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671. Pensacola's September Loss 9-14-1944 WWII

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Updated: Mar 11, 2022

US Army Private Andrew Henry White Jr. was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on December 19, 1923, the son of Andrew Sr. (1875-1954) and Mildred Josephine Campbell (1904-1978). His mother was married to her first husband Jesse Arthur Kluczewicz (1898-) on September 28, 1919, in Hot Springs. Jesse served with the US Army from 1916 to 1919 and afterwards, he went to work for the Army as a civilian. Mildred would remarry Andrew Sr. in Hot Springs on June 27, 1922, and return to his hometown of Pensacola to run his clothing business.


Andrew Jr.'s grandparents were John George White (1848-1928) and Barbara Elizabeth Wohlmacher (1850-1916). Six sons were born to the couple: Andrew Henry (1875-1954), Herman Berry (1885-1949), Otto Ernest (1873-1950), James George (1872-1906), William Leopold (1880-1910), and Walter Hugh White (1878-1951) plus their two daughters Anna "Annie" Elizabeth (1882-1963) and Blanche Dorathea (1888-1953). His sons would scatter throughout the city, engaged in various businesses about town. During this time their father was a clothing merchant and went into business with his son Walter Hugh in the "W. H. White & Company." Walter was also a druggist at the White Pharmacy. His son James George would become the City's Fire Chief while William Leopold went to work for the Keyser-Muldon Timber & Lumber Exports Company. William stayed there until 1909 when he went to work with his brothers A. Henry, Herman, and Otto at "A. Henry & Brothers Men's Clothing Store." However, William went home on the night of May 3, 1910, and while he was taking his pistol out of his pocket it went off killing him almost instantly.


As for Andrew Jr. he would graduate from Pensacola High School in the Class of 1942. He would enroll at LSU University in Louisiana for one year before dropping out to enlist in the US Army on August 27, 1943. He was then sent to Camp Blanding, Florida for processing and orientation. After basic training he was assigned to the 317th Infantry Regiment attached to the 80th Infantry Division. The regiment trained for two years in Tennessee, Kansas, Arizona, California, and finally New Jersey. On July 1, 1944 they boarded a troop train and moved to the SS Queen Mary for the ocean voyage to Europe. Six days later, the 317th was in Greenock, Scotland. On July 26, the 317th received orders to move to Southampton for a twenty-one-hour voyage to Utah Beach in Normandy. Third Army became operational with four corps under its command on August 1, and Eisenhower gave General Patton the mission to secure the peninsula. On August 7, General Patton received reports that several Panzer divisions would attack towards Avranches and ordered the 80th Division to stop them from encircling Third Army and cutting off its supply lines. In preparation, the 317th moved north of Avranches. After a sharp engagement the regiment pushed the Germans backwards toward the Moselle River.


Looking for a safe place to cross they found an old priest that showed them a ford used by the Romans north of the Isle de Scarpone near Dieulouard. They also found a second ford with no enemy outposts guarding it. On September 11, the Division crossed the river with no casualties completely catching the Germans by surprise because they were not aware of their existence. Early the next morning, the German 29th Grenadier Division, reinforced with artillery and tanks, launched a vigorous counterattack. The regiment fought off two of their attacks at Landremont while the 2nd Battalion clashed at Saint Genevieve. Enemy artillery fire fell hard on the bridge crossing and all routes leading to it. During the battle, regimental headquarters lost all communication with its units because the Germans had either killed or wounded the entire communications platoon on the east side of the river. Dead and injured soldiers from the regiment were everywhere. It was during this fighting on September 14 that Pensacolian Andrew Henry White Jr. was killed in action.


His family was notified on Sunday, October 1, 1944, that their son had been killed. He was turned over to the grave registration company and buried in a military cemetery. In 1948, his body was returned to Pensacola in December and buried with full military honors in St. John's Cemetery.

























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