Click on the image for full-size image.

Lt. Col. Ira G. Wagner, Jr. was announced as Division Surgeon in 7AD GO #42 (17 Aug 1942). He was apparently replaced by Lt. Col. Hugh B. Disharoon, whose death was announced in 7AD GO #31 (22 Aug 1943). So Col. Wagner apparently did not sail to Europe with 7AD.

Mike Sessions of Essex, England found the bag for sale in 2011 in a military antique shop in Battlesbridge, England and has no other information about where the bag was originally found.

Click on the image for full-size image.

Pvt. Theodore W. Erdman of Sheboygan, Wisconsin was killed 29 October 1944 in the vicinity of Liesel, Netherlands, during the German counter-attack through Meijel that began 27 October 1944.

Niek Hendrix discovered that a collector had Erdman's helmet and was able to purchase it from him in October 2010. Unfortunately, there is no information about where the helmet was originally found.

Click on the image for full-size image.

Capt. Dudley J. Britton was the company commander of Company "B" of 23rd Armored Infantry Battalion when B/23 from September 1943 until 1 September 1944, when he was sent sick to an evacuation hospital. On 16 November 1944, at Ekkelrode, Netherlands, he returned from the 8th Convalescent Hospital to duty and to command of B/23.

On 15 August 1944, B/23 was given a mission of circling around Chartres, France from the southwest and then attacking north into the city from the south. However, their maps were not adequate, and when they reached the point where they were supposed to turn left (north), they turned right and drove many miles to the south until they were ambushed at the town of Marboué with heavy casualties and loss of vehicles.

In August 2009, area WWII historian Jean-Pierre Noeljean sent the above photograph. The bag had been found -- in excellent condition -- in an old house at Marboué.

Click on the image for full-size image.

On 15 September 1944, at Vittonville, France, three men of Company "C" of 23rd Armored Infantry Battalion went Missing in Action, though that was not officially recognized until 18 September. One of those men was Pfc. Kyle Galyean. C/23 had experienced heavy artillery the entire day, with some small arms opposition. C/23 had a mission to cross the Moselle River that day and move on. There is no record of who recovered his remains, but he was apparently not recovered until 22 or 23 September - a week after he had been killed. He was buried at the temporary US Military Cemetery at Andilly, France. His sister Blanche Jennings was his next of kin, and she decided that his final resting place should be in France. Thus in July 1947, he was exhumed and reburied in the permanent Lorraine US Military Cemetery at St. Avold, France.

In October 2008, area WWII historian Jean Laurent found a US soldier's helmet near Vittonville and contacted 7th Armored Division Association Historian & Web Master Wesley Johnston, sending the above two photographs. The key to identifying the helmet is on the strap at the back of the helmet, where G-4483 can still be seen faintly. Soldiers would identify their belongings by using the first letter of their last name and the last four digits of their Army Serial Number. Kyle Galyean's serial number was 34 254 483. So Wesley Johnston's search of his files for the G-4483 combination very quickly revealed that it was Kyle Galyean's helmet. Once Jean Laurent learned that Kyle Galyean was buried at St. Avold, he adopted his grave to become the caretaker to honor the memory and sacrifice of Kyle Galyean.

Clearly the hole in the back of the helmet is ominous. The exact cause of Kyle Galyean's death was never determined. However, the condition of his remains was recorded when he was exhumed for transfer to his final burial. And they bear testimony to a sudden violent death: "Crushed skull. All major bones fractured and/or missing, except left humerus, right radius and left radius, left ulna and right ulna, and left clavicle."

Click on the image for full-size image.

The bag was found by a citizen of Château-Gontier (20 miles south of Laval, France) who found the bag shortly after the August 7, 1944 libertaion of Château-Gontier by the 5th Infantry Division. 7th Armored Division did not come ashore in France until August 10-11. The Division passed rapidly through Laval on August 13, enroute to Evron and Ste. Suzanne, northeast of Laval. There is no record of any element of 7th Armored Division being south of Laval at all and definitely not by 20 miles. So it is almost certainly the case that the bag was not lost at Château-Gontier but more likely at Laval. It could, of course, have been brought from Laval to Château-Gontier after it was found, then discarded, and then found again. We will probably never know.

A French citizen now has the bag, and asked Alexis Boban to find out about it. So we can thank Alexis Boban for the photographs and the information that he has provided about the bag.

Luther Wilmer survived the war but was lucky to do so. Within a month and a half after going through Laval, he had survived not just one but two tragic actions that took the lives of his buddies.

On September 1, 1944 -- just 19 days after passing through Laval, just before they reached Verdun, France, an 88mm German shell hit the trees, causing a tree burst, while the men were dismounted from their half-track. They were chased back to the half-track by German machine gun fire. Luther Wilmer, the half-track driver, drove the half-track 40 mph (very fast for a half-track), and another German tree burst hit in front of them. Then just as they reached the spot where it had hit, another tree burst hit the same location. Pfc. George McClure and Pvt. Joseph Pozolante were killed, and Platoon Leader, Lt. Sweeney who was in the machine gun turret atop the half-track, was wounded. Leroy Selhorst, who told the story of this action in 2006, was also wounded.

The last day of September 1944 saw Luther Wilmer surviving the second action. C/23 woke up at Deurne, Netherlands. During the morning, they moved about 15 miles to St. Anthonis. In the afternoon, they were part of the 7th Armored Division attack southward toward Overloon into completely unfamiliar terrain, defended by a well-entrenched enemy who had had the luxury of several days to build their position. Squad Leader S/Sgt. Raymond Hill did not survive the day, and Pvt. Ludwig and Pvt. Johnson were wounded.

Click on the image for full-size image.

Max E. Birnell is believed to have been in 31st Tank Battalion, although no other information has been found for him yet.

Bertrand Elias of Belgium found the dogtags on a farm near St. Vith, Belgium in 2011.

On 4 November 2010, Robbie Kerver found the bracelet of S/Sgt. Louis M. Slanina at Overloon, Netherlands. He tried to locate him, but he had died in 2009. But Robbie was able to found Louis Slanina's daughter to let her know about the bracelet.

Click on the image for full-size image.

Jean-Marc Tabard, president of the organization Sillegny and the Lucky Seventh found the dogtag by a bunker in the woods just east of Marieulles, France in November 2011. The approximate coordinates are not yet established, but it was in the vicinity of 48°59'58.76"N, 6° 7'3.11"E (click on the link and then scroll the map so that you can see the green arrow at the next road north of the red A). Thus far, the unit of R. M. Beach has not yet been established, but it was probably 7th Armored Division, and the dogtag was probably lost in mid-September 1944.

Click on the image for full-size image.

This partially burned 1941 U. S. Army Song Book was found in the area of St. Vith in May 1985. The owner is not known, so that it may or may not have been owned by a 7AD man. Obtained May 2011 by Niek Hendrix of Ospel, Netherlands