Laurence A. MADILL

Source : Frogman (Ellen Marchese)

28 February 1919 Dade City, Pasco County, FLORIDA 

Parents : Warren Benjamin et Nina Mae (Lamson) MADILL

Source : Frogman

CEMETERY TEMPORARY of 

Saint Laurent N°3582

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

CPT Laurence A. Madill was born 28 Feb 1919 in Dade City, Florida. He was the 3rd of 7 children of Warren Benjamin and Nina Mae (Lamson) Madill.

The family farmed and in 1940 his father was working as a supervisor on a WPA project.

Laurence attended the University of Florida at Gainesville, Florida.

Laurence was commissioned as a 2LT on 27 May 1940 in the Army Reserve. He was on active duty, probably for training 9-22 Jun 1940 and again 5 Jul 1940 to 30 Jun 1941. He was assigned as a 2LT in the Infantry effective 1 Jul 1941. He was promoted to 1LT effective 1 Sep 1942 and again promoted, this time to CPT, effective 31 May 1943. CPT Madill is on the morning report of 1 Jun 1944 as being assigned to E Company 116th Infantry. He was to command that company for the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach.

PFC Harry Parley, a flamethrower man in E Company, recounted his first encounter with CPT Madill,

The moment of my arrival is still quite vivid. We were ushered into a room in one of the Quonset huts and told to sit on the floor. A few moments later, our new CO walked in, said his name was Captain Lawrence Madill, and that our company was to be first wave in the invasion of France, that 30 percent casualties were expected, and that we were them. As simple as that."
Joseph Balkoski recounts in his book, Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944,

The company CO, Capt. Lawrence Madill, was wounded in the trip across the beach. He found that PFC Walter Masterly was the only remaining man of the mortar squad, and although he had the mortar, he had no ammunition. Masterly volunteered to go back to the beach and salvage some ammunition, but the Captain told him to set up his mortar while he went for the ammunition. He picked up the ammunition, but on his return trip he was hit twice by machine gun bursts and went down. His last words were: "Senior non-com, take the men off the beach!"
Stephen Ambrose in his book D-Day, June 6, 1944, repeats Walter A. Smith's recollection:

One of the episodes I remember the most was debarking from the landing craft and trying to take shelter from the enemy fire behind one of their obstacles. Captain Madill came up behind me and others, ordering all that could move to get off the beach. I looked up at him and his left arm appeared to be almost blown off.
CPT Madill died on the beach on 6 Jun 1944. He rests forever in the Normandy American Cemetery.

29^th INFANTRY DIVISION - BLUE AND GRAY

Activated/Activé	Normandy/Normandie
3 Feb 1941	Days of Combat/Jour de Combat  242
	Casualties/Victimes 20 620
Entered Combat/Entré au combat
6 Jun1944 D-Day
Commanding Generals/Commandants généraux Maj. Gen. Milton A. Reckord (Feb 41 - Jan 42) Maj. Gen. Leonard T. Gerow (Feb 42 - Jul 43) Maj. Gen. Charles H. Gerhardt (Jul 43 - inactivation)	Campaigns/Campagnes Normandy (6 Jun 44 - 24 Jul 44) Northern France (25 Jul 44 - 14 Sep 44) Rhineland (15 Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45) Central Europe (22 Mar 45 - 11 May 45)
PLAN DE ROUTE DE LA CAMPAGNE - CAMPAIGN ROUTE MAP
DIVISION CHRONICLE The 29th Infantry Division trained in Scotland and England for the crosschannel invasion, October 1942-June 1944. Teamed with the 1st Division, a regiment of the 29th (116th Infantry) was in the first assault wave to hit the beaches at Normandy on D-day, 6 June 1944. Landing on Omaha Beach on the same day in the face of intense enemy fire, the Division soon secured the bluff tops and occupied Isigny, 9 June. The Division cut across the Elle River and advanced slowly toward St. Lo, fighting bitterly in the Normandy hedge rows. After taking St. Lo, 18 July 1944, the Division joined in the battle for Vire, capturing that strongly held city, 7 August. Turning west, the 29th took part in the assault on Brest, 25 August-18 September 1944. After a short rest, the Division moved to defensive positions along the Teveren-Geilenkirchen line in Germany and maintained those positions through October. (In mid-October the 116th Infantry took part in the fighting at the Aachen Gap.) On 16 November the Division began its drive to the Roer, blasting its way through Siersdorf, Setterich, Durboslar, and Bettendorf, and reaching the Roer by the end of the month. Heavy fighting reduced Julich Sportplatz and the Hasenfeld Gut, 8 December. From 8 December 1944 to 23 February 1945, the Division held defensive positions along the Roer and prepared for the offensive. The attack jumped off across the Roer, 23 February, and carried the Division through Julich, Broich, Immerath, and Titz, to Munchen-Gladbach, 1 March 1945. The Division was out of combat in March. In early April the 116th Infantry helped mop up in the Ruhr area. On 19 April 1945 the Division pushed to the Elbe and held defensive positions until 4 May. Meanwhile, the 175th Infantry cleared the Klotze Forest. After VE-day, the Division was on military government duty in the Bremen enclave.	CHRONIQUE DE DIVISION La 29th Infantry Division s'entraîna en Ecosse et en Angleterre pour l'invasion crosschannel, d'octobre 1942 à juin 1944. En équipe avec la 1st Division, un régiment du 29th (116th Infantry) se trouvait dans la première vague d'assaut pour frapper les plages de Normandie. Le 6 juin 1944, débarquant à Omaha Beach, le même jour, face à un feu nourri de l'ennemi, la division s'empara bientôt des falaises et occupa Isigny, le 9 juin. La Division traversa la rivière Elle et s'avança lentement vers Saint-Lô, se battant amèrement dans les rangées de haies de Normandie. Après avoir pris St. Lo, le 18 juillet 1944, la division se joignit à la bataille de Vire pour s'emparer de cette ville fortement occupée, le 7 août. Tournant vers l'ouest, le 29 a pris part à l'assaut sur Brest, 25 août-18 septembre 1944. Après un court repos, la division a déménagé à des positions défensives le long de la ligne Teveren-Geilenkirchen en Allemagne et a maintenu ces positions jusqu'en octobre. (À la mi-octobre, le 116e régiment d'infanterie prit part aux combats à Aix-la-Chapelle.) Le 16 novembre, la division commença sa route vers la Roer, traversant Siersdorf, Setterich, Durboslar et Bettendorf, et atteignant la Roer par la fin du mois. Les combats intenses ont réduit Julich Sportplatz et le Hasenfeld Gut, le 8 décembre. Du 8 décembre 1944 au 23 février 1945, la division occupe des positions défensives le long de la Roer et se prépare à l'offensive. L'attaque a sauté à travers le Roer, le 23 février, et a porté la Division par l'intermédiaire de Julich, Broich, Immerath, et Titz, à Munchen-Gladbach, le 1er mars 1945. La Division était hors combat en mars. Au début du mois d'avril, le 116th Infantry a aidé à nettoyer la région de la Ruhr. Le 19 avril 1945, la division pousse vers l'Elbe et occupe des positions défensives jusqu'au 4 mai. Pendant ce temps, le 175th Infantry a dégagé la forêt de Klotze. Après le jour de la victoire, la division était en service militaire dans l'enclave de Brême.