Followup on Grampa in WW2
Asides November 18th, 2007Gramma just called and told me more about Grampa in WW2. She got down his box of things and found a lot more…
(If anything isn’t exactly accurate in wording/naming, etc. I haven’t researched anything about them yet; I am quoting how she worded them. Will definitely research more later when I get my school break)
He got the Bronze Star for Bravery, the Bronze star Medal, the Bronze Star Arrowhead, and the “Eamet,” which we don’t know what that is but she said it is something European.
Campaigns: He was in Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, Central Europe
He was in the Battle of the Bulge and Remadam (sp? {she was going from memory on the latter})
He separated from the army, with an honorable discharge, on November 3, 1945.
He was in Company C of the 645th tank destroyer battalion.
He rode a tank retriever which went and retrieved damaged tanks so that the ememy could not. (I *think* this is where he learned his mechanical stuff because he later became a mechanic.)
January 20th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I would like to exchange information with you. On the website we have a section dedicated to the 645th Tank Destroyer Bn.
Eric Rieth
WWIIRA
History, Dept.
January 20th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Eric: Thanks for the link. I found out later on that my Grampa only got transferred to the 645th in his last few weeks which explains the placement discrepency. For the majority of the war he was in the 746th TDB.
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
What was your grandfather’s name. My grandfather, Laurence Rhoads, served with the 645 from the time they shipped overseas until returning to the states after Germany surrendered. My grandfather is still alive and I would love to pass your grandfather’s name by him.
thanks