Tec5 James C. Motley was born on January 2, 1913 in Autauga County, Alabama. His parents, Henry E. Motley and Amanda Rawlinson Motley, were married in 1902. James was the youngest out of four children and was called “Crato” as a nickname. His older siblings were Joe, Ellen, and Belle. His father was a farmer and the family lived primarily in Independence, Autauga County, Alabama, or Big Springs. By the 1940 census, James had completed the 6th grade and was employed as a truck driver.

James was a tall young man, at 6'2, and had blonde hair and blue eyes, according to his draft card from October 16, 1940. His mother, Amanda Motley, had died unexpectedly in 1941. He enlisted in the Army in November 1942 at Fort McClellan, Alabama and his civilian occupation was listed as semi-skilled chauffeurs, drivers, bus, taxi, truck and tractor. There was little information available about Tec5 Motley's training and assignments, but In October 1943 he was assigned to Camp Gordon, Georgia when he came home on furlough to visit his father.

From his headstone application we know that Tec5 Motley was assigned to Headquarters Battery, 423rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion, which was under the 10th Armored Division, called the “Tiger” Division. The 10th Armored Division was activated on July 15, 1942 at Ft. Benning, Georgia and moved to Camp Gordon, Georgia on September 5, 1943. From there the 10th Armored Division moved to Camp Shanks, New York, and finally the troops were sent overseas to France in September 1944. The 10th Armored Division took part in three European theaters; the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace region, and Central Europe. By late February 1945 they had moved into Germany and were attacking German defenses. In one day they broke through enemy lines and after 48 hours the Division had advanced 85 miles, and reached the Saar River. The 10th Armored Division captured the heavily defended city of Trier and a bridge across the Moselle River, severely weakening the enemy's positions. General George Patton and General Dwight Eisenhower visited the troops to congratulate them on a job well done. On March 28, 1945, the 10th Armored Division crossed the Rhine River and continued eastward. By May, elements of the 10th had reached Bavaria and had captured 650 towns and cities and taken 56,000 prisoners.

Tec5 Motley was killed in action on March 31, 1945 in Germany. He was more than likely a casualty during this time period when the Americans were making their assault on Germany. He was 32 years old. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his sacrifice. Tec5 Motley's family requested that his body be returned to the United States and he came home aboard the U.S. Army Transport, Oglethorpe Victory, in September 1948. There were 104 Alabama war dead brought home on that date. Tec5 Motley's father did not live long enough to bury his son in his home state. He had died in June 1948. Tec5 James C. “Crato” Motley was memorialized at a funeral held on Sunday, September 19, 1948 at Golson Cemetery, in Prattville, Alabama, with full military honors and Rev. R. J. Mills officiating. He was survived by his brother, Joe, and two sisters, Mrs. Ellen Folds and Mrs. Belle Evans. Tec5 Motley is also memorialized at the Alabama Veterans Memorial Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice, Tec5 Motley. You will not be forgotten.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org**). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story." **

Resources:** 10th Armored Division - WW-2 - European Center of Military History (eucmh.com) James C Motley : Technician Fifth Grade from Alabama, World War II Casualty (honorstates.org) 10th ARMORED DIVISION - Order of Battle of the United States Army - WWII - ETO | U.S. Army Center of Military History**

Ancestry.com

1920 United States Federal Census

1930 United States Federal Census
1940 United States Federal Census

Alabama, U.S., World War II Military Dead and Wounded, 1944-1946

U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970
U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current

U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946

U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Newspapers.com - The Prattville Progress - 7 Oct 1943 - Page 1