Hello, I have a question and if this is not allowed just let me know. My grandfather's uncle served in the Army in World War 2. He was in the 318th Infantry 80th Division. I'm not sure if he was killed in action on February 7, 1945 or on January 13, 1945. He was in battle in January. I was reading about him and he was awarded a Silver Star and Purple Heart for a battle that occurred on January 13, 1945 in Luxembourg. Would he have been in the Battle of the Bulge? I'm trying to learn more about him and keep his memory alive. He died so young. It says that he was buried in Hamm, Luxembourg on February 7.
You can request his records from the military, they will provide you with far more detail. It may be a little slow due to the COVID situation, but they're usually very good with this.https://www.usa.gov/military-records
You can also get unit histories, situation reports and maps. The 80th Division has a substantial portion of their archives online here:
. . . they would also be good people to contact in researching further.
the 318th December report is here:
http://www.80thdivision.com/AfterActionReports/318thInfReg_UnitHistory_DEC44.pdf
. . . but there is no January or February report.
The 318th did take part in the Battle of the Bulge . . . the December report and other documents have detail down to company level, if you know or can find that out. They also have casualty lists, you may find his name there.
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I just recently requested my great uncle's military records. It wasn't too bad.
I sent an email to the National Archives. They sent me a form in the mail. I filled it out and paid 70 bucks, and got his service records less than a month later.
Just so you know, yes, your Grandfather's uncle fought in the Bulge and the Silver Star is not an insignificant medal (I would use the term "war hero" to describe someone who earned it). The Purple Heart is awarded for being wounded or killed in combat. If you request his records you can see if he has multiple Purple Hearts. He might have been wounded on January 13th, but then returned to the frontlines and was KIA on February 7th.
Without his records it's impossible to say. So please request them and I can help you figure them out.
Hi there!
You might find the AskHistorians guide to finding military records useful.
As another user has already noted, the Covid-19 situation might result in delays, so allow for more time than you would otherwise expect when contacting archives and institutions.
The 80th Infantry division had a fine combat record in WWII and was indeed campaigning in Luxembourg in January 1945. If you go to the unit histories page of the 80th ID website:
http://www.80thdivision.com/WebArchives/UnitHistories.html
and the After Action Reports page:
http://www.80thdivision.com/WebArchives/AAReports.html
you can see the official typed reports of what the individual sub-units of the 80th ID were up to. Sadly, the entry for the 318th regiment for January 1945 is missing from both of these! You could probably contact the webmasters with your relative's name and they might be able to help you.
As an aside, the Battle of the Bulge was over by then, so it is likely that your relative perished in one of the small engagements that every war is so full of. Best of luck.
edit: somehow, I missed u/amp1212 's thorough response. Sorry about that.