809th Field Artillery Battalion by Joseph N. Santopetro

The 809th Field Artillery Battalion was activated and assigned to General George Patton’s 3rd Army. I, Joseph Santropetro, was a PFC serving from July 24r 1943 to February 28r 1946; and was attached to the following units. I completed my basic training in Anti-Aircraft on 90mm guns at Camp Edward in Massachusetts. Then, I requested a transfer to the Army Air Force passing the written test and medical exam. A month later I was notified that the Army Air Force did not need an AA or Air Force pilots and there was a need for Heavy Artillery Specialists, My entire Battalion was then transferred ta Camp Butler, North Carolina where we trained to use a 155mm Howitzer gun.

I served in Battery C of the 809th Field Artillery Battalion; our Commanding Officer was a West Point Colonel. The Battalion contained about 1000 men divided into four Batteries. The four Batteries were listed as A, B, C, and D referred to as Able, Baker, Charlie and Dog. There were 16 Howitzer guns in a Battalion, each Battery had four Howitzer guns and four Track Prime Movers. I belonged to Battery C which was made the Registering Gun for the Battalion. The Registering gun would go forward first to obtain the target coordinates needed to coordinate all 16 guns to fire on the targets. I was also a Track Prime Mover driver.

We left USA on a British Ship convoy for England; it took approximately 14 days. Three months later our artillery landed in Southampton, England.   Our equipment was checked and then loaded on a ship to cross the English Channel to France; landing in France on December 18, 1944. We were ordered to go to the First Army in Belgium, We moved out immediately reaching the Germany border Christmas Eve 1944; and began firing on the Germany target on Christmas Day. I remember being in it open field and venturing out in waist-deep mow In front of the registering gun to line up the two aiming stakes used for coordinate calibration that required an adjustment so all the guns could line up simultaneously to fire at the same target The two aiming stakes; were about 100 ft. out, I was standing up driving down the two stakes and “screaming meemies” were landing all around me sinking in the snow. My buddies were trying to alert me but I was so deep in concentration that I did not hear them nor the “meemies” landing all around me, completed my tasked returned crawling or my stomach   I remember another time when the Track Prime Mover I was driving hit a mine and the chain blew; we were OK, exited the vehicle and awaited for another vehicle to move the Registering Gun.

We found ourselves firing in a 360-degree circle, indicating we were in a pocket.   We were aware of Malmedy where 85 captured artillery American soldiers were shot dead after surrendering to Germany forces. The Captain then ordered to pack-up and retreat. Thanks to God, good luck and the Captain, we managed to get out. As we retreated. General Patton’s 3rd Army was coming to help the 101st Air Borne, also known as “The Band of Brothers”. At Bastogne we were assigned to General Patton’s 3rd and the 809th Field Artillery Battalion remained in combat with them up until May 8, 1945, V.E. Day. The 809th Field Artillery Battalion received three battle stars; THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, THE BATTLE OF CENTRAL EUROPE, and THE BATTLE OF THE RHINELAND.

After V. E. Day, before the atomic bomb, our Colonel volunteered to go to Japan with his 809th Battalion. The Battalion was then split up and sent to different outfits. There was a point system that determined the order of which the soldiers could return home first. Soldiers received points for number of System Battle Stars earned, and if they were married or if they had children. While I was waiting to return home I was assigned to the 14th Infantry. I lived in Augsburg, Munchen, Germany for six months where I worked in a post office. I was finally shipped out on the liberty Ship, New Bern Victory. I arrived in the USA on February 22,1946, and was honorably discharged in Fort Dix February 28,1946.