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603rd QM Graves Registration Co dog tags


USdog
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Just bought these dog tags off of ebay out of Arizona. With ebay bucks I was able to get them for $5 :D

 

This officer served in 2nd Platoon of the 603rd QM Graves Registration Company.

 

Kidney was in the companies 2nd Platoon and they would support the 9th Infantry Division, while the 1st Platoon supported the 4th ID, the 3rd Platoon the 90th ID, and the 4th Platoon the 82nd Airborne.

 

I think they landed just a few days after D-Day but not sure. What a grim job these guys had......

During the period 7 June 1944 to 8 November 1944, the 603 QM GR CO buried 12,265 US, 121 Allied, and 8006 German deceased military personnel. The area traversed with the US VII Corps was from the shores of Normandy, France, to Henri Chapelle, Belgium, on the German border.. The Unit opened ten Military Cemeteries containing US, Allied and German deceased military personnel.

During the period 9 November 1944 to 1 February 1945, the number of deceased soldiers handled by the 603 QM GR CO is unknown. This period covered the operation in the Hurtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, and back to the Hurtgen Forest. The 603 operated Collecting Points for two US Corps, many Divisions, Independent Regimental Combat Teams, and Brigades. During this period the company was so scattered, and movement so rapid, that most of the men at the collecting points did not even know where the Company Headquarters was located.

During the period 1 February 1945 to 9 May 1945, the 603 QM GR CO evacuated through collecting points: 3,457 US, 30 Allied, and 1465 German deceased soldiers.

Known deceased handled by the 603 Quartermaster Graves Registration Company during World War II was: 15722 US, 152 Allied, and 9471 German Military Personnel, totaling 25,345 Military Personnel.

 

 

I was able to find my guy mentioned a few times in a company history.

 

Second Platoon Storms Normandy--on Foot

An advance detail of the 2nd Platoon left Winchester with the advance detail of the 9th QM. Lt. Wells, S/Sgt. Kidney, Sgt. Grealis, Sgt. Krupp, T/5 Jack Paul, and Pfc. Laker, moved to Camp Hurley for briefing. Grealis and Laker left the next morning for South Hampton. They went right down to the docks and loaded. The rest of the advance element loaded the next day at South Hampton. They came over on a liberty ship operated by the “Limeys.” Went over the side of the ship into a Higgins landing craft on a rope ladder after throwing our barracks bags into the boat. Stopped off shore when the boat hit bottom. Walked off into water chest high on everybody but Lt. Wells and Sgt. Krupp; it was up to their necks. Kidney disappeared under the water in a shell hole watching them and got drenched.

Moved off the beach and started the march inland, in those wet clothes, to the 9th Division assembly area. Looking for Notorious Forward. Each MP told us it was a few miles further. Arrived that morning wet and dirty. We were tired from that long walk in the sand and laid down to sleep. Paul was wanted to pull guard but when he said he was not supposed to pull guard the Sergeant kicked the next figure he came to, it was the Colonel. The next morning we found Jack Paul asleep with his feet in his dufflebag.

That morning we met Grealis and Laker. They had been put off on a sandbar. The truck had been in the water overnight and a landing craft had run into it before they got it out of the water. Grealis had his stuff spread out in the sun drying. Grealis said “Oh hello,” when he saw us. “I’ve got bad news for you.” Lt. Wells said, he knew for he had seen Col. Buchannon. Lt. Wells looked at the equipment and asked what was missing. He mentioned item after item and each time Grealis said, “That’s gone.”

He asked about his bedroll. “That’s gone too,” Wells said: “My God. My wife paid $50.00 for that and I’ve only slept in it once. Where’s my dufflebag?” “That’s gone too,” he said. “Jesus Christ! I walked twelve miles last night and I haven’t even got a change of socks.” Then he said, “You know, Grealis, I’m going to have to bust you. It is not me but Col. Buchannon. You should have stayed with the truck.”

Picked up bodies. The first body was a GI lying on his face. He had been shot in the back of the head. The next body was a German killed sitting in his foxhole. The third one we could not pick up. He had been killed by a mine. Took the bodies to Ste. Mere Eglise, where we saw all of the bodies lying in rows all over the place. They said they could use us and we moved up to join them.

The rear element of the Second Platoon moved out of Winchester with the QM about 1400. Half of the women in town were crying. Arrived at assembly area at 2000. Parked and camouflaged the vehicles. Ten men were assigned to each tent.

The next night slept until 0230 when the guard rolled us out. We policed the area and turned in our beds. Told those who were to go in vehicles to fall out with them and, the rest fall out in the Assembly area.

The truck group pulled out first around 0400 and drove the six miles to the beach. Arrived around 0600. There were enemy planes overhead but the fog was so thick that they could not locate us. There was no firing to give away our position. The Red Cross served eggs and cereal for breakfast.

There must have been fifty graveled roads about twenty yards apart running to the beach. We were on one of these with all of the heavy equipment in front and just jeeps behind. Drove up the ramp onto the elevators which raised vehicles up on deck. After the vehicles were all loaded the walking detail arrived in trucks and started loading. We were told to go down and see if we could find a bunk. The hold was sweltering hot and the bunks were 5 high. I decided to sleep in the truck on deck. The LST 265 was English.

Sat around in the harbor all day. Sailed that night around 2300. Crossed the channel at night. Stayed on the water all day and unloaded that night. The harbor had battleships firing at shore installations. Ships with barrage balloons for protection against planes. Came in to land around 2300. It was a dry landing. The walking detail got off after the vehicles. Walking off in single file.

Captain McCormick had told the drivers that it would be too late to form a convoy. They were to turn left and go up to road 5, which wasn’t far. Had just hit the beach when Jerry came and started working over the beach and harbor. A big curtain of tracers lit up the beach like day. We hit the ditches. Dials pulled Packy by the leg and asked him what he thought of the war.

We started walking, in single file, to find 9th QM area. The Sgt. kept swearing at us for not keeping our interval. One guy lit a cigarette and the sergeant crawled him. We couldn’t get off the road for because of mines. We were all wet. The German bombers were over. Ack-ack was going up after them. Jump for cover, rise and commence hiking. We were looking for Nugget. Each MP told us that our destination was just five miles down the road. Around 0300 we pulled into a field for the night. We were so tired that we just lay down in the field and slept.

The next morning we found three crashed gliders in the field with us. Some officer came down and directed us to the 9th QM area. Found out then that we were just a few miles from our destination. Found that we had been walking in circles all night. We met Blagg and Straley at the QM area. Straley had driven into Ste. Mere Eglise where he had met Capt. McCormick. He had parked on to square in Ste. Mere Eglise. Halderman slept on the hood and Straley on the camouflage net on top of the truck. Jerry planes strafed and bombed the town. About 0300Capt. McCormick found the area and came back and got them.

We ate German rations that morning. Sgt. Kidney came and told us we would go to the company at St. Mere Eglise.

 

 

 

post-93633-0-54179300-1444074515.jpg

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Wow, Connor..another great find. Sheds some light on the job these guys did and in the conditions they had to endure

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I believe the Graves Registration guys went right in on D-Day if I'm not mistaken. The dog tag pair I picked up recently to a D-Day vet, another member of his unit was interviewed and stated that the Graves Registration guys recruited about ten of them to assist in burying the bodies of fallen US soldiers, and this was I believe on the 7th or 8th of June.

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I believe the Graves Registration guys went right in on D-Day if I'm not mistaken. The dog tag pair I picked up recently to a D-Day vet, another member of his unit was interviewed and stated that the Graves Registration guys recruited about ten of them to assist in burying the bodies of fallen US soldiers, and this was I believe on the 7th or 8th of June.

Yeah I was reading into that. Some went in on D-Day and others right afterwards. One veteran in this company went by glider on D-Day with the 82nd which I thought was interesting.

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General Apathy

Yeah I was reading into that. Some went in on D-Day and others right afterwards. One veteran in this company went by glider on D-Day with the 82nd which I thought was interesting.

Hi USDog, if you open this link and see the top left hand corner you will see reference to Blosville cemetery and 6,000 bodies. Sgt. Elbert Legg who was graves registration and flew in by glider dug the first graves right by the side of the first gliders in, as these were open fields they were started before the two graves yards in St Mere Eglise town were fighting was still occurring .

 

 

http://www.milweb.net/news.php?type=gallery&cust_id=66&cat_id=349

 

 

Lewis.

 

.

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BILL THE PATCH

Very interesting subject. After ready this is have s question, after the soldier lit a cig the Sargent crawled him? What does that mean?,never heard that before, I'm thinking he clocked him.

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Well I just got the tags in the mail and was surprised to see one was his enlisted and the other was his officer one. I honestly never noticed in the picture lol! So that's pretty cool... His enlisted tag could've been worn in Normandy. It dates between July 1943 and March 1944 judging by the format.

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Hi USDog, if you open this link and see the top left hand corner you will see reference to Blosville cemetery and 6,000 bodies. Sgt. Elbert Legg who was graves registration and flew in by glider dug the first graves right by the side of the first gliders in, as these were open fields they were started before the two graves yards in St Mere Eglise town were fighting was still occurring .

 

 

http://www.milweb.net/news.php?type=gallery&cust_id=66&cat_id=349

 

 

Lewis.

 

.

Hey thanks for the link and info! Interesting...

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