The Soldier
“I’m thinking of all the Christmases of the past and what the day has
always meant to our family. Partly because I’m sentimental and it’s such a hard
time of the year to be so far away from those I love and the prospects of ever
returning seem so remote and partly because I needed the emotional release
after living under so much tension of late; I took advantage of the opportunity
a while ago and sneaked off by myself and shed a great many tears. I’m good for
another year now and do realize that I’ve been on of God’s favored. To be alive
and whole is all one can ask for these days, that is my blessing.”
Bill Allen writing to Aunt Mabel in
1944 on his last Christmas.
Bill Allen chose to enter the Army
as an enlisted man. As a college graduate, he probably would have had the
option of becoming an officer. It appears he wanted to go in as an enlisted
man.
The following is a description of Bill’s military service:
Sergeant William G. Allen
Serial #-36771414
83rd Infantry Division
331st Infantry Regiment
D Company
2nd Platoon
To understand, what these descriptions mean, the following is compiled
from World War 2 Military Organization from Relicnews.com:
Army Over
50,000 (Soldiers) General
(Leader)
Division 10,000-25,000 Major
General
Regiment 1,500-2,500 Colonel
Company 60-300 Captain
Platoon 30-60 Lieutenant
Squad 5-15 Sergeant
At various times, Bill was a machine gunner, and then in reconnaissance
work. As Bill mentions to his parents in a letter, the 331st
Infantry would be moved as needed to be part of the 1st Army, 3rd
Army, and 9th Army. Bill trained in Georgia, left from New York by
ship to England. Shortly after D-Day, the 331st left South Hampton,
England and landed at Omaha Beach. From there, the 331st would fight
across France, Belgium, and eventually into Germany. The 331st was involved in
the Battle of the Bulge. Bill was killed on April 19, 1945 near Tochheim,
Germany.
The following is a timeline of the world events and of Bill’s life:
June,
1939
William Allen at 22 years old, graduates from Knox College
August, 1939
The
Russians and the Germans sign a non-
agree
not to invade each other's borders.
The
two leaders secretly plan to divide Poland
and
other parts of Eastern Europe between them.
September, 1939 September,
1939
World War II Begins-
Employing blitzkrieg William
Allen at 22 years old, begins teaching
(literally,
"lightning war") tactics, Germany at
Fairview, Il.
invades
Poland. Polish military forces are
unprepared
for the ferocity of Germany's attack.
When
efforts to negotiate a withdrawal fail,
Britain
and France declare war on Germany.
World
War II begins.
May, 1940
As
Germany marches into Belgium,
Luxembourg,
and the Netherlands, Winston
Churchill
replaces a disgraced Neville
Chamberlain,
the man responsible for the
appeasement
of Hitler, as prime minister of
Great
Britain.
June, 1940 June,
1940
Germany
captures Paris, and France surrenders William
Allen 23 years old completes first year
to
the Nazis. Exacting revenge for his nation's teaching.
officials to sign surrender papers in
the same
railroad
car in which Germans signed the
armistice
of 1918.
July 10, 1940
The
Battle of Britain begins. A three-month
battle
fought in the skies over Britain will
include
destructive bombing raids on London
and
other cities, but by the end of October the
British
will hand Hitler his first defeat.
September,
1940
William
Allen at 23 years old, starts second year of
teaching
at Fairview, Illinois.
March, 1941
largely
isolationist Congress to pass the
Lend-Lease
Act, allowing the U.S. to sell or
lend
war materials to "any country whose
defense
the President deems vital to the
defense of the United States."
July, 1941
Roosevelt
freezes German and Italian assets
in
the U.S.
August, 1941
Emerging
from secret meetings conducted on
warships
off of Newfoundland, Winston Churchill
The
charter outlines goals concerning "the final
destruction
of Nazi tyranny," and a pledge to
support
"the right of all peoples to choose the
form
of government under which they will live."
September,
1941
William
Allen, 24 years old starts his third year
teaching
at Fairview, IL
December 7, 1941: The Attack on Pearl Harbor
The
United States is thrust into war when Japan
launches
a devastating surprise attack on the
U.S.
Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. President
Franklin
Roosevelt will ask the Congress
December
8th. Three days after that, Germany
and
Italy will declare war on the U.S.
January, 1942
U.S.
troops arrive in Europe. Through March,
the
number of troops shipped overseas averages
about
50,000 per month -- a number that will
soar
upwards of 250,000 per month in 1944.
August, 1942: Stalingrad
Germany
begins its assault on the Russian city
of
Stalingrad. In a battle that will rage for six
months,
and take hundreds of thousands of
German
and Russian lives, the Red Army finally
defeats
invading Nazis. The long, bloody battle
proves
to be a turning point in the war, as Germany
begins
a retreat from the Eastern Front.
September,
1942
William
Allen at 25 years old starts his first
year
teaching at Galesburg High School. He is
assigned
to teach Latin, Speech, English, as
well
as being responsible for school plays.
January, 1943
Roosevelt
and Churchill hold a conference at
Casablanca,
Morocco. They affirm their goal of
securing
the Axis nations' unconditional surrender.
May, 1943
to
defeat German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in North Africa.
June, 1943
Eisenhower
is appointed commander of the U.S. forces
in Europe.
July-September, 1943 September,
1943
Allied
forces capture Sicily and key spots in William
Allen at 26 years old begins his
southern
Italy. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini fifth
year teaching and his second year at
is
overthrown and imprisoned. Hitler dispatches Galesburg
High School.
German
troops to fend off an Allied advance in what
will
be a series of hard fought, costly battles.
November, 1943: The Meeting of the Big Three
The
"big three," Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin,
convene
in Teheran, Iran to discuss the invasion of
Italy.
It is the first time all three have met.
November
28, 1943
William
Allen at 26 years old directs his
last
school play, “A Christmas Carol.”
December, 1943 December
2, 1943
Eisenhower
is named supreme commander of the William
Allen at 26 years old reports for
Allied
Expeditionary Force in Europe. active
duty in Chicago. Given enlistment
number
36771414 in the U.S. Army. Sent
to
Camp Wheeler, Georgia for infantry
training
where trained as a machine
gunner.
February, 1944
German
aircraft production centers are the target
Corps.
Shortly thereafter, more than 600 U.S. bombers
raid
Berlin. Despite the devastation caused by the
bombing,
Germany is able to maintain weapons and
aircraft
production levels.
May,
1944
William
Allen at 27 years old is in New
York,
waiting to be shipped to Europe.
May 30, 1944
The
Allied invasion of France commences; troops based
in
England begin their mobilization to cross the Channel,
in
a massive effort code-named Operation Overlord.
Eisenhower
will wait for a good weather forecast to
determine
the exact day of the invasion.
June,
1944
William
Allen is in England.
June 4, 1944
The
Allies capture Rome, Italy.
June 5, 1944
Overlord
is set into motion. An advance wave of
paratroopers
flies to drop spots over France late in
the
evening and descends into enemy territory.
June 6, 1944: D-Day
Over
160,000 Allied troops and 30,000 vehicles are
landed
along a 50-mile stretch of fortified French
coastline
and begin fighting on the beaches of Normandy.
July,
1944
William
Allen is in France.
July, 1944
The
Allies take control of the French port city of Cherbourg.
The
retreating Germans, however, have left the city badly
razed
and booby-trapped.
August, 1944 August,
1944
After
four years of German occupation, the Allies 83rd
Infantry Division take Chateauneuf-
liberate
Paris with the help of French resistance d’Ille-et-Vilaine,
Dinard, and St.Servan.
troops
led by General Charles de Gaulle.
October,
1944
William
Allen is in Luxemborg.
November,
1944
83rd
Infantry Division capture Greven-
macher,
Echternach, and then fought in
the
Hurtgen Forest.
December 16, 1944: The Battle of the Bulge
The
Battle of the Bulge begins. Hitler sends a
quarter
of a million troops across an 85-mile
stretch
of the Allied front, from southern Belgium
into
Luxembourg. In deadly cold winter weather,
German
troops will advance some 50 miles into the
Allied
lines, creating a deadly "bulge" pushing into
Allied
defenses.
Late
December, 1944
William
Allen’s troops push back clear
into
Germany.
January, 1945
By
the end of the month, the Battle of the Bulge ends.
Over
76,000 Americans have been killed, wounded,
or
captured. The Allies regain the territory they held
in
early December.
January,
1945
William
Allen’s troops reform in Belgium.
February 4-11, 1945: The Yalta Conference
The
last meeting of the Big Three -- Roosevelt,
Churchill,
and Stalin -- takes place in the Soviet city
of
Yalta. Roosevelt and Churchill agree to allow Stalin
to
control the governments of Eastern Europe at war's
February
23, 1945
William
Allen’s troops push into Germany
for
what will be the final offense of the
Europe.
February
25, 1945
William
Allen’s brother in law, Bob
Arnold
is killed fighting in Belgium.
March, 1945
U.S.
forces cross the Rhine River. The Germans
retreat
into Germany.
March
23, 1945
William
Allen receives letter from home
them
of Bob Arnold’s death.
April
16, 1945
Somewhere
near Barby, Germany on the
Elbe
River, William Allen writes his last
letter
home on his 28th birthday.
April
19, 1945
William
Allen is killed when his jeep goes
over
an Allied land mind. He is 28 years
and
3 days old. According to Division
daily
action reports, this is the last day
they
suffer any casualities.
April
22, 1945
Benton
and Lura Allen are notified of the
death
of William Allen.
April 30, 1945
As
Soviet forces push into Berlin, Adolf Hitler takes
shelter
in his bombproof bunker. There, he marries
his
mistress, Eva Braun, before poisoning her and
shooting
himself. His remains will never be found.
May
1, 1945
Memorial
Service for William Allen is
held
at Galesburg High School.
May 7, 1945
General
Dwight Eisenhower accepts Germany's
unconditional
surrender at Reims, France. Germany
likewise
surrenders to Russia in Berlin.
It is difficult to know
exactly where a particular soldier fought. Because of the size of a Division,
it is possible that different parts of each division were engaged a little bit
differently than other parts of the division. The following is the combat record
of the 83rd Infantry as described in Wikepedia:
The
83d Infantry Division arrived in England on 16 April 1944. After training in
Wales, the division landed at Omaha Beach, 18 June 1944, and
entered the hedgerow struggle south of Carentan, 27 June. Taking the
offensive, the 83d reached the St. Lo-Periers Road, 25 July, and advanced 8
miles (13 km) against strong opposition as the Normandy campaign ended.
After
a period of training, elements of the division took Châteauneuf-d'Ille-et-Vilaine, 5 August, and Dinard, 15 August, and approached the heavily fortified area
protecting St. Malo. Intense fighting
reduced enemy strong points and a combined attack against the Citadel Fortress
of St. Servan caused its
surrender, 17 August. While elements moved south to protect the north bank of
the Loire River, the main body of
the division concentrated south of Rennes for patrolling and reconnaissance activities. Elements
reduced the garrison at Ile de Cézembre, which surrendered,
2 September. On 16 September 1944: the only surrender of a German Major General
B. H. Elster to US-troops with 18,850 men and 754
officers at the Loire bridge of Beaugency. The movement into Luxembourg was completed on 25
September. Taking Remich on the 28th and
patrolling defensively along the Moselle, the 83d resisted
counterattacks and advanced to the Siegfried Line defenses across the Sauer after capturing Grevenmacher and Echternach, 7 October. As the
initial movement in operation "Unicorn," the division took Le
Stromberg Hill in the vicinity of Basse Konz against strong opposition, 5
November, and beat off counterattacks.
Moving
to the Hurtgen
Forest,
the 83d thrust forward from Gressenich to the west bank of the Roer. It entered the Battle of the Bulge, 27 December, striking
at Rochefort and reducing the enemy salient in a bitter struggle. The division
moved back to Belgium and the Netherlands for rehabilitation and training, 22
January 1945. On 1 March, the 83d advanced toward the Rhine in Operation Grenade, and captured Neuss. The west bank of the Rhine from north of Oberkassel to the
Erft Canal was cleared and defensive positions established by 2 March and the
division renewed its training. The 83d crossed the Rhine south of Wesel, 29 March, and advanced across the Munster Plain to the Weser, crossing it at Bodenwerder. As opposition
disintegrated, Halle fell on 6 April. The
division crossed the Leine, 8 April, and
attacked to the east, pushing over the Harz Mountain region and advancing to the Elbe at Barby. That city was taken
on the 13 April. The 83rd established a bridgehead over the river.
On
11 April 1945 the 83rd encountered Langenstein, a subcamp of the Buchenwald
concentration camp.
At the camp, the troops found approximately 1,100 inmates. The inmates were
malnourished and in extremely poor physical condition. The 83rd reported the
death rate at the camp to be 500 per month. Also, that the prisoners had been
forced to work 16 hour days in nearby mines, and were shot if they became too
weak to work. After liberation, the death rate continued at approximately 25–50
people per day, due to the severe physical debilitation of the prisoners.
To
slow the spread of sickness and death, the 83rd ordered the local German mayor
to supply the camp with food and water. Also, medical supplies were
requisitioned from the U.S. Army's 20th Field Hospital. In addition, the 83rd
recovered documents for use by war crimes investigators.
The following are the general dates and places of the 83rd
Infantry Division:
A- Omaha Beach- June 1944
B- St. Malo, France- August 1944
C- Beaugency, France- September 1944
D- Luxembourg- October/November, 1944
E- Gressenich, Germany- December, 1944
F- Battle of Bulge- Rochefort, Belgium- December, 1944
G- Neuss, Germany- March 1945
H- Wesel, Germany- March, 1945
I- Beodenwerder, Germany- March, 1945
J- Halle, Germany- April, 1945
K- Langenstein, Germany- April, 1945
L- Tochheim, Germany- April, 1945 (Location near where Bill was killed)
These are the dates reported for the 83rd Division. Whether Bill Allen was at these exact locations at these exact times would not be known. It is known he was killed near Tochheim, Germany.
A- Neuss, Germany- March 1, 1945
B- Wesel, Germany- March, 1945
C- Bodenwerder, Germany- March 29, 1945
D- Halle, Germany- April 6, 1945
E- Langenstein, Germany (sub-camp of Buchenwald)- April 11, 1945
F- Tochheim, Germany- April 13, 1945 (75 miles from Berlin)
The following is a clipping from the Peoria Journal Star- the
date is unknown:
Co D Men on Recon Take
Village Alone
Without firing a shot, a Co. D reconnaissance party in a
lone jeep captured a German village at 0200. Attempting to make contact with
the spearhead, they took what they thought was the alternate route- one which
took them to a small village.
Driving up and down the empty streets and inspecting the
vacated, newly dug German trenches they realized they had taken the wrong turn
in the road.
Hastily they claimed the town for the U.S. Army and hurried
back to Battalion C. P. to report there was no longer any resistance in the
village to their right.
Members of the party were: Lt. Robert J. Deck, Jr, Wayne,
Penn., Sgt. William G. Allen, Peoria, Ill., Pfc. John J. Kovak, McDonaldton,
Penn., and Pfc. Marvin T. Davis, Abbeville, S.C.
The following is William Allen's citation for earning the Bronze Star:
The following is Bill Allen’s citation for earning the Bronze
Star:
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