The 778th AAA Auto Wpns Bn (SP) came into being on the
10th of March 1943. The unit sailed ahead of the 76th leaving for the ETO in
October of 44. They saw action in the Ardennes Offensive in December and were
then attached to the 76th Division for the entirety of the rest of the war
beginning in January of '45. Each of the 3 Batteries were attached to a
different Infantry Regiment, A Btry going to the 304th Inf Regt, B Btry going
to the 385th, and C Btry going to the 417th.
T/5 S-T-R-U-B-E-L was born in Pennsylvania in 1924 and
enlisted in March of 1943. He attended basic training and was then sent to Camp
Haan for training with the 778th, finally ending up in A-Btry. He served his
entire time in combat with this unit. He had a knack for being able to tell
what type of aircraft was approaching earlier than any other member of his Btry
which led to several victories resulting in the downing of a German A/C. He was
discharged in 1946.
He was formerly employed at Armstrong World
Industries, retiring after 44 years. In his post-retirement, he was a volunteer
at Moravian Manor Nursing Home for 17 years
He was very proud of his military service, and
regularly attended the reunion of the 778th, His hobbies included WWII
history and doing family tree research with his son. He also enjoyed playing
cards on Saturday nights with his son and daughter-in-law.
He passed away on April 30, 2006, at the
Lancaster General Hospital, after a brief illness.
