Herbert Blanchard Leadbeater
THE WAR YEARS
He graduated from college: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy – Class of 1941— commencement exercises. Wednesday, June fourth at 11. George Robert White Hall in College Building. Longwood Avenue Boston
Pharmacy Licensee Information
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License Information
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He attended OCS ---I thought it was Fort Knox or Camp Campbell in Kentucky but doesn’t seem to have been any OCS located there. Must have been the Fort Benning, Georgia location (the other alternative is in Oklahoma) although I can’t remember hearing any mention of that but Mom & Pop weren’t married until he graduated OCS so she wasn’t with him. When he went into OCS he was in Medical Corp in Calvary Don’t have back up due to fire in 1972.
Did not graduate with OCS group. He had pneumonia and was three weeks late.
They went to Camp Campbell and then to Fort Knox. There was armored training in both places but not 3rd Armored but Robert says he was in Medical Unit in Calvary when he went for OCS. Don’t have back up due to fire in 1972.
He left Kentucky heading to New York to be transported to England in late 1943or early 1944? Because he was in New York when I was born 29 Feb 1944.
In England, he had a repeat of pneumonia which put him behind again.
1ST Purple Heart about 3 weeks into Normandy. Chest Wound. Don’t have back up due to fire in 1972.
Pops movements correspond with the 3rd Armored Division (SPEARHEAD) time line just before end of June 1944 until Battle of the Bulge in January 1945.
Chronology of the Third Armored Division in World War II
April 15, 1941
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Activation at Camp Beauregard, LA
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June 14, 1941
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Transfer to Camp Polk
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July 1942
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Majave Desert, California
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October 1942
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Camp Pickett, Virginia
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January 1943
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Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania
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September 5, 1943
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Board ships for Europe
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September 15, 1943
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Arrive in Liverpool and Bristol
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June 24, 1944
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Omaha Beach, Normandy
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June 29, 1944
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Villiers-Fossard
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August 5-8, 1944
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Battle of Mortain
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September 3, 1944
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Capture of Mons
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September 8, 1944
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Leige taken
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September 21, 1944
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Reached Stolberg
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December 19, 1944
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Battle of the Bulge/Ardennes
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January 16, 1945
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Battle of the Bulge ends
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March 5-7, 1945
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Cologne
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March 21, 1945
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Rhine Crossing at Honnef
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March 30, 1945
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Death of General Rose
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March 31, 1945
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Paderborn
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April 11, 1945
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Nordhausen
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April 21-23, 1945
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Dessau
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May 8, 1945
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VE Day
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September
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First units return to New York
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The 3rd Armored arrived in northern France three weeks after D-Day in late June, 1944, and saw its first combat a week later as part of the VII Corps and First Army. Heavy fighting in Normandy continued into August, when the Allied forced finally broke through the German lines. On August 18 the 3rd Armored helped close the Falaise Gap, which trapped thousands of German troops. It then went on to cross the Seine River sough of Paris on August 25, and continued rapidly across France until it reached Belgium in early September, with the capture of Liege on September 8. Four days later it became the first U.S. Army unit to cross into Germany through the West Wall. The division caaptured Stolberg on September 22, but for the next three months could progress no further against heavy German resistance and fortifications.
The German offensive in the Ardennes, which became known as the Battle of the Bulge, temporarily halted the division's attempt to push eastward. On the 19th of December the 3rd Armored attacked to the south to reduce the German salient, which was eliminated by the middle of January, 1945
Military back up destroyed by fire in 1972. See below
Robert got his death certificate and sent it off with the SR180 form to get military records. See the response below.
A response from some people at the 3rd Armored...not encouraging about Dad's records...
Laurie Mullen Your dad's records were probably burned up in the fire in 72. My dad's were burned up in that fire. The fire also destroyed unit roll lists and morning reports from I think 44, 45, and 46. I think we're both out of luck on the WWII service stuff. Yesterday at 8:37am · Like |
Foot shot off in Battle of the Bulge (Belgium). Telegram
Transferred to hospital -- Paris?. Where leg amputated.
Evacuation to US to San Antonio which was where amputees were (and I believe still are) being sent.
Telegram Mom to Pop
When released from San Antonio to go to Walter Reed (WRAMC) Washington DC -- eventually arrived there – went home first.
Lived in DC -- just north of Fort Stevens (a bump on a hill from probably Revolutionary War) in Shepard’s Park DC (Fort Stevens, now partially restored, was built to defend the approaches to Washington from the 7th Street Pike (now Georgia Avenue) which was then the main thoroughfare from the north into Washington. Originally called Fort Massachusetts by the soldiers from that state who constructed the fort, it was later named after Brig. Gen. Isaac Ingalls Stevens, who was killed at the Battle of Chantilly (Fair Oaks), Virginia, September 1, 1862.)
Moved to Falkland Apartments in Silver Spring.
Moved to 1117 Seminary Road, Silver Spring. House number change to 1957 but house remained the same.
