Soldier in dentist chair with Dental Officer Cpt. Michael Balistrella administering the necessary assistance.
Four medics from a Tank Destroyer unit. The officer on the far left has been identified as Cpt. Robert J. Arendt. The officer on the far right is Cpt. Michael Balistrella.
Officers of the 6th TD Grp at mess time. Location is Binnegar Hall, Wareham, Dorset, England. Soldiers are as follows, starting at far right and then around back. Col. Logan Berry, Lt. Col. Neil Hein, Maj. Russell Newbury, Cpt. Durward Varner, Cpt. Allen W. Rodeheffer, Lt. Gerald B. Kirkpatrick, Unknown, Chaplain Daniel L. Pfeilschifter, Chaplain Russell B. Richardson and Maj. Truman Alford. Photo identifies that Martin, Balistrella, Arendt and Johnson were missing.
Here is another photo of the officers eating in Binnegar Hall. Not sure if this photo was a differnet date or just a different time during the same meal. Photo courtesy of the Robert J. Arendt family.
Soldiers with mother and child.
Officers left to right - Lt. Col. Neil F. Hein, Cpt. Durward B. Varner and Maj. Russell H. Newbury.
Aquitania leaving Southhampton, England on Sept 9th , 1945 with 8000 America troops. The HQ Co. 6th Tank Destroyer Group shipped out from New York on January 29, 1944 and arrived at the Firth of Clyde on February 5, 1944.
Aquatania.
The Aquitania as she would have looked during WWII. Flag Builder was John Brown & Company of Clydebank, Scotland. She was owned by the Cunard Line of Liverpool, England. She was launched on Apr. 21, 1913 and her maiden voyage was on May 30, 1914. Her length was 901 feet and her gross tons were 45,647. Speed was 23 knots and she could carry 3,230 passengers. She was the only four funnel liner to serve in both world wars and the last four funnel ship in service. She was scrapped in 1950. Photo courtesy of MaritimeQuest.com
Aquitania arriving at Southampton, England on September 4, 1945. It was one of the few ships that would make the crossing alone. Most sea crossings were done as a group for safety but the Aquitania’s 23 knot top speed was a match for almost any enemy vessel. You may recognize her two sister ships, the Mauretania and the Lusitania. The Lusitania had been sunk in WWI. All three ships were part of the Canard line of luxury cruise ships. Many such liners were converted during war times to serve as hospital, troop and supply ships. At the end of WWII, the Aquitania was returned to the Canard line having steamed over 500,000 miles and carrying 300,000 troops. Photo courtesy of MaritimeQuest.com
Robert Haldeman at Fort Jackson, SC in his tan uniform.
Lt. Col. Neil Hein kneeling second from left with Edward G. Chapman next on the right.
11 May 1945 American Generals who helped pave the way to victory in Europe gather at 12th Army Group headquarters, Bad Wildungen, Germany. Seated in front are left to right: LTG William H. Simpson, CG Ninth Army; General George S. Patton, CG Third Army; General Carl A. Spaatz, CG USATAF; General Dwight D. Eisenhower Supreme Allied Commander; General Omar N. Bradley, CG 12th Army Group; General Courtney H. Hodges, CG First Army; and LTG Leonard T. Gerow, CG 15th Army. Standing in the rear are left to right: BG Ralph F. Staarley, CG IX Tactical Air Command; LTG Hoyt S. VanderBerg, CG 9th Air Force; LTG Walter B. Smith, Chief of Staff; SHAEF, MG Otto P. Weiland, CG XIX Tactical Air Command; and BG Richard E. Nugent, CG XXIX Tactical Air Command. Note that Patton, Bradley and Hodges are all sporting four stars now.
Colonel Logan Carroll Berry, first commander of the HQ Co. 6th TD Group with a staff car. The photo was probably taken somewhere in England. Col. Berry was transferred to the 15th Cavalry Group during the Brittany campaign. He would go on to head the Tank Destroyer section of the 3rd Army under George S. Patton Jr.
Robert Haldeman at Fort Jackson, SC.
Hilda and Dwight Morrison. Photo courtesy of the Russell H. Newbury family.
Robert Haldeman at Fort Jackson, SC with brother Chester Haldeman.
Robert Haldeman receives a Bronze Star from his commanding officer. July 9th, 1945.
Rpbert Haldeman in theater portrait.
Robert Haldeman with girl.
Russell and Sandy Newbury with friend Dwight Morrison on left. Sadly, Major Dwight Morrison perished in the Winecoff Hotel fire, which took the lives of 119 guests. He was staying in room 1026 at the Winecoff, in Atlanta, GA while waiting for Russell to arrive home for a visit the next day. Dwight had survived sixty-five bombing missions over Europe only to die in a fire. He left behind a wife, Hilda, and a son born in February 1947, two months after the fire. Dwight Morrison was 26 and from Lumpkin, Ga. Pilot of B-26 nicknamed "Tobacco Road" during World War II. Photo courtesy of the Russell H. Newbury family.
Two enlisted men with some native girls.
Four soldiers on path. Photo courtesy of the Russell H. Newbury family.
Pioneer Company, 608th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Fort Jackson, SC. Taken May 5th, 1942. 1st Lt. Curtis H. Adams commanding. 2nd Lt. Charles B Herrington, 2nd in command. The 608th was deactivated and all members were transferred to one of the following units - 607th, 610th, 643rd and the 807th. My father, Robert Haldeman is standing in the 3rd row from the front, 8th from the left.
Here is a joke poster of two bums sitting on a bench which Kirkpatrick has labeled Johnson and Newbury who were the Intelligence (S2) and Operations (S3) personnel respectively. Photo courtesy of the Russell H. Newbury family.
Here are Johnson and Newbury sitting in the same pose as the poster. Photo courtesy of the Russell H. Newbury family.
Maj. Maldo Johnson standing on Brecon Beacon's Ridge, South Wales in March of 1944. This location was identified by Harry H. Morgan in his history of the 773rd TD Battalion as the place they had practiced indirect firing. Photo courtesy of the Russell H. Newbury family.
Maj. Russell Newbury standing on hill before an unknown city. Photo courtesy of the Russell H. Newbury family.
Maj. Russell Newbury standing at an unknown location with a monument labeled "Brennero Brenner". This monument is probably located on the Austrian end of the Brenner Pass. Brenner Pass (Italian: Passo del Brennero; German: Brennerpass) is a mountain pass through the Alps along the border between Italy and Austria, and is one of the principal passes of the Alps. It is the lowest (1,370 m) and easiest of the Alpine passes, and one of the few in the area. For that reason possession of the pass has long been coveted. Photo courtesy of the Russell H. Newbury family.
Maj. Russell Newbury and Maj. Maldo Johnson standing at an unknown location with a monument labeled "Brennero Brenner" marking some point along the Brenner Pass which runs between Austria and Italy. Photo courtesy of the Russell H. Newbury family.
Sgt. Robert Haldeman (nearest to bottom) looking up at the camera.
Portrait of now Colonel Neil F. Hein while he was stationed at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. He was commander of that facility from Dec. 17, 1961 to April 29, 1963. Special thanks to Ft McCoy for providing me with this photo.
Portrait of Durward Belmont Varner in 1975.
Maj. Gen. Alvan Gillem, commander of the XIII Corps in WWII.
Group of soldiers holding 6th Tank Destroyer Group Headquarters sign.
T4 Robert Haldeman holds the "Official" Headquarters 6th TD Group sign, in front of one of the units command posts. As much as possible, these would have been buildings that were taken over by the unit. I have a similar photo posted, which I believe was made from the same roll of film, but was brought home by my father. Photo courtesy of Dave Schoennoehl.
Edward "Eddie" Chapman on right. Unkown soldier on left.
Lt. Col. Hein on right with Dutch woman. Maj. Newbury had commented that she had fed them fresh eggs, which they hadn't had in months.
Unknown soldier sleep on couch.
Theater taken portrait of Maj. Truman Alford. Photo courtesy of the Truman Alford family.
Truman Alford in 1996. Photo courtesy of the Truman Alford family.
Brig. Gen. Herbert L. Earnest speaking with the troops of Task Force A, at the completion of their mission. The operation was to capture the railroad bridges on a path west toward Brest, France alnog the northern Brittany roads. A similar and clearer photo of the scene can be found in Jonathan Gawne's book Americans in Brittany - The Battle for Brest.
Honorable Discharge - T4 Sgt. Robert Haldeman.
Separation Record - T4 Sgt. Robert Haldeman.
Newspaper clipping in XIII Corps History book refering to Rest Center in Heerlen area of Holland. Truman Alford of the 6th TD Group was responsible for set-up of the facilities and is mention in the article.
Bronze Star Citation to T4 Robert Haldeman for his Meritorious Service in connection with military operations against the enemy August 1944 to April 30th, 1945.
Note written in the diary of Celine Ramaekers from December of 1944, by William "Bill" Qualters of the 6th TD Grp. The note was sent to me by her son in Holland, now known as the Netherlands. Celine had notes from a few other soldiers in her diary also. The soldiers stayed at both the Hoensbroek and Heerlen areas of Holland. The Heerlen area was also the site of the Control Rest Center.
Col. Berry's response to requests from a John Baron in regard to his duties during WWII, his opinion of General Patton and for photographs of Patton. Dated April 22nd, 1983.
Brigadier (later Major) General Herbert L. Earnest, commanding officer of the 1st Tank Destroyer Brigade and Task Force A in the Brittany Campaign. He was tasked to move along the northern Brittany roads and capture the railroad bridges.
XIII Corps patch and Certificate of service sent to me by R. John Bitting who at the time I contacted him was the XIII (13th) Corps Association contact. The back of the card includes a short history of the unit as well as a list of the units that were attached to them during WWII. That list includes the 6th TD Group.
