By Major William Carraway
Historian, Georgia National Guard
The Macon Volunteers Crest and Capt. Benjamin F. Merritt, commander of the Macon Volunteers, 1937-1942.
Merian C. Cooper, Macon Volunteer
While the majority of the Macon
Volunteers and other companies of the 151st Machine Gun Battalion
returned from occupation duty in 1919, one former Macon Volunteer would not
return to the United States until 1921. Merian C. Cooper enlisted in the Macon
Volunteers as a private in 1917 and mobilized to the Mexican Border with the
company. Cooper so impressed the Volunteers with his knowledge of military
drill and manual of arms that he was offered several promotions, which he
refused.[1]
Returning to Macon, Cooper completed
aviation training at the Military Aeronautics School in Atlanta and mobilized
to France with the 20th Aero Squadron. He was shot down and captured
on September 26, 1918.[2]
Remaining in the Air Corps after the end of WWI, Capt. Cooper flew with the
Kosciuszko Squadron during the Polish-Soviet War. On July 13, 1920, he was shot
down, captured and spent nine months in a Soviet prison before escaping and
making his way to freedom in Latvia.[3] He
was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland’s highest award for military valor.[4] 
Merian Cooper during World War.
I. L. Tom Perry Special Collections,
Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.
Resuming civilian life, Cooper
served on the board of directors for Pan American Airways and began writing a
script for a movie based on research and lectures for the American Geographical
Society.[5]
Released in 1933, “King Kong” was written, produced, and co-directed by Cooper
who also appeared as the pilot who delivered the fatal shot barrage of gunfire
to Kong.[6]
Reorganization of the Georgia National
Guard and Macon Volunteers
While the years
between the National Defense Act of 1920 and the outbreak of World War II are
characterized as a period of relative calm in relations between the War
Department and the National Guard, the period witnessed remarkable change in
the Military Department of Georgia beginning with the reorganization and
federal recognition of units from 1920-1924. Macon was selected to serve as the
headquarters for the 30th Infantry Division which was comprised of
units from multiple states.
The initial allotment
for the Georgia National Guard for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1921,
consisted of one regiment each of infantry and artillery, one hospital company,
one cavalry squadron, one engineer company, and two coast artillery companies.
This represented a reduction of one infantry battalion and two coast artillery
companies from the allotment of July 1919.
The Macon Volunteers
held their first post-war muster April 23, 1920, on the 95th
anniversary of their first muster.[7] The initial officers
of the company were Capt. J. Sidney Brown, 1st Lt. Eugene Slappey,
and 2nd Lt. H. D. Russell. The Macon Volunteers were initially
assigned to the 1st Georgia Regiment as Company H, and later as
Company B, though the units of the Georgia National Guard would soon be
reorganized.[8]
In July 1921, the
Macon Volunteers attended annual training at St. Simons Island where veterans
of World War I regaled the new members of the company with accounts of service
on the fields of France.[9]
Distinctive unit crest of the 59th Infantry Brigade and Macon Volunteers. Georgia National Guard Archives.
The Macon Volunteers
were reorganized and redesignated November 28, 1922, as Headquarters Company,
59th Infantry Brigade, an element of the 30th Division, and received federal
recognition January 8, 1923.[10] For the next 16
years, the Volunteers attended annual training at St. Simons Island, Camp
Foster, Fla., and Camp Jackson, S.C.
Members of the Macon Volunteers at their armory in 1939. Georgia National Guard Archives.
Mobilization for
World War II
On September 16, 1940, the bulk of the Georgia National Guard’ units were accepted into federal service. [11] Following a week’s
preparation at home station, elements of the 30th Division mobilized to Camp
Jackson in several waves. Among the first to depart was the Headquarters
Company, 59th Infantry Brigade, Macon Volunteers which departed
Macon by truck at 7:00 am September 20, 1940.[12] Arriving in at Fort
Jackson with 31 Soldiers and two officers, the Volunteers ranks would gradually
be augmented by regular army enlistees while original members would find
assignments in other units.
The Macon Volunteers at Camp Jackson, S.C. April 22, 1941. Macon Telegraph.
In January 1942, the
Macon Volunteers lost their commander as Capt. Benjamin F. Merritt was
transferred to 30th Division staff. With Merritt’s departure, command
of the company passed to Capt. Stewart Hall of Newark, N.J. He was the first
commander of the Macon Volunteers who was not a resident of Georgia.[13]
With the
reorganization of the 30th Division from a four-regiment square
structure to a three-regiment triangular organization in 1942, the division’s brigade
headquarters companies were rendered obsolete. The Macon Volunteers were
converted and redesignated as the 30th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop February
24, 1942, and remained assigned to the 30th Infantry Division which mobilized
to Camp Blanding near Jacksonville, Fla. for additional training in October.
By the time the troop
arrived at Camp Blanding, few of the original Macon Volunteers who traveled to
Fort Jackson in 1940 remained with the unit. Of these, Pvt. Louis C. Stuart was
serving as first sergeant. Sergeant Robert Tidwell had been promoted to
technical sergeant, Cpl. James Chester had been advanced to staff sergeant and
Pvt. Edwin Deedrick was serving as a sergeant. This core of NCOs from the Macon
Volunteers would help sustain the 30th Recon Troop through combat action in
Europe.
Training at Camp
Blanding progressed through qualifications on weapon systems, heavy marches of
increasing distance, and exercises in the ever-present sand. The Soldiers
received new clothing and equipment which included coveralls for the recon Soldiers.[14] Mechanics and
drivers practiced their craft though not on the equipment with which they would
mobilize. On Saturdays, 1st Sgt. Louis would play the piano in the
day room providing a measure of entertainment for the Soldiers who were miles
removed from the nearest town.[15]
In June, the 30th
Division mobilized to Tennessee for Army Maneuvers. Similar to contemporary
readiness center training rotations, the maneuvers placed the Soldiers in the
field to conduct large-scale exercises tackling field problems and coordinating
efforts. The Tennessee Maneuvers concluded in November and the Troop entrained
for Camp Atterbury where it spent Thanksgiving and Christmas staging for their
upcoming deployment. On February 1, 1944, the Troop left Atterbury by train
bound for Camp Myles Standish, Mass.[16] Ten days later, the
Soldiers boarded the USS John Ericsson in Boston Harbor which joined a
convoy bound for England.
Disembarking at
Liverpool, England, February 22, the Soldiers traded ship bunks for Quonset
huts and began training near Chichester, England.[17] In March, the troop
received its allotment of vehicles which included five M-3 halftracks, 13 M8
armored cars, 24 jeeps and two “deuce and a half” trucks.[18]
%20Battle%20of%20the%20Bulge.jpg)
An M8 Armored Car of the 30th Recon Troop during the Battle of the Bulge. Photo courtesy of Jeff Rogers.
From Chichester, the troop
moved to Slough in April and assumed responsibility perimeter security at
Windsor Castle.[19] While in Slough,
preparing for the upcoming Normandy landing, the 30th Division was
visited by Generals Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley as well as British Field
Marshall Bernard Montgomery.[20]
The day before the
D-Day landings, the 30th Division received the order to be prepared
to move. On June 8, the troop loaded vehicles onto landing craft at
Southampton. The Soldiers boarded the same landing craft and departed for
France on June 10.
Work Horse of the
Western Front
The 30th
Recon Troop landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, France, with elements of the 30th
Division June 17, 1944. Also assigned to the 30th Division was the
Georgia National Guard’s 118th Field Artillery Battalion and a
company of the 105th Medical Battalion, the latter of which
continues in service with the Georgia National Guard as the 122nd
Tactical Support Detachment. The Georgia National Guard’s 230thFA
Bn., also assigned to the 30th ID, had previously landed, having
been called forward to replace a field artillery unit of the 29th ID
whose howitzers had foundered during the landing.
Omaha Beach near St. Laurent sur Mer. Photo by Maj. William Carraway.
The first vehicle of the 30th
Recon Troop to exit the landing craft fell into a shell hole and was completely
submerged. The Soldiers scrambled to save the crew able to pull all the men out
but the jeep and most of their personal equipment were lost to the surf.[21]
Battling south from
Normandy towards St. Lo, the 30th Division earned a reputation for
hard fighting as its infantry regiments, supported by Georgia National Guard
field artillery battalions, seized and held key towns. Platoons from the 30th
Recon Troop were attached to each of the 30th Division’s Regiments
during the Normandy operations establishing observation posts and conducting
patrols into enemy terrain.[22] As the division
moved inland, the troop was additionally tasked with providing flank security
for the division during the drive to St. Lo. [23]
Left to Right: Sergeant James R. Chester, who mobilized with the Macon Volunteers in 1940, stands with Sgt. Robert O. Butcher, Bob Shea,
and Howard N. Simmons. Photo courtesy of Jeff Rogers.
On July 25, Operation
Cobra began with the 30th Division, and other Allied elements,
moving to seize St. Lo. Simultaneously, the Georgia National Guard’s 121st
Infantry Regiment, in which the Macon Volunteers had previously served,
advanced as part of the VII Corps in an effort to isolate the Cotentin
Peninsula.[24] By July 31, 1944,
the objectives of Operation Cobra had been met with St. Lo in allied hands and
the 121st Infantry Regiment, battered by savage fighting in the
hedgerows, refitting in the vicinity of Avranches.
The Battle of Mortain
With German forces
retreating west, Soldiers of the 30th Division went into corps reserve near St.
Romphaire south of St. Lo and enjoyed three days of much needed rest after 51
days of combat. Relieving the 1st Infantry Division at Mortain,
France, August 6, 1944, Soldiers of the 30th Division dug in despite
reassurances from the relieved division that the sector was quiet. The 120th
Infantry Regiment dug accompanied by forward observers from the Georgia
National Guard’s 230th FA Bn. dug in along Hill 317[25] east of Mortain
while platoons from the 30th Recon Troop emplaced roadblocks on
routes northwest and east of the hill.[26]
The summit of Hill 317 looking southeast toward one of the roadblocks of the 30th Recon Troop. Photo by Maj. William Carraway.
Shortly after
midnight on the morning of August 7, German forces attacked Mortain in an
effort to reach Avranches. Six Mark IV tanks, supported by infantry struck the
eastern roadblock of the 1st Platoon, 30th Recon Troop,
destroying an armored car and killing all five crew members.[27] Soldiers of 2nd
Platoon, attached to the 120th Infantry Regiment, were swiftly
engaged, suffering seven casualties.
Witnessing the
unfolding action from the crest of the hill, forward observers of the 230th
FA Bn. called in more than 8,000 rounds of artillery on German armor from the
30th Division Artillery positioned on high ground west of Mortain.
The punishing artillery fire and stubborn resistance of the 30th ID ground
the German attack to a halt. By August 12, the German Panzer columns were in
full retreat.[28]
When Lt. Gen. Kurt
Dittmar was captured in Germany in 1945, he remarked that the war had been lost
in the west when the attack at Mortain failed.[29] In 2020, the 30th
Division received the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions at the Battle
of Mortain.
From Mortain to
Aachen
The 30th
Division fought across France and crossed into Belgium September 2, 1944. That
evening, a column of German vehicles, mistaken for American troops, opened fire
on elements of the 30th Recon. Captain Cornelius was among the
casualties. While rallying his Soldiers to repel the attack he was severely
wounded. For his actions, Cornelius was awarded the Silver Star.[30] He was evacuated to
England and command of the troop passed to 1st Lt. James Hume.[31]
Thomas Harvey, James Hume, and Robert Shea of the 30th Recon Troop. Photo courtesy of Laura Davis.
Reaching the vicinity
of Valkenburg on September 12, the 30th Division went into reserve
in anticipation of operations against Aachen. The division suffered more than
3,000 casualties in the ensuing battle of Aachen. While the 30th
Recon Troop was not directly engaged in operations to seize the city, it
suffered 10 casualties conducting patrolling and security operations.
With the fall of
Aachen October 21, 1944, the 30th Division went into reserve to rest
and receive replacements. In the first week of November, Staff Sgt. James
Birdsong, a distant relative of Robert Birdsong, a founding member of the Macon
Volunteers, was reported missing in action. Birdsong had mobilized to Fort
Jackson with the Macon Volunteers in 1940. The troop subsequently learned that
Birdsong had been injured in a vehicle accident. He was evacuated and did not
return to the unit.[32]
The Bulge
On the morning of December 16, while the 30th Division still in reserve, German forces launched a counter offensive in the Ardennes region near Belgium achieving complete surprise and shattering American forces. By midmorning, reports of the offensive reverberated to headquarters of the 30th Division. Soldiers of the 30th Recon Troop were given 30 minutes to load up before moving out at 11:00 am driving south through rain and sleet towards an unknown destination.[33] Reaching Malmedy September 18, the Troop manned outposts and roadblocks in the vicinity of the town. The 230th FA Bn. in Spa, just to the north, reported shelling and strafing of Malmedy including multiple passes by V-1 Rockets over “Buzz-Bomb Alley,” though their unit received little of the incoming fire.[34] Reports reached the 30th Division of the Malmedy Massacre in which Soldiers of the 285th FA Observation Battalion were killed by the 1st SS Panzer Division after surrendering at the nearby crossroads town of Baugnez. The news further galvanized the Soldiers who were already weary from more than five months of combat.
With the success of
the Allied counteroffensive in January 1945, the 30th Recon Troop
was relieved and sent to the nearby resort town of Spa, for rest.[35] Having been
resupplied, the 30th Division advanced to the west bank of the Roer
River, occupying a line from Julich south to Duren. The next day, the Georgia
National Guard’s 121st Infantry Regiment of the 8th
Division left their snow-covered dugouts in the vicinity of the Hurtgen Forest
bound for Duren.[36]
Following a massive
artillery barrage, American forces crossed the Roer with elements February 23.
The following day, the 30th Recon Troop crossed the Roer near Julich
while the 121st crossed at Duren.[37] Over the two weeks
as the 121st fought its way east to Cologne on the Rhine River, the
30th Recon, providing division-flank screening, moved roughly
parallel to the north. As the 121st battled to cross the Erft Canal
near Modrath and Kerpen, the 30th Recon went into a static defense
near Kerchherten.[38]
The 30th
Division assaulted across the Rhine March 24, and the 30th Recon
Troop crossed two days later.[39] In Teutoberger, the
Troop captured 485 German Soldiers and ten howitzers adding to the numbers they
had seized since the Rhine crossing.[40]
The 30th
Division drove deeper into Germany, reaching the Elbe River and assumed
responsibility for the security of Magedeburg, Germany, April 20, 1945.[41] Initially quartered
in a chocolate factory in Magedeburg, the Troop displaced to Klein Oschersleben
following the arrival of Russian forces.[42] While there, the
Soldiers received word of the German surrender May 8, 1945.
The 30th
Division conducted occupation duty before returning to the United States. The
Army began a phased return of service members based on points accrued for time
in service and awards. Technical Sgt. Robert Tidwell, who mobilized with the
Macon Volunteers in 1940, was among the first Soldiers selected for early
return[43]. In June, the troop
began its trip home passing through Reims France enroute to Le Havre and on to
Tidworth England.
On August 16, 1945,
the 30th Recon Troop departed Southampton aboard the Queen Mary.
Reaching New York five days later, the Soldiers of the 30th Recon
Troop prepared for the final leg of their journey which would take them to Fort
McPherson, Atlanta, from which Soldiers would begin out-processing.[44]
The 30th
Recon Troop was inactivated November 17,1945, at Fort Jackson, S.C., where the
Macon Volunteers had first mobilized with the 30th Division in June
1940.[45]
Macon Volunteers Who
Fell in World War II
In addition to the Macon Volunteers who continued in service with the 30th Reconnaissance Troop, Volunteers served in Europe and the South Pacific. In 1942, seven colonels, one lieutenant colonel two majors and two captains who began their military careers as enlisted Soldiers in the Macon Volunteers were in service in the U.S. Army stationed from India to London.[46]
As with all units of
the Georgia National Guard, upon arrival at Fort Jackson, S.C. in 1940, members
of the Macon Volunteers transferred to other units. Pvt. James Mathis, who
enlisted in the Macon Volunteers in 1939 at the age of 15, transferred to Fort
Benning in 1941 and completed officer candidate school. Mathis mobilized
overseas in April 1943 with the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th
Division. He was killed in action December 15, 1943.
James Mathis, Jack Moseley, Albert Farr and Charles Wheaton, Macon Volunteers killed in action during World War II.
Private Jack Moseley
enlisted in the Macon Volunteers in 1939 at the age of 16. He volunteered for
service in the Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 33rd Bomb Squadron, 22nd
Bomb Group, as a bombardier on a B-26. On January 7, 1943, Moseley’s aircraft
took off from Port Moresby on a bombing mission against a Japanese convoy. The
aircraft was intercepted by enemy aircraft and hit by anti-aircraft fire in the
left wing and engine. The pilot ditched the aircraft in the ocean and ordered
the crew to evacuate. Unable to escape the aircraft, Moseley drowned.
Albert Harlan Pharr
enlisted in The Macon Volunteers in 1939 and entered federal service with the
unit as a sergeant on September 16, 1940. On September 13, 1941, Pharr enlisted
in the U.S. Naval Reserve as a Seaman 2nd Class and was accepted for training
in Naval aviation. Upon graduating and commissioning he transferred to the U.S.
Marine Corps and mobilized to the Pacific Theater with VMF-216. On February 16,
1944, Pharr was piloting his F4-U Corsair on a bomber-escort mission over
Rabaul. When his aircraft failed to return, he was listed as missing and later,
killed in action.
Master Sgt. Charles
R. Wheaton mobilized with the Volunteers to Fort Jackson in September 1940 and
was subsequently appointed sergeant major of the 121st Infantry Regiment.
In the spring of 1942, he was selected to attend officer candidate school at
Fort Benning. He earned his commission as a second lieutenant and was promoted
to 1st Lieutenant in 1943. Wheaton mobilized to Europe in June 1944.
He was mortally wounded and died from the effects of his wounds November 16,
1944. He rests in Macon Memorial Park.
Merian Cooper’s Third War
Merian Cooper joined
Army Air Corps in 1941 and served as the logistics liaison on the Doolittle
Raid.[47] Serving in China and
the South Pacific, he was promoted to Brigadier General and attended the
Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri.[48] Returning to the
motion picture business, he produced a number of John Ford films including the
John Wayne vehicles “The Searchers” and “The Quiet Man.”[49]
Cooper received an honorary Academy Award for lifetime
achievement in 1953 and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[50] He died April 21,
1973.
[1]
Arthur Peavey, “Leaves Macon a Buck Private; He’s Coming Back, after Four Years
of War, Poland’s Hero,” Macon Telegraph, October 10, 1921, 6.
[2] Mark
Cotta Vaz, Living Dangerously The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of
King Kong, (New York: Villard Books, 2005), 7-8.
[3] George
M. Sparks, “Story of Capt. M. C. Cooper and his War Exploits one of War’s
Super-Thrilling Adventures,” Macon Telegraph, May 9, 1&7.
[4] Arthur
Peavey, “Leaves Macon a Buck Private; He’s Coming Back, after Four Years of
War, Poland’s Hero,” Macon Telegraph, October 10, 1921, 6.
[5] Mark
Cotta Vaz, Living Dangerously The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of
King Kong, (New York: Villard Books, 2005), 182.
[6] Mark
Cotta Vaz, Living Dangerously The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of
King Kong, (New York: Villard Books, 2005), 232.
[8] Arthur
Peavy, “Georgia Troops Working and Playing Hard at St. Simons Camp,” Macon
Telegraph, July 14, 1921, 11.
[9] “Arthur H.
Peavy, “Sun Shines During Drills, Rain Falls During Troops’ Playtime,” Macon
Telegraph, July 16, 1921, 9.
[10] National Guard World War I Unit Designations
by State. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Unpublished manuscript, n.d.,
typescript.
[11] Military
Department, State of Georgia, General Orders No. 13, Atlanta, October 7,
1941.
[12] “First Group of
Ex-Guardsmen Will Arrive at Fort Thursday,” Atlanta Constitution, September
17, 1940, 1&2.
[13] Corporal Owen
Cotton, “Macon Volunteers Made Unit in Mechanized Calvary Outfit,” Macon
Telegraph, July 20, 1942, 10.
[14]
Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 69.
[15]
Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 63.
[16]
Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 89.
[17] Jeff
Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 96.
[18] Jeff
Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 98.
[19] Jeff
Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 105.
[20] Jeff
Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 106.
[21]
Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 112
[22]
Robert L. Hewitt, Work Horse of the Western Front, The Story of the 30th
Infantry Division, Washington: Infantry Journal Press, 1946, 273.
[23] Jeff
Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 116.
[24] William
Carraway, “Operation Cobra: The Georgia Guard and the Normandy Breakout July
25-31, 1944,” History of the Georgia National Guard (blog), August 17,
2019, http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2019/08/by-maj.html
[25] The hill is
referenced as Hill 317 in The Center of Military History’s Breakout and
Pursuit, by Martin Blumenson, U.S. Army, 1984, while other sources identify
the prominence as Hill 314.
[26] Jeff Rogers and
Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th Infantry
Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 134.
[27] Jeff Rogers and
Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th Infantry
Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 135.
[28] William Carraway, “Germany’s Desperate Gamble: The Georgia Guard and the 30th Division at Mortain, August 7-13, 1944,” History of the Georgia National Guard (blog), August 22, 2019, http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2019/08/germanys-desperate-gamble-georgia-guard.html
[29] John Jacobs et
al, On the Way: A Historical Narrative of the Two-Thirtieth Field Artillery Battalion
Thirtieth Infantry Division, (Poessneck, Germany: F. Gerold Verlag, 1945),
27.
[31] Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old
Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund
Publishing, 2012), 145.
[32] Jeff
Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 158.
[33]
Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 168.
[34] John Jacobs et
al, On the Way: A Historical Narrative of the Two-Thirtieth Field Artillery
Battalion Thirtieth Infantry Division, (Poessneck, Germany: F. Gerold
Verlag, 1945), 52-53.
[35]
Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 179.
[36] 121st Infantry Regiment, The Gray Bonnet; Combat History of
the 121st Infantry Regiment, (Baton
Rouge, LA: Army & Navy Publishing Company, 1946), 60.
[37] 121st Infantry Regiment, The Gray Bonnet; Combat History of
the 121st Infantry Regiment, (Baton
Rouge, LA: Army & Navy Publishing Company, 1946), 61.
[38] 121st Infantry Regiment, The Gray Bonnet; Combat History of
the 121st Infantry Regiment, (Baton
Rouge, LA: Army & Navy Publishing Company, 1946), 63.
[39] Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old
Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund
Publishing, 2012), 184.
[40] Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old
Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund
Publishing, 2012), 191.
[41] Shelby L. Stanton, World War II Order of
Battle U.S. Army (Ground Force Units), (Mechanicsburg, Penn: Stackpole
Books, 2006), 109.
[42] Jeff
Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 199.
[43]
Jeff Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 207.
[44] Jeff
Rogers and Marion Sanford, Old Hickory Recon: Memories of the 30th
Infantry Division 1943-1945, (Schweinhund Publishing, 2012), 221.
[45]
U.S. Army Center of Military History. Lineage
and Honors, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Washington DC:
U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2024.
[46]
“Many Officers Once Members of Macon Volunteers Group,” Macon News, July
14, 1942, 1.
[47] Mark Cotta Vaz,
Living Dangerously The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong,
(New York: Villard Books, 2005), 282 and 286.
[48] Mark Cotta Vaz, Living Dangerously The
Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong, (New York: Villard
Books, 2005), 319.
[49] Mark Cotta Vaz, Living Dangerously The
Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong, (New York: Villard
Books, 2005), 358.
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