Hq 2nd Bn/331st Veterans grouping
Photo lot and Motor Vehicle Operator’s Permit identified to Pfc. Earl Brandenburg
This is a very well put together grouping of four wartime photos and a Motor Vehicle Operator’s Permit. All these items are original World War Two era and not reprint or copies. This grouping was directly purchased from Pfc. Brandenburg's nephew. There are two original wartime photos of Pfc. Brandenburg as well as one photo taken overseas and one with several of his buddies at Camp Atterbury in 1942. The temporary Motor Vehicle Operator's Permit was issued to Pvt. Earl Brandenburg in Camp Atterbury.
Pfc. Earl Brandenburg
Private First Class
Earl Brandenburg
Private First Class Earl Brandenburg
Earl Brandenburg was born on April 7, 1919, in Irvine, Kentucky to Callie Hamilton (1892-1986) and Clay Brandenburg (1879-1952). He married Florence Johnson on May 3, 1941.
Earl Brandenburg enlisted the service on October 12, 1942 in Huntington, West Virginia. Earl took some of his basic training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana before going to the European Theatre of Operation (ETO) and was a Private First Class in the 83rd Infantry Division, 331st Infantry Regiment, K Company. The Morning Report from December 1944 listed him as transfered to 2nd Battalion, Hq Company as on December 27, 1944. On going to Europe, Earl was wounded twice. Morning Report of July 9, 1944 lists Brandenburg Earl as Lightly Wounded in Action (LWA) and transfered to Hospital unknown (Normandy). For his service he was awarded, among other decorations, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Purple Heart Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
Beside his first wife Florence Johnson (1897-1984) with whom he had a child, he was married three more times. He married Betty Lockwood (1937-2016), Rosemary Messer (1935-2018) and Judy Brown (1944-2017) and had a child with each wife. He passed away in Portsmouth, Ohio on August 24, 1998 and is buried at Scioto Burial Park, McDermott, Ohio.
click on the images to enlarge
The Names & The Research
They were 7 young men, buddies of Earl Brandenburg, on the 1942 Camp Atterbury photo. Just like you can see on the photo, these men are all GI's of the 83rd Division, most likely of Earl's regiment, the 331st. A photo that was marked with their names on the back as a souvenir.