Two Brothers' Sacrifice: An incredibly Complete 76th Division Trunk Grouping

T/Sgt Hartmann was born in 1917 and enlisted alongside his brother in January of 1941. He spent his early years in the Army as a coastal artilleryman in Alaska (Hence the PTO ribbon) and then tried to join the Air Corps. With the ground-pounders taking heavy casualties, it was deemed that every able-bodied man with leadership under his belt would be sent to the infantry. Hartmann joined the 76th Division as a Corporal and was assigned to I-Company, 417th Infantry Regiment. He quickly rose through the ranks in the company and by the end of the war, was a Technical Sergeant. His citation reads like a Silver Star Medal and I believe he was unjustly awarded the BSM. This man was a hero. He was wounded in action yet his discharge does not reflect it. The newspaper article was submitted to the National Personnel Record Center by him in 1989 to show that he was in fact wounded. No doubt he was looking to finally get his records corrected.

This incredible trunk grouping not only came with all of S. Hartmann's items, but also his brother's. His brother Leo was killed in action while serving as a B-24 tail gunner in the MTO. I feel truly honored to own the items from these two brave brothers.  I am glad they have survived all of these years together.

385th Regimental HQ-Co Commanding Officer Uniform Acquired!

Born in 1913 in Marion, Maryland. Captain Wilson entered the service in 1931 and was commissioned in 1933. In 1941, he helped organize the Maryland State Guard and shortly after was called in to active service. He was one of the original cadre of the 76th Division when it was activated at Ft Meade in 1942. He first served as Company Commander of L/385th and later as the Company Commander of the Regimental HQ-CO. Along with the rest of the 76th, he saw service overseas in England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. He was wounded by a sniper during the 76th's fight in the Siegfried Line (however none of his records show him being awarded the Purple Heart)

Captain Wilson was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service. He later went on to serve a distinguished career in the Army retiring a Lieutenant Colonel in 1962 but not before earning another Bronze Star in Korea. In his later years, he authored and published four books on historical subjects of Somerset Co. MD.

This uniform came directly from Wilson's estate sale. Also in the sale, were over $10,000 worth of German WWII bringbacks that Wilson kept in a private museum behind his residence after he retired. There were several uniforms auctioned off, however this was the only from WWII, the rest were postwar. It has been restored to reflect how Wilson would have worn it upon his discharge in 1945 (before being called back to active service in July of '46.

This uniform is only the 2nd in my collection from a 385th veteran. No doubt my grandfather (2nd Bn Hq-Co/385th Regt) came in to contact with Captain Wilson regularly. Thanks for looking!

A 5+ Year Wait: A Very Rare 417th/76th Regimental Souvenir Poster

I have been searching for this poster for roughly 5+ years. It was published in Germany while the 2nd Battalion of the 417th was on occupation duties after hostilities ended in June of 1945. It details the path the 417th took through the ETO and has quite a few funny caricatures of the veterans and also of the Germans. The wait was worth it for this one! Not attributed to a veteran but it was a must have for my collection. With this addition, only ONE piece of 76th literature remains unaccounted for. The booklet's title is "The First Battalion, 417th Infantry Regiment, 76th Infantry Division" and it was published before they shipped overseas at Camp McCoy. If anybody has this booklet please contact me at wwii_research_investigations@yahoo.com

Thanks for looking!

An Incredibly Complete 304th Infantry Machine Gunner's Grouping

William W W A L K E R was born in Pennsylvania in 1926. Upon graduating High School in the spring of 1944, he immediately walked down to the recruiting office and signed up. Finishing up basic training at Camp Blanding that summer, he was assigned to the 1st Machine Gun Platoon, M-Company, 304th Infantry Regiment, 76th Infantry Division at Camp McCoy. Although wet behind the ears and as green as the grass, he shipped out to the ETO with the 76th on Thanksgiving Day 1944. He fought in all 3 campaigns and came out unscathed. Being so new to the unit (and the Army for that matter!) he suffered the occupation blues serving with both the 8th Division and finally shipping home with the 11th Regiment of the 5th Division in 1946.

This grouping is the most complete in my collection.

Everything is 100% from this veteran and some of it combat used. The double buckle boots are by far one of my favorite items I own. The wear and the tear on them was no doubt earned climbing muddy river banks in Germany and having hot 30-06 casings fall on them in the heat of battle. The photos show just how young this brave infantryman was. Unlike the other veterans' uniforms I own, Mr W-A-L-K-E-R is still with us as of this posting. Unfortunately, due to deteriorating medical and mental health conditions, his wartime experiences will remain locked away for his remaining days. It is my profound honor to have obtained his items and I look forward to telling his story to future generations for many years to come!

76th Division Combat Medic Grouping

 T/Sgt Arthur E. Worth  was born in 1918 in Illinois. He enlisted in the Army in 1942 and became a Surgical Technician in the 301st Medical Battalion, 76th Division. Assigned to the 417th Combat Team he crossed the swollen Sauer River in Echternacht, Luxembourg with the 76th's entry into combat.

In this grouping is his bring back holster which he etched with his entire service history. Also included is his Geneva Convention ID card and his medic armband.