Joseph L. Muhvic
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Joseph L. Muhvic was inducted into the Army on July 18, 1941, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Home at entry: Gilbert, Minnesota.
He served as a Staff Sergeant and ammunition supply technician with the 515th Bombardment Squadron of the 376th Bombardment Group.
Mr. Muhvic shared the following:
"On December 21, 1942, we were on a ship to Egypt through the Suez Canal. Then we went to a British air base and were picked up by trucks and started to move west to Alemain. From there we went to Tobruk on as far as Tunis and then to Italy. When we moved from Africa to Italy, half the group went by plane and half by ships in a convoy."
"I was on a B-24 bomber...We were lucky that we flew instead of going by ship. A few of my buddies, six or seven of them, were killed on ships. In Africa, we bombed Field Marshall Rommel, known as the 'Desert Fox'. If we hadn't bombed Rommel we still may have won but it would have taken a lot longer to beat the North Africans..."
He fought in the campaigns of Egypt-Libya and Tunisia, North Africa; Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Northern Apennines, and Po Valley, Italy; Southern France, Normandy, Northern France, Germany, Ploesti, Air Combat Balkans, and Air Offensive Europe.
Mr. Muhvic was awarded the following: Presidential Unit Citation with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with nine bronze battle stars.
He was honorably discharged on October 6, 1845,at Sioux Falls Air Force Base, South Dakota.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 213.
