Julius John Toth

1SGT in 406th Engineer Combat Co

Military occupational specialty: 585

ASN#32754156

Born 1915 in NJ, Died 1993

United States Army, European Theatre of Operations

Notes: Discharged from 406th on March 18, 1945; battlefield commission to 1LT in the 603rd on March 19, 1945

Source: Special Order 19, 23d HQ, Camp Forrest, 7 April 1944; 406th Unit History Compiled; from photo of "noncoms pulling KP for Thanksgiving," collection of Edward Fitzgerald courtesy of Cecilia Fitzgerald

Julius Toth was born on May 11, 1915 in Paulsboro, NJ. His parents had both been born in Hungary, and he was one of four children.

Julius married Dorothy Edna (last name unknown) in about 1938, and in 1940, when he filled out his draft card, he and Dorothy were living in Gibbstown, NJ, and he was working at the huge DuPont plant there.

It is possible he was in the Army as early as 1940, since several of the family trees in which he appears identify a 1940 census record of him living in Army housing in Washington DC. (It identifies him as born in New Jersey, but does not have a middle initial. But there is no 1940 census record for him in New Jersey.)

But his official World War II enlistment occurred on March 15, 1943 and he was assigned to the 293^rdEngineer Combat Battalion (one company of which later became the 406^th). The 406^th Unit History tells the story of one of “Jules” Toth’s adventures in England before the unit went to France. They were continuing to undergo specialized training on the grounds of Walton Hall. “An aftermath of the company’s mine school was the window shattering performance conducted by 1^st Sgt Toth. When the mine and booby trap courses were finished, it was necessary to dispose of all the old foreign mines and demolitions that were not fit for military use. The good Sgt and his assistant removed the explosives to a safe area and proceeded to blow them up. However, the charges were so large that windows in Walton Hall and the nearby village of Wellesborne were broken. Calls came into the 23d HQ asking if a buzz bomb had fallen in its vicinity and the airport at Wellesborne sent two planes aloft to search for the disturbance.”

Julius’ VA death record shows a second set of enlistment dates: March 19, 1945-October 26, 1945. According to the 406^th Unit History, “an administrative change had occurred [on March 18, 1945] when 1st Sgt Toth was discharged from the Army. Because of this step, Toth was still in uniform when the rest of the outfit had been mustered out since his discharge was brought about to enable him to accept a ‘battlefield’ commission. He was transferred to the 603d Engrs, turning his 1^st Sgt job over to Fred Price.”

After the war, Julius returned to New Jersey. He and Dorothy divorced in 1946, and he married Ruth Seeber in 1947. Ruth had worked for the Red Cross in Europe during the war. They would go on to have two sons—Fred and Steve.

At some point, the family moved to Wilmington, NC; Julius was employed as a maintenance supervisor at a textile manufacturing facility. (I think it likely that they moved while their sons were still in school, since both sons were still living in NC at the time of their mother's death in 2008.)

He died on March 12, 1993.