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Unknowns
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Camp Hood, Texas
Elbe Muster
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Gardelegen Massacre**
Dachau 2 **
Various Places 1
Various Places 2
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Battalions 600
Battalions 700
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Unit Photo Galleries
Research
629th TD Battalion Photo 1
Lt. Adam Taracko of the 629th Td Battalion in Abensberg, Germany in August of 1945. This photo was part of the collection of Cpt. Frances Wilts (823rd TD Bn). Photo courtesy of Charles Wilts.
SSgt Piland on left with Sgt Modlin on right standing in Company C's camp. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
T4 Coontz on left with Willis "Carl" O'Thuse on right celebrating the 4th of July. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A line of M36 Tank Destroyers of the 629th sitting at rest at the end of the war. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Men of Company C taking some time to relax at their camp. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
The Sergeants of Company C pose for a shot. Identified are Piland and Modlin standing third and fourth from left. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Elements advance through the city of Bergheim, Germany. I believe this unit is actually a Sherman tank and would have been part of another unit. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Willis "Carl" O'Thuse playing third base. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Another shot of the ball game. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A view of a boat from a guard post along the Main river and the town of Wernfeld, Germany. The Main river is a tributary of the Rhine. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A disabled tank destroyer gets some help from the unit's recovery vehicle. Note the Sherman tank sitting just to its right. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A destroyer of C Company crosses the Danube on the pontoon ferry. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Boarding the pontoon ferry across the Danube. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A display of pride as the men of Company C have placed white-washed rocks as identifiers of their unit. Two stars are shown on right but three are not shown on left identifying the five major campaigns the unit participated in: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A bridge over the Isar river is shown destroyed by German troops to slow the advance of allied troops. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Same bridge over the Isar river is shown from a different angle. It was destroyed by German troops to slow the advance of allied troops. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A duck boat cruising down the Danube. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A duck boat cruising down the Danube with the pontoon ferry returning back for another pick-up in the distance. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
One of a series of shots showing a TD being ferried across the Danube. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
One of a series of shots showing a TD being ferried across the Danube. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
The pontoon ferry for moving men and equipment across the Danube river. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
View of the pontoon ferry landing a destroyer on the far side of the river. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A knocked out German King or Royal Tiger tank sits abandoned in the Ruhr Pocket. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A knocked-out German personnel carrier sits abandoned along the road during the 629th's advance to the Ruhr Pocket. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A knocked out self-propelled German gun in the Rhine Pocket. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A group of men of the 629th. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Group photo of man from the 629th. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Tank Destroyer of the 629th stands ready. Notice the unit markings 3A629TD identifying that this TD was from the 629th but ultimately part of the 3rd Army. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A different view of the same TD sitting in the city of Landshut at the end of the war. The city was located near the Isar river. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
An M36 Tank Destroyer of the 629th sitting at rest at the end of the war. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
One of a series of shots showing a TD being ferried across the Danube. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Close-up shot of a TD and its crew crossing the Danube on the pontoon ferry. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
TD units of the 629th cross the pontoon bridge on the Isar river. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A pontoon bridge built across the Isar river which ultimately feeds into the Danube. Carl O'Thuse identified that the water was not very swift. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Pontoon bridge that the 629th crossed very near the still standing Remagen bridge. The bridge is actually the Ludendorff bridge at the city of Remagen, Germany. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A good shot of the still standing Remagen "Ludendorff" bridge just prior to its collapse. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Close-up shot of one of the pontoons used on the ferry. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
German prisoners are put to work cutting down the bank to help with the landing of the destroyers when they exit the ferry. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
The first of two shots showing German prisoners being marched away from the Danube river to POW camps set up by Allied troops. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
The second of two shots showing German prisoners being marched away from the Danube river to POW camps set up by Allied troops. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Sequence of shots showing prisoners taken by the 629th. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Sequence of shots showing prisoners taken by the 629th. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Taking a rest along a road. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Unidentified soldier who I believe is also shown elsewhere with a guitar. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Even a Sherman tank gets a ride on the ferry. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Leisure times with the 629th at bat. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Unknown soldier on left sitting with Buddy Jacobs and a small boy and his dog. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Unknown soldier with guitar. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Initial loading of tank destroyer onto the pontoon ferry for trip across Danube. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A close-up of a tank destroyer identified as stuck in a bog during an armored attack on the on a small town in the Ruhr pocket. Several other shots of the same TD will follow. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Another view of the same TD. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Here the TD has tipped to its side while being pulled backward. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Logs have now been placed across the ditch to give it footing and help lift the TD out of its predicament. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Barely visible is the long cable stretched behind the TD and attached to the recovery vehicle hundreds of feet behind and hopefully on solid ground. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Here you can see the approach of the TD just minutes after being pulled out. You can see how wet the area is and the potential to become stuck again. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
One in a series of shots of at least two different tank destroyer stuck in mire. Note that water can be seen at the rear of the TD. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
View of the German Autobahn highway. The autobahn was not a single road but a network of highways throughout Germany. During the WWII years, approximately 2300 miles of highway had been developed. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Another view of the Autobahn, probably taken from the turret of the tank destroyer. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Taking a rest during the unit's advance across the Cologne Plains on their way to the Rhine river. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Taking time for a crew photo during their advance across the Cologne Plains on their way to the Rhine river. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A knocked-out German self-propelled gun sits along the roadside. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Soldier identified as Buddy Jacobs. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
A view from above shows the inside of the M36 turret with the main gun's breach on the left. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
C Company TD crew of Willis "Carl" O'Thuse posing for a shot. Carl is shown third from left. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Soldier with rifle identified as Eugene Rainey who was a friend of Carl O'Thuse. Shot taken near Mainz, which is located along the Rhine River. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
The maintenance crew of the 629th rides aboard their Recovery vehicle, which was some form of an M31. The barrel shown on the left was actually non-functional. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
Willis "Carl " O'Thuse of C Company standing at what may have been Company or Battalion Headquarters. Photo courtesy of Bill O'Thuse.
1st Sergeant Buda plays a little accordion. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Toller and Sergeant Paul O. Derber with their catch of fresh fish. Location was Gossenheim, Germany. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Sergeant John O'Toole posing for a quick shot. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Staff Sergeant James P. Jordan of C Company posing for a shot. After Actions Reports for the unit identify that James received both a Bronze and Silver Star for his actions while with the unit. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Technician Fifth Grade, Roy Rozzler takes a moment for the camera. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Staff Sergeant Jethro E. Piland stands with his catch and what looks like a grenade. No fishing pole to be seen. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Michael Heutczeck is photographed with a before he can get his own shot off with his own camera. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
McArdle tosses out some water during the winter of 1944. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Second Lieutenant Carl J. DePanicis poses for the camera. Carl was later promoted to First Lieutenant and transferred into Headquarters Company. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Staff Sergeant Jethro E. Piland has a big smile for the camera. After Action Reports note that he received a Bronze Star for his actions with the unit. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Cooking a little chow while waiting for their next orders. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Group from the unit on 24 hour leave in a Paris Cafe. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Some type of transport vehicle with a Sherman tank on board. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
A Sherman tank burns along the road. It was reported that no lives were lost. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Group from the 629th giving their M10 a good shove. At about 65,000 lbs, it may have taken a few more guys to move it. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Posing for a portrait is Sgt. Paul O. Derber, a TD Commander from Company C. Note his Expert Qualification Badge for four different weapons. Photo courtesy of his daughter, Dana Derber.
The officers of Company C pose for a photo. I can't make out all their ranks but I expect there to be at least one Capt. and a few 1st and 2nd Lts. From the unit reports, I only found the names of Cpt. Edward A. Ryan and 1st Lt. Anthony G. Covatta as officers of Company C and they may or may not be in the photo. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
A column of tank destroyers works their way down a street in Belgium. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
A few guys from Company C letting off some steam in what was probably a less stressful time near or after the war was over. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Sgt. Paul O. Derber, a native of Milwaukee, WI, leans on the Browning .50 cal. machine gun of the TD he commands. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Sgt. Paul O. Derber in England, probably prior to landing in France in July of 1944. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Sgt. Paul O. Derber standing at the bridge over the river near the unit's pup tent camp. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
Group from Company C after landing in Normandy. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
One of the many bombed out cities the unit saw during their movements across Europe. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
An overturned M10 shows how treacherous travel could be with the ice, snow and rough terrain of the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge. Photo courtesy of Dana Derber.
