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WWI
May 16, 2017 22:32:27 GMT
Post by Beth on May 16, 2017 22:32:27 GMT
Do you suppose that it would be possible when interest flags on WWII to look at I? With Sam traveling in parts of Europe that my Grandfather fought in, I went back and read is letters and now I have a number of questions at least about the battles he was in. Often time he does not name the battles themselves just his locations as they happened. They are by their nature the views of one man on a very large stage.
I find I am woefully uninformed about the whole war.
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WWI
May 16, 2017 23:44:41 GMT
Post by quincannon on May 16, 2017 23:44:41 GMT
I am too as far as the period 1914 to mid 1917. Where to go
Origins - Guns of August - Barbara Tuchman
Overall American participation from 2000 feet overhead - The Doughboys -Lawrence Stallings
Down in the weeds combat - Infantry In Battle - George C. Marshall
All three are highly recommended
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WWI
May 17, 2017 0:28:07 GMT
Post by Beth on May 17, 2017 0:28:07 GMT
Thanks.
Tuchman's A Distant Mirror put me to sleep every time I tried to read it--I used to keep it on my nightstand for nights I couldn't read. I take it Guns of August is better?
Grandpa was in Co. I. 325 Infantry and was with the first troops to reach Europe-he talks about marching in parade through London past the King and Queen. Shortly after arriving in Europe though he was pulled off to go to the front with 50 other Americans to get a taste of the front and ends up with some Australians--that's one of the battles I'm trying to identify. Unfortunately Grandpas records seem to have gone up in smoke with the fire in St. Louis.
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dave
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,679
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WWI
May 17, 2017 1:16:02 GMT
Post by dave on May 17, 2017 1:16:02 GMT
Beth Are you a member of Ancestry.com? If not you can send me your grand daddy's dob, dod and I will try the site for you.
For the past 2 months I have been discussing WW 1 with my 13 year grandson. He got interested in the conflict from a video game and now we are onto WW II. My book recommendations are: The Guns of August (a must read) All Quiet on the Western Front (a novel but boy is full of facts about the life of a soldier) A World Undone (kinda covers what started the conflict and the parties involved) Regards Dave
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WWI
May 17, 2017 2:03:09 GMT
Post by Beth on May 17, 2017 2:03:09 GMT
Yes on Ancestry as well as 3fold. I was using it before I got sick to research the 7th (which I hope to get back to soon) I just checked 3fold earlier today and they have recently added the list showing him boarding in NY but there is no info beyond that-other that census reports, and both is draft card and his old man draft card--3fold is always adding info so I continue to check it. Ancestry has mostly census reports.
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dave
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,679
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WWI
May 17, 2017 3:00:27 GMT
Post by dave on May 17, 2017 3:00:27 GMT
I am not familiar with 3fold but ancestry provides muster rolls which are very informative. Regards Dave
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WWI
May 17, 2017 4:33:37 GMT
Post by quincannon on May 17, 2017 4:33:37 GMT
Beth you are very fortunate that your grandfather was a member of a Regular Army division that is still active today. The 325 has been with the 82nd Airborne Division since the division was first activated.
The 82nd has a superb museum at Fort Bragg, NC and I would think that would be a repository of copies of all the division records including any AAR's from WWI, plus who knows what all. My advice is contact the curator of that museum and see where that leads or where he can lead you to.
The National Archives in DC also has the type of records you seek. They may not be downtown but probably College Park, MD. They entertain any request from the public.
Tuchman is a snoozer, but it is also essential if you are interested in how that war got started.
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WWI
May 17, 2017 13:57:43 GMT
mlynn likes this
Post by yanmacca on May 17, 2017 13:57:43 GMT
Beth, here is a snippet of your Grandfathers parade for our King;
During the brief stay in England the 325th Infantry Regiment on May 11, 1918 was paraded for King George, as the Regiment was the first US troops to cross through England before going to France. King George presented a letter of thanks, which was handed out to each man. This letter read: “Soldiers of the United States, the people of the British Isles welcome you on your way to take your stand beside the Armies of many Nations now fighting in the Old World the great battle for human freedom. The Allies will gain new heart and spirit in your company. I wish that I could shake the hand of each one of you and bid you God speed on your mission. George R. J.”
Within a few days the Regiment sailed again this time for Le Harve, France. The 325th Infantry saw its first action along the Toul Sector when they were put in the line from June 25 August 9th. They saw the next actions along the Marbache Sector also near Toul, France from August 17-September 11th. During the St. Mihiel offensive, September 12-16, which was the first action made by a totally American Army.
Now if you can get a hold of that letter which was given to him by the King, you could be sitting on some serious history.
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Post by Beth on May 17, 2017 20:55:37 GMT
Grandpa didn't mention the letter and if he received it I imagine it was lost along the way. The letter were written after the war when his eldest son was born. We did not know of their existence until after his death. He never talked about the war other than sharing tidbits of things he found funny. We didn't even know he had been gassed or injured in the war. There is another letter written after the war that he sent home to his sister. At time the military had him listed as MIA at time the war ending (he was lost behind enemy lines after a battle). It was the letter that told the family that he had survived the war.
Here is his account of the parade. Remember he was a farm kid from Iowa when he entered the military Here is his account from Winchester to Southhampton I didn't include his arrival in Liverpool and the trip to Manchester. At the time he wrote the letters he worked for the railroad and he found UK trains at the time unique because the engines were so much smaller than he was familiar with in the US.
We enjoyed our six hour ride in daytime to Winchester in southern England. Here we got off. Winchester was a much nicer place than Liverpool, much cleaner, and it looked like all the buildings were covered with vines (creepers). It looked nice.
We hiked about eight miles to a camp on a big hill. The first meal we got here was a taste of what was to come. We had goat stew and coffee-ft- t-t- t. English drink tea and the cooks were English and what they knew about making coffee wasn't worth knowing.
Well, after a good night's rest, the next day we began to clean our equipment and how-no matter how clean our rifle was, it was never good enough. For four days we did nothing but clean. Then one morning about 1 :00 a.m. we found ourselves at the depot in Winchester. We were loaded on a train. No one knew where we were going. In a few hours, we came to a big city.
It seemed like we were going through the city for hours, but finally the train came into a depot; the Waterloo Station in London.
Great crowds of people were everywhere. When we came into the street, they commenced to yell and throw paper. There were so many people we hardly had room to go down the street four abreast. I don't know the name of the streets but we crossed the Waterloo Bridge and went past the famous Parliament Building, through Westminster Square and to the Buckingham Palace, where we got ready for a parade through London.
At 1 :30 p.m. the bugle blew and with five bands, the 325 Infantry Regiment paraded four hours through the streets of London. The King and Queen were in the reviewing stand. People were everywhere; on buildings and in them, yelling with everything they were worth. We were the first American National Army of the people of England saw. They though we looked queer. Well we did, for we had on those big brim hats and canvas leggings. My legs were hardly able to move but still I didn't feel tired, for the way the people yelled just did something that a person had no feeling.
We paraded with full pack, 78 lbs. Besides the rifle which weighed eight lbs. Finally it was over, and we were let loose for two hours, but the moment we were on the loose, the people just swamped us and commenced to ask questions. We couldn't get no place. I didn't get two blocks away in them two hours. Once more we were in line to go but for almost two hours we stood there. The people had the street jammed. British soldiers had to clear a road so we could get out.
We next found ourselves on the docks at Southhampton, lying wherever we could lie without getting run over, hungry, cold, and oh how tired. We stayed here for about eight hours, and how our nice clean equipment looked now.
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WWI
May 26, 2017 13:42:55 GMT
Post by mlynn on May 26, 2017 13:42:55 GMT
There is a book published in 1919 Called the Official History of 82nd Division American Expeditionary Forces Written by Divisional Officers and Designated by the Division Commander. Beth, I have Grandpa's copy. I am currently rereading it which takes some time because it is very fragile.
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WWI
May 26, 2017 14:56:28 GMT
mlynn likes this
Post by quincannon on May 26, 2017 14:56:28 GMT
If you can find a plastic bag, like a food storage bag keep it in that to help preserve it.
Those type of books are about as good as it gets for the military historian, and especially those interested in a particular unit. They were written shortly after the conflict ended, and are treasure troves of information.
I have several of the division level books like this on WWII divisions, and at one time had a copy on loan to me of a book about my old regiment in WWI. They tell a story you will find in no other place.
There are a lot of books out there about units in World War II that were written contemporary with our times that just don't come up to snuff. They are for the most part fuzzy stories told by vets long after the event, and like we run into with Martini "gilded lilies" with the passage of time. I will illustrate:
I am addicted to the 1st Special Service Force. I have the official history written shortly after the war (around 1947)by members of the unit in much the same way your 82d Division book is ML. I have another written in the mid 1960, by two commercial authors with the cooperation of the 1st SSF commander MG Fredericks. I have a third published in the 1990's by another commercial author out to make a buck at Special Forces conventions I suppose. The further you get away in time from the original book the more the same stories are embellished to the point where a squad action is made to appear like the Battle of the Bulge.
Treasure what you have, preserve it as well as possible, and you may want to see about insuring it.
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WWI
May 26, 2017 15:38:38 GMT
Post by mlynn on May 26, 2017 15:38:38 GMT
I do treasure it. I keep it in a seal plastic bag. It was read by by several family member and the spine is starting to break down causing loose pages. It is sign by my Grandfather. I am trying to determine a member of the next generation to leave it to for future reference. Unfortunately, I do not of any true history buffs in the next generation.
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Post by mlynn on May 26, 2017 16:26:38 GMT
In the book I found what the letter said. "Soldiers of the United States, the people of the British Isles welcome you on your way to take your stand beside the Armies of many nations now fighting in the Old World the great battle for human freedom. "The Allies will gain new heart and spirit in your company. "I wish that I could shake the hand of each one of you and bid you God speed on your mission.
GEORGE R.I. "April, 1918."
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WWI
May 26, 2017 16:47:11 GMT
Post by quincannon on May 26, 2017 16:47:11 GMT
If that is the case ML, why not consider donating it to the 82nd Airborne Museum, at Fort Bragg, in memory of your grandfather.
The would have all the facilities to restore the book to near original condition, and it would become the property of the U S Army, I such an unlikely event that the 82nd were ever inactivated. You could also make arrangements with them, to give access to it for any present or future member of your family that wishes access to it.
That is what I plan to do with my extensive collection of U S Navy ship photographs, donate them to the U S Navy Museum, that is located in the building my father apprenticed in at the Washington Navy Yard, and in his memory.
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WWI
May 26, 2017 20:50:34 GMT
Post by mlynn on May 26, 2017 20:50:34 GMT
I will definitely consider it.
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