Paul Theophane BOYLE

CEMTERY TEMPORARY of Blosville N°3508

Story of Cemetery Temporary

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

By : War Graves

Before the War

Paul Theophane Boyle was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, just a month before the end of the Great War. His father, Thomas Boyle, was a builder in New Castle, just north of Pittsburgh. The Great Depression cost the family their business, their home, and their father’s health. Throughout the early 1930s, the family traveled the country looking for a better life. After a few years on the road, they came back east and sunk roots in Cleveland.

Boyle graduated from James Ford Rhodes High School in 1937 and later went to work at White Motors, a truck manufacturing company in Cleveland. With this experience, Boyle hoped that if he was drafted, he would be a mechanic. But on October 28, 1942, when he reported for duty, Boyle was assigned to the infantry and ordered to report to Camp Atterbury, Indiana.

Military Experience
Basic Training

Camp Atterbury was described in a regimental history as a “clay red scar on the green, hilly Indiana countryside.” The post was hastily constructed in about eight months, transforming a wild forest to a 40,000-soldier facility.

The men went through an abbreviated basic training throughout November and December and spent the cold Midwest winter in “Combined Training,” to prepare them for combat. In the summer of 1943, they traveled to Tennessee to participate in maneuvers under the sweltering summer sun. After maneuvers, they went to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky for some final training before deployment.

The training was barely tolerable, but Boyle put a brave face on it. “Don’t worry about me having it bad because the Irish can take almost anything,” he wrote to his mother.

Entering the War

In April 1944, the men of the 331st Regiment boarded a troop ship bound for England. It was a trip of “two weeks that seemed like two months,” a regimental history reported. The men trained in Wales and waited for their orders to head to the continent.

There they remained past the initial invasion, until June 16, when they were moved aboard troop ships. The voyage across the English Channel should have been a few hours, but a massive storm swept up in the Channel that evening. The Liberty ships were stuck at sea; they could not risk going back to port, and they could not approach the Mulberry harbors, which were damaged in the storm. For four days, the ships remained at sea as the men ate their landing rations and fought off seasickness.

It was a stroke of bad luck that foreshadowed the misfortunes the 83rd Division would suffer in its time in combat.

The invasion force was stalling out a few miles inland from the beaches, and Boyle’s unit was ordered to move toward the hedgerow country south of Carentan, France. It was terrain for which neither the men nor their officers were prepared.

The Hedgerows

The hedgerows were centuries-old natural fences of earth and prickly, tangled bushes enclosing pastures and fields. Generally four to six feet wide at the base, and between five and fifteen feet in height, the hedgerows followed centuries-old property lines. They created thousands of small, irregularly shaped barriers for miles. The fact that these hedgerows were virtually impossible to cut through by tanks or trucks made it critical for the Allied forces to control the few highways that cut through the area.

The 83rd Infantry Division was part of a plan to dislodge German forces. The operation, launched on July 4, 1944, was an Independence Day the men would never forget – to the point that 70 years later, many of the veterans would still never attend a fireworks ceremony in their communities.

This sort of fighting was nothing like that for which they had trained. Sergeant Jack M Straus, in the division history, wrote:

We had never imagined battle like this. We never expected to be walled-in with the enemy in constant deathlock struggles which lasted through the days and nights, as we moved from one slit trench to another, through one hedgerow to another. We were never sure where the enemy was – to the left of us, to the right of us or even behind us.

Throughout the next three weeks, the 83rd Infantry Division would take monstrous casualties as they pushed through the hedgerows; their casualty rate was the highest of any unit in Normandy at that point. By mid July, nearly half of Boyle’s C Company was made of replacement soldiers. Boyle leapt in rank from Private First Class to Sergeant, by virtue of having survived.
The tone of Boyle’s last letter to his mother, dated July 22, had a more desperate tone than previous messages.
I have received a few letters from you but I haven’t had time to answer them. But I want you to know that I am alright and getting along OK… I know I would give anything to be home now. There isn’t much I can say but I do hope this war ends soon. I will close now and hope to hear from you often. I can’t write as often as I would like so don’t worry about me. Good bye and God bless you.

Final Battle

The 331st took its place for Operation Cobra – a massive offensive to break free of the hedgerows – before dawn on July 26. Their first objective was believed to be a thinly-defended line that would wilt under direct attack. This assessment would prove fatally optimistic.

Around 5 a.m., a Sherman tank rumbled to the front. Boyle’s squad moved into position, hoping to quietly set up their machine gun position. Suddenly, an American tank opened fire – eliminating the element of surprise. Left in the line of German fire were the men of C Company.
Boyle was most likely killed in the initial moments of the assault toward Le Village des Saints. Boyle’s brother, Bill, traveled to Indiana in 1946 to meet an injured soldier who had served with Boyle. The young man could not look Bill Boyle in the face.

He was sitting on the roof. His mom said he wouldn’t talk to me. The kid said ‘I want you to follow me to the orchard. I’ll sit on a stump and face the other way. I’ll tell you. It was a machine gun outfit. They were putting guns around the hedgerow. Boyle gave the orders, a sniper shot him through the shoulder. He got on his hands and knees said ‘don’t retreat!’ crawled back, and the sniper shot him again.’

Commemoration

Even after the family was notified of his death in mid-August, his mother sought answers. Mary Boyle wrote frequently to the Army seeking information. Eventually, she had to decide where her son’s body should be buried.
For Mary Boyle, it was a decision not made lightly. On October 20, 1947, she wrote back to the Army with her decision to allow Boyle to remain on the soil he helped to free. “Believe me, this has been hard to accept, and only trust that the supreme sacrifice that he + all the others have made, will only mean something toward a peace in this world soon.”

On February 14, 1949 – St. Valentine’s Day – Sergeant Paul T. Boyle at last was laid to rest in peace among his comrades at Normandy American Cemetery.

83^rd INFANTRY DIVISION - THUNDERBOLT

Activated/Activé	Normandy/Normandie
15 Aug 1942	Days of Combat/Jour de Combat  244
	Casualties/Victimes 15 910
Entered Combat/Entré au combat
27 June 1944 Normandy
Commanding Generals/Commandants généraux Maj. Gen. Frank W. Milburn (Aug 42 - Dec 43) Maj. Gen. Robert C. Macon (Jan 44 - Jan 46)	Campaigns/Campagnes Normandy (6 Jun 44 - 24 Jul 44) Northern France (25 Jul 44 - 14 Sep 44) Rhineland (15 Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45) Ardennes-Alsace (16 Dec 44 - 25 Jan 45) Central Europe (22 Mar 45 - 11 May 45)
PLAN DE ROUTE DE LA CAMPAGNE - CAMPAIGN ROUTE MAP
DIVISION CHRONICLE The 83rd Infantry Division arrived in England on 16 April 1944. After training in Wales, the Division landed at Omaha Beach, 18 June 1944, and entered the hedgerow struggle south of Carentan, 27 June. Taking the offensive, the 83d reached the St. Lo-Periers Road, 25 July, and advanced 8 miles against strong opposition as the Normandy campaign ended. After a period of training, elements of the Division took Chateauneuf, 5 August, and Dinard, 7 August, and approached the heavily fortified area protecting St. Malo. Intense fighting reduced enemy strong points and a combined attack against the Citadel Fortress of St. Servan caused its surrender, 17 August. While elements moved south to protect the north bank of the Loire River, the main body of the Division concentrated south of Rennes for patrolling and reconnaissance activities. Elements reduced the garrison at Ile de Cezembre, which surrendered, 2 September. The movement into Luxembourg was completed on 25 September. Taking Remich on the 28th and patrolling defensively along the Moselle, the 83d resisted counterattacks and advanced to Siegfried Line defenses across the Sauer after capturing Grevenmacher and Echternach, 7 October. As the initial movement in operation "Unicorn," the Division took Le Stromberg Hill in the vicinity of Basse Konz against strong opposition, 5 November, and beat off counterattacks. Moving to the Hurtgen Forest, the 83d thrust forward from Gressenich to the west bank of the Roer. It entered the Battle of the Bulge, 27 December, striking at Rochefort and reducing the enemy salient in a bitter struggle. The Division moved back to Belgium and Holland for rehabilitation and training, 22 January 1945. On 1 March, the 83d advanced toward the Rhine in the operation "Grenade," and captured Neuss. The west bank of the Rhine from North of Oberkassell to the Erft Canal was cleared and defensive positions established by 2 March and the Division renewed its training. The 83d crossed the Rhine south of Wesel, 29 March, and advanced across the Munster Plain to the Weser, crossing it at Bodenwerder. As opposition disintegrated, Halle fell on 6 April. The Division crossed the Leine, 8 April, and attacked to the east, pushing over the Harz Mountain region and advancing to the Elbe at Barby. That city was taken on the 13th. The 83d established a bridgehead over the river but evacuated the area to the Russians on 6 May 1945.	CHRONIQUE DE DIVISION La 83rd Infantry Division arriva en Angleterre le 16 avril 1944. Après s'être entraîné au Pays de Galles, la Division débarqua à Omaha Beach, le 18 juin 1944, et entra dans la lutte des haies au sud de Carentan, le 27 juin. Prenant l'offensive, le 83d atteint la route de St. Lo-Periers, le 25 juillet, et avance de 8 milles contre une forte opposition à la fin de la campagne de Normandie. Après une période d'entraînement, des éléments de la division prirent Châteauneuf le 5 août et Dinard le 7 août, et approchèrent de la zone fortement fortifiée qui protégeait Saint-Malo. Les combats intenses ont réduit les points forts de l'ennemi et une attaque combinée contre la citadelle de Saint-Servan a provoqué sa reddition, le 17 août. Tandis que les éléments se déplaçaient vers le sud pour protéger la rive nord de la Loire, le gros de la division se concentrait au sud de Rennes pour des activités de patrouille et de reconnaissance. Les éléments ont réduit la garnison à l'île de Cezembre, qui s'est rendue, le 2 septembre. L'entrée au Luxembourg s'est achevée le 25 septembre. Prenant Remich le 28 et patrouillant défensivement le long de la Moselle, le 83d a résisté aux contre-attaques et a avancé aux défenses de Siegfried Line à travers la Sauer après avoir capturé Grevenmacher et Echternach, le 7 octobre. En tant que mouvement initial de l'opération "Unicorn", la division a pris le Stromberg Hill à proximité de Basse Konz contre une forte opposition, le 5 novembre, et a battu les contre-attaques. En se déplaçant à la forêt de Hurtgen, le 83d s'est propulsé de Gressenich à la rive ouest du Roer. Il est entré dans la Bataille des Ardennes, le 27 décembre, frappant à Rochefort et réduisant le saillant ennemi dans une lutte acharnée. La Division est retournée en Belgique et en Hollande pour y être réhabilitée et entraînée, le 22 janvier 1945. Le 1er mars, la 83e s'est avancée vers le Rhin dans l'opération "Grenade" et a capturé Neuss. La rive ouest du Rhin, du nord d'Oberkassell au canal Erft, a été défrichée et des positions défensives ont été établies le 2 mars et la division a renouvelé son entraînement. La 83e traversa le Rhin au sud de Wesel, le 29 mars, et s'avança à travers la plaine de Munster jusqu'à la Weser, la traversant à Bodenwerder. Alors que l'opposition se désintégrait, Halle tomba le 6 avril. La Division traversa la Leine, le 8 avril, et attaqua à l'est, repoussant la région du Harz et s'avançant vers l'Elbe à Barby. Cette ville a été prise le 13. La 83e établit une tête de pont au-dessus de la rivière mais évacue la région vers les Russes le 6 mai 1945.