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Bill’s blog archive: Daily Posts

Dec09
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Infantrymen advance under fire, Pont-Le-Ban, Belgium, January 1945

PFC Oscar B. Oakman: The Last Man to Die in the 94th Armored Field Artillery Battalion

(PFC Oscar B. Oakman, 4th Armored Division, U.S. Third Army) A famous photograph in the May 14, 1945, issue of Life magazine shows a soldier killed in Leipzig, described as “the last man to die in the war in Europe.” But there never seems to be a last man to die in a war. There is always one more. Oscar B. Oakman was from Amaranth, Pennsylvania, near the Maryland border. Drafted at age 29, the self-employed farmer would have been one of the older men in his unit — the “older...
Dec09
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Lt. Col. Creighton Abrams (right), commander of the 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, points to the name “Thunderbolt VI” on his Sherman tank after the breakthrough to Bastogne, Belgium. Capt. McIntire and Capt. Brueland stand with him. January 1945.

The 4th Armored Division: The Spearhead of Patton’s Third Army

Activated in April 1941 at Pine Camp, New York, the 4th Armored Division began with only a handful of soldiers and grew quickly as America prepared for war. After completing large-scale maneuvers in Tennessee and advanced desert training in California, the division sailed for England in early 1944 as part of General George S. Patton’s new Third Army. The 4th would soon become one of Patton’s most celebrated units—fast, aggressive, decisive, and repeatedly placed at the tip of Third...

  • From Panatella to Ploesti

    Great blog. My late father was a bombardier based out of Panatella. His plane was Jackpine Joe. Worked Ploesti and Germany. See Jackpinejoe.com

  • Wee Willie and the photo that started it all

    My father was Paul D Jessop, he spoke of your Grandfather a lot. My father passed away in 2011 .

  • The World War II Dead of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)

    Hi Bill, Thanks for putting this together. My grand uncle, 2nd Lt. Robert L. Woolfolk attended UCLA and I believe he graduated in 1936. He was on the waterpolo team. He was a bombardier in the 571st Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group and his aircraft "Decatur Deb" was shot down on May 28, 1944. He and six others perished while three were able bail out and became POWs. This is written up the in the book "Bloody Skies: U.S. Eighth Air Force Battle Damage in World War II." There is a B-17G tail gunner's compartment on display at the 390th Bomb Group Memorial Museum, which is dedicated to this crew. Regards, Nick Veronico

  • Bill’s WW2 Almanac for January 21: Featuring Col. Randy’s Flying Circus

    Hi! Randall Col Randy is actually my great grandfather and I was wandering if you ever new him? I am curious to know more about him.

  • Women in WWII: Cornelia Clark Fort

    Interesting....very hard to know the 'who hit who'.....Fort had enough flying time to be a instructor, I know nothing about the other pilot. If Pastor Jeff had information on her being talked into a situation, I would love to know if reliable. Regardless, so many losses in so many ways.... My take is the WAFS/WASPS deserve a bit more of history's 'time in the books'. Many thanks for the commentary, Starr

  • Remembering the Fallen: WWII Veterans of UCLA, Major Robert C. Maze

    Bill, Are you still working on this blog? Rosemarie is my mother in law. She passed away 10 years ago. Her (and Roberts') son Robert Maze Jr is alive and well. I was googling Admiral Radford and ended up googling links... Thank you for your efforts here. Kim Woods
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Bill’s WWII Almanac

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