Camp Philadelphia in Europe? OISE?

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by tempgal, Dec 10, 2009.

  1. tempgal

    tempgal Junior Member

    Hi --

    Please be gentle. I am not the veteran but am trying to assist my boss with a VA claim for his father, a World War II veteran. We have received some reconstructed records including a Record of Assignments, but need further assistance in deciphering them.

    On 1 July 1945, the veteran, a Capt. S-3, was assigned to "Cp Philadelphis AAC" with the location given as ETO, presumably European Theater of Operations. On another sheet the same assignment is written as "hqs Cp Phila," with ETO again noted as the location. I cannot find reference to a Camp Phila or Philadelphis or Philadelphia. The abbreviation of AAC is also confusing because we are not aware of the veteran being involved in Army Air Corps or anything other than Infantry. Does anyone know what this assignment could have been?

    On 1 January 1946, the veteran was assigned to "OISE, Sv. Comd," with ETO again given as the location. Similarly, I cannot find any reference to OISE and would appreciate anyone's help.

    Should it be relevant or should anyone be curious, the veteran apparently was attached but unassigned to the 75th Infantry Division, 290th Infantry Regiment, Company L first, then Company I, from 28 December 1944 to 30 June 1945.

    Thanks for your help.

    Zan
     
  2. arkrite

    arkrite Senior Member

    Just Googled Camp Philadelphia WW2 and had quite a number of results. It could have been near Rheims, France.
    I am in no way as knowledgeable as most of the members here so keep looking for further posts. Good Luck.
     
  3. tempgal

    tempgal Junior Member

    Thank you. I think I tried every variation of "WW2" except for the most obvious. Will try more.
     
  4. DaveB

    DaveB Very Senior Member

    I don't know if this helps:

    http://www.generalpatton.org/education/collections/Griffin_Collection.pdf

    Miscellaneous Passes and Membership Cards
    a. Membership Card, Headquarters Continental Base Section Officers Club, SN 481 for
    CPT B. A. Griffin, issued 28 AUG (date unknown)
    b. Membership Card, Junior Officers Club, Headquarters Battalion Continental Base
    Section, Bad Nauheim GE, April (1945) SN 000001, CPT B.A. Griffin
    c. Membership Card, Headquarters Continental Base Section Officers Club, SN 481 for
    lLT B. A. Griffin, issued 18 FEB (date unknown)
    d. Membership Card, OISE Intermediate Section Officers Club, Reims France, SN 1389
    for 1LT B. A. Griffin, issued 31 DEC 1945
    e. Membership Card, OISE Intermediate Section Officers Club, SN 818, for LT B. A.
    Griffin, issued December (date unknown)
    f. AGS Pass, for 1LT B. A. Griffin, 208th FA Battalion, 12 DEC 1945, ETO AG Form
    27

    and Willard Brown

    A power hitter who swung a 40-ounce bat, Brown led the league in home runs again in 1942 and 1943. The following year he was in military service with the Army and served in Europe.

    While in France, Brown was recruited by former Phillies’ pitcher, Sam Nahem, to play for the OISE All-Stars, who represented Com-Z (Communications Zone) in the 1945 ETO World Series.

    The OISE All-Stars were definite underdogs going into the best-of-five series. Their formidable opponents – the 71st Division Red Circlers, who represented the Third Army, had a lineup...

    .... the fifth and deciding game was played at Nurnberg on September 8, with the OISE All-Stars edging the Red Circlers 2-1, to claim the ETO World Series crown. Both Brown and Day, Negro League stars playing as part of an integrated team, were key factors in the OISE victory.
     
    Jack Springer likes this.
  5. DaveB

    DaveB Very Senior Member

    About the 21st of May, the 333rd was relieved of attachment to Group “B”, its assignment to ASCZ, and was assigned co Communication Zone, Oise Intermediate Section. On the 22nd of May, the entire Regiment once again loaded up equipmeat and personnel board trucks, box cars, and captured German coaches, and set out for Mourmelon, near Rheims, France, where they arrived on the 26th of May to undertake their new assignment, the construction of several AAC Redeployment Camps in that vicinity.

    In late May 1945 the Regiment, which had been actively engaged in the Rhine-River crossing and pursuit of the defeated German Army as far as Leipzig, was hastily recalled to Oise Intermediate Section to take over the construction of 8 redeployment camps from various other engineer special and general service regiments that were being redeployed. The Regiment C.P. was established at Nourmelon Le Grand, about 20 kilometers from Rheims, headquarters of Oise intermediate section, and the center of gravity of camps to be constructed. Immediate work was commenced, 4 camps being assigned to each Battalion. A number of combat engineer battalions being redeployed were attached from time to time to the regiment which had a group status. Numerous supply dumps, gravel pits etc. were set up and operated. Several thousand German prisoners of war were employed on unskilled and semi-skilled labor under the supervision of enlisted personnel. The camps were completed on the scheduled deadline of October 1st. Each camp had a capacity of from 15 - 17 thousand officers and men and were capable of housing an infantry division while it was being processed for embarkation. Five of the camps were winterized with pyramidal tents on concrete floors for troop housing, plus necessary temporary housing for messes, ablutions, supply, administration etc. Three of the camps were winterized with most of the facilities under canvas. The Regiment completed eight of the seventeen redeployment camps, considerably more than any other engineer unit accomplished.
     
  6. DaveB

    DaveB Very Senior Member

    As far as I can work out OISE is a region of France. Various regions had base sections / intermediate sections to run civil type matters...

    World War II Collection

    one of the following could have info on your veteran:

    Box 17 Folder 24 Self, Jr., Daniel O. European Theatre. Headqtrs. OISE Intermediate Section War accounts.


    Box 17 Folder 25 Self, Jr., Daniel O. European Theatre. Headqtrs. OISE Intermediate Section Correspondence (V-Mail), 1944-1945


    Box 17 Folder 26 Self, Jr., Daniel O. European Theatre. Headqtrs. OISE Intermediate Section News articles, 1945


    Box 17 Folder 27 Self, Jr., Daniel O. European Theatre. Headqtrs. OISE Intermediate Section Personal military documents.


    Box 17 Folder 28 Self, Jr., Daniel O. European Theatre. Headqtrs. OISE Intermediate Section War memorabilia.



    Brig. Gen. Charles O. Thrasher, Commanding General, Oise Intermediate Section, Communications Zone, European Theatre of Operations.

    &

    Brigadier General Thomas F. Bresnahan
    Commanding General, Oise Intermediate Section, Theater Service Forces, European Theater Nov 1945 Dec 1945
    Commanding General, Continental Base Section, United States Forces, European Theater Jan 1946 Mar 1947
     
  7. tempgal

    tempgal Junior Member

    Dave -

    The above posting looks like it is from a book. Do you have the title?

    Thanks.
     
  8. SW6_Blues1905

    SW6_Blues1905 Junior Member

    Oise is a river in France File:MapOise.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    And Camp Philadelphia apparently was a very well laid out and established camp where, among others, my grandfather was camped at some point, presumably after the war in Europe had ended. I have photos of a large hedge "sign" that says Camp Philadelphia among the photos my grandfather took back then. I can post them if you like once I scan them. I know that this thread is a bit out dated, but I am interested among you all also ;)

    Here is another photo from some one else's collection, but it's the sign of which I mentioned: [​IMG]

    And just discovered AAC means Assembly Area Command. Camp Philadelphia was one of the redeployment camps soldiers stayed at before being sent home. There were several camps, all named for American Cities. Philadelphia was one of several around Rheims, France.
     
  9. S. L. Frisbie IV

    S. L. Frisbie IV Junior Member

    I looked up Camp Philadelphia to try to get some information on an assignment held by my late father, PFC S. Loyal Frisbie, after World War II. According to my information, Camp Philadelphia was in Mourmelon-le-Grand, France.

    Dad served there in 1945-46, after spending several months in Army hospitals being treated for frozen feet suffered at the Battle of the Bulge. He was an infantryman in the 75th Infantry Division.

    At Camp Philadelphia, he served as a supervisor at a service club, working a group of post-war German PWs.

    This may sound like a fairly responsible position for a PFC, but Dad was half a generation older than many of his colleagues (30 YOA in 1945) and had graduated at the head of his college class in 1936.

    Does anybody have stories to share of Camp Philadelphia?

    S. L. Frisbie, IV
    COL (Ret.), Florida National Guard
     
  10. Jack Springer

    Jack Springer New Member

    My father, Major Jack Springer, was the athletic director for the OISE Intermediate Section. He had a baseball signed by the OISE Baseball All Star team.
     

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