Harold J. Walsh
World War II
Harold “Hap” Walsh was born on March 15, 1919, in Guthrie County, IA near Coon Rapids. His parents were Joseph and Elsie (Brutsche) Walsh. Newspaper accounts from his youth indicate his nickname was “Happy.” This was later shortened to “Hap.” He attended school and graduated from high school in Coon Rapids. He later attended Capital City Commercial School in Des Moines.
Newspaper accounts appear to indicate Hap enlisted in the US Navy during January, 1941. However, it is clear he was inducted into the US Army on February 7, 1941, at Fort Des Moines. He was assigned serial number 37 039 915. He was sent to Fort Benning, GA for basic training and became part of the 66th Armored Regiment. This unit had recently been assigned to the newly formed 2nd Armored Division. Hap was to spent the entire war with this unit.
In July, 1941, Hap was assigned to the Headquarters Company of the 66th Armored Regiment. His unit trained at Fort Benning although Hap did spend some time at Fort Knox, KY. The 66th Armored participated in the Carolina War Games in the fall of 1941. The 2nd Armored Division continued to train and, by mid-1942, were moved to Fort Bragg, NC in preparation to go overseas.
The 2nd Armored Division was a part of the Western Task Force of Operation Torch and landed at Casablanca, Morocco on November 8, 1942. Hap left the United States on December 12, 1942, and was part of an amphibious invasion of Morocco later in December. They did not see much action in North Africa but were held in garrison for additional training.
On July 10, 1943, the 66th Armored participated in the invasion of Sicily at Gela. They fought through the island to capture the capital city of Palermo. During this time, they were under the command of the US Seventh Army and General George Patton. After Sicily was secure, the 66th Armored prepared to move to England to train for the invasion of France. Their command post was established at Tidworth in Wiltshire on November 27, 1943.
The D-Day invasion took place on June 6, 1944, at Normandy, France. The 66th Armored landed on Gold Beach on June 10. The regiment was reorganized at this time and Hap became part of Company E of the 2nd Battalion. This unit was equipped with M4 Sherman tanks. They fought various German tank units and were part of the Battle of Bloody Gulch southwest of Carentan. Heavy losses were suffered as the fighting continued against entrenched German units. By the end of July, 1944, progress was finally evident and the 66th Armored started to move across France.
By the end of August, the 66th Armored reached Belgium and moved on to the Netherlands. On September 18, they crossed the German border. On October 3, 1944, they broke through the Siegfried Line and captured more German towns. In December, 1944, the 66th Armored was diverted to Luxembourg to fight in the Battle of the Bulge. After that time, the unit moved into Germany and fought through the German surrender on May 8, 1945. The 66th Armored was then selected to be the first American troops to enter Berlin as a part of the occupation of the American sector.
Due to Hap’s long service, he returned to the United States by air on June 22, 1945 and was discharged from the US Army as a Corporal on July 2, 1945. He returned to farming and, on January 21, 1946, was married to Ann Knueven in Templeton. He later owned Hap’s Tavern in Templeton. Hap died on September 7, 1975 at age 56 in Manning. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.