Amazing teamwork!
For several years, a client from Normandy had in his possession a WW2 pistol holster used by a soldier from the United States Army Military Police. Even though a faint name and information inside the holster were visible, he didn’t know how to find the identity of the soldier or which unit he served.
We had initials and a last name… F. L. Byrne. After the letters “MP”, an important marking was not clear, was it the 83rd Infantry Division or the 33rd Infantry Division?
We were able to find Francis L. Byrne (1911-1979) from New Jersey but not sure which unit or rank and was stuck.
We started searching records and initially didn’t find a Francis L. Byrne using the name. However, we did find Archive information from a Morning Report search from NARA St. Louis.
The information below the list of names explains that PFC, Francis L. Byrne #32600268 was transferred with 19 other enlisted men to the MP Platoon of the 83rd Infantry Division from the MP Platoon of the 99th Infantry Division as of July 9, 1945. The 99th Infantry Division saw their first combat during the Battle of the Bulge and nicknamed “Battle Babies” as they were new to the European Theater.
The next step? We are now doing further searches to see if we can find a photo and locate a living relative to share this amazing find! Does anyone in New Jersey recognize this family name?
Wow, a social distancing high-five to the #footstepsresearchers team!
