Lot 438

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Description:


A rather callous pre-printed document bearing the facsimile signature of President Harry Truman, a standard acknowledgement given to all servicemen at the end of World War II. It reads, in part: '...I extend the heartfelt thanks of a grateful nation...you undertook the most severe task...we now look to you for leadership and example in further exalting our country in peace...' File holes in left margin, else very good. This document was sent to one of the country's greatest military leaders, Major General CLARENCE R. HUEBNER (1888-1972) who took command of the 1st Infantry Division, popularly known as the 'Big Red One', in early August of 1943. He commanded the division during the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, where it was the first force to face the Germans on Omaha Beach, and he joined his men on the beach the same day. The division was instrumental in the breakthrough following the battle for St. Lo and in foiling the German counteroffensive at Mortain. After the Allied breakout in Normandy, the division advanced rapidly, arriving at the German border in early October of 1944, where it was committed to battle at Aachen, which it captured after two weeks of heavy fighting. After experiencing heavy fighting once again in the Huertgen Forest, the division briefly rested but soon returned to counter the German offensive at the Battle of the Bulge in December, 1944. In January, 1945, Huebner was named commander of the V Corps, which he commanded in its advance to the Elbe river, where elements of the corps made the first contact with the Soviet Red Army. By war's end, the division had advanced into Czechoslovakia.

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October 28, 2020 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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