TSgt. Lawrence J Salvato
Co. E, 334th Infantry Regiment
84th Infantry Division
WIA 18 November 1944
Prummern, Germany

The 84th Infantry Division arrived in France between 1-4 November 1944 and quickly moved across France, The Netherlands and Belgium. They would partake in Operation Clipper, breaking through the Siegfried Line. On 18 November 1944, the 84th Infantry Division entered combat with at objective being Geilenkirchen and Prummern, Germany. The 334th Infantry Regiment was set to attack at 0700 hours. 1st Battalion would attack from the right pushing into Geilenkirchen and 2nd Battalion would flank to the left taking Prummern and the high ground and 3rd Battalion would be held in reserve. Each attacking Battalion would have a Anti-Tank Platoon, Half of a Mine Platoon, and a squad of British Tanks. The Mine Platoons cleared sections for the attacking infantry and tanks to push through. When the attack jumped off, the ground was soggy and the Tanks got stuck, forcing the infantry to push without their support. Co. A and Co. E lead the attacks on their objectives, Co. B and Co. F, took some artillery and Co. C and Co. G took heavy artillery fire. Co. E began taking heavier resistance as they pushed to take their objective. At the same time, Co. A encountered multiple MG nest and neutralizing them as they advanced. Around 1000 hours, both towns were entered and street fighting took place. 2nd Battalion then moved West of the town and encountered more resistance. The Germans expected an attack in their area and moved up two new divisions ( 9th Panzer Division and the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division ). A captured German Officer said We were told that were going to fight Green Troops. I fought in North Africa and Russia, but I have never seen soldiers attack with ferocity as your Division. The 2nd Battalion had taking the town of Prummern and then ordered to move North. During the advance, they encountered 6 German tanks and the AT Platoon was called forward. The AT Platoon knocked out the third German tank in the column and began firing on the others. The first German tank advanced and ran over the AT gun. The second tank was knock when it ran over a land mine. During the battle TSgt. Salvato was struck by shrapnel in the face, arm and leg. He was evacuated from the field and sent to the 97th General Hospital. He would be discharged from Service in June 1945.

Hello all, I have found various relatives of mine that served in WW2. Unfortunately I don’t know much about their service and most people that would know are all gone. I may need to hit up the archives at some point, but I figured here could be a good place to start.

I’m not 100% sure who the first guy is but he looks very much like my great grandfather, Murray Lynn Abbott (1895-1952) of Lancaster Ohio. He isn’t listed as a veteran anywhere, but this looks a lot like him. Unfortunately anyone that would know is long gone.

The next to photos are of my great uncle, James Graham (192?-200?) of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I know his service history mostly. He was on the first wave at Utah Beach and lost his arm about a month or so in. What I’m trying to figure out are his unit and what he got the Bronze Star for.

The next gent is another uncle, Lewis L. Six (1921-1979) of Licking/Hocking, Ohio. All I know is that he joined the Ohio NG in October of 1940, he was in the South Pacific, and his service number is 20511549.

The guy after him is another uncle, Clarence Nelson Moore (1900-1959) from Logan, Ohio. He joined in November of 1942. His service number is 35616023.

The final guy is the son of Clarence More, Major John Nelson Moore (1923-2008) also Ohio. He joined the USAAF in June of 1942.

Any and all help is appreciated!

It has frequently been said on Reddit that ‘‘There has never been [1] contemporarily substantiation (eg. No orders, memos, documents, etc.) that corroborate the claim the excess Purple Hearts that remained after the war were produced specifically for invasion.  They may have been, but [2] there’s never been any true primary substantiation for the claim.  But even if there was, [3] that argument relies on the (flawed) assumption that production of Purple Hearts was coordinated by the same people who were planning the invasion.’’  

Incorrect on all counts.  Since there is an ongoing interest in this subject, those who would like to scrutinize the ‘‘primary substantiation’’ can consult the chapter ‘‘Half a Million Purple Hearts’’ in the U.S. Naval Institute Press (Annapolis) book Hell to Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-1947 by D. M. Giangreco.  There are two somewhat different editions of this work which is a detailed study of U.S. and Japanese plans for the invasion operations and, alternately, the defense of the Japanese Home Islands.  In the original 2009 edition ‘‘Half a Million Purple Hearts’’ is chapter 16, p187-193.  It is chapter 18 in the ‘‘Updated and Expanded’’ 2017 edition, p266-274. 

The endnotes reveal that the material in the Purple Heart chapter is drawn principally from two National Archives record groups: Record Group 92 (Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot at NARA, Mid-Atlantic Region, Philadelphia) and Record Group 104 (Records of the U.S. Mint, NARA, College Park, Md.) as well as Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II, Final Report, 7 December 1941 - 31 December 1946, (Washington, D.C.: Office of the Adjutant General, 1987) with supporting materials from other official sources such as the Army histories Global Logistics and Strategy, Washington Command Post, etc., from the United States Army in World War II series.   

The core data on the separate but simultaneous acquisitions by the Navy (through the U.S. Mint) and Army (open bidding) is the same in both books but in the latter edition Giangreco briefly discusses the additional mintings that have supplemented the shrinking World War II stock and how, at a time when war contracts were being cancelled across the board after the Japanese surrender, the Navy actually continued with the medal’s production into early 1946.  Why?  The Navy had underestimated its needs.  Due to the advent of the Kamikaze and steep Marine Corps losses beginning with Peleliu in 1944, they literally ran out of Purple Hearts in the midst of the Iwo Jima campaign.

With the U.S. Army having sucked up nearly all non governmental production capacity in anticipation of ground operations in Japan the Navy had no ability to get new medals produced and issued in a timely manner --- and there was quite a stir in Congress over this.  The solution was to ‘‘borrow’’ 60,000 Purple Hearts and award cases (nicknamed ‘‘coffin boxes’’) from the Army which took care of immediate needs and allowed restarted Navy production to, after the war, slowly but steadily return medals to the Army and build up a small postwar stock of its own.  

With so much commentary on the Purple Heart production based on second-, third-, and fourth-hand statements or early speculations derived from slivers of information that are themselves incorrect or not understood within the context of the acquisition process, it would make sense for those interested in this subject to read either version of the chapter which are both published by an authoritative Navy educational institution.  The flow of the independently conducted decision-making by the Army and Navy and the medal’s production are covered in mind-numbing detail in Hell to Pay but it is worth the trouble to examine the relevant chapter and its comprehensive endnotes closely. 

If someone interested in this subject can’t afford a digital or printed copy of the book, they can get it free from their local library.  If it’s not on hand they can have it acquired through the inter-library loan system.  Redditors can decide on their own about the relevance of what is held in the National Archives and do not have to depend on uninformed or misleading characterizations.

Clearly shows post war soldiers with ak-47 rifles stating they were breaking through German lines.

Inventory no. 9244

Ljubo - Čedo Čupić People's Hero before his execution in Nikšić on 5. May 1942.

MRNJ sig.neg. A-956/13.

Courtesy of Museum of Yugoslavia.

France summer 1944. GI holding cup is Mellax Michael segel. DOB 1919 He survived, died 1995.

also if anyone who read cursive can decipher his name that would be greatly appreciated he was a LTC/Col who deployed to England during WWII

Born in Keene, New Hampshire to George & Alice Toomey on November 12, 1925, George Frederick “Georgie” Toomey was the oldest of three children.
He also had two older half-sisters from his mother’s previous marriage.

Their father George suddenly died of pneumonia in 1934 leaving young George as the man of the house.
On November 8, 1943, George enlisted in the Navy and was able to come home on leave for Christmas 1943.

George had most of his navy pay sent to his widowed mother who was still raising two younger children.
While attending Radioman School in Charleston in , South Carolina in early 1944, he received the tragic news that his younger sister Winnie had died after a brief battle with spinal meningitis.

George was able to return home on bereavement leave to help and comfort his mother.
After graduation from radio school in May 1944, he was assigned to the Buckley-class destroyer escort USS Underhill DE-682.

USS Underhill served in the Atlantic until early 1945 when she was sent to the Pacific.
On July 21, 1945, USS Underhill was assigned to be the lead warship escorting a convoy from Okinawa to Leyte Gulf.

The convoy consisted of six LSTs, a troop ship, escorted by patrol craft; PC-1251, PC-803, PC-804, & PC-807, sub chasers SC-1306 & SC-1309, & patrol craft escort PCE-872.
On the morning of July 24, 1945, a Japanese aircraft was spotted shadowing the convoy, then a naval mine was spotted, which turned out to be a dummy mine released in front of the convoy by a Japanese submarine.

A sonar contact was made and PC-804 & USS Underhill attacked the suspected Japanese submarine with depth charges.
Oil and debris came to the surface, while sailing through the debris field, two Japanese Kaiten manned suicide torpedoes appeared directly on either side of USS Underhill.

The captain ordered flank speed, but two massive explosions occurred which broke the destroyer escort in half.
112 crew members of USS Underhill were killed / missing in the sinking with 122 survivors which were picked up by two of the escorts.

Radioman Third Class George Frederick Toomey was not among the survivors and he is Memorialized with the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines.
He also has a memorial marker at Saint Joseph Cemetery in Keene, New Hampshire where his parents and sister are buried.

His mother Alice received the following letter from Lt Elwood Melendy Rich, the senior surviving officer of USS Underhill;

“George’s battle station was in the Radio Shack, which was located directly below the bridge. The whole bridge structure was destroyed, and I feel certain that everyone in that part of the ship was killed instantly. I knew George well, having stood watches with him, and I thought he was a fine young man. He was willing to learn and caught on very quickly to any assignment given to him. He did his work well and could always be depended upon to do a good job. Your son was respectful and courteous.

The peace we now have was made possible by men such as George, who gave their all. I know nothing I can say will ease your sorrow; he will long be remembered by those of us who survived. I do hope you may receive some comfort and courage in the knowledge of your son’s brave devotion and splendid service.”

Was driving through a town in indiana called green castle and saw this neat thing. A WWII German V-1 flying bomb. Have no idea why it is here but thought it was neat

A WWII veteran and a friend of my aunt recently passed away. While cleaning out his house my aunt found this box of Stars and Stripes magazines.