UnderMiner
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- Jul 27, 2014
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Found this slightly dented brass vase at the dump today in the rain. It was made by Gorham and is 11" tall. Thought it was just a regular beat up old vase until I saw the inscription on it. The inscription reads "To the glory of God and in memory of William T. McLeod class of 1944 Killed in Action April 13, 1945."
So it sounds like William T. McLeod was a very young soldier who was killed in WWII just a year after he graduated high school in 1944. From the date April 13th 1945 I'm guessing he may have been killed in the battle of Okinawa which took place from April 1st - June 22nd 1945, but so far I have not been able to find any record of him in the battle, Okinawa had over 12,000 Americans KIA.
Edit: Thanks to the research of RelicHunter97 we now know that Private First Class McLeod was born on October 19, 1925 and upon graduation in 1944 he joined the 104th Infantry Division as part of the 415th Infantry Regiment also known as the "Timberwolves". His final days and death can be reconstructed through the actions of his regiment highlighted in the text below. His death likely resulted during the opening advance on the city of Hale at around midnight when the 104th was just getting in sight of the city. The 104th was surprised by heavy German resistance on the outskirts of the city that night which included artillery and 88mm fire - this is the attack that likely killed McLeod. As the 10th largest city in Germany, Hale was at that time one of the largest Nazi strongholds as it was never bombed by the Allies. The city would not fall to the Allies until April 19th. PFC McLeod was just 19 years old when he was killed at the start of this little known but vital battle.
Summary of events:
The 104th had just survived heavy attacks at the small German town of Medebach. They then successfully captured the city of Paderborn on April 1st 1945. On April 8th after regrouping the 104th crossed the Weser River which cut off the German retreat into the Harz Mountains. On April 12th the 104th were ordered to capture the German city of Halle which lay on the east side of the river Saale which they had to cross. Over fifty towns and communities had to be cleared before the Saale could be reached. In the path of the 104th were the large towns of Sangerhausen, with 11,000 inhabitants and just to the north was Eisleben (the birthplace of Martin Luther), with a population of 23,000 . It was realized that aside from the Saale River as a stumbling block in the eastward advance, historic Halle would be a formidable obstacle. Halle, with a population of over 210,000, was the tenth largest city in Germany and the largest Nazi city spared from allied bombing.
The 415th Infantry Regiment of the 104th Infantry Division was east of Nordhausen while the 414th was blocking the exits of the Harz Mountains north of that city, while the 413th was engaged in holding the Nazis in the Harz Mountains northwest of Nordhausen. The enemy in the Harz Mountains maintained desperate resistance and therefore it was impossible for the Division commander to release the 413th for the proposed assault of the Saale River. Consequently for the second time in the past twenty days, the Timberwolf forces would conduct two widely separated operations. To this end, certain regroupings on the north flank were decided upon, giving responsibility for the sector to the 413th and releasing TFL and the 414th for the attack on Halle.
To lead a rapid and powerful Timberwolf attack on Halle, General Allen constituted a Division armored spearhead under command of Colonel Gerald Kelleher (Commanding Officer, 414th Infantry Regiment). The Division directed Task Force Kelleher to be organized and prepared for assembly prior to 0800 on 14 April and that the Task Force consist of the 414th Infantry (less the 2d Battalion which was still operating with the 3d Armored Division); the 750th Tank Battalion (less one company); the 817th Tank Destroyer Battalion (less two companies); Company B, 329th Engineer Battalion; the 386th and 802d Field Artillery Battalions; Battery B, 555th AAA Battalion; the 104th Reconnaissance Troop and Company B of the 87th Chemical Battalion. Eighteen trucks were attached to the Task Force leaving nine with each of the other two regiments. The Division would advance with TF Kelleher spearheading, closely followed by the 415th, with the provision that if the 413th were released, then it would advance behind the task force on the left with the 415th on the right.
The fighting along the southern border of the Harz Mountains continued 13, 14 and 15 April for Colonel Summers' Seagulls (413th Infantry). The enemy was constantly dominated and his attempted infiltrations were quickly mopped up. On 13 April, during the fighting on the outskirts of Bad Lauterberg, the chief of police and a medical officer who presented themselves as emissaries of the people in the town and the military garrison, contacted the 3d Battation, 413th Infantry. They suggested that the town might surrender and offered to act as intermediaries. The usual unconditional terms were offered and the emissaries were sent back to the town where they presented their case to the German commander. They soon returned, however, requesting that an American officer accompany them to the German commander. Lieutenant Carl L. Johnson, S-3 of the 3d Battalion, volunteered for the mission along with Technical Sergeant Walter 0. George as interpreter and Pfc. David L. Acker and Pfc. Richard Klein as flag bearers. These four together with the two Germans went into the town again and were taken to a company CP. Here the Americans were blind folded and taken to the battalion command post.
The enemy battalion commander indicated his own personal desire to surrender and this feeling was reflected by the men; however, he stated he was under strict orders to hold the town and continue fighting. He called his regimental commander by telephone who likewise indicated his willingness,, to surrender, but because of his present orders he was unable to do so The regimental commander then placed a call to his division headquarters and the division commander signified his willingness to capitulate, but withheld his decision until he could contact German Army Headquarters. Two hours later after much passing the buck, the Army commander's decision of refusal to surrender was received and the emissaries returned to their battalion. Lieutenant Johnson reported that all the soldiers and civilians had hoped that a surrender could be effected, and when they heard the Army commander's decision, they seemed crushed. The Germans at the time knew that their situation was hopeless since troops of the Ninth and First Armies had them surrounded. After completing its mission of holding the German forces within the Harz mountains, and when relieved by elements of the 1st Division and the 4th Cavalry Group, the 413th moved to the east on the afternoon of 15 April, and rejoined the Division which was then along the Saale River. Over 65,000 German troops were later gathered from the Harz Mountain area.
The situation in the Harz Mountain so developed that it was necessary for the Division to leave the 413th in its blocking role and to proceed with its attack on the 14th of April without that regiment. On April 13th the Task Force perfected its plan for the assault. it would advance over two routes with Task Force Rouge (the 3d Battalion, 414th Infantry, reinforced, commanded by Lt. Col. Leon Rouge), on the north route and Task Force Clark, (the 1st Battalion, 414th Infantry, reinforced, commanded by Lt. Col. Robert R. Clark), on the south (see footnote). From a line of departure then held by the 415th twenty-five miles to the East of Nordhausen, the Task Force would commence its drive at 1200, 14 April. The 415th would closely follow and eliminate all bypassed resistance along the twenty-five-mile wide Division zone. The 3d Armored had passed through part of the Division zone 13 April having turned north out of our zone just west of Sangerhausen. It was to continue its attack to the cast parallel with the 104th.
During the night of 13 April and the early morning of 14 April the Task Force assembled and made final preparations for the attack. At 1200, spearheaded by the 104th Reconnaissance Troop, tanks of the 750th and tank destroyers of the 817th Tank Destroyer Battalion mounted by infantry, Task Force Rouge on the left and Task Force Clark on the right, crossed the line of departure and drove rapidly to the east. Limited resistance was encountered initially but when the force was in sight of Halle it encountered heavy flak and 88mm fire. At 1800 Task Force Rouge had reached the Saale on the north and patrols of Task Force Clark on the south had the river under observation. The bridges over the mighty Saale had been destroyed by German defenders. The "Old Faithful" regiment shortly thereafter closed behind the Task Force having cleared the Division zone and captured over 215 prisoners. The boldness and aggressiveness of the Task Force had resulted in the seizure of thirty-two additional towns and over 500 prisoners in an advance of twenty-eight miles. More can be read here: World War II History
Some original footage from the battle for Halle, where PFC McLeod was killed:
Bottom of vase is stamped "Gorham V444"
This is the first time I've found an artifact like this, never heard of a KIA vase before, nor is there much information online about such things, I thought it may have been some type of urn at first, but it's definitely just a flower vase, not an urn, maybe this vase held the flowers at his funeral or was used on the family's table to remind them each night of their son's sacrifice to them and our nation.
So it sounds like William T. McLeod was a very young soldier who was killed in WWII just a year after he graduated high school in 1944. From the date April 13th 1945 I'm guessing he may have been killed in the battle of Okinawa which took place from April 1st - June 22nd 1945, but so far I have not been able to find any record of him in the battle, Okinawa had over 12,000 Americans KIA.
Edit: Thanks to the research of RelicHunter97 we now know that Private First Class McLeod was born on October 19, 1925 and upon graduation in 1944 he joined the 104th Infantry Division as part of the 415th Infantry Regiment also known as the "Timberwolves". His final days and death can be reconstructed through the actions of his regiment highlighted in the text below. His death likely resulted during the opening advance on the city of Hale at around midnight when the 104th was just getting in sight of the city. The 104th was surprised by heavy German resistance on the outskirts of the city that night which included artillery and 88mm fire - this is the attack that likely killed McLeod. As the 10th largest city in Germany, Hale was at that time one of the largest Nazi strongholds as it was never bombed by the Allies. The city would not fall to the Allies until April 19th. PFC McLeod was just 19 years old when he was killed at the start of this little known but vital battle.
Summary of events:
The 104th had just survived heavy attacks at the small German town of Medebach. They then successfully captured the city of Paderborn on April 1st 1945. On April 8th after regrouping the 104th crossed the Weser River which cut off the German retreat into the Harz Mountains. On April 12th the 104th were ordered to capture the German city of Halle which lay on the east side of the river Saale which they had to cross. Over fifty towns and communities had to be cleared before the Saale could be reached. In the path of the 104th were the large towns of Sangerhausen, with 11,000 inhabitants and just to the north was Eisleben (the birthplace of Martin Luther), with a population of 23,000 . It was realized that aside from the Saale River as a stumbling block in the eastward advance, historic Halle would be a formidable obstacle. Halle, with a population of over 210,000, was the tenth largest city in Germany and the largest Nazi city spared from allied bombing.
The 415th Infantry Regiment of the 104th Infantry Division was east of Nordhausen while the 414th was blocking the exits of the Harz Mountains north of that city, while the 413th was engaged in holding the Nazis in the Harz Mountains northwest of Nordhausen. The enemy in the Harz Mountains maintained desperate resistance and therefore it was impossible for the Division commander to release the 413th for the proposed assault of the Saale River. Consequently for the second time in the past twenty days, the Timberwolf forces would conduct two widely separated operations. To this end, certain regroupings on the north flank were decided upon, giving responsibility for the sector to the 413th and releasing TFL and the 414th for the attack on Halle.
To lead a rapid and powerful Timberwolf attack on Halle, General Allen constituted a Division armored spearhead under command of Colonel Gerald Kelleher (Commanding Officer, 414th Infantry Regiment). The Division directed Task Force Kelleher to be organized and prepared for assembly prior to 0800 on 14 April and that the Task Force consist of the 414th Infantry (less the 2d Battalion which was still operating with the 3d Armored Division); the 750th Tank Battalion (less one company); the 817th Tank Destroyer Battalion (less two companies); Company B, 329th Engineer Battalion; the 386th and 802d Field Artillery Battalions; Battery B, 555th AAA Battalion; the 104th Reconnaissance Troop and Company B of the 87th Chemical Battalion. Eighteen trucks were attached to the Task Force leaving nine with each of the other two regiments. The Division would advance with TF Kelleher spearheading, closely followed by the 415th, with the provision that if the 413th were released, then it would advance behind the task force on the left with the 415th on the right.
The fighting along the southern border of the Harz Mountains continued 13, 14 and 15 April for Colonel Summers' Seagulls (413th Infantry). The enemy was constantly dominated and his attempted infiltrations were quickly mopped up. On 13 April, during the fighting on the outskirts of Bad Lauterberg, the chief of police and a medical officer who presented themselves as emissaries of the people in the town and the military garrison, contacted the 3d Battation, 413th Infantry. They suggested that the town might surrender and offered to act as intermediaries. The usual unconditional terms were offered and the emissaries were sent back to the town where they presented their case to the German commander. They soon returned, however, requesting that an American officer accompany them to the German commander. Lieutenant Carl L. Johnson, S-3 of the 3d Battalion, volunteered for the mission along with Technical Sergeant Walter 0. George as interpreter and Pfc. David L. Acker and Pfc. Richard Klein as flag bearers. These four together with the two Germans went into the town again and were taken to a company CP. Here the Americans were blind folded and taken to the battalion command post.
The enemy battalion commander indicated his own personal desire to surrender and this feeling was reflected by the men; however, he stated he was under strict orders to hold the town and continue fighting. He called his regimental commander by telephone who likewise indicated his willingness,, to surrender, but because of his present orders he was unable to do so The regimental commander then placed a call to his division headquarters and the division commander signified his willingness to capitulate, but withheld his decision until he could contact German Army Headquarters. Two hours later after much passing the buck, the Army commander's decision of refusal to surrender was received and the emissaries returned to their battalion. Lieutenant Johnson reported that all the soldiers and civilians had hoped that a surrender could be effected, and when they heard the Army commander's decision, they seemed crushed. The Germans at the time knew that their situation was hopeless since troops of the Ninth and First Armies had them surrounded. After completing its mission of holding the German forces within the Harz mountains, and when relieved by elements of the 1st Division and the 4th Cavalry Group, the 413th moved to the east on the afternoon of 15 April, and rejoined the Division which was then along the Saale River. Over 65,000 German troops were later gathered from the Harz Mountain area.
The situation in the Harz Mountain so developed that it was necessary for the Division to leave the 413th in its blocking role and to proceed with its attack on the 14th of April without that regiment. On April 13th the Task Force perfected its plan for the assault. it would advance over two routes with Task Force Rouge (the 3d Battalion, 414th Infantry, reinforced, commanded by Lt. Col. Leon Rouge), on the north route and Task Force Clark, (the 1st Battalion, 414th Infantry, reinforced, commanded by Lt. Col. Robert R. Clark), on the south (see footnote). From a line of departure then held by the 415th twenty-five miles to the East of Nordhausen, the Task Force would commence its drive at 1200, 14 April. The 415th would closely follow and eliminate all bypassed resistance along the twenty-five-mile wide Division zone. The 3d Armored had passed through part of the Division zone 13 April having turned north out of our zone just west of Sangerhausen. It was to continue its attack to the cast parallel with the 104th.
During the night of 13 April and the early morning of 14 April the Task Force assembled and made final preparations for the attack. At 1200, spearheaded by the 104th Reconnaissance Troop, tanks of the 750th and tank destroyers of the 817th Tank Destroyer Battalion mounted by infantry, Task Force Rouge on the left and Task Force Clark on the right, crossed the line of departure and drove rapidly to the east. Limited resistance was encountered initially but when the force was in sight of Halle it encountered heavy flak and 88mm fire. At 1800 Task Force Rouge had reached the Saale on the north and patrols of Task Force Clark on the south had the river under observation. The bridges over the mighty Saale had been destroyed by German defenders. The "Old Faithful" regiment shortly thereafter closed behind the Task Force having cleared the Division zone and captured over 215 prisoners. The boldness and aggressiveness of the Task Force had resulted in the seizure of thirty-two additional towns and over 500 prisoners in an advance of twenty-eight miles. More can be read here: World War II History
Some original footage from the battle for Halle, where PFC McLeod was killed:
Bottom of vase is stamped "Gorham V444"
This is the first time I've found an artifact like this, never heard of a KIA vase before, nor is there much information online about such things, I thought it may have been some type of urn at first, but it's definitely just a flower vase, not an urn, maybe this vase held the flowers at his funeral or was used on the family's table to remind them each night of their son's sacrifice to them and our nation.
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