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OSS dog tag and identity tag


shifty5580
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Hello Guys,

Here is a new discovery

 

The Lt Kenneth Lain fought and was hurt in the beach of Anzio

After that, he was attached to the 2677th OSS regiment

He was landed in Tchekoslovakia in october 1944 with the Dawes team, to help partisan for the use of the bazooka, and try to find allied pilot in the territory

In 11november, he was captured by the german and was send to a POW camp

He received the bronze star and survived the war

If you have more informations, it would be very interesting

 

Bertrand

 

 

post-135673-0-47472300-1459430742.jpg

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post-135673-0-74232200-1459431741.jpg

 

On Nara it is written that he was in the cavalry... I suppose it was a false identification to dont know is real job

 

Bertrand

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suwanneetrader

What record came back that, he was attached to the 2677th OSS regiment ? Or how would one find out if ID card or ? stated he was Cav. ? Richard

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Another link whith a friend of him who was KIA (the name of Ken Lain appeared)

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=56370733

 

There is only one Kenneth Lain coming from Illinois and was POW. All the informations are going to this men (officer, City, POW,...)

I'm sure 100% that the grouping coming from this OSS Gi's

 

Bertrand

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suwanneetrader

I do not doubt you. I just wondered if someone found a uniform or named Medal would normal research methods show up a WWII man was assigned to the OSS when something like his Army ID Card would say he was Inf. or Cav. because at the time of WWII we would be trying to hide his real job. So even now an amateur researcher like myself would never know. Richard

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I'm agree with you, I research a lot and find all this informations. The ID Card was made before he entered in the OSS, but for his POW archives (it said that he was in the cavalry too) I don't know.

OSS items are not common, I dont know if someone can tell you more...

 

Bertrand

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The OSS rosters are very complete and online. You can also request his OSS personnel records, which are different from the person's Army records (which may also exist at NARA). The OSS was a hybrid civilian/military organization. As such, the officers who served in it came from various branches. They were recruited for their specific interests and aptitude vice their branch skills. They maintained their branch affiliation throughout their service in the OSS though. I have a large group to a Jedburgh Captain who was in the coastal artillery corps of all things. The OSS also contained members of the Navy, USMC and USCG. Its a little known fact, but the OSS Maritime Unit was had a number of Coast Guard personnel assigned to it as combat swimmers....

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  • 1 year later...

Bertrand, et al.,

 

Great find for Kenneth Lain. I am not really a collector, but a historian with an interest in the Balkans and Allied operations there during WW2. I am a retired Marine, and served in the Balkans in the late 1990s.

 

CPT Kenneth Lain, CPT William McGregor, SSgt Steven Catlos, PVT Kenneth Dunlevy were among the US personnel to survive the DAWES mission after being captured by the Nazis. Records are incomplete, but Lain was interred at Dulag Luft near Grosstychow, Prussia, possible source of your documents.Although Lain and some others accompanied the DAWES mission to Slovakia, their primary mission was to train Slovak Rebels to fight the Nazis. Three of the above returned to Slovakia for a reunion in 1964. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/31/sloyaks-acclaim-4-us-veterans.html?mcubz=0&_r=0

 

If you're interested in the topic I recommend: World War II: OSS Tragedy in Slovakia; Downs, Jim; ISBN-0971748209

It's NOT the best history on the topic, but reads like a novel. The editing was bad -- there are numerous misspellings & typos.

 

Here's the link to the OSS Personnel Database, which isn't necessarily comprehensive, and does contain some errors & duplicates (Like Sterling Hayden AND his AKA of John Hamilton -- served in Yugoslavia.). OSS DB link: http://www.archives.gov/iwg/declassified-records/rg-226-oss/personnel-database.pdf

 

I hope you don't mind -- i copied your graphics to add to the Kenneth Lain memorial link here: https://www.fold3.com/page/39372807-kenneth-lain

 

Don't be concerned about the CAV designation for Lain. There was NO branch or designation for SOF during WW2 -- the concept was new. In fact, CAV meant armor back then, and means recon nowadays. The US Army is very tradition bound and slow to change. (Can you tell I'm a Marine?)

 

Neil O'C

 

 

 

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  • 4 years later...

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