February 1st, 1944 – Roi Namur Islands in the Kwajalein Atoll. American forces land from inside the lagoon while large ships provide cover fire. Up close to the beaches are the gunboats of LCI Flotilla 3 that will prove to be the most battle-tested and blooded of all LCI Flotillas. Their valor would earn them a place with the Victory Fleet in Tokyo Bay at the surrender. – National Archives
Members of three tank crews which fought in Egypt against General Rommel, were still vitally interested in the news from that sector when they stopped at Fort Knox, Kentucky to report to Major General Jacob Devers, Chief of the Armored Force on July 20, 1942.
Here they are, just after eating their first “hot dogs” since they left this country on a 28,000 mile round trip. These men were at Tobruk the day before it fell, battled side by side with the British and Australians.
Left to Right – first row, Sgt Stuart McCann, Madison, CT; Sgt Gerard Legasso, Rocking Beach, NY; Staff Sgt William Z. Fralish, Ariton AL; Sgt Roy Clough, Chelmsford, MD; Cpl Carl (illegible entry); SECOND ROW – PFC Clarence F. Green, Coldwater, OH; FC Paul Monroe, Indianapolis, IN; Cpl Martin Johnson, NY City, NY; Cpl William H. Norman, Hosston, LA; Cpl Henry Parko, Johnstown, NY; Cpl Clifford Disbrow, Elizabethtown, NJ; Pfc Arthur Stratton, Fulton, NY; Cpl James Mont-(picture is cut off) – National Archives
11 September 1944 – Belgians gather to watch troops of the 120th Infantry Regiment march down the road on their way to take another town in Belgium, Eben-Emeal, which lies along the road ahead.
Side Note – COGG’s Vice President Dennis Blocker is the Great Grandson of Pfc Frank Soben who served in the 120th through France, Holland, Belgium and then on into Aachen, Germany where he was killed in action on 27 October 1944. Pfc Soben might be one of the soldiers in this photograph.
3 July 1944 – Photograph from a Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger of the Escort Carrier USS White Plains (CVE-66). In the background is the island of Saipan. The coastal craggy cliffs of Marpi Point can be seen at bottom. This was the site of the mass suicide of hundreds if not thousands of Japanese civilians.