Seeking after action reports for Battle of Sadzot, Belgium

Question

I am looking to compile as much information as I can about the 27-28 December 1944 Battle of Sadzot, Belgium. My uncle, James Packard Tuffs was killed in action there 28 December 1944, part of a machine-gun team that was part of the 289th Regiment of the 75th Infantry Division. The units that participated in this battle included:

Detachment of the 3rd Armored Division

509th Parachute Infantry Battalion

Company B of the 87th Mortar Battalion

289th Regiment of the 75th Infantry Division

Do after action reports that may recount parts of this battle generally paint with broad strokes, or is it more common to find a good amount of specifics?

Jason, National Archives · Answer

Dear Dave Tuffs, &#160; Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! &#160; We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948 in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917 - 1985 (Record Group 407) and Unit Histories, 1943 - 1967 i n the Records of U.S. Army Operational, Tactical, and Support Organizations (World War II and Thereafter) ( Record Group 338) that may include after action reports and other records of these units. The amount of detail can vary greatly between reports. For more information about these non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov . &#160; Plus, we located Muster Rolls and Rosters, 11/1/1912 - 12/31/1943 and Morning Reports, ca. 1912 - 1946 in the Records of the National Archives and Records Administration (Record Group 64) that may include rosters and morning reports of the various units . For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL) at stl.archives@nara.gov . &#160; Next, we located Headstone Inscription and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942 - 1949 in the Records of the American Battle Monuments Commission (Record Group 117) which includes a digitized internment card for James P. Tuffs . You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic.&#160; Please check NARA&#8217;s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information. &#160; You may wish to request James Packard Tuffs&#8217; Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). For the IDPFs from 1940-1976 of personnel with surnames that begin with M-Z, please write to Department of the Army, US Army Human Resources Command ATTN: AHRC-FOIA, 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Department 107, Fort Knox KY 40122. They are being scanned by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in order to properly identify remains of those still listed as missing. &#160; We also searched online and located&#160; THE ARDENNES: BATTLE OF THE BULGE&#160; by Hugh M. Cole on the website of the US Army Center of Military History which includes a section on the fight at Sadzot . Plus, the Imperial War Museum has a book on the battle in their collections. &#160; We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research! &#160;

Elliot Schneider · Answer

Dave, Here are some interesting photos in case you have not seen them. Please follow the link provided. https://www.509thgeronimo.org/battlefields/sadzotbelgiumbattle.html https://www.battledetective.com/battlestudy29.html

Jason, National Archives · Answer

Dear Dave Tuffs, &#160; Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! &#160; We searched the National Archives Catalog and located Pictorial and Historical Records of United States Temporary Military Cemeteries, 1944 - 1945 in the Records of U.S. Theaters of War, World War II (Record Group 332) which may include more information about temporary cemeteries. For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Cartographic (RDSC) at carto@nara.gov . &#160; We also located Maps of Temporary American Grave Sites Overseas, 1946 - 1951 and Grave Plot Charts of American Dead, 1946 - 1951 in the Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General (Record Group 92). For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Cartographic (RDSC) at carto@nara.gov . &#160; Additionally, we located Classified Correspondence Relating to Places, 1936 - 1952 , General Correspondence Relating to Organizations, 1939 - 1954 and General Records and Correspondence, 1945 - 1948 in Record Group 92; General Correspondence, 1948 - 1951 in the Records of United States Army, Europe (Record Group 549); World War II Cemetery and Memorial Files, 1947 - 1968 in the Records of the American Battle Monuments Commission (Record Group 117); Station Lists and Press Releases, 7/15/1945 - 2/28/1946 in the Records of Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, United States Army (World War II) (Record Group 498); and World War II Cemetery and Memorial Files, 1947 - 1968 in the Records of the American Battle Monuments Commission (Record Group 117) which includes files relating to cemeteries and burials. These records may give information about temporary cemeteries, and relocation of deceased soldiers to permanent cemeteries. They also may include lists of the cemetary codes. &#160; You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Please check NARA&#8217;s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information. &#160; We also located 484 digitized records relating to the Henri-Chapelle Cemetery . We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research! &#160;

I · Answer

I'm not sure about the roster number, but as for 1201 and 1240, I found the following

https://www.7tharmddiv.org/docrep/X-Cemetery-Codes.doc

1201- Henri-Chapelle Permanent Cemetery, Belgium

1240- Henri-Chapelle Cemetery, Eupen, Belgium

https://www.med-dept.com/articles/american-wwii-military-cemeteries-memorials/

"The Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery established by the “American Battle Monuments Commission” is located on a crest of a ridge, about two miles of the village of Henri-Chapelle and covers 57 acres. The site was liberated by troops of the 1st Infantry Division on 12 September 1944 and established by First United States Army 25 September 1944. It was officially dedicated on 9 July 1960. Here are interred 7,992 American servicemen, the majority of which died during the “Battle of the Bulge” and the US advance into Germany. There are 94 headstones of “unknown” soldiers, whose identity is known but to God. The names and particulars of “missing” personnel of which there are 450, are engraved on the 48 faces of the columns around the Memorial. We have indicated some limited statistics about war dead buried in this Cemetery. Some 67,749 people visited the Cemetery in 2002 (US Army war code: 1201/1240)."

https://www.abmc.gov/Henri-Chapelle

http://www.battle-of-the-bulge.be/henri-chapelle-us-cemetery/

"The site was liberated on 12 September 1944 by troops of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division. A temporary cemetery for the US 1st Army was established on 28 September 1944 two or three hundred yards to the north of the present site which was selected because of its more attractive setting..."

Also, have you see these yet?

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56286266/james-p-tuffs

And on Ancestry:

James P Tuffs in the U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954

Name:	James P Tuffs
Race:	White, includes Mexican (White)
Rank:	Enlisted Man
Admission Date:	Dec 1944
Discharge Date:	Dec 1944
Military Branch:	Infantry, General or Unspecified
Diagnosis:	SecondLocation: Unknown, code not applicable; ; CausativeAgent: Artillery Shell, Fragments, Afoot or unspecified
Type of Injury:	Casualty, battle
Injured in Line of Duty:	In line of duty
Type of Discharge:	Died
Service Number:	36415239

Seeking after action reports for Battle of Sadzot, Belgium

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James P Tuffs in the U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954

James P Tuffs in the U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954