1st Lt. Samuel W. Magill

Biography and Wartime Service

Samuel Wallace Magill was born on October 8, 1919 in Monroe Township, Ohio, 1919 as the son of Lucy Ackerman and William J. Magill.

As one of the greatest generation, a young 24 year old, Lt. Sam Magill was a member of the 83rd Infantry Division, 329th Intelligence & Reconnaissance Platoon during WWII. In September, 1944, he and his platoon went behind enemy lines and convinced German Major General Erich Elster that his fate was sealed and any further fighting would be a useless waste of life, after a late arrival of air power of 16 planes. Magill promised there would be more if the Germans did not surrender. General Elster surrendered his 20,000 German soldiers at Beaugency, France in the largest surrender of the war. The Lieutenant and his men escorted the 20,000 armed Germans through 90 miles of the French countryside to the official surrender site. Magill's 329th I & R Platoon was dubbed 'Platoon International' by locals in Normandy. The men who were not in the US Army joined the platoon to help liberate their countries. The five French, three Polish and a Belgian spoke numerous languages, were an integral part of the platoon, and fought alongside the Yanks from Normandy to Luxembourg. Only the Americans were allowed to continue into Germany and had to say goodbye to their international members in Luxembourg. As he and the Thunderbolts continued their sweep across Europe, Sam and his platoon liberated several POW, labor, and concentration camps, and made the first radio contact with the Soviets near the Elbe River.

After the war, Sam and his family returned and settled in Ashtabula, Ohio. Sam was a very humble man who seemed a bit awkward with the attention and fame his WWII feats attracted. He always gave his platoon the credit stating that were it not for each man doing his part, it could have ended very differently. Lt. Magill and his platoon were honored on Ralph Edwards' "This Is Your Life" TV program in 1955, as well as numerous articles in publications, such as Life Magazine, Reader's Digest, Saturday Evening Post, many newspapers, and several books, including "Never A Shot In Anger", by Col. Barney Oldfield, and "Ragtag Circus", by Col. Buckshot Crabill.

Sam's National Guard unit was activated for duty in Korea. His decision to remain in the military this second time led to a career in Intelligence during the Cold War.

He retired in Germany in 1968 after which he worked in the film industry on several movies in the capacity of technical advisor and production assistant, on among others, movies such as "Brass Target", "Inside the Third Reich", "Moscow on the Hudson", "Enemy Mine", as well as the TV mini-series "War and Remembrance.

Samuel W. Magill, Sr., Lt. Col., (Army Retired) passed away peacefully in Munich, Germany, on October 30, 2013, at the age of 94.

I had the pleasure of meeting and accompanying his daughter daughter Lynn Hoch at the banquet of the 71st Annual Reunion, 2017, Cleveland, Ohio

Gallery

click on the images to enlarge

Click for aditional information about Sam Magill on Thijs Hodiamont's website 83rdinfdivdocs.org