Léonard Edgar ABERNATHY

Married

one daughter

Source : 

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  La Cambe N°3539 

Story of Cemetery Temporary  

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

Léonard was born in Sion Hill in South Carolina, he had two sisters and five brothers, before enlisting in the army, Léonard is an automobile repairer and a farmer;

He joined the US Army in September 1940 with the 117th Infantry Regiment.

He was declared a deserter on August 19, 1942 while he was at Fort Jackson. He was found on October 13, 1942 in Spartanburg (where his wife Doris Louise and their granddaughter Mary Ann lived) and was handed over to the military at Camp Croft. In January 1943 the charges retained for desertion were withdrawn.

He was transferred to Fort Benning in March 1943. Within the division he was trained in different camps: Camp Blanding, Camp Forrest and Camp Atterbury. The division arrived in England on February 22, 1944 and continued training until June.

The 30th Infantry Div. landed at Omaha Beach from June 10 to 15, 1944. The 117th Infantry Regiment was placed in a static zone near Lison until July 2, 1944.

The first victims of the regiment are here in this area under heavy German 88mm fire. on July 7, 1944 around 3 am, the 2nd battalion crossed the Vire on rubber boats. It is the beginning of a great offensive launched by the XIXth US Corps. On July 9, the Germans caused significant losses to the US troops, the soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division were formidable and fought with extraordinary valor which made them nicknamed by the Germans the "Roosevelt SS".

Two days later, the offensive fell into the hedge war, the 30th Infantry Division lost 3,200 men in 6 days.

On the evening of July 14, the mission established on July 2 was carried out but at the cost of 10,000 losses.

In this second part of July another goal is emerging: Cobra. The 30th Infantry Division is one of them.

Léonard is wounded in the arm during this month of July; the 117th will have fought on Saint-Fromont, Pont-Hébert, Saint-Jean-de-Daye but duty calls him and he returns to his unit.

On July 24 and 25, the 30th ID suffered terrible losses from friendly bombardments, ie 814 over the two days. On July 26 the 117th advances towards Saint-Lô and settles on the heights. On July 27 the 30th ID carried out a spectacular attack which opened the way for Patton's third army which would lead it to Brittany.

Léonard is missing, his body is found on the outskirts of St Lo and his date of death is estimated at August 1, 1944. After the war the 30th Infantry Division was designated as the number one infantry division in the European theater by SLA Marshall. 

30^th  INFANTRY DIVISION - OLD HICKORY

Activated/Activé	Normandy/Normandie
16 Sep 1940	Days of Combat/Jour de Combat  282
	Casualties/Victimes  18 446
Entered Combat/Entré au combat
11 Jun 44 Normandy
Commanding Generals/Commandants généraux Maj. Gen. Henry D. Russell (Sep 40 - Apr 42) Maj. Gen. William H. Simpson (May 42 - Jul 42) Maj. Gen. Leland S. Hobbs (Sep 42 - Sep 45)	Campaigns/Campagnes Normandy (6 Jun 44 - 24 Jul 44) Northern France (25 Jul 44 - 14 Sep 44) Rhineland (15 Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45) Ardennes-Alsace (16 Dec 44 - 25 Jan 45) Central Europe (22 Mar 45 - 11 May 45)
PLAN DE ROUTE DE LA CAMPAGNE - CAMPAIGN ROUTE MAP
DIVISION CHRONICLE The 30th Infantry Division arrived in England, 22 February 1944, and trained until June. It landed at Omaha Beach, Normandy, 15 June 1944, secured the Vire-et-Taute Canal, crossed the Vire River, 7 July, and, beginning on 25 July spearheaded the St. Lo break-through. The day after the Division relieved the 1st Infantry Division near Mortain on 6 August, the German drive to Avranches began. Fighting in place with all available personnel, the 30th frustrated enemy plans and broke the enemy spearhead in a week of violent struggle, 7 to 12 August. The Division drove east through Belgium, crossing the Meuse River at Vise and Liege, 10 September. Elements entered Holland on the 12th, and Maastricht fell the next day. Taking up positions along the Wurm River, the 30th launched its attack on the Siegfried Line, 2 October 1944, and succeeded in contacting the 1st Division, 16 October, and encircling Aachen. After a rest period, the Division eliminated an enemy salient northeast of Aachen, 16 November, pushed to the Inde River at Altdorf, 28 November, then moved to rest areas. On 17 December the Division rushed south to the Malmedy-Stavelot area to help block the powerful enemy drive in the Battle of the Ardennes. It launched a counteroffensive on 13 January 1945 and reached a point 2 miles south of St. Vith, 26 January, before leaving the Battle of the Bulge and moving to an assembly area near Lierneux, 27 January, and to another near Aachen to prepare for the Roer offensive. The Roer River was crossed, 23 February 1945, near Julich. The 30th moved back for training and rehabilitation, 6 March, and on 24 March made its assault crossing of the Rhine. It pursued the enemy across Germany, mopping up enemy pockets of resistance, took Hamelin, 7 April, Braunschweig on the 12th, and helped reduce Magdeburg on the 17th. The Russians were contacted at Grunewald on the Elbe River. After a short occupation period, the 30th began moving for home, arriving 19 August 1945.	CHRONIQUE DE DIVISION La 30th Infantry Division arrive en Angleterre le 22 février 1944 et s'entraîne jusqu'en juin. Il débarqua à Omaha Beach, en Normandie, le 15 juin 1944, sécurisa le canal de Vire-et-Taute, traversa la Vire, le 7 juillet, et, à partir du 25 juillet, fut le fer de lance de la percée de Saint-Lo. Le lendemain de la relève de la 1re division d'infanterie près de Mortain, le 6 août, la division allemande a commencé à Avranches. Combattant avec tout le personnel disponible, le 30ème ennemi frustré projette et brise le fer de lance ennemi dans une semaine de lutte violente, du 7 au 12 août. La Division a traversé la Belgique en traversant la Meuse à Vise et Liège, le 10 septembre. Les éléments sont entrés en Hollande le 12 et Maastricht est tombé le lendemain. Prenant position le long de la rivière Wurm, le 30 a lancé son attaque sur la ligne Siegfried, le 2 octobre 1944, et a réussi à contacter la 1re Division, le 16 octobre, et à encercler Aix-la-Chapelle. Après une période de repos, la Division a éliminé un saillant ennemi au nord-est d'Aix-la-Chapelle, le 16 novembre, a été poussée sur l'Inde à Altdorf, le 28 novembre, puis s'est déplacée vers des aires de repos. Le 17 décembre, la Division s'est précipitée vers le sud, dans la région de Malmedy-Stavelot, pour bloquer la puissante campagne ennemie de la bataille des Ardennes. Il lança une contre-offensive le 13 janvier 1945 et atteignit un point situé à 2 milles au sud de Saint-Vith, le 26 janvier, avant de quitter la bataille des Ardennes et de se rendre dans une zone de rassemblement près de Lierneux le 27 janvier. l'offensive Roer. La rivière Roer fut traversée, le 23 février 1945, près de Julich. Le 30 mars est revenu à l'entraînement et à la réhabilitation, le 6 mars, et le 24 mars, il a effectué son assaut en traversant le Rhin. Il a poursuivi l'ennemi à travers l'Allemagne, nettoyé les poches de résistance ennemies, pris Hamelin, le 7 avril, Braunschweig le 12, et aidé à réduire Magdeburg le 17. Les Russes ont été contactés à Grunewald sur l'Elbe. Après une courte période d'occupation, le 30 a commencé à déménager pour la maison, arrivant le 19 août 1945.