Hello my name is chris and I am new too the forum. My grandfather was in world war 2 and died before i was born. Not a lot is known about his world war 2 military service other than that he served in Europe and might of helped liberate Buchenwald. Here is his Gravestone. Can anyone tell me what the letters mean so i can know what unit he was in so i can learn more about the history?
Your grandfather's rank was corporal (CPL), and he was assigned to Headquarters Battery (HQ BTRY) of the 402nd Field Artillery (FA) Battalion (BN). The BSM means he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal during his service in Europe. Here's a little more information about his service for you. The 402nd FA Bn was a 105mm, truck drawn unit, assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division. According to Stanton's World War II Order of Battle combat narrative and other sources, there is no mention of the 42nd ID being involved in action near Buchenwald. The first unit to reach Buchenwald was the US 89th Infantry Division, followed by units of the US 3rd Army, to include elements of the 80th and 83rd Inf IDs,the 6th US Armd Division and the 20th US Field Hospital unit. And welcome to the forum as well. sources: Stanton's World War II Order of Battle, wiki and google
Welcome to the forum electricheaven. Your grandfather survived the war but still died a relatively young man!?! Best, Steve.
yes he died during surgery. i know for a fact he seen lots of action. he sent home nazi helmets and other things. most got thrown away but my uncle has a nazi officer dagger he sent home
Is there any way to find out what his battalion did in the war? My family is very interested to see what comes up. im having a hard time finding any information on google.
Is there any way to find out what his battalion did in the war? My family is very interested to see what comes up. im having a hard time finding any information on google. Well for starters, go to wiki and type in "US 42nd Infantry Division" and read the combat narrative there. Artillery units are organic to all divisions. Their primary function is to provide fire support for the combat elements of the division, both offensive and defensive. Google the search same information (US 42nd Infantry Division), and then try "Rainbow Division" for other bits and pieces of information (the 42nd ID's nickname was the "Rainbow Division". Google that too, it's an interesting story how the division got it's name during WW1. If you had some discharge papers or old letters, you might be able to determine his exact job in the unit. He could have been a cannon crewman, a spotter, ordnance or one of the many jobs in a field artillery battalion. That would be nice if you could do that as well. Anyway, after some diligent searching, you will be able to put together something worthwhile for the family to have about your grandfathers WW2 service to be proud of. Let us know what you find out.
