The People section of this site deals primarily with information on the Headquarters Company, 6th Tank Destroyer Group. All the information and photos have some connection with the unit and is the result of many years of research. Most of the photos were either brought home by my father after the war or they have come from the family of one of the men in the unit. The rest of the photos have been gathered from the web or some other resource. The same goes for the articles and written text. Please remember that this is a work in progress. If you have additional information on the unit or you find an error, please contact me.
The last section is dedicated to men that served in any other tank destroyer unit. If you are related to or know someone that served in a tank destroyer unit and would like to honor them, please send me a photo or photos of them along with information on the unit they served in, please contact me and I will be happy include the info in the Honorees section of this site. Information about their life before and after the war would also be welcome. All materials can be emailed
to me directly using the
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address. You can also send items by mail using the address shown in the Contact section of this site.
The items shown below are the newest articles to be added to this section of the site. Use the side navigation bar to see the entire list for each group.
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Honorees
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 Carl W. Troutman
Biography: Carl Wilfred Troutman was born on September 23, 1917 in Muir, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Harry Franklin Troutman and Elizabeth Barr and attended school in Porter Township through the 11th grade. He left school to work as a coal miner, which was the same occupation that had taken his father's life prior to his birth. On April 15, 1941, Carl married the former Erma Emma Bixler of Hegins, PA. She was the daughter of Rufus Bixler and Frances Hollenbock.
Service Time: On the same day as his marriage to Erma, Carl enlisted in the Army. Carl received training at Camp George Meade, MD and Fort Hood, TX and was assigned to Company B of the 805th Tank Destroyer Battalion. The 805th saw action in North Africa and Italy receiving credit for the Tunisia, Naples/Foggia, Rome Arno, North Apennines and Po Valley campaigns. They were the first unit to use the Towed 3" guns after the unit's M3s had such a poor showing in the Kasserine Pass. The M18s they received in the summer of 1944 were the only ones used in the Mediterranean theater. Carl rose to the rank of First Sergeant before he was sent home and honorably discharged.
Once back in the states, he and Erma made their residence in Muir and he returned to work in the coal mine. He later worked as the Pennsylvania Civil Defense Supervisor at Indiantown Gap, PA till about 1969 when he went to work for the Williams Valley School District as a Maintenance Supervisor. Carl and his wife would welcome two children into the family, Carol born in 1946 and Richard born in 1948. In his spare time, Carl enjoyed gardening and fishing and spending time with his family. He was also a lifetime member of the American Legion.
Carl passed away on April 29, 2010 and was buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Muir, PA. I want to thank Carl's son Richard for providing this information and photo of his dad. I also want to thank him for his service to this country in the Vietnam war. Obviously Carl's service in the tank destroyers made a positive impression on his son. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 02 February 2012 14:21 |
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Honorees
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 Jay H. Nesbit
Biography: Jay Harris Nesbit was born on March 17, 1908 in Perry County, PA, possibly in Loysville. He was the son of John A. Nesbit and Mary Florence "Mame" Harris and attended grammar school locally. His enlistment record identifies his pre-war occupation as being semi-skilled public service. He is also listed as single but having dependents. Jay did have twin boys that were given up for adoption at an early age.
Service Time: Jay entered the service at Harrisburg, PA on December 19, 1942 and was assigned to Company B the 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion, which received credit for the Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe campaigns. Jay left the service at the rank of Technician 4th Grade.
When Jay returned to the U.S., he also returned to Loysville and became a co-partner in a logging and saw mill business. When things were slow, he worked at the Navy Depot in Mechanicsburg, PA. In his spare time he enjoyed hunting and fishing. On October 30, 1951, Jay passed away suddenly at the age of 43.
I want to thank Jay's niece Linda for the information and photo of her uncle.
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Last Updated on Monday, 30 January 2012 19:24 |
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Honorees
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 Burl L. Sloan
Biography: Burl LaVerne Sloan was born on November 15, 1921 in Rowley, Iowa which is in Buchanan County. He was one of six children, born to Will A. and Esther N. Sloan and graduated from Brandon High School. He went on to attend Upper Iowa University at Fayette but left to join the Army. Burl married the former Margaret Bullock on January 27, 1943 at Bryan, TX. The couple had one daughter, Margaret Lynn.
Service Time: Burl entered the service in December of 1940 and was assigned to Headquarters Company of the 643rd Tank Destroyer Battalion and is shown in their Company photo at Camp Gruber, OK. The photo was probably taken during their last stay there from Feb. 12, 1944 to Aug. 24, 1944, just prior to the unit shipping to the E.T.O. The 643rd would see action throughout Europe and receive credit for the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe campaigns.
In April of 1945, with the unit attached to the Ninth Army and Burl, now part of the Reconnaissance Company, he was sent on a mission to gather intelligence on the enemy. It was on the 12th of April, in the vicinity of Barby, Germany, that Burl was killed along with four other soldiers from the unit. At the time of his death, Burl was a 1st Lieutenant.
Burl was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his actions.
Burl was originally buried at the Netherlands American Military Cemetery at Margraten, Netherlands but in May of 1948, Burl's remains were brought home to Brandon and buried at the Brandon Cemetery in Brandon, IA.
Materials for this write-up were provided by the Waterloo, IA Daily Courier from May 11, 1948, his brother William Sloan and Colette Harrison. Thanks also to Ben Savelkoul for his assistance.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 28 January 2012 23:57 |
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