T/5 Ralph Llewelyn Leavitt 31323392 US Army. He was born on July 5, 1923, in Naples, Maine, the son of George Edwin Leavitt Sr and Evelyn Louise Gammon Leavitt. He married Doris E Day on August 21, 1944, in Maine.
He entered the US Army on June 21, 1943 at the age of 19. In Sept 1943 he was in Company B 29th ITB at Camp Croft South Carolina. In Feb 1944 he was serving in SQ L Group 9 AAFPFS at Maxwell Field Alabama. On April 11, 1944 he was transferred to H Company, 253rd Infantry regiment, 63rd Infantry Division at Camp Van Dorn Mississippi. We would go overseas with this company and fight with them during their entire time in combat.
On the morning of April 3, 1945 H Company set off with about 10 to 15 jeeps on a convoy from Gundelsheim Germany to Höchstberg Germany. It made a wrong turn and found itself in Offenau Germany. Before H Company’s suspicions were fully aroused, and the lead jeep was about 400 yards south of town, heavy small arms fire broke loose from the left and right fronts. Machine Gun fire was coming from the left from a disabled railroad train and from the right from foxholes and machine gun nests dug in near the River. the 1st 3 jeeps were disabled and orders were given for the others to get out.
Captain Roland Lionel St. Clair, was shot in the femur by a Machine gun. Upon Captain St. Clair, being shot in the Femur by a Machine gun, PFC, Ralph L. Leavitt 31323392 with utter disregard for his personal safety dashed across an open field under intense fire in order to reach his jeep which was needed to evacuate the Company Commander. with the help of others PFC Leavitt placed the officer in the jeep and drove to the aid station. Without the actions of PFC Leavitt Captain St. Clair would have probably been taken as a prisoner of war. Some tanks from the 753rd Tank Battalion was able to come in and rescue the company but this was after 3 men were Killed in action, 15 men were taken as prisoner of war and several wounded. After the rescue the company went back to Gundelsheim Germany. The criminal event of the day was the wrong turn that H company made was supposed to be blocked off so it would not happen again but was not. Therefor 2nd Platoon, A Company, 263rd Engineers, 63rd Infantry Division made the same wrong turn hours later and resulted in another 4 dead and 7 wounded for the 63rd Division from this same ambush site.
T/5 Ralph Llewelyn Leavitt was discharged from the Army on April 15, 1946. He was Awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star Medal with V and Oak Leaf cluster, the Good Conduct Medal, The American Theater of operations, the European Theater of Operations Medal ETO with 2 battle star, the World War Two Victory Medal.
After the war he married Bernice R Leavitt on February 4, 1950, in Fryeburg, Maine, they divorced on November 5 1952 in Carroll, New Hampshire. He died on November 1, 1988, in Center Conway, New Hampshire, at the age of 65, and was buried there.
the Maine, Marriage Index, 1892-1985
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&tf=F&q=31323392&bc=sl,sd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=2503780
the U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2020
the New Hampshire, U.S., Divorce Certificates, 1850-1969
63rd division records