David Crowder WAYBUR

Source : Cmohs.org  

19 September 1919 Oakland, Alameda county, CALIFORNIA 

Spouse : Dorothy A Culver WAYBUR

Parents : Robert R & Anne E Crowder WAYBUR 

Sisters : Corinne A & Robannie R

Source : JoMarRo

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  ---N°---

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

LORRAINE AMERICAN CEMETERY of Saint Avold

He joined the 3rd Reconnaissance Troop of the famous 3rd Infantry Division which was then landing in Sicily.

A week later he volunteered to lead a patrol near Agrigento.

Near Agrigento, Sicily, on 17 July 1943, he volunteered to conduct a patrol of 3 vehicles in enemy territory in order to locate an isolated unit of the Rangers. The patrol’s progress was interrupted by darkness at a destroyed bridge and it was suddenly cut off from its support vehicles by 4 enemy tanks.

It is this mission that will earn him his Medal of Honor with the following quote:

MEDAL of HONOR
 

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action involving actual conflict with the enemy. Commander of a reconnaissance platoon, 1st Lt. Waybur volunteered to lead a three-vehicle patrol into enemy-held territory to locate an isolated Ranger unit. Proceeding under cover of darkness, over roads known to be heavily mined and strongly defended by road blocks and machine-gun positions, the patrol's progress was halted at a bridge which had been destroyed by enemy troops and was suddenly cut off from its supporting vehicles by four enemy tanks. Although hopelesly outnumbered and outgunned, and himself and his men completely exposed, he quickly dispersed his vehicles and ordered his gunners to open fire with their .30 and .50-caliber machine guns.

Then, with ammunition exhausted, three of his men hit, and himself seriously wounded, he seized his .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun and, standing in the bright moonlight directly in the line of fire, alone engaged the leading tank at 30 yards and succeeded in killing the crewmembers, causing the tank to run onto the bridge and crash into the stream bed.
After dispatching one of the men for aid, he rallied the rest to cover and withstood the continued fire of the tanks until the arrival of aid the following morning."

Source : John "J-Cat" Griffith  

Source : Victor Thomas

Waybur chats with Mark W. Clark, who presented him with the Medal of Honor.

Source : John "J-Cat" Griffith 

Source : John "J-Cat" Griffith 

Recipient of the World War II Medal of Honour.

Born in Oakland, California and raised in neighboring Piedmont, he served in the US Army during World War II as a first lieutenant in the 3rd Reconnaissance Troop, 3rd Infantry Division.

David Waybur lived all his childhood in Piedmont, Calfornia. After graduating from high school he enrolled at the University of California Berkley until October 1940 when he enlisted as a soldier in the US Army. He was commissioned as an officer shortly after his engagement.  

Out of numbers and out of range, he quickly dispersed his vehicles and ordered his gunners to open fire with their 0.30 and 0.50 calibre machine guns. Then, with 3 of his men hit and himself wounded, he grabbed his 45 caliber Thompson sub-machine gun and standing directly in the line of fire, only he engaged the head tank killing the crew members, which caused the tank to crash into the bed of the stream. After sending one of the men to help, he gathered the rest to cover and resist the continuous fire of tanks until the arrival of relief the next morning.

He received the Medal of Honor on 21 October 1943 and returned to combat in Europe where he was later killed in France.

3 months later he received the Medal of Honor from Lt. Gen. Mark CLARK commanding the 5th Army. He was then sent back to the United States for more than a year to help advertise selling War Bonds in support of the American war effort.

He will later ask to join his unit on the front but he will be killed a few weeks before the end of the conflict on March 28, 1945 in Germany.

At the request of his family, he will be buried on European soil in the Lorrain American Cemetery. 

Biography by: John "J-Cat" Griffith

3^rd INFANTRY DIVISION - ROCK OF THE MARNE

Activated/Activé	Normandy/Normandie
12 Nov 1917	Days of Combat/Jour de Combat  531
	Casualties/Victimes 25 977
Entered Combat/Entré au combat
8 Nov 1942 North Africa
Commanding Generals/Commandants généraux Maj. Gen. Charles F. Thompson (Jul 40 - Aug 41) Brig. Gen. Charles P. Hall (Aug 41 - Sep 41) Maj. Gen. John P. Lucas (Sep 41 - Mar 42) Maj. Gen. Jonathan W. Anderson (Mar 42 - Mar 43) Maj. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott, Jr. (Mar 43 - Feb 44) Maj. Gen. John W. O'Daniel (Feb 44 - Dec 45) Maj. Gen. William R. Schmidt (Jul 45 - Aug 46)	Campaigns/Campagnes Tunisia (17 Nov 42 - 13 May 43) Sicily (9 Jul - 17 Aug 43) Naples-Foggia (9 Sep 43 - 21 Jan 44) Anzio (22 Jan 44 - 24 May 44) Rome-Arno (22 Jan 44 - 9 Sep 44) Southern France (15 Aug 44 - 14 Sep 44) Rhineland (15 Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45) Central Europe (22 Mar 45 - 11 May 45)
PLAN DE ROUTE DE LA CAMPAGNE de MEDITERANNEE - CAMPAIGN ROUTE MAP
DIVISION CHRONICLE The 3d Division is the only American Division which fought the Nazi on all fronts. The Division first saw action in the North African invasion, landing at Fedala, 8 November 1942, and capturing half of French Morocco. On 10 July 1943, the Division made an assault landing on Sicily, fought its way into Palermo before the armor could get there, and raced on to capture Messina, thus ending the Sicilian campaign. Nine days after the Italian invasion, 18 September 1943, the 3d landed at Salerno and in intensive action drove to and across the Volturno and to Cassino. After a brief rest, the Division was ordered to hit the beaches at Anzio, 22 January 1944, where for 4 months it maintained its toe-hold against furious German counterattacks. On 29 February 1944, the 3d fought off an attack by three German Divisions. In May the Division broke out of the beachhead and drove on to Rome, and then went into training for the invasion of Southern France. On 15 August 1944, another D-day, the Division landed at St. Tropez, advanced up the Rhone Valley, through the Vosges Mountains, and reached the Rhine at Strasbourg, 26-27 November. After maintaining defensive positions it took part in clearing the Colmar Pocket, 23 January18 February 1945, and on 15 March struck against Siegfried Line positions south of Zweibrucken. The Division smashed through the defenses and crossed the Rhine, 26 March 1945 ; then drove on to take Nurnberg in a fierce battle, capturing the city in block-by-block fighting, 17-20 April. The 3d pushed on to take Augsburg and Munich, 27-30 April, and was in the vicinity of Salzburg when the war in Europe ended.	CHRONIQUE DE DIVISION La 3ème division est la seule division américaine à avoir combattu les nazis sur tous les fronts. La Division a été la première à intervenir lors de l’invasion nord-africaine, atterrissant à Fedala le 8 novembre 1942 et capturant la moitié du Maroc français. Le 10 juillet 1943, la Division effectue un assaut en Sicile, se fraye un chemin jusqu'à Palerme avant que l’armure puisse y arriver et se lance à la conquête de Messine, mettant ainsi fin à la campagne sicilienne. Neuf jours après l’invasion italienne, le 18 septembre 1943, la 3D a atterri à Salerno et, dans une action intense, elle a traversé le Volturno et Cassino. Après un bref repos, la division reçut l’ordre de frapper les plages d’Anzio, le 22 janvier 1944, où elle resta en garde pendant quatre mois contre les contre-attaques allemandes. Le 29 février 1944, le 3ème combat contre une attaque de trois divisions allemandes. En mai, la division sortit de la tête de pont et se rendit à Rome avant de se préparer à l'invasion du sud de la France. Le 15 août 1944, un autre jour J, la Division débarqua à Saint-Tropez, remonta la vallée du Rhône, traversa les Vosges et atteignit le Rhin à Strasbourg les 26 et 27 novembre. Après avoir maintenu des positions défensives, elle a participé au déblaiement de la poche de Colmar, le 23 janvier 18 février 1945, et le 15 mars, elle a frappé les positions de la ligne Siegfried au sud de Zweibrucken. La division défonça dans les défenses et traversa le Rhin le 26 mars 1945; puis a continué à prendre Nurnberg dans une bataille féroce, capturant la ville dans des combats de bloc par bloc, 17-20 avril. La 3d se poursuit à Augsbourg et à Munich, du 27 au 30 avril, et se trouve à proximité de Salzbourg à la fin de la guerre en Europe.