Updated, Dec. 2016; The death of George R. Bodyfelt of the 77th Division on Okinawa

 This is early research on Mr. Bodyfelt, whose death is told here by a relative, Larry Bodyfelt. Mr Bodyfelt has likely visited many of these sites, so our hope is to find info on George at more specialized sites in the very near future.

Larry Bodyfelt: As reported by the Infantry Journal Press, PFC George R. Bodyfelt was a member of Company B, 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division. He was KIA on April 30, 1945. According to that publication, “Company B of the 307 Infantry (on that date) was engaged in the assault of the (Shuri) Escarpment climbing up ropes and ladders to gain the summit. Company B blew a pillbox at the top which was one of three pillboxes in line. It was difficult to keep the 307th fighting men supplied with food, water and ammunition during the attack. All supplies had to be hand-carried under fire in the ascent from the base of the ridge to the top, about 350 yards high at a 30 degree angle.” The Infantry Journal Press had a copyright date of 1947 and provided good detail about the action of Company B. I read the

post-mortem courtesy letter from Uncle George’s commanding officer to his mother. Being necessarily censored, little if anything was said about the location or military action taking place at the time of Uncle George’s death. The letter did say he was killed by an enemy mortar hit. Interestingly, Uncle George’s headstone inscription and the Tillamook Headlight-Herald obituary has his rank listed as Pvt. The History of the 77th Infantry Division and his commanding officer list him as a PFC. Prior to his Okinawa KIA, he experienced infantry combat on Leyte and Ie Shima. Ie Shima is a small island a few miles west of Okinawa. Ernie Pyle, the renowned “dog face” journalist of WWII, was killed by enemy machine gun fire there on April 18, 1945

Did you know the famed Lost Battalion of WW1 was from the 77th Division?
More on the Lost Battalion here.

Okinawa 77th Infantry Division

Concise history of the 307th Infantry Regiment. And of the 77th Division
1920: FROM UPTON TO THE MEUSE WITH THE 307th INFANTRY . . . "No division suffered greater hardships, had greater losses during the time it was in line, nor was better disciplined and trained than this cosmopolitan division of New York City-the 77th, New York's Own." . . .

 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry Regiment   Not a lot here,  but could have been a good source.


Assaulting The Second Shuri Defense Ring (Excerpts from a lengthy and detailed battle report)    . . . "On 29 April the 307th Infantry of the 77th Division took over the Maeda Escarpment part of the line from the 381st Infantry, and the next morning the 306th relieved the 383d Infantry on the 96th Division left. At noon on 30 April, General Bruce, Commanding General of the 77th Division, assumed responsibility for the former 96th Division zone of action on the Corps front. The end of April also witnessed a regrouping among the Japanese units on the line.

 

. . . "During the night of 30 April-1 May, the 1st Battalion, 307th, brought up to the escarpment four 50-foot ladders and five cargo nets, the latter borrowed from the Navy. On 1 May Company A troops mounted the ladders at the eastern end of the escarpment, but every man who stood up was killed or wounded. Farther to the west, however, Company B, using the cargo nets, had two platoons on the edge of the escarpment by nightfall. About midnight Japanese counterattacked in this area and drove the men off the escarpment." . . .
. . . "The losses in the escarpment battle had been heavy. In the 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry, no less than eight company commanders were wounded in one 36-hour period. It had gone up on the escarpment on 29 April with a strength of about 800 men; it came down on 7 May with 324. The 77th Division estimated that it had killed upwards of 3,000 Japanese in the 7-day battle for the escarpment.

 Wikipedia discusses the effects of the fighting on soldiers' morale.

It caused President Truman to decide on using the atomic bomb.

 

77th Division comrade locator  "Many families of former 77th soldiers are looking for information and contacts. We will publish their requests and would greatly appreciate if you can directly contact them if you can help them with any news or information."

 

 "My email address is: toolnbama@charter.net . May God bless these heroes, their families, their sacrifice, and our blessed United States of America."

"To view historical videos, including originals shot by Army combat photographers go to: http://www.criticalpast.com. The Website contains many clips of the 77th Infantry Division, and may be useful in tracing family members."