Arthur F. Jacobson
33764461
I Company, 3rd Battalion, 33th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division
October 18, 1924 - January 30, 2015
Arthur F. Jacobson
33764461
I Company, 3rd Battalion
330th Infantry Regiment
83rd Infantry Division
Awards and decorations
Biography
Arthur Frank Jacobson was born in Dixonville, Pennsylvania on December 7, 1924, he was the son of Edith Lupke (1892-1983) and Frank Jacobson (1891-1966). His father Frank came with his family to America when he was 12 years old. The original spelling of the last name was Jackopin.
Wartime Service
Arthur 'Art' Jacobson was a B.A.R Gunner with 1st Squad, 1st Platoon of I Company, 330th Infantry Regiment. After Action Reports from April, 1945 listed Jacobson Arthur F. Pfc. as Seriously Wounded in Action (SWA) on March 2, 1945. The AAR also mentions on March 2, 1945, 'One platoon of I Company suffered casualties from panzerfaust fired from buildings as they advanced.'
In his own words Arthur 'Art' Jacobson talks about his experiences in the military
MEMORIES of WORLD WAR II
After war was declared on December 8, 1941, every male, upon reaching the age of 18 years, was required to register for the draft. I turned 18 years old on December 7, 1942. The following spring, I finished my junior year of high school, and during the summer of 1943, I received my notice to report for military duty. I was inducted on August 24, 1943 and reported for active duty on September 14, 1943. I was inducted into the United States Army and was sent to Fort McClellan, Alabama, for infantry training for a period of 17 weeks. Upon completion, we were given what they called a “delay-in-route” to go home before being shipped overseas. The leave was for 13 days.
At the end of my leave, I reported to Camp Shanks, New York, my last location before being shipped overseas. I was at Camp Shanks on D-Day, June 6, 1944 and departed for the European Theater on June 16, 1944, arriving in England on June 27, 1944, I as 19 years old.
From England, I landed in France on July 19, 1944 at Omaha Beach where our forces landed on D-Day, June 6, 1944. It was a horrible sight to see with the destruction of war everywhere. On that single day, our forces sustained 2.500 casualties. A few days after arriving, I was assigned to the 83rd Infantry Division as a replacement, beginning an indescribable journey through hell. I fought in four of the five campaigns in Europe: Normandy, Brittany, Ardennes (the Battle of the Bulge), and Rhineland. I missed the last campaign, Central Europe, due to being wounded.
I spent almost eight months on the front line. I was one of the oldest there, not in years, but in the number of days in combat. I was wounded twice. The first time was in France on August 25, 1944. The second time was in Germany on my last day in combat, March 2, 1945. I spent 9 months in the hospital. Three of those months were spent in England, and sex months were spent in an army hospital in Augusta, Georgia. I spent a total of seven months confined to my bed in traction. I was discharged from the Army and the hospital on the same day, December 5, 1945, two days before my 21st birthday.
As a result of service in World War II, I was awarded the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the Good conduct Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, four Bronze Service Stars, the American Campaign Medal, the Europe-Africa-Mideast Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the French Legion of Honor, France’s highest military award.
Being in combat is the most horrible experience one can ever imagine. For me, the horror ended the day four other soldiers and I were hit by the same mortar shell. Shrapnel from the explosion wounded three of us and killed the other two. Only God knows why I survived. The 83rd Infantry Division sustained 15.248 casualties, of that number, 11.060 were wounded and 501 were missing in action.
This is not a complete picture of my war experience. I left out much of the bad stuff, but it does show the REAL cost of war. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!
Many years have passed since those terrible days that I witnessed when I was still a teenager, but the memories of the horror that happened on the battlefields so long ago never fade.
Written April 2017
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