Service
in World War II and the Korean War • Activities of their Veterans
Today
  
The
insignia is the Regimental Coat of Arms of the Chemical Corps
www.4point2.org
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Please see the special note about this web site at the bottom of the page.
This website is for and about four-deucers – the men who
served in the U. S. Army's chemical mortar battalions in World War II and the
Korean War. It is dedicated to every one of them, but especially to those who
made the supreme sacrifice in defense of our beloved country. They have earned
the respect and tribute of all freedom-loving Americans.
Browse through the menu below to read the history of the 4.2 inch mortar, review
when and where the many battalions served, find out about contact persons and
planned reunions, and more.
We've done everything we can to provide accurate and up to date information,
but we're certainly not perfect and it's also obvious that we're missing a lot
of desirable information. We badly need your help in maintaining and improving
this Web site. We especially need missing information, corrections of errors,
and updated information on contacts and reunions. Please send e-mail to the
Webmaster, Bruce Elliott, or postal
mail to him at P.O. Box 498, Henniker NH 03242.
On behalf of all four-deucers, thank you very much for your help.
Freedom Is Not Free
Gettysburg Address
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Who
Denis Edward O'Brien
It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us the freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us the freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
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Call for writers!
The Chemical Corps Regimental Association is looking for articles and letters from veterans
of the Army's chemical mortar battalions. If you can help, contact the
Chemical Corps Regimental Association
PO Box 437
Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473
Phone: 573-329-6566
Email: ccrawebmaster@chemical-corps.org
Main Menu
2nd Chemical Mortar Bn, Korean
War, WWII in Europe, D-day landings in Sicily, Italy and Southern France
3rd Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe, D-day landings
in Sicily and Southern France
71st Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Pacific
72nd Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Pacific (no campaigns)
80th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Pacific
81st Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe, D-day landing
in France
82nd Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Pacific, D-day landing
in Luzon, PI
83rd Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe, D-day landings
in Sicily, Italy and Southern France
84th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe, D-day landing
in Italy
85th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Pacific
86th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
87th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe, D-day landing
in France
88th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Pacific
89th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
90th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
91st Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
92nd Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
93rd Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
94th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
95th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
96th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
97th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
98th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Pacific
99th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
100th Chemical Mortar Bn, WWII in Europe
Seven late-formed battalions that did not serve overseas
in WWII
Key to abbreviations used in the unit pages
BPE - Boston Port of Embarkation
CCF - Chinese Communist Forces
ETO - European Theater of Operations
HRPE - Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation
LAPE - Los Angeles Port of Embarkation
NYPE - New York Port of Embarkation
SPE - Seattle Port of Embarkation
SFPE - San Francisco Port of Embarkation
UN - United Nations
We invite all four-deucers to submit items, short or long, that may be of
interest to other automatic artillerymen: articles, anecdotes, observations,
partial or complete histories, and so on. If it's appropriate, we'll be glad
to add it to this Web site. Send all material to the Webmaster (see bottom of
this page), preferably by e-mail, otherwise on disk or printed on paper. For
computer files, ASCII standard text format is preferred; other acceptable file
formats are any version of WordPerfect or Microsoft Word and possibly other
proprietary formats (contact the Webmaster for more information). All items
are necessarily subject to editing for considerations of space and clarity.
General
Unit histories
- 2nd CMB and its successor unit, the
461st Inf Bn (Heavy Mortar):
- 81st CMB: History
of the 81st Cml Mortar Bn
- 82nd CMB: Fire,
Smoke and Steel, a history of the 82nd Cml Mortar Bn, by Jack Butler
- 83rd CMB:
- Rounds Away, a history of the 83rd Cml Mortar
Bn, by Robert Brimm
- Mark Freedom Paid – A Combat Anthology, edited by Lee Steedle and illustrated by Sam Kweskin, is a collection of first-hand accounts from 30 veterans of the 83rd Cml Mortar Battalion with many illustrations and sketches by the unit's artist. To read one of the accounts or purchase the book, click here.
- 84th CMB: I Remember
Anzio, memoirs of George (Aravich) Avery, Co A, 84th Cml Mortar Bn
- 85th CMB: History
of Co D, 85th Cml Mortar Bn, author unknown
- 86th CMB:
- 87th CMB:
- 88th CMB: Travelogue
of the 88th Cml Mortar Bn, by Raymond B. Whitaker
- 89th CMB: Historical
Highlights of the 89th Cml Mortar Bn
- 90th CMB:
- 91st CMB:
- 93rd CMB: History
of 93rd Cml Mortar Bn, by Joseph P. Towell
- 95th CMB: Rounds
Away, a history of the 95th Cml Mortar Bn
- 96th CMB: History
of 4th squad, 3rd platoon, Co A, 96th Cml Mortar Bn, by Greg Goorigian
- 97th CMB: History
of 97th Cml Mortar Bn, by George T. (“Ted”) Wright
- 99th CMB: Our
Part, a history of the 99th Cml Mortar Bn
Published articles, books and other items
- A Commander's Reflections, by Benjamin Moore,
CO, 2nd Cml Mortar Bn in Korea
- Gunners help turn the tide at Kap'yong, by New
Zealand historian Ian McGibbon
- Gettysburg: The Big Question, by Benjamin Moore,
recognized authority on U.S. Civil War
- Well, you asked! (mortar shell dynamics in
flight), by Walter J. Eldredge
- Sometimes it was rather cool, by Carl Hulsman,
2nd Cml Mortar Bn, Korean War
- Finding My Father's War:
A Baby Boomer and the 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion in World War II. The book,
by Walter J. Eldredge, is available for purchase through the website in paperback,
laminated hardback and collector's editions (clothbound with dust jacket).
Walter's father served in Co D of the 2nd CMB.
- An Alcove in the Heart,
WWII letters of Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero. The book, by Estelle Spero
Lynch, is available through the website either by purchase of the paperback
or download in PDF format. 1st Lt Sidney Diamond, platoon leader in Co C,
82nd CMB, was KIA on Luzon.
- Mark Freedom Paid – A Combat Anthology, edited by Lee Steedle and illustrated by Sam Kweskin, is a collection of first-hand accounts from 30 veterans of the 83rd Cml Mortar Battalion with many illustrations and sketches by the unit's artist. To read one of the accounts or purchase the book, click here.
- Muzzleblasts, newsletter of the 83rd
Cml Mortar Bn Veterans Association
- Sergeant Major, by Robert B. Begg
It's possibe that some of the books mentioned above may be difficult to find.
If you have trouble locating a particular book, try communicating with the individual battalion's
contact person or try searching through Amazon.com, or Google, or Yahoo, etc.
Personal comment and stories
Below are links to various military Web sites and other sites that may be of interest
to Army veterans. If you know of any that are not listed but may be good additions,
please send e-mail to the Webmaster,
Bruce Elliott, or postal mail to him at P.O. Box 498, Henniker NH 03242.
United States Military
Military elements and services
Federal government
Government agencies and services
Military-related miscellaneous
Chemical Corps units other than mortar battalions serving in WWII
Combat units supported by chemical mortar battalions
(More will be added as research continues)
We gratefully acknowledge the valuable help of these veterans, relatives and friends:
2nd Cml Mortar Bn: Bruce Elliott, Bob Moyer, Walt Eldredge
3rd Cml Mortar Bn: Quent Unger
82nd Cml Mortar Bn: Jack Butler
84th Cml Mortar Bn: George (Aravich) Avery
86th Cml Mortar Bn: George Murray
87th Cml Mortar Bn: Keith Ostrum, John Sears, Julian & Glenn Brunt
90th Cml Mortar Bn: Marty & Perry Dominy
93rd Cml Mortar Bn: Joe Towell
95th Cml Mortar Bn: Alven Nixson
Shoulder patch images: David Kaufman and Howard Lanham
Military USA, a commercial website.
World War II Order of Battle, by Shelby L. Stanton, 1984, Galahad
Books (division of LDAP, Inc), NY; Chapter 15, pages 274-275; and Appendix
I, page 596. This thoroughly researched book is an excellent source of basic
facts about chemical mortar battalions.
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Please
Note:
As
of 24-May-2005, Bruce Elliott has officially passed the torch of the "4point2.org"
web site
to Bill Steedle, son of 83rd CMB veteran Lee Steedle (Editor of "Mark
Freedom PAID").
We are all indebted to Bruce for his labor of love & dedication during the
past seven years putting this invaluable resource together.
To Bruce Elliott —
From all the four-deucers, their families, friends and others...
Bruce
Elliott, Lee Steedle, Bill Steedle
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During the transition, you are welcome to e-mail both Bruce and Bill with questions
and/or information that you wish to have posted on the "4point2.org" web site.
Eventually, Bruce would like to simply step aside to relax and enjoy the beauty of New England!
Bruce
Elliott ( belliott@mcttelecom.com )
Bill Steedle
( CMBwebmaster@hotmail.com
)
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NOTE: This is not an official website of the U.S. Army. It is a private
site, created in December 1998 and maintained by Bruce Elliott, the site's
Webmaster, and sponsored in part by the 2nd Cml Mortar Bn Association. Your
comments are invited. Send e-mail to the Webmaster
or postal mail to Bruce Elliott, P.O. Box 498, Henniker NH 03242.
About This Site's Founder:
Who am I, Bruce Elliott? I'm an Army brat. In WWII, I served with two chemical
mortar battalions: the 87th CMB in training and then the 97th CMB in training
and in combat in Europe. Before and during the first year of the Korean
War, I served with the 2nd CMB, the only such unit in Korea and the last
one in the U.S. Army. After 23 years active duty in the Regular Army, I
retired in 1965, taught at New England College for 20 years, and then retired
again to the good life. One of my favorite passions now is the maintenance
and improvement of this website for all chemical mortar battalions and the
good men that served in them.
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This site was last updated on:
Tuesday, 30-Aug-2005 17:32
© Copyright 1998 - 2005 U.S. Army Chemical Mortar Battalions Veterans Associations. All Rights Reserved.
