I am searching for information regarding my Great Uncle Gerald Endl, I have been told because there is no next of kin as defined by the Army that I cannot obtain an after action report. My family is trying to assist the Wisconsin Veteran's Museum in the creation on an exhibit for Wisconsin MOH recepients. Here is his info and citation. If anyone has any ideas how I can complete this research it would be so greatly appreciated. Staff Sergeant, U S. Army, 32d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Anamo, New Guinea, 11 July 1944. Entered service at: Janesville, Wis. Birth: Ft. Atkinson, Wis. G.O. No.: 17, 13 March 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty near Anamo, New Guinea, on 11 July 1944. S/Sgt. Endl was at the head of the leading platoon of his company advancing along a jungle trail when enemy troops were encountered and a fire fight developed. The enemy attacked in force under heavy rifle, machinegun, and grenade fire. His platoon leader wounded, S/Sgt. Endl immediately assumed command and deployed his platoon on a firing line at the fork in the trail toward which the enemy attack was directed. The dense jungle terrain greatly restricted vision and movement, and he endeavored to penetrate down the trail toward an open clearing of Kunai grass. As he advanced, he detected the enemy, supported by at least 6 light and 2 heavy machineguns, attempting an enveloping movement around both flanks. His commanding officer sent a second platoon to move up on the left flank of the position, but the enemy closed in rapidly, placing our force in imminent danger of being isolated and annihilated. Twelve members of his platoon were wounded, 7 being cut off by the enemy. Realizing that if his platoon were forced farther back, these 7 men would be hopelessly trapped and at the mercy of a vicious enemy, he resolved to advance at all cost, knowing it meant almost certain death, in an effort to rescue his comrades. In the face of extremely heavy fire he went forward alone and for a period of approximately 10 minutes engaged the enemy in a heroic close-range fight, holding them off while his men crawled forward under cover to evacuate the wounded and to withdraw. Courageously refusing to abandon 4 more wounded men who were lying along the trail, 1 by 1 he brought them back to safety. As he was carrying the last man in his arms he was struck by a heavy burst of automatic fire and was killed. By his persistent and daring self-sacrifice and on behalf of his comrades, S/Sgt. Endl made possible the successful evacuation of all but 1 man, and enabled the 2 platoons to withdraw with their wounded and to reorganize with the rest of the company.
I am sure that the after action reports for his unit will be at the National Archives at College Park in Maryland, there may also be a Veterans Organisation that covers his unit. There is a website for the 32nd Infantry Division at The 32nd 'Red Arrow' Infantry Division in World War II - 32nd 'Red Arrow' Veteran Association Good luck with your search and thank you for honoring a brave man.
I think Jedburgh is correct. After Action Reports (if they exist) are not normally restricted to family members, since they don't usually contain individual personal data, but are considered basic historical data and are available. I would try the National Archives First, as Jedburgh recommends. Other possible sources of assistance are the Center for Military History (U.S. Army Center Of Military History) or the Medal of Honor Society (CMOHS.org - Official Website of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society). One other mechanism to try would be based on the fact that SSGT Endl was in the 32nd Infantry Division-- this unit was reorganised and is now the 32nd Infantry Brigade of the Wisconsin National Guard. Look them up in the phone book and see if they have a unit Historian, as I suspect they may be able and willing to help you. If what you are looking for is his military personnel record, then there may be a familial restriction, but with effort someone more distantly related (you?) can usually get around those. Contact the National Personnel Records Center and see what they say (Military Personnel Records). Good luck. Doc
From the US Army official history, Approach to the Philippines, page 155. This was part of the Hollandia operation where Aitape, to the east, was taken to block trapped Japanese forces on the north coast of New Guinea. IIRC Aitape suffered a tsunami not too many years ago. The map link is the the most readable for this area. Note Aitape on the far left. Hollandia is to the west of this map area. The map shows the Japanese plan of attack on the US line along the Driniumor River. The whole action takes place in the lower right portion of this map. The 1st Btln / 128th Infantry and the 2d Sqdn / 112th Cavalry were on a recon mission to the east near Yakamul village. http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Approach/maps/USA-P-Approach-6.jpg General Martin, of course, knew that the Japanese were attacking, and he knew that the attack was taking place near the middle of the Driniumor line.(2) The covering force commander soon learned that the Japanese had broken through his Driniumor defenses, but he did not know how large was the gap in the lines. He had no reserve with which he could close the gap, unless he pulled the reconnaissance-in-force units back from their positions east of the Driniumor [just west of Yakamul]. Feeling that the Japanese had themselves accomplished the principal missions of the reconnaissance in force by revealing their locations and intentions, General Martin obtained permission from General Hall to pull back to the Driniumor the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, and the 2d Squadron, 112th Cavalry. Since it would take some time for the two units to move west, he determined to wait until dawn before making any attempt to restore the Driniumor line. The 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, received its withdrawal orders from General Martin about 0135. Rapidly assembling from its night defensive dispositions, the battalion started westward at 0200. Because of communications difficulties, the 2d Squadron, 112th Cavalry, did not receive the word until 0800, 11 July. After a forced march along the coast, the 128th Infantry's unit reached Anamo about 0530, just as dawn was breaking. General Martin ordered the battalion to counterattack down the Anamo-Afua trail to restore the 2d Battalion's lines. Movement south started at 0700, and there was no opposition for the first 1,500 yards. But about 1030 machine guns manned by elements of the 237th Infantry [Japanese] opened fire on the 1st Battalion's leading platoon from positions on the south bank of a small stream which cut the trail. The terrain and enemy small arms fire made it impossible to attempt wide, rapid flanking maneuvers, and the advance platoons soon found themselves in an ambush. A few Japanese, who had been in the area at least since dawn, threatened to cut the leading company's line of communications. The unit withdrew from its exposed salient just as Japanese infantry attacked out of the jungle on both sides of the trail and up the stream bed from the southwest. Realizing that the trail was held by a strong Japanese force, the intentions of which were unknown, General Martin ordered the entire 1st Battalion back to Tiver. The abortive action cost the unit 13 men wounded, 3 killed, and 3 missing.(3) Even before the 1st Battalion's attack had been launched, General Martin had believed that strong Japanese forces were across the Driniumor, and the opposition encountered by the 1st Battalion convinced him that his forward dispositions were not favorable for further counterattack measures. The enemy's Kawanaka Shima salient threatened the rear of American units still on the Driniumor and, worse still, provided the enemy force with an opportunity to push directly westward, almost unmolested, to the Tadji strips. Since his mission was to delay any such westward movements, General Martin decided to remove the rest of his forces from the Driniumor quickly and to reorganize along the second delaying position at the X-ray River-Koronal Creek line, there to await the Japanese and prepare for further counterattacks. 2. This subsection is based on: 1st Bn 128th Inf Jnl, 28 Jun-25 Aug 44; 128th Inf Jnl, 28 Jun-27 Jul 44; 112th Cav Sum of Msgs, 1-29 Jul 44; PTF G-3 Jnls, 8-11 and 11-15 Jul 44; PCF G-3 Jnl, 9-12 Jul 44; Martin Comments, pp. 12-15; 18th Army Opns, III, 111-14. 3. For covering the withdrawal of the leading platoon and helping to bring out wounded, Staff Sgt. Gerald L. Endl of Company C was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Sergeant Endl was himself killed bringing out one of the wounded.
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Approach/maps/USA-P-Approach-5.jpg http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Approach/maps/USA-P-Approach-7.jpg Seeing that the detail maps for the battles along the Driniumor at the HyperWar site were much degraded (links above), I hoped to scan my copies and share. Sadly, I found my copies suffered the same lack of clarity for the gray-tone terrain depicted on the maps. However, I was able to scan one map and manipulate the contrast such that it was more readable but with a gray background. Using software I was able to combine the terrain from that map and apply the unit information from the other map and make a viewable version of both maps. This was such a satisfying venture I just had to share how I did it, please pardon my wordiness (maps attached below). And if the maps don't clarify the terrain, this is a nice aerial photo of the Driniumor where the 2d Btln / 128th Infantry defended (cross linked).
Told at last! The forgotten Battle of the Drinuimor River Reference re: US Army 124 Inf Reg. The Australian 6th Div (2nd AIF) took over from the US Forces in November 1944 and commenced offensive action against the Japanese from Aitape to Wewak, there were about 35,000 Japanese in the area. The US Forces had based themselves to protect the airfield at Aitape and conducted elimentary protective patrols of the area. The Australians immediately stepped up offensive operations. Some units of the 6th Div had not been in action since Crete in 1941. In the 10 months the 6th Div advanced about 100Km along the coast, killing about 9000 Japanese and taking 269 POW. They lost 442 killed and 1141 wounded. More than 16,000 were admmited to hospital for sickness(such as, malaria, skin diseases, dysentry, scrub typhus and dengue fever). 2 VC's were awarded during the campaign, postumousley to Lt Bert Chowne (2/2 Batt) and another to Pte Edward Kenna (2/4 Batt)
