Pfc. Edwin Harvey Crabtree

15100263

C Company, 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division

November 28, 1910 - January 20, 1945

Pfc. Edwin Harvey Crabtree

15100263

C Company, 329th Infantry Regiment
83rd Infantry Division

Biography

Edwin Harvey Crabtree was born November 28, 1910 in Louisville, Kentucky to Millard Fillmore Crabtree and Nancy Parsons. Harvey Crabtree's ancestors came to America in the mid-1600s with a land grant from the King of England, Charles II, and settled in the state of Maryland. After the American Revolution, they moved to frontier lands on the far western edge of the state of Virginia. They became pioneers and indian-fighters, and one of them, Harvey's great grandfather, was a well-known companion of the famous American frontiersman Daniel Boone.

There were six children, three boys and three girls: Philip, Mary Cordelia "Cordie", Winnifred who went by "Minnie", Eva, Milton, and Edwin Harvey. When Philip joined the army and went to World War 1 (Philip served with A Company, 605th Engineers) both Milton and Harvey were committed to an orphanage by their sisters Cordie and Eva. They stayed there until Philip returned home after the war. Milton told his cousin Dale Crabtree that he and Harvey hated that orphanage, and that seeing their brother Philip--tall, handsome, and still dressed in his army uniform--coming to get them out of there "was the best thing they had ever seen." After their parents died, Philip moved the entire family to Indianapolis. Philip married and built a house for him and his wife. He also built a house next door for his sister Cordie.

Edwin Crabtree registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 but he decided to enlist and entered the service on March 11, 1942 at the local recruiting office in Indianapolis. It is unclear when Edwin Crabtree joined the 83rd Infantry Division but it's very likely he was one of the original members. He can also be found in early C company records which supports the assumption he was one of their original members. This means he would have received his training with the 83rd at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.

Military Service

Because Edwin Crabtree was member of C Company, 329th Infantry Regiment it is possible to reconstruct his journey through Europe. The unit left England on June 18, 1944 boarding the HMT Cheshire in Plymouth and eventually disembarked on Omaha Beach four days later on June 22 joining the effort to liberate Europe. From here the 83rd Infantry Division relieved the 101st Airborne near Carentan and saw its first combat early July, 1944. During this first month the 83rd suffered heavy casualties in the hedgerow fighting.

After the Allied Breakthrough out of Normandy, the 1st Battalion of 329th Infantry Regiment joined the effort to liberate the city of St. Malo in Brittany, France. The 83rd accepted the surrender of the citadel on August 17, 1944 and two days later it was moved by truck to the vicinity of Angers, 120 miles SE. The mission of the 329th was to organize and defense their sector along the Loire river, sending out patrols and accepting German prisoners. On September 25, 1944 the 329th completed another move, this time it brought them 300 miles towards Luxemburg. 1st Battalion, along with the remainder of the 329th and the 83rd took up positions along the Moselle River defending the 3rd Army's flank and sending out patrols. Much of the following two months was spend alternating between this mission and additional training at the Maginot Line area.

Early December the 329th moved from Luxemburg to the Hurtgen Forest Sector, taking up positions of the 8th Infantry Regiment outside of Gressenich. The objective of the 329th was to attack towards the city of Duren and reach the Roer River. The 329th was on the Division's left flank and needed to advance approximately 6km (4miles) towards Duren. After reaching the river the unit held defensive positions until December 24 when they were relieved by the 104th Infantry Division. They spend Christmas in Eilendorf, Germany and on December 26, 1944 were trucked to the area North of Rochefort where the Allied counteroffensive for the German Ardennes offensive was taking shape. On December 28, 1944 succesfully took its objective in Rochefort despite heavy losses. On the last day of December they moved to Tohogne to spend a quiet New Year.

Battle of the Bulge and Death

Early January the Regiment moved SE to the area near Bra, however 1st Battalion remained in regimental reserve until January 12. Company C used those few days to receive much needed replacements to replenish its strength after the Hurtgen Forest and Rochefort. On January 12, 1945 which had been the 4th day of attack for the 329th, C Company came out of reserve and advanced South from Grand-Sart towards Langlire and Petit-Langlire, crossing the river and setting up roadblocks. According to his citation it was on this day Pfc. Edwin Crabtree distinghuised himself when his company came under fire, an action for which he earned the Bronze Star Medal. When one of the forward scouts was badly wounded, Pfc. Crabtree crawled forward under small arms fire and was able to bandage his fellow soldier. The After Action Report doesn't mention an action for C Company on this day but mentions a C Company patrol finding a heavily entrenched German position on January 13.

On January 14, 1st battalion received a new mission, their objective was to attack East through about 2km of woods towards three villages along a N-S line: Honyelez, Bovigny and Courtil. By nightfall C Company had reached its objective at the edge of the woods outside of Bovigny. The next day C and B Company would make and attempt to capture Bovigny and Honyelez but were repelled by heavy fire and returned to their starting position in the woods after dark. Because the three villages are in a valley all movement was easily observed by the enemy on the Eastern high ground.

"One of the leading scouts received a severe facial wound when he was less than 100 yards from the enemy positions. Private First Class Crabtree voluntarily crawled forward under severe small arms fire and bandaged the soldier's face."

-Bronze Star Medal Citation for actions on January 12, 1945 near Petit-Langlire, Belgium

Over the course of the next days C Company moved along the edge of the woods and eventually took up positions facing Bovigny and Courtil. After the enemy retreated from Courtil and Honyelez both villages were taken with little resistance. The Germans eventually retreated from Bovigny as well and B and C companies entered the town on January 20, 1945. Pfc. Edwin Crabtree was reported killed in action on this day by mortar fire, presumably because the Germans still occupied part of the high ground and could spot the unit moving into the town. The IDPF of Edwin Crabtree mention shrapnel wounds to the hips which is consistent with mortar fire. According to the recollections of fellow C Company veteran William Spriggs the unit was under constant artillery fire during this period. He was not close to Harvey Crabtree but remembered seeing him while they were in the woods and not seeing him again after they left their positions and moved into Bovigny.

Moving into Bovigny on January 20 would become the last action for the regiment during the Battle of the Bulge. On January 21 some patrols were sent out to scout for enemey positions east but very little contact was made and at midnight on January 21 their positions were taken over by elements of the 84th Infantry Division. When C Company started their attack E towards Bovigny they reported 174 Enlisted Men present for duty, near full strength for a rifle company. Only 96 men would be present when the unit was pulled from the line and arrived in a rest area near Sy on January 22, 1945. In only one week of fighting, the company suffered nearly 80 killed, missing, or wounded.

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