The grave site of John T. Smitha Jr., located in the St. James Cemetery in Normandy France. Smitha was living in Marion County, Indiana when he enlisted on Feb. 10, 1942. He served with the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion and was killed on August 14, 1944. Photo courtesy of Thierry Le Cocq who is seen in the picture with his son.
A photo taken in 1945 while the unit was in Germany, three men of the 705th pose on a motorcycle. They are identified L to R, only as Half-Pint, Moe and Flash. Photo courtesy of Richard Cope.
A C company TD crew of the 705th. Note the large panther logo on the front. The M18s of the 705th were a formidable adversary even without the artwork and the ready-for-business attitude. It would ultimately earn them a Presidential Unit Citation. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Hogan.
Fred J. Dirmaier on right with his friend and crewmate Bob Meyer. The caption on the back reads "A couple of Germans in U.S. uniforms. Berneck, near Beyreuth". Fred was born in Germany and at one point during the war was within just a few miles of his hometown. His M18 sits behind them is and named "Nance-Juney". Photo courtesy of Jim Dirmaier.
Fred J. Dirmaier on right with Jim Surrett in April 1945. Their M18 Tank Destroyer serves as a backdrop, Note that the TD has two names on it.....Juney and Nance. Photo courtesy of Jim Dirmaier.
Fred J. Dirmaier sits atop his tank destroyer. Looks like he may be holding a bottle of wine. Taken in April of 1945. Photo courtesy of Jim Dirmaier.
Fred J. Dirmaier leans on his TD's 50 Cal. machine gun. The gun was a formidable weapon and provided protection from infantry and other non-tank threats. Photo courtesy of Jim Dirmaier.
Shown is the crew of the Juney-Nance tank destroyer, Fred J. Dirmaier, top left, Bob Meyer top right. Also shown is Dick Underland, Floyd Potter and Jim Surrett. Taken in Berneck, Germany in April 1945. Photo courtesy of Jim Dirmaier.
This is one in a series of photos taken on August 3-4, 1944, in Miniac-Movan, Brittany, France. This particular shot includes two M8 Armored Cars from the Reconnaissance Company of the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion, which at the time was serving under command of the 6th Tank Destroyer Group, as part of Task Force A. Task Force A was formed under the 1st TD Brigade, with Brigadier General Herbert L. Earnest in Command. Also included in the Task Force was the 15th Cavalry Group (15th and 17th Cavalry Squadrons) with engineer support from the 159th Engineer Combat Battalion and the 509th Engineer Light Pontoon Company. All these units were serving as part of the 3rd Army and charged to move along the northern coastal roads of Brittany and secure railroad bridges to aid in the capture of Brest.
In this second shot, the two M8s from the 705th can still be seen with a medical unit along with a motorcycle in the foreground.
This is the first of the images in this sequence that show one of the 705th's M18 Tank Destroyers. The men are making close examination of what may be a map, planning the next step in their mission. Many children are among the onlookers who are glad to be liberated and now living in an area contriolled by the allies.
The commanding officer gives orders to the men for their next move. At least two M18s can be seen along with an M8, Jeeps and motorcycles. Motorcycles were not only used for relaying messages between battalion companies but also for reconnaissance.
In this last image of the sequence, a soldier receives a bouquet of flowers from a little girl. You can see from the bumper markings that this was the 3rd Medical truck of the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion attached to the 3rd Army.
