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| Pvt. Albin Pocivasek served with the 120th Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Mortain. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173237073/albin-j-pocivasek https://www.facebook.com/30thIDA/photos/pcb.1024359314270741/1024355517604454/?type=3&theater |
Albin J. Pocivasek never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on June 10, 1919 in Illinois. I was not able to find 1920 or 1930 census records. The 1940 census shows his mother Mary was a widow. She was born in Austria. Albin had at least one sibling, an older brother named John. Albin completed one year of high school. He lived with his mother and brother and worked for a clock company.
He was drafted into the army on October 23, 1943. He became a private in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division. The 30th ID arrived on Omaha Beach on D+5. It moved to the front to replace 29th ID units that had taken heavy losses.
At the end of July the 30th ID spearheaded the St. Lo breakout of Operation Cobra. On August 6 it relieved the 1st ID near Mortain. Over the next five days the 120th IR had a challenge taking on the German's elite 1st SS Panzer Division which hoped to cut off all units south of Mortain-Avranches. Fighting was so close that the 2nd Battalion HQ staff was captured when the Germans attacked Mortain. The Germans tried to take Hill #314, the highest ground for miles around, but were repelled by the 120th IR's rifle companies. While they kept the high ground, the Americans were cut off and could not evacuate their wounded. Pvt. Pocivasek died the next day, on August 8, 1944.
By August 9, the Americans on Hill #314 were all out of ammo and the Germans knew it. The Germans gave them the chance to surrender, but the Company E commander refused with a profane reply. When the Germans launched their attack against the ammunition-less GIs, their commander called in artillery fire to hit their own positions. While the Americans were relatively safe in their foxholes the Germans were caught in the open and they retreated with great losses. On August 10, C-47s dropped in much needed supplies and the crisis ended. The Germans pulled out, only to be cut up by the Army Air Forces.
At the end of the battle there were 277 killed, captured, or missing from this one battalion.
His grave is at Saint Vincent Cemetery in La Salle, Illinois.
Last year on this date I profiled West Point grad and Silver Star hero Joseph Ward, 4th Armored Division. You can read about Joseph here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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