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WW II 80th Infantry Division Photo Grouping


Championhilz
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Championhilz

I recently picked up a grouping of photographs taken by an officer in the 317th Infantry, 80th Infantry Division, while he was on occupation duty in Germany and Austria in 1945 - 1946. I found them at a gunshow of all places - one of the dealers sells militaria, and he had hundreds of photos spread out on a table, most of them WW II. I started looking through them, and noticed a large number were ID'D on the back in the same handwriting. I started picked them out of the pile, and soon had about 50 photographs - I haggled with the guy and got the whole lot for $28.

 

Here is the officer that owned the collection - I am still trying to figure out who he is, as he id's everyone in his photos but himself! On the back of this photo he wrote "Eisenback, Germany. The greens looke like the black German Panzer Uniform. Flowers on my combat badge 'my' children put them there."

 

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Championhilz

This second photo is of Lt. Pete Goodspeed, a Lieutenant in Company K, 317th Infantry. When I started researching the names on the photos, I found a great 80th Division website that had the newletter of the 80th Infantry Division association online. In one of the issues a Pete Goodspeed had written a letter to the editor, and included his address. I wondered if this might be the same guy in my photo, so I wrote to him. I very quickly got a reply from Mr. Goodspeed, he said, "You letter was quite a surprise with phtos from Germany some 63 years ago. I am delighted to have them. These photos were taken around June or July, 1945, and our regiment was occupying Bavaria, the southern part of Germany, near Obergammerau, just North of Austria." I also found out that Mr. Goodspeed had been awarded the Silver Star for an action near Erfurt, Germany in 1945. Here is his account of how he earned this award: "Our company (K) with my platoon (about 30 men) in the lead, were advancing across an open field toward a town maybe about 1/4 mile ahead. About half way along we noticed on our right several germans in a fox hole firing anti-tank weapons at our tanks some distance away. As we advanced, they noticed us and prepared to turn their machine gun on us. Realizing it was either us or them, I ordered my men to lie flat on the ground (to avoid schrapnel) and then threw a hand grenade as hard as I could, toward the Germans. As soon as it exploded, I ran toward the Germans firing my carbine repeatedly. When I got to their fox hole, I looked down to see there were six SS nazis lying dead or mortally wounded. Taking no chances, I disposed of each man with my weapon. If I had not taken the action that I did, I am sure we would have lost several if not dozens of our own men including myself"

 

 

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Championhilz

This group photo is of four lieutenants in the 317th Infantry and a lady friend. They are from left to right: Lt. Preston Ideus, Evelyn, Lt. "Feet" Feeney, Lt. McElrath, and Lt. Goodsteen at Altse See, Germany. Lt. Ideus on the left served in the Medical detachment of the 317th. He was highly decorated during the war, earning a battlefield promotion and a silver star. There is a very good interview with him in his local newspaper here: www.thecountywide.com/newsstory4041117.htm

 

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Championhilz

This one says on the back, "S-30 and your's truly'

 

Note the eagle painted on the windshield.

 

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Championhilz

This one simply says on the back, "Bertoldshafen, Germany, I look like one of those 'USO Commandos.'"

 

 

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Championhilz

This one is interesting - it has no ID on the back, but it is some kind of celebration, and the rider of the horse looks like he might be Russian.

 

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Championhilz

This one simply says, "Puff Range"

 

I found the following description by an officer of a World War II puff range: "Another miniature ranged called the puff range took place in a large nissen hut, this comprised a main gun overlooking a mock up scene of the countryside with miniature tanks and other targets under the country side scene a light beam moved around in unison with the movements of the gun as it was traversed on to a target, and when ordered to fire nothing was discharged from the gun, another instructor under the target areas created a small puff of smoke using a pump applied to one of the numerous holes in the scenic board nearest to the light beam, this gave quite a good illusion."

 

I thought this was pretty high tech for the 1940s.

 

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Championhilz

This strange little picture was labeled, "Kirkdorf, Austrian, 'But Mitzi was Austrian'"

 

If anyone can enlighten me as to what this means, I would be most appreciative.

 

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Championhilz

This will be my last one for tonight, I will try to add a few more tomorrow. It is labeled, " Andy Cella, Frank Smith, Andy Thomas."

 

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Captainofthe7th

Great set of photos! I enjoy looking through groups of photographs like this, they always tell a story in one way or another. I'd say it's fairly common for the owner not to ID himself. My grandfathers photos all say "ME" on the back or Me+squad members. It's great that you contacted one of the guys in the photos, I think that's truly amazing. Does he remember the "main character" of the group?

 

Rob

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Championhilz

Rob,

Mr. Goodspeed was not certain, but thought that the officer might be a Lt. Ed Warneche - I having been trying to find some information on this officer but have not had any luck so far. I have really been hampered by not having a roster of the 317th Infantry. I will probably end up sending off for his records from the National Personnel Records Center. One interesting thing - I just asked Mr. Goodspeed if I could do a telephone interview with him about his years in the service, and he agreed. I am really looking forward to hearing his stories about the WW II years.

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This will be my last one for tonight, I will try to add a few more tomorrow. It is labeled, " Andy Cella, Frank Smith, Andy Thomas."

 

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Excellent stories and pictures. We always see that guys in WWII were small and thin. This photo does nothing to disway this opinion!!! Man, those 28" waisted Ikes weren't a fluke! I feel so fat right now.... ermm.gif

 

-Ski

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Captainofthe7th

Can't wait to see the rest of the photos, that interview should be interesting too! Maybe you can post it in this topic to keep it all together.

 

Ski, I'll try and get a photo up of me in my impression and you'll see a real twig. I look a lot like the guy on the right from the neck down.

 

Rob

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Championhilz

Here's a few more pictures from the collection:

 

"Lt. Vodak, 80th "Combat" Ordnance Officer - A good Joe"

 

This is Robert C. Vodak who joined the army in September 1942. Born Feb. 11, 1921 in Chicago, Illinois. Assigned to the 780th Ordnance Company in 1943 at Salinas, Kansas. Achieved the rank of 1st Lt. during the war, he was later a Captain in the Army Reserve. As of 1991 he was living in Sylva, NC. Information on him is from the book 80th "Blue Ridge" Infantry Division by Turner Publishing, 1991.

 

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Championhilz

"Lts. McElrath, Bernoth, Thompon, Lindley, Feeney, Co. M."

 

Lt. McElrath is Gerald R. McElrath who graduated from Pennsylvania Military College. In the school newspaper he is listed as being an officer candidate in December 1944 serving in New York. In June 1945 he is listed as a Lt. serving in the 317th Infantry.

 

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Charlie Flick
This one is labeled, "The regimental C.P. at Coburg."

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C:

 

A great find, and lots of fun trying to figure out who was who.

 

I always like "then and now" photos. It seems that whenever a unit swept into a captured city the largest and plushest building was always appropriated for HQ, naturally enough.

 

I tried to find the Hotel Excelsior in Coburg, Thuringia and I think it may no longer exist in the same building where the Regimental CP was located. However, I was able to find a period postcard of the same building, seen below. The Schumann Brothers apparently had a chain of hotels and this was one of them. A little more searching for buildings in the core of Coburg may allow you to find out whether the building still exists. If my German language skills were any better than "ein bier, bitte" I might have been able to find more. I'll leave that up to you.

 

Regards,

Charlie Flick

 

 

bahnhofshotel_4.jpg

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Charlie Flick
This strange little picture was labeled, "Kirkdorf, Austrian, 'But Mitzi was Austrian'" If anyone can enlighten me as to what this means, I would be most appreciative.

 

C:

 

This is just a guess. Immediately after the war it was 'verboten' for US soldiers to fraternize with German civilians. Your pic certainly appears to show a little fraternizing going on. Perhaps the comment "But Mitzi was Austrian" was a sideways excuse trying to justify an apparent violation of the anti-fraternization rule by arguing in a sense that she was Austrian rather than German, although I don't think the rule made any such distinction. Again, just a guess but that may be the significance of the comment.

 

Regards,

Charlie Flick

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