WW2 Rifleman. Armored Infantry. WIA Normandy. Medals & Researched Hardcover.
$449.00
Out of stock
Included is U.S. Army Rifleman Francis Gerard Wolfort's authentic and original named World War II Bronze Star, Bronze Star Medal Case, Victory Medal, and
U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal. A Researched Hardcover is also included that is based on information from documented sources and shares a bit of Francis`s life and World War II experiences.
Francis would receive a Purple Heart on August 29, 1944, and would be awarded this Bronze Star. He would also be awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge for meritorious performance of duty in action against the enemy.
Francis Gerard Wolfort was born in New York City on July 16, 1922, to Joseph and Margaret. His father was a U.S. Army World War I veteran who worked as a laborer in the city parks. His mother would raise him as her only child.
Francis filled out his draft card on June 30, 1942, and would eventually be inducted as a Private into the U.S. Army on January 26, 1943.
Francis was trained as a Rifleman attached to Company E, 36th Armored Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Armored Division. He would remain with this unit throughout the war.
The 36th Armored Infantry Regiment (AIR) was composed of armored infantry, tanks, and infantry carriers. Their call sign was "Ozark.” They were nicknamed “Blitz Doughs” for their rapid, aggressive tactics, including overwhelming armored and infantry thrusts into enemy territory.
On June 30, as AIR pushed 15 miles further into Normandy, Francis and Company E engaged German forces at Saint-Clair-sur-l'Elle.
On July 9, 1944, at 0630, supported by medium tanks, Francis and Company E attacked the German-defended town of Saint-Jean-de-Daye located 7 miles southeast of Saint-Clair-sur-l'Elle.
This was house-to-house combat.
Town fighting continued for Francis a few miles east at Le Dezert, then southwest into Gournay on July 18, 1944.
Still in Normandy, France, on July 28, 1944, 20 miles south of Gournay in the town of Camprond, Francis was battling Germans in very intense hand-to-hand combat in houses and buildings.
Company E had 26 combat casualties that day. It was here that Francis was wounded in action by an artillery shell that severely damaged his legs. He was evacuated to the 47th Field Hospital and would eventually be transported to the Army’s Stark General Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina.
A 20-page Researched Hardcover "Soldier's Story" (see pages below) honoring Francis's life and World War II experiences is included. The book is based on information from documented sources.
This is an authentic World War II relic. Please refer to the pictures for visual details and to determine condition.
