World War II Honoree

Andrew G. Contreras

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

El Paso, Texas

Honored By

Wm. Steven Stegall

Relationship

War Historian

ENTERED U.S. ARMED FORCES NOVEMBER 5, 1941 AT LINCOLN, NEBRASKA'S NORTH PLATTE. INDUCTED INTO U.S. ARMY SERVICE AT FORT LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS ON DECEMBER 7, 1941. MOVED TO THE LOUISIANA MANEUVER AREA NEAR CAMP POLK, LOUISIANA AND ASSIGNED TO THE 3RD ARMORED DIVISION (SPEARHEAD). PARTICIPATED IN ARMORED TRAINING NEAR INDIO, CALIFORNIA ON THE MOJAVE DESERT BY APRIL 1942. TROOPED TRAINED TO INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA AND STAGED AT CAMP KILMER, NEW JERSEY EMBARKING BY TROOPSHIP SS CAPETOWN CASTLE OCTOBER 1942. MANEUVERED IN ENGLAND 10 MONTHS BEFORE GOING INTO OMAHA BEACH, FRANCE ON D-DAY PLUS 9. FOUGHT IN THE BATTLE OF THE ARGENTAN-FALAISE POCKET WITH PATTON'S 3RD ARMY DURING OPERATION COBRA BEGINNING AUGUST 1944. FOUGHT ON THE BELGIUM AND GERMAN BORDERS, NEAR AACHEN AND STOLLBERG, GERMANY. ASSIGNED TO MAJOR GENERAL J. LAWTON COLLINS' VII CORPS, 1ST ARMY. BY DECEMBER 15, 1944 MOVED ONTO THE BORDERS OF ARDENNES (BATTLE OF THE BULGE). HIS TANK WAS HIT BY 2 GERMAN 88MM. SAW THE FIRST GERMAN OPERATIONAL ME-262 JET. SPEARHEADED THE BATTLE NEAR COLOGNE, GERMANY AND CROSSED THE RHINE NEAR REMAGEN DURING MARCH 1945. HIS DIVISION COMMANDER, MAJOR GENERAL MAURICE ROSE WAS KILLED IN ACTION NEAR PADERBORN ON MARCH 31, 1945. WITH HIS 54TH ARTILLERY, B COMPANY, FOUGHT IN THE RUHR ENCIRCLEMENT. MET UP WITH SOVIET TROOPS ON THE ELBE RIVER BY THE END OF APRIL 1945. AWARDED THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 5 BATTLE STARS (1 SILVER STAR ATTACHMENT), AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, WWII VICTORY MEDAL AND GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL. SERVICE NUMBER 0046.