1st Lieutenant Latrobe Maurer Barnitz Jr KIA April 2, 1945 in Leisenwald, Germany

World War 2:
I recently started putting together a remembrance box for my grandfather 1st Lieutenant Latrobe Maurer Barnitz Jr.. It will have the flag my grandmother got since her husband was KIA World War 2. I'm trying to follow my grandfather's history with the Army and WW 2. He enlisted September 29, 1942 and went to Camp Eustis first. .He then went to Camp Haan for specific anti-aircraft artillery and coastal artillery. He became part of the 390th Anti-Aircraft Artillery AW Bn, 2nd company Battery Baker. It was part of Patton's 3 Army and the 26th Infantry Regiment. He received his commissions 3-18-1943. From there I believe he took the Queen Mary to Scotland then through England eventually join the fight in Luxemburg and Southern France to Southern Germany. Since he was in the 3rd Army he might have been involved with the Battle of the Bugle but I'm trying to confirm that.
What's difficult is his unit would get attached to different Regiment's/Battalions through the war partly due to the type of work the Unit did. That's what I'm trying to find out. Thanks, P.S. My father was 4 years old when his father died. He's now 85 and I'd like to give this to him asap.

 

Welcome aboard. Our focus tends to be the British & Commonwealth forces in WW2. Some members focus on US forces, so they may chime in.

See: 1Lt. Latrobe Maurer Barnitz States burial @:

His official burial details: AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION Big gain is his Army Number: O-1053474 and his unit was 390th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion

There are two entries for him on Ancestry ($$$) which may include a B&W photo. See: https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/latrobe-maurer-barnitz-24-1g35dxp

With 390th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion his location in England ttps://ww2history.eu/component/mtree/support-troops/anti-aircraft/support7213/158937-st-42367

A map of their service in Europe File:WWII Campaign Map of 390 Anti-Aircraft Artillery (Automatic Weapons) Battalion.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Free download (/) https://garystockbridge617.getarchi...-artillery-automatic-weapons-battalion-c7c292

A photo of one weapon and their nickname: "Gollywampus Gremlin". See: https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/svcp2m/an_m15_combination_gun_motor_carriage_of_the/

There is a 1945 post-war history (94 pgs) that appears on auction sites, e.g. The Saga of the 390 AAA AW BN (SP), US Army, WWII Unit History Book | #3394599838

That will do. I searched with: 390th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion and a narrowed search would have the text between " ". Not much on him though.

 

Thank you for the information. I made a request for his DD214 from the National Archives. They said they were mailing me something. It could be his DD214 or a letter stating it's unavailable. I believe it's a long shot since the fire in 1973 destroyed a lot of recorders. I also sent for his Army Personal File but got a negative on that. I did get action reports from 1943 to 1945 from the Eisenhower's Presidential Library on the 390th AAA AW Bn Second Platoon Battery B. It includes an account of his death. I didn't get anything through the National Achieves St. Louis also.

 

Might be worth trying to identify veterans accounts (oral & written) for the battalion and regiment. The UK has a large collection of oral history interviews; I'm not aware of a national equivalent in the USA.

Worth trying a veterans group too, many appear on Facebook.

If you have Service records etc create a document with a table for the dates and events in chronological order first and where the information came from. This will enable you to identify the more important entries first (dates of wounding, promotions, embarkations and disembarkations). You will learn more if you do most of the research yourself, but don't be afraid to ask questions about service record entries and things you come across on this forum. Adapted from Post 4 in: Help researching relative - Ivo William (Bill) SMITH, 42nd Battalion AIF

Some research tips next via PM and good luck.

 

Hi Latrobe,

You may have seen these already. The first couple will tell you where he was posted in the US before going overseas.

Regards,

Dave

June 11, 1943



July 9, 1943

 

Your grandfather had the misfortune to come across the remnants of the 6th SS Gebirgsdivision Nord, who waged a “private war” behind the US front lines, which was fought with fanatical ferocity.
The circumstances of his death are described in the chronicle of his unit, which you can download here:
WWII 390th Anti-Aircraft Artillery | PDF | Anti Aircraft Warfare | Military Organization

page 67:

I have translated two German sources on the extremely brutal and costly battles in the Leisenwald area, which should give you a good overview.

 

Today's B 276 (then Reichsstraße 275) would be the most direct route from Freiensteinau to the Hanau area, where his unit was located
The "woods just north of Hanau" where the ambush took place was most likely the forest area just below Birstein:
It is only 6km as the crow flies from Leisenwald and about 16km from Freiensteinau and would therefore fit the time mentioned “at dawn”.
The ambush fits the pattern, as the various splinter units of SS GD Nord in the region were de facto living off the land, taking supplies and vehicles from ambushed US columns

 

Thank you very much. I'm trying to put his entire military career on a timeline. I've found out that most training for AAA was Camp Haan in Riverside County, California. The AAA got to train in the Mojave desert for 5 day. That didn't make the soldiers happy.
I've contacted the National Archives to get his DD214. There's 30% chance they'll find it with the big fire in the 70s. I know they don't have his personnel file. I went through St. Louis, and they couldn't find anything.
I tracked down Daily Activity Logs during his time from the Eisenhower Presidential Library. That's all they have. I have heard anything about the status of his DD214. Some of my difficulty is that the 390th AAA's 4 batteries could be attached to different units, like the 101st or the 104th. Especially during the Battle of the Bulge.

 

Hi Latrobe, We have been in touch before (years ago). I adopted your grandfather's grave back in 1995; I still look after it.

My best guess is that your grandfather was killed near this location: see the red circle in the image below, although it must have been somewhat earlier than 08:45 a.m., according to a few indirect eyewitness accounts (the time stated is that of a second ambush near the same German roadblock).

I could look up some more information if you wish. I have a few letters from one of your grandfather's men that were sent to me 15+ years ago.

Alex