mmerc20 Posted April 22, 2009 Share #1 Posted April 22, 2009 I just wanted to share a great picture of my grandfather in WWII next to his half-track. He is the 2nd on the right (the shortest guy). I wish I knew more about him but he died when I was 9 years old. Not to get too personal, but him and my grandmother got divorced in the 50s and since she disliked him so much, she told my Mother while growing up that he was just a cook in the Army. Fast forward to the late 90s. My grandmother went into a nursing home and upon going through her house prior to an estate sale, I received a photo album and a few documents of his where I discovered that he was actually in anti-aircraft artillery cruising across Europe in a half-track. It was amazing looking through the album and seeing his photos, but I wish I knew who some of these people were, the stories behind some of them, and more about his service. This is by far my favorite picture. I have to wonder where it was taken. Mike PS: He was in B Battery 572nd AAA "Hell Tracks" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted April 22, 2009 Share #2 Posted April 22, 2009 Nice photo of the M-15. Thanks for sharing! It must of been taken in Germany, from what I can see. No idea on his unit? -Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted April 22, 2009 Share #3 Posted April 22, 2009 Never mind, I just saw it, hehehe... The 572nd was activated 10 June 43, arrived in England 10 Oct 44, landed in France 26 Nov 44, returned from overseas at the Hampton Roads POE 24 Nov 45 and inactivated at Camp Patrick Henry, VA 24 Nov 45. Campaigns: Rhineland Ardennes-Alsace Central Europe. No official DI. -Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugme Posted April 22, 2009 Share #4 Posted April 22, 2009 Very nice photo! Too bad that the history is lost on this but, maybe with some good detective work, you can possibly dig up more. Do you know where he's buried? http://www.findagrave.com/ ? Looked at his obituary? County draft records? http://www.ancestry.com/ ? Who knows, you may stumble onto the one thing you thought you'd never find. Good Luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmerc20 Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted April 22, 2009 Very nice photo! Too bad that the history is lost on this but, maybe with some good detective work, you can possibly dig up more. Do you know where he's buried? http://www.findagrave.com/ ? Looked at his obituary? County draft records? http://www.ancestry.com/ ? Who knows, you may stumble onto the one thing you thought you'd never find. Good Luck!! He is buried at Indiantown Gap National Cemetary in Pennsylvania. Although I was only 9 years old when he was buried, I had to go to Indiantown Gap for training in 2005 for the Army. Despite being 19 years since I had been there, amazingly I remembered where his grave was at and practically walked up to it like I was just there a few days before. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugme Posted April 22, 2009 Share #6 Posted April 22, 2009 He is buried at Indiantown Gap National Cemetary in Pennsylvania. Although I was only 9 years old when he was buried, I had to go to Indiantown Gap for training in 2005 for the Army. Despite being 19 years since I had been there, amazingly I remembered where his grave was at and practically walked up to it like I was just there a few days before. Mike That's awesome Mike! I hope your able to track down more info on your kin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rakkasan187 Posted April 28, 2009 Share #7 Posted April 28, 2009 Mike, I believe the 572nd was part of the 12th Armored Division. The Division motto was "HELLCATS". The motto HELLTRACKS may have been an internal motto of your grandfathers unit. Check out this web site on the 12th Armored Division, it may help... http://www.unithistories.com/units_index/d...h%20Arm.Div.asp Good luck in your search. Leigh.... p.s. fantastic picture, I would say maybe France, but again without seeing the rest of the writing on the building with the CA it is hard to determine. If I were to guess, I would go with France, IMHO... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted April 29, 2009 Share #8 Posted April 29, 2009 I would say France too rather than Germany. Nice picture!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicolas75 Posted April 29, 2009 Share #9 Posted April 29, 2009 Hi guys, It’s hard to tell but it looks like a France house style To my opinion, on the far right we can see the beggining of the word “Café” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmerc20 Posted October 9, 2017 Author Share #10 Posted October 9, 2017 I found it! I found it! It has been a long time since I posted here about my grandfather's photo, but I just stumbled across where it was taken! The unique building with the flag in front is the town hall of Reichelsheim Germany. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted October 9, 2017 Share #11 Posted October 9, 2017 Man, the 12th armored has a ton of stuff on their site. Lots of accounts, video interviews, etc. You may find mention of him, and i have found the unit association to be very helpful as well. They have been my favorite unit since August of last year.one of these days I'll post my collection of Hellcats. If you dig deep, you may find a Disney unit insignia. The 714th Tank Bn. Had a cool Disney insignia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted October 9, 2017 Share #12 Posted October 9, 2017 Also... If you Google his name and"12th armored" and Google books pop up, i own most of the 12th's unit histories, josten's association books, and reference books. I'd be happy to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmerc20 Posted October 9, 2017 Author Share #13 Posted October 9, 2017 The Story of the Helltracks book published right after the war helped me solve the mystery. It mentioned the towns they were at after VE Day and after searching pictures from those towns, I found the location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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