Looking for Members of the 106th Infantry Division

[Jeeper704]

You can contact "carl1944" as well.

He knows a lot regarding the 106th ID and 424th Regiment.

Just check the members section here for "carl1944".

 

Erwin

[kaben3]

You can contact "carl1944" as well.

He knows a lot regarding the 106th ID and 424th Regiment.

Just check the members section here for "carl1944".

 

Erwin

 

Thanks for the information Erwin. I will

[kaben3]

So I recieved a call from my Aunt tonight. She provided me with a plethora of information in 5 minutes from a box she just found, once seeing the stuff memories and some jotted down info it was all coming back. First off my grandfather was both an infantry man and a combat engineer. He has lapel pins for both - set of rifle cross lapel pins & set of castle lapel pins. She just came across a family tree book, which she apparently filled out probably 15+ years ago with him. There was a section for military service. She states that she has noted talking to him and documented what he told her of his military service. This confirmed that he was in the 106th Infantry Division, 424th Infantry Regiment, but added 7th Army, Company C, Platoon 4. She has a picture of him at Fort Monmouth, NJ with him in uniform with his 106th Division lion patch, and also the 7th army patch (She is going to try and scan it to me in the next few days). She said that before coming back to the states he started driving trucks and working as a mechanic - hence the Engineer part, but didn't know anymore about that division. She also mentioned he sailed from the US to Scotland, then was taken by train to London/England, France (ended here a few times between Belgium and Germany), Belgium, & Germany, then came back through New York I think she said, then discharging several days later. Hmm -now continuing on the hunt, now just need to find actual documentation of this. Good evening for information! LOL

[kaben3]

So I recieved a call from my Aunt tonight. She provided me with a plethora of information in 5 minutes from a box she just found, once seeing the stuff memories and some jotted down info it was all coming back. First off my grandfather was both an infantry man and a combat engineer. He has lapel pins for both - set of rifle cross lapel pins & set of castle lapel pins. She just came across a family tree book, which she apparently filled out probably 15+ years ago with him. There was a section for military service. She states that she has noted talking to him and documented what he told her of his military service. This confirmed that he was in the 106th Infantry Division, 424th Infantry Regiment, but added 7th Army, Company C, Platoon 4. She has a picture of him at Fort Monmouth, NJ with him in uniform with his 106th Division lion patch, and also the 7th army patch (She is going to try and scan it to me in the next few days). She said that before coming back to the states he started driving trucks and working as a mechanic - hence the Engineer part, but didn't know anymore about that division. She also mentioned he sailed from the US to Scotland, then was taken by train to London/England, France (ended here a few times between Belgium and Germany), Belgium, & Germany, then came back through New York I think she said, then discharging several days later. Hmm -now continuing on the hunt, now just need to find actual documentation of this. Good evening for information! LOL

 

Ok so being new to army structure and such, apparently the 7th Army part would go with the Engineer part, so I am being told? I just googled 7th Army and they were active until March 31, 1946. Guess I should have waited until I got this full packet of info & his picture emailed to me at some point this weekend :)It is still more info that I didn't have.

[Walt's Daughter]

The 7th Army is the highest level, then works it's way down from there.

 

WWII hierarchy works as such:

 

ARMY OR CORPS

 

DIVISION/BRIGADE

 

REGIMENT

 

BATTALLION

 

COMPANY

 

PLATOON

 

 

The above is standard, except for bastard engineer units, such as the 540th Engineer Combat Regiment, who went where needed and were NOT in a division.

 

In the case of those units, they were also under control of an ARMY GROUP or CORPS.

 

For instance, my father unit's during various times of the war were:

 

5th Army, 7th Army or VI Corps

 

 

The 106th came into the Battle of the Bulge under First Army. I am doing more research to see if and when they were under 7th Army control later in the war. If not, then this explains the 7th Army insignia and maybe he was sent to another unit, an engineering unit. Stand by. Just woke up a bit ago and having first cup of coffee of the morning.

 

 

 

[Walt's Daughter]

Got so wrapped up in the hierarchy that I forgot to congratulate you on this wonderful find and connecting with your aunt. THIS ROCKS!!!

[Walt's Daughter]

As I suspected, the 106th was never under control of the 7th Army.

 

29 November 1944: VIII Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group. 20 December 1944: XVIII (Abn) Corps, First Army (attached to the British 21st Army Group), 12th Army Group. 18 January 1945: XVIII (Abn) Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group. 6 February 1945: V Corps. 10 March 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group. 15 April 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to the Advanced Section, Communications Zone.

[SonofaMP]

Hi Karrie, congratulations on your getting more information from your aunt. One never knows what treasures are hidden away in relatives attics.

 

Some more things i`ve found:

on the webpage http://www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/SoThinkMenu/106thSTART.htm, at the bottom of the page under "Added Observations in 2004 by Ralph Wyss, 60 MM Mortar Squad Leader, 4th Platoon."

" The Company became part of the Army of Occupation as we were sent to Heidelberg. We replaced a French-Moroccan Army unit there as Germany was being divided up into different Zones of Occupation for each Allied Nation. The German civilians here were very glad to see the Americans come into their area. The French-Moroccans had been pretty tough on them.

"L" Company was in Heidelberg only a short time when it was moved to Karlsruhe for what may have been its last post as a unit. The Company did the duties assigned for several weeks when many of its members started being transferred to the "cigarette" camps for re-deployment to the States. The more fortunate ones were already in the States or on a ship on the Atlantic Ocean on August 6th, 1945 when a B-29, the Enola Gay, dropped the first atom bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

Those that left the Company and not yet at a Port-of-Embarkation had their orders changed and were assigned to other units performing the many duties in the Army of Occupation and spent a longer time in the ETO but "the" bomb probably saved their lives and the lives of millions of other of those in the military of all nations."

 

Now for the Army of Occupation, the Third Army & the Seventy Army were designated as the Occupation commands. Third Army in the Eastern District & Seventh in the Western Disrict of the American Zone.

Seventh Army was placed under 12th Army Group.

During this confusing time of reorginaztions & redeployments, the 1st Armored Division with their units were moved to Germany and assigned to Seventh Army for Occupation Duty.

So the 16th Armored Engineer Bn. of 1st AD were under Seventh Army command.

Seventh Army was inactivated about the same time the 1st Armored & 16th AEB units returned to US, in April `46.

[Walt's Daughter]

Good snooping there pal!

 

We suspected he was sent to another unit, but now this would confirm it and explain how he wound up under 7th Army jursidiction.

 

Now we just need to find out which unit he was transferred to, for the duration.

 

As stated earlier, it can't be the engineer unit on his discharge papers, for they only served in Italy until the end of the war and beyond.

 

More snooping is in order.

 

Once again, grand work!

[kaben3]

Got so wrapped up in the hierarchy that I forgot to congratulate you on this wonderful find and connecting with your aunt. THIS ROCKS!!!

 

Thanks I was happy too, more pieces of the puzzle, just need to sort them out.