Herman L. Lindsey
Biography: Herman Lee Lindsey was born on August 13, 1923, in Gill, Sullivan County, Indiana. He was the son of Jacob Harmon Lindsey and Ina Louise Prose and worked for General Motors in Pontiac, Michigan, prior to the war.
Service Time: Herman entered the service on December 30, 1942, probably signing up in Detroit before being bused to Fort Custer, in Battlecreek, MI, for the actual induction.
Draftees to Ft. Custer – Article
After his basic training, he was assigned to Company C of the 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion. The 899th shipped out from the New York port on January 13, 1943, and arrived at Casablanca on January 26, 1943. While they were in North Africa, they were issued new M10 tank destroyers.
They were deployed to the Gafsa-El Guettar sector, Tunisia, on March 16, 1943, where they established the first American contact with the British Eighth Army on April 7th. They arrived in the Naples, Italy, area on November 10th, and almost immediately were moved to the United Kingdom.
Liaison personnel from the unit accompanied the second glider lift of 82nd Airborne Division during the invasion of Normandy, France. The main portion of the battalion landed at Utah Beach on D-Day and helped capture Cherbourg in late June. Supporting the Cobra breakout in late July, they advanced through Mayenne, and entered Belgium on September 2nd, where they backed the 9th Infantry Division’s operations in the vicinity of Monschau and Hofen, Germany. They then fought in the Rötgen/Hürtgen Forest region in October.
The above two photos show Herman just prior to the war, at left, and with his brothers Carol, center, and Paul on the right. Carol served in the Army Air Corps and Paul served in the Navy.
The photo at left shows Herman, sitting second from the left, with his crew on their M36 tank destroyer, somewhere in Germany, 1945. Elements of the unit were deployed in the first days of the Battle of the Bulge, to stop the German advance, while others remained in VII Corps area. They supported the attack to capture the Roer River dams in February, 1945, and most of the unit converted to the M36 tank destroyer that same month. They crossed the Roer River on February 28th and advanced to the Rhine near Bad Godesberg where first elements crossed into the Remagen bridgehead on March 8th. The 899th joined the attack on the Ruhr Pocket in April, and then moved east into the Harz Mountains. Moving to the Mulde River for link-up with Soviet forces, which they achieved on April 27th, they finally began occupation duty in Bernburg on May 3rd.
Herman was awarded the EAME Medal with recognition for 6 of the unit’s campaigns. He also received the Good Conduct medal and was authorized to wear the Distinguished Unit Badge for A and C Company’s actions on July 11, 1944, near St. Jean de Daye, France. Herman was discharged on October 18, at the rank of Corporal.
Now back in the U.S. Herman married the former Betty Jane Meyer on August 1, 1946, at Houghton Lake, MI. Betty was born in Detroit, MI, and was the daughter of Earl Raymond Meyer and Elsie Agnes Haigh. The new couple had four daughters, Betty, Kay, Barbara and Jean.
The photo at left shows Herman and Betty’s honeymoon car, which includes a sign making a reference to 3rd Army General George Patton.
Herman worked for the Oakland County Road Commission for 18 years, retiring in 1974. In his spare time, he enjoyed model trains and was also a member of the VFW. On April 26, 1985, Herman passed away and was buried in the Highland Cemetery in Highland, Michigan. We want to thank Herman’s granddaughter, Kimberly, for providing the photos and information for this tribute.