 The 85th Infantry Division in World War II |
| The 339th Infantry Monument, Tremensuoli, Italy |
 Monument to the 339th Regimental Combat Team in Tremensuoli, Italy. Dedicated in 1992 by members of the Polar Bear Association of World War II, the ceremony was attended by numerous veterans, the mayor of Tremensuoli, and former regimental CO John English. The monument stands in the center square of the village with narrative in English and Italian. The veterans who attended the dedication were both thrilled and heartened by the warm greeting they received from the residents of the ancient village and their promise to care for the monument. |
The story of the monument...
In 1988, a committee was formed to design and arrange for a monument to be erected in Italy to mark the achievements of the 339th Infantry and locate the site where the regiment saw its heaviest, and most memorable, battle action. William Owens III, former S-3 and Cannon Company commander, was elected committee chairman and found the effort to be rewarding, yet extremely complicated when dealing with the Italian government. The design and placement of the monument was the first task and several designs were looked at to finalize the best material and design possible. The 338th Infantry Association had already placed a monument near the Il Giogo Pass at Mount Altuzzo, and Owens visited the monument to study design and preservation problems. Paul Paupel, an American-born designer and sculptor living in Italy, did the work for the 338th Association and he was selected to design the 339th's monument.
Fund raising began immediately. The monument proposal was brought before the membership at a reunion and the hat was passed among the attendees. A total of $800 was gathered from the membership which was a great start! More funds would be required to get the monument designed and built. After many trials and tribulations, Chairman of the Monument committee William Owens had succeeded in a choice of design and location- the village square in Tremensuoli, the tiny village that was shattered by war and rebuilt on the site. By 1992, the monument design was approved and the black polished text tablets and granite tablet were cut. The monument was dedicated in September, 1992 by members of the Polar Bear Association of World War II and accepted by the mayor of Tremensuoli as a memorial of friendship and ties with the American liberators who came and died around their village in 1944.
339th Infantry in World War II
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The 85th Infantry Division in World War II The Unofficial Webpages of the Polar Bear Association of World War II: Veterans of 339th Infantry, 910th FA Bn, 310th Engineer Bn, & 310th Medical Bn 337th Infantry | 338th Infantry | 339th Infantry | Polar Bear Association of World War II | Links |