This photograph is getting to be well known, at least in 743rd circles, due to the efforts of Mr.
Matthew Rozell, a fellow history teacher and blogger. I just found it on the
Combined Arms Research Digital Library. There they have the 743rd Tank Battalion, S-3 Journal. "S" stands for "Staff level" such as a battalion sized unit
(usually between 600-800 soldiers) as opposed to something larger like a division
(10,000 to 20,000 troops) which would then be designated "G". "3" stands for "Operations" so "S-3" is the battalion level operational journal for the 743rd. In it you have all the After Action Reviews (AAR's). It starts in January of 1945 and goes to the end of the war. You get to read about the
"Train Near Magdeberg" where the 743rd liberate an SS train moving Jews out of the death camps so as not to have evidence for the Holocaust. Teaching the Holocaust is a great thing to do as a History teacher and I salute Mr. Rozell for doing what he did. His blog is a must see for anyone interested in 743rd history. I hope I see him at a conference some day. He's become somewhat of a teacher/Rock Star as you can see from his blog, although I'm sure he would never admit it. Good Job Matt!
In the S-3 Journal of the 743rd, you also see the months of AAR's separated by whimsical drawings. I wonder if anyone out there knows who the artist is? Is it the same one who illustrated
Move Out Verify?
I know from reading the
Normandy Today Message Board that people are out there wanting to read the AAR's and it is good primary source reading. Here are some more month dividers:
This one I messed with a bit in Photoshop:
Happy AAR reading!
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