Help with WW2 vet information

1,285 Views | 6 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by JABQ04
Jaydoug
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AG
My great-uncle Joseph Mattern served in the Army during WW2 and was hit by artillery and eventually had his leg amputated. Would never tell my grandmother or any others much about his service. We have the stuff on Ancestry but that's it. Passed away in 1985. We have been trying to find out about his service, where he served, etc.

How can I find out which division, company, etc, he served in? Someone told my uncle he was with Patton but he doesn't know for sure.

Born: 1/1/1918

Enlisted:
17 July 1942
Admission to Hospital Date:
Feb 1945
Discharge Date:
Mar 1946

Died 1985

Jaydoug
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AG
Photo of him on the left

AEK
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You can request his service record through NARA. You can get more info at the link below. I have used this for finding info on my family and it has worked out pretty well.

https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records
JABQ04
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Because I had way too much time on my hands tonight at work I found your great uncle. He was in A Company, 1st Battalion 319th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division. Some other stuff I found was he earned his combat infantrymans badge on 14 September 1944 and was wounded trying to cross the Our River during the fighting to take Walendorf on February 7, 1945.

https://www.80thdivision.com/AfterActionReports/319th_CIB_Awards_14SEP44.pdf

Picture of the 1st page



The serial number matches what I saw on Fold3, so 99.99% sure this is your great uncle.

If he was in the same company at the time ( A Company) then there is a good probability this is the action that cost him his leg.

https://www.80thdivision.com/OralHistories/319-A_From_Diary_Harry_Kelly.pdf

A ton of cool stuff on this site.
https://www.80thdivision.com/WebArchives/MiscReports.htm


JABQ04
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To show the scale of fighting the 319th Infantry encountered in February 1945 it awarded:

1 Distinguished Service Cross
15 Silver Stars (3 posthumously) & 1 Oak Leaf Cluster for SS
76 Bronze Stars (6 posthumously) & 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
490 Purple Hearts
134 Oak Leaf Clusters to PHs (2nd Award)
32 OLC (3rd Award)
4 OLC (4th Award).

Jaydoug
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I'm so very grateful for your quick work! Joe's son is over the moon. He never knew any of this stuff. I asked where Joe's uniform jacket was and was told Joe have it to his brother to wear plowing the fields to stay warm. My uncle who was in Vietnam just told us the only thing they knew is he was told that Joe survived because he was wounded laying upside down on a slope and there flow didn't bleed out from his leg wound. Gangrene set in and it had to be taken off though.

Thanks again! I'm about to get lost in this website.
Jaydoug
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Communicated with the 80th Infantry Division Veterans group. He's now on a page under photos.

Thanks for your help!



JABQ04
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Nice. Just checked it out.
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