Hoping for some help here. The 327 moved from Montmarten en Graignes to Meautis, with 3 BN (401 1BN) arriving 1st. There was fighting up and down the line stretching from NW of Meautis to SE with that village being about in the middle. The front was about 2400 yards wide. The hottest action was on the SE side where Co G was next to the 501. On the 17th, G Co attempted to push out the line and suffered 8 KIA and 2 MIA (POWs). Frank Delarosa (friend of Don's) was never seen again. Does anyone know the area especially La Chenay? Delarosa was in a building and the squad had to pull back leaving Frank in the building. Frank was the scout. For those that read my book, this is actually when Henry Proppe was KIA. Done was not correct (one of the few things he got wrong). Also He got Frank and Eugene Feathers mixed up. He thought Frank died when Eugene died (both were minorities and scouts). Anyway, here are documents of the MIA including 501. Co B was on G's Right flan. G was on the 327 left flank. 501 was to G's left. All 3 units were involved. What I'm asking is if anyone knows the area and knows which buildings were involved at La Chaney. [attachment=227][attachment=228][attachment=229][attachment=230][attachment=231]
Hi Kevin, Almost certainly in my view, the house described in the report as being at 'La Chonay' is one of the properties at the hamlet shown on present day IGN mapping as 'La Chenaie' - possibly even the house owned by the French author of the book 'Roads Without Birds', Raoul Dujardin! See the map in my post here, with my suspect location for Raoul's house circled blue (only a hunch). Hope this helps, Pat
Pat, that story is fascinating. How did the story end? On a side note, your comment about the Red Cross near Deville... Co F on June 12 was coming down the road from the north to Deville. They were right of the road and E was on the left. As they kicked off the attack at the RR tracks, E's Capt Hamblin had a shell take his head off and his body was still standing. F Co swung west and attacked Deville from the west. E Co kept pressure from the north. Major Stubblefield the Exec Officer of 2nd BN was kiled in a field just north of Deville. An E platoon broke off and with Col Rouzie of 2nd BN, they went to assist 1 BN at Montmarten en Graignes. Colonel Rouzie's personal story of the situation is very compelling. He was very insecure about the attack. Exhausted he fell down along a fence and there was Brig Gen Cota from the 29th. Also Tom Niland was shot off a SPG north of Deville that had come over from Omaha and joined with the 327. They were lost.
Hi Kevin, I need to get going on that thread again, but in a nutshell the family had to keep falling back with the German line. They eventually returned home, but not before a lot more grief had befallen them. Incidentally, have a look at the map on this page showing the 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Division attack on what they termed 'The Island' on the 4th July. The 'island' is in fact the ground protruding into the marshes (hence not an island) on which stands Raffoville Farm. In reading the account of the battle, it is unclear exactly when the farm was liberated, but my guess would be that the family would not have survived intact had the Germans allowed them to stay. Regards, Pat