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36th (Texas) Infantry Division, US Army
2nd Dec 1943 In Action
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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Want to know more about 36th (Texas) Infantry Division, US Army? There are:0 items tagged 36th (Texas) Infantry Division, US Army available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Cloyd "Doc" Brown 142nd Infantry Regiment  This is the full story that went with this photo from my grandfather:
"I went through bits and pieces of this 50+ year old story. I went through the Italian campaigns - Sicily, Naples, Santa Maria, Anzio Beach, Rapido River, Salerno, Rome, Florence.
Then invasion so to France, Frajtes Beach, I was captured on the 30th of August1944 at 3:30 am, in the Rhone Valley outside Valeure, France.
I was a machine gunner (30 caliber water cooled) CO. M. 142 INF 36th Division. Held in France six weeks; put in box car to Stalag 12A Limburg, Germany. Wound up in the prison hospital five days later with pneumonia.
After I was released I was again loaded onto boxcar “40 ton car.†Locked in for 14 days. Wound up in Neubrandenburg Germany, Stalag IIA on the Baltic Sea. There I stayed till liberated by Russians in April ’45.
I escaped once, Ray Vanarsdale, Frenchie Thibadeaux and myself. Were caught 20 days later. Put in city jail til German guards came and got us. We evaded the guards when this young German soldier took us up through the compound. (Lucky).
The picture of Ray, Frenchie, Henry Morris, Rohland Stager and myself and the horse and buggy we stole five days after the Russians left. We stole a camera, too to take pictures and map. We travelled 11 days hiding out in barns, etc. We ran into the 82nd Airborne Headquarters on the 11th day. They deloused us, burnt our clothes and gave us uniforms and we were on an Army plane within 50 minutes. Taken to Le Havre, France Army Hospital."
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Pvt. Jimmie S. Hill Coy L. 142nd Infantry Regiment  Private Jimmie S. Hill, Jr was my uncle. He served in the 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Texas Infantry Division, 5th US Army. He was in the 3rd Platoon of Company L. He landed on Salerno beach on September 9, 1943. He landed in the first wave on Red Beach on the extreme left of assault.
After securing their landing site, his platoon was directed to proceed to the Sele River to secure the bridge. The squad proceeded towards the bridge. Since they were lightly armed, they had to take cover as German tanks drove down the road. When they were within 200 yards of the bridge, their group held up. PFC Orby Ledbetter and one other soldier was sent to scout out the bridge. The Germans had machine guns around the bridge. Further up the road was a tank battalion hidden under a group of 40-foot high trees. Beyond the Sele River was another battalion of tank and half-tracks. Before they could report back to their lieutenant, a column of 17 tanks and 32 half-tracks over-ran them and their company. They were taken captive about 7:00pm.
After spending the night in the area, they were trucked to Naples and put on a train. They were carried to Northern Italy without any stops or any food. Once they stopped, the Germans gave them some food and Pvt Jimmie Hill ate some apples that made him sick. Upon arrival at Stalag IIB, Pvt. Hill was placed in the infirmary. When he recovered, he discovered that the rest of his platoon was moved to another POW Camp but Pvt. Hill remained at Stalag IIb.
In 1945, when the Germans moved them on the Death March, Pvt. Hill managed to jump off the trail and hide in the shadows. He was rescued by some local Poles. He survived the war and returned home. He eventually married and had 7 children.
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Pvt. Harold L. Thompson 2nd Btn. G Coy. 141st Infantry Regiment Harold Thompson enlisted in the U.S. Army on 24th of November 1942 at the age of 20. He served in G Company, 2nd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment in the 36th Infantry Division. He had spent some time in North Africa for additional training before he would fight in Italy.
His baptism of fire occurred around 0330 on 9th of September 1943 on the beach at Salerno, Italy during Operation Avalanche. In the weeks that followed, Harold and the 141st Infantry Regiment fought up Highway 6 to Monte Cassino. By January 1944, the 36th Infantry Division was at the vicinity of San Angelo. Harold was fighting in a battle known as the Battle of Rapido River at the time of his capture. This battle took place from 20th of January through 22nd of January 1944, when he was reported as missing in action. Harold was one of approximately 770 men captured at the Rapido River. Harold would spend 503 days in captivity at Stalag IV-B.
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