Help with WW2 45th ID uniform & original owner

[Mitch]

Hi,
I'm trying to help a friend from work . His Father was in WW2 and now is in a home and has dementia. He is tying to find out or figure out what unit he was in .He thought all the local guys went in the 32nd ID. His fathers name is Harry Slezewski and is from central Wisconsin. The only items he found in his Dad's home was the attached uniform, along with a few German items.I usually collect Vietnam era items , so I struggle with how a young man from WI ends up in the 45th ID and the 2nd ID. He entered the service in mid 1944. He remembers being in France and Austria but his mind is not very good right now. Any help or thoughts are welcome.
Regards, Mitch

[Costa]

he was with the 45th. he transferred to the 2nd as to the points he had to get home. it was a common practice after the war. my uncle was in the 45th and transferred to the 10th armored. he got home in nov. 45.

[Teamski]

Remember that National Guard units sent overseas early in WWII were primarily staffed by those members local to those units. So, when the 32nd was sent to the pacific, it was all Wisconsin (and another state or two, I don't remember one). Anyways, once they started receiving replacements, all bets were off and you got anybody from anywhere in the US. Your friend's dad was a replacement and was assigned to the 45th (which was originally from Arizona, of course).

 

-Ski

[manayunkman]

Very cool jacket and a father to be proud of.

[patches]

The 32nd Div was a National Guard unit, Wisconsin and Michigan, your friends Father probably knew a lot of local guys in it pre 1940, but once the the NG was federalized and the draft started, guys would just be drafted and sent to training where ever their Branch selection post had it's initial or Basic Training, and once trained sent virtually anywhere Army Wide. The U.S. Army in WWII was not a regional Army say like the German Army, where recruits where trained at Garrisons/ Home Depots for their local Regiments.

 

Your friends father without a doubt was merely assigned to the 45th Div in France when he got on the Continent, by the one star on the ETO ribbon, some time in 1945. He apparently was a Low Point Man as pointed out by Costa. However, the 2nd Div leaves the ETO Mid July 1945 for Camp Swift Texas, it is slated for the Pacific where it will be in Reserve along with two other ETO veteran divisions, the 28th and 35th Divs as part of an unassigned Corps, (They didn't decided which Corps, probably one of the ETO Corps would be sent out), but because of the bomb never leaves Swift.

 

Meanwhile the 45th Div is still in Germany on Occupation Duties, it finally leave in early September 1945 (arrives Boston Port of Embarkation 10 September 1945), it remains active for a bit at Camp Bowie Texas, and then it's inactivated 7 December 1945, with the 45th Div in due course returned to State Control (September 1946 Oklahoma NG).

 

So, in my estimation there are of two things as to why he was in the 2nd Div at the time of discharge, 1: Because he was a Low Point Man, he was sent to the 2nd Div specifically to replace the old vets who seen action along the way from D-Day to V-E Day, and would be needed to bolster the Division for it's up coming potential actions in Japan. or 2: He stayed with the 45th Div in Germany, and returned with them to the states in September, and because he had a bit of time left on draft obligation, was reassigned to the 2nd Div at Swift, which was of one of two Infantry Divisions that would ultimately remain on active duty in the post war period, now from Mid April 1946 at Fort Lewis Washington State, the other was the 3rd Div, with elements at Fort Benning Georgia and Fort Devens Massachusetts.

 

 

A look see at his discharge will prove if I'm wrong or right

[Mitch]

Thanks guys for all the info. My friend did say his father did whatever he could to get back home to his dad's farm as he was the eldest boy at the time and felt guilty he left a lot of the work to his dad . That might explain his move into the 2nd ID.

Thanks again, Mitch

[patches]

Thanks guys for all the info. My friend did say his father did whatever he could to get back home to his dad's farm as he was the eldest boy at the time and felt guilty he left a lot of the work to his dad . That might explain his move into the 2nd ID.

Thanks again, Mitch

Unlikely unless he got a hardship discharge, plus in May 1945 V-E Day, you still got the Japanese.