Son of Lloyd Corr CAMPBELL (Sr.) aka "Beppo" and Olive Madeline (WALLENIUS) CAMPBELL. His dad was born in Hoopeston, IL, but had moved north to Chicago for better prospects along with a number of his relatives. His mother was from the Swedish neighborhood of "Andersonville" in Chicago and her family included 3 girls and 1 boy, plus her mother & father. The 1920 census found Lloyd & Olive renting a house at 1538 (?) N Lavergne Ave in the "Austin" neighborhood of Chicago. This was the far western boundary of Chicago - near the Street Car barns immediately to their east, and Oak Park (?) immediately to their west. It was a good & fairly young neighborhood - with most of the houses on that street having been built around 1914 (?).
Lloyd & Olive weren't alone and strangers on that street in 1920. They already had four children: Lloyd, Don, Bill, and "Jody". Just a few doors south - they had kin & relatives from Hoopeston, including James FLEXMAN who had married Olive's sister, Edith (WALLENIUS). Lloyd "Sr" worked as a metal and "tin-smith" and something of a machinist. He had his own shop and used to literally "hop" a train to work.
[1920 Census data: His parents were renting a house at 1538 N. Lavergne Ave in Chicago on the 1920 census with their first four kids: Lloyd Corr Jr., Donald Arthur, William Haddock, and Olive Josephine "Jody".]
Prior to his birth in March 1925, and between the 1920 & 1930 census, his family moved a few doors south to their "own" home at 1526 N Lavergne Ave. Perhaps it was to be a little closer to their friends & relatives, or that may have been the only house for sale at the time. These houses were still fairly new and the "Noble Experiment" of Prohibition (1920 to 5 Dec 1933) meant strong demand for soda fountains and refrigeration equipment provided by a "tin-smith" like Lloyd "Sr". 1925 was probably a good year for Lloyd Campbell Sr & his growing family in Chicago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States
Dave was born about 5 miles SE at the Women's and Children's Hospital which stood at 1712 W Adams St, Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Ogden Ave runs SW-NE and crosses N Paulina St & W Adams St near the site of the hospital, which is about a block west of N Ashland Ave. Taking I-290, you can exit North on Ashland Ave, then jog west a block or two on W Adams St.
In that same general vicinity is the modern day Rush University Medical Center at Paulina St, just south of I-290, and Cook County Hospital is about 4 long blocks SW of the site, while the modern United Center stadium is about 2 blocks NW, and Jane Adam's Hull House museum is at 800 S Halsted at Polk, just west of I-90/94 and a few blocks south of I-290.
So 1925 found a new baby joining his four older siblings (Lloyd, Don, Bill, Jody) in their new house on N Lavergne Ave. The Austin neighborhood in Chicago was a nice neighborhood on the western edge of "the City" of Chicago. Their "suburban" neighbor to the west, "outside" of the City, was Oak Park, IL. The Campbell kids attended Lesley Lewis Elementary School about a block south & 2 blocks west of their house. Dave later attended Austin Community Academy High School, better known as "Austin High School". It was considered one of the better & newer schools in the Chicago Public School system. (www.CPS.edu)
The 1930 census shows the entire family, now including David Boice and Richard James living in the house they owned at 1526 N Lavergne Ave. This was slightly closer to their aunts & uncles who were shown in the 1920 census at 1520 and 1522 N Lavergne Ave. Their father's sheet metal shop was located (circa 1942) 4383 N Elston Ave, Chicago IL. The shop was about 4.1 miles north on Cicero Ave, and about 0.4 miles east on Lawrence Ave, to 4383 N Elston Ave, Chicago IL.
DBC graduated from Austin HS around May 1943. WW-II was raging and the draft was a fact of life. His brother, William Haddock "Bill" Campbell was already a war hero B-17 (etc) pilot who had completed his tour in the south Pacific. Don was a war-critical tool & die maker, Lloyd "Jr" was not selected, and Richard was too young.
Dave went to his local draft registration board #53 (?), with his friend, Bill Stasek. The board may have been run by Stasek's father or relative?. Because they were inducted together, they also shipped off together. Inducted on 7 July 1943, Dave was in the "Enlisted Reserve Corps" or ERC through 26 July 1943. Dave began Active Duty on 27 July 1943 and was sent to Fort Custer, about 4 miles west of Battle Creek, Michigan.
(Letters to home dated ?!? _____) Outfitted there (?), he was sent via train through the Chicago train yards (just miles from his home, with a long overnight stop in the yards), he was sent to Camp Roberts, just north of San Miguel & Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo, California. He arrived there for Basic Training. (He later painted a scene of the historic Spanish Mission San Miguel de Arcangel.)
Before or during Basic Training, he must have taken the Army OCS/ERC ?!? OCX ? test and must have scored well, because he was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program and was one of about 238 soldiers sent (primarily?) from Camp Roberts to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma Washington. They arrived there about 3 or 6 (?) Dec 1943 and marched from the train station to the university in the fog.
The plan was to earn a 4 year engineering degree in just 1.5 years. They stayed at Kittridge (sp?) Hall on what was the College of Puget Sound (CPS again), now www.UPS.edu for University of Puget Sound, or simply www.PugetSound.edu) Unfortunately the war needs changed and they ended most of the ASTP programs in March or April 1944. Dave and his fellow student-soldiers rejoined their various units. Dave went to Camp Cooke near Lompoc CA (the modern Vandenburg AFB) for Advanced Combat Training (?) where they prepared for the battlefield.
Some links:
www.ASTPww2.org maintained by [email protected] in Warrenton VA,
thanks to former ASTP'rs: Raymond G. Fox (ASTP/Penn) and Patrick J. Kearney (Sr.) ASTP/CPS.
www.TakeItEasy.org
www.LTI.org maintained by [email protected]
http://www.PugetSound.edu/about/offices--services/office-of-communications/communications-resources/historical-timeline/1940s/
Selected for the Army, he left via train initially to Ft Custer Training base near Battle Creek MI (with his friend, Bill Stasek?). He was assigned to Patton's 3rd Army, 11th Armored Division. This meant a long train trip to Camp Roberts near San Luis Obispo and just north of the historic Spanish Mission San Miguel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Roberts,_California
http://www.militarymuseum.org/campbob.html
The 11th Armored Division was organized as an "Armored Infantry Battalion" or "AIB". DBC said that meant 1 in 4 units had tanks, while the other 3 units were regular Army Infantry soldiers, except they had trucks (Deuce and a half) to drive them quickly to the battlefield where they would then dismount and fight like regular Army Infantry soldiers. This was a key element of Patton's rapid response ability, which was unprecedented (?) prior to the Battle of the Bulge.
Sometime before or during Basic Training, DBC was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program, or "ASTP". (A good site is www.ASTPww2.org) The idea was to reserve good officer candidates and train them through an expedited college course to prepare them as officers in case the war dragged on for many more years. DBC was one of 238 "student soldiers" who reported to the College of Puget Sound in Tacoma WA in December 1943. Some colleges in the ASTP program required they wear uniforms, while others didn't. There are photos of the ASTP unit at "CPS" wearing uniforms. After only one or two speedy semesters at CPS, most of the ASTP program was cancelled when the Army realized the war wasn't likely to drag on and they had a more pressing need for Army Infantry replacement soldiers. With the cancellation of the ASTP program, at least for most of those "just starting", DBC and many others returned to their original units from which they had been absent for about a year. He caught up with Company C of the 63rd AIB and attended "Advanced Infantry Combat Training" at Camp Cooke (?) in what is now Vandenberg AFB in CA. This was the scene of a tragic accident when a stray tank round hit a passenger train, causing an injury.
3 Apr 1944 & 19 May 1944 DBC sent letters from Camp Cooke CA to his folks.
22 May 1944 sent "Camp Cooke CA" postcard to his folks at 1526 N LaVergne Ave advising he was heading home - leave LA 7:30am Monday on Challenger (U.P.) [Union Pacific train ?] That would be after the ASTP sent him back to CA for "Advanced" combat training at Camp Cooke.
30 July 1944 sent two "Fort Custer, Michigan" post cards. One to his folks at 1526 N LaVergne, the other to the Chambers at 2305 N LaVergne.
Later they were staged to Camp Kilmer NJ awaiting transport to England.
Before 28 Sep 1944 he had a pass into NY (NYC?) because Jode & his mom asked about it. Prior to that, they had told him that Bill Stasek's uncle (?) in NY wanted him to visit them in NY.
DBC 36758510 was in the 11th Armored Division, Patton's 3rd Army,
Co C 63rd Arm'd Infantry Battalion (AIB).
From Camp Kilmer they sailed for England aboard the USS Hermitage, a former Italian cruise liner that had been converted to troop transport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Hermitage_(AP-54)
By Dec 1944 they were probably in France. Patton was asked to provide reinforcements for the "Siege of Bastogne" aka "The Battle of the Bulge". He promised support in only 1 or 2 days and many thought he wouldn't be able to deliver. The troops were loaded in their trucks and made a mad dash to Bastogne where some units broke through the siege lines and made contact with Allied forces. The remaining troops arrived and started pushing the Germans back and away.
http://books.google.com/books?id=fldMWJ6Kwg8C&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22USS+Mexico+Victory%22&source=bl&ots=JQDAmBY0H5&sig=RZISEbVNo0PZHMkQUiUjosuEiQo&hl=en&ei=gSfcTbD3BIPTgQel8cH9Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22USS%20Mexico%20Victory%22&f=false
DBC made notes in his original printing of the "History of the Sixty-Third Armored Infantry Battalion (Armored Infantry Division) Printing Office: G. Mittermüeller, Bad Hall, Austria.
pg 22 - "us" Co C, 63 Armd Inf Bn (as part of Task Force SHEELY)
TF SHEELY was created on 14 Jan 1945 and on 15th took Compogne by 1500 and Villeroux by 1600 (although later evacuated that night due to enemy tank attack of 10 to 20 tanks. Enemy strong points included: high ground NE of Villeroux, [also] the city of Mabompre and Vaux.
pg 23 - first 4 lines of "Houffalize:" section annotated: "I was wounded somewhere in this"
(NOTE - In the 11th Armored link above, he said he was wounded near Longchamps, Belgium.
The attack was continued to HOUFFALIZE on the 16th. Before noon troops encountered a road-block which was immediately bypassed. After meeting up with some slight resistance, TASK FORCE SHEELY went on to capture the high ground half a mile east of HOUFFALIZE.
DBC was wounded on Dec 15th according to his notes on pg 66 which lists the KIA.
pg 66 & 67 list the KIA. DBC indicated 16 people he knew, including Platoon Leader Morgan L. Swain, TSgt Co C; Walter K. Seward Pvt, Co C (Piano player); Squad Leader Frank Erbio, S/Sgt Co C - "I saw him killed 50' away"; Joseph L. Connally, Pfc Co C - mistaken for DBC who was then reported as KIA; Ropert P. Coakley, Pfc Co C - friend who was killed on 15 Jan 1945 "when I was hit" (which circled all six of the 15 Jan 45 dates of KIA's.
So the timeline appears to be:
15 Jan 1945 - wounded near Houffalize, Belgium - as part of a patrol that encountered a tank near Houffalize.
16 Jan 1945 - probably enroute to an aid station, then later to hospital in England. During much of this time, DBC was presumed KIA due to Joseph L. Connally who also wore "thick glasses" and had been KIA on the 15th.
21 Feb 1945 - (pg 32) "I was released from Hosp[ital] in England"
Note - in letter to his mom, he was NOT put on "limited service", so he was being returned to his unit via "Replacement Depots".
After Bastogne was reinforced, the bulge was reversed and the Germans were pushed back. It was near Houfalize or Longchamps Belgium where DBC was wounded by German tank fire on a small country lane. Coming to some time later, he was surprised that nobody (friend or foe) was around, so he started walking, not realizing he was wounded in the knee, arm, and head. When some Americans in a jeep came by and pointed out his injuries, they directed him to an aid station and he was eventually treated and sent to a hospital in England for at least a month before being started back towards his unit. He caught up with his unit and talked about the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp near Linz Austria. This turned out to be close to where his cousin, Curtis Willett CAMPBELL had been POW and was being forced to march west to avoid the Russians as they approached Luft Stalag (16?) where he had been held POW after his B-17 was forced to ditch in the North Sea.
8 May 1945 Germany surrendered unconditionally and the 63rd AIB of the 11th Armored Division awaited further orders.
9 May 1945 was "V-E Day" and the 11th Armored Division was the "easternmost unit" of all Allied forces on the Western front. A troop of the 41st Cavalry contacted Soviet forces at AMSTETTEN at 1550 on 8 May 1945 which was the 3rd Army's first link up with Russian forces from the Eastern front.
Pages 66 to 68 listed the names of about 89 KIA & 25 who Died of Wounds.
DBC marked off 16 KIA and 5 DOW that he knew or saw get hit between 30 Dec 1944 and 12 Apr 1945 when he was just 19 years old.
DBC probably spent his 20th birthday (8 Mar 1945) working his way back to his unit after being released from the hospital in England on 21 Feb 1945.
On pages 66 and 68 DBC marked 16 names (out of about 89?) of people in the 63rd AIB who were KIA that he had known.
By August or so of 1945, the 11th Armored Division had been disbanded and most of it's members were reassigned to other units. In the Battle of the Bulge book by Turner Publishing Co, DBC indicated he was assigned to the 165th AA Battalion.
He was stationed at Bad Hall and also had to perform guard duty over German military POW's at Dachau after the war was over. He made a pencil sketch of the view from his guard tower while on duty at Dachau.
He must have been there through about Christmas 1945, and his notes indicate it took about a month to make his way to Bremerhaven Germany where he awaited a ship to take him back to the
Fellow Austin High alum ?!? www.DavidHallPhD.com
Lloyd & Olive weren't alone and strangers on that street in 1920. They already had four children: Lloyd, Don, Bill, and "Jody". Just a few doors south - they had kin & relatives from Hoopeston, including James FLEXMAN who had married Olive's sister, Edith (WALLENIUS). Lloyd "Sr" worked as a metal and "tin-smith" and something of a machinist. He had his own shop and used to literally "hop" a train to work.
[1920 Census data: His parents were renting a house at 1538 N. Lavergne Ave in Chicago on the 1920 census with their first four kids: Lloyd Corr Jr., Donald Arthur, William Haddock, and Olive Josephine "Jody".]
Prior to his birth in March 1925, and between the 1920 & 1930 census, his family moved a few doors south to their "own" home at 1526 N Lavergne Ave. Perhaps it was to be a little closer to their friends & relatives, or that may have been the only house for sale at the time. These houses were still fairly new and the "Noble Experiment" of Prohibition (1920 to 5 Dec 1933) meant strong demand for soda fountains and refrigeration equipment provided by a "tin-smith" like Lloyd "Sr". 1925 was probably a good year for Lloyd Campbell Sr & his growing family in Chicago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States
Dave was born about 5 miles SE at the Women's and Children's Hospital which stood at 1712 W Adams St, Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Ogden Ave runs SW-NE and crosses N Paulina St & W Adams St near the site of the hospital, which is about a block west of N Ashland Ave. Taking I-290, you can exit North on Ashland Ave, then jog west a block or two on W Adams St.
In that same general vicinity is the modern day Rush University Medical Center at Paulina St, just south of I-290, and Cook County Hospital is about 4 long blocks SW of the site, while the modern United Center stadium is about 2 blocks NW, and Jane Adam's Hull House museum is at 800 S Halsted at Polk, just west of I-90/94 and a few blocks south of I-290.
So 1925 found a new baby joining his four older siblings (Lloyd, Don, Bill, Jody) in their new house on N Lavergne Ave. The Austin neighborhood in Chicago was a nice neighborhood on the western edge of "the City" of Chicago. Their "suburban" neighbor to the west, "outside" of the City, was Oak Park, IL. The Campbell kids attended Lesley Lewis Elementary School about a block south & 2 blocks west of their house. Dave later attended Austin Community Academy High School, better known as "Austin High School". It was considered one of the better & newer schools in the Chicago Public School system. (www.CPS.edu)
The 1930 census shows the entire family, now including David Boice and Richard James living in the house they owned at 1526 N Lavergne Ave. This was slightly closer to their aunts & uncles who were shown in the 1920 census at 1520 and 1522 N Lavergne Ave. Their father's sheet metal shop was located (circa 1942) 4383 N Elston Ave, Chicago IL. The shop was about 4.1 miles north on Cicero Ave, and about 0.4 miles east on Lawrence Ave, to 4383 N Elston Ave, Chicago IL.
DBC graduated from Austin HS around May 1943. WW-II was raging and the draft was a fact of life. His brother, William Haddock "Bill" Campbell was already a war hero B-17 (etc) pilot who had completed his tour in the south Pacific. Don was a war-critical tool & die maker, Lloyd "Jr" was not selected, and Richard was too young.
Dave went to his local draft registration board #53 (?), with his friend, Bill Stasek. The board may have been run by Stasek's father or relative?. Because they were inducted together, they also shipped off together. Inducted on 7 July 1943, Dave was in the "Enlisted Reserve Corps" or ERC through 26 July 1943. Dave began Active Duty on 27 July 1943 and was sent to Fort Custer, about 4 miles west of Battle Creek, Michigan.
(Letters to home dated ?!? _____) Outfitted there (?), he was sent via train through the Chicago train yards (just miles from his home, with a long overnight stop in the yards), he was sent to Camp Roberts, just north of San Miguel & Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo, California. He arrived there for Basic Training. (He later painted a scene of the historic Spanish Mission San Miguel de Arcangel.)
Before or during Basic Training, he must have taken the Army OCS/ERC ?!? OCX ? test and must have scored well, because he was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program and was one of about 238 soldiers sent (primarily?) from Camp Roberts to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma Washington. They arrived there about 3 or 6 (?) Dec 1943 and marched from the train station to the university in the fog.
The plan was to earn a 4 year engineering degree in just 1.5 years. They stayed at Kittridge (sp?) Hall on what was the College of Puget Sound (CPS again), now www.UPS.edu for University of Puget Sound, or simply www.PugetSound.edu) Unfortunately the war needs changed and they ended most of the ASTP programs in March or April 1944. Dave and his fellow student-soldiers rejoined their various units. Dave went to Camp Cooke near Lompoc CA (the modern Vandenburg AFB) for Advanced Combat Training (?) where they prepared for the battlefield.
Some links:
www.ASTPww2.org maintained by [email protected] in Warrenton VA,
thanks to former ASTP'rs: Raymond G. Fox (ASTP/Penn) and Patrick J. Kearney (Sr.) ASTP/CPS.
www.TakeItEasy.org
www.LTI.org maintained by [email protected]
http://www.PugetSound.edu/about/offices--services/office-of-communications/communications-resources/historical-timeline/1940s/
Selected for the Army, he left via train initially to Ft Custer Training base near Battle Creek MI (with his friend, Bill Stasek?). He was assigned to Patton's 3rd Army, 11th Armored Division. This meant a long train trip to Camp Roberts near San Luis Obispo and just north of the historic Spanish Mission San Miguel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Roberts,_California
http://www.militarymuseum.org/campbob.html
The 11th Armored Division was organized as an "Armored Infantry Battalion" or "AIB". DBC said that meant 1 in 4 units had tanks, while the other 3 units were regular Army Infantry soldiers, except they had trucks (Deuce and a half) to drive them quickly to the battlefield where they would then dismount and fight like regular Army Infantry soldiers. This was a key element of Patton's rapid response ability, which was unprecedented (?) prior to the Battle of the Bulge.
Sometime before or during Basic Training, DBC was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program, or "ASTP". (A good site is www.ASTPww2.org) The idea was to reserve good officer candidates and train them through an expedited college course to prepare them as officers in case the war dragged on for many more years. DBC was one of 238 "student soldiers" who reported to the College of Puget Sound in Tacoma WA in December 1943. Some colleges in the ASTP program required they wear uniforms, while others didn't. There are photos of the ASTP unit at "CPS" wearing uniforms. After only one or two speedy semesters at CPS, most of the ASTP program was cancelled when the Army realized the war wasn't likely to drag on and they had a more pressing need for Army Infantry replacement soldiers. With the cancellation of the ASTP program, at least for most of those "just starting", DBC and many others returned to their original units from which they had been absent for about a year. He caught up with Company C of the 63rd AIB and attended "Advanced Infantry Combat Training" at Camp Cooke (?) in what is now Vandenberg AFB in CA. This was the scene of a tragic accident when a stray tank round hit a passenger train, causing an injury.
3 Apr 1944 & 19 May 1944 DBC sent letters from Camp Cooke CA to his folks.
22 May 1944 sent "Camp Cooke CA" postcard to his folks at 1526 N LaVergne Ave advising he was heading home - leave LA 7:30am Monday on Challenger (U.P.) [Union Pacific train ?] That would be after the ASTP sent him back to CA for "Advanced" combat training at Camp Cooke.
30 July 1944 sent two "Fort Custer, Michigan" post cards. One to his folks at 1526 N LaVergne, the other to the Chambers at 2305 N LaVergne.
Later they were staged to Camp Kilmer NJ awaiting transport to England.
Before 28 Sep 1944 he had a pass into NY (NYC?) because Jode & his mom asked about it. Prior to that, they had told him that Bill Stasek's uncle (?) in NY wanted him to visit them in NY.
DBC 36758510 was in the 11th Armored Division, Patton's 3rd Army,
Co C 63rd Arm'd Infantry Battalion (AIB).
From Camp Kilmer they sailed for England aboard the USS Hermitage, a former Italian cruise liner that had been converted to troop transport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Hermitage_(AP-54)
By Dec 1944 they were probably in France. Patton was asked to provide reinforcements for the "Siege of Bastogne" aka "The Battle of the Bulge". He promised support in only 1 or 2 days and many thought he wouldn't be able to deliver. The troops were loaded in their trucks and made a mad dash to Bastogne where some units broke through the siege lines and made contact with Allied forces. The remaining troops arrived and started pushing the Germans back and away.
http://books.google.com/books?id=fldMWJ6Kwg8C&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22USS+Mexico+Victory%22&source=bl&ots=JQDAmBY0H5&sig=RZISEbVNo0PZHMkQUiUjosuEiQo&hl=en&ei=gSfcTbD3BIPTgQel8cH9Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22USS%20Mexico%20Victory%22&f=false
DBC made notes in his original printing of the "History of the Sixty-Third Armored Infantry Battalion (Armored Infantry Division) Printing Office: G. Mittermüeller, Bad Hall, Austria.
pg 22 - "us" Co C, 63 Armd Inf Bn (as part of Task Force SHEELY)
TF SHEELY was created on 14 Jan 1945 and on 15th took Compogne by 1500 and Villeroux by 1600 (although later evacuated that night due to enemy tank attack of 10 to 20 tanks. Enemy strong points included: high ground NE of Villeroux, [also] the city of Mabompre and Vaux.
pg 23 - first 4 lines of "Houffalize:" section annotated: "I was wounded somewhere in this"
(NOTE - In the 11th Armored link above, he said he was wounded near Longchamps, Belgium.
The attack was continued to HOUFFALIZE on the 16th. Before noon troops encountered a road-block which was immediately bypassed. After meeting up with some slight resistance, TASK FORCE SHEELY went on to capture the high ground half a mile east of HOUFFALIZE.
DBC was wounded on Dec 15th according to his notes on pg 66 which lists the KIA.
pg 66 & 67 list the KIA. DBC indicated 16 people he knew, including Platoon Leader Morgan L. Swain, TSgt Co C; Walter K. Seward Pvt, Co C (Piano player); Squad Leader Frank Erbio, S/Sgt Co C - "I saw him killed 50' away"; Joseph L. Connally, Pfc Co C - mistaken for DBC who was then reported as KIA; Ropert P. Coakley, Pfc Co C - friend who was killed on 15 Jan 1945 "when I was hit" (which circled all six of the 15 Jan 45 dates of KIA's.
So the timeline appears to be:
15 Jan 1945 - wounded near Houffalize, Belgium - as part of a patrol that encountered a tank near Houffalize.
16 Jan 1945 - probably enroute to an aid station, then later to hospital in England. During much of this time, DBC was presumed KIA due to Joseph L. Connally who also wore "thick glasses" and had been KIA on the 15th.
21 Feb 1945 - (pg 32) "I was released from Hosp[ital] in England"
Note - in letter to his mom, he was NOT put on "limited service", so he was being returned to his unit via "Replacement Depots".
After Bastogne was reinforced, the bulge was reversed and the Germans were pushed back. It was near Houfalize or Longchamps Belgium where DBC was wounded by German tank fire on a small country lane. Coming to some time later, he was surprised that nobody (friend or foe) was around, so he started walking, not realizing he was wounded in the knee, arm, and head. When some Americans in a jeep came by and pointed out his injuries, they directed him to an aid station and he was eventually treated and sent to a hospital in England for at least a month before being started back towards his unit. He caught up with his unit and talked about the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp near Linz Austria. This turned out to be close to where his cousin, Curtis Willett CAMPBELL had been POW and was being forced to march west to avoid the Russians as they approached Luft Stalag (16?) where he had been held POW after his B-17 was forced to ditch in the North Sea.
8 May 1945 Germany surrendered unconditionally and the 63rd AIB of the 11th Armored Division awaited further orders.
9 May 1945 was "V-E Day" and the 11th Armored Division was the "easternmost unit" of all Allied forces on the Western front. A troop of the 41st Cavalry contacted Soviet forces at AMSTETTEN at 1550 on 8 May 1945 which was the 3rd Army's first link up with Russian forces from the Eastern front.
Pages 66 to 68 listed the names of about 89 KIA & 25 who Died of Wounds.
DBC marked off 16 KIA and 5 DOW that he knew or saw get hit between 30 Dec 1944 and 12 Apr 1945 when he was just 19 years old.
DBC probably spent his 20th birthday (8 Mar 1945) working his way back to his unit after being released from the hospital in England on 21 Feb 1945.
On pages 66 and 68 DBC marked 16 names (out of about 89?) of people in the 63rd AIB who were KIA that he had known.
By August or so of 1945, the 11th Armored Division had been disbanded and most of it's members were reassigned to other units. In the Battle of the Bulge book by Turner Publishing Co, DBC indicated he was assigned to the 165th AA Battalion.
He was stationed at Bad Hall and also had to perform guard duty over German military POW's at Dachau after the war was over. He made a pencil sketch of the view from his guard tower while on duty at Dachau.
He must have been there through about Christmas 1945, and his notes indicate it took about a month to make his way to Bremerhaven Germany where he awaited a ship to take him back to the
Fellow Austin High alum ?!? www.DavidHallPhD.com
Son of Lloyd Corr CAMPBELL (Sr.) aka "Beppo" and Olive Madeline (WALLENIUS) CAMPBELL. His dad was born in Hoopeston, IL, but had moved north to Chicago for better prospects along with a number of his relatives. His mother was from the Swedish neighborhood of "Andersonville" in Chicago and her family included 3 girls and 1 boy, plus her mother & father. The 1920 census found Lloyd & Olive renting a house at 1538 (?) N Lavergne Ave in the "Austin" neighborhood of Chicago. This was the far western boundary of Chicago - near the Street Car barns immediately to their east, and Oak Park (?) immediately to their west. It was a good & fairly young neighborhood - with most of the houses on that street having been built around 1914 (?).
Lloyd & Olive weren't alone and strangers on that street in 1920. They already had four children: Lloyd, Don, Bill, and "Jody". Just a few doors south - they had kin & relatives from Hoopeston, including James FLEXMAN who had married Olive's sister, Edith (WALLENIUS). Lloyd "Sr" worked as a metal and "tin-smith" and something of a machinist. He had his own shop and used to literally "hop" a train to work.
[1920 Census data: His parents were renting a house at 1538 N. Lavergne Ave in Chicago on the 1920 census with their first four kids: Lloyd Corr Jr., Donald Arthur, William Haddock, and Olive Josephine "Jody".]
Prior to his birth in March 1925, and between the 1920 & 1930 census, his family moved a few doors south to their "own" home at 1526 N Lavergne Ave. Perhaps it was to be a little closer to their friends & relatives, or that may have been the only house for sale at the time. These houses were still fairly new and the "Noble Experiment" of Prohibition (1920 to 5 Dec 1933) meant strong demand for soda fountains and refrigeration equipment provided by a "tin-smith" like Lloyd "Sr". 1925 was probably a good year for Lloyd Campbell Sr & his growing family in Chicago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States
Dave was born about 5 miles SE at the Women's and Children's Hospital which stood at 1712 W Adams St, Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Ogden Ave runs SW-NE and crosses N Paulina St & W Adams St near the site of the hospital, which is about a block west of N Ashland Ave. Taking I-290, you can exit North on Ashland Ave, then jog west a block or two on W Adams St.
In that same general vicinity is the modern day Rush University Medical Center at Paulina St, just south of I-290, and Cook County Hospital is about 4 long blocks SW of the site, while the modern United Center stadium is about 2 blocks NW, and Jane Adam's Hull House museum is at 800 S Halsted at Polk, just west of I-90/94 and a few blocks south of I-290.
So 1925 found a new baby joining his four older siblings (Lloyd, Don, Bill, Jody) in their new house on N Lavergne Ave. The Austin neighborhood in Chicago was a nice neighborhood on the western edge of "the City" of Chicago. Their "suburban" neighbor to the west, "outside" of the City, was Oak Park, IL. The Campbell kids attended Lesley Lewis Elementary School about a block south & 2 blocks west of their house. Dave later attended Austin Community Academy High School, better known as "Austin High School". It was considered one of the better & newer schools in the Chicago Public School system. (www.CPS.edu)
The 1930 census shows the entire family, now including David Boice and Richard James living in the house they owned at 1526 N Lavergne Ave. This was slightly closer to their aunts & uncles who were shown in the 1920 census at 1520 and 1522 N Lavergne Ave. Their father's sheet metal shop was located (circa 1942) 4383 N Elston Ave, Chicago IL. The shop was about 4.1 miles north on Cicero Ave, and about 0.4 miles east on Lawrence Ave, to 4383 N Elston Ave, Chicago IL.
DBC graduated from Austin HS around May 1943. WW-II was raging and the draft was a fact of life. His brother, William Haddock "Bill" Campbell was already a war hero B-17 (etc) pilot who had completed his tour in the south Pacific. Don was a war-critical tool & die maker, Lloyd "Jr" was not selected, and Richard was too young.
Dave went to his local draft registration board #53 (?), with his friend, Bill Stasek. The board may have been run by Stasek's father or relative?. Because they were inducted together, they also shipped off together. Inducted on 7 July 1943, Dave was in the "Enlisted Reserve Corps" or ERC through 26 July 1943. Dave began Active Duty on 27 July 1943 and was sent to Fort Custer, about 4 miles west of Battle Creek, Michigan.
(Letters to home dated ?!? _____) Outfitted there (?), he was sent via train through the Chicago train yards (just miles from his home, with a long overnight stop in the yards), he was sent to Camp Roberts, just north of San Miguel & Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo, California. He arrived there for Basic Training. (He later painted a scene of the historic Spanish Mission San Miguel de Arcangel.)
Before or during Basic Training, he must have taken the Army OCS/ERC ?!? OCX ? test and must have scored well, because he was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program and was one of about 238 soldiers sent (primarily?) from Camp Roberts to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma Washington. They arrived there about 3 or 6 (?) Dec 1943 and marched from the train station to the university in the fog.
The plan was to earn a 4 year engineering degree in just 1.5 years. They stayed at Kittridge (sp?) Hall on what was the College of Puget Sound (CPS again), now www.UPS.edu for University of Puget Sound, or simply www.PugetSound.edu) Unfortunately the war needs changed and they ended most of the ASTP programs in March or April 1944. Dave and his fellow student-soldiers rejoined their various units. Dave went to Camp Cooke near Lompoc CA (the modern Vandenburg AFB) for Advanced Combat Training (?) where they prepared for the battlefield.
Some links:
www.ASTPww2.org maintained by [email protected] in Warrenton VA,
thanks to former ASTP'rs: Raymond G. Fox (ASTP/Penn) and Patrick J. Kearney (Sr.) ASTP/CPS.
www.TakeItEasy.org
www.LTI.org maintained by [email protected]
http://www.PugetSound.edu/about/offices--services/office-of-communications/communications-resources/historical-timeline/1940s/
Selected for the Army, he left via train initially to Ft Custer Training base near Battle Creek MI (with his friend, Bill Stasek?). He was assigned to Patton's 3rd Army, 11th Armored Division. This meant a long train trip to Camp Roberts near San Luis Obispo and just north of the historic Spanish Mission San Miguel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Roberts,_California
http://www.militarymuseum.org/campbob.html
The 11th Armored Division was organized as an "Armored Infantry Battalion" or "AIB". DBC said that meant 1 in 4 units had tanks, while the other 3 units were regular Army Infantry soldiers, except they had trucks (Deuce and a half) to drive them quickly to the battlefield where they would then dismount and fight like regular Army Infantry soldiers. This was a key element of Patton's rapid response ability, which was unprecedented (?) prior to the Battle of the Bulge.
Sometime before or during Basic Training, DBC was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program, or "ASTP". (A good site is www.ASTPww2.org) The idea was to reserve good officer candidates and train them through an expedited college course to prepare them as officers in case the war dragged on for many more years. DBC was one of 238 "student soldiers" who reported to the College of Puget Sound in Tacoma WA in December 1943. Some colleges in the ASTP program required they wear uniforms, while others didn't. There are photos of the ASTP unit at "CPS" wearing uniforms. After only one or two speedy semesters at CPS, most of the ASTP program was cancelled when the Army realized the war wasn't likely to drag on and they had a more pressing need for Army Infantry replacement soldiers. With the cancellation of the ASTP program, at least for most of those "just starting", DBC and many others returned to their original units from which they had been absent for about a year. He caught up with Company C of the 63rd AIB and attended "Advanced Infantry Combat Training" at Camp Cooke (?) in what is now Vandenberg AFB in CA. This was the scene of a tragic accident when a stray tank round hit a passenger train, causing an injury.
3 Apr 1944 & 19 May 1944 DBC sent letters from Camp Cooke CA to his folks.
22 May 1944 sent "Camp Cooke CA" postcard to his folks at 1526 N LaVergne Ave advising he was heading home - leave LA 7:30am Monday on Challenger (U.P.) [Union Pacific train ?] That would be after the ASTP sent him back to CA for "Advanced" combat training at Camp Cooke.
30 July 1944 sent two "Fort Custer, Michigan" post cards. One to his folks at 1526 N LaVergne, the other to the Chambers at 2305 N LaVergne.
Later they were staged to Camp Kilmer NJ awaiting transport to England.
Before 28 Sep 1944 he had a pass into NY (NYC?) because Jode & his mom asked about it. Prior to that, they had told him that Bill Stasek's uncle (?) in NY wanted him to visit them in NY.
DBC 36758510 was in the 11th Armored Division, Patton's 3rd Army,
Co C 63rd Arm'd Infantry Battalion (AIB).
From Camp Kilmer they sailed for England aboard the USS Hermitage, a former Italian cruise liner that had been converted to troop transport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Hermitage_(AP-54)
By Dec 1944 they were probably in France. Patton was asked to provide reinforcements for the "Siege of Bastogne" aka "The Battle of the Bulge". He promised support in only 1 or 2 days and many thought he wouldn't be able to deliver. The troops were loaded in their trucks and made a mad dash to Bastogne where some units broke through the siege lines and made contact with Allied forces. The remaining troops arrived and started pushing the Germans back and away.
http://books.google.com/books?id=fldMWJ6Kwg8C&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22USS+Mexico+Victory%22&source=bl&ots=JQDAmBY0H5&sig=RZISEbVNo0PZHMkQUiUjosuEiQo&hl=en&ei=gSfcTbD3BIPTgQel8cH9Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22USS%20Mexico%20Victory%22&f=false
DBC made notes in his original printing of the "History of the Sixty-Third Armored Infantry Battalion (Armored Infantry Division) Printing Office: G. Mittermüeller, Bad Hall, Austria.
pg 22 - "us" Co C, 63 Armd Inf Bn (as part of Task Force SHEELY)
TF SHEELY was created on 14 Jan 1945 and on 15th took Compogne by 1500 and Villeroux by 1600 (although later evacuated that night due to enemy tank attack of 10 to 20 tanks. Enemy strong points included: high ground NE of Villeroux, [also] the city of Mabompre and Vaux.
pg 23 - first 4 lines of "Houffalize:" section annotated: "I was wounded somewhere in this"
(NOTE - In the 11th Armored link above, he said he was wounded near Longchamps, Belgium.
The attack was continued to HOUFFALIZE on the 16th. Before noon troops encountered a road-block which was immediately bypassed. After meeting up with some slight resistance, TASK FORCE SHEELY went on to capture the high ground half a mile east of HOUFFALIZE.
DBC was wounded on Dec 15th according to his notes on pg 66 which lists the KIA.
pg 66 & 67 list the KIA. DBC indicated 16 people he knew, including Platoon Leader Morgan L. Swain, TSgt Co C; Walter K. Seward Pvt, Co C (Piano player); Squad Leader Frank Erbio, S/Sgt Co C - "I saw him killed 50' away"; Joseph L. Connally, Pfc Co C - mistaken for DBC who was then reported as KIA; Ropert P. Coakley, Pfc Co C - friend who was killed on 15 Jan 1945 "when I was hit" (which circled all six of the 15 Jan 45 dates of KIA's.
So the timeline appears to be:
15 Jan 1945 - wounded near Houffalize, Belgium - as part of a patrol that encountered a tank near Houffalize.
16 Jan 1945 - probably enroute to an aid station, then later to hospital in England. During much of this time, DBC was presumed KIA due to Joseph L. Connally who also wore "thick glasses" and had been KIA on the 15th.
21 Feb 1945 - (pg 32) "I was released from Hosp[ital] in England"
Note - in letter to his mom, he was NOT put on "limited service", so he was being returned to his unit via "Replacement Depots".
After Bastogne was reinforced, the bulge was reversed and the Germans were pushed back. It was near Houfalize or Longchamps Belgium where DBC was wounded by German tank fire on a small country lane. Coming to some time later, he was surprised that nobody (friend or foe) was around, so he started walking, not realizing he was wounded in the knee, arm, and head. When some Americans in a jeep came by and pointed out his injuries, they directed him to an aid station and he was eventually treated and sent to a hospital in England for at least a month before being started back towards his unit. He caught up with his unit and talked about the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp near Linz Austria. This turned out to be close to where his cousin, Curtis Willett CAMPBELL had been POW and was being forced to march west to avoid the Russians as they approached Luft Stalag (16?) where he had been held POW after his B-17 was forced to ditch in the North Sea.
8 May 1945 Germany surrendered unconditionally and the 63rd AIB of the 11th Armored Division awaited further orders.
9 May 1945 was "V-E Day" and the 11th Armored Division was the "easternmost unit" of all Allied forces on the Western front. A troop of the 41st Cavalry contacted Soviet forces at AMSTETTEN at 1550 on 8 May 1945 which was the 3rd Army's first link up with Russian forces from the Eastern front.
Pages 66 to 68 listed the names of about 89 KIA & 25 who Died of Wounds.
DBC marked off 16 KIA and 5 DOW that he knew or saw get hit between 30 Dec 1944 and 12 Apr 1945 when he was just 19 years old.
DBC probably spent his 20th birthday (8 Mar 1945) working his way back to his unit after being released from the hospital in England on 21 Feb 1945.
On pages 66 and 68 DBC marked 16 names (out of about 89?) of people in the 63rd AIB who were KIA that he had known.
By August or so of 1945, the 11th Armored Division had been disbanded and most of it's members were reassigned to other units. In the Battle of the Bulge book by Turner Publishing Co, DBC indicated he was assigned to the 165th AA Battalion.
He was stationed at Bad Hall and also had to perform guard duty over German military POW's at Dachau after the war was over. He made a pencil sketch of the view from his guard tower while on duty at Dachau.
He must have been there through about Christmas 1945, and his notes indicate it took about a month to make his way to Bremerhaven Germany where he awaited a ship to take him back to the
Fellow Austin High alum ?!? www.DavidHallPhD.com
Lloyd & Olive weren't alone and strangers on that street in 1920. They already had four children: Lloyd, Don, Bill, and "Jody". Just a few doors south - they had kin & relatives from Hoopeston, including James FLEXMAN who had married Olive's sister, Edith (WALLENIUS). Lloyd "Sr" worked as a metal and "tin-smith" and something of a machinist. He had his own shop and used to literally "hop" a train to work.
[1920 Census data: His parents were renting a house at 1538 N. Lavergne Ave in Chicago on the 1920 census with their first four kids: Lloyd Corr Jr., Donald Arthur, William Haddock, and Olive Josephine "Jody".]
Prior to his birth in March 1925, and between the 1920 & 1930 census, his family moved a few doors south to their "own" home at 1526 N Lavergne Ave. Perhaps it was to be a little closer to their friends & relatives, or that may have been the only house for sale at the time. These houses were still fairly new and the "Noble Experiment" of Prohibition (1920 to 5 Dec 1933) meant strong demand for soda fountains and refrigeration equipment provided by a "tin-smith" like Lloyd "Sr". 1925 was probably a good year for Lloyd Campbell Sr & his growing family in Chicago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States
Dave was born about 5 miles SE at the Women's and Children's Hospital which stood at 1712 W Adams St, Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Ogden Ave runs SW-NE and crosses N Paulina St & W Adams St near the site of the hospital, which is about a block west of N Ashland Ave. Taking I-290, you can exit North on Ashland Ave, then jog west a block or two on W Adams St.
In that same general vicinity is the modern day Rush University Medical Center at Paulina St, just south of I-290, and Cook County Hospital is about 4 long blocks SW of the site, while the modern United Center stadium is about 2 blocks NW, and Jane Adam's Hull House museum is at 800 S Halsted at Polk, just west of I-90/94 and a few blocks south of I-290.
So 1925 found a new baby joining his four older siblings (Lloyd, Don, Bill, Jody) in their new house on N Lavergne Ave. The Austin neighborhood in Chicago was a nice neighborhood on the western edge of "the City" of Chicago. Their "suburban" neighbor to the west, "outside" of the City, was Oak Park, IL. The Campbell kids attended Lesley Lewis Elementary School about a block south & 2 blocks west of their house. Dave later attended Austin Community Academy High School, better known as "Austin High School". It was considered one of the better & newer schools in the Chicago Public School system. (www.CPS.edu)
The 1930 census shows the entire family, now including David Boice and Richard James living in the house they owned at 1526 N Lavergne Ave. This was slightly closer to their aunts & uncles who were shown in the 1920 census at 1520 and 1522 N Lavergne Ave. Their father's sheet metal shop was located (circa 1942) 4383 N Elston Ave, Chicago IL. The shop was about 4.1 miles north on Cicero Ave, and about 0.4 miles east on Lawrence Ave, to 4383 N Elston Ave, Chicago IL.
DBC graduated from Austin HS around May 1943. WW-II was raging and the draft was a fact of life. His brother, William Haddock "Bill" Campbell was already a war hero B-17 (etc) pilot who had completed his tour in the south Pacific. Don was a war-critical tool & die maker, Lloyd "Jr" was not selected, and Richard was too young.
Dave went to his local draft registration board #53 (?), with his friend, Bill Stasek. The board may have been run by Stasek's father or relative?. Because they were inducted together, they also shipped off together. Inducted on 7 July 1943, Dave was in the "Enlisted Reserve Corps" or ERC through 26 July 1943. Dave began Active Duty on 27 July 1943 and was sent to Fort Custer, about 4 miles west of Battle Creek, Michigan.
(Letters to home dated ?!? _____) Outfitted there (?), he was sent via train through the Chicago train yards (just miles from his home, with a long overnight stop in the yards), he was sent to Camp Roberts, just north of San Miguel & Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo, California. He arrived there for Basic Training. (He later painted a scene of the historic Spanish Mission San Miguel de Arcangel.)
Before or during Basic Training, he must have taken the Army OCS/ERC ?!? OCX ? test and must have scored well, because he was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program and was one of about 238 soldiers sent (primarily?) from Camp Roberts to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma Washington. They arrived there about 3 or 6 (?) Dec 1943 and marched from the train station to the university in the fog.
The plan was to earn a 4 year engineering degree in just 1.5 years. They stayed at Kittridge (sp?) Hall on what was the College of Puget Sound (CPS again), now www.UPS.edu for University of Puget Sound, or simply www.PugetSound.edu) Unfortunately the war needs changed and they ended most of the ASTP programs in March or April 1944. Dave and his fellow student-soldiers rejoined their various units. Dave went to Camp Cooke near Lompoc CA (the modern Vandenburg AFB) for Advanced Combat Training (?) where they prepared for the battlefield.
Some links:
www.ASTPww2.org maintained by [email protected] in Warrenton VA,
thanks to former ASTP'rs: Raymond G. Fox (ASTP/Penn) and Patrick J. Kearney (Sr.) ASTP/CPS.
www.TakeItEasy.org
www.LTI.org maintained by [email protected]
http://www.PugetSound.edu/about/offices--services/office-of-communications/communications-resources/historical-timeline/1940s/
Selected for the Army, he left via train initially to Ft Custer Training base near Battle Creek MI (with his friend, Bill Stasek?). He was assigned to Patton's 3rd Army, 11th Armored Division. This meant a long train trip to Camp Roberts near San Luis Obispo and just north of the historic Spanish Mission San Miguel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Roberts,_California
http://www.militarymuseum.org/campbob.html
The 11th Armored Division was organized as an "Armored Infantry Battalion" or "AIB". DBC said that meant 1 in 4 units had tanks, while the other 3 units were regular Army Infantry soldiers, except they had trucks (Deuce and a half) to drive them quickly to the battlefield where they would then dismount and fight like regular Army Infantry soldiers. This was a key element of Patton's rapid response ability, which was unprecedented (?) prior to the Battle of the Bulge.
Sometime before or during Basic Training, DBC was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program, or "ASTP". (A good site is www.ASTPww2.org) The idea was to reserve good officer candidates and train them through an expedited college course to prepare them as officers in case the war dragged on for many more years. DBC was one of 238 "student soldiers" who reported to the College of Puget Sound in Tacoma WA in December 1943. Some colleges in the ASTP program required they wear uniforms, while others didn't. There are photos of the ASTP unit at "CPS" wearing uniforms. After only one or two speedy semesters at CPS, most of the ASTP program was cancelled when the Army realized the war wasn't likely to drag on and they had a more pressing need for Army Infantry replacement soldiers. With the cancellation of the ASTP program, at least for most of those "just starting", DBC and many others returned to their original units from which they had been absent for about a year. He caught up with Company C of the 63rd AIB and attended "Advanced Infantry Combat Training" at Camp Cooke (?) in what is now Vandenberg AFB in CA. This was the scene of a tragic accident when a stray tank round hit a passenger train, causing an injury.
3 Apr 1944 & 19 May 1944 DBC sent letters from Camp Cooke CA to his folks.
22 May 1944 sent "Camp Cooke CA" postcard to his folks at 1526 N LaVergne Ave advising he was heading home - leave LA 7:30am Monday on Challenger (U.P.) [Union Pacific train ?] That would be after the ASTP sent him back to CA for "Advanced" combat training at Camp Cooke.
30 July 1944 sent two "Fort Custer, Michigan" post cards. One to his folks at 1526 N LaVergne, the other to the Chambers at 2305 N LaVergne.
Later they were staged to Camp Kilmer NJ awaiting transport to England.
Before 28 Sep 1944 he had a pass into NY (NYC?) because Jode & his mom asked about it. Prior to that, they had told him that Bill Stasek's uncle (?) in NY wanted him to visit them in NY.
DBC 36758510 was in the 11th Armored Division, Patton's 3rd Army,
Co C 63rd Arm'd Infantry Battalion (AIB).
From Camp Kilmer they sailed for England aboard the USS Hermitage, a former Italian cruise liner that had been converted to troop transport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Hermitage_(AP-54)
By Dec 1944 they were probably in France. Patton was asked to provide reinforcements for the "Siege of Bastogne" aka "The Battle of the Bulge". He promised support in only 1 or 2 days and many thought he wouldn't be able to deliver. The troops were loaded in their trucks and made a mad dash to Bastogne where some units broke through the siege lines and made contact with Allied forces. The remaining troops arrived and started pushing the Germans back and away.
http://books.google.com/books?id=fldMWJ6Kwg8C&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22USS+Mexico+Victory%22&source=bl&ots=JQDAmBY0H5&sig=RZISEbVNo0PZHMkQUiUjosuEiQo&hl=en&ei=gSfcTbD3BIPTgQel8cH9Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22USS%20Mexico%20Victory%22&f=false
DBC made notes in his original printing of the "History of the Sixty-Third Armored Infantry Battalion (Armored Infantry Division) Printing Office: G. Mittermüeller, Bad Hall, Austria.
pg 22 - "us" Co C, 63 Armd Inf Bn (as part of Task Force SHEELY)
TF SHEELY was created on 14 Jan 1945 and on 15th took Compogne by 1500 and Villeroux by 1600 (although later evacuated that night due to enemy tank attack of 10 to 20 tanks. Enemy strong points included: high ground NE of Villeroux, [also] the city of Mabompre and Vaux.
pg 23 - first 4 lines of "Houffalize:" section annotated: "I was wounded somewhere in this"
(NOTE - In the 11th Armored link above, he said he was wounded near Longchamps, Belgium.
The attack was continued to HOUFFALIZE on the 16th. Before noon troops encountered a road-block which was immediately bypassed. After meeting up with some slight resistance, TASK FORCE SHEELY went on to capture the high ground half a mile east of HOUFFALIZE.
DBC was wounded on Dec 15th according to his notes on pg 66 which lists the KIA.
pg 66 & 67 list the KIA. DBC indicated 16 people he knew, including Platoon Leader Morgan L. Swain, TSgt Co C; Walter K. Seward Pvt, Co C (Piano player); Squad Leader Frank Erbio, S/Sgt Co C - "I saw him killed 50' away"; Joseph L. Connally, Pfc Co C - mistaken for DBC who was then reported as KIA; Ropert P. Coakley, Pfc Co C - friend who was killed on 15 Jan 1945 "when I was hit" (which circled all six of the 15 Jan 45 dates of KIA's.
So the timeline appears to be:
15 Jan 1945 - wounded near Houffalize, Belgium - as part of a patrol that encountered a tank near Houffalize.
16 Jan 1945 - probably enroute to an aid station, then later to hospital in England. During much of this time, DBC was presumed KIA due to Joseph L. Connally who also wore "thick glasses" and had been KIA on the 15th.
21 Feb 1945 - (pg 32) "I was released from Hosp[ital] in England"
Note - in letter to his mom, he was NOT put on "limited service", so he was being returned to his unit via "Replacement Depots".
After Bastogne was reinforced, the bulge was reversed and the Germans were pushed back. It was near Houfalize or Longchamps Belgium where DBC was wounded by German tank fire on a small country lane. Coming to some time later, he was surprised that nobody (friend or foe) was around, so he started walking, not realizing he was wounded in the knee, arm, and head. When some Americans in a jeep came by and pointed out his injuries, they directed him to an aid station and he was eventually treated and sent to a hospital in England for at least a month before being started back towards his unit. He caught up with his unit and talked about the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp near Linz Austria. This turned out to be close to where his cousin, Curtis Willett CAMPBELL had been POW and was being forced to march west to avoid the Russians as they approached Luft Stalag (16?) where he had been held POW after his B-17 was forced to ditch in the North Sea.
8 May 1945 Germany surrendered unconditionally and the 63rd AIB of the 11th Armored Division awaited further orders.
9 May 1945 was "V-E Day" and the 11th Armored Division was the "easternmost unit" of all Allied forces on the Western front. A troop of the 41st Cavalry contacted Soviet forces at AMSTETTEN at 1550 on 8 May 1945 which was the 3rd Army's first link up with Russian forces from the Eastern front.
Pages 66 to 68 listed the names of about 89 KIA & 25 who Died of Wounds.
DBC marked off 16 KIA and 5 DOW that he knew or saw get hit between 30 Dec 1944 and 12 Apr 1945 when he was just 19 years old.
DBC probably spent his 20th birthday (8 Mar 1945) working his way back to his unit after being released from the hospital in England on 21 Feb 1945.
On pages 66 and 68 DBC marked 16 names (out of about 89?) of people in the 63rd AIB who were KIA that he had known.
By August or so of 1945, the 11th Armored Division had been disbanded and most of it's members were reassigned to other units. In the Battle of the Bulge book by Turner Publishing Co, DBC indicated he was assigned to the 165th AA Battalion.
He was stationed at Bad Hall and also had to perform guard duty over German military POW's at Dachau after the war was over. He made a pencil sketch of the view from his guard tower while on duty at Dachau.
He must have been there through about Christmas 1945, and his notes indicate it took about a month to make his way to Bremerhaven Germany where he awaited a ship to take him back to the
Fellow Austin High alum ?!? www.DavidHallPhD.com
Inscription
CAMPBELL
Gravesite Details
Absent from the body, present with the Lord. That's the inscription that's been on several graves since his gr-gr-grandfather, Charles Muir Campbell. Final engraving of the stone not expected until Eleanor passes.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
