to start but if you are unsure about which records to request, post the index here and someone can help. My experience has shown that each unit kept their records a little different than the next one. Be aware that NARA is charging .80/page now days.

Good luck, Steve

 

The purpose of the IDPF is to document what happened to the remains of a soldier who died while in the Service. There normally wouldn't be much regarding his unit, but it may tell you what Company of the 23rd Eng. Battalion he was in. That could help narrow down where he was and what was happening when he was killed.

Lou and Steve have already suggested the next best avenues of research. Unfortunately, they both require spending money (except for getting an index of unit records, which should not cost anything).

I found this web page for the 23rd AEB which lists dates and actions. Keying off of what Steve mentioned regarding your great uncle's DOW status, it's possible he was wounded in action near Mortain and died a few days later:

This is not certain since, as the saying goes, correlation does not equal causation. And, of course, there are several other possibilities as combat engineers were subject to any number of hostile actions and dangerous situations.

 

IDPF states Company B of the 23rd AEB

 

Company B

 

The link I posted in post #24 says the list was compiled by a member of Company B.

 

Wonder if he might still be around. Worth a try I guess

 

If you go to the main page of the website, there is a link to a page of email addresses. His name & email are towards the bottom. I have no idea how current it is, but its worth a try.

 

All,

I received the OMPF and there's not as much as I had hoped. There is a hospital record and I have a question about something on there. The circumstances of casualty state the following "battle casualty or battle injury other than self inflicted injury or injury intentionally inflicted by another person"

First diagnosis "head wound (penetrating)"

I'm wondering how to interpret that. Does it mean shrapnel or something like that?

I'd like to find out what exactly happened if that's even possible

Thanks for any help

 

Finding out "exactly" might be a tall order, but I understand the inclination to know.

As for the circumstance given, I would understand it to be broadly categorizing it as not suicide or an accidental death. In other words, he was KIA. As for "head wound (penetrating)", that could be shrapnel or it could be a bullet wound. It was not a blunt force injury. If I had to guess, I would go with a bullet wound.

 

Thanks. And I just realized I put this under the wrong post lol. That's what I get for working too hard on this.

Would morning reports shed any more light on this?

 

Thanks. I guess I'll just never know exactly how he was wounded. I'll have to give my best educated guess. Thanks everyone for all the help!

 

In my experience, what Lou said is pretty much correct. They may give you an idea of where his Company was around the time that he was KIA. You could then try researching the Division/Battalion (and Company, if you're lucky) records for clues. Some narrative histories are more detailed than others.

Also, I again encourage you to consider the local historical society nearest his home town. You never know what they may have in their records. The bonus is that they are usually an inexpensive source and the folks are usually very enthusiastic about helping, or at least that is what I've found to be the case.

 

Thanks.

I guess I should clarify. I mixed 2 posts together by mistake

This post was originally regarding my grandfather. He was never wounded.

I put in some info regarding my great uncle, who served with the 23rd AEB, 3rd AD. He was killed fighting in France in '44.

My bad, lol.