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Started By
Message
Help me find information on my grandfathers WWII campaigns
Posted on 1/31/20 at 7:52 am
Posted on 1/31/20 at 7:52 am
Hey guys, recently I’ve been trying to do more and more research about my grandparents, because they were really cool people and I don’t want them to be forgotten.
My grandfather fought in WWII. I know he was on Omaha beach, spent the first day of D-Day on the ship (he was an engineer and spoke German and was working the radios). On the second day he stormed the beach. I also know that he participated in the Battle of the Bulge and I’ve been told he helped liberate a concentration camp but I don’t know which one or what part he played in that if any.
He died when I was 15 and never really talked much about his war experiences, most of what I know I got from my uncles at a little bit from my grandmother, who passed away when I was 22.
His obituary says that he was in the army 77th but everything I’ve found on them is in the Pacific so I’m not sure that’s correct. Is there a database of people who were on D day? Or a complete list of units who were there? Years ago I was at the Dday museum before it became the World War II museum and found his brick with the Dday display but I don’t remember any details other than that.
I do remember being at the Dday museum with my grandfather and he wouldn’t go into the part about the holocaust because it was bring it up to many painful memories.
Anyway, if anybody can help with a way to figure out his military record I would really, really appreciate
ETA: short version - looking for help figuring out my grandfathers WWII military record in Europe
My grandfather fought in WWII. I know he was on Omaha beach, spent the first day of D-Day on the ship (he was an engineer and spoke German and was working the radios). On the second day he stormed the beach. I also know that he participated in the Battle of the Bulge and I’ve been told he helped liberate a concentration camp but I don’t know which one or what part he played in that if any.
He died when I was 15 and never really talked much about his war experiences, most of what I know I got from my uncles at a little bit from my grandmother, who passed away when I was 22.
His obituary says that he was in the army 77th but everything I’ve found on them is in the Pacific so I’m not sure that’s correct. Is there a database of people who were on D day? Or a complete list of units who were there? Years ago I was at the Dday museum before it became the World War II museum and found his brick with the Dday display but I don’t remember any details other than that.
I do remember being at the Dday museum with my grandfather and he wouldn’t go into the part about the holocaust because it was bring it up to many painful memories.
Anyway, if anybody can help with a way to figure out his military record I would really, really appreciate
ETA: short version - looking for help figuring out my grandfathers WWII military record in Europe
This post was edited on 1/31/20 at 7:59 am
18
Posted on 1/31/20 at 7:53 am to Tiger1242
Posted on 1/31/20 at 7:54 am to Tiger1242
Shouldn't be too hard, what's his gamertag?
Posted on 1/31/20 at 7:56 am to Tiger1242
Well, you can start with battle of the bulge groups and cross reference to d-day groups. That'll narrow it down some.
Posted on 1/31/20 at 7:57 am to Displaced
I LOL'd
Posted on 1/31/20 at 7:58 am to Mahootney
That’s good advice I’ll try that. I looked for Army 77th in the DDay groups but didn’t find them, but maybe I’m looking in the wrong spot
Posted on 1/31/20 at 7:59 am to Tiger1242
Start here..
Request any and all records. I am not sure what all hoops you will need to jump through, but I would start with requesting military records for your grandfather.
Request any and all records. I am not sure what all hoops you will need to jump through, but I would start with requesting military records for your grandfather.
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:02 am to Tiger1242
Something like 75% of US Army personnel records for people who served in the first half of the 20th century were destroyed in a fire back in the 70s.
Unless your family is personally holding copies, it may be hard to figure this out.
Unless your family is personally holding copies, it may be hard to figure this out.
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:02 am to Tiger1242
I'll try to find the link when I get a few minutes, but I used an online database to look up info on my great grandfather's WWI records. Ultimately I really didn't find much, but it did tell me where he shipped out of, and where he served in Europe. Unless your grandfather kept some kind of journal, or relayed his experience to someone that kept a record of it, it's rather difficult to find much unfortunately.
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:04 am to The Spleen
If his hometown newspaper has an online archive, you can also search there. Or the public library in his hometown. There were often articles written about local veterans returning home.
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:05 am to Tiger1242
Go to Fold3 site
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:06 am to geauxtigers87
What army was the 77th attached to? The 77th should have a regimental history. For some reason I’m getting civil war ad Highlands history.
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:07 am to GetCocky11
quote:
Something like 75% of US Army personnel records for people who served in the first half of the 20th century were destroyed in a fire back in the 70s.
Unless your family is personally holding copies, it may be hard to figure this out.
Not necessarily, it's not as bad as people think. With today's technology they save a lot more than they thought possible
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:07 am to geauxtigers87
Do you have a copy of his discharge papers? Did he ever file anything with the VA?
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:09 am to saltwaterdawg
77th ID lands on Guam in 1944,it's a pacific division
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:11 am to The Spleen
quote:
If his hometown newspaper has an online archive, you can also search there. Or the public library in his hometown. There were often articles written about local veterans returning home.
Funny you mention that, he actually started his towns newspaper when he was in high school (small town in Pennsylvania). His family had been very wealthy but lost everything in the Depression, by the time the war started they were broke. When he got back from the war his parents had split, his mom had remarried, and they had both left town just assuming he died in the war because they never got any of his communications.
So it's unlikely the paper has any information
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:11 am to Tiger1242
Fold3 is a good site to search records.
Also, does he have a military marker at his gravesite? That would list his proper unit.
Also, does he have a military marker at his gravesite? That would list his proper unit.
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:12 am to Noryev
quote:
Request any and all records. I am not sure what all hoops you will need to jump through, but I would start with requesting military records for your grandfather.
How far back do those go? Civil War? Further back?
ive been thinking of doing a little research myself right now and would be curious to know....
Posted on 1/31/20 at 8:13 am to saltwaterdawg
quote:
What army was the 77th attached to? The 77th should have a regimental history.
That's the problem it seems like the 77th was a division that went to the pacific, landed in Hawaii then deployed into Guam... So I think his obituary is incorrect or it's a different 77th (I'm not 100% sure how all that works I was never in the military)
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