 |
| Sgt. Harold Newman served in the 702nd Tank Destroyer Battalion in France and Germany. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15503244 https://www.tankdestroyer.net/units/unitphotogalleries/702nd-td-battalion |
Harry was born on May 19, 1920 in Picnic, Florida. His parents William and Edith were born in South Carolina and Florida, respectively. His father worked as a logger for a sawmill. Harry had two older sisters, three younger sisters, and three younger brothers. In 1940, Harry had completed 6th grade and was living at home with his parents in Tampa and working as a machine operator.
Harry was drafted into the US Army in November 1941 and served in the 702nd Tank Destroyer Battalion, where he rose to the rank of Sergeant. The “Seven O Deuce” was activated 15 December 1941 at Fort Benning, Georgia and arrived in England on 25 February 1944. The 702nd was equipped with the M10 Tank Destroyer, sometimes referred to as the Wolverine. The M10 was based on the chassis of the M4 Sherman tank fitted with a 76.2 mm gun, and was the most important U.S. tank destroyer of WW2. M10 battalions were attached to infantry and armored divisions to provide additional direct and indirect fire support. Typical missions included providing indirect artillery fire by augmenting divisional artillery units, following and supporting the lead elements of an infantry assault, attacking obstacles such as fortifications and enemy vehicles (including tanks) that hampered the advance of friendly units, and setting up an antitank defense once the objective was secured.
The 702nd landed at Omaha Beach on 11 June 1944 and entered combat operations at Livry, France on 2 July. It formed part of the 2nd Armored Division’s spearhead during Operation Cobra in late July, the US Army’s breakout from the Normandy beachhead. The 702nd fought at Mortain, France and established first contact with Canadians during encirclement of the Falaise Pocket. It then entered Belgium on 5 September 1944, crossed the German border near Gangelt, and fought against the Siegfried Line along the Wurm River in October. Sgt Newman was killed in action on 6 October 1944.
Harold H. Newman is buried in Mathews Cemetery in Seffner, Florida.
_____
This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled Clarence Justen of the 95th Infantry Division. You can read about Clarence 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.
Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by
The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation
“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”
No comments:
Post a Comment