Technician Fifth Grade (T/5) · Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 10th Armored Division
Army · Service no. 33 027 723
Service Number
33 027 723
Recorded Rank
Technician Fifth Grade (T/5)
Recorded Unit
Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 10th Armored Division
Military Occupation
511 — Armorer
Theater
European Theater of Operations (ETO)
This timeline tells the story of James's World War II service through
his enlistment record and the Morning Reports, orders and unit records held by the National Archives. Each entry cites its source. Entries labeled
Unit movement follow Service Battery's route and state when the record
does not name James individually.
Map of Service
The route follows James from Pennsylvania to France through Le Theil, where he is named in the unit records. Later stops follow Service Battery when its reports do not name him individually.
Service stops
Darby, Pennsylvaniahome
Fort Riley, KansasCavalry Replacement Center, Mar 1941
Fort Benning, GeorgiaThe Infantry School; joined 10th Armd Div, Sep 1942
Camp Gordon, Georgia420th Armd FA Bn, 1943-44
New Yorksailed on the USAT Brazil, 13 Sep 1944
Cherbourg, Francelanded 23 Sep 1944
Le Theil, Francenamed here in Oct 1944
Route notes
1 → 2Entered service 12 Mar 1941
2 → 3The Infantry School
3 → 4To the 10th Armored Division
4 → 5Camp Shanks, 5 Sep 1944
5 → 6USAT Brazil, 13-23 Sep 1944
6 → 7Battery route; James named before and after
How to read this service timeline
This page brings together records created for different purposes. The labels below tell you what kind of evidence supports each entry; open either guide when a record or military term is unfamiliar.
?
Confirmed — Service record
A personal military record supports the entry.
Confirmed — Unit record
A record created by his unit names him or documents the unit’s activity.
Unit movement
The documented route of James's unit when the report does not name him individually.
How to read a Morning Report
Morning Reports were daily administrative records prepared by individual Army and Army Air Forces units. They generally recorded changes—such as arrivals, transfers, promotions, illness, or return to duty—not a complete list of everyone present.
MORNING REPORT · SAMPLE
1Organization Company A, 123rd Infantry
2Station or location Camp Example, Virginia
3Date 14 September 1944
4Section Personnel changes
5Pvt Smith, John A., 35123456 6asgd fr Hq Co per SO 187, Hq 123d Inf
In plain English
Private John A. Smith, identified by Army Serial Number 35123456, was assigned to Company A from Headquarters Company under Special Orders No. 187.
1Organization: the company, hospital, squadron, or other unit filing the report.
2Station or location: where that unit reported from on that date.
3Report date: the date of the report, which may differ from the effective date of a change.
4Section: the part of the form containing personnel changes or the unit’s record of events.
5Soldier entry: usually rank, name, and Army Serial Number.
6Change and authority: what happened and the order authorizing it.
asgd
assigned
atchd
attached
trfd
transferred
fr
from
aptd
appointed
EM
enlisted men
SO
Special Orders
GO
General Orders
orgn
organization
sta
station
Common military and research terms
Army Serial Number (ASN)
The unique service number used to distinguish one soldier from others with similar names.
Discharge or separation paper
The document issued when a service member left active service. For many WWII Army enlisted soldiers, this is WD AGO Form 53-55. It summarizes service but is not a day-by-day history.
Morning Report
An Army unit’s daily administrative report. It usually lists people whose status changed, not every person in the unit.
Unit record
A document created by a military organization. It may name the soldier directly or provide context about his unit; the timeline states which applies.
OMPF or “201 file”
The service member’s Official Military Personnel File. Many Army and Air Force files were damaged or destroyed in the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire.
Unit and final unit
A unit is the organization in which someone served. The final unit is the organization shown at separation; it may not be the only unit in the service history.
Rank or grade
The service member’s level in the military hierarchy. A timeline may show changes in rank over time.
MOS
Military Occupational Specialty—the Army’s classification for a soldier’s primary military job.
Assigned and attached
Assigned means formally placed in a unit. Attached usually means serving with a unit temporarily while belonging administratively elsewhere.
Special Orders and General Orders
Official directives used to authorize personnel actions, awards, organizational changes, and other decisions.
Campaign credit
Official recognition for service connected with a named campaign. It does not, by itself, describe a service member’s individual actions.
Station or location
The place from which a unit filed a report. It does not automatically prove that every member was physically present there.
Source citation
The note beneath a timeline entry identifying the record or records that support it.
Service Timeline
9 min
Confirmed — Record
January 13, 1916
Born in Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Federal identity records give James Verlenden's birth date and place as January 13, 1916, in Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
At age 24, James registered with Local Board No. 3 in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. He reported living at 33 E. Greenwood Ave., being unemployed, and named his father, Jacob Serrill Verlenden, at the same address. The card's serial 106 and order 2991 are Selective Service identifiers, not his Army serial number.
The front of James's registration card, including his signature.The registrar's description and Local Board No. 3 certification.
Source: Fold3, U.S. WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1940; Selective Service Registration Card, D.S.S. Form 1, Local Board No. 3, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, October 16, 1940
Confirmed — Service record
March 12, 1941
Entered Army service
VA's BIRLS index records this as his entry date. The Army enlistment file places him in Philadelphia in 1941; it does not prove that he reported there on this exact day. Five days later, the Fort Riley roster lists him among Selective Service men, establishing that he was a Selectee rather than a voluntary Regular Army enlistee.
Source: VA BIRLS, entered_1; WWII Army Enlistment Records (NARA AAD), ASN 33027723; Morning Report — Troop "A", 1st Training Squadron, Cavalry Replacement Center — NARA Roll 669 (1 of 5), image 754 (March 17, 1941)
Confirmed — Unit record
March 17, 1941
On the Fort Riley Selectee roster
Five days after the BIRLS entry date, a roster at the Cavalry Replacement Center, Fort Riley, Kansas, lists Verlenden, James S. — 33027723. This is the earliest military page in the case that joins his name to his Army serial number.
His name and service number appear together on line 92. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: VA BIRLS, entered_1; Morning Report — Troop "A", 1st Training Squadron, Cavalry Replacement Center — NARA Roll 669 (1 of 5), image 754 (March 17, 1941)
Confirmed — Unit record
September 25, 1942
Transferred to the 10th Armored Division
At Fort Benning, Georgia, a typed continuation sheet lists Cpl. Verlenden, James S., 33027723 among men transferred in grade to the 10th Armored Division under Special Order 179, paragraph 23. Neighboring pages identify his former organization as a student-training company of The Infantry School.
The sideways-filmed continuation sheet has been rotated upright. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Reports — Company, 11th Battalion, 3rd Student Training Regiment — NARA Roll 2782 (2 of 4), images 1469, 1479 and 1485 (September 25, 1942), SO 179, paragraph 23
Confirmed — Unit record
September 25, 1943
Sergeant in Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
A Service Battery strength list at Camp Gordon, Georgia, names Sgt. James S. Verlenden, 33027723. This directly establishes his battery, battalion, grade and station on this date.
His name, number and grade on the battery's strength list. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 127 (2 of 4), image 1344 (September 25, 1943)
Confirmed — Unit record
October 10, 1943
Still with Service Battery at Camp Gordon
Another battery report names James and his service number, again in the grade of Sergeant.
A second dated entry confirms continuity in the same battery. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 181 (3 of 4), image 2446 (October 10, 1943)
Confirmed — Unit record
January 13–23, 1944
Sergeant at Camp Gordon; returned from furlough
The January 13 report names him with Service Battery. Ten days later, another report records his return to duty from a ten-day furlough.
Named in the battery on January 13. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.Returned from furlough on January 23. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Reports — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 331 (2 of 4), image 1971 (January 13, 1944); Roll 451 (1 of 4), image 583 (January 23, 1944)
Confirmed — Unit record
May 14, 1944
Ten-day furlough from Camp Gordon
The battery report lists Sgt. Verlenden among eight enlisted men sent from duty to a ten-day furlough. His serial is typed in spaced groups: 33 027 723.
The furlough entry, with his number spaced into three groups. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 234 (3 of 4), image 2135 (May 14, 1944)
Confirmed — Unit record
May 20, 1944
Military job changed from Ammunition NCO to Armorer
The morning report states that his military occupational specialty changed from 505, Ammunition NCO, to 511, Armorer. The occupational titles come from War Department TM 12-427 code tables.
The line changing MOS 505 to MOS 511. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 234 (3 of 4), image 2141 (May 20, 1944); War Department TM 12-427, pp. 16 and 68
Confirmed — Unit record
August 18–20, 1944
Grade changed from Sergeant to Technician Fifth Grade
Special Order 88 reduced Sgt. Verlenden to Private and, in the next paragraph, promoted him to Technician Fifth Grade. The August 20 report cancelled and restated the technician entry with a date of rank of May 8, 1942. The records give no reason, so this should not be read as proof of discipline or punishment.
The August 18 reduction and promotion entries. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.The corrected August 20 entry and restored date of rank. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Reports — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 47, images 322 and 324 (August 18 and 20, 1944), SO 88, paragraphs 3–4
Unit movement
September 4–5, 1944
Service Battery moved to Camp Shanks, New York
The battery left Camp Gordon by rail on September 4 and reached Camp Shanks at 8:30 p.m. the next day. These reports do not name James individually; he appears in the battery's records shortly before and after the move.
The battery departed Camp Gordon.The battery arrived at Camp Shanks.
Source: Morning Reports — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 437, images 23 and 24 (September 4–5, 1944)
Unit movement
September 11, 1944
Service Battery embarked at New York
The unit record says the battery left Camp Shanks by rail and ferry and embarked for overseas movement. This page does not name James individually; battery records place him with the unit before and after the voyage.
The battery's embarkation entry.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 464, image 2691 (September 11, 1944)
Unit movement
September 13, 1944
Service Battery sailed aboard USAT Brazil
The battery's report is headed At Sea Aboard USAT Brazil and records its September 13 sailing. The sheet does not name James individually; Service Battery records place him with the unit before and after the voyage.
The unit page naming USAT Brazil.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 464, image 2693 (September 13, 1944)
Unit movement
September 23, 1944
Service Battery landed at Cherbourg
The battery clerk recorded arrival at Cherbourg at 3:30 p.m., disembarkation at 8:30 p.m., and an eighteen-mile mounted march to a bivouac one mile east of Le Theil. James is not named on this page, but he is named with the battery near Le Theil on October 8.
Cherbourg arrival, disembarkation and the move to Le Theil.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 464, image 2703 (September 23, 1944)
Confirmed — Unit record
October 8, 1944
Technician Fifth Grade in France
At a station one mile east of Le Theil, the report names T/5 James S. Verlenden, 33027723 and sends him on temporary duty with the 55th Armored Engineer Battalion.
His name, number, grade and temporary-duty movement. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 549, image 1888 (October 8, 1944)
Confirmed — Unit record
October 12, 1944
Returned from temporary duty
The battery report names James again when he returned from temporary duty with the 55th Armored Engineer Battalion. This is the last digitized Morning Report found that names him personally.
The last located Morning Report entry naming James. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 549, image 1892 (October 12, 1944)
Unit movement
November 14–27, 1944
Service Battery crossed the Moselle and reached Ritzing
Service Battery's records describe a November 14 motor march from Gandren across the Moselle to LaGrange, a later bivouac west of Obernaumen, and billets at Ritzing by November 27. James is not named on these pages. They document his last-known unit's route, not his individual presence.
The battery's Moselle crossing and arrival at LaGrange.The unit bivouac west of Obernaumen.The unit billeted at Ritzing.
Source: Morning Reports, Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 470, images 92, 99 and 105 (November 1944)
Unit movement
December 7, 1944
Service Battery moved to Hallering
The battery report records a forty-three-mile motor march from Perl to Hallering. This report follows the unit and does not name James individually.
The battery's move from Perl to Hallering.
Source: Morning Report — Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 401, image 314 (December 7–8, 1944)
Unit movement
December 18, 1944
Service Battery arrived east of Bastogne
The battery's Record of Events says it left Cessingen, Luxembourg, at 11:00 a.m. and arrived east of Bastogne at 6:15 p.m. The 420th Battalion then fought in the Bastogne defense. This page does not name James individually and does not establish that he was present in the battle.
The Service Battery events and the Bastogne station heading.
The events section says the battery reached Rossignol on December 21 and was billeted there through Christmas. An earlier sheet still carries the station heading Bastogne, while the December 29 sheet carries Rossignol. The conflicting fields are preserved here; James is not named on either page.
The earlier sheet retains the Bastogne station heading.The later sheet records Rossignol and the Christmas entries.
Source: Morning Reports, Service Battery, 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion — NARA Roll 401, images 328 and 336 (December 21–29, 1944)
Confirmed — Service record
October 23, 1945
Released from active service
VA's BIRLS index records October 23, 1945, as the close of his only listed Army service period. The index does not identify his unit, grade, separation station, campaigns, or individual awards on that date.
Source: VA BIRLS, released_1, SSN-linked entry for James S. Verlenden
Confirmed — Record
April 1950
Home in Lansdowne after the war
The 1950 census lists James S. Verlenden, age 34 and never married, in Lansdowne, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in the household of his widowed father. This is a postwar residence record, not a military record.
James S. Verlenden in his father's Lansdowne household. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: 1950 U.S. Census, Pennsylvania, Delaware County, Lansdowne, ED 23-132, sheet 22, lines 25–26
Confirmed — Record
December 25, 1988
James Serrill Verlenden, 1916–1988
VA and Social Security records give December 25, 1988, as his date of death. The Verlenden family monument at Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill memorializes James with the inscription Buried at Sea; the monument does not mark his burial place.
The Verlenden family panel memorializes James Serrill Verlenden, 1916–1988, and reads ‘Buried at Sea.’
