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name
HARRISON, James - Date of
birth
1920 -
Age
unknown -
Place of birth
South Carolina -
Hometown
Chesterfield County, South Carolina -
Ethnicity
African American
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
34120486 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
C Company,
761st Tank Battalion
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
9 November 1944 - Place of
death
In the vicinity of Morville-lès-Vic, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| J | 31 | 28 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Lillie Mae Harrison (wife)
More information
Sgt James Harrison was a farmer.He enlisted at Fort Harrison, South Carolina on 17 January 1942.
On 9 November, C Company ran into an anti-tank ditch near Morville. The German 11th Panzer Division began to knock out seven tanks one by one down the line.
After the company commander Capt McHenry gave the order to dismount, several men were killed by shell fire and small arms when they crawled through the freezing and muddy waters of the ditch.
The men of the 761st who were killed during the liberation of Morville-lès-Vic are remembered on a monument at the Rue Principale, just outside the village.
The 761st Tank Battalion was the first African American armored unit to see combat and apart from some officers, consisted entirely of African American soldiers.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiiregistry.abmc.gov, www.ancestry,com, History of the 761st TB
Photo source: www.ancestry.com, Le Républicain Lorrain