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Berry, Logan C. (6th Grp)

Col._Logan_Berry_CropLogan C. Berry
 
Biography:  Logan Carroll Berry was born May 8, 1901, in Starke, Bradford County, Florida, to Dr. Ned C. Berry and the former Julia Coleman. He was raised in Jacksonville, FL and attended the Staunton Military Academy in Virginia.  He then attended and graduated from West Point in 1924.
 
On Nov. 28, 1932, he married the former Betty Brownlow, daughter of Mary Ann and Walter Brownlow of Jacksonville, FL. The Berry’s had one daughter.
Service Time:  During WWII, Logan was placed in charge of the Tactics Department at the newly formed school for tank destroyers at Camp Hood, Texas. At some point during their training, he was given command of the HQ Company, 6th Tank Destroyer Group and saw them finish their training, eventually shipping out with them on their Atlantic crossing.
 

Logan-Berry-Yearbook

While in England, the unit oversaw marshaling areas in preparation for the Normandy invasion.  Once in France, he commanded the unit in the Brittany Campaign as part of Task Force A, under the 1st Tank Destroyer Brigade, but was transferred to the 15th Calvary Group when their commanding officer was identified as MIA (Missing In Action). He commanded that unit from August 2 to September 21, 1944.  He then served on the 3rd Army staff until May, 1945, when he is listed as Commanding the 1st Tank Destroyer Brigade again. 
 
The photo of Logan shown on left is from his West Point Yearbook and was provided to me courtesy of the West Point Association of Graduates.
 
His additional assignments included the Calvary School, CSGC (Command and General Staff College) from 1939-40; Ft. Riley, Calvary School Institute; Ft. Oglethorpe, 6th Cavalry; Ft. Hood TD School Staff; Washington DC; Commander, AGF (Army Ground Forces) and Army War College; Ft. McNair; Ft. Monroe, HQ Combat AGF; Heidelberg, Germany, Chief OPOT, European Campaign; Ft. Knox, Staff and Faculty, Armor School.
 
Col. Berry served in many Army posts in the United States, Panama, and Germany, both during and after the war, with his last assignment being as Military attaché to the American Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico, from 1952-54. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and the Mexican Government Medal.
 
Logan C Berry 1969It was many years later, in a letter to a John Baron, dated April 22, 1983; Berry stated that when he was part of the 3rd Army Staff, he headed the Tank Destroyer section of Patton’s Headquarters. He also mentions his opinion of George S. Patton Jr.; he thought Patton was a “brilliant commander” and “very easy to work with provided you were disciplined, thorough, aggressive and willing to work hard.” After his retirement from the military in 1954, he served as Assistant Director of Civil Defense for the state of Oregon from 1955-63.  Returning to Fort Lauderdale in the early 60’s, he took a position in the Administrative office at Nova University at its beginning. He retired from public service in 1963.  Logan died on April 26, 1997, at the age of 95, and was buried in the Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida.
 
 
The photo above left is from the Novacrat newsletter of November 1969, which is a publication of Nova University, where Berry worked for some time.
 
Novacrat Newsletter – November 1969 (Biographical portion on Logan C. Berry only)
 
Research: It would be many years after I began my research into the 6th TD Group that I discovered Col. Logan Berry was one of the unit’s original commander. Most of the references list Col. Frank T. Searcy. This is probably because Col. Logan wasn’t with the 6th very long after the unit had seen action. He was brought to my attention by Cpt. Jac O. Ullman who had been transferred into the 6th in September of 1942 when the unit was initially formed. Berry is also identified in the Historical Record of the Battle of Brittany, the After Action Reports and Jon Gawne’s book, Americans in Brittany 1944. It was the Battle for Brest book that alerted me to Col. Logan’s participation with the unit and his pivotal role in the conflict. Even more recently, after receiving photos from the Newbury family, he was finally identified in one of the photos my father had brought home. This information was later confirmed by his grandson.