Name and Rank, Sergeant William Melvin Riley.
Unit/Placed in, 350th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division ”The Fighting Blue Devils”.
William was born on Aug. 18, 1923 in Caddo County, Oklahoma.
Father, George Hubert Riley.
Mother, Leona Maude (Wilkerson) Riley.
Sister(s), Alberta Bernice and Mary Riley.
William enlisted the service at Oklahoma with serial number, #38399040.
William M. Riley was a Sergeant in the 350th Infantry Regiment.
William M. Riley was Killed in Action in the fights over the town of Villamagna, Italy, on July 13, 1944, and he is honored with the Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal.
William was first buried at buried/mentioned at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, Nettuno, Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Lazio, Italy.
William was reburied in 1949 at Binger Cemetery, Binger, Caddo County, Oklahoma.
Thanks to the http://www.bluedevilassociation.org/
Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com ww2-europe.com
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano
Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
WW2 Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Medals Forum, https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
Tank Destroyers, http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/
WordPress en/of Wooncommerce oplossingen, https://www.siteklusjes.nl/
Military Recovery, https://www.dpaa.mil/
The 88th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. It was the first Army of the United States division to be created “from scratch” after the implementation of the draft in 1940.[citation needed] Previous divisions were regular army, reserve or National Guard. Much of the experience in creating it was used in the subsequent expansion of the Army.
By war’s end the 88th Infantry fought its way to the northernmost extreme of Italy. In early May 1945 troops of its 349th Infantry Regiment joined the 103d Infantry Division of the VI Corps of the Seventh Army of the 6th Army Group, which had raced south through Bavaria into Innsbruck, Austria, in Vipiteno in the Italian Alps.
Combat chronicle[edit]
- First Entered combat: Advance party on night of 3–4 January 1944 in support of Monte Cassino attacks. (Delaney, p. 37)
- First Organization Committed to Line: 2nd Battalion, 351st Regiment plus attachments (Delaney, p. 45)
- First combat fatality: 3 January 1944
- Began post war POW Command: 7 June 1945. Responsible for guarding and later repatriating 324,462 German POWs. (Delaney, p. 359)
The 88th Infantry Division was one of the first all draftee divisions to enter the war. Formed at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, the division arrived at Casablanca, French Morocco, 15 December 1943, and moved to Magenta, Algeria, on the 28th for intensive training. It arrived at Naples, Italy, 6 February 1944, and concentrated around Piedimonte d’Alife for combat training. An advance element went into the line before Cassino, 27 February, and the entire unit relieved British elements along the Garigliano River in the Minturno area, 5 March. A period of defensive patrols and training followed.
On 11 May, the 88th drove north to take Spigno, Mount Civita, Itri, Fondi, and Roccagorga, reached Anzio, 29 May, and pursued the enemy into Rome, being the first American unit into the city on 4 June, after a stiff engagement on the outskirts of the city. An element of the 88th is credited with being first to enter the Eternal City. After continuing across the Tiber to Bassanelio the 88th retired for rest and training, 11 June. The Division went into defensive positions near Pomerance, 5 July, and launched an attack toward Volterra on the 8th, taking the town the next day. Laiatico fell on the 11th, Villamagna on the 13th, and the Arno Riverwas crossed on the 20th although the enemy resisted bitterly.
After a period of rest and training, the Division opened its assault on the Gothic Line, 21 September 1944, and advanced rapidly along the Firenzuola-Imola road, taking Mount Battaglia (Casola Valsenio, RA) on the 28th. The enemy counterattacked savagely and heavy fighting continued on the line toward the Po Valley. The strategic positions of Mount Grande and Farnetto were taken, 20 and 22 October. From 26 October 1944 to 12 January 1945, the 88th entered a period of defensive patrolling in the Mount Grande-Mount Cerrere sector and the Mount Fano area. From 24 January to 2 March 1945, the Division defended theLoiano-Livergnano area and after a brief rest returned to the front. The drive to the Po Valley began on 15 April. Monterumici fell on the 17th after an intense barrage and the Po River was crossed, 24 April, as the 88th pursued the enemy toward the Alps. The cities of Verona and Vicenza were captured on the 25th and 28th and the Brenta River was crossed, 30 April. The 88th was driving through the Dolomite Alps towardInnsbruck, Austria where it linked up with the 103rd Infantry Division, when the hostilities ended on 2 May 1945.ref name=Alps/>
The unit was in combat for 344 days and sustained 15,173 casualties (killed, wounded or missing).
