Hello historians! My grandfather never spoke of his time during WW2 with either my mother or aunt, and I was never old/mature enough to talk with him about it while he was alive. I've posted an album with the only things we have from his time in the army. The things I know are that he was part of Co. M 30th Inf(of the 3rd infantry division I believe), he was a heavy machine gunner(605), he was wounded on 15 March 1944(Italy), and 7 Sep 1944(France), and he arrived somewhere in the European Theater of Operations on 21 Oct 1943. I've researched some of the patches but never understood how or why he had multiple different ones. What weapon/gear would a heavy machine gunner carry? What battles could he have taken place in? I have a few shells that my mother says he got from a beach in Africa, and some plates/dishes he got somewhere in Germany. According to the campaigns on his discharge sheet(Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, and Southern France), it doesn't seem like he would've been to either place. If anyone has the ability to help me out and clear some of these things up, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hello there! As your question is related to looking for identification/information regarding military personnel, our Guide on Military Identification may be of use to you. It provides a number of different resources, including how to request service records from a number of national agencies around the world, as well as graphical aids to assist in deciphering rank, unit, and other forms of badges or insignia. While the users here may still be able to lend you more assistance, hopefully this will provide a good place to start!