George Edsel BURT

M, b. 9 September 1924, d. 24 March 1945
Pedigree
Relationship
Uncle of John Kennedy BROWN Jr.
George E. Burt
     George Edsel BURT, son of Irby Leon BURT and Birdie Clyde WATTS, was born on 9 September 1924 in Bibb County, Alabama.1

George Edsel BURT appeared on a census, enumerated 15 April 1930, in the household of his parents Irby Leon BURT and Birdie Clyde WATTS in Beat 2, Bibb County, Alabama. He was recorded as George E. Burt, age 6.2
Mallory, Varner, George, and Vincent Burt, c1936


George Edsel BURT appeared on a census, enumerated 17 April 1940, in the household of his parents Irby Leon BURT and Birdie Clyde WATTS in West Blocton, Bibb County, Alabama. He was recorded as George Burt, age 15, with 6 years of school.

George was registered for the draft during World War II on 18 December 1942 while living in West Blocton, Bibb County, Alabama. He was 18 years old and a high school student. He was described as 5' 9", 156 lbs., with blue eyes, brown hair and a ruddie complexion.3

George began military service on 29 July 1943 in Fort McClellan, Alabama, and he served as light machine gunner in 1st Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 17th Airborne Division. Regular soldiers earned only $17.50 per month pay while the paratroops earned an additional $50 per month danger pay.

According to the regimental history the 513th Parrachute Infantry was constituted on 26 December 1942 and assigned to the 13th Airborne Division. It was activated 11 January 1943 at Fort Benning, Georgia, received jump training at Fort Rucker, Alabama and moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina on 1 November 1943 then to Camp Mackall, North Carolina on 15 January 1944. The 513th PIR transferred to the Tennessee Maneuver Area on 4 March 1944 where the regiment was relieved from assignment to the 13th Airborne Division and formally assigned to the 17th Airborne Division on 10 March 1944. The unit immediately relocated to Camp Forrest, Tennessee on 24 March 1944. Staged at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts 13 August 1944. Departed the Boston Port of Embarkation on 20 August 1944.

The 513th PIR arrived in England under the command of Colonel James W Coutts who was formerly the assistant commandant of the Fort Benning Parachute School. The regiment was then shuttled to Camp Barton Stacey in Andover, the 17th Airborne Division staging area, on August 28, 1944. Flight and tactical training continued and night maneuvers were added to the training schedule. When Operation Market Garden was initiated, the 17th Airborne was still in training and was held in strategic reserve.

Hospital admission records indicate that George was wounded during training. He was admitted in September 1944 with a leg wound caused by a machine gun bullet. It was listed as a casualty in battle, but at this time the 17th was in England. He was released in November 1944.

On December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a surprise offensive through the Ardennes Forest which caught the Allies completely by surprise. The 17th was still in England. But the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisons were in France and were rushed by truck to contain the bulge in the Allied lines. Between December 17 and 23, the Germans were halted near St. Vith by the 82nd Airborne and Bastogne by a roadblock, defended by the U.S. 7th Armoured Division and the 101st Airborne Division. To help reinforce the siege at Bastogne the entire 17th Airborne Division was finally committed to combat in the European Theater of Operations.

From 23 to 25 December, elements of the Division were flown from Chilboton Air Field in England to the Reims area in France in spectacular night flights then hastily trucked into Belgium. Meanwhile, Patton's Third U.S. Army had finally broken the siege at Bastogne with a marathon thrust from the south. Upon arriving the 513th PIR and the other elements of the 17th Airborne Division were attached to Patton's Third U.S. Army and ordered to immediately close in at Mourmelon. After taking over the defense of the Meuse River sector from Givet to Verdun on 25 December, the 17th moved to Neufchateau, Belgium, then marched through the snow to Morhet, relieving the 28th Infantry Division on 3 January 1945 and establishing a Division Command Post.

In the ensuing days, the 513th PIR would gain their baptism of fire that would have tested the mettle of the most experienced airborne units. General Patton had ordered the 17th Airborne to seize the town of Flamierge where the 11th Armour and the 87th Infantry Divisions had encountered brutal resistance from the Germans. The plan called for two regiments to push forward, the 513th PIR on the right while the 194th GIR under Col James R Pierce would be abreast of the 513th on the left. Almost immediately after the regiments jumped-off they encountered a relentless fusillade of mortars. E company of the 513th PIR 2nd Battalion lost three commanders in consecutive order while struggling forward. Finally, a platoon of F Company under the command of Lt Samuel Calhoun and a platoon of E company under the command of Lt Richard Manning made a fix bayonet charge that routed a superior German force while capturing many of the enemy.

Meanwhile, the 1st Battalion reached Cochleval but was similarly pinned down by heavy machine-gun and mortar fusillades. When two German tanks broke out of the dense fog and threaten to overrun the 513th's position, S/Sgt Isadore S "Izzy" Jachman recovered a bazooka from a fallen comrade and single-handedly engaged the two panzers knocking them both out. Unfortunately he was killed in a burst of machine gun fire. For his action on that day S/Sgt Jachman was awared the Medal of Honor. The 513th was hit hard and along with the 17th Airborne's two glider regiments sustained heavy casualties but they galantly achieved their objectives.

The 17th returned to camp at Chalons-sur-Marne in France on 11 February 1945 then back to Belgium on 21 March 1945 to prepare for the air assault across the Rhine.

George had seen his first action in the Battle of the Bulge from 25 Dec 1944 to 9 Feb 1945, suffering from severe frostbite. Shortly after returning from the hospital he took part in the largest airdrop of the war, known as "Operation Varsity".

In early February 1945 the 2nd British Army was ready to force a crossing of the Rhine River. It was determined that the crossing would be in conjunction with an airborne operation by XVIII Airborne Corps. The sector selected for the assault was in the vicinity of Wesel, Germany, just north of the Ruhr, on 24 March 1945. Operation Varsity would be the last full scale airborne drop of World War II and the assignment went to the British 6th Airborne Division and the 17th Airborne Division.

Operation Varsity would be the first combat jump for the 513th PIR. As General Eisenhower watched the operation from a church tower on the west side of the Rhine the 513th had the misfortune of flying over a concentration of German antiaircraft weapons. Two-thirds of the C-46's were either damaged or in flames. The pilots remained with the aircrafts until the troopers jumped. However, the 513th landed in the wrong area in the midst of the heavily fortified town of Hamminkeln. Irregardless, the 513th began conducting frontal assaults on the heavily entrenched German positions as British gliders started to land practically on top of them.

It was during this fighting that Pfc Stuart S. Stryker seeing his unit's exposed position ran to the front of his unit. He found his platoon leader and platoon sergeant laying dead. Acting on instinct he rallied his fellow paratroopers in a wild rush toward the enemy positions. Just short of the enemy positions he was riddled with machine gun fire and fell dead. However, the remainder of his platoon overtook the enemy position capturing two hundred Germans and freeing 3 American bomber pilots. For this heroic action Pfc Stryker was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. This was George's platoon and the area where he was killed.

The men of the 1st Platoon, E Company of the 513th PIR were [see attached photo] (left to right) Back Row: Pfc Q.P. Lisenbee, Pfc R.W. Heriford, Sgt T.W. Preston, Pfc S.S. Stryker (MOH), Pvt J.A. Parten, S/Sgt T.J. Haynes,Pvt H.K. Kessler and Pvt Jones; Middle Row: Pfc Edwards, Pfc D. Rosen, Pvt E.P. Maley, Pfc G.G. Scott and Sgt Crapps; Front Row: Pfc J.M. Demko, Pvt Chander, Pvt Veluscious and Pfc George.E. Burt. All except one of these men were either killed or wounded.

By mid-afternoon on 24 March 1945 the 513th had secured all of its objectives including the capture of 1,100 German prisoners. By Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, the 513th was positioned outside of the town of Munster, 50 miles east of the Rhine. The local German commander refused the surrender demands and heavy fighting broke out. It was during this engagement that Col Coutts was wounded by a piece of shrapnel ending the war for him. The war finally ended a month later on 7 May 1945 when General Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional surrender to the Allied powers.

The 513th PIR served in the Army of Occupation of Germany from 20 May - 4 July 1945. The regiment then went to Vittel, France on 15 August 1945. It returned to the United States via the Boston Port of Embarkation on 14 Sepember 1945 and inactivated at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on the same date.4,5,6,7

George Edsel BURT died on 24 March 1945 in Weisel, Germany, at age 20. Operation Varsity, a part of the Allied crossing of the Rhine, was the largest airborne assault of World War II. The 17th Airborne and the British 6th Airborne were dropped over the German city of Weisel. According to a letter from his commanding officer sent to his mother, George landed safely, but was shot by a sniper while gathering his equipment which he had lost when shrapnel cut his machine gun straps during the drop. Because of the very heavy enemy gunfire, the medics were not able to get him out for quite some time. When the fighting let up, he was finally loaded into an ambulance but died on the way to the field hospital.8,9 He was buried in Scottsville Cemetery, Bibb County, Alabama. He was originally buried in a Dutch cemetery near the village of Margraten. A special memorial service was held at the West Blocton Methodist Church in March 1946. His body was exhumed from its European cemetery in October 1948, and returned home for burial in the family plot at Scottsville Cemetery.10

George's obituary was printed on 12 April 1945 in the Centreville Press newspaper, published in Centreville, Alabama. The article read:

"Pfc. GEORGE BURT KILLED IN ACTION: Pfc. George E. Burt, son of Mr. and Mrs. I. L. Burt, of West Blocton, was killed in action in the service of his country, crossing the Rhine March 4th [sic], 1945. He was a graduate of West Blocton High School and entered the service in 1943. He was serving as a paratrooper and flew from England on January 1st, with the 17th Airborne Division. He was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. I. L. Burt, of West Blocton, four sisters, Mrs. John K. Brown, Oxnard, Calif., Mrs. Kenneth Dale, Praco, Ala., Mrs. Earl J. Kilby, Woodville, Va., and Wynelle Burt, West Blocton, Alabama; and four brothers, Mallory M. Burt, Great Lakes, Illinois; Vincent, Vernon [sic] and Billy Burt, of West Blocton.11


His memorial service appeared 28 March 1946 in the The Centreville Press, published in Centreville, Alabama.

Memorial Services for George E. Burt -- Memorial services for George E. Burt, son of Mr. and Mrs. I. L. Burt of West Blocton, Alabama were held at the Methodist Church on Sunday afternoon March 24 at 2:30 o'clock.

George was born near West Blocton and had lived here with his parents since 1939. He was attending the West Blocton High School when he enlisted in service in 1943. He was a member of the Methodist Church. He was killed in action on March 24th, 1945 in the Battle of the Rhine and was a paratrooper in the 17th Airborne Division.

The church was decorated with lovely white Iris and the main floral wealth was a beautiful Maltese cross. The appealing, impressive program was carried out by the Veterans of Foreign Wars with Joseph Stewart, Commander-in-Chief in charge. ]The choir, composed of veterans, sang "Nearer my God to Thee," accompanied by Mrs. Wilcox Randle. This was followed by prayer by Rev. W. D. Boling. ]A special song "Near the Cross" was rendered by Mr. A. N. Kitchens, Jr.

The Eulogy was given very interestingly by Mr. L. S. Vanderfordl during which various pictures were shown of George in different phases of training. A picture was also shown of the cemetery where he was buried, situated near the Dutch village of Margraten.

Rev. B. Guy Smith of Cherokee, Alabama gave the memorial address using for his central theme, "Our Duty to Carry On." After the closing song and a minute of reverent silence the benediction was given by Rev. J. B. Bancroft. Taps was sounded by Earl Philpot and Charlie Adams.12


His final rites appeared 28 October 1948 in the The Centreville Press, published in Centreville, Alabama.

Final Rites Held for Pfc. George E. Burt -- The body of Pfc. George E. Burt, who was killed in action in Germany March 24, 1945, arrived at Woodstock Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and was taken in charge by Roland Bolton Funeral Directors for re-interment. He was a member of the 17th Airborne, 513th Parachute Infantry.

Surviving are the parents, Mr. and Mrs. I. L. Burt, West Blocton, four sisters, Mrs. Kenneth Dale, Praco; Mrs. John K. Brown, Fayette, Mrs. Earl Kilby, Sperryville, Va., and Miss Wynelle Burt, West Blocton; four brothers, Mallory of Tuscaloosa, who served overseas with the U. S. Navy during the war, Vincent of West Blocton who was with the Army, served overseas and visited his brother's grave in Holland, Vonner [Varner] and Billy of West Blocton.

The casket was accompanied from Atlanta by Sgt. Brasher and was taken to the home where it rested until time for the services Sunday. Funeral service were held at 2:30 P. M. with Rev. Lewis Marler reading the scripture, Rev. B. L. Dyer offered prayer and Rev. H. E. Weston read the obituary. Judge L. S. Moore of Centreville delivered an inspiring patriotic speech followed by a spiritual on the life of the deceased.

The Findley B. Barrett V. F. W. Post from Tuscaloosa was in charge of military services with members of that post as active pallbearers. Re-Internment was in the family lot of Scottsville Cemetery with chaplains from the V. F. W. post directing the services.

Honorary pallbearers were Herman R. Rancher, Harmon Frederick, Jake Rancher, Ed Finnen, Victor Foster, Ray Marchant, Marvin Stevens, Charlie Haynes, Roland Moon, J. T. Moon, Frank West, Oliver Yeager, Paul Gray, Howard Yeager, Clarence Martin, Ballard Gilbert, Louis Deerman, Johnnie Deerman, Boyd Hartley, A. N. Kitchens, Charles Stewart, Joe Stewart, Edward Hendrix, Carey Parks.13
Last Edited=21 May 2023

Citations

  1. [S120] Unknown cd1, Military Service Records.
  2. [S475] 1930 U. S. Census, Bibb County, Alabama, Irby L. Burt household No. 133, ED 4-3, sheet 8A, pg. 31.
  3. [S722] National Archives and Records Administration, "U.S. World War II Army Draft Records", George Edsel Burt, serial # W-34, order # 11540.
  4. [S1012] "U. S. Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946" , George E. Burt, Army Serial Number:34813244, enlisted 29 Jul 1943 Fort McClellan.
  5. [S1185] P. M. Gilmore (Editor in Chief), 513th PIR History.
  6. [S1186] 513th Unit History, online https://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/513/513.html, Accessed 20 May 2023.
  7. [S281] George E Burt, age 19, rank Enlisted Man, FirstLocation: Leg; SecondDiagnosis: [withheld by NARA]; CausativeAgent: Bullet, Machine Gun, U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954, digital image at Ancestry.Com. http://www.Ancestry.Com
  8. [S5] Howard F. McCord, Cemeteries of Bibb County, Alabama 1817-1974.
  9. [S281] George E Burt, age 21, rank Enlisted Man (includes Aviation Cadet or Student), Diagnosis: Killed in action; Location: Unknown, code not applicable; CausativeAgent: None or Unknown, U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954, digital image at Ancestry.Com. http://www.Ancestry.Com
  10. [S452] Charles Edward Adams, Blocton, pg. 230.
  11. [S279] Centreville Press, 12 April 1945, "Pfc. George Burt Killed in Action."
  12. [S279] Centreville Press, Memorial Service- 28 Mar 1946.
  13. [S279] Centreville Press, Final Rites - 28 Oct 1948.

Information on this site has been gathered over many years from many sources. Although great care has been taken, inaccuracies may exist. Please contact [email protected] with corrections or questions..