A Captain's Identity Discovered. A Remarkable 385th Regimental S-1 Uniform Grouping.

This uniform grouping is one that I have been after since I started collecting militaria. It all belonged to Capt Robert H B R I N E R who served as the S-1 in the Regimental HQ, 385^th Infantry Regiment, 76^th Division. This is the same Regiment that my grandfather was an officer in. At no doubt the two of them came in to contact with each other at some point stateside or overseas. I feel truly honored to have obtained this one and was able to ID it by his name written on the photograph that came along with it. 

B R I N E R was born in Ohio in 1916. He grew up in the Cleveland area and began attending college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio graduating in 1938. Although smaller in stature and size he boxed for the college and was a member of Sigma Chi. B R I N E R volunteered for the service enlisting on February 3, 1941. He was commissioned on May 15, 1942 and spent his entire career with the 76^th being one of the original cadre at Ft. Meade MD after the Division’s activation. He was assigned as the 385^th’s Personnel Officer and stayed in that position until the 76^th was deactivated in the late summer of 1945. He was transferred to the 102^nd Division for occupation duties until making it back to the states in December of that same year. Not only was he awarded the CIB but also a Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service. Being a personnel officer was seldom glorious but without him the Regiment wouldn’t have operated near as smoothly in its trail across the ETO.

Worthy of a Hollywood love story, he met his while the 76^th was training overseas and married Peggy  B O W E N of Great Britain after the war. He and Peggy had several children and he was in the real estate business for the rest of his days owning his own firms in several Ohio cities. B R I N E R passed away in July of 1997.

Not only did it come with his cut-down officers service coat, but also his overcoat, his service cap, and the photo with the inscription, “ B R I N E R!, Are you really a combat infantryman now?” signed by an unknown Major. The photo depicts men of the76th lining up for some type of processing in a small shed.  This uniform is 110% all original and was removed from a trunk that belonged to a medical officer in the ETO. Were it not for the photo, this grouping would have remained unidentified.

A 76th Division Artilleryman's Uniforms Find Their Way to the Collection

SSgt L. H. Wilson was born in 1919. He entered in to the service on June 23, 1942 and was assigned to the 76th Division Artillery HQ Battery. He served his entire career with the 76th and was one of the high-pointers to catch the early ship back to the States. His battery earned the Meritorious Unit Citation for the thousands of rounds they rained down on the German Army during the war. The unglamorous life of a field artilleryman was full of hard, dirty work and long hours. However, countless 76th Division infantryman's lives were saved by the artillery's precision firepower. Wilson passed away in 1985. 

A Corporal joins the ranks of the 76th Division Collection. Bronze Star Medal recipient of the 417th.

Cpl. Daye was born in 1919 and enlisted in July of 1942 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He served his entire time in combat in the ETO with the men of HQ-Co, 2nd Battalion, 417th Regiment in the 76th Infantry Division. He crossed the Sauer River in Echternach, Luxembourg with the rest of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 417th in the 76th's "Baptism by Fire".

For his meritorious service with the 76th's initial entry in to combat to V-E Day, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. He also was the recipient of the Combat Infantryman Badge. One of the highest honors for any ground-pounding rifleman. Upon the 76th Division deactivating in August of 1945, Daye was transferred to the 358th Regiment in the 90th Infantry Division. 

Upon his return home, Daye graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1950. He continued to work in accounting until retiring. Cpl Daye passed away in 1972 and is buried in Salem Cemetery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

 

 

417th HQ-Co 1st Sergeant Uniform Grouping. BSM and Distinguished Unit Citation Recipient!

1st SGT E. Chamberlain was born in 1920 in Greeneville, Tennessee and lived there his entire life. He enlisted in the United States Army on August 8th 1942. Upon completing his basic training, he quickly rose through the ranks obtaining the TOP enlisted spot in HQ-Co, 417th Regiment, of the 76th Infantry Division. SGT Chamberlain was awarded three battle stars for Campaigns in the Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe, a Bronze Star for meritorious service, and also (along with the rest of the 1st Battalion, 417th Infantry), the Distinguished Unit Citation. After the 76th Division was deactivated, he was assigned to the 90th Division and stayed in the ETO for Occupation Duties. He was discharged in January of 1946. He later went on to open up a sheet metal shop in Greeneville. He passed away in 1999.

 


Please read the words of the Citation below to get the true feeling of what these 417th Regiment personnel went through in the 76th Division's "Baptism of Fire" Echternach, Luxembourg...

"Members of this combat team led an assault across the swollen Sauer River into one of the deepest portions of the Siegfried Line. The river was at flood stage, the current so swift that attempts by engineers to erect a footbridge proved futile, and the crossing had to be made in assault boats. The alerted enemy covered the area with heavy artillery, mortar, and machine-gun fire. Many of the boats were overturned before reaching the far shore and heavy casualties were suffered. Despite all difficulties, the major portion of the 1st Battalion, 417th Infantry Regiment, succeeded in making the crossing on the first night. Under heavy fire, members of this battalion scaled the muddy, steep, pillbox infested cliffs, whose every approach was heavily sown with mine fields, and succeeded in capturing the high wooded ground near the river bank. Two strong infantry counterattacks, supported by armor, were launched by the enemy, but both were repulsed after bitter encounters. Although this was the combat team’s first engagement in combat, the 1st Battalion was the only unit in this vicinity to reach its objective on its initial assault and hold the ground gained. By similar aggressive action, the remainder of the 417th Infantry Regiment made the river crossing on the second and third nights and established contact with the initial force. The swiftly flowing river prevented supplies being crossed by boat and it became necessary to supply isolated groups by air. Despite violent enemy attempts to dislodge it, the combat team held tenaciously to the bridgehead it had wrested within the Siegfried Line and secured a strong foothold, which facilitated the movement of other forces across the river and insured the success of an operation of major importance. In its initial appearance in combat and in the face of conditions which at times appeared prohibitive, the 417th Regimental Combat Team displayed outstanding heroism. determination, and an indomitable fighting spirit which reflect great credit on all participants and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the armed forces of the United States."

This man and the rest of the 417th will go down in history as one of the 76th Division's fiercest fighting units and I am honored to have this uniform in my collection! 

Combat Wounded 304th Regt Infantryman. Easy- Co, Weapons Platoon Member.

PFC Hougnon  was born in 1921 and enlisted in the Army in 1942. He was a replacement in the 76th and fought in the Rhineland and Central European campaigns with the rest of the men of the Weapons Platoon, Easy Comany, 304th Infantry Regiment in the 76th Division. In April of 1945, while in intense small arms combat with the Germans, he was wounded in action. He recuperated in time to serve on occupation duty before shipping back home in the fall of 1945.

This uniform came to me through a trade and was obtained directly from the veteran's estate. It, like many others in my collection are 100% original and unaltered. The Wolf Brown Ribbon Bars always look great on these uniforms and the soldiers were proud to display the awards received upon shipping home.

PFC Hougnon hung up his uniform at the end of the war and never did rejoin any branch of the Armed Services. He ran a garage in Illinois until his passing in 1999.

May this brave 304th vet rest in peace! Your story will last for generations to come Private!

A Redlegged Onaway...An all original Field Artilleryman's Uniform Grouping

PFC Nelson was a member of A Battery in the 364th Field Artillery Battalion. He was with the 76th from Camp McCoy until the unit's deactivation in Germany in August of 1945. Nelson was then transferred to the 83rd Infantry Division for occupation duties. Many of these veterans who arrived later in the war (Post January 1945) simply didn't have the points to return home.

Sadly, all of Nelson's files were destroyed in the 1973 National Archives Fire. Fortunately, Nelson recorded all of his information in his service dress hat. This uniform group is 100% original as found.  Note the rarer 83rd Infantry Division OD bordered patch variation, which is a must have for patch collectors. This one is staying put though however! Nelson was also a member of the 76th Division Association and his name can be found in the 1992 Association Directory.

PFC Nelson passed away in 1995. Artillerymen are often overlooked in WWII, however, they inflicted much more damage to the enemy than any infantryman and saved countless infantryman's lives with their precisely placed "Steel Rain". A Photo of A Battery 364th is below.