Pfc. Walter Stanley Slusz

31048479

Hq Company, 1st Battalion, 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division

February 13, 1911 - December 13, 1944

Pfc. Edwin Harvey Crabtree

31048479

Hq Company, 1st Battalion
329th Infantry Regiment
83rd Infantry Division

Biography

Walter Slusz was born on February 13, 1911 to Polish immigrants Stanley and Anna Slusz. He was the second out of four children with two sisters, Helen and Genevieve, and one brother, Joseph. His brother would also go on to serve during WW2. Sadly no direct descendants of the family are left. Walter Slusz was unmarried when he entered the service and died without children, his eldest sister Helen (1910-1993) would never marry. His brother Joseph Slusz (1913-1997) married Helen Rurka (1909-2012) and his sister Genevieve Slusz married Walter Dabkowski. Both marriages remained without children.

On June 26, 1941, at age 29, Walter Slusz was drafted (ASN: 31048479) and accepted into the service at the Hartford State Induction Center on June 27, 1941. It is unclear when he joined the 83rd Infantry Division but it is very likely he was one of its original members when the division was activated in August, 1942. In that case he would have received training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.

Military Service

Not much is known about Pfc. Slusz' service but because he is listed as a member of Hq Company, 1st Battalion, 329th Infantry Regiment it is possible to reconstruct his journey through Europe. While still in Wrexham (Wales) Private Walter Slusz received a promotion to Private First Class on June 3, 1944 according to the Morning Report of that day. 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.

Death

December 11, 1944 Walter Slusz, along with his unit moved from Luxemburg to the Hurtgen Forest Sector, taking up positions of the 8th Infantry Regiment (4th Infantry Division). 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. About half of that through forested area and later through open fields and the towns of Gurzenich, Rolsdorf and Birgel. On December 13, 1st Battalion attacked East through the wooded area on the right of the main road running towards Duren with 2nd Battalion on the left. The advance was slow and 1st Battalion was held up by a pocket of resistance which was only cleared after 2nd Battalion was able to get behind it. It was during this attack that Pfc. Walter S. Slusz, at that time serving as a scout (MOS 761) was Killed in Action. His death was reported in the Morning Report of December 15 when the company went back into battalion reserve.

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