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George Charles Peddle Jr.

S/SGT in Signal Co, Special : Radio A

ASN#33470623 Casualty: Killed

Born 1920 in PA, Died 1945

County of enlistment: Philadelphia, PA
United States Army, European Theatre of Operations
Occupation before the war: stock clerks
College education before the war: 3 years
Source: Signal Company Special Roster, 20 Oct 1944; Ghost Army roster by state;  1945 Official History of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops; photo from Anderson Collection, GALP Archive

George Peddle was born on January 24, 1920, in Philadelphia, an only child. After graduating from high school, he got a job at General Electric as a stock clerk to put himself through college. He registered for the draft on July 1, 1941, and enlisted on December 1, 1942, at which time he had completed three years of schooling.

By 1945, the 6'2" Peddle had gotten himself promoted to Staff SGT and was in charge of a five-man radio team. According to the 1945 Official History of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, George was an "enterprising radio platoon sergeant." His radio truck was in a convoy that was shelled near the close of Operation Bouzonville. He was hit by shrapnel, and mortally wounded. According to PFC Bill Anderson, men went to help Peddle, but he said: “Don’t bother, I’m going to die.” At least 15 other men were wounded in the same barrage. He died on March 13, 1945 and is buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial.

Courtesy Rick Beyer

Rick Beyer, in his Ghost Army tours in Europe, says that because George was an only child, and did not have any children himself, "we are his family. So every time I come here [the Luxembourg American Cemetery] I always bring a wreath so that we remember him and all the soldiers who served in this unit."

Sources:

1940 census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/26598886:2442?tid=&pid=&queryId=3cdb26317f68eb9572ef825061daf170&_phsrc=dFh9&_phstart=successSource

1941 draft card

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2238&h=8845952&tid=&pid=&queryId=3cdb26317f68eb9572ef825061daf170&usePUB=true&_phsrc=dFh11&_phstart=successSource

1942 enlistment record

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=128839&tid=&pid=&queryId=5d4fb81a5dc4813e471c49f65a06bd42&usePUB=true&_phsrc=dFh10&_phstart=successSource

1945 Find a Grave record

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56062896/george-c-peddle

1945 US Veterans Interred Overseas

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=4283&h=112427&tid=&pid=&queryId=3cdb26317f68eb9572ef825061daf170&usePUB=true&_phsrc=CIa2&_phstart=successSource

1945 Official History of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops

https://ghostarmy.org/thearchive/operation-bouzonville/

1950 Pennsylvania US Veterans' Compensation File

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=3147&h=1557983&tid=&pid=&queryId=3cdb26317f68eb9572ef825061daf170&usePUB=true&_phsrc=dFh7&_phstart=successSource

406th Unit History

https://ghostarmy.org/thearchive/history-406th-operation-bouzonville/

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