| Welcome
to the new edition of the World War II journals of Colonel
Walton S. Van Arsdale, 311th Field Artillery Battalion Commander,
79th Division.
Here you will
find diaries, photographs and letters from my grandfather's,
Colonel Van Arsdale's, archive that I have assembled here
in electronic form as a way both to honor him and his life
and to serve as a research tool to those who are interested
in studying personal accounts of WWII veterans and, in particular,
Field Artillery in the Second World War. There is also contained
within information about the 79th Division in World War
II, Field Artillery History, and many other things that
describe the bigger picture of the war going on as these
entries were written.
My grandfather enlisted in 1928 and served in the Army
until 1968. He served in the 79th Division as it landed
at Utah Beach in Normandy, up to Cherbourg, through France,
Belgium and into Germany. |
|
I hope that sharing these artifacts and putting together a
wide array of information and resources will be of interest
to those seeking to be enlightened about what life was like
in a Field Artillery unit in the 79th Division, and also about
the role of the Field Artillery units, "The Queens of
the Battlefield", in the successes won by the US Armies
on the ground in these campaigns. |
Please
revisit often in the future as the contents of the site
grow. I look forward to posting here names of members
of the 311th FA Bttn., essays about this collection,
submissions of material from other veterans of the unit,
further historical information and documents related
to the 79th and to Field Artillery. As well as a site
map, more photographs, etc..
If you are a
veteran of the 311th or 79th, or a family member of one,
or knew my grandfather, please feel free to send me a note.
Go to the contact section and fill out the form. I'd love
to hear from you.
|
|
Van Arsdale in Czechoslavakia during the
Allied occupation
following the end of the war in Europe. Circa Aug 1945. To see
more photographs from his collection, click on the photos link. |
