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William A. Gale Jr of Pittsburgh, PA was in the 2nd Squad of 3rd Platoon of B Co. of the 411th Regiment of the 103 Inf Div. He joined the Division in March of 1944 from the ASTPR program at Oklahoma A&M. He was with my father when the platoon took a picture prior to leaving Camp Howze, TX to join the 7th Army in Southern France. The Company went into combat about mid-November and Bill was killed in an artillery barrage on the 27th. On the 27th, the Platoon was caught by a surprise artillery barrage. The Germans snuck a 155mm(?) howitzer back after retreating. The company thought it was safe and was forming in the square (Maisongoutte) to leave town. They were hit by a quick barrage that killed and wounded many.