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The 36th Division Archive
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Corporal Bertrand Landry
60mm Mortar Crewman
Mortar Section, Weapons Platoon,
C Company, 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment
Born in 1919, Corporal Betrand "Butsy" Landry grew up among the bayous of Iberia Parish in Louisiana. By the time he finished high school, Landry was ready to push out on his own and began training as a locksmith. He traveled to Baton Rouge to practice his trade and while there began courting his sweetheart, Elmira. By early 1940, however, Landry had grown tired of his worked and yeared for something more exciting. He therefore decided to join the Army, moving to Texas where a great bustle of military activity was taking place. Before he left he married Elmira. He arrived in Texas, enlisted, underwent basic training, and by November was assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. Dealing with the Texas dry heat instead of the humidity of his swampy home Parish, Landry spent his days learning the ropes of military life while hearing the news of growing hostilities across the globe from the barracks radio. As the army was preparing his discharge papers, having served a year in the company, news came that Pearl Harbor had been attacked and the nation was now at war. That discharge would have to wait.
Butsy's souvenirs from the war.
Landry's combat-worn M1 Helmet
Butsy's postwar papers, including his VA certificate for disability after losing his foot.
Butsy's souvenirs from the war.
The already mobilized 36th ID now began equipping and preparing its men for combat. Over the course of the next two years, the division underwent intensive training as it bolstered its ranks. Landry was one of the few non-native soldiers in the division at the outbreak of the war but before long he was joined by men of every other state. At this time he received specialized training that would carry him through the whole war as a gunner on a 60mm mortar team for the company’s mortar platoon. As a 60mm mortarman, Landry was never far from the fighting, firing in support of infantry operations going on directly in front of him. Thankfully he and the division got plenty of practice in three different sets of Army maneuvers, the first for the Texas National Guard in 1940, the 1941 Louisiana maneuvers back on his home turf, and finally at Camp Blanding, Florida, in 1942. Throughout these training periods, Landry and his buddies became a crack mortar team and developed their skills to support their comrades in the days to come.
Unfortunately, around this time Landry's personal life took a tumble. His wife had just given birth to their son in mid 1942 when she announced she wanted a divorce and to take the child. She could no longer stand the marriage and the prospect of him being gone for years at war. While things were rocky and unsettled, Landry and the division left New York Harbor on April 1, 1943, to make their way to Oran, North Africa. There the division received even further specialized training for the Mediterranean combat theater, specializing in drills of amphibious assault tactics. Landry's girl back home would have to wait.
On September 9, 1943, the many years of hard preparation finally paid off as Landry and C Company landed on the dark, sandy beaches of Salerno, Italy around 0330 in the morning. The invasion of Italy had begun. While the first waves landed safely, by the time Landry landed the Germans had realized what was going on and began a full-scale attack against the invading Allied forces. Artillery batteries opened up on the exposed T-Patchers and Landry's company was cut off from the 2nd Battalion by a German counterattack spearheaded by Panzer IVs. The 1st Battalion had been sent to secure a German rail line past a large flatland characterized by a drainage ditch. The flat terrain turned into a deathtrap, however, as German armor continually made its way to pound the GIs. As the promised howitzers had failed to land, Landry's mortar team was one of the only supporting fire units available and the team found itself launching round after round to hold the line. Eventually, enough support made it to the beach that C Company was able to secure its position and began pushing the German forces off the beach. For Landry and his team, it was truly a baptism of fire.
Over the next several weeks the 36th shored up its positions at Salerno and were eventually relieved for a much-needed rest. Landry ended up being evacuated only eight days into the assault for sickness, but he was able to rejoin C Company by mid-October. The 141st continued the drive into Italy despite sustaining over 4,000 casualties in its first engagement.
The next large bout of action came in November as the division was sent to clear the area of San Pietro from German forces. The battle was rough and the mountainous terrain meant mortars played an ever more critical role. In spite of the terrible weather and constant bombardments, the 141st held strong and secured their objectives. The division continued pushing up through Italy, supporting the 34th ID at Cassino and suffering major casualties at the infamous battle at the Rapido (Gari) River that January. While C Company was devestated in this battle, Landry was one of the fortunate ones who was absent. Only two days before the Rapido crossing began, Landry suffered a severe spoinal contusion, lumbosacral spane, and enterocoloitis which hospitalized him for the next four months. It was a miserable recovery and forced him to eventually return to a unit that looked very different from the one he had entered combat with, after a large intake of replacements.
Landry in Italy wearing a British battledress, which he likely picked up from a nearby Commonwealth unit.
141st troops landing at Salerno
141st soldiers with Italian locals near Salerno
Landry in Italy wearing a British battledress, which he likely picked up from a nearby Commonwealth unit.
Landry rejoined C Company on May 18, 1944, while it was in bivouac near Qualiano, Italy, for its movement to Anzio. After arriving, the 141st Infantry moved into its bivouac position roughly three miles off the beachhead by the afternoon of May 22. They were immediately put on alert, however, as strong attacks across the beachhead perimter required the entire regiment to be ready to fill a gap at a moment's notice. Over the next three days the men huddled in place enduring artillery bombardments and enemy aircraft attacks, waiting for orders to join the fight. On the evening of May 25, orders came through to move towards the town of Cisterna where the regiment was to prepare to commit to battle. While the 2nd and 3rd Battalions took up their positions the next morning, Butsy and the remainder of 1st Battalion were kept in reserve.
At 1030 on May 27, C Company was sent forward to relieve a platoon of the 36th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop in an important position on the northern flank of the 141st Infantry's sector, right in the flanking area between the 36th and 3rd Infantry Division, which was located to its right. Around this time the division commander, General Fred Walker, ordered for the 141st and 143rd Regiments, with tank destroyers in support, to prepare for a northward attack towards the key town of Velletri, which was guarding an important pass leading straight to Rome. German defenders had dug in around the town and were preparing for a fight.
When the advance began, 1st Battalion took the right flank of the movement while 2nd Battalion marched abreast on its left. Little resistance was initially encountered and by the evening of May 27, the 141st had taken a line parallel less than a mile from the railroad running east of Velletri. 1st Battalion continued to meet little resistance when the advance renewed on the morning of May 28, leaving it ahead of 2nd Battalion roughly 2.5 miles from the southeast corner of Velletri. At this point, 1st Battalion was once again put into reserve while 2nd and 3rd Battalion led a large assault against the town itself. The attack was beaten off within a matter of hours, however.
Eventually 1st Battalion was committed during the day on May 28. The regiment inched closer to the city but had difficulty with stiff German resistance. Butsy's battalion faced particular hardhship on the morning of May 29 when they encountered heavy minefields, which took some time to work around. Eventually, the battalion did seize an important objective by reaching the main road running northeast from Velletri. At 1900, the Germans sent several Panzers to try and knock the 1st Battalion from its roadblock, but supporting artillery helped to keep Landry and his comrades firm. C Company took a heavy counterattack the next afternoon when the Germans sought to break through the right flank of the regimental line with tanks and infantry. Landry's mortar was hot throughout the defense, as the commander of C Company called shifting mortar and artillery fire throughout the engagement. Only thanks to them, and properly placed bazookas and anti-tank guns, was the counterattack able to be repulsed. C Company was primarily functioning on its own since its wires had been cut, requiring radio calls and runners to keep the defense strong.
The entire 141st was shifted northward as a plan developed to capture Velletri through a surprise flanking attack. The 142nd Infantry Regiment was slated to flank around and capture the heights dominating the city. At the same time, the 141st would launch a large attack against the town itself. 1st Battalion was to advance from the east of the town along the main road. When the attack began in the afternoon, 1st Battalion faced heavy resistance. Mine fields scatterd across the sector, German strongpoints dotted the landscape, and it became so bad after the initial 500 yards that engineers had to be called up before any further advance could be made. German tanks attempted a counterattack against the battalion but were repulsed while the infantrymen awaited their engineer support. Numerous vineyards dotted the landscape outside of the city, however, making it difficult to observe and maintain a cohesive defensive line.
On the morning of June 1, 1st Battalion joined 3rd Battalion in a joint assault against Velletri which ran into extremely heavy German resistance, leading to a vast armored counterattack in the afternoon that took great strength and supplies to repel. By 1715, however, 1st Battalion had broken through to reach the northern outskirts of the city. Landry's mortar team would have been working overtime, providing constant fire missions in support of the infantry attackers while ammo bearers made round-the-clock trips to supply them with enough shells to keep up the pace. The town itself bore witness to the intense barrage provided by both the mortars and the thousands of artillery rounds poured into it. Buildings lay in rubble, bodies scattered the streets, and enemy vehicles sat in quiet hulks along the debris. 1st Battalion was not able to enjoy the sights very long, however, as they were ordered to join the 142nd on the high ground two miles northwest of the city, arriving around 0300 on June 2. By 0700, C Company had taken 75 prisoners. The push continued at 1300 until 2200 where they were finally able to secure the high ground south of Nemi.
With Velletri in Allied hands, 1st Battalion received orders directly from General Walker to advance on to Hill 675 along the eastern edge of Lake Nemi in preparation to attack German defenses built up on the hill mass known as Monte Alto. Right as they were ready to initiate the attack with 3rd Battalion, German bombers and artillery struck 3rd Battalion hard. With casualties and disorganization plaguing the column, the attack was postponed. In the morning hours of June 3, 1st Battalion pushed through 3rd Battalion and occupied Hill 680, Hill 675, and into the town of Nemi by first light, where it remained for the rest of the day. C Company was able to capture one German officer and twlelve enlistedmen in the process.
When word came that evening that German forces had began a full retreat, orders came down to press the attack more than ever. 1st Battalion mounted up in the morning on trucks and armor, moving all the way to Marino before they met the first batch of German defenders. C Company reported running into heavy machine gun and artillery fire from German tanks roughly 1,000 yards south of Marino, requiring them to dismount and fight on foot. After some time they were able to, mopping up and moving forward.
A mortar team of the 141st.
The gateway into Velletri upon its liberation.
36th troops clearing the rubble around Velletri.
A mortar team of the 141st.
That afternoon, Landry and the other men of C Company loaded up on tank destroyers to lead the 141st column (primarily consisting of 2nd Battalion) towards the city. Upon reaching Highway #7, the column was turned away to a parallel road between Highways #6 and #7, since the 1st Armored Division was given priority to take the highways through town first. C Company continued its rapid advance into Rome but once they reached the city's southeastern suburbs, friendly artillery fire fell on the 2nd Battalion portion of the column, forcing the men to disperse and halt their movement for the day.
At 0200 on June 5, C Company and 2nd Battalion began their move across the Tiber River and toward the northwest of Rome, however, the 142nd ended up taking the lead as they were too disorganized to form a column quick enough. Eventually they did cross to the cheers of the Roman civilians crowding the streets, moving across the Vatican before turning north. Around 1200, the group encountered their first German snipers and artillery. C Company led the charge against the first German soldiers outside of the city by spearheading the 2nd Battalion's attack into Staz di San Onofrio, clearing the town before moving on to the high ground outside of the town where they would hold as other division forces came up.
Over the next five days, the 141st Infantry was primarily on the move. With the men mounted on trucks, tanks, and whatever else that could carry them, they followed the division's movement northward. While the 142nd Infantry was leading the skirmishes at the front, the entire division was moving from town to town as the American Army continued driving the German forces further and further north from Rome. It was not until the early morning of June 11 that 1st Battalion once again saw combat, taking on several roadblocks a few miles southeast of Orbetello, right along the Italian coastal highway. Guarded by anti-tank and heavy machine guns, 1st Battalion had to flank the block through the hills in order to overcome it. Fierce German artillery and self-propelled gun fire wrecked havoc on the company, but the infantry were eventually able to move forward with the help of 2nd Battalion and the 361st Infantry Regiment, attached to the division for combat experience.
The Germans launched a massive counterattack at 0230 on June 11, sending mass artillery barrages at 1st and 2nd Battalion. C Company was the only to hold its ground in 1st Battalion but was pinned down on either side of the highway by machine gun and artillery fire. Landry's mortar was essential in providing fire support all across the frontline of the company until K Company of the 361st Infantry moved in to relieve them late that night. Thanks to C Company resilient defense, however, the Germans were eventually forced to retreat, allowing 2nd Battalion to renew the assault in pushing them back. C Company's casualties were quite heavy in the process, however, losing one officer and eleven enlisted killed.
36th Division troops on the march north of Rome.
A GI of 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry Regment taking a breathing after crossing the Tiber River.
36th Division troops on the march north of Rome.
1st Battalion was able to rest until the afternoon of June 14 when trucks from IV Corps arrived to mount the 141st for a new drive. A German column had been spotted moving towards the town of Scansano and it was believed the 141st could move quick enough to entrap them by taking and holding the town and the surrounding roads. The column took off at 1450, moving past blown briges and detours until finally reaching Scansano around 2000 hours, fifty-one miles from their initial position. 1st Battalion was ordered to take up the area west of the town, putting up roadblocks and other defensive positions in anticipation of the German forces. By the afternoon of June 15, however, orders came again to move further towards San Caterina. The regiment mounted up again but had a more difficult time making its way through mined and booby-trapped roadwayts. It was not until 2120 that C Company entered San Caterina proper while B and A Company took the flanks on the outskirts of the town. At 0630 the next morning, 1st Battalion, with C Company in the lead, began advancing towards Roccolbeggna, where no resistance was encountered. Throughout the rest of the day the various battalions of the regiment continued leaping forward to the north until enemy mines and defensive positions were encountered at dusk.
While 2nd and 3rd Battalion led the initial attacks of June 17 against nearby German hill masses by moving through the Ombrone riverbed, 3rd Platoon of C Company, with support weapons attached, moved to nearby Vallerona to shore up defenses in the town. While the town had largely been cleared, the platoon was to ensure it had stayed that way. Tragically, it had not.
As the men were going through the streets, they were ambushed by a group of straggling German soldiers with automatic weapons. Although the firefight did not last long and the Germans were eventually overwhelmed, C Company took four casualties in the process, Landry included. Landry and two others were shot by the machine guns used by the Germans, one bullet ripping through the center of Landry's left foot, destroying his metatarsal bones and tendons. Once the skirmish ended, he was evacuated with the two other wounded GIs. Sadly, the fourth had already died.
The village of Vallerona, largely unchanged from its appearance during the war.
Landry taken off of the C Company morning reports, interestingly listed as "sick" despite his wounds. Crowley, listed alongside him, was wounded by a grenade.
Landry admitted into the 45th General Hospital.
The village of Vallerona, largely unchanged from its appearance during the war.
Landry was eventually taken to the 45th General Hospital where, despite their best attempts, the surgeons were unable to salvage his left foot. The damage was far too severe and it was necessary to amputate it. Here, thousands of miles away from home, Landry was forced to leave part of himself in Italy. His combat days were over.
Unique, however, is that because Landry returned home early, he was able to sneak away with the combat helmet he wore in Italy as well as his battle-worn rosary beads. That helmet is depicted above, and demonstrates the fierce loyalty he felt to the 36th Division. Although the division had not permitted insignia to be painted on its helmets, Landry drew not one, but two T-Patches across his liner. The helmet today is still stained, dinged, and grimy from Landry's heavy combat use: a testament to his battlefield courage and sacrifice.
By August of 1944 Landry was sent home to the United States for long-term recovery. He went through Mc Guire General Hospital, Foster General Hospital, and, by November, ended up in his final recovery ward at Lawson General Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. For his wound in action, Butsy received the Purple Heart Medal while at Lawson.
While recovering in Georgia, he did not let the loss of his foot keep him down. Landry became part of a special group of disabled GIs to undergo a series of exams and lessons to teach wounded soldiers how to once again operate cars. Relearning the steps with only a stump and his right foot, Landry passed and was re-granted his license in January of 1945. A few months after he was officially discharged from the US Army on a pension and returned home to his parents in Louisiana. His wife had since left with his son. It was a bittersweet reunion for the Landrys.
Landry reunited with his mother in 1945.
An article about Landry's wound and return home.
An article describing Landry's success in re-adapting with his disability.
Landry reunited with his mother in 1945.
Landry lived out the rest of his life in New Iberia, receiving a 40% disability pension which helped support the odd jobs he was able to perform. He was thankfully able to remain in touch with his son, and eventual grandkids, as the years went by, bringing him some joys of the potential family life he left behind as he sailed for war. Although his wife had left him, Landry found new family in his brothers at the VFW, of which he was an extremely active member for the rest of his days. With only one foot, Landry still insisted on volunteering and taking part in regular color guard duties for his post. He passed away in 2001 and is buried in New Iberia.