The following text with minor edits was provided by Dale’s daughter, Lisa Baird.
Dale F. Potts
Biography: Dale Franklin Potts was born on July 8, 1922, in Duffy, Monroe County, Ohio. He was fifth of seven children born to Vernon and Elizabeth Potts. His mother passed away when Dale was 13 years old and his father passed away when he was 15 years old. He went to live with his older sister while his younger brother, Herbie, went to live with relatives in West Virginia. Dale graduated from McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio in 1940, and then began working at the Timken Roller Bearing Company as a grinding machine operator. When Dale turned 18 years old, he borrowed a friend’s car and went to West Virginia to get his brother so that they could be together again. That same year, he met his future wife, Mary Jane Speck. On July 20, 1942, Dale registered for the draft and two months later on September 12th, he and Mary Jane were married with Herbie as his best man.
Service Time: On March 4, 1943, Dale’s order to report for induction arrived in the mail with his date of entry into active service on the 16th. Herbie enlisted seven days later on the 23rd. They both reported to Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio and although they were told that they would stay together during their service, they were shipped out separately by train on the 25th. Both were sent to Texas but Herbie was sent to Camp Wolters and Dale went to Camp Sam Houston, which were about 250 miles apart. Dale would never see Herbie again.
While at Camp Sam Houston, Dale was assigned to an armor unit and trained in the cooks and bakers school before being transferred to Camp Bowie, Texas where he was assigned to Company A, First Platoon 656th Tank Destroyer Battalion. The battalion had been activated on April 4, 1943, and earned the nickname “The Walking 656th” after walking about eighty miles by road to North Camp Hood. Dale’s military specialty was Anti-Tank Gun Crewman 610 and during his training, he qualified as a Sharpshooter with the Carbine and Rifle. Even with his cook and baker training, at the rank of Technician 5th Grade, he served as an Antitank Gun Crewman. His main position on the TD was as a gunner but he also was second in charge after the Commander. He was responsible to take care of the gun, keeping it cleaned and greased, and see that it was always in working order. He was also responsible for the ammunition, keeping it supplied and ready for firing.
Dale and Mary Janes’ first child, a son, was born June 25, 1943, while Dale was stationed at North Camp Hood. Sadly, the child would die of pneumonia in August of 1944, and the Salvation Army assisted the family to bring Dale home to Canton, Ohio to bury his son. Dale would also mourn the death of his brother who was killed in action on April 16, 1944, on the beachhead at Anzio, Italy. Herbie was buried in the military section at Forest Hills Cemetery in Canton, Ohio. The letters that Dale wrote to Herbie while he was serving were returned to him unopened and stamped “deceased”. Those letters remain unopened to this day in respect to Dale.
On December 15, 1944, the 656th arrived in New York at Camp Shanks where they stayed three days for final preparations before shipping overseas. They boarded the USS Explorer and sailed for Liverpool, England, arriving later that same month. They were then loaded on transports and disembarked at LeHavre, France on February 6, 1945, equipped with M18’s. After a short stay in France, they headed to Belgium and entered the line near Friesenrath, Germany on February 28th. They saw their first combat on March 2nd, as they pushed toward the Rhine River and crossed the Remagen Bridge on March 7th. They converted to the M36 tank destroyers later that month and supported the 9th Armored Division’s sweep to help encircle the Ruhr in early April and then dashed eastward to the Mulde River. They then turned south and entered Czechoslovakia near St. Sedlo on May 6th. Six weeks after the war was over, the 656th was on their way home arriving in Newport News, Virginia on July 6th.
The photo above left shows Dale on with a small friend he made while in Germany. The right photo is Dale with his brother Herbie before they were shipped off to different camps.
Now back home in the U.S., Dale was assigned to Camp Campbell in Clarksville, Tennessee on August 10th. He was sent home in Canton, Ohio on November 13th and ultimately discharged on February 2, 1946. Technician 5th Grade, Dale F. Potts earned the Bronze Star, the EAME Theater Ribbon with credit for the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns, the American Theater Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal and the WWII Victory Medal.
Dale was re-employed with the Timken Roller Bearing Company until his retirement in 1968. In 1968 he started his own business where he worked until his death. He and Mary Jane went on to have 5 more children (2 boys and 3 girls) and he was extremely active in his children’s and grandchildren’s lives. He was a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran church, serving in a variety of capacities. He was also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, and Fraternal Order of the Freemasons. He enjoyed the bowling teams and softball teams he was a member.
Dale passed away on February 14, 2015. Dale was buried with his wife of 73 years in Forest Hills Cemetery in Canton, Ohio.
Dale was a kind and gentle man with whom his children hold him still as their greatest hero. When asked about his service he was never one to talk about his experiences. It may have been due to the death of his beloved son or his brother who was his best friend. When asked by a reporter for an interview for an article, Dad humbly told the reporter “I’m here, write about the ones who didn’t get to come home. They are the heroes.”
Special thanks to Dale’s daughter Lisa for providing the information and photos used in this tribute.