Hi Pam:

Welcome to the forum. Let me see what I can dig up this week. I've become a pretty good sleuth around here.

I'll try and help you out a bit today too. His unit would have been the 324th Engineer Battalion. PFC refers to Private First Class. That is not related to the Battalion (Bn). That was his rank in the army.

Oh, I have removed your email address. As you will discover, I strongly discourage placing email addresses anywhere on the internet, including this forum. It invites disaster (invites bots to send you scads of SPAM!). Any member of our forum can contact you by simply clicking on on your USERNAME. This also works in reverse.

Marion

My buddy Jim, sent this to Pam in an email. Thanks Jim and aloha!

Hello Pam,

Jim Davis, Maui Hawaii - 1204th Army Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon - WW II here. Marian sent me your message to her website.

Here is what I can find on 324th Engineers:

1. it was an Engineer Combat Battalion

2. It was part of the 99th Infantry Division that entered combat in Belgium in early November 1944.

3. it was part of the 9th US Army and later the US 3rd Army.

4. It received Campaign Participation credit (tiny bronze stars (3) to be worn on the ribbon accompanying the European - African - Middle Eastern Medal) for these Campaign:

a. Ardennes - Alsace

b. Central Europe

c. Rhineland

4, It received credit for the occupation of Germany by having a "Germany" Bar attached to its Army of Occupation Medal.

5. it received the WW II Victory Medal.

I found a number of quite good websites on the 99th ID by going to 99th Infantry Division in Google.

Please contact me if you wish to dig deeper. Do you have your Grand father's medals, papers, stripes, etc.?

Help this is a bit of help.

Aloha,

Jim

My buddy Jim, sent this to Pam in an email. Thanks Jim and aloha!

 

Hello Pam,

 

Jim Davis, Maui Hawaii - 1204th Army Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon - WW II here. Marian sent me your message to her website.

 

Here is what I can find on 324th Engineers:

1. it was an Engineer Combat Battalion

2. It was part of the 99th Infantry Division that entered combat in Belgium in early November 1944.

3. it was part of the 9th US Army and later the US 3rd Army.

4. It received Campaign Participation credit (tiny bronze stars (3) to be worn on the ribbon accompanying the European - African - Middle Eastern Medal) for these Campaign:

a. Ardennes - Alsace

b. Central Europe

c. Rhineland

4, It received credit for the occupation of Germany by having a "Germany" Bar attached to its Army of Occupation Medal.

5. it received the WW II Victory Medal.

 

I found a number of quite good websites on the 99th ID by going to 99th Infantry Division in Google.

 

Please contact me if you wish to dig deeper. Do you have your Grand father's medals, papers, stripes, etc.?

 

Help this is a bit of help.

 

Aloha,

Jim

Thank you so much Jim,and yes I would love to dig deeper, the problem is I have no records, medals strips, or anything except his headstone on his plot where he is burried, although I'd like to dig as deep as I possibly can, I don't even know where to start because of my grandmother not wanting to talk about him although I should have while she was alive ( I regrete it!) ............courious to know everything I can. Proud and ONLY granddaughter of Joe Boatwright. Pam Boatwright Marcus

Thanks for you very nice PM this morning. It's nice to have you here. Our engineer family grows at an astounding rate each year. I'm sure your granddad is smiling down upon you, and guiding your hand. I wish you much success in your ventures.

Hi Pam!!!

Welcome!!! In doing family research, I found that obituaries are a good place to get info. Did he die in the war or in the U.S? I recently contacted a historical society that was able to get WWII era obits. They listed siblings, and where the person worked before the war, as well as the location of the persons death.

Hello Pamela, welcome to the forum. I hope we can help you in your quest.

A quick search of NARA`s AAD enlistment records brings up 4 Joseph Boatwrights, here is the only one listed being from Georgia:

Field Title Value Meaning

ARMY SERIAL NUMBER 34575413

NAME BOATWRIGHT#JOSEPH

RESIDENCE: STATE 43 GEORGIA

RESIDENCE: COUNTY 313 WHITFIELD

PLACE OF ENLISTMENT 4344 FT MCPHERSON ATLANTA GEORGIA

DATE OF ENLISTMENT DAY 28

DATE OF ENLISTMENT MONTH 11

DATE OF ENLISTMENT YEAR 42

GRADE: ALPHA DESIGNATION PVT# Private

GRADE: CODE 8 Private

BRANCH: ALPHA DESIGNATION BI# Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA

TERM OF ENLISTMENT 5 Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law

LONGEVITY ### ###

SOURCE OF ARMY PERSONNEL 0 Civil Life

NATIVITY 43 GEORGIA

YEAR OF BIRTH 08

RACE AND CITIZENSHIP 1 White, citizen

EDUCATION 0 Grammar school

CIVILIAN OCCUPATION 525 Carpenters

MARITAL STATUS 2 Married

COMPONENT OF THE ARMY 7 Selectees (Enlisted Men)

CARD NUMBER # #

BOX NUMBER 0820 0820

FILM REEL NUMBER 3.242 3.242

If this is your granddad, the next thing you can do is request his military service record from the National Archives in St Louis.

How to Request Military Service Records

There is also much info on locating information & "How TO" in the RESEARCH section of the forum.

I found an Operation`s Report for the 99th Inf Div for Dec 1944, it has many mentions of the 324th Engineers whereabouts & attachments during Dec.

Extract of 99th Infantry Division G-3 Report of Operations.1 to 31 December 1944

Saw this book on Amazon.com, but they no longer have copies:

Derrick of dauntless: CO - 324th Engineer Combat Battalion - J.R. Neale

Also more links:
Note the 324th Medical Battalion, was also part of the 99th Inf Div, as was the 324th Engineer Combat Battalion. I have also included their stories here:

http://www.history.army.mil/documents/eto-ob/99ID-ETO.htm

http://med-dept.com/unit_histories/324_med_bn.php

http://www.cgsc.edu/CARL/nafziger/944ULAA.pdf

http://www.lonesentry.com/usdivisions/components/infantry/division/99th_infantry_division.html

the following is an excerpt from my WWII friend, Colonel Pergrin's book, First Across the Rhine

http://www.americanmilitaryhistorymsw.com/blog/602467-the-99th-against-the-sixth-panzer-armee/

http://99div.com/direct/history_of_the_99th_infantry_division+1102history+486973746f7279206f6620746865203939746820496e66616e747279204469766973696f6e

http://www.wartimememories.co.uk/pow/stalag13c.html

http://www.go2war2.nl/artikel/1769/8

After Action Reports of the 1110th EC Group.pdf

http://deddygetty2.home.comcast.net/~deddygetty2/light.html

http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~etmcmull/BOBGALWY.htm

I am going to see if I can find a copy of the book somewhere. I will write to my historian buddies at the office of history in Alexandria and at Fort Leonard Wood. Will keep you posted.

Strongly suggest someone call or write to someone at NARA in Maryland to obtain the battalion's records for duration of the war. Please see my Research section in regards to this.

Marion,

 

Can you help me understand what I'm seeing on my father's discharge

papers?

 

My father's name was Leonard H. McGarvey. He entered service 26 Nov.

'42 and was separated on 1 Oct. '45.

 

On his discharge papers, line 6, "Organization," shows Co. B. 324

Engr Bn, but on line 33, "Decorations and Citations," it shows his 5

bronze stars and Good Conduct "per SO 23 Hq 308 Engr Bn, 11 May 45."

 

Can you shed some light on why both these engineer battalions appear

on his papers? I can't find any information about if the 324th was

disbanded and the men were rolled into the 308th, if my father was

transfered at some point, or what the deal is.

 

I do see that he was awarded bronze stars for the Normandy and

Northern France campaigns that don't show on the posting by Jim

Davis on you Forum pages for the 324th.

 

I suppose I don't know the right questions to ask, or where to look

further.

 

Can you help...or point to where I might look further?

 

Thank you.

 

Bruce McGarvey

discharge - Leonard H. McGarvey.pdf

discharge front - Leonard H. McGarvey.pdf

Good news!

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Caveats: NONE

 

Marion,

 

Yes, we have the Derrick of Dauntless book. It is a bound photocopy, but

legible. It is about 100 pages long. I can copy early next week and mail

it to you (or maybe scan).

 

Nothing else is in our except the distinctive insignia and coat of arms.

 

Best,

 

Dave

Comparing dates on the discharge & dates of the unit records, i believe Leonard H. McGarvey was a member of the 308th Engineer Combat Bn. of the 83rd Inf Div. from enlistment thru the end of the war, then transferred to the 324th ECB after 8 May 1945 to come home with them.

The 308th Engineer Combat Bn has the 5 Campaign Credits for Normandy, Northern France,Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe and Rhineland.

From the Troopship Crossings website: http://ww2troopships.com/crossings/1944.htm

The 308th ECB departed NY on April 6, 1944 and arrived Liverpool, Eng on April 18, 1944.

These are the exact travel dates shown in Box 36 of the discharge.

The 308th ECB had Occupation Duty, Germany from 8 May 45 until 31 October 45

The 324th ECB (99th Inf Div)had Occupation Duty, Germany from 8 May 45 until 18 September 45

The 99th Inf returned to the US 17 Sept 45.

The discharge Box 36 shows return dates coresponding to returning with the 99th.

On the website of the 83rd Infantry Division Re-enacment Group: [url= http://www.atomic.pair.com/wwii/honor_roll.html ] http://www.atomic.pair.com/wwii/honor_roll.html

The Honor Roll of Veterns lists Leonard H. McGarvey as a member of Company B, 308th Engineer Combat Bn.

Well that certainly helps being able to find the honor roll. That answers many questions.

I now have a copy of Derrick of Dauntless. In fact I have two copies. I will have to copy the one (scan) and place it on the site. It's a large book, so it will take me a while. Promise to share when ready.