Name and Rank, Major Gail H. Brown.
Unit placed in, 60th Infantry Regiment ”Go Devils”, 9th Infantry Division” The Old Reliables”.
Gail was born Sep. 30, 1916 in Sheridan County, Wyoming.
Father, James R. Brown.
Mother, no record.
Sister, R. H. (Mills) Brown.
Gail enlisted the Service at Wyoming with Service #: O-379075.
He trained at Fort Benning, Ga., and Fort Bragg, N.C. He was assigned overseas and was in the African invasion. He was also in the Sicilian invasion. He was awarded the Silver Star in Tunisia. He was sent to England in November 1943 and served as Battalion Commander in the invasion of Normandy. He directed the first Column of infantrymen to enter Belgium on 2 September.
Gail H. Brown was a Major, Battalion Commander in the 60th Infantry Regiment.
Gail died of Wounds during the Liberation the town of Bois-et-Borsu, Belgium on Sep. 8 1944, he is honored with the Purple Heart , Good Combat Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
He is buried at American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle in Belgium.
Thanks to http://9thinfantrydivision.net
Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com and ww2-europe.com.
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano
National Historian
Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
Tank Destroyers, http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/
WordPress en/of Wooncommerce oplossingen, https://www.siteklusjes.nl/
Military Recovery, https://www.dpaa.mil/
World War II:
The 60th Regiment’s battle honors during World War II date from the campaign to control the northern shores of the African coast and keep open the Allied lifeline in the Mediterranean Sea. Highlighting this campaign for the 60th Infantry Regiment was the seizure of the Kasba (Citadel) in early November 1942. The “Go Devils” (their nickname) continued across North Africa with the Allies until the German-Italian Army Group Africa was totally destroyed. Sicily was the 60th Regiment’s next assignment and they landed near Enna on July 24th, 1943 to support the 1st Infantry Division. After numerous actions the cities of Floresta and Basico became the last Sicilian stronghold to fall to the might of the 60th Regiment. On August 14th, 1943, the 60th was ordered to halt and was put in reserve with the rest of the 9th Infantry Division to await its next assignment. That next assignment called for the 9th Division to enter the battle of “Fortress Europe”.
The 60th first taste of battle on European soil came on D-Day + 4, June 10th, 1944, when it joined the 39th and 47th Regiments for an offensive into France. One of the first orders given to the 60th Regiment was to march toward Ste. Colombe. In this action the 2nd Battalion achieved outstanding results. Driving hard toward the objective, 2nd Battalion completely outdistanced the rest of the Division. They overran the German defenses, set up a bridgehead on the Douve River and held the position for seven hours under heavy fire until the rest of the Division could catch up with them. For this aggressiveness the 2nd Battalion was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation.
60th Infantry Division Distinguished Insignia
During the next three months, the Allied pincers began closing on the German Fatherland, but two major obstacles stood in the way – The Meuse River and the Siegfried Line. After a lapse of 26 years, on September 4th, 1944, the 60th again found itself on the west bank of the Meuse River. By September 17th, the Hofen position of the Siegfried Line was being patrolled by elements of the 60th Regiment. After the Siegfried Line was breached the Allied drive continued toward the Roer River. In a quick change of direction, the 1st Battalion of the 60th Regiment diverted to capture the vital Germeter-Hurtgen road junction. Some of the most brutal warfare took place in this area and losses were high. After capturing the road junction they captured more prisoners than they had men present for duty in the Battalion. Even though the result of this battle was successful, many lives were lost during the weeks of the heavy and fierce fighting in the darkness of the Hurtgen Forest.
The Ludendorff Bridge at the town of Remagen was used for a bridgehead on March 7th, when American troops captured it intact. The 9th Division quickly seized the advantage and prepared to cross the river. The 60th began crossing the bridge in the night of March the 8th, 1945, under heavy machine gun and artillery fire. The crossing took 24 hours. Now the job of “mopping up” began. Thousands of disillusioned German soldiers surrendered. The last objective of the war for the 60th and the 9th Division was Drohndorf, which fell on April 21th, 1945. Then on April 26th a patrol of the 60th contacted elements of the Russian Army and the East and West fronts were now one. This link-up signaled the end of Hitler’s Germany and of fighting in World War II for the 60th Infantry Regiment.
Into Belgium
The Liberation of Belgium began at 1107 hours on September 2nd, 1944, when members of the 9th Reconnaissance Troops crossed the border in the heavily wooded area near Momignies and proceeded to push toward Charleroi. This marked the beginning of an 11 days campaign that crossed Belgium and carried the 9th Infantry Division into Germany. Its first major goal was to cross the Meuse River at the city of Dinant, a famed pleasure resort overlooked by a fortress, 1000 feet above the river. 2000 German Infantry men, 6 batteries of Artillery, tanks, self-propelled and Anti-Tank guns awaited the Americans. General Craig decided to cross at night, feinting an attack at the center while flanking Dinant to the north and south.
Rubber boats and pontoon bridges were wrestled down steep banks to the river edge. Due to cross at midnight on September 5th, 1944, 1st Battalion 39th Infantry Regiment sent its initial wave at 3am. Twelve of the first fifteen assault craft were sunk. Twenty men and the commanding officer of Company A made it, but all were killed, captured or wounded. Fortunately the 3rd Battalion discovered a catwalk. GI’s began crossing early in the morning and by nightfall two Battalions were over, holding their bridgehead. North of Dinant, the 60th Infantry Regiment established a firm bridgehead, although it was achieved at the cost of 80 percent of losses for its 2nd Battalion. Enemy mortar and machine gun fire thwarted bridge-building attempts by the 15th Engineer Battalion.
An aid station was set up on the bridgehead by the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry Medical Detachment. An enemy counter attack forced the medics to remove equipment and casualties. Finding no boat, one medic swam 100 yards across the river, brought over a boat, enabling the medics to evacuate over 30 casualties through shrapnel and a hail of bullets.
During the 6th of September, the Old Reliables enlarged their footholds. That same evening, 3rd Armored Division’s Task Force “King” rumbled in. Weary GI’s boarded the tanks and cracked through enemy lines into Dinant. With the bridgeheads expanding, the Engineers were able to place a tread-way bridge over the Meuse River. The enemy began its withdrawal during the night of 6th to 7th of September. Along with the 3rd Armored Division and the 4th Cavalry Group the 9th Infantry Division began leap-frogging, getting rides on Armored vehicles heading for Germany and the Siegfried Line. 200 Germans were killed at Bois-et-Borsu when they got in the way of the fast moving troops. The 47th Infantry Regiment joined the 3rd Armored Division to liberate Liege, the capital city of French speaking Belgium on September 9th, 1944. The U.S. First Army , including VII Corps and the 9th Infantry Division were now approaching Germany!
