SERGEANT NORMAN FRANK HENRY

Norman Frank Henry was born to Charles Adolphus Henry (1865-1950) and Gertrude Betty Frank Henry (18751919) on Jan. 21,1900, in Jersey City, N.J. Henry was the third of four children, half-brother to Bettina Rosamund (1891-1979) through Charles’ first wife Ida (1864-99), and brother to Senora (1896-1962) and Ruth (1902-?). Henry attended school through 8th grade, leaving home at age 14 to travel the country, working as a butcher and taking automobile classes at night to become a chauffeur

Henry enlisted in the U S Army on July 25, 1917, at Camp Grant, Ill , he trained at Camp Logan, Texas, and Camp Stewart Va Private Henry and his company arrived in Brest France in April 1918 the great converging offensives.

A major result of the Oise-Aisne Offensive resulted in the success of the combined British-French attack between the Oise and Scarpe rivers where the Germans had made a general withdrawal between the Vesle and Scarpe rivers during Sept. 3-7, 1918. The French army was in contact with the new German positions astride the Ailette River on Sept. 8, where on Sept. 14, the French Tenth Army (370th Infantry Regiment attached) had attacked the line Vailly-sur-Aisne Fort de la Malmaison-Chavignon. The objective was to force the German evacuation of the line of the Aisne River. The attack met with little success, and the soldiers were ordered to organize a defensive position and be prepared to follow any German withdrawal.

“France is no longer the beautiful, but grim and scepter-like she lay as a corpse, bleeding from a thousand gaping wounds, pitted by a million shells, disemboweled and upturned by the awful hail of aerial bombs The gardens, farms and foliage were poisoned by the deadly gas used to unsparingly by the fierce barbarians trees that lined either side of an erstwhile well-kept highway were twisted, hacked and uprooted by high explosives yet the Day of Peace was about to dawn and that which was left of France was happy.”

The only American unit to fight in the Oise-Aisne Offensive was the 370th Infantry Regiment where it was immediately attached to the French 59th Division, French XXX Corps, French Tenth Army immediately upon arrival at Soissons The 370th Infantry Regiment participated in the Oise-Aisne Offensive from Sept 15 to Nov 11, 1918

“While the 370th Infantry advanced with the French Tenth Army, over a hundred kilometers to the east the remaining three regiments of the 93rd Division [369th, 371st, 372nd Infantry Regiments] prepared to go into battle with the French Fourth Army as part of the Franco-American drive…”

Sept 29, 1918:

The Germans resisted stubbornly against the French 59th Division (370th Infantry Regiment attached) Although fighting was continuous throughout the day, only small gains had been made. Patrols of the 370th Infantry Regiment had crossed the canal and entered Bois de Mortier and were driven back by German machine-gun fire. The French Fourth Army withdrew its tanks that assisted with the assault to reconstitute the tank units, which had suffered heavy losses between Sept. 27 and Sept. 29.

Sept 30, 1918:

The French 59th Division (370th Infantry Regiment attached) continued its attack orders without a change in mission. The French captured the line of bastions in Foret de Pinon and the sawmill known as Scierie (west of Anizy railroad station).

The 3rd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division) moved into a position along the railroad northeast of Vauxaillon and relieved 2nd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division), excluding Company [F]. Company [F] remained along the canal and in the woods west of Ferme de la Riviere. At 3 p.m., 3rd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division) and Company [F] (2nd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division)) attacked and captured Ferme de la Riviere and established a position along the canal from the Pinon-Brancourt road bridge to the divisional boundary

Oct 2, 1918:

“With the American First Army struggling to advance in the Meuse-Argonne, the entire Franco-American offensive appeared on the verge of exhaustion ”

Oct 3, 1918:

The 370th Infantry Regiment engaged in “mopping up” operations (during attacks made by the French) south of the canal after the French captured Anizy Railroad Station on Oct. 1, and Sucrerie (the sugar factory) on Oct. 2. In compliance with instructions, the French 59th Division (370th Infantry Regiment attached) had organized its sector for defense and prepared to cross the canal and capture Anizy-le Chateau.

“The period of October 4-11 was marked by active patrolling and preparations to cross the canal and the Ailette River. Attempts to cross the canal were unsuccessful, although many indications of an impending German withdrawal were observed.”

Company [G], 2nd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division) had been in support of the 1st Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division). During this time, patrols from 2nd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment and 3rd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment were between the line’s night and day with the objective of locating machine-gun nests in Bois de Mortier, as well as making necessary reconnaissance’s.

German Gen Georg on der Marwitz issued orders stating:

“It is on the unconquerable resistance of the Verdun Front that the fate of a great part of the Western Front, perhaps even of our nation, depends The Fatherland must rest assured that every commander and every man fully realizes the greatness of his mission and that he will do his duty to the very end ”

Oct 4, 1918:

Before dawn, a reconnaissance in the Bois de Mortier was ordered to the elements of the 2nd and 3rd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division). The patrol consisted of volunteers, including Capt. Chester Sanders and 20 men.

At 3:30 a.m., the volunteer patrol had crossed the canal and penetrated the woods, approximately 50 meters east of Vauxaillon-Bois de Mortier Road. The mission of the patrol was to discover if the woods had been evacuated by the Germans. The patrol penetrated the German line by more than 100 meters, but was discovered and fired upon by numerous German machine-guns. The patrol retreated to the French lines under heavy shelling and machine-gun fire and did not lose a single man.

1st Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division) was ordered to make the following dispositions pursuant to Order No. 3330/s, Headquarters 59th Division, French Army: ·Company [A] was to be sent to the French 325th Infantry Regiment, French 59th Division. Company [B] was to be sent to the French 232nd Infantry Regiment, French 59th Division. These companies were to be used as reinforcements for said infantry regiments.

The 2nd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division) was relieved by the 1st Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to the French 59th Division) after an attack that had begun on Sept 27 The 2nd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment had gained possession of the railroad track and woods to the northeast of Guilliminet Farm The 3rd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment (attached to French 59th Division) patrolled the western part of Bois de Mortier

“From the 27th of September to the 4th of October [1918] the 370th was subjected to severe shelling and to murderous fire of numerous machine guns and rifles ”

“From 4 until 11 October, the 370th continued its active patrolling and prepared to cross the canal and Ailette River ”

Oct. 5, 1918:

Gen. Joseph Vincedon, commanding general of the French 59th Division, complained about the battlefield performance of the 370th Infantry Regiment. In response, Maj. Lloyd R. Fredendall, a member of Gen. John J. Pershing’s (commanding general of the American Expeditionary Forces) staff, inspected the 370th Infantry Regiment on Oct. 5 and Oct. 6. In Major Fredendall’s report, he “observed that the soldiers’ morale was good and showed no sense of panic or demoralization…many of the officers appeared poorly trained in basic skills such as map-reading, leading to confusion and poor coordination with the French commanders…[however,] the terrain was exceedingly difficult and disorienting.”

Oct. 6, 1918:

Vincendon went on leave, and Rondeau took command. The French 59th Division, French Tenth Army (370th Infantry Regiment attached) was assigned to the French XVI Corps. The French XVIII Corps took command of the French 36th Division. Upon taking command of the French 59th Division (370th Infantry Regiment attached), the French XVI Corps prescribed new boundaries for the zone of advance to the north, in case of German withdrawal. The French XVI Corps made plans to advance based on if the Germans continued their withdraw. The plans for the French 59th Division (370th Infantry Regiment attached) in a resumption of attack provided for an advance to the vicinity of Laon in three phases:

·Phase 1: Crossing the canal and Ailette River, and freeing Bois de Mortier by a general advance of all three regiments

·Phase 2: The 370th Infantry Regiment was to pass to the support immediately when Bois de Mortier was captured, while the two French regiments continued their movement

·Phase 3: The 370th Infantry Regiment was to attack Bois de Mortier from the south and by the French 31st Division from the west.

Then-Sgt. Henry received the Distinguished Service Cross and Medal of Honor recommendation for his actions on Sept. 30, 1918, near Firme de la Riviere, France:

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant Norman Henry (ASN: 1401525), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Machine-Gun Company, 370th Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F., near Ferme de la Riviere, France, 30 September 1918. While leading his squad under heavy fire, Sergeant Henry displayed great bravery and coolness by repairing a damaged gun under direct enemy observation. He proved of valuable assistance to the one remaining officer of his company in assembling the scattered units of his company after they had reached their objective.” Awarded DSC by CG, AEF, Dec. 6, 1918. Published in G.O. No. 37, W.D., 1919.

“For gallantry in action against the enemy at Ferme de la Riviere, France, 30 September 1918 Sergeant Henry, while leading his squad of machine gunners under enemy machine gun fire and artillery barrage, one of his guns became useless, and with great coolness he dismounted his gun, cleaned it, reassembled it, and put it back into operation This while in the open under heavy fire and at a time when the company was suffering considerable casualties About the same time his captain and one of the lieutenants were wounded and had to be evacuated, leaving only one officer in charge of the company, whom he very effectively assisted in locating the scattered units of the company after they had reached their objective, passing to the various points along the line which were under heavy fire, thereby rendering invaluable assistance to his company commander, and which enabled the latter to reorganize and get his command into formation for further advance. Throughout this action he displayed exceptional coolness in absolute disregard of his personal safety.” Letter, Medal of Honor Recommendations to the Adjutant General, AEF, from Commanding Officer of Headquarters, 370th Infantry Regiment. Roberts, T.A. 20 November 1918. Copy held at the George S. Robb Centre for the Study of the Great War at Park University, Parkville, Missouri.

Henry also received the French Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star, under Order No. 62, dated Nov. 24, 1918, for his actions on Sept. 30. A victim of poisonous gas inhalation, Henry did not seek hospitalization before returning to the U.S.. Henry and his company left Brest, on Feb. 2, 1919, and landed in New York City on Feb. 9. He was honorably discharged at Camp Grant on Feb. 24, 1919.

After his discharge, Henry worked as an electrician and plumber, and returned, for a short time, to chauffeuring between 1919 and 1925. Henry married Undine Margaret Johnson on March 11, 1920 in Chicago. They had two children: Charles Adolphus (1921-2003) and Adelaide Bella (1922-2016). The Henrys separated in 1922. Around this time, Henry began experiencing epilepsy-like symptoms, and became unable to hold a consistent occupation due to regular instances of incapacitation and exhaustion. Henry lived with his father between hospitalizations, and attempted to complete vocational training, believing that his previous experience as a chauffeur would no longer be feasible

“Can’t trust [his] nerves to drive in crowd Asks for reconsideration of case and training in line of less responsibility ”

Henry continued to move around the country with various labor jobs until becoming sick with an unknown illness, leading to admission at the National Veterans Home in Milwaukee, Wis , in the late 1920s Henry died of lobar pneumonia (unknown greater cause, potentially undiagnosed tuberculosis) on Oct 20, 1929 in Milwaukee He is buried at Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee.

Undine Johnson Henry married Samuel Bell in 1937, and died in 1997, outliving her first husband by 70 years.

Distinguished Service Cross Citation Card, United States Army.

National Archives Military Personnel Records Set, Copy held at the George S. Robb Centre, Parkville, MO

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