August W. Stangl
World War II
August Stangl was born on June 2, 1910, near Petersburg, NE to Fred and Wilhemina (known as Millie) (Willenborg) Stangl. Fred had been raised on a farm in Eden Township. When August was a high school senior in Nebraska in 1928, the family moved to a farm between Templeton and Manning.
The Selective Service Act which created the military draft was passed in 1940 and all eligible men were required to register on October 16, 1940. August was 30 years old at that time and registered as unemployed.
Draft regulations at that time required draftees serve for a period of 12 months. August was inducted into the US Army on February 12, 1941, at Des Moines. Although World War II had started in both Europe and the Pacific, the United States was not yet a part of the hostilities. On October 3, 1941, August was released as a PVT (private) from the Enlisted Reserve Corps at Fort Snelling near Minneapolis, MN and returned to Manning. On February 1, 1941, the 701st Military Police Battalion had been activated at Fort Snelling. It is believed August received MP training as a part of this unit.
The entry of the United States into World War II in December, 1941, changed everything. On February 8, 1942, August was recalled to active duty with the US Army. He was assigned serial number 37 040 419 and sent back to Fort Snelling. In June, 1942, the 701st MP Battalion was moved to Fort Oglethorpe in northwest Georgia. The Provost Marshall General’s School had been established there and the Provost Marshall was responsible for all MP units.
By August 21, 1942, August was a part of Company C and was awaiting assignment. He was subsequently transferred to Fort Custer, MI which was designated an MPRTC (military police replacement training center). He became part of Company D of the 701st MP Battalion. By July 23, 1943, August was a sergeant at Fort Custer. Activities at Fort Custer at that time included training new MP’s as well as maintaining a prisoner of war facility for 5,000 German soldiers. How his time was split at Fort Custer and Fort Oglethorpe is unknown.
By the spring of 1945, the war in Europe was winding down. On April 20, 1945, August was discharged at Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, MO as a staff sergeant. He returned to Manning and farming. On September 30, 1946, August was married to Dorothy Eisenmenger at St. Edward Church in Minneota, MN. Dorothy was a member of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II and was stationed at Fort Oglethorpe for a time which is possibly where they met.
On June 8, 1954, August was killed when a gun he was carrying accidentally fired as he was crossing over a fence on his farm. He was 44 years old. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.