KIA Purple Heart - Normandy - July 09, 1944

[Guest Darrell]

Another Normandy KIA. July 09, 1944 to a Raymond M. Hart of the 331st Infantry Regiment - 83rd Division. He was likely killed in the battles near Sainteny.

The medal came with the patch of the 83rd division as well as 35 pages of the IDPF.

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Here are some details of the Division and where it was fighting around the time of Hart's death.

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The 83rd had three infantry regiments, the 329th, the 330th, and the 331st. They spent 244 days in combat and suffered 23,980 casualties, 15,248 of which were combat casualties. Overall, the division had 170.2 percent replacements. Of the 68 divisions deployed by the U.S. Army in the European Theater, the 83rd was ninth in the number of combat deaths. The number of 83rd Division GIs killed in combat totaled 3,620. The odds were that if you were on the front line, you probably wouldn't make it home in one piece, if at all.

Normandy

The 83rd was held in reserve until after D-Day, and entered France on 21 through 24 June. They landed across Omaha Beach and took over defensive positions near Carentan, where they relieved the 101st Airborne around the end of the month. Stephen Ambrose, in his book "Band Of Brothers," quotes one of the men of the 101st Airborne about the arrival of the 83rd. He said they were "so clean looking, with a full compliment of men in each unit. Even the paint on their helmets looked as if they had just been unpacked." That would soon change.

When the 83rd Division landed across Omaha Beach in June 1944, James Shonak was Captain of Anti-Tank Company/331st Infantry. Col. Shonak recalls those brutal days in a series of letters, which for the first time tell the true horror of warfare in the Normandy hedgerows: "God we lost a lot of men. My worst nightmares are still in those rows."

Map--From Carentan To COBRA

On 4 July, the 83rd Division left Carentan and moved south toward Sainteny, a short march of about four miles that quickly turned into a six-day battle claiming over 1,400 casualties in the first 24 hours. By the time Sainteny was taken on 10 July, that number multiplied to 3,264.

On the first day, the 83rd jumped off along the Carentan-Periers road, with the entire division artillery in support. In the 331st, the 2nd and 3rd battalions jumped off abreast at 0445 hours from the vicinity of Meautis. The assault against the German 17th SS Division and 6th Parachute Regiment was slow and costly. They fought their way through swamps that the Germans created by flooding the fields. The Germans knew the routes that the 83rd would have to take, and from concealed positions dug beneath the hedgerows, they ranged in on the advancing GIs with mortars and artillery. While the 2nd Battalion of the 331st was attacking south, the 2nd Battalion of the 329th Infantry was attacking west to an "island" in the swamp.

The next day the rest of the 329th entered the line, smashed through almost a mile to capture Coulot, and eased the pressure against the left of the line where the 330th had repelled repeated enemy counterattacks. Then, German attempts to organize tank-supported counterattacks were shattered by the 83rd's field artillery battalions. Engineers picked their way through mine fields and booby traps to clear the way. At times they had to blast supply routes through the hedges. Tanks, tank destroyers and armored infantry aided the attack. Casualties were heavy. Fallen GIs were replaced by new men, and they pushed on to take Hotot on 7 July.

They advanced toward the Taute River while rain soaked the earth and drenched their already muddy fatigues. On 8 July, they fought through hedgerows to the village of Auxais, and finally on the 10th, the 331st captured Sainteny after an attack supported by fire from 19 artillery battalions. By 15 July, the 83rd had regrouped along the Ays River.

[Guest Darrell]

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NARA File:>

[Guest Darrell]

Monuments Commission Site:

[Guest Darrell]

4 pages of the 35 Total that came with the IPDF File:

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Edited December 4, 2008 by Darrell

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Page 3:

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Page 4:

[scottplen]

Darrell

Thats a sweat ph !!! to a brave soldier !!

[Paul R]

Well laid out presentation!! Thanks Darrell!!

[Guest Darrell]

Thanks guys.

[robert39]

Darrell,

Nicely done and excellent research !

Regards,

_________

Robert

Edited December 8, 2008 by robert39

[Guest Darrell]

Thanks to Nicolas's efforts, I managed to get a couple of pictures of Hart's grave in France. Rounds out the presentation well.

[Guest Darrell]

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