Arthur Hauffe

Soviet artillery fired killed General der Infanterie Arthur Hauffe, the commander of the XIII Corps, on July 22, 1944 near L’vov, Poland.  Hauffe was reported to be riding on a German train according to an eyewitness, when the rounds struck.  (Quiet Flows the Rhine, German General Officer Casualties in World War II)  [Note: another source states that Soviet troops captured the general and he died shortly afterward when the group blundered into a minefield.]

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Grave stone for Master Sergeant John C. Woods

Colonel Samuel N. Lowry, Chief of Staff Task Group 3.2, appointed First Lieutenant Avery L. Granger to be the incident investigating officer early on July 22, 1950 to determine the circumstances concerning the death of Master Sergeant John C. Woods on Eniwetok Atoll.  Unfortunately, Granger was told to complete the entire investigation in one day.  Death investigators understand that “if you want it bad, you get it bad.”  The resulting investigation conclusion appears to have ignored the most significant statement of the most-knowledgeable witness and, as a result, the root cause of the fatality was not identified at the time.  Subject matter experts re-read the entire report, found what the Army had overlooked, and determined what actually happened…their findings are in the book.  So are their thoughts on if it was something worse than an accident!  (American Hangman: MSgt. John C. Woods: The United States Army’s Notorious Executioner in World War II and Nürnberg)

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The “old man” of 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Company B will be Robert Shank “Bob” Pettigrew Jr., born in the Bronx on July 22, 1911, son of plumber Robert S. Pettigrew and Margaret T. Snyder.  Bob has one older brother and two younger ones.  A Protestant, he is baptized on June 24, 1916; he is a devoted fan of the New York Giants baseball team.  He is also a scholar, graduating valedictorian from George Washington High School.  Robert marries Mary Sophie Frayler of the Bronx on May 28, 1938.  By 1940, Bob, Mary, and six-month-old son Robert, live on Hull Avenue in the Bronx, where he works as a clerk and warehouse foreman for Whitehead Metal Company;  his annual income is $1,560.  He also attends New York University, studying accounting.  The family lives in a small apartment five blocks from Fordham University; like many New Yorkers, they have no automobile, so travel by bus, streetcar, and subway.

(Dying Hard: Company B, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th US Infantry Division in WWII)