Johan Willaert Posted December 3, 2007 Share #1 Posted December 3, 2007 Hi all, I'm trying to find out what unit this motorcycle is marked to? From what I can make out the markings are 3A or 3/\ which would be either 3rd Army or 3rd Armored Div 812 or 817 followed by another letter/number (O for Ordnance unit? Q for Quartermaster? Something else???, Maybe 817TD for Tank Destroyer Bn??) A13 or A15 for Company and Vehicle Number Does anyone have any idea what this could be? Anyone have an Organisation roster for the 3rd Army of 1944??? Thanks, Johan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted December 6, 2007 Share #2 Posted December 6, 2007 Johan, I could not find any unit with a 812 in the ETO. The following are the 817 units I could find. 817 Engineer Aviation Battalion 817 Medical Air Evacuation Squadron 817 Military Police Company 817 Ordnance Base Depot Company 817 Tank Destroyer Battalion Hope this is some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share #3 Posted December 6, 2007 Thanks Craig, Now, which of these were attached to either 3rd Army or the 3AD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted December 6, 2007 Share #4 Posted December 6, 2007 I tried to find that too but with no luck. I do know that the 817 TD was not in the 3rd AD but it could have been in 3rd Army. It was in Warburg, Germany in AUG, 1945. Campaigns of the 817 TD Northern France 25 JULY 44 - 14 SEPT 44 Rhineland 15 SEPT 44 - 21 MAR 45 Central Europe 22 MAR 45 - 11 MAY 45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted December 6, 2007 Share #5 Posted December 6, 2007 The 3rd AD had no 817 numbered unit assigned or attached during the 44 - 45 time period. I am looking for a TO&E for 3rd Army now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted December 6, 2007 Share #6 Posted December 6, 2007 I can not find a good TO&E for 3rd Army. The best info I found was in the book Lucky Forward. That does not list any 817 numbered unit in 3rd Army. The only TD Bn listed was 811. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted December 6, 2007 Share #7 Posted December 6, 2007 Johan, For the 817 Ordnance Base Depot Company. It might be useful for finding out if they were attached to Third Army or 3rd AD. Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share #8 Posted December 6, 2007 Markings include a Company A This would mean that the 817 unit would be Battalion Level... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted December 6, 2007 Share #9 Posted December 6, 2007 True, that rules out any 817th Companies. And if you enhance the photo, does it get any clearer? Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share #10 Posted December 6, 2007 And if you enhance the photo, does it get any clearer? Doesn't get better than above... Original picture's about 4"x3" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Woody Posted December 22, 2007 Share #11 Posted December 22, 2007 Doesn't get better than above... Original picture's about 4"x3" I doubt it will be of help, but I'd bet a month's pay that it says "A15" on the Motorcycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhund Posted December 23, 2007 Share #12 Posted December 23, 2007 Here is another one for Johan ( He likes HD'S) This private pic has been taken by the mother of my neighbour, in Amay, vicinity of Liège -Belgium Supposedly 3rd Armored Division which liberated the city in September 1944 The factory of my neighbor's parents has thereafter been converted in a US army vehicle repair shop and M29 Weasel assembly factory I will post some other pictures on another forem's subject Teufelhund Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted December 23, 2007 Author Share #13 Posted December 23, 2007 Thanks Francis! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutkowski Posted December 23, 2007 Share #14 Posted December 23, 2007 The 817th (towed at gun) and the 812th (towed at gun) Tank Destroyer Bn's had 11 motorcycle's attached to them 7 May 43 The A could mean T/O 18-25 TD dated 27 Jan 1943 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbtcoveralls Posted December 25, 2007 Share #15 Posted December 25, 2007 [ Great photos, The markings are interesting, but the wire cutter mounted on the WLA is out of this world! I had several vets tell me about placing wire cutters on their WLAs while I still had mine but that's the first photo of one actually installed! Thanks for sharing Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhund Posted December 25, 2007 Share #16 Posted December 25, 2007 [ Great photos, The markings are interesting, but the wire cutter mounted on the WLA is out of this world! I had several vets tell me about placing wire cutters on their WLAs while I still had mine but that's the first photo of one actually installed!Thanks for sharing Tom Great idea , the wire cutter, If the driver had prevented himself for being beheaded, he will certainly be smashed by the motorcycle crash caused after this device had cut the wire T T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted December 25, 2007 Share #17 Posted December 25, 2007 Johan, I found out that the 817th TD was in 3rd US army some time before being in AdSec (or how you name that unit). Several Veterans in that book from Turner's Publication on Tank Destroyers talk about that (page 207 and 227 for example). Could it be that the marking was left on by this man? One Veteran even stated he was in a motorcycle accident in Belgium. For me, it could be plausible that 817th TD came into France with markings: 3A - 817TD and left them on - or at least several vehicles - while in AdSec. The unit also saw action in Hürtgen and at the time of The Bulge occupied holding positions near Schmidt (?). I hope this helps. Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted December 25, 2007 Author Share #18 Posted December 25, 2007 I found out that the 817th TD was in 3rd US army some time before being in AdSec (or how you name that unit). Thanks Erwin, does it say what timeframe??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted December 25, 2007 Share #19 Posted December 25, 2007 Johan, Well, as far as I can understand, they were in 3rd Army when in France, so after coming ashore on August 25, 1944 and through Saint-Lô. They were in Adsec after that. At the time of the Hürtgen and Ardennes, they were with 8th Division. And in April 1945, they switched over to M-18 Tank Destroyers and were with 104th Division. Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted December 25, 2007 Author Share #20 Posted December 25, 2007 I was assuming the picture was taken somewhere in Belgium, late 1944, because they came out of the Ardennes... But it's possible it was taken in France at the end of August, early September 1944... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted December 25, 2007 Share #21 Posted December 25, 2007 Looking at the surroundings, it can be either. It is a stonewall you see in France, but also in Belgium. Looks like a cemetery? Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 30, 2008 Share #22 Posted June 30, 2008 Hello Johan, Any luck in finding the unit yet? Looking at the trees (still with leaves) in the background I think it's (late) summer, maybe early fall. But not later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted June 30, 2008 Author Share #23 Posted June 30, 2008 No nothing more... I just assume the markings are for the 817th TD Bn, which was attached to US 3rd Army in August 1944 and that the markings stuck for a while after that... The picture is now somewhere 2/3 down on this page: http://www.theliberator.be/liberator3.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bphealey Posted July 10, 2008 Share #24 Posted July 10, 2008 Johan: You should publish a photo album of the WLA. I know I'd buy it! You seem to always find the best ones! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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