Harold R. Levin
Harold R. Levin of Pennsauken, NJ.
Rank: Private, U.S. Army
Serial Number: 32750220
Unit: Battery B, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 10th Armored Division
Entered service from: New Jersey
Died:
Burial: Plot E2077, Beverly National Cemetery, Beverly, NJ
Awards: Purple Heart
Private Harold R. Levin lived with his parents and sister Eleanor at 1945 West River Road in Pennsauken, NJ. Born January 18, 1924, he was a graduate of Merchantville (NJ) High School. He had attended the University of Pennsylvania for one year prior to being called to service in February of 1943.
Private Levin was chosen for the Advanced Specialized Training Program (ASTP), where the Army sent men with some educational background and aptitude to college for training in fields where a requirement had been projected. He had spent several months studying engineering at the University of Georgia when the program was abruptly cancelled due to the need for replacements in the European Theater of Operations.
Harold Levin was assigned to the 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion of the 10th Armored Division. The 10th Armored was transferred to New York for embarkation to Europe in September of 1944, and had the distinction of being the first American Armored Division to sail from the United States directly to the European mainland without stopping in England. The Division landed at Cherbourg, France on September 23, 1944.
In early November, the Division moved east and was sent into combat in the Allied assault on the fortress city of Metz. The 10th Armored launched a two-pronged offensive, crossing the Moselle River. They met heavy resistance but two weeks later the Division had reached and crossed the Saar River, establishing several key bridgeheads into Germany.
The 10th’s offensive was halted after the Germans launched their Ardennes Offensive, and the 10th Armored was ordered north to help stop them. Combat Command B, which included the 420th Field Artillery Battalion, linked up with the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne. The 420th was one of the units trapped in Bastogne, taking part in the defenses on the northern and eastern borders of the town. Covering a 360-degree front with limited ammunition, the 420th was forced to make its original 1,400 rounds last for five days before being re-supplied, and was under fire from German artillery, air, and ground forces.
Private Harold R. Levin was killed in action on December 24, 1944, during the siege of Bastogne. He was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Morris S. Levin, and his sister Eleanor.