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(Below is a response I
sent two weeks ago now. A relative of
the man below asked if I could find some
information for them and after sent never
head back. It bothers me that
someone can’t even respond by saying thanks).
The Dry Facts
36401673 Hinchen,
Charles E. Technician 5th Grade
LWA 7/11/1943 to 7th
Sta Hosp
1st Plt Company B 307th
Abn Engr Bn 82nd Abn Div
Received Plasma, shot
in both elbows with thorax involvement
from 7th Sta Hops to
21st Gen Hosp as of 2 Aug 43. fr abs sk LD
21 Gen Hosp to ads sk LD Hosp Unknown ZI as
of 6 Sept 43.
5'9" 143 lbs when
drafted
The narrative below
goes along with the pdf which can be
download by clicking on the title The Dry
Facts.
T/5 Hinchen shows up on
the Morning Reports starting 1 July 1943 to
1 October 1943. Most of the time you will
see one or two mentions when a soldier is
wounded but not your Great-Grandfather. He
is mentioned 12 times and once in a book.
T/5 Hinchen was wounded
11 July 1943 at Biazza Ridge in Sicily,
Italy. The first few pages attached to
this article show what was happening at
Biazza Ridge that fateful day. The first
report was taken right from the 82nd
Abn Div After Action report.
The second is a first
hand account from Sergeant Miale. T/5
Hinchen was mentioned on page 64 in Miale’s
book Stragedy. From there it goes to
Morning Reports and photos taken the day of
11 July 1943.
The first 5 pages for
the Morning Reposts 1 July 1943 list the
entire 1st Platoon including T/5
Hinchen. Company B supported 1st
Battalion of the 505th Prcht
Inf. The next two Morning Reports mentioned
the same soldier’s coming back to Company B.
The Records of Events
are next and it shows that your
Great-Grandfather and the rest of Company B
jumped into Sicily at 2340 hours 9 July
1943. 18 July 1943 mentions when he was
wounded and says it was 9 July 1943 and that
a Medic gave him Plasma on the field of
battle.
Forward ahead to the
Morning Report for 13 August and it has his
real date of his wound 11 July 1943 and
mentions the specific wounds, shot through
both elbows and his chest. 1 October 1943
has him going to the Zone of interior which
means his war was over due to his wounds.
Next are 7 photos taken
at Biazza Ridge 11 July 1943. The first 4
photos were listed as being taken during
combat that day. The last three show the
aftermath of the battle. The first two have
the bodies of soldiers from Company B and
soldiers from Company G 505th as
well. There is a soldiers under and tree
filling out graves registration forms before
burial. The photos are courtesy of Jan Bos
who lives in the Netherlands.
The last photo is the
505th #1 Cemetery on the field of
battle. They were removed shortly after
take to Gela Cemetery. 4 years later they
were moved once again either sent home or
Buried at a Permanent Cemetery in Italy.
Brian N. Siddall
December 31, 2024
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