World War II Honoree

Walter Claro Crane

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Stillwater, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

JOINED THE OKLAHOMA NATIONAL GUARD IN 1939. TOOK BASIC TRAINING AT FORT SILL AT LAWTON, OKLAHOMA; THEN WAS SENT TO CAMP BARKELEY AT ABILENE TEXAS FOR ADVANCED INFANTRY TRAINING. HIS REGIMENT IN THE 45TH DIVISION, OKLAHOMA NATIONAL GUARD, WAS INDUCTED INTO FEDERAL SERVICE ON FEBRUARY 16, 1940 AT OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA AND MOVED TO FORT SILL ON SEPTEMBER 26, 1940. SERVED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER IN 1941 AT CAMP BARKELEY, AND BROWNWOOD, TEXAS FOR THE TEXAS MANEUVERS, AND MANSFIELD, LOUISIANA FOR THE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS. HE LEARNED OF THE JAPANESE SURPRIZE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII ON DECEMBER 7, 1941, WHILE SERVING AT CAMP BARKELEY. SERVED AT FORT DEVENS AT AYER, MASSACHUSETTS IN 1942, AND MOVED TO PINE CAMP AT WATERTOWN, NEW YORK ON NOVEMBER 9, 1942 FOR COLD WEATHER TRAINING. TRANSFERRED TO CAMP PICKETT AT BLACKSTONE, VIRGINIA IN JANUARY, 1943; AND ALSO WENT TO MOUNTAIN TRAINING IN VIRGINIA. HIS UNIT STAGED AT CAMP PATRICK HENRY AT ORIANA, VIRGINIA ON MAY 25, 1943 AWAITING OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT. SAILED FROM THE HAMPTON ROADS PORT OF EMBARKATION ON JUNE 8, 1943, ARRIVED AT ORAN, ALGERIA IN NORTH AFRICA ON JUNE 22, 1943, AND WENT INTO TRAINING AT ARZEW, ALGERIA. SERVED OVERSEAS, AS A RIFLEMAN BUT PRIMARILY AS A COOK, IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER WITH I COMPANY, 3RD BATTALION, 179TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, 45TH INFANTRY ‘THUNDERBIRD’ DIVISION. SAW ACTION IN SICILY, ITALY, FRANCE AND GERMANY. PARTICIPATED IN THE SICILY, NAPLES-FOGGIA, ANZIO, ROME-ARNO, SOUTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE), AND CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGNS. HIS REGIMENT ASSAULTED SCOGLITTI, SICILY ON JULY 9, 1943 AND FOUGHT IN THE BATTLE OF MOTTA HILL. ASSAULTED SALERNO, ITALY ON SEPTEMBER 9, 1943 AND ENGAGED IN HEAVY FIGHTING AT PONTE SELE AND THE TOBACCO FACTORY, AND MADE ANOTHER AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT NOT LONG AFTER AT VENAFRO, A NEARBY STRONGHOLD; IN DECEMBER, 1943, FOUGHT TO TAKE KEY MOUNTAIN HEIGHTS INCLUDING HILL 769 DURING OPERATIONS NEAR SALERNO. AT SALERNO, HIS BATTALION WAS CUT OFF BY THE GERMANS FOR THREE DAYS AND RAN LOW ON FOOD AND AMMUNITION, AND WAS IN DANGER OF BEING OVERRUN. FORTUNATELY, DIVISION FORCES BROKE THROUGH AND RESCUED THEM. THE REGIMENT FOUGHT AT ANZIO, ITALY BEGINNING JANUARY 22, 1944 AND WAS ENGAGED IN DEFENDING THE BEACHHEAD FOR THE FOLLOWING 4 MONTHS, INCLUDING WITHSTANDING A MAJOR GERMAN COUNTERATTACK IN FEBRUARY, 1944. HE SURVIVED THE GERMANS, THE COLD, WET WEATHER AND THE MUD. AS A COOK, HE WAS RESPONSIBLE TO PREPARE MEALS FOR UP TO 200 SOLDIERS. BASICALLY, HE COOKED WHATEVER WAS AVAILABLE, USING EITHER ISSUED RATIONS OR LOCALLY-GATHERED PROVISIONS. AFTER PASSING THROUGH ROME, ITALY, HIS UNIT ASSAULTED SOUTHERN FRANCE AT SAINT MAXIMIN ON AUGUST 15, 1944, FOUGHT TO TAKE THE TOWN OF BARJOLS AND SAW HEAVY COMBAT AT MEXIMIEUX AND VILLERSEXEL. HE SPENT THE WINTER IN THE MOUNTAINS IN BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES THAT DIPPED TO TWENTY BELOW ZERO AT NIGHT. THE REGIMENT THEN CROSSED THE MOSELLE RIVER AND BEGAN OPERATIONS IN THE RHINELAND. ENTERED THE VOSGES MOUNTAINS, SEIZED BRUYERES, FRANCE AFTER A HARD FIGHT, AND ENGAGED IN ATTACKS TO TAKE FORTS IN THE MAGINOT LINE IN NOVEMBER, 1944; TOOK PART IN HEAVY COMBAT TO SECURE MERTZWILLER, FRANCE IN DECEMBER, 1944; AND BATTLED IN THE BITCHE POCKET IN JANUARY, 1945; REACHED THE WEST WALL NEAR ZWEIBRUECKEN, GERMANY, ENTERED GERMANY ON MARCH 17, 1945, AND TOOK HOMBERG, GERMANY. DURING THE CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGN, HIS UNIT ATTACKED ACROSS THE RHINE RIVER, MOVED ACROSS THE MAIN RIVER AND FOUGHT THE BATTLE FOR ASCHAFFENBURG FROM MARCH 28-APRIL 3, 1945; DROVE ON TO NUREMBERG AND FOUGHT THERE FROM APRIL 16-20, 1945; ATTACKED ACROSS THE DANUBE RIVER AND REACHED MUNICH ON APRIL 29, 1945; HE WITNESSED THE ATROCITIES AT THE DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP OUTSIDE MUNICH, AND REMAINED IN THE AREA UNTIL HOSTILITIES ENDED AND VICTORY IN EUROPE (V-E DAY) WAS ANNOUNCED ON MAY 8, 1945. HIS REGIMENT WAS LOCATED IN MUNCHEN, GERMANY WHEN THE WAR ENDED ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1945 (V-J DAY). HE RETURNED TO THE NEW YORK PORT AFTER ABOUT 15 DAYS AT SEA ABOARD A MERCHANT MARINE VESSEL CROSSING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. HONORABLY DISCHARGED WITH THE RANK OF TECHNICAL SERGEANT AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON. AWARDED THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH BRONZE ARROWHEAD DEVICE AND 1 SILVER AND 3 BRONZE SERVICE STARS, WWII VICTORY MEDAL, AND ARMY OF OCCUPATION MEDAL WITH ‘GERMANY’ CLASP. ALSO AWARDED THE FRENCH CROIX DE GUERRE WITH PALM FOR ACTIONS BY HIS DIVISION AT ACQUAFONDATA, DURING THE NAPLES-FOGGIA CAMPAIGN.