Revised: May 27, 2008
by George Raynor Thompson, Army Communicator
by Carol Stokes, Army Communicator
Marsh's military memoirs are from his unpublished "The
Sergeant's Diary," begun on a note pad in 1943 and continued to 2003.
http://www.3ad.com/history/wwll/memoirs.pages/marsh.htm The chapters below
lead into and cover his time with the 143rd. The entire story makes for
great reading.
In The Pipeline NEW
Johnson, W. D. (Woodrow Dunleavy), b. 1917 Rank: Master Sgt. (1945 May 27) Regiment: 143rd Signal Co., 3rd Armored Division. Co. A Service: 1943 April-1945 October
The 143rd Signal Armored Company was among the first American units to enter Belgium. It supported the division in one of the longest advances in military history-101 miles in one day. WWII Roster.
The unit found itself in the thick of the Ardennes campaign and then regained the initiative back into Germany.
The 143rd SAC remained in Germany until when it was inactivated at Aalen, Germany.
During the war, the unit participated on five campaigns to
include: Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland,
Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. The 143rd Signal Armored Company was awarded the
Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Belgium Fourragère, and cited
in the Order of the Day for the Belgian Army for action in
Belgium and the Ardennes.
Original Historical Documents See also the Unit History.
The Fourragère 1940 was a special badge/shoulder braid created on 26 March, 1945 by Decree Nº 300 of Charles, Prince of Belgium, Regent of the Kingdom to honor the bravery which certain units of the Army exhibited during WW II. It is braided in the colors of the ribbon of the "Croix de Guerre 1940" and composed of a round cordon, partially braided, consisting of three cords terminated by a knot and a metal tag. The cord is of wool with cotton middle for non-commissioned officers and troops, silk for officers. The Fourragère 1940 is worn encircling the left shoulder, (on the coat, greatcoat, jacket or vest, according to the case) and passes under the armpit. It is not worn on a rain-coat or fur-jacket. Holders of The Fourragère 1940 may, when in civilian clothes, wear a miniature of this decoration in their buttonhole.
*http:/3ad.com/history/wwll/names.died.htm
Last First MI Rank KIA Service# Beddeck James C. 2 Lt 01644691 Fischer Arthur B. Pfc 4/16/1945 36157346 Hansen Robert J. Tec 5 3/12/1945 37110905 Rosenberg Robert Pfc 12158696 Steele Norman W. Tec 5 15326297
T-4 Charles J. Allen Date of Birth: 20-Feb-22 Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
World War II, 1939-1946 Status: Veteran Dates of Service: 1943-1945
Entrance into Service: Drafted143rd Signal Company, 3rd Armored Division
Location of Service: Missouri; England; Omaha Beach, Normandy; Paris, France; GermanyType of Resource:
Video: DV-DVC (Digital Videocassette 1/4") [1 item]
On the morning of June 6, 1944, Thomas Brett was in southern England awaiting embarkation to land on the Normandy beaches. That morning he heard about the start of the invasion on his military radio. He wouldn't land until a few days after the initial invasion. The 87-year-old veteran remembers clearly the mushroom house where he and his comrades slept for nine months as they awaited the start of the cross-channel invasion. It was on a farm in southern England. The mushrooms had been removed, but there were plenty of rats. Some of the soldiers would catch them in their helmets.
*Text/Photo: http://www.pennlive.com/news/dday/galleries/gallery.ssf?/cgi-bin/slide-show.cgi/penn/slide_show.ata?index=6&g_id=1097 You'll have to fill in your zip, DOB and gender, then accept the "cookie".
Legacy: "They should gain two lessons," Brett said. "One, it was necessary at the time. And, two, to go in and invade a country? It can be a mistake, like what we have now. They went in and couldn't find what they thought they would find."