Description:

WORLD WAR II CHRISTMAS CARDS FROM THE ESTATE OF LT. COL. WILLIAM B. GARA
Collection of three Christmas cards, 3.5 x 6 in., belonging to Lt. Col. William B. Gara, commander of the crucial 1st Engineer Combat Battalion and among the first to land on Omaha Beach. This lot contains two 1943 ‘Season's Greetings' cards bearing the regimental colors of the First Engineer Combat Battalion. The last card displays the insignia for the 7th Army Corps and is from 1945 per the brief handwritten message found inside, in part: ‘With best wished for Christmas and 1945. I am sure that you will soon be back with the VII Corps...'. Seen on the reverse is a map of France showing the movements of the VII Corps. One card bears burn marks at the center while all three show light spotting wear to the edges, overall very good. WILLIAM B. GARA (1917-2001) was an American Army Lieutenant Colonel, commander of the 1st Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. Gara was a genuine war hero by any definition. He led his 700 men from North Africa to Sicily, he landed among the very first soldiers on Omaha Beach, was heavily engaged at the Battle of the Bulge, and fought into Germany until the end of the war. His most valiant service was at Omaha Beach in the initial assault fighting while they cleared obstacles where the 1st Engineers were tasked with landing to allow more landing craft to safely arrive, and continuing to clear barbed wire, mines, anti-tank obstacles and ravines, etc. from the beaches to a point a few miles inland to clear the path for infantry, tanks, and then truck transports. Under intense enemy small arms and anti-tank fire, Gara's engineers, along with elements of the 37th Engineers Battalion, opened the first and most important exit from Omaha Beach, E-1, allowing American GIs to flank the German defenses and begin their drive inland. By war's end, Gara had received two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts.

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May 4, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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