78th Lightning Men WWII

We were privileged to help the Pfeltz family find the details of their father's service, and these pictures they were kind enough to share say it all!
We would love to help with your research projects. Please visit our website to get started!

This could have been any one of our 78th men during this time.

Frigid conditions and fierce fighting...nothing keeping this artilleryman from keeping it smooth, 1944.

It is the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. This decisive battle, fought in the freezing winter of 1944–1945, marked the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. After weeks of intense fighting, American and Allied forces successfully pushed back the German Army, reclaiming lost territory and weakening Germany’s ability to sustain the war.

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Tom MacKnight thank you for your comments! Click on photo to see other comments from Tom.

The soldiers are from the 311th IR, 78th ID. The Hetzer are from the 272 VGD. The location is the corner of Mittelstrasse and Hauptstrasde (B266).

Two knocked out „Hetzer“ in Kesternich/Germany! Send us your most beautiful Then/Now picture! Go out and find history next to your door! We select the most beautiful pictures and show them every day here on D-Day History during the Community Days! Not only Normandy it doesn’t matter! Become part of D-Day History and show the community your most beautiful photo!

Thank you to Amandine Jaunet for sending this picture of new snow for a new year!

NOTE! 78th people this will be the first of a lot of future information provided by access to the materials given to me by Stan Polny 308th Service Company long time Division Historian of the 78th. Please bare with me.

If you are not familiar with Find A Grave it is free to use please become a member. https://www.findagrave.com/
Please click on the following attachment to view my father's page that I set up for him. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70948439/carl-lavern-wilson

Thanks to Natalie for answering an email I had sent sometime ago to Stan Polny. She informed me that her mother Kathy was his caregiver. I contacted Kathy and she was most gracious and invited us to make a visit to see Stan. Stan and Kathy surrendered his historic collection of 78th information to us.

I had been in contact with Mike Mercier curator of https://www.facebook.com/CampButnerSociety. We both knew how important Stan has been to the 78th over all these years. We both decided we would make the 1200 mile round trip to visit Stan and Acquire his 70 plus years of history. It is so valuable we wanted to make sure it was not lost or destroyed. We felt it was imperative that it would continue to live on through our on line pages and the Camp Butner Society Museum.

I have followed James L Cooper's work on Find A Grave for 11 years now and I have searched for James wishing to know more about what drives his determination to be so precise and determined to carry out such a daunting project. Please go to this link and look over the hours of work he has put into Honoring our 78th KIA. https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-cemetery/search/46872989?page=1 -773520

Thanks to Stan once again for helping! Stan has helped so many to find information through the years I can not express enough how much he has meant to me personally. My Mentor in many ways.

I have just finished reading My Father's War by James L Cooper. Now I know a little more about this man. The book written to account for his father's war is excellent. The research and detail into every area of his father's service is prolific. Still hoping to meet James some day.

OK the ramblings of a man with to much information to read and research is over for the moment. I will share much more in the future.

If you wish to have your 78th Lightning Man Honored on this page I ask for a few things.
1. A period war photo.
2. Regiment and Company they served in.
3. Any other information you would like to share about them on this page.

Thanks Ron

More of Mike Mercier's magnificent work. https://butnermuseum.wixsite.com/website/flashnewsletters?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0ujLp3mCPg4mafxSA2NW1kuX4c1MKK53bKRBrSCOc_lUKfCwAtV-No9F8_aem_cRMU9zE9Q0ZneV1AbFlg1w

FlashNewsletters | Camp Butner Society Listed below are the issues of The Flash the Camp Butner Society has copies of in the archives. Every issue up to 1978 has currently been scanned and as time permits, will be uploaded for personal viewing.

Mike Mercier created this research info. I was hoping to see so much more in the future.

WWII Camp Butner Unit Rosters