My parents recently traveled to Europe and visited many WWII battlefields in France. My mom was on the hunt for information about a cousin who we thought was on Omaha Beach on D-Day, wounded and died later near St. Lo.
After many phone calls and emails while my parents were on their trip, I was put in contact with a man named Joseph Balkoski. Joseph is the Command Historian for the Maryland National Guard. Joseph maintains files for the 29th Infantry.My cousin, Frank Winkler, was part of the 29th Infantry, 115th Regiment, G Co., during WWII.
We were not sure if Frank was on Omaha Beach on D-Day. The records found did indicate his participation. With the help of Joseph, I learned that Frank was transferred into the 29th on June 23, 1944, as a replacement, according to the 115th regiment's morning reports. Tragically, he was killed the next day. Right now we are not sure where he was prior to June 23. See the June 1944 Morning Report Frank Winkler is listed on page 32. See the July 1944 Morning Report Frank Winkler is listed on page 7.
I also learned during WWII, there was a record kept called the IDPF, Individual Deceased Personnel File. This file describes how the soldier was wounded or killed and other information about his service. It can be obtained by sending a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) letter to
US Army
Human Resources Command
Attn: AHRC-PAO(FOIA), Room 7S65
More information on the 29th can be found here:
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