716th Tank Battalion

Discussion in 'US Units' started by 716_Grandson, Aug 1, 2008.

  1. Earthican

    Earthican Senior Member

    Hello all,

    I found this thread while researching my Great Uncle Paul Aleba Jr. Paul served in the 716th in Company C. He was mustered out on a ship called the White Marsh on December 26, 1944. Attached is the only photo I have of him in uniform. This thread has been a fascinating read. Thanks to everyone who has contributed information.

    Hello and welcome jjpm74

    Thank you for sharing the picture and story. Is that a typo, was he mustered out in 1944 or 1945?

    Did you check the photo of I Company, 48th Armored Regiment for your great uncle? When the 716th was formed from the 3d Battalion, 48th Armored the Companies G, H and I became A, B and C respectively. I saw a few candidates but can't be sure.

    I Company photo here:

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/us-units/14888-716th-tank-battalion-2.html#post425586
     
  2. Earthican

    Earthican Senior Member

    Attached Files:

  3. Jim Lankford

    Jim Lankford Member

    Earthician,

    Just wanted to congratulate you for your excellent, informative posts on this thread. Good work.

    Jim
     
  4. jjpm74

    jjpm74 Junior Member

    Hello and welcome jjpm74

    Thank you for sharing the picture and story. Is that a typo, was he mustered out in 1944 or 1945?

    Did you check the photo of I Company, 48th Armored Regiment for your great uncle? When the 716th was formed from the 3d Battalion, 48th Armored the Companies G, H and I became A, B and C respectively. I saw a few candidates but can't be sure.

    I Company photo here:

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/us-units/14888-716th-tank-battalion-2.html#post425586

    According the the Navy muster rolls over at ancestry.com, he was mustered on Dec 26, 1944. I know that he did see active duty during WWII and that he enlisted November 23, 1942. I did not know him well, but from what I know of him, he was a very nice individual and full of life before the war and a mean spirited individual after the war who hated life.

    Another great uncle of mine served in the tank corps in the Philipines, but I do not know what company he was with. He never wanted to talk about the war and would simply say that he was extremely lucky to be alive. One of his close friends survived the Bataan Death March and had a similar outlook on life.

    This looks like a match from this photo:

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/us-units/14888-716th-tank-battalion-5.html#post430824

    Except the chin does not look exactly right.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=90051&stc=1&d=1345734442

    Wow, that is a dead ringer for him. Good eyes! Paul Aleba is also in the 48th, Company I photo 716th Grandson posted from Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. He is in the second row, second from the left. I cropped a closeup of him. It is very exciting to find all this information about him!
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Earthican

    Earthican Senior Member

    Yep, that's the guy in that photo that I had favored.

    You may have seen this enlistment record. From here:

    NARA - AAD - Display Full Records - Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records)

    ARMY SERIAL NUMBER _______32587885
    NAME_______________________ALEBA#PAUL#P#
    RESIDENCE:_________________NEW YORK
    RESIDENCE:_________________BROOME
    PLACE OF ENLISTMENT_______BINGHAMTON NEW YORK
    DATE OF ENLISTMENT DAY____23
    DATE OF ENLISTMENT MONTH_11
    DATE OF ENLISTMENT YEAR __42
    GRADE______________________Private
    TERM OF ENLISTMENT________Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
    SOURCE ARMY PERSONNEL____Civil Life
    NATIVITY__________________PENNSYLVANIA
    YEAR OF BIRTH _____________10
    RACE AND CITIZENSHIP_______White, citizen
    EDUCATION_________________Grammar school
    CIVILIAN OCCUPATION________Semiskilled occupations in manufacture of boots and shoes
    MARITAL STATUS____________Single, with dependents
    COMPONENT OF THE ARMY___Selectees (Enlisted Men)

    Navy muster roll? Is that a typo? So you don't think he served overseas? He was older.

    You could try to obtain his service record from the US Army. If it is 65 years since his discharge you do not have to be his next of kin, you can make a public request.

    Military Personnel Records

    DaveFe's father also enlisted from up-state New York in December 1942. It seems likely these two might have been on the same train to Camp Chaffee a month or so later.

    I know Fort Niagara served as a Reception Station for at least the Buffalo area. Not sure what other places there could have been. Camp Upton, Long Island, served NYC and area.
     
  6. jjpm74

    jjpm74 Junior Member

    Navy muster roll? Is that a typo? So you don't think he served overseas? He was older.

    You could try to obtain his service record from the US Army. If it is 65 years since his discharge you do not have to be his next of kin, you can make a public request.


    He definitely did serve overseas. The collection I am referring to is US World War II Navy Muster Rolls 1938-1949. See attached. That does not mean that he served in the Navy, just that he was transported on a Naval vessel. Paul was being carried overseas on the USS White Marsh (LSD8) as of 26 Dec 1944. He probably landed Jan 1945.

    Thanks for the tip on the service record.
     

    Attached Files:

  7. Jim Lankford

    Jim Lankford Member

    He definitely did serve overseas. The collection I am referring to is US World War II Navy Muster Rolls 1938-1949. See attached. That does not mean that he served in the Navy, just that he was transported on a Naval vessel. Paul was being carried overseas on the USS White Marsh (LSD8) as of 26 Dec 1944. He probably landed Jan 1945.

    Thanks for the tip on the service record.

    :confused: You had me going there until I realized you were referring to the ship's passenger list.

    The 716th left SFPOE for the pacific on 2 June 1944. Are you sure the USS White Marsh was not transporting the 716th from New Guinea to the Philippines? According to Stanton's OOB, the 716th was in New Guinea before moving to the Philippines where it arrived on 9 January 1945.
     
  8. jjpm74

    jjpm74 Junior Member

    :confused: You had me going there until I realized you were referring to the ship's passenger list.

    The 716th left SFPOE for the pacific on 2 June 1944. Are you sure the USS White Marsh was not transporting the 716th from New Guinea to the Philippines? According to Stanton's OOB, the 716th was in New Guinea before moving to the Philippines where it arrived on 9 January 1945.

    That could very well be. Prior to finding this thread, the above attached passenger list and the picture I posted in my first post were the only pieces of info I had on Paul Aleba, and as I'm not from the military, I do not have a good knowledge of military terminology.

    Apologies if I confused anyone.
     
  9. Jim Lankford

    Jim Lankford Member

    That could very well be. Prior to finding this thread, the above attached passenger list and the picture I posted in my first post were the only pieces of info I had on Paul Aleba, and as I'm not from the military, I do not have a good knowledge of military terminology.

    Apologies if I confused anyone.

    No need to apologize especially as I am easily confused.

    It seems to me you might locate more about the 716th among the relevant titles of the "Green Books" written and published by the US Army. It is often very helpful and instructive to learn about the role of a particular unit within the context of the larger battles and campaigns in which it took part.

    The War in the Pacific - The U.S. Army in World War II Series - U.S. Army Center of Military History

    Here are the titles you should search. Victory in Papua, Leyte: Return to the Philippines and Triumph in the Philippines

    You may also wish to look for information regarding Davao Mindinao at Macajalar Bay which B Company did not take part in, and C Company at Iloilo.

    Hope this helps.

    Jim
     
  10. Earthican

    Earthican Senior Member

    He definitely did serve overseas. The collection I am referring to is US World War II Navy Muster Rolls 1938-1949. See attached. That does not mean that he served in the Navy, just that he was transported on a Naval vessel. Paul was being carried overseas on the USS White Marsh (LSD8) as of 26 Dec 1944. He probably landed Jan 1945.

    Thanks for the tip on the service record.

    OK, I got it now.

    LSD stands for Landing Ship Dock this type of ship had a flood-able bay in the rear. Sherman tanks loaded in LCM's (Landing Craft, Material), one each, could be launched from the ship for amphibious assaults. Its probably safe to say that all of C Company was on the White Marsh.

    I wonder if using names from the other companies we could find all the ships used by the 716th TB for the Luzon assault.
     
  11. DaveFe

    DaveFe Member

    Thanks for the new sources - would like to find the muster rolls for my father - I had been wondering which ships in Samuel Eliot Morison's Navy Histories he was on - the author lists the units and which divisions were carried. January 9 1945 was S-Day, the invasion of Luzon so that is where the USS White Marsh LSD8 was going.

    The battalion left SF June 2 and arrived at Buna New Guinea on July 3, 1944 on the converted freighter, JOHN C. AINSWORTH according to an attachment by 716_Grandson (part also posted by Earthican) which also said that "Company A sailed to Sansapor to join the 43rd Division; and Headquarters, Service, B and D Companies sailed to Hollandia to join, at a later date, the 43rd Division. At the end of December all units set out for Luzon."

    So for about 6 months they were in New Guinea, training for the invasion - Company A helping farther west at Sansapor. The 716th was assigned to I Corps section near San Fabian on Beaches White 1, 2, and 3, split between 6th (Co A) and 43rd Infantry Divisions.

    One question: the paper posted by 716_Grandson does not mention Company C, just A, B and D. I believe someone posted that D Co was usually the light tanks.

    Harry Yeide in The Infantry's Armor has written the history of all the independent tank battalions in WWII so I recommend it - unfortunately, there is not much about the 716th, esp. the Mindanao operation. The one AAR posted here is all I could find. Have to contact the 24th division historian for some info; their AARs should include what the 716th was doing. No replies yet from CARL or other US Army History sites.

    Our library has a copy of Stanton's OOB in the Reference section so I will check it out tomorrow as well as the Morison volume on the invasion of Luzon.

    Thanks again everyone

    Dave Ferro
     
  12. Earthican

    Earthican Senior Member

    ....

    The battalion left SF June 2 and arrived at Buna New Guinea on July 3, 1944 on the converted freighter, JOHN C. AINSWORTH according to an attachment by 716_Grandson (part also posted by Earthican) which also said that "Company A sailed to Sansapor to join the 43rd Division; and Headquarters, Service, B and D Companies sailed to Hollandia to join, at a later date, the 43rd Division. At the end of December all units set out for Luzon."

    So for about 6 months they were in New Guinea, training for the invasion - Company A helping farther west at Sansapor. The 716th was assigned to I Corps section near San Fabian on Beaches White 1, 2, and 3, split between 6th (Co A) and 43rd Infantry Divisions.

    One question: the paper posted by 716_Grandson does not mention Company C, just A, B and D. I believe someone posted that D Co was usually the light tanks.

    ....

    Dave Ferro
    The history appears to have a typo. I would guess C Company stayed with the main part of the battalion. They show up again on Luzon.

    Here's the text of the battalion history. It continues to mention C Company so I know its not a typo.

    page 60 of the pdf file

    "On S-Day, 9 January 1945, the 716th Tank Battalion made an assault landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf, going ashore in the First Corps zone on White Beach Two and Blue Beach. Components landing on White Beach Two included Headquarters, Service (-), B, C, and D (-) Companies and the Medical Detachment (-). Company A with Service Company and Medical Detachment elements landed on Blue Beach."
     
  13. Jim Lankford

    Jim Lankford Member

    OK, I got it now.

    LSD stands for Landing Ship Dock this type of ship had a flood-able bay in the rear. Sherman tanks loaded in LCM's (Landing Craft, Material), one each, could be launched from the ship for amphibious assaults. Its probably safe to say that all of C Company was on the White Marsh.

    I wonder if using names from the other companies we could find all the ships used by the 716th TB for the Luzon assault.

    Minor quibble, but I think LCM stood for Landing Craft, Mechanized.
     
  14. Wills

    Wills Very Senior Member

  15. 716thresearcher

    716thresearcher Junior Member

    Here is something interesting I found while trying to collect 716 info. This is just a small sample of the Newspaper Articles I found online and in different places that tell the soldiers hometown newspapers about the actions of their boys overseas. The problem is...they are all the same exact article with just the names of the Soldier switched out. I have an original newspaper article of my grandfathers that I thought was really cool, then I came across these other ones and thats when I learned they were just a generic moral booster article sent to most of their home town newspapers.

    I have about 10 more of these as well with different soldiers of the 716th substituted.
    Hello 716th Grandson,

    If you have copies with other soldiers' names substituted, could you post? I'm just curious to seek if my uncle is possibly one of them. Thanks.

    716thresearcher
     
  16. DaveFe

    DaveFe Member

    Earlier posted a newspaper article my father had in his wallet with the same dialogue but his name and hometown - pretty strange.

    Did look up LSD8 White Marsh and found a couple of sites - did not know the ship looked like that (considering all the photos of other ships published) but now I can imagine my father (and all your relatives) on board going into Lingayen Gulf, then waiting to land on January 9th, 1945.

    USS WHITE MARSH (LSD-8) Deployments & History

    USS White Marsh (LSD-8) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


    Found some more info on the 13th Armored Group and the Task Force that the 716th Tank Battalion traveled in for the Luzon invasion - have to transcribe first.

    Dave
     
  17. 716thresearcher

    716thresearcher Junior Member

    It looks as though the 716th used the M4A3 variant. If you follow the link below, and go to the M4A3 link attached to that, there is a series of historic photos, and also photos of scale models of M4A3s. As it happens,one of those models, photo 36256, is a model of Classy Peg, seen in some of the photos attached to this conversation string. If the naming convention holds (Company A tanks given names beginning with A, company B tanks beginning with B, etc.) then Classy Peg was in Company C. That is the same company that my late uncle was in, which would mean he probably knew the guys in that crew. Interesting!

    United States' M4 Medium Tanks - World War II Vehicles, Tanks, and Airplanes
     
  18. Earthican

    Earthican Senior Member

    ^Have you considered trying to get a roster for C Company in the December 1944 or January 1945 time frame? It may not exist and I don't know what a researcher charges.

    Access to Morning Reports and Unit Rosters
     
  19. 716thresearcher

    716thresearcher Junior Member

    Earthican,

    I've gotten everything that's available from the National Archives related to the 716th. Some of this includes the Field Order Number 1, which documents the preparations made prior to the landing and also the initial set of objectives for the landing. There is also a casualty list that unfortunately only covers the Jan - Feb '45 period, a roster of officers and warrant officers. From the standpoint of research related to my uncle, the best roster list is the ship's muster roll listed elsewhere in this string. Finally, I got the unit history as well. However, three other versions of the unit history appear on this website:

    World War II Operational Documents

    One of these versions contains a lot more information than is found in the same doc from the National Archives. The site also has a lot of valuable period documents published by the army that show things such as how the soldiers trained, tank deployment doctrine at the platoon, company, battalion levels, etc.
     
  20. Earthican

    Earthican Senior Member

    The Rosters and Morning Reports I linked to are located in at the Army Personnel Center in St Louis, MO. NARA records at College Park, MD are often cited as incomplete or missing altogether.

    Good Luck with your research.
     

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