More 3rd Infantry Division Photographs-World War II

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©Rich Heller
1997-2010

Sgt Robert W. (Bob) Hansen, 7th Infantry Regiment

This is a picture of my uncle, Sgt Robert W. (Bob) Hansen from Barnesboro, Pa. He served in the 7th Infantry Regiment 3rd Infantry Division from June 1943 to November 1943.He was wounded on Mount La Difensa, Italy on November 13th,1943. After he was discharged from the hospital the Army transferred him to the 16th Traffic Regulation Transportation Corp. He died in 1949 at the age of 27.
Thank You,
Michael Donovan

Edward J. O'Rourke, Jr., 3rd Div., 30th Inf. Reg., Co. G These are photos of my father, Edward J. O'Rourke, Jr., 3rd Div., 30th Inf. Reg., Co. G receiving his Silver Star. He is the tall guy in the photos and a S/Sgt. I think they were taken on 8 May 1945. Other than Lt. Gen. Keyes and my father, I don't know the names of the others in the photos. If anyone can identify the other people, please email me at fhor@twcny.rr.com . Thanks, Fred O'Rourke

Greene County veteran of World War II still waiting for Purple Heart
By Bethany Nolan 331-4373 | bnolan@heraldt.com

Leonard Wayne McIntosh was badly wounded in World War II

BLOOMFIELD — 5/24/2009 Leonard Wayne McIntosh was only 18 years old when he clambered down a ship’s rope ladder in steel helmet and combat boots, 70-pound pack on his back, Thompson submachine gun in hand, and swam for shore. Part of a wave of U.S. Army infantrymen who landed at Oran, Africa, in World War II, he recalled that day clearly: “It was either swim or drown.” So he swam, shedding some of his equipment along the way. He hit the beach, shot his way through the protective covering that was waterproofing his weapon, and dug into a foxhole.

Then, he watched in horror as a buddy was shot between the eyes and killed.

More than 60 years later, that memory brought tears to his eyes. “Some of this stuff still hurts,” McIntosh continued, breathing deeply as he wiped his eyes. “You see a lot of things in the Army you don’t want to remember.”

War

His men with A Company, 30th Infantry Regiment, worked their way around the coast, joining up with General Patton’s Third Army in Tunisia. The combat was hell, the infantrymen going up against German general Rommel’s Panzer tank divisions. It was during one of those battles that McIntosh recalled seeing another of his buddies — a Cherokee from Oklahoma who carried a knife in a sheath between his shoulder blades and practiced throwing it at trees during what little down time the soldiers had — run up the side of a tank, yank open the turret and drop in a grenade.

The fighting was worst at Anzio, Italy, he said. “They had probably half their forces backing them up,” he said of the German soldiers. “We wouldn’t nomore than repel an attack until there’d be another one come. They tried to push us off the sand, back into the water. But we didn’t go.” McIntosh was wounded there, taking shrapnel to his left hand and upper thigh. The bluish pieces of metal in his hand are visible there today, as close to the surface as his memories.

Soldiers Leonard Wayne McIntosh, left, and his buddy Walter Keegan pose for a photo during World War II. Courtesy photo

There are other recollections. He can remember swimming across the Tiber River, towing a line that his fellow soldiers then used as a guide to cross the water. And when his unit arrived in Corsica, he saw the body of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini hanging in an archway.

Even darker memories include helping liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp. He walked among the ovens full of ash, and saw the people who’d been imprisoned there. “They were just so skinny, it was pitiful,” he said. “It looked like the bones was coming out of them.”

Injury

Then came a turning point for McIntosh. In France, as part of a planned rear attack on the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge, he and a fellow soldier were ordered to take out a sniper in a building. But once inside, the heavy stone walls crashed down around them, possibly from artillery fire. “I came to in the 17th General Hospital in London, England,” he said. “And I can’t tell you to this day how I got there.”

Doctors said both his back and neck were broken, and he’d never walk again. But after surgery using part of his ankle bone to fuse his spine, McIntosh proved them wrong. After that, he said, he worked for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, where he was chauffeur for Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. And while he didn’t know it at the time, Army officials had sent a telegram home reporting him missing in action. His dad, Webster D. McIntosh, didn’t tell his mother, Luna, instead folding the notice inside his billfold, keeping the secret. Months later, when father met son at the Bloomfield train depot, the elder man tossed away that worn scrap of paper. “He took this telegram out of his billfold and said ‘I guess I won’t need this anymore,’” McIntosh said.

Infantrymen of the 3rd Infantry Division rest beside a railroad near the town of Larnod, France, during World War II after having been relieved, according to a caption in a yearbook for the division. Bloomfield veteran Leonard Wayne McIntosh is the soldier marked with a red letter X.
U.S. Army Photo

Home

After McIntosh returned home, he was hanging out with friends on the square in Bloomfield — known as the place to see and be seen on Saturday nights — when he spotted Oaklene, a pretty girl from Plummer. The two married May 10, 1947, and have four sons and one daughter. Oaklene, now 80, is well-known in the community, having served as county treasurer for eight years and as Richland Township Trustee for 14 years. The two live in a cozy ranch-style home north of Bloomfield, their green expanse of lawn filled with peaceful silence broken only by the twitter of birds. On one wall of the living room is a shadowbox holding a small blurry black-and-white snapshot of McIntosh in his military garb, and a Combat Infantry Badge. It also holds two Bronze Stars, the first for the campaign in Africa, the other for Europe.

Former Monroe County veterans service officer John Tilford, a family friend, helped McIntosh get his medals despite a fire that destroyed much of his military paperwork. But the military has refused to award him a Purple Heart, the medal for service personnel wounded or killed, despite requests for reconsideration from congressmen Baron Hill and Brad Ellsworth. Now 84, and using a wheelchair much of the time due to deterioration in his spine caused by his war wounds, McIntosh isn’t sure he’ll live to see the medal.

Greatest generation

Despite the memories that haunt his mind and the injuries that burden his body, McIntosh’s sense of duty remains strong. “If I had to go back and was able to do it again for my country, my family, I’d do it,” McIntosh said. He paused, adding, “But I consider myself very fortunate to be alive.” He continued, “I always said if I got back home, I was never going to leave.” Gesturing at Oaklene on the couch near his chair, he said, “And you can ask her. We haven’t gone too far.”

Webmaster's Note: Pvt Leonard W. McIntosh was a member of the 30th Infantry Regiment.

Click here for video interview of Leonard McIntosh:
http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/video/vidz.php?flv=/stories/2009/05/24/0521_LW_McIntosh_WWII_Vet_.flv

A special thanks to Jeremy Hogan of the Bloomington, IN Herald Times online for sending this story to us. jhogan@heraldt.com

World War II veteran has the heart of a hero — but no Purple Heart
With records lost in fire, McIntosh can’t get the medal he earned
By Andy Graham 331-4215 | agraham@heraldt.com

Leonard shows where the shrapnel is still in his hand

November 23, 2008: It turned out Army veteran Leonard “Wayne” McIntosh has been carrying around some unexpected pieces of metal all these years, unwelcome souvenirs from his World War II infantry service. But he’s missing a bit of metal and ribbon many think he should have — the Purple Heart.

Shrapnel fragments left over from the war were discovered three years ago when McIntosh underwent an MRI procedure that heated them up inside his body. “They got really hot,” McIntosh recalled. Did he call out to alert the attending medical staff? “No,” he said. “You’re supposed to stay still” during the procedure.

Bloomfield resident McIntosh, who served with the 15th Regiment of the U.S. Third Infantry Division in Europe, is similarly stoic about war wounds that took chunks of his head, left thigh and left index finger. Then there were the broken back and broken neck suffered when the stone wall of a French farm house collapsed onto him from artillery fire.

McIntosh is low-key regarding the U.S. Army Board of Correction for Military Records’ refusal to award him a Purple Heart, the medal given to service personnel wounded or killed. Democratic congressmen Baron Hill and Brad Ellsworth co-signed a request that the military reconsider its denial of a Purple Heart for McIntosh, apparently to no avail, but McIntosh seems at peace with it all.
“I got a report from both of them (Hill and Ellsworth) and neither could see why in the world I didn’t have it,” McIntosh said by phone from his home. “I know they’ve worked on it, and I appreciate that. But just a couple of weeks ago, I got a notice (from the correction board) saying to forget it, because the records had burned in a fire in St. Louis.

“So I really think I got a screwing on that Purple Heart but, heck, I got a Bronze Star (a medal awarded for bravery or meritorious service) from the North African landing, when we went into Oran, and another Bronze Star from the European Theater. I just don’t have that Purple Heart. But, shoot, if it’s going to be that much of a hassle for them, they can keep it. I’ll get by.”

Degenerative problems with his back, stemming from his encounter with the stone wall in France, have now forced McIntosh to use a wheelchair. His son, Kenny, came along to help his dad get around during the Nov. 12 Hoosier Honor Flight visit to Washington, D.C. The flight was an expense-free, one-day excursion allowing veterans to visit the World War II Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and other sights in the area.

John Tilford, Col. U.S. Army, Ret., who helped orchestrate the Hoosier Honor Flight, remains incredulous that McIntosh is without a Purple Heart. Tilford knows official military records regarding McIntosh’s injuries are apparently lost, but cites existing Veterans Administration exam records from 1947 showing the effects of McIntosh’s combat wounds.

Tilford didn’t bother veiling his sarcasm in an e-mail last week reacting to the Army board of correction’s denial of McIntosh’s case: “Maybe he was hit by indirect fire near Bloomfield during the 18 months between being discharged at Camp Atterbury and the VA exam.”

My name is CPT Heather Peterson. I am resending this photo that my uncle sent to your site of my grandfather. Unfortunately, my uncle passed away about a year and a half ago and I do not know if he received any responses from this picture. My grandfather (is the SSG in the photo at the bottom right) was in 3rd ID during WWII. I will be heading to Ft Stewart to be a member of the 3rd ID this summer and am looking for more information on my grandfather. His name is John G. Lynch. I know he was injured during the war, but again, I do not have any information of where or when he was injured. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me. Thank you in advance.

Heather
Peterson, Heather S CPT MIL USA TRADOC heather.peterson1@us.army.mil

Sgt Robert A Dennin
601st TD

I first wish to commend you for your site. It is full of great information and very easy to navigate. My family and I are creating a family history and your site has been very useful in tracking my fathers WWII tour of duty.

My father, Robert A Dennin of Harrison, NJ, passed in 1986. He was a Tech Sergeant in the 601st TD from 1942 through 1945 and served from Morocco to Austria. He received a Bronze Star with palm somewhere in that time but I am not sure what for. He seldom spoke of the War but was always proud of his service and of his attachment with the 3ID. I have pasted a photo of him for your use if you wish.

Thank you for your site.

Sincerely,

John J Dennin

denninj@msn.com

3ID / 15^th Infantry / Regular Army: California, Washington, "Fedala to Salzburg" – People Jo Kindlarski met in the 3ID Ruth and Jo Kindlarski Jo Kindlarski, my father, was always connected to this 3ID division, sometimes to various HQ and at other times to the 15th Infantry, 2nd Battalion, Company G between 1940-1947 during “The walk from Africa to Germany". These are some of the photographs that he kept for up to 67 years, as this was the definitive experience of his life, by far. If the photo is in poor quality, Jo carried it in his wallet at the frontlines at some point. The names of soldiers that Jo Kindlarski fought with in Italy are also described in the book, “Artist at War: Tunisia-Sicily-Italy” by George Biddle, by name and actual quotes for this Battalion in Italy. See the Father/Padre Moore photo. - Kate Kindlarski, September 2007
War Biography for JOSEPH KINDLARSKI September 3, 1917 – May 16, 2006 Jo Kindlarski was born Sept. 3, 1917 in Hamtramck, Michigan, and died peacefully of natural causes at the home where he lived for 56 years on May 16, 2006, at the age of 88. Jo enlisted in 1940 in the Army before the United States entered World War II, called “regular” army. After the fighting ended, Jo was a Non-Commissioned Officer with the 7782nd Special Troops in Berlin, where he met his future wife, a Third Infantry Division Staff Sergeant, Ruth Hacke. After his discharge in 1947, their 50 year marriage began in 1948, when they moved near his wife’s home town to Sheffield Lake, Ohio. Jo fought from Africa to Germany with the Third Division, 15th Infantry, 2nd Battalion, Company G, and was attached to various Headquarters within the 15th/3ID. Jo was one of the longest-serving soldiers in WWII, and one of the few infantry Rifleman men that survived so many major campaigns and battles, especially in the early years of WWII. He earned 2 Hershey Bars, each representing 3 years of military service, and 7 Eisenhower Stripes, each representing 6 months of active combat (3.5 years) during his 6.5 years of service. Jo fought in 7 invasions and 13 campaigns, however the government stopped issuing ribbons after these 9 campaigns: French Moroccan, Tunisian, Sicilian, Naples, Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Central European Bronze Service Arrowhead for Southern France landing and Fedala (Morocco), and French Moroccan landing. He fought in Algeria-French Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, Sardina, France, and Germany. This included these legendary battles such as the Kassarine Pass (Feb. 14-22, 1943; oral history only) in Tunisia, Casablanca-Fedala, Sicily, Salnero, Acerno, Naples, Mt. Rotundo (Cassino-Migano), Anzio-Cisterna-Rome and Southern France. Jo’s German battles included the Winter War at Strasbourg, the Colemar Pocket/Battle of the Bulge (Dec. 16, 1944 – Jan. 16, 1945), and crossing the Rhine River near Heidelberg, Germany, and the Battle of Nurnberg (April 17-20, 1945). Jo earned the following medals and ribbons, in order of importance: Bronze Star Medal (1944), Purple Heart, 1st Oak Leaf Cluster, 2nd Oak Leaf Cluster, (wounded three times, Aug 1943 in Sicily, and Feb and March 1944 in Italy), American Defense Service Ribbon (1942), Euro-African Mid-East Campaign Medal (EAME) Service Ribbon (1944), World War II Victory Medal, Army Occupation Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal (1944). He also received 2 distinguished Unit Citations and the Croix de Guerre, with Fourragere braided rope, a high military award from France. Jo Kindlarski was also a bodyguard for George Biddle, a wartime artist and reporter. Mr. Biddle described U.S army soldiers’ war exploits in vivid detail, with several drawings and quotations of Jo Kindlarski in his 1944 book published by Viking Press, “Artist at War - Tunisia-Sicily-Italy.” Jo Kindlarski is best described by a paragraph in the December 9, 1944 letter awarding him the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in actual combat: “On the night of 8 November 1943, at Mt. Cesima, Italy, Corporal Kindlarski volunteered to lead a pack train loaded with badly needed ammunition seven miles through a hazardous enemy artillery concentration to the forward companies which had repulsed four enemy counterattacks. At no time was Corporal Kindlarski more than 400 yards away from the enemy, but despite the relentless hail of shell fragments that narrowly missed him, and on several occasions struck the ammunition boxes carried by the mules, he made his way to the companies and delivered the sorely needed ammunition.” Medals and honors from his military service record never meant that much to Jo, because he fought as courageously in many other battles where he wasn’t recognized. Jo always said he witnessed many fellow soldiers die in the fighting and that all of them deserved medals, but didn’t matter because none of them were alive to receive them. Here are some of their photographs:
California Training 1940-1942
"Patton" Joe in Rabat, Morocco	Artists at War Jo in Rome, Italy
Fort Lewis 1940-1942


Named Soldiers
Sgt Byers and Sgt De Spain Ft. Lewis with 15 Inf Regt sign	Ovidio Boschiou
	Father Mitchell Kaprowski Southbridge MA
Bernstein & Sgt. Mc Donald
Unknown Soldiers
	Camp Grant, IL

Recruit from Hamtramck, MI
Rifleman Sergeant
No Name Soldiers Section Here are some of the names with military rank in Jo Kindlarski’s address book. They may be the people in these photographs. 1 Lt Col Geo or Leo Paul 9 Schiller St Tel 2064 Guest house near the Circle Hotel 2 Capt S. More 2659 - 262659 3 Sgt, Everett Johnson Company G, 15th Infantry Fort Geo. Wright Washington 4 Sgt McQuirk 443 Bleeker St Brooklyn, NY 5 1st Lt, 23rd Corps Artl Paul Sieden NYC #0552514 Military Intelligence 6 Pfc, Company G, 15th Infantry Harvey Lippincott #37755156 7 Edward Przekota USS Sagamore ATO 20 New York, NY 8 Earl Olmstead 7750 13th Southwest Seattle Wash.
	War Buddies

Father Moore-Known as Padre Moore in the book "Artist at War" by George Biddle

Pfc W. L. Rains	Note written on the back of the Ovidio Boschiou photo from June 1944. Smiles Shipping Out
Cpl Ray Jones 15 Inf. Regt. Co H	Jo & 1st Sgt Reecler-Italy
	Headquarters


Other names 9 Joseph Gray 5405 South Shields 10 Henry W. Warrnecke Horak, Minn 11 John Kagan Detroit, Mich 12 Jack Krakawski Cleveland, Ohio 13 Mick Visceglio Bronx, NY 14 Jack Caudell Ashville, NC	15 Alexis M.Tournion or Tournien New Orleans, LA 16 Lewis Adams Deeker, Indiana 17 Joe Hill Washington, DC 18 Nick Green Hamtramck, Mich 19 Al Palmer Hamtramck, Mich 20 Lloyd Field Detroit, Mich

Photos from Joe Fournier of Russ Cloer
Russ in the Colmar Pocket in France..	amphib was probably at the Rhine River crossing..
his I&R platoon of the 7th Reg...	what's left of a jeep after hitting a tellar mine in France..
Enclosed is a pic of 3 of us, me Joe Fournier on the left, John Morael, center and Ed Garrow on right. A few days after the Rhine River crossing I think. Yes, we were a tired dirty looking bunch but who wasn't.

Pfc Charles Yarnold, 15th Infantry Regiment

I enjoyed your website honoring the 3rd Infantry Division, and thought I would send you some memorabilia I have of my father, Pfc Charles Yarnold, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division in WWII.

There is an interesting story behind the Photo.jpg. My mother, who at the time was my father's girlfriend back home in NJ, was at a theater in Newark, NJ, and they played the local news from the war front. To my mothers astonishment, there was a newsreel of my dad slogging up a hill in Italy. She ran back to the theater manager, and they made a print of the picture. They were married when he came home at the end of the war. She gave the picture, and other memorabilia of my fathers service in the war, to me 40 yrs later.

My dad was very proud of the time he served in the 3rd Infantry Division.

Yours,

Doug Yarnold

Memories

Newspaper article

Photo.jpg

S/Sgt. Charles Cole Jr.

The pictures I have sent you are of my father S/Sgt. Charles Cole Jr. of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. He was with Company M of the 7th Infantry Regiment attached to the 3rd Inf. Division. He was a squad leader of a Mortar unit from what his papers say. He did not talk much about the war unless someone was there. He would then talk about it.

He went through the entire war with out any real problems until March 26, 1945 near Worms, Germany. He states he was standing up while American artillery was coming in and one fell behind him and a piece of shrapnel got him in the Butt.

His story went on that when the word came over that the war was over, he was flat on his stomach in a French area and all the men were drinking French wine and celebrating and he was unable to partake in the celebrating. What Luck! At least he came home. I remember night after night of my father waking up screaming from nightmares of the war.

Because of him and others like him I have been able to live in the best country in the world.
I am proud of the fact that from the Revolutionary War to WWII the COLE family has been involved in bringing freedom to our country.

I would like to say your web page has help me understand better what my father went through during WWII.
Thanks
Michael C. Cole
Old Hickory, TN

CPL Ralph C. Gerstung 30INF/F

My name is Keith Gerstung, and I am writing to you to inform you of my father's passing. I am a former Marine and a current member of American Legion Post 703 in Fox Lake, IL. My father, Ralph C. Gerstung, was a member of American Legion Post 911 out of Wauconda, IL for over 10 years but rarely attended meetings due to a prolonged illness. He was also very proud of his affiliation with the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division and the Disabled American Veterans Association. He passed away on September 10th, 2006.

My father was a decorated World War II veteran from 1943-45. He belonged to the 3rd Infantry Division, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry, Company "F" and served under General Patton and General Eisenhower as an infantry soldier, mechanic and radioman. In 1944, he was wounded by enemy fire in France and taken prisoner. He spent the remainder of the war in captivity in Limburgh, Munich (Stalag 7A) and Muhlberg (Stalag 4B), Germany, before being liberated by the Russian army in 1945.
I am extremely proud to have had a father who felt so strongly about home, family and his country, and I will carry on his traditions and values until the day I die.
Thank you for your continued support of United States veterans.

Keith C. Gerstung
McHenry, IL





Photos contributed by Gilles Guignard Unfortunately I don't know where these pictures were taken and I don't know the name of the soldiers. I'm sure 3rd ID people will be glad to see my website. I was told not so long ago by a 36th vet that "3rd ID soldiers were our brothers - we fought along together all the way since Italy!" Ill keep you posted with new photo related to the 3rd ID when I get some! Best wishes from Switzerland, Gilles rotmcook@yahoo.com http://dogface44.skyblog.com/

Sigolsheim 60th Anniversary Commemorations

Wreath laying at Sigolsheim Memorial Dec. 12, 2004

"On December 12th the towns of Kientzheim, Kaysesberg, Ammerschwihr and Sigolsheim will commemorate the 60th anniversary of their liberation. Indeed they were liberated from Nazi occupation but they were reduced to a pile of rubble and the civilians had either perished, burnt alive in their basements, or fled. The towns are located at the exit of the Vosges Mountains, near the last elevation overlooking the Alsatian plain. The fighting for the possession of that vantage point was fierce between the SS and men from the 36th and 3rd US Infantry Divisions.

The toll was heavy and the Sigolsheim heights were nicknamed "Blutberg" (Bloody Mountain) by the Germans. The winter weather added to the discomfort. The area is now peaceful and beautiful and only the French cemetery where hundreds of French colonial troops are buried reminds us of the vicious battle that was waged here so Colmar could be liberated without destructions. Close by, an impressive American monument installed by the Rhine and Danube Association bears witness to the ties between the two armies: a rare fact in our history, American divisions fought under the command of the French Army!

The civilians from this area are most thankful to the Americans for their participation and sacrifices. The town square in Sigolsheim has been named the Square of the 15th Regiment. Over the course of the years the towns have given numerous receptions to American veterans. They would like to honor them one more time for the 60th anniversary. In recent years the weather has been very decent at this time of the year, unlike the winter of 1944-45. Your presence at the commemorations on December 12th would be most meaningful. If you think you are able to attend, please contact the "French connection" and your occasional tour guide:

Lise Pommois, 8 rue des cerisiers, 67110 Niederbronn, France. Phone and fax: (country code) + 3 88 09 05 63.
E-mail: pommois@wanadoo.fr.
Everyone will work hard to make your stay a pleasant one.

Lise is a wonderful friend of the Society, and now needs our help in providing veterans at an important event in France in December. Anyone who is fortunate enough to be at this commemoration will have a wonderful time. The French people are truly grateful for all we did in 1944 and early 1945. Thanks for your help.
With warmest regards, John Shirley

The Other D-Day
France Pays Tribute To Soldiers Of Operation Dragoon
By CHRISTINE OLLIVIER
Published on 8/16/2004

Aboard the Charles de Gaulle -- France on Sunday honored soldiers, including tens of thousands of Africans, who staged an assault on the French Riviera 60 years ago to break the Nazi grip — one of the least-remembered military operations of World War II.

Photo by Claude Paris

French President Jacques Chirac, left, awards the Legion of Honor to American World War II veteran John Shirley, 1Lt 15th Inf. Reg., 3rd Infantry Division, during a military ceremony aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle Sunday. The ceremony marked the 60th anniversary of the assault of Allied forces on the southern shores of France 10 weeks after the Normandy landings.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco, 13 African heads of state and representatives of eight other nations joined President Jacques Chirac for the belated tribute to the Aug. 15, 1944, landings in Provence — codenamed “Operation Dragoon” — which helped change the course of the war.

Aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, anchored off the Mediterranean port of Toulon, Chirac pinned France's prestigious Legion of Honor award on the chests of 21 veterans representing countries that had contributed troops.

Chirac called the landings along France's southern shores a “new stage ... in the merciless struggle that would decide the fate of our nations” and said they “opened a major new front.”

“Sixty years ago, at the cost of immense sacrifices, the forces of freedom pursued their assault to smash the machine of death and hatred that was on course to enslave Europe,” Chirac said in a speech on the deck of the Charles de Gaulle.

U.S. soldiers and British paratroopers also were honored in two ceremonies on Saturday, with 18 among them receiving the Legion of Honor.

Overshadowed by the bigger and bloodier D-Day landings in Normandy 10 weeks earlier, the southern landings have been largely overlooked and are often referred to as “The Other D-Day.”

While veterans of Operation Dragoon were honored 10 years ago, on the 50th anniversary, Sunday's ceremony was the first time African vets were so remembered with such military pomp and fanfare.

White-robed African veterans stood proudly to receive their honors and kisses on both cheeks from Chirac. Many expressed mixed emotions at being honored so long after combat.

“Sixty years after, they've remembered. It took a long time,” 83-year-old Hamady Gadio of Mauritania said at a morning ceremony in the village of Cavalaire.

In an unusual gesture, the French president also gave a special award, the Cross of the Legion of Honor, to the city of Algiers, then part of France and the seat from 1943-1944 of the Provisional Government of the French Republic — the government of Gen. Charles de Gaulle opposed to the collaborationist Vichy regime.

Chirac said it was important to recognize the “crucial and singular” role of Algiers, which had been “the capital of fighting France.”

A Naval parade of 21 French and five foreign ships moved westward from Antibes to pass the Charles de Gaulle during the ceremony. A dozen airplanes also flew by.

“Those valiant soldiers came from metropolitan France and from every horizon of France's overseas empire,” Chirac said. “The sons of your nations joined their names to the military legend of France and forever mingled their blood with ours.”

Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, speaking at the ceremony in Cavalaire, west of Saint Tropez, said the southern landings “marked the Renaissance of the French army,” fortified by Africans who “united with Europeans under the French flag.”

While meeting little resistance in many cases, soldiers who took part in the southern assault then made their way to the more dangerous north toward Germany.

The chaos of battle has prevented a definitive Allied death toll, but the French Defense Ministry says 1,300 Allied soldiers died in the operation's first two days.

Estimates for the numbers of the soldiers who fought in Operation Dragoon, one of the least remembered operations of World War II, vary widely. French military experts have put the figure of African soldiers between 50,000 and 120,000. The higher figure would be about half of the French contingent.

Associated Press Writer Jocelyn Gecker in Cavalaire contributed to this report.
© The Day Publishing Co., 2004

Photos of this event: Click here

More Photos from John Shirley's Tour to France

Here are two web pages of the French Tour from Mitchy

http://pageperso.aol.fr/rotmwwii/veterans.html

http://pageperso.aol.fr/rotmwwii/BESANCON2004.html

PFC Arthur L. Symonds

A couple of months ago I received a message from a friend in Jebsheim France advising me that they knew someone in the Colmar area that had found an ID bracelet with the name Arthur L. Symonds 39 141 259 and the name Donnie inscribed. They knew that my regiment, the 254th Infantry Regiment, had been in the area in January 1945 and thought that I might be able to identify the owner so that it could be returned to them or their family. Without going into a lot of detail, I was able to locate the son of Arthur L. Symonds (The father and mother (Donnie) have died).

He was put in contact with the people who found the bracelet and it is being returned to him. Also the son and his wife will travel to the Alsace area in January to participate in the 60th anniversary celebrations of the liberation of that area. Arthur L. Symonds was in the Third Infantry Division, at least his photo shows him with a 3d Inf Div patch. I am attaching a copy of the photo to this message. Just thought you might like to hear the story and have the photo of the 3rd Inf Div veteran.

Fred Clinton, Webmaster 63rd Infantry Division

http://www.63rdinfdiv.com/

Pfc Arthur L. Symonds was a member of the 7th Infantry Regiment during WWII

Exactly 60 years ago, the little town of my father was liberated by the “Marne Division”. On the morning of 16 September, 1944, the 1^st battalion 15^th Infantry was the first to entered LURE, near the Vosges mountains. I am happy to send you some pics about that. I hope you will appreciate them. Best Regards and God Bless the marnemens A French friend *Thierry JUIF*



Hello, I am French and I have photos of 3rd Division 30 Inf. Regiment in south of France in 1944 in a village : Mirabel aux Baronnies. These two photos contributed by Luc Delescluse

Clipping courtesy of Frank Pistone

		My uncle FRED MELFI. He was sergeant in the Third Division, and served from ST.Tropez, France August of 1944 to Manheim, Germany in 1945. He was in Manheim when Gen. Patton was in the vehicle accident. Also he has four battle stars with his ribbon. Thank you, Louis Hodgson louhod@frontiernet.net


Hello from Melbourne, Australia My name is Sam Cox, I am a collector of WW2 US Army Horse Cavalry from the second World War. As you are probably aware the 3rd I.D used ad hoc Cavalry during the campaigns in Sicily and Italy. Attached are some pics of the unit from the cover of The Cavalry Journal. The 3rd Provisional Reconnaissance Troop was the brainchild of Lucian K Truscott and saw action in Sicily, Salerno and Anzio. Highest regards Sam Cox, golpeo_rapidamente@bigpond.com

General Patton explaining to 3ID Officer, his position! 3rd Signal Company Photo

Karl M. Kindt Jr. Killed in action while fighting in the 3rd Division in a town called Gadheim, Germany 4/12/1945 killed buried in St. Avold, Lorraine cemetery

This famous photo taken by the Signal Corps showing blood being given by 3rd Division Medic to a wounded GI. It has been used by the Red Cross urging blood donations, the Readers Digest in one of their films depicting the 1940's, Time-Life in their books on World War Two, and on hbo.com for their movie "Band of Brothers".

From Russ Cloer I enjoyed your new pics on the 3rd Div Website. They brought back memories. I was at Camp Croft in Spartanburg in October 1943, when you were sporting your Camp Croft T shirt as a toddler. I had just graduated from Infantry OCS at Fort Benning (9/20/43) and after a 10 day delay in route, was sent to Croft for a couple of weeks with a bunch of other new 2nd Lts. The Army had a village fighting course there as well as a live grenade range which Benning didn't have. The photos of the LST's lined up in Naples, brought back memories of being shipped up to the Anzio Beachhead with a group of replacement 2nd Lts. Infantry, overnight in February 1944. I remember that the one we boarded had huge white letters on the transom over the ramp reading, "Gateway to Glory." At the time, I didn't think it was funny! And the LST's for the Southern France D-Day! My company was loaded aboard an LCI (photo attached) and at H hour we went over the side on rope cargo nets into LCVP's.

I have found 2 pics about 3rd US ID, I join you for the website. hope you enjoyed... MITCHY 1st pic : Private Harold STREICH (3rd ID) Chicago, a military policeman, searches a bespectacled German prisoner, who with the other Germans in the background were captured on the Salerno front OCT, 3, 1943 2nd pic : Yanks pass dead German. two American soldiers (one medic) , members of the Third Inf. Div., march past a dead German soldier at the side of the road in a hilly section of the Italian front Dec. 18, 1943

I scanned from the collection of photos taken by Capt. Hugh A. O'Neill, surgeon, 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. He passed away last year, but luckily his daughter-in-law, Vickie O'Neill is a secretary where I work. She passed along these photos to me to look at and scan. The attached photo was taken in an unknown location. I would almost swear that the guy in the middle row, second from the left is Audie Murphy. I just finished reading "To Hell and Back" and I would swear that is him. I know he was wounded several times. It makes sense he would have been around the 3rd Med. Battalion. for treatment. What do you think? I am sending this photo to others for their opinion. From Steve Mazak whiskeyhoundog@aol.com Capt. Hugh A. O'Neill of the 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. In the rear areas at Anzio.

I wanted to email a photograph of my father while he was in bootcamp at Fort Ord in 1942. He was a forward observer in the 41st Field Artillery Battalion, Battery A. He was wounded 3 times. His name was Jack C. Comer Pfc and is listed in the roster of the 41st Field Artillery in the book "History of the Third Infantry Division. He died in 1978. Jim Comer

G. Murl Conner Click on name to go to website A Clinton County (KY) War Hero

This photo was taken at Cavalaire France 1944. The pilot in the picture is Wilfred M. Boucher, formerly of the 41st Field Artillery. Boucher had an extra fuel tank, and when he switched over to it an air bubble caused him to stall out and plop in the ocean. The navy put him and his plane on the beach. Photo from Dick Fietz with description by Capt. Alfred "Dutch" Schultz pilot of "Janey" an artillery spotting plane. By the way, "Dutch" even remembered all the details of Boucher's mission. He had a radio on the navy's frequency and was supposed to tell the naval gunners when to stop firing. He also told me a story that I had never heard. A plane cut one of our balloons loose and the bomb hanging from the balloon cable struck and killed a group of German soldiers.

The attached photos are from my late father's WWII album. If interested you can place in your photo section. Thanks, Lee Hatfield, Jr.

This photo was taken in February 1943 in North Africa. Left to right (top) : Sgt. Walter De Witt (Maine) Leland Dolezal - Ohio, Pfc. Lee E. Hatfield - New London, Ct. The 3 "native sons of French Morroco " are listed as (left to right) : Allah, Jake, and 'Satchel Mouth'	Salzburg Airport 1945 - German plane - (l-r) Pfc. Lee Hatfield (2nd Battalion) Sgt. Harry Dotson		Group photo -Salzburg , Austria 1945 left to right (top) - unidentified, Sgt. Harry Dotson (Parkersburg,WV), Charles Quigley (Newark, NJ) bottom (l-r) Pfc. Withold Pranckunas, unidentified



		Scout Car Photo supplied by Melissa Saylor ltsblsm@goldrush.com

Berchtesgaden

7th Regt. 3d Inf. Div. troops at Berchtesgaden May 1945, have something to smile about after 3 years of intensive fighting . Jerry Daddato, OP 18 sent the 1945 June issue of Yank magazine with this photo on the front page.

Blasts from the Past Yank Magazine-October 1944


from MichelMITCHY@aol.com

Photos by Russ Cloer of invasion of Southern France
(L) KO'd Sherman tank after German night attack on 1st Bn. 7th Inf. CP in Vagney, France.	(R) US ARMY Signal Corps" photo.
From Jeff Danby (grandson to Lt. Edgar Danby of Co. B / 756th Tank Battalion) : I just wanted to let you know that the knocked out tank at Vagney, France taken by Lt. Russ Cloer and featured in the "3rd Division Photos--ii" belonged to MOH recipient, Lt. James "Red" Harris of Company A of the 756th Tank Battalion. Lt. Harris and most of his crew were killed defending the 3rd Bn / 7th Inf Reg CP (which I believe is the white building in the right background, left photo). This photo shows the aftermath. The tank appears to have been hit three times. (twice in the transmission plate and once in the bow gunner's visual slot.)	His entire MOH citation can be read on page 382 of the 3rd ID History in WWII book by Taggert. Attached you will find that 2nd photo of Lt. Harris' tank at Vagney that I told you about. I got this photo from Ed Olson (former communications officer) of the 756th Tank Battalion. He got this photo from the National Archives but no longer had the 111SC number for it. I have also seen this photo published. In the book M4 Sherman by Michael Green (Motorbooks International, 1993) this photo appears on page 31.
D Day, H Hour, Southern France from LCI headed for smoke covered beach.	88mm gun on Red Beach 1, D Day, Southern France


Maurice Elowitch 3rd Division 30th Infantry Regiment Company L (Italy, Anzio, Southern France-end of the war.) Photos taken just prior to September 1944. Other names not known.

Captured German officer talking to 3rd Division GI.
Here's a couple of photos I made, from some negatives I found while looking for pictures to put on my website. World War II Memoirs-3rd Infantry Division

Concerning this photo which I just sent: The fellow at the upper right is my father, John D. Stavola. The guy next to him (2nd from left to right) is an Italian POW, as is the guy on the top right.	My Dad, John D. Stavola was an infantryman with the 15th Inf Reg., Co. I, 3rd Batt. He is a member of the 3rd Div. Society and attends many reunions down in Georgia. He asked me to send along these photos in the hope that some of his buddies from that time may recognize him. Hope you can use some of them. Rock of the Marne! Regards, John A. Stavola amychao@home.com

A Unit Zippo	A Unit Crest
I was assigned to the 3rd combat aviation battalion in Schweinfurt at Conn Barracks. The 3rd CAB was headquartered in Kitzingen, along with Audie Murphy's old unit the 2nd of the 15th Infantry. Sincerely; Rich Mooney SGT USA RET

	First Sgt. Francis Jacob Keller, Company B, 110th Medical Battalion from Ashland Pennsylvania at the liberation of Dachau