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name
DOBBINS, James Wilson - Date of
birth
1915 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
North Carolina -
Hometown
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-2005691 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
27th Armored Infantry Battalion,
9th Armored Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
22 March 1945 - Place of
death
Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| E | 6 | 35 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Belvia J. Dobbins (father)
Emily A. (Buckheister) Dobbins (mother)
John Sullenberger (stepfather)
Elizabeth L. Dobbins (sister)
Frances A. Dobbins (sister)
Benjamin B. Dobbins (brother)
John P. Dobbins (brother)
Jack L. Dobbins (brother)
More information
2nd Lt James W. Dobbins enlisted at Camp Forrest, Tennessee on 24 May 1942 and had been overseas for a year. He attended Duke University before going into service.James Wilson Dobbins was killed in leading an infantry charge, only ten days after receiving a battlefield commission in recognition of the wonderful, courageous service he had rendered to his outfit, the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion. He was among the first to cross the Remagen Bridge, he participated in the Battle of the Bulge and went through nearly all the major engagements in the march on the Rhine, only to have a sniper's bullet prove fatal. He was very loved by his men. They renamed a small schoolhouse as "The James W. Dobbins House".
He was first buried at Temporary American Military Cemetery Henri-Chapelle Block 1-4, Row 9, Grave 168.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Astrid van Erp, Erwin Derhaag, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - WWII Enlistment Record / Headstone and Interment Record / 1930 Census, Duke Alumni Register - September 1945, www.newspaperarchive.com - Wilson Daily Times
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, Duke Alumni Register