Here are the contents of the US Army Divisional Public Relations Book entitled “The 6th Infantry Division in World War II, 1939 to 1945. This book was donated to our organization by Robert E. Phelps, II, whose father, Colonel, Robert E. Phelps, Colonel (now deceased), served with the 20th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Infantry Division in the Pacific during World War II.
6th Infantry Division in World War II
6thInfantry, Documents, History, Photo Galleries, WW2 | 35 comments
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I always had a keen interest in the 6 ID ever since II attended a reunion about 30 years ago. Over the years I lost touch with some of the vets I met. I have a book about the 6th in 1941. Since I am reducing my inventory I like to find somebody interested. Could you possibly help me find a point of contact?
Do you have a description or name of the book?
My dad, Donald Bommer was in 6th infantry division during New Guinea war. He proud of it. Unfortunately he passed away May 4, 2017
My Dad was in the 6th Division I am extremely proud of him. He went to the Middle East, Greece and New Guinea . He sadly passed in 1997 from an illness which commenced in 1943.
Have you found anyone interested in what you have? My dad served in Company H, 6th Infantry division.
Does anyone remember PVT 1 Loyce Rye who was killed serving in Pacific in WW11?
By doing a quick search in Fold3, I saw he was born 3/11/1924, registered at Camp Shelby MS 6/30/1942 Enlisted 12/06/1943
Service #34876988 became a part of Company F, 1st Infantry Regiment, 6th Infantry Division
Was a passenger on LCI (L) 1006 10/28/1944 destination Sansapor, New Guinea. Wounded in the abdomen and pelvis in March 1945
Then listed as KIA 03/18/1945
Below is a soldier’s account of where (I believe) he was wounded and KIA
https://www.6thinfantry.com/soldiers-account-of-the-battle-of-munoz-by-ssgt-lelton-h-pittman-squad-leader-company-b-1st-infantry-regiment/
Great work Danny!
Hello Danny,
My father Donald J Theodore 36874440 was also on LCI (L) 1006 on 10/28/44.
I have been trying to learn as much as I can regarding his service. I have a copy of his discharge report and just yesterday found a copy of LCI (L) passenger list and have been researching the other passenger . So far it seems most were in the 6th infantry Div., 1st Inf. Regiment. Unfortunately, my fathers records were destroyed in a fire. Any help or additional information would be greatly appreciated. My father passed away quite young in 1968. He didn’t talk much about his experience.
Mr. Theodore,
Thanks for your question. The discharge papers can help you. Do you know the dates within which your father served during the war? Those dates would be on his discharge papers. Likewise, his discharge papers should tell you the the Company in which he served within the 1st Infantry Regiment. Those two details are incredibly important to help you to narrow down exactly where he was and what he may have experienced during the war. Once you have that information, you should be able to find more information on our website, especially in the Book (scanned into the site) “The 6th Infantry Division in World War II 1939 to 1945.”
https://www.6thinfantry.com/6th-infantry-division-in-world-war-ii/
This book can tell you the activities of the First Infantry Regiment and some units within the regiment during campaigns in the Pacific. There is a service “Golden Arrow Research,” that might help you find more specific details of his service and where he was assigned. Specifically, after action reports could tell you, even more specifically, where he was during the War. Golden Arrow Research
https://www.goldenarrowresearch.com
has been helpful in what After Action Reports we have on our site, but I do not think we have much (if anything) on the 1st Infantry Regiment. Their researchers are helpful, but they have to obtain records from the National Archives (which records were not burned), but are not generally available.
I hope that this helps you with your questions.
Good luck in your research.
My Dad, TSgt. Jack T. Yandell , served with the 20th. Does anyone remember him?. He passed away in 1976…
Mr. Yandell:
Good to hear from you. I will post your submission, but sadly, most of the old WW II vets have passed away and those that have not, seldom have contact with the website. Most of the folks connect to the site now are sons, daughters, or grandchildren of the WW II vets.
My Uncle John M Duntley who was a navigator on a bomber during WWII just passed on May 10, 2019. He was 94 and the only surviving son in his family. His older brother Burton J Duntley was in the army air corps andflew the P51 Mustang. He lost His life in a plane crash in England in January 7th 1944. His oldest brother Frederic Duntley was in the 20th Infantry Regiment, 6th Infantry Division and lost his life on February 5, 1945 in a battle in Luzon, the Phillipines.
Ms. Jenkins:
Thank you for posting this amazing account of your family’s history and sacrifice. It instantly reminded me of the Spielberg movie, Saving Private Ryan, except that your uncle’s experience and your family’s sacrifice were not a movie. Thanks again for sharing.
My father was a sergeant in the 6TH DIVISION. HE trained at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri… went to desert training at St. Louis Obispo in Calif….changed orders and then went to Hawaii for jungle training…shipped to New Guineu and fought the Japanese in the dense jungle and up into the mountain highlands…Fought on Lone tree hill as a heavy machine gun operator… He was then sent to the Phillipines during the invasion into Luzon…He was awarded 3 bronze stars with one a oak leaf….He never would sit down and discuss his time in the war except on a few occassions… I guess PTSD was never known back then….He passed away in 1994 but I will always remember him as my hero..
Mr. Pollock:
Thanks for your contribution of your father’s story to our website.
Sincerely,
Thomas Price
My dad was with the 6th div 20th regiment and served from1940 to 1945 but hurt his back and they transferred him out before new guinea but my uncle who also was with the 6th as a medic did ship he told me if my dad would have went he probably would not have made it as that regiment got hit hard
My grandfather, PFC Melvin L. Soutter, was a rifleman in a Machine Gun squad (2nd Platoon, Company D, 63rd Infantry and served in the 6th from November 1940 to October 1945. He passed away in 1993 at the age of 88, and I have very few items from his service (photo album, defense/campaign medals, etc). Sadly, the only story he ever told me about the war was when I was about 12 years old. He recalled the time he jumped into a foxhole during a firefight only to find a Japanese soldier already in there! I said “grandpa, what happened”? He replied “well Stevie”, I’m here today telling you the story”. Oh how I regret not being able to speak with him today.
I’m now doing my best to try and piece together information on his squad and company.
Mr. Mason:
Thank you for your contribution for the 6th Division through your conversations with your grandfather. I suspect that he had many things that he would just as soon have been able to forget that may have been too painful to convey. Thank you again for sharing this very personal story.
In search of information on my grandfather, Capt. Orville Hutchinson. He was awarded the Silver Star for conduct on April 6, 1945 on Luzon. I know nothing else but would love any information or tips for finding out more. We know he fought in New Guinea but really know nothing about what he did. From an old newspaper story, his company was down to 10 men and he was the only officer who survived. He never spoke of the war.
Mr. Hutchinson,
Do you haver his discharge papers? That is not just important, it is essential and it could help you locate his specific unit and where he was located at the time. If not you or another relative should make a request for them using Standard form 180 as next of kin for his discharge papers. That will get you started. If he was with the 6th Infantry Division, I would carefully read the section of our books online, especially, the 6th Infantry Division in World War II. Pay close attention to the activities on April 6, 1945. Good luck.
Troy: My father served with a Capt. Hutchinson but don’t know if it was your grandfather or not. I can be reached at Margedw@gmail.com. Where did your grandfather live. I am going to see if I can find an old address book of my father and see if it might be the same person. My parents went to visit Capt. Hutchinson and kept in touch for many years. If it was your grandfather they fought at Mt. Mataba in the Philippines together and may have been in the same company. It was L company.
Ms. Williams,
You replied to me by mistake. I think you were attempting to contact Troy Hutchinson. You may need to communicate with him directly.
Sincerely,
Thomas Price
We think your grandfather was my father’s commanding officer. We have some information, but not a lot. You can reach me Margaret L. Williams My father’s name is Banek and he is listed on the Silver Star list at the end of this book.
Thank you for this marvelous history of the 6th. I ran across my father’s discharge papers today which initiated the search that led me to your site. He served in the 63d, company I as an automatic rifleman. Since he was a marine machinist building ships during the early years of ww2 he was late coming to the war. By his papers, probably joining the regiment during the retaking of Bataan. He was never able to talk of the war very much. Only a few stories. It meant so much to be able to read the story of that these brave men did for our country and the cause of freedom and to read descriptions of actions my father was involved in. Thank you for maintaining this site. His name was Joseph Larkin Robinson and he died in 2007.
You’re welcome and thanks for your comments.
Sincerely,
Thomas Price
My great uncle Herbert Marx was a machine gunner in I Company, 63rd IR. He earned the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster for actions during the Battle of Luzon.
My father Bernard K. Zitlow was a Sgt. with the 6th Army, 6th Infantry, 63rd division, Company “L”. He served in the Philippines was awarded the Philippine Liberation Medal, Spear Head, and 2 bronze clusters. Was wounded in the Philippines.
Mr. Zitlow: Thanks for your post. To clarify how the army is organized, Your father was in Company L of the 63rd Infantry Regiment. The 63rd Infantry Regiment was a part of the 6th Infantry Division, which was a part of the 6th Army. The 63rd Infantry Division was actually in Europe. I understand what you are trying to convey, but distinction makes a big difference. Thanks again for your post.
Sincerely,
Thomas Price
My Father was a junior in high school when Pearl was bombed by the Japanese. He enlisted upon graduating. He went to Australia first then island hopped across the Pacific Ocean with the Sixth Army 20th Infantry. He spoke of experiences in New Guinea. He was involved at Lingayen Gulf and Layte. One of his duties was putting napalm in the flame thrower tubes as that was the only way o clear the enemy entrenched in the coral caves on most of the islands. I found out after his funeral from my Mother, & she found a few weeks before he passed in 2001, that he had been on a ship off the coast of Japan with maps for a recon mission into Japan but didn’t have to go because the tests of the bomb were positive and the invasion was cancelled. After his time in the Philippines he went to Korea for a time
Mr Harvey,
I’m confused about your father being with the “Sixth Army 20th Infantry”.
6th Army did participate in New Guinea, Luzon and Leyte. 6th Infantry Division did not participate in Leyte. Under the 6th ID, there were 3 Regiments; 1st, 20th and 63rd. If he was in the 20th Infantry “Regiment”, he was not at Leyte or off the coast of Japan. After WWII, the 6th ID was sent to Korea as a police presence. If you have documentation showing were he was and the group he was in, I’d be very interest in seeing it. Maybe we can help narrow down where he was and the units he was in. Maybe he was transferred?
I do not see Company “E” of the 20th mentioned at all, although according to the morning reports they played a significant roll in the battle for the Cabaruan Hills. I do have an agenda here in that my father, 1st Lt. Earl Durnil was company commander from Jan 17 until he was severely wounded on Jan 22.
Mr. Durnil,
I am sorry that you cannot find the morning reports of which you are searching. We have a very limited number of morning reports. In order to obtain morning reports, we have either had those donated to us from an independent researcher, or obtain the assistance from a professional researcher who is able to spend the time to do so. Because the records are so extensive, and because the research is specialized and time consuming, we depend upon what has been donated to our organization. The morning reports that we do have were acquired due to the specific interest and efforts of the children of vets searching for clues about their father’s records. Once those records were obtained, those people were kind enough to donate their records in order for to offer what we have made available on the website. If you have specific records that you hope to obtain, I suggest that you contact Geoff Gentilini at Golden Arrow Research to see if he might be able to assist you with your endeavor. His organization and website is located here: https://www.goldenarrowresearch.com
If you follow that pathway and enlist his help, please keep us in mind. I encourage you to share what you find. It may assist others making similar efforts.
Best of luck in your research.
Thomas Price
I do not see Company “E” of the 20th mentioned at all, although according to the morning reports they played a significant roll in the battle for the Cabaruan Hills. I do have an agenda here in that my father, 1st Lt. Earl Durnil was company commander from Jan 17 until he was severely wounded on Jan 22. PS. Tech Sgt Donald Rudolph from Company E won the medal of honor in that campaign and there is no mention of him either.
Mr. Durnil,
I am sorry that you cannot find anything on our website about Company E, or Donald Rudolph. We have endeavored to post everything we have regarding the 6th Infantry Division in World War II. The information you seek is likely on our website, but is not always easy to find.
Specific information about Rudolph can be found concerning the Battle of Munoz on our website at page 95 the following spot:
https://www.6thinfantry.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/0399.pdf
In addition,
Here is a direct quote of only a portion about him located on our website. regarding stories of service “taps”
“Donald E. Rudolph, Sr.
Company E, 20th Infantry Regiment
6th Infantry, Medal of Honor Recipient Dies at 85, May 25, 2006
A much-beloved and celebrated World War II veteran of Itasca County, U.S. Army Technical Sgt. Donald E. Rudolph, Sr., passed away on Thursday.
A decorated Army infantry soldier, Rudolph was one of an elite group of people to be awarded with the highest level of military honor possible: The Congressional Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal on Aug. 23, 1945 by President Harry S. Truman for bravery beyond the call of duty for his services during World War II.”
Found Here– https://www.6thinfantry.com/?s=rudolph
I hope this helps you find what you are looking for. Much information is on the site, including the information you state bears “no mention.” I do confess that our website and organization is entirely volunteer run and is dependent on people donating their time and efforts. It would be helpful to have more volunteers with a devotion to this history who have website development skills and an interest in improving the information that we do have, and contributing to and expanding it. But regarding information about the 6th Infantry Division our site is the best thing available anywhere on the web. If you want to prepare and submit information to contribute to what we have on the website, I encourage you to prepare and submit it. We welcome such efforts, value and encourage it.