This web site reproduces the text and the photographs of The History of the 212th AFA in the E.T.O. , a battalion history compiled by Lt. Elmer Gruber in Germany during the occupation, and published in Cincinnati shortly after he returned home. ( Louie Whitlow's site covers the 212th's post WW II history.)
The 212th is noteworthy because its story is so representative of what our parents and grandparents experienced between 1941 and 1945. The men of the 212th were not gung-ho professional army types: when Pearl Harbor was attacked, most were civilians trying to live their lives the best they could, going to school, getting jobs, paying bills, raising families, or raising hell. The last thing most of them wanted or expected was to be thrown into the middle of a war. But that's where they ended up when their National Guard unit was assigned to Federal service. During their 10 months of almost continuous action in campaigns like Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, they earned unit citations and medals for valor, some posthumously, and helped bring the war in Europe to an end. They were common guys who, by fate, ended up contributing to one of the most uncommon military actions in history: Patton's race across Europe.
A note about terminology: These pages reflect some World War II terms that contemporary readers may find confusing. First is the word "peep", which was one of several names used in World War II for what later became standardized as the "Jeep". Second is the prefix "Armored" used in battalion designations. While serving with the 6th Armored Division, the 212th was known as an "Armored Field Artillery Battalion", and the title of the battalion's official history is "History of the 212th AFA". At other times, the battalion was simply referred to as the "212th FA". Both styles are used interchangeably throughout these pages.
History
of the 212th AFA in the ETO (European Theatre of Operations).
Color
campaign map of the 6th Armored. Hi-res copies available for downloading.
6th
Armored Division Assoc. Home Page.
Information
about the 212th FA and 6th Armored Division veterans' associations.
Personal
notes about this web site
This page has been visited times
since September 20, 1996.
 This site belongs to Bruce Frederick Want to join the The Field Artillery "King of Battle" Web Ring? |
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