I am including here an excerpt from my father's recollections of his wartime service, which he wrote in the late 1970s. I would be interested in any leads that anyone has on other recollections of 117/C's desperate fight at St. Barthelemy on August 6-8. My father was Robert J. Kenney (1921-2005).

"About midday [on August 8], a little after noon, all hell broke loose. It seemed that the enemy had us in their sights and were raining heavy mortar fire down on us with regularity. All of the trees and tops of the hedgerows were stripped by the devastating enemy fire. The sergeant and lieutenant dived into a foxhole to wait out the storm. I looked around and my hole was taken; I ripped off my knapsack (an action which later could have cost my life) laid my gun against the hedgerow and squeezed in with two other GIs who were digging like burrows for China. The shelling kept up throughout the whole field. On several occasions, we slipped out, fired a few rounds and then dived back into the hole. This hole was deep -- thank God. The only damage I suffered was a shell fragment wound in my hand. On many occasions, we started out only to be beaten back by the mortar barrage.

The enemy obviously had us accurately in their sights and were softening us up for the kill. At about 2:30, just as quickly as it started, the shelling seemed to stop, I started out of my hole and was reaching for my gun when I looked up at the lieutenant in front of me. He had his hands in the air. I looked beyond him and saw three Germans with machine pistols aimed in our direction. I don't know what I would have done if I could have reached my gun or had my rifle with me when the Germans appeared."

Hi Bill: It seemed that your indication was that this was a FA Bn. That is why I said that it did not exist. Yes, as an Automatic Anti Aircraft (AAA) Unit, yes it did exist.

Orgamized on 20 Jan '43 at Camp Davis, NC as a separate Bn. From NY POE 29 Sept. '44; Landed in France - ETO 10 Oct. '44; Participated in the Ardennes, Central Europe & Rhineland Campaigns Ended service in ETO at Braunfels, Germany. Ret'd to Cp. Kilmer NJ on 2 Jan '46. This is all that I can find on htis unit. YUou might try to contact the center for Military History at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. They have an extensive library on the history of all units, and they may have sometihng of historical interest to you. However, no connection to the 30th at any time. You can contasct me further at: towersfw@windstream.net

Frank W. Towers, President, Historian & Editor 30th Inf. Div. Veterans of WWII

Dear Mr. Bouzan: A 639th FA Bn was never attached to the 30th Inf. Div. In fact, I find no record of a 639th FA Bn. Are you sure this is a correct unit designation?

Please send your picture of the 743rd Co A members. My Uncle might be in it.

John Warner PO Box 345 Melvin Village, NH 03850

E-mail: Hootervil1@aol.com

Hi . For the people who are interested in receiving a picture of the 743rd Co A Members; I can send the picture . The 743rd was in my town in september 1944 and liberated my village with the 30th Inf Division . Vincent Heggen belgium

My Uncle was in A Co, 743rd. I have a letter from Sgt. Henry Welch, written to my Uncle on August 1, 1945. He mentions getting a 7 day furlough with Red Williamson. They went to the Riviera, had fun, and had alot of trouble getting back to the outfit when the furlough was over. Want a copy of the letter?

Rob, While you are on the www.indianamilitary.com website read some of the after action reports and combat journal entries concerning the 119th. These will tell you where the reg was fighting on any specific date. You got to remeber that these guys were fighting for their lives. The 106th Div had already been overrun and people and platoons were shuffled from one bn to the next as the reg G3 saw fit. That is why on the casualty list so many are noted as "unknown company." The company 1st Sgt's got wouded or killed and no one took the time to write down peoples names. That is why my cousin is not attributed to any specific company even though he was listed as a member of the 119th Inf Reg. Glen C Bosman's brother Phillip had been a meber of the 422nd Inf of the 106th Inf Div and had been in one of the first units to get overrun by the Germans in Dec 1944. He evaded and escaped and avoided capture, but the experience haunted him for the rest of his life.

Rob, Go To http://www.indianamilitary.org/30TH/SoThinkMenu/30thSTART.htm and click on 30th infantry it will open a menu that allows you to access their casualty list. Open the 119th and it will give you all the functioning companies of the 119th at that time. You will find Isaac under the casualties and it will list him as SSg, killed in dec 44 and also he will be attributed to HQ Company. It does not state which Bn. But from the beginning of the BotB all HQ Companies were combined into a Provisional Company for the duration of Dec 44 and early Jan. 1945

Hi ; Hq, 1st Bn was in Targnon ; vincent

Sorry. . . Mr. Hegen sent the map, AAR, etc.