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Dated: January 22, 2009
PHOTO
of
Battery C
328TH
Field Artillery Battalion
Fort Dix, New
Jersey
- 1943
This is a
large,
8 X 34 inch group photo of Battery C of
the 328th
Field Artillery Battalion. Photo was taken at Fort Dix just
prior
to their embarking for North Africa on December 24, 1943. The 85th
Custer Division had spent about 3 months in Fort Dix, as best as I
can determine, after leaving desert training in California in October
and
traveling across the US.
I don't have
any
details about this photo, yet. The background details and the
overall
appearance of this photos matches the photos of Battery B
and Battery HQ photos that were taken on
the
parade ground at Fort Dix, NJ. I hope to be able to provide the
idenitity
of some of these soldiers.
Due
to the
large format, the photo was divided into 3 composites with some
overlap.
Each section can be viewed up close to see faces. Click to
enlarge
and photo will open in a seperate window.
|
Click
on image to Enlarge.
Details of each Composite
1
-
Left section shows the Photo ID number.
2
-
This
section starts where there is a gap in the 1st Row. This section
contains the officers.
Battery Commander, Lt. Bill Dempsey, is
the
officer to left of the tallest officer in center of front row.
The officer that is 2nd from left appears to be Lt. George
Brehm. The 6th is Lt.
B.B. Darnell.
3
-
Last
section begins with a gap in the 2nd row.
Pvt Joseph Tulka was identified on
the 1st Row, 10th from the Left, by his son Thomas Vaghini.
Information
added
to the original photo
No info marked on
this photo. The scan may have clipped off any info on the bottom
of the photo.
I hope to get more
information
on this photo and the soldiers in it.
During the last days of the war,
the infantry was moving so rapidly, that the Germans had to surrender
to artillerymen.
328th
FA Bn, Battery C, believes it chalked up
a
record for the highest number of PWs captured in a day by any one
firing
battery. 89 prisoners in 24 hours isn’t a bad haul for
artillerymen.
The prisoners were brought in by Sgt Charlie
Glidden, T/4
James Hill, T/5 John Kleckner, Pfc
Charles Shipley, Pfc A. J. Wyatt, Pfc
Pete Ingoglia, Pvt Lester Strawn
and Pvt
George Bush.
~~quoted from Custer Combateer,
Vol
1, No. 3, May 1945
This was a newspaper printed for the soldiers after the war ended.
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An excellent
photo
of artillerymen of the 328th and probably members of a Battery
C gun crew.
Photo appears to have
been taken in the Apennine Mountains in Italy in early spring of 1945.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL DEMPSEY.
 |
A studio portrait of Corporal
William E. Brooks,
taken in Rome in 1944.
Corporal Brooks served in Battery C
originally
but later transferred to Battery B.
|
Photos
courtsey of Susan McIntosh, daughter of Corporal Brooks.
|
Corporal Brooks posing with a
105mm
Howitzer stowed ready for transport.
|
328th
FA Officer - A group photo of most of the officers that served
in the 328th FA
Battalion.
Includes a roster and their duty assignments.
HQ Battery 1919 - A group photo of this same
unit taken after World War 1.
The
following
Group photos of the other batteries within 328 FA.
A special
thanks
to Bill Dempsey for providing this group
photo and many photos from his Father's collection.
Bill is the son of Captain Bill Dempsey. Bill's support and
encouragement have been a great motivation for me.
 |
Photo of Bill Dempsey
while he was attending Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, OK.
|
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