Leo C. Inglesby

Photo likely taken after being discharged in 1945

NAME: Leo C. Inglesby

ASN: 33072277

PLACE OF BIRTH: Philadelphia, PA

DATE OF BIRTH: 05 Jul 1919

DATES OF SERVICE: 01 Jul 1941 - 31 Jul 1945

UNIT ASSIGNED: C CO 504th Parachute Battalion

F CO 2nd Bn 503rd PIR

F CO 2nd Bn 509th PIR

C CO 509th PIB

CAMPAIGNS: Algeria - French Morocco, Tunisia, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome - Arno

AWARDS: Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge with two combat jump stars, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, EAME Campaign Medal with arrowhead and four bronze star devices, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Distinguished Unit Badge, 3rd Zouaves Regiment Badge, four overseas service bars

SUMMARY OF SERVICE:

01 Jul 1941 - Enlisted at Camp Lee, VA - NARA Enlistment Record

ARMY SERIAL NUMBER	33072277	33072277
NAME	INGLESBY#LEO#C##########	INGLESBY#LEO#C##########
RESIDENCE: STATE	32	PENNSYLVANIA
RESIDENCE: COUNTY	101	PHILADELPHIA
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT	3315	CP LEE VIRGINIA
DATE OF ENLISTMENT DAY	01	01
DATE OF ENLISTMENT MONTH	07	07
DATE OF ENLISTMENT YEAR	41	41
GRADE: ALPHA DESIGNATION	PVT#	Private
GRADE: CODE	8	Private
BRANCH: ALPHA DESIGNATION	BI#	Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
BRANCH: CODE	00	Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
FIELD USE AS DESIRED	#	#
TERM OF ENLISTMENT	0	Undefined Code
LONGEVITY	###	###
SOURCE OF ARMY PERSONNEL	0	Civil Life
NATIVITY	32	PENNSYLVANIA
YEAR OF BIRTH	19	19
RACE AND CITIZENSHIP	1	White, citizen
EDUCATION	4	4 years of high school
CIVILIAN OCCUPATION	126	Paymasters, payroll clerks, and timekeepers
MARITAL STATUS	6	Single, without dependents
COMPONENT OF THE ARMY	7	Selectees (Enlisted Men)
CARD NUMBER	#	#
BOX NUMBER	0606	0606
FILM REEL NUMBER	2.270	2.270

00 Oct 1941 - Qualified Marksman M1 Rifle, and Thompson Sub Machine Gun

20 Dec 1941 - Completed the demolitions and sabotage course for parachute troops. During this time they learned to drive a tank among other things.

02 Feb 1942 - Completed the Parachutist Course

16 Feb 1942 - Completed the Voice Radio and General Communications Course for parachute troops.

05 May 1942 - Promoted from Corporal (Temporary) to Corporal assigned to F CO 503rd Parachute Battalion at Fort Bragg, NC

24 May 1942 - Received Typhus Vaccine

04 Jun 1942 - Departed the US for Scotland

11 Jun 1942 - Arrived ETO in Scotland

08 Nov 1942 - Cpl. Leo C. Inglesby 33072277 F Co 2nd Bn 509th PIR Philadelphia, PA 8-Nov-42 Participated in Operation TORCH (VILLIAN) Plane 4 Seat 12 Combat Weight 251 lbs

08 Nov 1942 - Detained by the French Foreign Legion and eventually released

14 Sep 1943 - Cpl. Leo C. Inglesby 33072277 2nd BN 509th PIR Participated in Operation GIANT III Naples-Foggia Combat Jump Star

15 Sep 1943 - After being dropped more than 10 miles from the DZ worked his way back across country and captured several Germans along the way.

"On the Avellino jump Mr. Dunlavey and my father landed on one side of a tall ridge and the rest of the stick landed on the other. Tom and my father buddied up, captured two Germans and walked back to Salerno arriving at the British lines twelve days later." (Inglesby Jr)

"Dad told me that the prisoners they brought back were both part of a tank crew from the Hermann Goering Division, the Division had been sent to Italy for R&R following a long and bloodied deployment on the Eastern front. One of the Germans was a private and the other a Sergeant, they were surprised by my father and Tom who had been tipped off by an Italian villager that passed them along a trail, the villager was able to warn my father and Tom by pantomime that both Germans were asleep a short distance ahead." (Inglesby Jr)

"The Germans went peacefully when after being captured my father - he assured them that since they had been captured by Americans once they returned to the American lines their prisoners would be sent to a POW camp in America. Unfortunately for the prisoners, the group crossed over the lines in the British sector, when the Brits saw two Germans walking with two Americans headed towards them, they threatened to shoot and rushed out to the group, tackled the Germans and after roughing them up - sent them back for interrogation and later, to a British POW camp. Dad always felt bad for the Germans, said they were actually pretty nice guys and must have gone to their graves thinking that he had tricked them." (Inglesby Jr)

"Their capture provided the Allies with the first proof that the Hermann Goering Division was in the sector and deployed against them." (Inglesby Jr)

05 Jan 1944 - Received Smallpox Vaccine

06 Jan 1944 - Received Tetanus Vaccine

21 Feb 1944 - Wounded in Action received Purple Heart Medal for wounds received.

12 Apr 1944 - Awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, GO#6, 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion

18 Jun 1944 - Departed the MTO Italy for the US

02 Jul 1944 - Arrived in the US

06 Feb 1945 - Received Typoid Vaccine

31 Jul 1945 - Discharged. Completed 2 yrs 25 days in US, Spent 2 yrs 29 days overseas.

Graduated from LaSalle University in Philadelphia.

1950 - Graduated Rutgers University, New Jersey with a Masters in Economics.

1950 - Employed with the US Civil Service Comission.

1955 - Eployed with the IRS where he completed 34 years of service. Was Deputy Director of the Office of Revenue Sharing.

In retirement he worked as starter at the Congressional Country Club and served as the secretary and newsletter editor for the 509th Parachute Infantry Association.

Member of St John Baptist Catholic Church.

Precinct Chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Party.

21 Apr 2005 - Passed away buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Married to Eileen 56 years and had five children

BOOK: A Corporal Once

LINKS:

Leo Inglesby Interview 2002

http://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/military-history/31-interviewees/996-inglesby-sr-leo-c

Leo Inglesby shortly after entering the service

Leo Inglesby at Basic Training wearing the blue denim utility uniform

Leo Inglesby on leave prior to graduating the parachute school

Leo Inglesby on leave visiting mother and family friend

Leo Inglesby on leave with buddies

Leo Inglesby on WWI tank used to familiarize paratroopers with the operation of tanks

Leo Inglesby and Bob Cordell on leave in Fayetteville, NC on Dec 7, 1941

Leo Inglesby on leave posing in Service Dress uniform

Leo Inglesby on leave with friend

Qualification jumps

Qualification jumps sometimes they missed the DZ

Leo Inglesby probably in Italy

Tom Dunlavey and Leo Inglesby in Italy. Both landed together on the Avellino jump. Miss-dropped they both made their way back to British friendly lines after 12 days of walking and evading capture. They took two German prisoners from the Herman Goering Division.

(L to R) Bob Daves, Harold Caulfield, Dick Grafe, Bernard Roberts. An Arab boy eager to have his picture made with the Americans, joined them in the photo made by Leo Inglesby. My father commented on the picture saying that at first they wanted the young boy to take a picture of the five of them together but realizing that the boy probably ran faster than any of them he should take it.

Harold Caulfield tells a funny story about Robert in connection with this picture---

"We had Escape Kits with us on the flight to North Africa. Among many things in the kit was some French money, including two 20-franc coins. At that time the worth of of a regular franc was about one cent. In the picture made of us in Casablanca is a shoe shine boy. After the picture was taken Robert had his boots shined and flipped a coin to the boy. The kids eyes almost popped out of his head. The coin was gold! Instead of being worth 20 cents, it was worth about 35 dollars. Turned out to be a high-priced shoe shine."

Leo Inglesby probably in Italy

Unknown soldiers probably in Italy

Leo Inglesby recovering from wounds received at Anzio from shell fragment

Leo Inglesby probably taken in 1945 after being discharged

Leo Inglesby at Rutgers University graduation ceremony to having earned his Masters in Economics in 1950

Leo Inglesby in 1989

Display in the Mariners Museum in Virgina

Leo Inglesby at a reunion in the 1990s, Leo is in a white shirt with his hands on his hips

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