World War II Database

1. Victoria Draper says:
9 Mar 2012 03:18:04 PM

I mourn the loss of Albert Martin Miller, 91 of Lamar MO, who passed Friday 2, Mar 2012. He was the last survivor of the 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion in the Third Armored Division Spearhead. He was in cahrge of a Tank Destroyer and participated in the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate the Nordhausen Slave Labor concentration camp.
He was my dear friend and my hero. May he rest in peace knowing he helped bring freedom to the world.

2. Arthur Alumbaugh says:
8 Jun 2012 06:35:53 PM

Hello, I guess I would be Albert's wifes grand-nephew, (Imogene's brother Leo's Grandson (Steve is my dad).

Growing up in KC we would regularly make trips down to see my great Aunt and Uncle, and I knew that he had been in WWII, but never knew how brave and what a hero he was until after he died.

I got the chance to see him in the hospital about a month before he died, we sat and chatted for a bit, but he was very uncomfturble and nurses where about to prepare him for dinner.

None the less, this man was a true american hero, he is greatly missed.

3. William I Meyer says:
4 Dec 2012 12:39:20 PM

The Tank Destroyer pictured was the 703d B3 (B company 3d platoon)and the man at the top of the TD next to the 50 Cal was my dad Lt. George N. "Duke" Meyer. It is true that so much of what we know about what these men went through is from what someone else wrote about them. Band of Brothers, Pacific, Private Ryan to name a few. As there was not a Mitchner in the group their stories will forever be silenced.

I asked my dad once if he ever knocked out a German Tank. His comment was no they all bounced off. His TD's were not so lucky as in one instance above Regne in Belgium a lucky hit from a Panzer struck a high explosive round turret exploding the round killing all on board except for him. luckly for me he was standing beside the tank.

I asked him once why he never talked about the war he said, "Why would I share such an ugly part of my life with the people I love?"

History States on the 2d and 3d September 703d B3 intercepted a convoy of 45 to 50 trucks at about 800 yards outside of Mons Belgium. It was a turkey shoot of troops and equipment Knocking out 45 trucks and a Panzer 1V in the proscess. One trucks was full of high explosives and the blast knocked one commander off his vehicle 800 yards away seriously injuring the officer.

Dad told me that they found some empty trucks and had some target practice...

I loved my dad very much and his lasting legacy is he lived his life to the fullest and loved us all as a Dad and Grandpa to his grandchildren.

I'm sorry for your loss these men leave big shoes to fill.

4. Rich Zahn says:
26 Dec 2012 01:44:22 PM

Men like your dad are diminishing, living by core values.. Semper Fidelis