Dale Hardesty, Cannon Co, 39th Infantry Regiment, WWII

Re: LT Dale Hardesty, Cannon Co, 39th Infantry Regiment, WWII

I've corresponded with R. D. (Dave) Hardesty III on a number of occasions, and have been awed by the dedication he's shown to searching for information about his father's service and the history of the 39th Infantry. To be sure, I have been very little help, and I can only hope that other vets and interested parties may be able to provide some further insights. That said, the evidence in his emails makes me suspect that Dave is already better placed to advise than most others. Anyway, I have his email address and am sure he'd be keen to hear from anyone who can answer specific unit questions or just share insights about military records research.

Now, having sat on this far, far longer than I should have, I've taken the liberty of combining a couple of Dave's messages in the interest of getting the information into a single posting (in other words, the parts that don't flow well are down to my own editing). So, without further fanfare:

Hello!

Having taken up active service, my nephew has rekindled an interest in his grandfather’s war record. He’s interested in having my father’s medals replaced: I am interested in documenting this part of our family history. My father passed away in 1977.

I am researching Lt. Raymond Dale Hardesty, who was with Cannon Company, 39th Infantry from 21 Feb 43 through 6 Oct 44. I’d like to know more of the functions of Cannon Company in any regiment … if I cannot discover the actions of his particular outfit.

. . . I decided to draft an account of his wartime experience. I’ve been stymied by the loss of his records in a fire at the Nat’l Personnel Records center, but am always looking for sources. Any suggestions would be appreciated. It is quite frustrating that, in demobilization, the DD 214 discharge papers contained typos and I don’t believe they were even complete. I’ll bet Dad just wanted out, he didn’t care what the paper said. I think the clerk typing the papers was probably overwhelmed. I have had some help decoding Dad’s separation papers, and am left with a few questions.

Was he in the first battalion?

I realize I need to read a few General Orders, as there are omissions on the separation papers. Do you know how to go about obtaining them?

In box 26, ‘Battles and Campaigns,’ I see GO 33 WD 45 for Normandy, GO 46 WD 45 for Northern France, and GO 40 WD 45 for Rhineland. There are no GO indications for Tunisia or Sicily. And I assume there is a typo: ‘Air Offensive Europe’ that should read ‘Ardennes Offensive Europe.’

In Box 29, Decorations and Citations I see the following General Orders:

GO 34 Hq 9th Inf Div 3 Mar 45 (referring to a Unit Citation)

GO 89 9ID 44 (referring, I assume, to a Bronze Star with 1 Oak Leaf Clusters)

GO 35 101 GH 44 (referring to Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Clusters)

I see no V beside the BSM (Bronze Star Medal). What are some of the reasons one might receive a Bronze Star for merit? Do you know why the Unit received the citation? What is a unit, exactly?

Does one have to be wounded to receive a Bronze Star? I may have made incorrect assumptions when trying to link up the dates of his four wounds with decorations. In trying to piece together newspaper accounts with the separation papers I think I’ve discovered there may be a lag time between an incident and when he was decorated. Is it possible that two medals caught up with him in one hospitalization?

Where can I learn more about these specific decorations? Are ‘After Combat’ or ‘Morning’ reports available somewhere?

Are you aware that the University of TN is holding documents pertaining to the 39th? After finishing his book Victory at Mortain, Mark Reardon deposited memoirs, interviews, and copies of orders in Hoskins Library. Though his book dealt with the 30th, some folders are designated as follows:

Box 1

Folder 64-Interviews-39th Infantry Regiment

Box 2

Folder 18-Memoirs 39th Infantry Regiment

Folder 30-Misc-Notes 39th Infantry Regiment

Folder 46-Record of Events 39th Infantry Regiment

Box 3

Folder 11-Reports-39th Infantry Regiment

Folder 27-Reports-Company Morning Reports-39th Infantry Regiment

Folder 42-Reports-Record of Events 39th Infantry 1st Battalion

Folder 48-Roster-Battle Honors

Also, I have a substantial collection of Government Issued photographs that I would be willing to part with. They are heavily curled, and I believe were issued to help identify German gun emplacements and such, in connection with Box 31, ‘Service Schools Attended:’ G 2 Photo Inter NAPRW Tunisia Africa.

I’d appreciate any help you can provide. I can provide an image of the separation papers if someone is interested in helping further.

Best regards,

Dave Hardesty
Portland, OR

Congratulations to Dave for his work so far, and I do hope that some other researchers may be able to fill in some of those gaps in this part of Paddy's Gang history. This is clearly the project of a lifetime.

But wait -- there's more. Dave has also provided a bibliography of useful sources on the 39th Infantry Regiment in WWII. I expect to post this separately, but until I re-type and format it to avoid HTML bugs, you can get a copy by sending me an email. Thanks again to Dave Hardesty for the research.

AAAO!


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