WWII PHOTOALBUMS GERMAN AND AMERICAN

Lilmissflamethrower

Lilmissflamethrower

Active member
I collect photo albums. I have two German ones, one from a Nazi Youth in the Luftwaffe and one from a solider in the Luftwaffe. I know its not popular and I will get a ration of s(*%4 but I consider myself an archivist and in order to understand WWII, you have to learn everything from both sides.

With that said, I also have an album that belonged to a Col. The album takes through D Day to Paris and then to Germany. It also has pictures from some of his reunion dinners and so forth until he was very old.

The thing is, I would really like to find out how the album/albums got away from their owners. As much as I feel I am duty bound to keep these albums safe and preserved, I also have a feeling that if their rightful owners lost them or family members who don't know about them would like them back, I should try to find this out.

What do you think? Also, if anyone is familiar with tracking down people in the military from WWII, I need to figure out how to find the American man's unit and if he has any records on file.

I live in California by the way.

Thanks! Stacey
 
Many units have veterans associations. They are a good source of unit history and tracking down vets. Is there any indication in the pictures of what unit he was with? Any shoulder insignia or anything from those reunion photos?
I know my old unit has an active association that has annual reunions. Perhaps if you can describe any insignia, someone here can ID the unit and that would be a good starting point. There is much information available about the units involved in the D-day invasion (Operation Overlord). I'll offer any help I can to help you ID the soldier who once owned those photos.
 
Thank you sooo much. From the reunion letters, it says "Unofficia Publication, 535th AAA AW Battalion"

Here is another blurb about the man whose book this is in the publication "William H. Francis, received mention in a D-Day article of 1984 in the Wilmingtion, Del. News Journal: "Delmar's own West Pointer, Lt. Col. William H. Francis, commanding the 535th AAA Battalion, was taken in the wrong area near Utah Beach, and ulimately had to spend the D-Day night offshore, waiting for daylight to make another landing."

Then at the end of the magazine it says:

Ted Van Arsdol, Corresponding Secretary
417 Miami Way, Van Couver, WA 98664

This is from 1985 though...
 
On http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sheboygan/cardb.htm I found:
Arthur Baumann
Route 3
Sheboygan, WI
He's listed as a member of
Battery. A 535 AAA AW. BW.

At http://www.normandyallies.org/dbase-artillery.htm, I also found
535th Anti Aircraft Artillery
MAJ Carl E. Tice, USA, Retired
307 Leeward Way
Newport News, VA 23601
804/596-7250
This is the unit's veterans' association (or at lest one of them). He is the contact person for the 535th's Association.

Then there was this interesting sign-in at a guestbook at http://www.ww-iiheroes.com/guestbook2001.html

"I am trying to help my father, Russell Gagnon, locate anyone from the 535th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (B Battery 5th Gun Squad)during 1944 and 1945. Also any information on the battle at Worms fought by this group. Thank you to all the WWII veterans and the sacrifice you made. You will not be forgotten. Thanks for such a great website."


Janice Gagnon <janicegagnon@yahoo.com>
Whittier, CA USA - Monday, June 18, 2001 at 03:42:24 (EDT)

Maybe one of these folks knew your Col. Francis

I did find out that the 535th AAA AW (Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons) Battallion was part of the 99th Infantry Division which was known as the Checkerboard Division. It's WWII service lasted 99 days (Dec. 16, 1944 to March 26, 1945).
Check out http://users.skynet.be/jeeper/page18.html and http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10006153


I hope some of this helps.
 
I did email the girl Janice, but haven't heard anything back. I am trying to get over a bad respitory infection, so I am on strong antibiotics and feeling like I can barely lift up a kleenex.

I will get on the research in a week or so when I am feeling more energy.

Thanks so much for your help. I wish you lived near me so I could show you some of the pictures.

You have been of great help!

Stacey
 
535 AAA

Hello,
Are you still interested about information on the 535 AAA unit? My father was a member of this unit which landed in Normandy, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and Remagen bridgehead untill V-E day 22 Mar 1945.
 
Won't get no crap from me! I'd love to have scanned copies of the pics! Having the real things would be ecstatic (I love history!)
 
Lilmissflamethrower said:
I collect photo albums. I have two German ones, one from a Nazi Youth in the Luftwaffe and one from a solider in the Luftwaffe. I know its not popular and I will get a ration of s(*%4 but I consider myself an archivist and in order to understand WWII, you have to learn everything from both sides.
Click to expand...

Why would you get a bollocking over this?
Luftwaffe is still a branch in the german armed forces.
 
My father was in the 535th and I need info?

He won the silver star in Europe and I'd like to know more about the men he served with. My uncle told me he won it in the battle of the bulge. Later his truck with other men in it hit a land mine after VE day and he went through an extensive recovery. Any information would be great to complete some family history. His military records in Louisana at the army base was burned down by an arsonist war protester in the late 60's.
 
The ranks of the WW2 Veterans are shrinking at an alarming rate these days, just think that a lad of 18 that was called up at the start of the war would now be 88 if he survived the war. Now I do a bit of work with local Veterans groups and is sad to the number of these groups that have closed down over the last few years as all their members have now died
 
Battalion from the Mojave

The corresponding secretary you mention, Ted Van Arsdol, has a two volume work entitled Battalion from the Mojave that covers history of the 535th from their formation to the end of the war. Unfortunately only 600 copies were printed by West Shore publications, but I did find one available on ebay: http://compare.ebay.com/like/390044...edce269&itemid=390044490227&ff4=263602_304692. My late grandfather J. P. Heinke was a medic and Captain with the 535th and left us a copy of the book. It's interesting to read bits of his journal in the first volume. The Col. Francis that you mention was the unit leader and was a Lt. Col at the time. They were a unit that saw a lot of action in the European theater, and were among some of the the last soldiers to leave as they were put in charge of guarding POWs after the war.
 
The person in question, Lt. Col William Francis was my grandfather. I would be honored to be able to get the album back to the family. Does anyone still have contact with the finder? Thank you for your time.
Mike Cullen
 
DTop said:
On http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sheboygan/cardb.htm I found:
Arthur Baumann
Route 3
Sheboygan, WI
He's listed as a member of
Battery. A 535 AAA AW. BW.

At http://www.normandyallies.org/dbase-artillery.htm, I also found
535th Anti Aircraft Artillery
MAJ Carl E. Tice, USA, Retired
307 Leeward Way
Newport News, VA 23601
804/596-7250
This is the unit's veterans' association (or at lest one of them). He is the contact person for the 535th's Association.

Then there was this interesting sign-in at a guestbook at http://www.ww-iiheroes.com/guestbook2001.html

"I am trying to help my father, Russell Gagnon, locate anyone from the 535th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (B Battery 5th Gun Squad)during 1944 and 1945. Also any information on the battle at Worms fought by this group. Thank you to all the WWII veterans and the sacrifice you made. You will not be forgotten. Thanks for such a great website."


Janice Gagnon <janicegagnon@yahoo.com>
Whittier, CA USA - Monday, June 18, 2001 at 03:42:24 (EDT)

Maybe one of these folks knew your Col. Francis

I did find out that the 535th AAA AW (Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons) Battallion was part of the 99th Infantry Division which was known as the Checkerboard Division. It's WWII service lasted 99 days (Dec. 16, 1944 to March 26, 1945).
Check out http://users.skynet.be/jeeper/page18.html and http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10006153


I hope some of this helps.
Click to expand...
I am trying to find out information about Lt. Robert J McCray who was in Battery A of the 535th. He was KIA on 21 Dec 1944 and was my wife's uncle. Any possible resources?
 
535 AAA Information

gtraverso said:
Hello,
Are you still interested about information on the 535 AAA unit? My father was a member of this unit which landed in Normandy, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and Remagen bridgehead untill V-E day 22 Mar 1945.
Click to expand...

I would be very interested in any information or contacts that you can provide. My wife's uncle, Lt Robert J McCray, was part of A Battery in the 535th. He was killed in action on 21 Dec 1944 and received the Bronze Star posthumously for actions taken on 17 Dec 1944. We are planning a visit to Henri-Chapelle American Military Cemetery in October and would appreciate any information that might be available.

Thanks,

VTCC75
 
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