Robert J. Peterson
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Robert J. Peterson of Duluth, Minnesota entered active duty in the Army on April 24, 1943. He was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant and was the commander of infantry and tank units with the 2nd Platoon, Company B, 27th Armored Infantry Battalion.
While he was with the 14th Tank Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, the unit formed the major component of combat Command B, 9th Armored Division in the Rhineland and Central Europe. He was wounded in action on March 2, 1945.
He says: "In late February 1945 the Division was ordered to cross the Ruhr River and attack south and east across the Cologne Plain. The 27th Armored Infantry Battalion crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, Germany, on March 7th in the first assault crossing of the Rhine River since the days of Napoleon.
‘On March 2nd, while attacking toward the Eurf Canal, I was wounded by a shell fragment in my right thigh. I was hospitalized for two months and returned to my Company two weeks after the war ended. I was reassigned to the 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division. We were preparing to deploy to the Pacific Theater to participate in the invasion of Japan. Due to a fortunate turn of events in the Far East, we were reassigned to occupation duty in Austria."
Mr. Peterson received the: Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, Presidential Unit Citation, European-African-Middle East Campaign Service Medal with two bronze battle stars, American Campaign Service Medal , and the World War II Victory Medal.
He was discharged on June 11, 1946.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 249.
