Willibold A. Stefan

Branch: ARMY
Service Number: 32267190

Rank: Private

Unit: 36th Infantry Div, 141st Infantry Reg, Co. “L”

  
Willibold Adolph Stefan, “Willy” was born on March 19th, 1913 to parents Adam and Marie Stefan in Neumarkt, Czechoslovakia, now known as Úterý, Czechia. This town is located 60 miles east of the city of Prague. Willy was the eldest child of the family. Josef “Joe” was born in 1915, Johann “John” in 1920, and Rudolf “Rudy” the next year. While in Czechoslovakia, Willibold would attend school up to end of 8th grade.

Former Stefan residence
132 Baird Avenue, Mt. Ephraim, NJ.

Adam Stefan emigrated to the United States in November of 1923. His sister, Marie (Stefan) Biederman had moved to America with her husband in 1913. Adam would find long-time employment at the Hinde & Dauch Paper Company at 5th and Jersey Avenues in Gloucester City. He was able to purchase a house at 132 Baird Avenue in Mount Ephraim. 

On the evening of February 26, 1930, Adam was visiting his sister who now lived directly across the street. A 10-year old boy by the name of John Layton ran into the Biederman home and said that Adam’s house was on fire. Fire companies from Mount Ephraim, Bellmawr and Runnemede confined the fire to the second floor. The cause was determined to be defective wiring in the attic. 

SS Albert Ballin

Marie, Willy, and his brothers left their home on December 11, 1930 and came to the United States aboard the SS Albert Ballin. This passenger ship departed from Hamburg, Germany and arrived in New York City on December 20, 1930. From there they traveled to Mount Ephraim to reunite with Adam. In 1935, the Stefans welcomed a son, Walter. He was the first in the family to be born in the United States.

Willy was employed as a butcher with Daniel A. Gottlieb & Sons, located at 416 Mt. Vernon Street in Camden. This was an occupation he had prior to coming to the United States.  

My grandmother, Kathryn (Mingle) Weist had lived next door to the Stefans for many years and remembered the boys always playing cards in the basement. She shared a story with me about watching a baseball game once at the field that was located at the corner of Lincoln and Garfield Aves. Someone had hit a foul ball which struck her in the head, causing her to bleed. "Willy had this new yellow Chrysler car. He was there when I got hit by the baseball. Willy rushed over to helped me by holding a shirt over the cut to control the bleeding. He loaded me up into his vehicle and drove me home. I was so worried about getting blood all over his nice new car!" (On a personal note, the site of this ball field was later to become the a home where my father and uncles were raised.)

On the afternoon of February 28, 1937, Willy was involved in an minor motor vehicle accident at Fourth and Chestnut Streets in Camden. Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident. The driver of the other car, Leroy Oliver was arrested on charges filed by Stefan. He claimed that Mr. Oliver was drunk. Leroy Oliver was later convicted of driving while intoxicated as well as disorderly conduct, and sentenced to four months in the county jail.

As required by the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, Willibold registered for the draft on October 16, 1940. This was the nation’s first peace-time conscription. According to his registration card, he stood at a height of five foot- eight inches, weighed 149 pounds, blue eyes, brown hair and a light complexion.  He was eventually one of 11 selectees from Mount Ephraim chosen by Camden County Draft Board #3 (Gloucester City) for military service on April 22, 1942. This board covered the young men who were drafted into the armed forces from the communities of Gloucester City, Brooklawn, Mount Ephraim, and Bellmawr. The other Mount Ephraim residents chosen to report on this day were: John Arangio, Joseph J. Baltake, Dominic Bucci, Clifford R. Bittle, Carmen S. Bada, Ellis V. Craft, Frederick C. Fickel, Angelo C. Giordano, Anthony P. Ocavage, and Elwood H. Young. The younger brothers of Angelo Giordano and Anthony Ocavage would later perish during the war.  

At 6:30 A.M. on May 8, 1942, Willy and the other selectees reported to the Gloucester City Municipal Building at Broadway and Monmouth Street. The men were officially sworn in and transported to the 1229th Reception Center at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Once here, he and the other recruits would go through about a week of U.S. Army induction training before getting shipped off to boot camp. In mid-May, Willy received orders to report to the nearby train depot. He and others filed onto passenger rail cars and headed off to a destination known only to commanding officers.

36th Infantry Division insignia "T-Patch"

141st Infantry Regiment Insignia

The train arrived on May 19th at Camp Blanding, located near Starke, Florida or 30 miles southwest of Jacksonville. Willy detrained and was sent off to begin basic training with the 36th Infantry Division. He was assigned to Company “L” of the 141st Infantry Regiment, the 36th Infantry Training Regiment. The 36th Division was nicknamed the “T-Patchers” because of the design of the uniform patch. They were originally Texas National Guardsmen, who were mobilized into the U.S. Army on November 25, 1940, while at Camp Bowie, Texas. This division would soon receive a complement of replacement soldiers from every state in the U.S. 

From May until early July, the 36th Division would continue to train in and around the area of Camp Blanding. The men would endure the constant heat and humidity of the Floridian climate, often going out on long hikes and bivouacking each evening. They were taught the tactics and techniques of amphibious assault and conducted live-fire exercises. On their down time, soldiers would visit nearby Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Daytona Beach and Silver Springs. By the end of June, Willy would complete his six weeks of basic training and receive a furlough, in which he returned to Mount Ephraim to visit his family and friends. His leave would be brief, as he was required to return to Camp Blanding some time around July 5th. 

On the morning July 6th, the division moved up to the Carolinas via motor convoy for the next phase of training. Willy boarded a truck which departed at 9:30 A.M. over the next several day, the troops would pass through Savannah, Georgia, Sumter, South Carolina, and into Wadesboro North Carolina by July 12th to begin a series of field maneuvers with other infantry divisions for a “battle” along the Pee Dee River. Over the next several weeks, soldiers learned warfare tactics and worked to overcome any problems encountered. They also continued nearly daily marching around the border between North and South Carolina in the brutally hot, muggy southern air. The men would find some relief however, with “maneuver crop.” This was whatever fruit was growing in nearby fields. The men would liberate a watermelon early in the morning and hide them in the shade until they could be enjoyed. Another duty for the soldiers while not on maneuvers was to guard prisoners of war, who were brought to the United States. 

The last phase of the maneuvers began on August 11th. Before the soldiers began this final round, the corp commander told the men that this would be the last dry run. “The next time, you will face a real enemy.” Two days later, the troops departed the bivouac area by truck and crossed the Pee Dee River by boat. The exercise had completed that evening and the men of Company “L,” 141st Regiment began moving down to the area of Cheraw, South Carolina. Nasty weather on August 18th forced Willy and his company to abandon the bivouac area and seek shelter in vacant buildings in Cheraw. 

The men of the 36th Division were ready to fight. They believed that they would be sent overseas right away or perhaps go back to Camp Blanding. Orders came in saying otherwise. They would not go back to Florida, or Europe. Not yet. On August 19th, the T-Patchers gathered up their equipment and loaded onto rail cars, departing Cheraw that evening and arrived at Camp Edwards on Cape Cod in Massachusetts by the morning of August 22nd. At this facility, the division would receive additional training on amphibious operations. Mock assaults were conducted on Martha’s Vineyard in preparation for beach landings. The men began going out at night on marches. It was so dark that on many occasions, it was said that soldiers would often fall into one of the numerous cranberry bogs that operated in the area. Those with a weekend pass would visit areas on the Cape as well as Boston and New York. 

As summer turned to autumn, the temperatures began to fall. The 36th Division continued to train at Camp Edwards into the winter. Willy would have to endure some really bitter cold and snowy days that New England through at him. Some rumors were passed around that the division would be going to the Pacific. The training in the cold weather was meant to be a ruse for the enemy. A group from the division was sent to North Africa to observe operations in Tunisia. By late winter, this group was beginning to return to Camp Edwards and filling the rest of the men in on what was really going on. 

By Late March 1943, the 36th Infantry Division had orders to move out to the New York for deployment overseas. The T-Patchers prepared their gear and boarded a troop train bound for New York City. On April 2, 1943, having come together from staging areas at Camp Edwards and Fort Dix, New Jersey, the 36th Division boarded the troop transport, S.S. Brazil at the New York Port of Embarkation in Staten Island and steamed off for an unknown destination. 

Life aboard the transport was trying for the soldiers. For many, this was the first time aboard a ship, and seasickness ran rampant. The men were crammed into small compartments below deck to sleep on bunks stacked five or more high. They were served only two meal a day and passed the time playing card and dice games, reading books and writing letters home. There were strict rules in place for safety purposes aboard the troop ship as German U-boats patrolled the Atlantic Ocean looking to attack allied vessels. At night, there was a smoking ban and black out conditions for the convoy ships so as to not draw attention from enemy submarines. It was said that a soldier was fined $15 for throwing an apple core overboard. They wanted no evidence from the voyage to fall into the wrong hands.

After eleven days at sea, the convoy arrived on April 13th, in the North African port of Oran, Algeria. Upon arrival, the 36th Division, now a part of the newly organized Fifth Army, was held in combat reserve. The troops stood and waited with all of their equipment in the dark for trucks to arrive at the port. Once the vehicles arrived, the soldiers loaded up and headed to a staging area at Assi-ben-Okba. The next day, the T-Patchers boarded onto rail cars which transported them seventy miles inland to a French Foreign Legion outpost called Magenta for additional training. Here, the soldiers swallowed their first Atebrine tablets to fend off malaria and continued marching through the hot, dusty roads of Algeria.

Once the training in Magenta was complete, the 141st Regiment and other elements from the 36th Division were shuttled westward by truck and train across North Africa to French Morocco. This was an attempt to avert Spanish or German interference on that country and keep the allied supply line open. The ride was said to be scenic as the roads and railways through the Atlas Mountains lent to beautiful views. The T-Patchers had a mostly leisurely stay as they bivouacked in the cork forests near Rabat and Casablanca as neither Spain nor Germany bothered French Morocco. Their time was spent training, guarding prisoners of war and maintaining security outposts on the beaches near Casablanca.

After their detail in Morocco, the men retraced the route back east across North Africa and returned to Algeria for amphibious training. The 36th Division served as school-troops at the Army’s Invasion Training Center on the Mediterranean in Azrew, where they trained with the 1st and 45 Infantry Divisions who were preparing for the invasion of Sicily.

In mid-August 1943, the T-Patchers would go through a dry run for a planned invasion of Salerno, Italy. Salerno had been chosen as the operation site because it was the northern-most point to which Allied aircraft could fly to from bases in Sicily, which were already under their occupation. The division moved up to a staging area near St. Cloud and Arzew, about 15 miles from the Port of Oran. General Dwight Eisenhower stopped by to see the men. They stood in formation for about three hours out in the extreme heat. Eisenhower smiled and waved to the soldiers as he passed by the rank and file.

The Invasion of Italy map

On September 3, 1943, Willy boarded the troop transport ship, USS Charles Carroll (APA-28) and shipped out of Oran, Algeria two days later in convoy to commence with “Operation Avalanche,” the invasion of Italy.  The convoy sailed along the Northern Africa coastline and around the western tip of Sicily, heading for the Gulf of Salerno. Before departing Oran, Willy penned a letter to his parents letting them know that he was doing well and that he and brother Joseph had briefly reunited in North Africa. Joe was assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment (3rd Infantry Division) and stationed in Arzew, Algeria to train. He had spotted some trucks in the area with the insignia of Willibold’s outfit. As luck would have it, Joe successfully tracked down his brother once the trucks had made a stop nearby his location. The two were able to enjoy a dinner together.

While cruising to Italy, the days were calm and sunny. The nights were cool and clear. This voyage was a welcome break from days of rigorous training and planning for the invasion. Troops gambled, sang, enjoyed a hot meal and especially appreciated having showering facilities. The extreme heat, cold and dirt of Africa was forgotten.

On the evening of September 8th, Italy had announced their surrender to the Allies. Some soldiers were thinking this upcoming operation would be an uneventful one.  Later that evening, however, the convoy was spotted and attacked by German aircraft. The element of surprise, which the invasion forces were depending on was now eliminated. At 11 P.M., the call was given for final preparations of the troops and to lower the landing craft into the water for the invasion.

At one minute past midnight on September 9th, 1943, the ship loudspeaker barked orders for troops to assemble into their boat teams. Soldiers clambered down cargo nets and into awaiting landing craft. Motors sputtered and then roared as the first boats pulled away. Soon the calm sea was alive with Higgins boats, circling to reach their proper positions. In the darkness some of the coxswains failed to locate their leaders. Lanes had been previously swept through to clear mine fields, but occasionally mines broke free and drifted into the paths which boats were trying to follow. Spray drenched the men and their equipment. Many of the soldiers became seasick. But at length the LCM's (Landing Craft, Mechanized) and LCVP's (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel), carrying the first assault waves, turned east behind the guide boats toward the rendezvous deployment line, 6,000 yards from the Salerno beaches.

The 141st and 142nd Regimental Combat Teams (36th Division) were to land as assault forces, in six waves on the Paestum beaches (designated RED,GREEN,YELLOW, and BLUE), advance to a railroad about 2,500 yards inland, reorganize in assembly areas, then move on to their objectives-the hills 10 miles distant. Once established on the hills, they would control the entire southern half of the Salerno plain.

Coming ashore at Paestum Beaches

Ahead of the assault forces, the beaches of Paestum were dark and silent, except for a single voice emanating from a loudspeaker    at the landing area.  The voice called out in English, "Come on in and give up. We have you covered." Private Stefan with Company “L” and the rest of the 3rd Battalion began landing on Yellow Beach at 0330hrs. Flares went up immediately, then the Germans opened up with a barrage of gunfire, artillery shelling and tank fire. The U.S. soldiers leaped into the shallow water, waded to a narrow strip of sand and started inland for the assembly areas.

The 141st Infantry began working through wire obstacles and mines. Intense fire from machine guns, artillery, mortars, and tanks made progress very difficult. On Yellow Beach, the first three assault waves were pinned down after advancing about 400 yards inland and could move only by crawling under fire. The 3rd Battalion companies quickly became split up and were unable to reorganize after landing.

The major portion of Company "L" commanded by Captain Edgar Ford of Rusk, Texas, pressed well forward but the remainder of his company were unable to reform. They had fought their way inland mostly in groups of two or three. These small groups were cut off from the main body of their company becoming trapped on 3 sides by enemy fire. The Battalion had no contact with Companies "L" and “I“ and only a small portion of Company “K”. Captain Ford was later able to re-establish contact and directed effective fire which broke up an enemy tank attack. It was during this chaotic time that Willibold was killed when an artillery shell fragment struck him in the head. 

Stefan wasn't laid to rest until noon on September 12th at a make-shift cemetery for the 36th Infantry in Vannulo. He was later disinterred by 47th Quartermaster Company (Graves Registration) on October 11, 1943 and buried that afternoon at Mt. Soprano American Cemetery, located 3 miles inland from Paestum. A temporary wooden cross marked the grave location at each cemetery. A letter from the War Department was sent to Willy's parents on October 15, 1943 to report his death.

Willy’s niece, Beverly Bauer said that his group cleared the way for his brother Joseph to come ashore as he was part of the second group of soldiers who landed on those same beaches.  Joseph however, was later wounded in Italy.  A nephew, Joseph Stefan said, "Uncle Joe had been shot by machine gun fire up the leg, causing one leg to be shorter than the other.  They had to cut a nerve to get him out of pain."

Mt. Soprano American Cemetery
Photo courtesy of Getty Images

The remains of Private Willibold A. Stefan were later removed from Mt. Soprano on May 24, 1948 as this was a temporary burial location for some 1000 U.S. military men and on September 30, 1948, moved to the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, in Nettuno, Italy at plot E, row 13, grave 24. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, WWII Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Medal, and a Presidential Unit Citation (for 3rd Battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment).

Willibold Stefan grave marker

He was survived by his parents, brothers Joe, John, Rudy, and Walt.  Willy was engaged to neighbor, Olga Davis, whom he had planned on marrying after returning from the war. She later married his brother Joe.

Beverly also shared a story about her grandmother Marie, attending the Mt. Ephraim movie theater one day to see news from the warfront. There was footage of prisoners of war being marched down a street.  Among these prisoners, she swore that she saw her Willibold.  Because of this, Marie had always waited for her son to come home until the day she passed away.

May their sacrifice never be forgotten.