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| Earl Eugene Webb |
| Staff Seargent - Army |
Assigned: 7th Army, 42nd Infantry Division, 242nd Infantry Regiment, "Love" Company, Weapons Platoon
Highest Rank: Staff Seargent
Foreign Service Length: 3 Years, 3 Months, 24 Days
Continental Service Length: 1 Year, 11 Months
Location of Service: Pearl Harbor, Central Europe, Rhineland
Gender: male
Military Position: S/Sgt in the Weapons Platoon, Section Leader
Place of Separation: Camp Gordon, GA
From City: Lawrenceburg
From State: Tennessee
Date of Birth: 01/1919
Date Deceased: 12/1990
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Awards and Citations
- American Defense Medal - WW II
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal - WWII
- Combat Infantry Badge
- European - African - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
- Overseas Service
- World War II Victory Medal
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| 5/3/1940 - 7/26/1945 |
| Honored by Rachel Smith, Granddaughter
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Earl arrived at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii for his first duty assignment. He spent four months as a Private and two years and two months as a PFC rifleman. Earl was stationed at Schofield Barracks when the attack on Pearl Harbor occured. |
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The 42nd Rainbow Division was reactivated at Camp Gruber, OK. Earl was transferred from Pearl Harbor to Camp Gruber February 5, 1943. In the Camp Gruber yearbook published in 1944, Earl was listed as a Staff Seargent. In the book "The Men of Love Company" there are 35 men listed in the weapons platoon of L Company, 27 Privates, 1 Corporal, 3 Seargents, 2 Staff Seargents which Earl was one of, 1 Technical Seargent and 1 2nd Lieutenant who was the platoon leader. The weapons platoon's main function was to be deployed to where ever heavy weapons support was needed within the company. |
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The three infantry regiments of the 42nd Division, 222nd, 232nd and 242nd are shipped by train to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey ahead of the rest of the division. A short time later they boarded a ship for Marseilles, France. I corresponded with a man named Edgar Johnson who was in the First Platoon of L Company who remembered seeing Earl on the ship. He said they talked about being from Tennessee among other things. On December 8 and 9 the 242nd landed in Marseilles and set up camp at a place to be known as CP 2. The 242nd became part of Task Force Linden which was assigned to the 7th Army and directed to relieve elements of the 36th Infantry Division in the vicinity of Strasbourg. |
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On Christmas Day the divisions moved into front line defensive positions along the Rhine River, the 242nd being placed south of Strasbourg. During this time they participated in the Battle of the Bulge. |
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About seven jeeps of 42nd Infantry Division soldiers including S/Sgt Webb along with jeeps of troops from the 45th Infantry Division were the first troops on the scene of the infamous Dachau Concentration Camp which was later surrendered to those divisions. |
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After the end of the war in Europe, S/Sgt. Webb was assigned to occupation duties in Kitzbuhel, Austria then shortly after discharged to return home. |
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| Brothers Earl and Kenneth |
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| Certificate of discharge from the US Army for Earl Webb |
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| Discharge papers |
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| Discharge Papers 2 |
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| With his sister Lorene |
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| I drew this picture of my grandfather in his uniform |
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| When he first joined the Army |
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| With his sister Lorene |
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| In his dress uniform |
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| Taken from the Rainbow Division History Book, he is farthest to left at the back of the jeep |
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| He is in the plaid shirt, at the presentation of the Silver Star Medal posthumously to his brother, Phm2c Kenneth Webb |
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