WWII after action reports

Question

696th Field Artillery Battalion August 1944

RichardWilkins · Accepted Answer

Thanks for the reply. I am doing this for my wife whose relative Corporal William K Heeler was in the 696th. He is listed as being killed on 9 August 1944 near Pont-Scorff in Brittany. We have some of his records from a number of sources but there are still some unanswered questions. We live in England and our US family was only recently discovered. A long story, but we visited Pont-Scorff at their invitation this August and I must say that we were very warmly greeted and looked after. I have looked for a copy of the Cockney but it would appear that none are available on the open market, and currently visiting a library in the US to view one is not possible. I am wondering if there is any direct reference to William in the book and specifically any detail on the casualties from the 696th as part of Combat Command B from 7 to 9 August 1944 in the Pont-Scorff area. If there was a source to buy a copy of the book that would be even better!!!! As an aside, in the last year we have found that another member of the Heeler family was killed in Normandy, this time from the British side of the family, and he was a cousin of William Heeler. 
 I am very grateful for your response and offer to answer the question. Your ToT name suggests you might have been in the military. I spent 30 years in the RAF and find helping research these subjects rather absorbing. Kind Regards Richard

Textual Reference Branch, Archives II · Answer

RichardWilkins 
 Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! 
 We have responded to your inquiry which you also sent to our main email address ( archives2reference@nara.gov ). Please see our earlier correspondence (23-61792) regarding your request for records of the 696 th Field Artillery Battalion, U.S. Army during August 1944. 
 We invite you to continue the conversation with community members on History Hub, but should you have follow up questions for the staff at Archives II, please email us at archives2reference@nara.gov so that we can assist you further. 
 We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research! 
 Sincerely, 
 Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR) [23-61714-PBB]

TimeOnTarget · Answer

Richard, 
 I have a copy of "Cockney: The Story of the 696th Armored Field Artillery Battalion in WWII" the post war history of the 696th AFAB. It is very detailed. Perhaps I can answer the question you have about August 1944. Was a relative of yours in the unit? The history also includes rosters for 1943 and 1945 which I can check for your relative. Best Regards TimeOnTarget

TimeOnTarget · Answer

Hi Richard, 
 Here is the relevant quotation from &ldquo;Cockney.&rdquo; As is always the case with narrow quotations much of the context is lost. Hopefully it is enough to answer your question. 
 if there is a way to connect privately, I will happily send you a pdf copy of Cockney for your personal use without charge. (If the moderators find this offer unacceptable, please let me know and I will delete it.) 
 At 2000 on 9 August the [battalion&rsquo;s] forward echelon moved from south of Pont-Scorff to a position two kilometers north of Pont-Scorff. The rear echelon moved to the vicinity of Le Maustair. This forced march of 228 miles was accomplished in 30 hours. One man was killed (Cpl. William K. Heeler of &ldquo;B&rdquo; Battery) and one was severely wounded while the units were displacing. Another ten men were less severely wounded during this action. (McCormick, Cockney p. 58.) 
 Note: At this time the 696th was attached to CCB, 4th Armored Division which was part of Third Army. Given the number of casualties and the fact that both units had previously been suffering casualties from well-directed enemy artillery fire we can assume they were caused by German artillery. Armored Force doctrine called for elements of the armored field artillery (usually a battery) to move far forward with Point Force which consisted of the tanks, infantry, tank destroyers, etc. so they could quickly engage enemy forces by direct or indirect fire. The battalion&rsquo;s three firing batteries generally took turns being &ldquo;up on point.&rdquo; Regardless of position in the column, firing batteries were at times subjected to enemy small arms fire and counter-battery fire. 
 Memorial stone dedicated to the men killed and wounded of the 695 th and 696 th AFA Bns. is on the ground in front of the M7. https://www.flickr.com/photos/sheenachi/173471858/ 
 Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate an image of the memorial that legibly shows the men&rsquo;s names. I plan to ask the New Jersey National Guard Museum for a better image. If they come through with it, I&rsquo;ll let you know. In case you want to contact them directly, here is the link to the website. https://njmilitiamuseum.org/ Staff/ Sgt. Walker is the Museum Curator. I've found him to be very helpful. 
 In answer to your question, I have not served in the military. My area of interest is the US Army in WWII. I have a special interest in the US Field Artillery which explains my username. Currently I am writing an article about the 696th AFAB for submission to On Point: The Journal of Army History. On Point is a publication of the Army Historical Foundation which is closely associated with the National Museum of the US Army. 
 Please accept my respect for your service in the RAF. I have a special regard those men and women of Britain, the UK, and the Commonwealth who served in WWII. They fought bravely in all theaters of the war and deserve far more recognition for their sacrifices than they often receive from us here in the USA. 
 Best Regard, ToT

WWII after action reports

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