Harold R. Heilman was born 29 Aug 1923 to Sherman N and Leanora E Heilman in York, Pennsylvania. Harold’s education consisted of elementary school and completion of four years of High School. After completion of his education Harold worked as a semi-skilled painter.

Harold enlisted in the US Army on 25 Feb 1943 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with the rank of Private and Service Number: 33502166. Private Heilman was then stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training and then assigned to the 743rd Tank Battalion. Some time after that Pvt. Heilman was transferred to Camp Shanks, New York and then boarded a troop ship which would take him to Europe to join the 743rd in the European Theater of Operation (ETO).

The first battle the 743rd saw action in was Operation Overlord (D-Day) which began early morning 6 June 1944. The battle was fierce and costly in man power and equipment, but, the 743rd fought on as they moved toward the Hedge Rows of France’s wine country. Once again the fighting was heavy with German emplacements behind every hedge. It should be noted here that the 743rd Tank Battalion and all service members were awarded, by the U.S. Military Command, The Distinguished Unit Badge and Citation for< "bravery and valor during a great and difficult task". Toward the end of Aug. 1944, all of northern France had been liberated and the 743rd was moving toward Paris, which had been liberated on 25 Aug 1944. On 1 Sept 1944 the 743rd left Paris and moved toward Belgium. The 743rd supported infantry units and they both pushed the German army out of Belgium and rolled into the Netherlands. By the middle of September the 743rd was in Holland and then on to Germany. At this point Pvt. Heilman received a promotion to the rank of Private First Class.

Because of training needs for the assault on the Siegfried Line, weather, and machinery concerns the Battle of Germany by the 743rd and the infantry they supported didn’t begin until 2 Sept. 1944. The Battle for Germany raged until the infantry units being supported by the 743rd reached the city of Aachen. When the city of Aachen fell, on 21 Oct 1944, the American line became a solid front. Although they continued to receive artillery fire from the Germans, the 743rd Tank Battalion could relax a little and recoup.

Then on 16 Nov 1944 it was on to the Roer River and a mining town named Kinsweiler. The 743rd celebrated Thanksgiving where, when, and if they could and they managed to find some small respite from the fighting and planned to continue their march toward ending the German’s efforts in the Rhine flatlands until…

On the 16th of December 1944, German Field Marshal von Rundstedt unloosed a powerful army of the Nazi's best remaining troops in an effort to burst through the mountainous Belgian Ardennes country, sweep on to Liege and Antwerp, and throw the whole Allied offensive out of gear. The 30th Division, supported by the 743rd, turned around and headed back to Aachen and on to Belgium. The Ardennes Offensive (nicknamed the Battle of the Bulge) was about to begin.

The Ardennes Offensive began during the middle of winter in the mountain ranges of Belgium. The words “bitter cold” and “nasty weather” don’t do justice for what the 743rd Tank Battalion and the rest of the Allied Forces whet through during that campaign. They were also faced with a vicious 1st Panzer SS Adolf Hitler Division hell bent on turning the war in their direction. The SS troops, as described to me by me Uncle who served in Company B of the 743rd with Private Heilman, were ”ruthless and were well known for not taking any prisoners”. According to my Uncle, “We returned the favor”.

By 25 Jan 1945 the taking and holding of Malmedy, Stavelot, Stoumont, La Gleize, Thirimont and the hill to the southwest had beaten the fierce SS Panzer Division and had secured a victory in the Ardennes Offensive. After more than a month of fighting the men of the 743rd had an opportunity to get out of the tanks, to eat hot meals, to sleep -even to shave and they rested from the final week of January until 2 Feb 1945 when the Battalion began their move back toward Aschen on their way to Berlin.

The last week of Feb 1945 the 743rd moved passed the Roer River in an attempt to take the German cities of Niederzier, Steinstrass, Oberembt, and Konigshoven. Of the four cities being contested for Konigshoven was the last to fall on the early afternoon of 27 Feb 1945. At 7 am on the morning of 28 Feb Pfc. Heilman’s tank was holding outside of Konigshoven when a German tank headed for Konigshoven was sighted. Pvt Heilman’s tank fired at the German tank which returned fire and Pfc. Heilman and Cpl. Joseph Barres (37306401) were mortally wounded.

The remains of Pfc. Heilman and Cpl. Barres were placed into the same casket and they were buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten, Netherlands. On 9 Dec 1945 application was made to the US Army to repatriate Pfc. Heilman and Cpl. Barres’ remains for burial. On 25 January 1950 the two tankers remains were returned to the US and they were buried at Rock Island National Cemetery, Illinois, Plot: Section E Site 26.

To view Cpl. Joseph Barres’ Story please click here: https://www.fold3.com/page/653609731-cpl-joseph-barres/stories

References:

"Move On Verify" The Combat Story of the 743rd Tank Battalion

Ancestry.com

U.S. Census Records

U.S. Military Records

The Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten, Netherland

Newspapers.com

For additional information on the 743rd Tank Battalion please see: https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/66

Pfc. Harold R. Heilman