William J. BARTON

 

barton william j

Source : Silent Heroes
NUMBER OF SERVICE35613296
AGE21 yo
DATE OF BIRTH8 July 1922 OHIO
ENLISTMENT STATEOHIO
FAMILYSpouse : Mary BARTON
RANKPrivate First Class
FONCTIONInfantry Man
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENTAeronautical workerNE
DATE of ENLISTEMENT23 novembre 1942
COMPANYCompany D
REGIMENT SQUADRON329th Infantry Regiment
DIVISION GROUP83rd Infantry Division
DATE OF DEATH6 July 1944

barton william j

Source : Jeff Hall

STATUSKIA
PLACE OF DEATH  Carentan Sector
CEMETERY TEMPORARY

CEMTERY TEMPORARY of Ste-Mère-Eglise #23586 

blosville

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

CEMETERYNORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY of Colleville

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

GRAVE
PlotRowGrave
C1410
DECORATION

Purple Heart

World War II Victory Medal 

Combat Infantryman Badge


Photo FDLM

victory medal

combat infantryman badge

 

 

us army div 83 329ri
STORY

barton william j

Source : Silent Heroes

William James Barton was born in 1922, the only son of James and Margaret Barton. According to city directories, James worked as a salesman in 1928 while the family lived at 192 Hirn Street. In the 1930 census, Williams's aunt, Dorothy, also lived with the family. At one point, William worked as a newspaper carrier for the local paper.

Barton was a graduate of Chillicothe High School, but he was not pictured in the senior yearbook.

Curtiss-Wright Corporation

barton william j

Source : Silent Heroes

Prior to being drafted into the military, William James Barton worked at Curtiss-Wright, an aerospace company in Columbus, The company was the largest aircraft producer ofWorld War II, creating 13,738 of their famous P-40 WarHawks? throughout the course of the war. The company noted its wartime production included "142,840 aircraft engines; 146,468 electric propellers; 29,269 airplanes which included the Curtiss Commando transport and the Navy dive bomber, the Helldiver." 

Barton was drafted into the 83rd Infantry Division, 329th Infantry Regiment, on November 23, 1942.

barton william j

Source : Silent Heroes

Camp Atterbury and Camp Breckinridge

The 83rd Infantry Division trained at Camp Atterbury, Indiana (commissioned January 6, 1941). It was created to house 30,000 soldiers that were preparing for war. The division was led by Major General Frank W. Milburn. Training at Atterbury consisted of marches, rifle training, bayonet courses, exercises in all types of weather, and field inspections. At the end of a grueling 13 weeks (though the men were given furloughs and weekend passes to Indianapolis), the soldiers of the 83rd Infantry Division proceeded on to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky.

Before heading to Breckinridge, however, the division made a brief stop in Tennessee. They trained for maneuvers with the 80th Infantry Division and the 101st Airborne Division. They made day long marches in the heat with only one canteen of water. The training was designed to simulate how fighting in Europe would be. Divisions practiced assaults, defense, digging foxholes, and combat with blank ammunition. On August 8, 1943, it was announced that they would be going to Kentucky.

After arriving in Kentucky, the 83rd Infantry Divisionmade an exhausting 100-mile march from Springfield to Camp Breckinridge, which took five days. Until February the 329th Infantry Regiment underwent specialized training, eventually leaving for New York on March 24, 1944, where they would depart to England

Training for D-Day in England

On April 18, 1944, the 329th Infantry Regiment arrived in Liverpool, England, after 12 days aboard the HMS Samaria. The soldiers spent months marching through the mountains of northern Wales, sleeping outside on the damp ground under wool blankets. After training, the 329th Infantry Regiment moved to Wrexham, and then on to England's southern shore along the English Channel.

 

Fighting in France

On the afternoon of June 23, the 329th Infantry Regiment landed on France's Normandy coast at Omaha Beach. They made their way through the previously liberated city of Carentan to relieve the 101st Airborne Division.

Combat in the Hedgerows

The Norman hedgerows - also known as the "bocage" - have existed in the region since the twelfth century, as a way to mark property boundaries. Each hedge was generally between two and six feet wide at its base, and anywhere from three to 15 feet high. Atop the earthen base was a thicket of brambles, trees, and shrubs that created a “formidable barrier.” Throughout the Middle Ages, the individual plots of land grew smaller.

By 1944, the plots of land enclosed by hedgerows had been reduced to an average size of 50 to 100 yards between each hedgerow, making large-scale battles impossible to coordinate. With a lack of massive assaults, fighting in the hedgerows was reserved to skirmishes dependent entirely on teamwork. Prior to departing for D-day, soldiers in North Wales were given almost no training for hedgerow combat, which caused confusion and frustration; they quickly adapted. The fighting was broken into platoon by platoon, squad by squad skirmishes against a formidable German defense, which the terrain favored greatly. To clear a hedgerow, soldiers required the support of tanks; charges would be placed a few feet apart from one another and a tank equipped with a "rhinoceros" would clear away the debris, of course, this could only proceed when the fighting ceased.

The 329th Infantry Regiment in the Hedgerows

The Unit Journal for July 4 through 6 reports gruesome fighting. Heavy casualties were reported the morning of July 4. Officers reported that the "going was rough." The men in the hedgerows were in desperate need of artillery. Later that morning, 30 men were evacuated and 35 were wounded after just two hours of fighting. After two days of similar situations, the 83rd Infantry Division gained just 200 yards of territory, captured six Germans, and had 1,400 casualties.

Barton was sent to the hospital on July 5, and died one day later.

 

barton william j

Source : 83rdinfdivdocs.org

div 83

83rd INFANTRY DIVISION - THUNDERBOLT

 

Activated/Activé

 Normandy/Normandie

15 Aug 1942  Days of Combat/Jour de Combat  244
   Casualties/Victimes 15 910

Entered Combat/Entré au combat

 
27 June 1944 Normandy  

Commanding Generals/Commandants généraux

Maj. Gen. Frank W. Milburn (Aug 42 - Dec 43)
Maj. Gen. Robert C. Macon (Jan 44 - Jan 46)

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

carte campagne europe

DIVISION CHRONICLE


The 83rd 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 against strong opposition as the Normandy campaign ended. After a period of training, elements of the Division took Chateauneuf, 5 August, and Dinard, 7 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 Cezembre, which surrendered, 2 September. 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 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 Holland for rehabilitation and training, 22 January 1945. On 1 March, the 83d advanced toward the Rhine in the operation "Grenade," and captured Neuss. The west bank of the Rhine from North of Oberkassell 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 13th. The 83d established a bridgehead over the river but evacuated the area to the Russians on 6 May 1945.

CHRONIQUE DE DIVISION


La 83rd Infantry Division arriva en Angleterre le 16 avril 1944. Après s'être entraîné au Pays de Galles, la Division débarqua à Omaha Beach, le 18 juin 1944, et entra dans la lutte des haies au sud de Carentan, le 27 juin. Prenant l'offensive, le 83d atteint la route de St. Lo-Periers, le 25 juillet, et avance de 8 milles contre une forte opposition à la fin de la campagne de Normandie. Après une période d'entraînement, des éléments de la division prirent Châteauneuf le 5 août et Dinard le 7 août, et approchèrent de la zone fortement fortifiée qui protégeait Saint-Malo. Les combats intenses ont réduit les points forts de l'ennemi et une attaque combinée contre la citadelle de Saint-Servan a provoqué sa reddition, le 17 août. Tandis que les éléments se déplaçaient vers le sud pour protéger la rive nord de la Loire, le gros de la division se concentrait au sud de Rennes pour des activités de patrouille et de reconnaissance. Les éléments ont réduit la garnison à l'île de Cezembre, qui s'est rendue, le 2 septembre. L'entrée au Luxembourg s'est achevée le 25 septembre. Prenant Remich le 28 et patrouillant défensivement le long de la Moselle, le 83d a résisté aux contre-attaques et a avancé aux défenses de Siegfried Line à travers la Sauer après avoir capturé Grevenmacher et Echternach, le 7 octobre. En tant que mouvement initial de l'opération "Unicorn", la division a pris le Stromberg Hill à proximité de Basse Konz contre une forte opposition, le 5 novembre, et a battu les contre-attaques. En se déplaçant à la forêt de Hurtgen, le 83d s'est propulsé de Gressenich à la rive ouest du Roer. Il est entré dans la Bataille des Ardennes, le 27 décembre, frappant à Rochefort et réduisant le saillant ennemi dans une lutte acharnée. La Division est retournée en Belgique et en Hollande pour y être réhabilitée et entraînée, le 22 janvier 1945. Le 1er mars, la 83e s'est avancée vers le Rhin dans l'opération "Grenade" et a capturé Neuss. La rive ouest du Rhin, du nord d'Oberkassell au canal Erft, a été défrichée et des positions défensives ont été établies le 2 mars et la division a renouvelé son entraînement. La 83e traversa le Rhin au sud de Wesel, le 29 mars, et s'avança à travers la plaine de Munster jusqu'à la Weser, la traversant à Bodenwerder. Alors que l'opposition se désintégrait, Halle tomba le 6 avril. La Division traversa la Leine, le 8 avril, et attaqua à l'est, repoussant la région du Harz et s'avançant vers l'Elbe à Barby. Cette ville a été prise le 13. La 83e établit une tête de pont au-dessus de la rivière mais évacue la région vers les Russes le 6 mai 1945.

 

SOURCE INFORMATION & PHOTOArmydivs.squarespace.com

SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTONhdsilentheroes.org   Spencer Queen-   Abmc.gov Findagrave.com  83rdinfdivdocs.org     
PROGRAMMERHenri, Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud
Partagez moi ...