5/14/2019 THE 61OTH TANK DESTROYER BATTALION THE 610TH TANK DESTROYER BATTALION by Captain Roy T. McGrann 1946 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION BOOK I PRE-COMBAT CHAPTER I: ACTIVATION CHAPTER II: CAMP BOWIE, TEXAS CHAPTER III: CAMP HOOD, TEXAS CHAPTER IV: CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA file:///E:/Documents/Military/Militaryfile:///E:/Documents/Military/Military Documents/Unit Documents/Unit Documents/610th Documents/610th TD TD Bn/Files Bn/Files from from McGrann McGrann family/index.html family/index.html 1/2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION BOOK I PRE-COMBAT CHAPTER I: ACTIVATION CHAPTER II: CAMP BOWIE , TEXAS CHAPTER III: CAMP HOOD, TEXAS CHAPTER IV: CAMP ATTERBURY, IN DIANA CHAPTER V: TENNESSEE MANEUVERS CHAPTER VI: REORGANIZATION CHAPTER VII: CENSORED BOOK II COMBAT EXPERIENCE AS A TOWED BATTALION CHAPTER VIII: ARGENTAN CHAPTER IX: THE MOSELLE RIVER BOOK III COMBAT EXPERIENCE AS SELF-PROPELLED BATTALION CHAPTER X: THE SAAR RIVER OFFENSIVE CHAPTER XI: THE ARDENNES OR “BULGE” CHAPTER XII: BELGIUM AND THE SCHNEE E IFEL CHAPTER XIII: ALSACE AND THE RHINE CHAPTER XIV: CENTRAL GERMANY BOOK IV OCCUPATION DUTY CHAPTER XV: KREIS EICHSTATT CHAPTER XVI: NURNBERG CHAPTER XVII: GOING HOME BOOK V REPORTS ON COMPANY ACTION CHAPTER XVIII: COMPANY STORIES CHAPTER XIX: AWARDS AND DECOR ATIONS CHAPTER XX: NAMES AND ADDRESSES (as of 1946) file:///E:/Documents/Military/Military Documents/Unit Documents/610th TD Bn/Files from McGrann family/index.html 1/2 5/14/2019 Introduction The 610th Tank Destroyer Battalion INTRODUCTION This book is the fulfillment of a promise that I made to Lt. Col. Herold shortly after he joined the Battalion at Camp Hood that at some future date the complete story of the outfit would be gathered into one volume and distributed to the members. This promise was reiterated to the Battalion in the last issue of the "Hellcat" which was distributed at Nurnberg. The selection of myself as the author is very obviously not due to any literary prowess which I possess but more logically because I was the onessess but more logically because I was the one standing nearest when the idea came to the colonel. The only other qualification that I seem to possess lies in the fact that I have been a member of the Battalion since the first shipment of officers arrived on April 24th, 1942. Shortly after the Battalion arrived in Nurnberg, Germany, and took up its occupational duties, plans were made to have the book published there. A rough draft of the book was published in the "Hellcat" to give those men returning home on "Points" a short history to take home with them until the book was finished. The sudden end of the war in the East and the subsequent change in the category of the outfit and its shipment home interfered with those plans. Gathering together all possible material that would be of use in the writing of the story, the Battalion Staff entrusted it to my care and hoped that some day the book would be finished. In its finished form the book, to my personal taste, is inadequate. There are hundreds of incidents worthy of note which occurred during training as well as on the battlefield, but of which no record exists. The action in the book until after the battle of Argentan was written almost entirely from memory and the scraps of information gained from the few official records still in the files. After that time the staff records furnished a more detailed but still "skimpy" account of the daily "doings" of the outfit. For the daily "doings" of the outfit. For the sake of brevity in reports the individual action of individuals, crews or even of platoons was reduced to the terse statement of how many rounds were fired, at what targets they were fired and the results, while the story of how they accomplished each mission, which forms the essence of an historical account, remains only in the memory of those who accomplished the deed. The available information has been gathered and written to the best of my ability, my only hope is that it meets with the readers approval. My expression of gratitude to Major Stewart for his interest in the work and to Sergeants Jull, Senger, Dreissel and Laino for the preparation and safekeeping of the records used, and to Captain Leatzow for the use of his pictures. Roy T. McGrann, Captain, 610th T.D.Bn. IN MEMORIAM This book is respectfully dedicated to the memory of Lieutenant Colonel William L. Herold and the following members of the 610th Tank Destroyer Battalion who were killed Lt. Charles R. Garis Lt. Richard J. Merrill Lt. Harry B. Watkins, Jr. S/Sgt. Lawrence M. Fraley S/Sgt. Henry A. Moser Sgt. Antonio Castellano Sgt. Ralph I. Derr file:///E:/Documents/Military/Military Documents/Unit Documents/610th TD Bn/Files from McGrann family/Introduction.html 1/2 5/14/2019 Introduction Sgt. Delbert D. Lee Sgt. Joseph J. Lusardi Cpl. Hans W. Hermansen T/5 William Argento T/5 Edgar N. Bird T/5 Leo R. Cote T/5 Wilber E. Dosey T/5 James E. Jones T/5 Clayton W. Leavitt T/5 Joseph J. Palmieri T/5 Rudolph Pisani T/5 Donald Vetrone Pfc. Lloyd D. Beckner Pfc. Herbert Etenson Pfc. Albert M. Luciano Pfc. Charles F. Masterson Pfc. Edward A. Strain Pfc. Louis J. Perrus Pvt. Frank A. Chrzanowski Pvt. John J. Drobny Pvt. Robert H. Hensel Pvt. Clifford L. Hook Pvt. Ted J. Howard Pvt. Mathew Hurta Pvt. Peter Kravetz Pvt. John Oresick Pvt. Angelo V. Raccio Pvt. Isaac O. Sensenig Pvt. William R. Sorensen Pvt. Edmund D. Sullivan Pvt. Albert J. Vercellin file:///E:/Documents/Military/Military Documents/Unit Documents/610th TD Bn/Files from McGrann family/Introduction.html 2/2 5/14/2019 Chapter I The 610th Tank Destroyer Battalion CHAPTER I Activation On the 11th of April, 1942, Headquarters 45th Infantry Division (Thunderbird Division) located at Camp Barkeley, Texas issued Special Order Number 88 activating the 610th Tank Destroyer Battalion (Light Towed). At this time Tank Destroyer Battalions were divided into two groups one being armed with the 75mm gun and the other with towed 37mm guns. The 610th at the time of activation was in the latter group. The order, effective at 1201 AM on the 10th of April, also assigned five officers from the 645th TD Battalion to command the newly organized Battalion. This included 1st Lieutenant Herman H. Greenhaw who was the ranking officer, and 76 enlisted men who comprised the cadre. The list of the original members of the Battalion follows: 1st Lt. Herman H. Greenhaw Sgt. Edwin R. Ailey 1st Lt. William F. Fuller Sgt. Robert S. Tuller 1st Lt. Donald L. Gulihur Sgt. Thomas L. Alexander 2nd Lt. Harold K. Christian Sgt. Fred W. Thompson, Jr. 2nd Lt. Harvey F. Allen Sgt. Gilbert B. Fester M/Sgt. Elijah S. Williams Sgt. Melvin L. McCoy M/Sgt. Jess G. Ramsey Sgt. Richard C. Barclay l/Sgt. Vernon E. Lucas Sgt. James L. Anderson 1/Sgt. John C. Thomasson Sgt. William T. Daniels l/Sgt. Raymond J. Beams Sgt. Leonard T. Lostrum l/Sgt. Howard W. Duvall Sgt. Herman L. Snoddy l/Sgt. Lawrence M. Bevins Sgt. Ray E. Lane T/Sgt. Jack 0. Winborn Sgt. James N. Wvnne T/Sgt. Donald H. Jones Sgt. James F. Riney T/Sgt. Egbert W. Sextor, Jr. T/4 Lewis H. Schrimscher S/Sgt. Addis I. Powell T/4 Donald L. Hawkinson S/Sgt. Roy 0. Linville T/4 James E. McMullen S/Sgt. Ennis B. Maurer T/4 Lloyd N. Hawkins S/Sgt. Dee F. Pinkerton T/4 James W. Bradshaw S/Sgt. Roy E. Rayon T/4 Francis J. Taylor S/Sgt. William W. Woodard T/4 Philip Dyer S/Sgt. Fred A. Powell T/4 Harold L. Routh S/Sgt. Frank Stocks T/4 Dean J. Crockett S/Sgt. Jesse R. James T/4 Otis Baugh S/Sgt. Clyde Hutson T/4 Lemuel R. Elliott S/Sgt. Wallace J. Tipton T/4 Eugene R. Hayden S/Sgt. Wilson R. Porter T/4 Fred C. Haas S/Sgt. Stephen A. Bailes T/4 James E. Byrd S/Sgt. Paul W. Burpo T/4 George Stipanovic S/Sgt. John C. Higgins Cpl. William R. Lackey S/Sgt. Elijah S. Lovely Cpl. James M. Daniel Sgt. Jay L. Cruze Cpl. Don II. Thompson Sgt. Albert R. Martin Cpl. Carl K. Thompson Sgt. Wilber W. Eakinsvely Cpl. Edward N. Fyfe Sgt. Jay L. Cruze Cpl. Jack Gumm Sgt. Albert R. Martin T/5 Carlton E. Blackwood file:///E:/Documents/Military/Military Documents/Unit Documents/610th TD Bn/Files from McGrann family/ChapterI.html 1/3 5/14/2019 Chapter I Sgt. Wilber W. Eakins T/5 John R. McKenzie Sgt. Clyde G. Rawdon T/5 Leon F. Hawkins Sgt. Philip H. Brown T/5 Louis W. Winchester Sgt. Leon R. Condren T/5 Paul J. Schieffer Sgt. Wayne R. Rowden T/5 Lewis M. Sutton Sgt. Leo R. Moore Sgt. Charles J. Woltkamp The above group moved into an area removed from the divisional area at Barkeley and set about drawing equipment and o moved into an area removed from the divisional area at Barkeley and set about drawing equipment and organizing the nucleus for the Battalion that was to be. Lieutenant Greenhaw was promoted to Captain shortly thereafter. On April 24th twenty officers from Camp Joseph T. Robinson reported for duty with the Battalion. The original personnel assignments had 10 officers and 18 enlisted men in Headquarters Company with lst Lt.McGxann commanding the Company, "A" Company with four officers and 14 EM under 2nd Lt.