Hello,
I just wanted to stop by and let you guys know what is happening with the B Company Website. First of all I have been able to identify the names of 200+ troopers. I have had contact with several troopers and family members. I recently recieved several photos of troopers from a veteran of the companyand will try to get them up quickly. Two things have slowed me down a little. I am still trying to settle in on one program to use in building and maintaining the site. I have had to use several different programs thus far and that makes it difficult to update the pages quickly. Any suggestions would be welcomed. The second thing was a crazy computer glitch that wiped out all of the bookmarks to pages I was using for research. I had been working on these for years before I started this project. Everything else is okay and backed up, but I never imagined that my bookmarks would vanish. One last thing, I am about to start the most difficult quarter of the year for me. I will still be working on the site, but it will probably be the end of October before any more major updates will be posted. I will do what I can in the next week or two to get the new information up.

Thanks for all the encouragement and support,

Alan Driver
bcompany504pir.org

I added several photos today.

ALAN,

LOOKS GREAT! MY DAD WAS FRIENDS WITH A Leo Hart. I notice you have a photo of him! Looking forward to seeing more!

Regards,

Jim

New Photos and and an article about a "B Company" Trooper added today.

Alan Driver

bcompany504pir.org

Well done Alan!

Keep up the good work! If I come across any B Company veterans on September 19th when they will commemorate the Waal Crossing. I will take photo's then as well.

Best Regards,

Frank

Just to let you know. I am up to 275 troopers on the 504th site. I was also able to add several POW's who were not on any list I had seen. They came from a letter sent to me by a 504 vet. Most of the troopers that only have a last name listed are from the company photo that was sent to me. Some of these names are definitley misspelled, but I'm leaving them up in case someone can recognize them and point me in the right direction. I can only identify 12 of the men from this list on the WWII memorial site. That in itself should be enough to justify the work on this site. Again, I could never have attempted this without the help of several people on this site.

Wish me luck,
Adriver
http://bcompany504pir.org

Wow! Great work! I love to see all the photos!

Alan,

Looks great!

Kat

I just posted a copy of a Unit Citation for the Battle at Cheneux sent to me by a vet. You can see it under the history section on the web site. Additionally, I have added information from the first three questionnaires (Bonning, Wolfe, Isbel), added one name Zdancewicz and filled in several 1st names supplied by vets.

A. Driver
http://bcompany504pir.org

I just posted a detailed account of the battle at Cheneux sent to me by a vet. I also posted new pictures and one questionnaire reply for three more troopers. (Clements, Disharoon, and Holliday) I also added names to the 2nd platoon photo on the photos page. More on the way!

A. Driver
http:/www.bcompany504pir.org

Thank you for the update!

Posted new photos for Dillard, Dobrychlop, Moorehead, Gregory, Guthrow, Klepacz, Paquet, Curtis, Hart, Hesselberg, Dziezgowski and Amendola.

Added new photos to the photo page.

Added memories of David Amendola to the memories page.

Please let me know if you are having problems with any page. I have a broadband connection, but I am trying to keep the page loading speed reasonable for dial-up connections. There are a few photos that are very large in order to give people a chance to identify some of the troopers in the picture.

A. Driver
http://bcompany504pir.org

Alan,

I have visited your website again. Great pictures! Do you have the names of the men of the 1st Battalion cadre? I was wondering if any non-com of A Company might be on the photo. I have also edited some of my pages. The company photo's of A Company (1942 and 1945) I will add in a few days time.

Thank you for your e-mail regarding the A Company 1947 Christmas card on e-bay.com. I haven't bought it, as I haven't got a credit card. Lieutenant Breard (A Company) wrote me that he thought he had a Christmas card of 1942. But thanks anyway for mentioning it to me.

Regards,

Frank

P.S. I have got some info on PFC Jim Rupp of B Company. He died in Italy and was a close friend of Fred Baldino. I will search the part of his WWII story about Jim Rupp and send it to you.

hello my name is Sean i found this forum via the 504th B site, after going through your roster you have:


Dudley, ?



Sgt. Major Roy C. Dudley


he is my grandfather

Welcome! Nice site! Do you have any photos of your grandfather? I would love to add him to the site.

Regards,

Jim

i do and ill get them scanned in and to you ASAP

thanks

Hello All,
I just added T/Sgt Roy Walden to the B Company page. It has been a struggle to get anything done on the site in a long time. I am finally going to be able to purchase a commercial program to run the site and I hope this will help me to be able to get more information uploaded this year. I have a several intersting things including an old paraglide from the Market Garden jump that I hope to get up soon.

A. Driver
http://bcompany504pir.org

I tried a new OCR program and was able to put up most of the written memories of Robert Waldon a lot faster than I hoped. It mentions that he knew James McNamara as well as several troopers listed on the bcompany site.

A. Driver
http://bcompany504pir.org

Alan,

Do you have the addresses of George Kane (1st Platoon, joined in 1945) and LT Charles Battisti of B Company?

If not - let me know and I will send you them. I have to update my website as well. The work on my book on A Company is going great!! I have more than 300 pages!!

Frank

alan,

VERY INTERESTING QUESTIONNAIRE OF ROBERT WALDRON!! I will comment on it within a few days. It is indeed Joe KENNINGTON who was killed in a minefield. I have a photo of his grave in Italy. Captain Randles did not command the company in Italy, but became company CO on DEcember 22, 1944. He had been the Battalion S-3 officer previously and in Holland the exec of A Company. Randles started as the 3rd Platoon leader. He died on May 3, 1994 in his hometown McKinney, Texas.

Frank

P.S. Let me know if you have Reneau Breard's address. He was CO 1st Platoon, B Company from Dec 22 1944 till about February 6, 1945.

Hello again,
I added photos of Frank Belfoy and James McManus today. I have had contact with several other families and am expecting more information soon. If anyone has emailed me and has not heard back from me, please contact me again. I am trying to keep things organized (does not come naturally), but I am constantly finding things people have sent me that I didn't even know I had.

A. Driver
http://bcompany504pir.org

Nice Stuff!!!
I do agree with you.

Hello Alan!

Thank you for the updates! Great photo's! Keep up the good work!

My book on A Company will soon be printed. I got the proof edition today and am now making some minor changes in the text, photo captions, etc.

Frank

P.S. Can you put a link on your website to my website? (www.freewebs.com/a504)?

I have also placed a link from my website to yours.

I have just added photos and information about Capt. Thomas Helgeson to the B Company page.

A. Driver
http://bcompany504pir.org

My Grandfather was Paul V. Mann, Sr. He served as an N.C.O. in Company B through WWII with 4 jump stars total, 4 times decorated with the purple heart, and a bronze star along with the various paratrooper fruit salad on the chest, and some Staff Sergeant stripes. Due to unforseen human elements, all of his trophies and awards have disappeared with a few exceptions. One of these is a notebook with notes on Anzio, Cassino, & the Bulge. It has platoon lists, KIA's, Serials of dead G.I.'s, and the random personal notes. I am going over the lists of other 1st battalion men looking for matches, and I am very pleased to have joined this group.