Looking for information about a WW II veteran?

Which of the following best describes your situation?:

I don't know what unit the veteran served with

If you are just starting your search, you need to find out at a minimum what unit he served with. For some great pointers about how to start your search, see Wes Johnston's "Dad's War" web site at:

http://members.aol.com/dadswar/index.htm

I can't help you with this type of information, and can't respond to these queries.

I know the unit, but it's not related to the 6th Armored Division

If you know the unit the veteran served with, and it's unrelated to the 6th Armored Division, go to Military-Network.com and click on "Association Lists" at the left. Or go directly to:

http://www.military-network.com/ben/Associationmenu.cfm

Ben's listing on Military-network.com is an amazingly comprehensive list of military alumni associations which represents much time and effort.

I can't help you with this type of information, and can't respond to these queries.

I think the veteran served with the 6th Armored Division; it was the 6th something-or-other...

Many army units had similar sounding designations that can confuse people just starting their research. We often get queries from people actually looking for:

  • 6th Army, which fought in the Pacific
  • 6th Army Group, which fought in Europe but was a totally different unit
  • 6th Armored Regiment, or its 6th Armored Infantry Battalion, which served with the 1st Armored Division, and which saw much combat in Africa and Italy before the 6th Armored Division ever set foot in Europe. See http://natsec0.tripod.com/1st-armored-div/index.html for their alumni organization.

    I know that the veteran served with the 6th Armored Division in WW II

    The good news is, you've come to the right spot. The bad news is, the Sixth Armored Division Association formally disbanded in September, 2000 after more than 50 years.

    However, if you have some specific information, such as battalion or company designation within the 6th Armored Division, you can try sending e-mail to

    ?super6th at verizon period net

    Remove question mark and use common sense when reconstructing the email address below when sending mail. This address routes your query to an informal network of people associated with the 6th Armored Division who MIGHT recognize the name and who MIGHT be able to respond to you.

    Note: we are not some kind of personal research bureau and we have no access to government records and there is no master roster of everybody who served in the Division, and we can't tell you why your grandfather won his Bronze Star Medal. The best we can do is see if somebody recognizes the name and maybe (maybe) put you in touch with somebody who knew your serviceman.

    Remember, something like 20,000 men had served with the Division by the time it was deactivated in 1945, and only a few hundred are still around in contact with each other. But we've had some good luck with previous queries.

    Remember: the "6th Armored Division" is completely unrelated to units with similar designations like "6th Army" or "6th Armored Infantry". See the section above for more information.

    Sorry if some of this sounds a little harsh, but you wouldn't believe the number of requests we get like "I THINK MY UNCLE WAS WITH PATTEN SEND ME ALL HIS DETAILS HE GOT A MEDAL HOW COME?" And some aren't from trolls.

    So...do a little research on your own first, try to narrow down your query to something specific, and who knows? Maybe you'll find somebody who knew your father or grandfather or uncle or brother in 1944.

    I know that the veteran served with the 6th Armored Division, but in the 1950s, at Fort Leonard Wood.

    Sorry, but this Cold War training unit was completely unrelated to the World War II unit except in name. It was reactivated for a few years in the 1950s, and we just don't know much about it or the people who served with it. We get a couple of queries per year, so there is some interest out there. Hopefully, somebody who served with that unit will create a web site and serve as a contact point. But we can't help you with any info. Sorry.

    The veteran was Killed in Action in Europe

    Note: links fixed 13-JUN-2007. The original ABMC links on this page expired some time ago and the URLs were snapped up by an unscrupulous company with no connection to the Commission. If you visited this page before and wondered about the site that you were directed to, it was because the links changed underneath us.

    The American Battle Monuments Commission has placed their database on the web, so it is now possible to find the resting place of soldiers buried in Europe by visiting: 

    
http://www.abmc.gov/search/wwii.php

    These listings include unit designations, which are invaluable for further research.

    We also have scans of printouts of the 6th Armored Division casualties known to be buried in Europe. These scans are at: 

    
http://www.super6th.org/cemeteries

    Unfortunately the quality of the originals was not good enough to convert into text, so these documents are not searchable, but you are free to browse the info they contain. Thanks to Vince Gish (25th Armored Engineer Battalion) for acquiring this information and making it available to this web site.

    And finally, if it was your own father who was KIA, I strongly recommend that you visit the AWON (American War Orphans Network) site at:

    http://www.awon.org/

    Email information

    Remove the question mark and use common sense when reconstructing the email address:?super6th at verizon period net.

    NOTE: If you do send me email asking about the 212th FA or 6th AD, and I send you an answer, please have the courtesy to acknowledge the answer.

    Last updated: June 13, 2007

    placekeeper