Platoon Sgt Favara 410th Infantry 103rd ID

[JSkaggs29]

T/Sgt Dominic C. Favara

K Co., 410th Infantry

103rd Infantry Division

Platoon Leader

 

Dominic C. Favara was born in Saginaw, Michigan on May 20, 1922. Prior to the war, he worked for the Ford Motor Company. He enlisted into the US Army on December 11, 1942. After completing basic training, he traveled to Camp Howze, Texas where he was assigned to K Company of the 410th Infantry Regiment. At Camp Howze, the 103rd Infantry Division was involved in large-scale training menuevers, alongside the 84th and 86th Infantry Divisions. In late September, the division was moved to Camp Shanks for about a week before they made their journey overseas. On October 5th, Favara and the rest of the 410th men boarded USS General J.R. Brooke and arrived in Marseille, France on October 20th. 

 

The 103rd ID joined the frontlines of the 7th Army, filling the space between the veteran divisions of the 3rd ID and the 36th ID, on November 11th. During this time, the 410th carried out a number of reconnaissance patrols. On November 15th, the 103rd ID kicked off their attack on the city of St. Die, France, the 410th remained in reserve during the first day of the attack. While in reserve, the 410th laid down covering fire while the 411th made their advance towards the city. The 410th made their way into the city, crossing the Meurthe River in the early morning hours of November 21st. The 3rd Battalion came up against strong resistance when they were located in the woods west of Nayemont. Then the regiment headed towards the town of Eichhoffen. The 3rd Battalion was tasked with clearing the nearby woods, but were coming up against stiff opposition. After clearing the woods, they engaged the enemy at a roadblock, north of Triembach. The battalion made their way to the town of Hohworth, spending the night of the 28th there. The 1st Battalion came up against a fierce counter-attack, involving enemy infantry, tanks, and artillery. Favara, and the rest of the men of 3rd Battalion, moved up to help 1st Battalion. It was during this time period where Favara, acting as a squad leader, earned his Bronze Star. His citation reads:

 

“For heroism in action, during the night of 29 November 1944 in the vicinity * * *, France, Sergeant Favara, with his squad, was subjected to a severe enemy counter-attack while occupying a position ultimately to be used as an observation post. The advancing enemy were covered by devastating machine gun and mortar fire adding immeasurably to the precariousness of the position. By brilliant maneuverability he deployed his squad into strategic positions, with utter disregard for his life, he displayed remarkable coolness under fire by continually exposing himself to enemy observation in order to efficiently direct accurate firepower on their positions. As a result of Sergeant Favara’s outstanding tactical ability and magnificent valor, the counter-attack was temporarily withheld until reinforcements arrived. Together with a reinforced platoon, Sergeant Favara and his squad pushed forward forcing the enemy to withdraw in complete rout.”

 

After fighting off enemy counter-attacks, the battalion moved into Dambach. From there, they began to attack Selestat. The battalion was tasked with protecting the left flank of the 409th Infantry. They were tasked with controlling the northeast edge of the town, as well as the woods in that area.  After completing their objective, the town of Selastat was officially under US control on December 5th. The 103rd started nearing the Siegfried Line and they began to train for attacks against fortified positions. They made their way through the Siegfried Line, crossing into Germany soil on December 21st, relieving elements of the 411th Infantry. For the remainder of December and into January 1945, the battalion strengthened their defenses in regimental reserve near key bridges, and carried out the occasional patrol into “No Man’s Land.” The 3rd Battalion moved near the town of Obermodern on January 20th. On January 23rd, Favara was promoted to the rank of T/Sgt and was assigned the role of platoon sergeant. In late January, K Co. sent combat patrols into the towns of Uhrwiller and Mulhausen, drawing heavy enemy fire each time. The company then went on to make raids on Niefern.

 

In mid-February, the men of the 410th were in division reserve for some training, in preparation for the intense fighting that awaits them as they push further into Germany. The 410th soon played a part in their next offensive during Operation Undertone. For 3rd Battalion, the attack kicked off at 0645 on March 15th, with K Co. leading the battalion, attacking the town of Neifern with the help of a platoon of tanks from the 761st Tank Battalion. During the attack, two tanks were disabled by mines, as they started to enter the town, and the tank platoon had to abandon the attack. Favara, in his own words, mentioned the fields were littered with anti-personnel and anti-tank mines as they approached the town. Nevertheless, 3rd Battalion reported to have control of Niefern at 1125, then moved on to take Uhrwiller. In late March, they continued their push towards the Rhine, reaching the river in the last few days of the month. They relieved elements of the 71st Infantry Division, and each battalion was tasked with conducting nightly patrols across the Rhine. The 410th crossed the Rhine River on April 7th. During most of April, the 410th was tasked with various mopping-up and occupation duties until April 20th. The 3rd battalion pushed into the vicinity of Schlattstall, to clear the nearby woods. During this, K Co. ran into enemy resistance and had to fight off an enemy counterattack on April 23rd. The 410th continued their push to the southeast, crossing the Danube River on April 26th. Various combat patrols and raids were carried out by the battalion until the surrender of Germany was announced. 

 

After the war, Favara stayed in Europe and was transferred to the 157th Infantry on July 4th. He made his way back to the States and was discharged on November 7, 1945. After the war, he opened up his own gas station in the Detroit area. During the war, according to Favara, he received burn wounds on the chest and neck,  during the attack on Niefern, but was never awarded a Purple Heart. After the war ended, Favara was given points for a Purple Heart, which gave him enough points to head home. According to the Veterans Association, the aid station never filed a report of his wounds, and he never received a Purple Heart. Favara passed away on December 13, 1996 in Detroit. 

 

A couple of unique items that came with this grouping was his private purchase cut-down cavalry boots and a Bessa 46 German camera.

[Allan H.]

Wow! This is a great Ike jacket and the paperwork really tells an interesting story. I think that you have done an outstanding job of chronicling Sergeant Favara's service in the 410th Inf and later the 157th. I also think that his story is very similar to others- earned medals that they never received but those medals were far less important to the vet when they were separating from the service than their speedy trip home.

 

Thank you for sharing this great group.

 

Allan

[JSkaggs29]

Thanks! And yes I agree, they just wanted to get home.