Sergeant First Class Winthrop G Rockwell
Winthrop Gordon Rockwell was born in Middlesex, Massachusetts on June 5th, 1892, to Warren Rockwell, a canadian immigrant, and Sarah Gregg. While completing high school, Winthrop worked as a stenographer for a local church, and was employed as a professional embalmer for National Casket Company. When the United States announced their involvement in World War 1, which had already been raging for years, Winthrop signed up for the draft in June of 1917 and entered the service on August 10th, 1917. Due to his medical background, Private Rockwell was assigned to the 23rd Ambulance Company, 2nd Sanitary Train of the 2nd Infantry Division. As a new member of the Medical Corps, Rockwell underwent training with the rest of his unit on how to render basic first aid, treat wounds, and operate the ambulances. It was clear that coordination with both the ambulance companies and field hospitals would be crucial for their deployment overseas, and the men did their best to be prepared during the next few months in the states.
Off to Europe In December of 1917, the 2nd Infantry Division was finally ordered overseas, with Pfc Rockwell’s 2nd Sanitary Train leaving on the 5th aboard the Huron. Arriving in France in late December, the division spent the next few months being trained in the Bourmont Area by French and Scottish veterans to prepare them for what lay ahead in combat. Afterwards, they were moved to the Verdun Sector as a defensive force. However, this was cut short by a massive German surprise attack that punched through the British and French lines at the Chemin des Dames ridge and drove the allies back to the river Vestle. This was a catastrophic loss of ground, and the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Division were rushed to the front to counter the German advance. Arriving on June 1st, 1918. the 2nd Infantry Division, composed of both Army and Marine brigades, was tasked with defending the road to Paris. |
Belleau Wood
Shortly after, the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments of the 2nd Division repeatedly beat back German assaults launched through the nearby Belleau Wood, inflicting heavy casualties. On June 6th, the allies launched an attack of their own into Belleau, and the 4th Marine Brigade was met with murderous machine gun fire, but by nightfall, had captured Hill 142 and gained a foothold at a heavy price, with over one thousand casualties. For Pfc Rockwell, the attack on June 6th was his first real taste of the horrors of war, as the 23rd Ambulance Company had the grueling and seemingly never ending work of shuttling marine casualties back to field hospitals in the rear and acting as litter-bearers. This continued for the next twenty days until Belleau Wood was finally cleared of Germans on June 26th, ending one of the bloodiest battles of the war for the Americans with nearly ten thousand total casualties, and brought forth the nickname “devil dogs” for the marines that fought there.
Aisne-Marne
Rockwell and the 2nd Infantry Division remained in this sector until it was completely cleared on July 12th, and had only a few days rest until being ordered to the southernmost attack zone in the Soissons Sector on the 15th. The battle commenced three days later, with the Marine and Army regiments of the 2nd Infantry Division leading the attack, with Sergeant Rockwell’s Ambulance Company once again tasked with recovering and moving casualties back to the rear. On the fourth day, elements of the division assaulted and captured the Berzy-le-Sec, pushing the Germans back across the Crise River. It was during this period where the 2nd Sanitary Train was awarded their first Croix De Guerre by the French Government for “admirable qualities of endurance and indomitable will to conquer during the course of the attack on July 18th, 1918, southwest of Soissons.” After two months of nearly non stop action, the Ambulance Companies of the 2nd Sanitary Train were finally relieved of their casualty work when the division was pulled from the Soissons Sector on July 25th for a much needed rest and refit period. Even with new replacements gained during this period, the division was still short about seven thousand troops, a grim reminder of the amount of casualties taken from the Aisne-Marne campaign. Nevertheless, the division’s rest from July 25th to August 3rd was well needed to prepare Sergeant Rockwell for their next assignment in the region of Nancy. From August 5th to the 9th, the 2nd Infantry Division quietly relieved the front line troops in preparation for a fresh attack. For Sgt Rockwell and the medical staff of the division, a new attack meant new casualties to recover, and they planned accordingly. Thankfully, an attack never came, and the 2nd Infantry Division was relieved from the line on the night of August 15th-16th.
St Mihiel Offensive
With the Germans now on the defensive after Soissons, combined with large scale movements of American troops, it was very clear that something big was being planned. That “something” would turn out to be the St Mihiel Offensive, which kicked off on September 12th, 1918. Meticulous planning by American Generals would contribute heavily to the success of the offensive, which smashed through the Saint Mihiel salient with relative ease on the first day, but with the attacking force advancing so quickly, supporting units such as Sgt Rockwell’s 2nd Sanitary Train struggled to keep up. Thankfully, casualties for the division were relatively light, and the medical personnel was not overwhelmed. By September 15th, the offensive ended as a major success for the allies, but one last push was needed to end the war for good. However, it would not be in the St. Mihiel sector as the Germans believed. Instead, the entire 2nd Infantry Division was quickly relieved from the line on the night of September 15th-16th and ordered to assist the French Fourth Army during the upcoming Meuse Argonne Campaign.
Meuse-Argonne: The Final Drive
This move was fully completed by September 28th, two days after the offensive had begun. Progress was being made by the allies, but the Blanc Mont Ridge lay in the path of the advance. Since it was deemed impenetrable by the French, the task of capturing it was given to the 2nd Infantry Division who was ordered to the front line on October 2nd. The attack began the very next day with an intense bombardment of the enemy positions and a creeping barrage to cover the advance of the American troops. Watching the attack from the front line, Sgt Rockwell’s 23rd Ambulance Company readied themselves by creating dressing stations for the lightly wounded, assigning men as litter-bearers, and preparing ambulances for the anticipated casualties of the new advance. For the time being however, the 2nd Infantry Division’s troops had cleared all German forces leading up to Blanc Mont without much resistance, and began advancing up the ridge. By nightfall, they had captured a portion of their objective and a large group of the German headquarters detachments who were stationed at Blanc Mont. A mad dash by the Americans finally cleared the rest of the ridge, enabling the advance to continue, which was becoming increasingly bloody each day, evident by how many casualties Sgt Rockwell’s unit came into contact with. After a gruelling three days of combat, the division was pulled from the line to become the reserve force for the attack on St Etienne, minus a few battalions who would accompany the advance.
It was soon evident by the ferocity of the German defensive line that more units of the 2nd Infantry Division would be needed for the attack, including the ambulance companies for medical needs. On the night of October 9th-10th, the bulk of the 2nd Infantry Division was relieved from the front line after suffering five thousand casualties during the first phase of the Meuse Argonne Campaign. Yet again, Sgt Rockwell's 2nd Sanitary Train were awarded their second Croix de Guerre by the French for “courage under fire at the attack on October 3 on Blanc Mont and the Medeah Farm...Thanks to the valuable assistance thus rendered to the infantry operations, the enemy was driven from the banks of the Suippe and from the Massif de Notre Dame de Champs.” The next twelve days was their longest period of rest since they entered combat, but was also a period of great concern. The 2nd Infantry Division had been skeletonized by the French army, who kept the 2nd Engineers and the division artillery at the front to support the offensive, and it was feared that the division may cease to exist. By the time the division was once again mobilized and entered the line in the Argonne Forest in late October, all elements of the division were thankfully reunited. The purpose of this assignment was that the 2nd Infantry Division, which had gained a reputation from both sides as a crack unit, was chosen to lead the massive November 1st attack in the Argonne Forest to force the Germans to the Meuse River. Such a large attack meant the services of the division, such as its signal battalion, ammunition train, and in the case of Sgt Rockwell, the sanitary train, needed to be ready to support the massive advance. Such preparations had become routine after months of treating and transporting casualties, so by the morning of November 1st, they were ready.
The attack began with the troops following close behind a creeping barrage and was extremely successful. In combination with all other units reaching their objectives, the 2nd Infantry Division managed to break through the German line and entered the Bois de la Folie, with Sgt Rockwell’s Ambulance Company following close behind. As the division continued their rapid advance, so did transporting their casualties back to field hospitals, and during this time, Sergeant Rockwell was gassed while helping treat the wounded. A few days later on November 11th, 1918, the Armistice was declared which effectively ended the 2nd Infantry Division’s impressive combat lineage. After recovering from his wound, Rockwell rejoined his unit as they entered Germany for occupational duties. Already standing at an impressive six feet three inches for the time period, Sergeant Rockwell towered over the German family who he was billeted with, but was nonetheless well fed and cared for during his extended stay overseas. Once eight months of occupational duties were completed, Sergeant First Class Rockwell finally left France aboard the Virginian on July 23rd, 1919, arriving in New Jersey on August 4th and honorably discharged from the US Army on the 20th after experiencing over a year and a half overseas and five bloody campaigns. Returning to Massachusetts, Winthrop continued his career in the funeral business as an Undertaker, and joined the Freemasons in 1923, eventually becoming a 32nd Degree Mason by the time of his passing. In the 1920’s, Winthrop married Elsie Burnham and had two children, which prompted him to serve on the Watertown School Committee for many years. His son Arthur eventually took over the funeral business as he got older. Winthrop eventually passed away on March 23rd, 1978 in Watertown, where he lived for his entire life.
Shortly after, the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments of the 2nd Division repeatedly beat back German assaults launched through the nearby Belleau Wood, inflicting heavy casualties. On June 6th, the allies launched an attack of their own into Belleau, and the 4th Marine Brigade was met with murderous machine gun fire, but by nightfall, had captured Hill 142 and gained a foothold at a heavy price, with over one thousand casualties. For Pfc Rockwell, the attack on June 6th was his first real taste of the horrors of war, as the 23rd Ambulance Company had the grueling and seemingly never ending work of shuttling marine casualties back to field hospitals in the rear and acting as litter-bearers. This continued for the next twenty days until Belleau Wood was finally cleared of Germans on June 26th, ending one of the bloodiest battles of the war for the Americans with nearly ten thousand total casualties, and brought forth the nickname “devil dogs” for the marines that fought there.
Aisne-Marne
Rockwell and the 2nd Infantry Division remained in this sector until it was completely cleared on July 12th, and had only a few days rest until being ordered to the southernmost attack zone in the Soissons Sector on the 15th. The battle commenced three days later, with the Marine and Army regiments of the 2nd Infantry Division leading the attack, with Sergeant Rockwell’s Ambulance Company once again tasked with recovering and moving casualties back to the rear. On the fourth day, elements of the division assaulted and captured the Berzy-le-Sec, pushing the Germans back across the Crise River. It was during this period where the 2nd Sanitary Train was awarded their first Croix De Guerre by the French Government for “admirable qualities of endurance and indomitable will to conquer during the course of the attack on July 18th, 1918, southwest of Soissons.” After two months of nearly non stop action, the Ambulance Companies of the 2nd Sanitary Train were finally relieved of their casualty work when the division was pulled from the Soissons Sector on July 25th for a much needed rest and refit period. Even with new replacements gained during this period, the division was still short about seven thousand troops, a grim reminder of the amount of casualties taken from the Aisne-Marne campaign. Nevertheless, the division’s rest from July 25th to August 3rd was well needed to prepare Sergeant Rockwell for their next assignment in the region of Nancy. From August 5th to the 9th, the 2nd Infantry Division quietly relieved the front line troops in preparation for a fresh attack. For Sgt Rockwell and the medical staff of the division, a new attack meant new casualties to recover, and they planned accordingly. Thankfully, an attack never came, and the 2nd Infantry Division was relieved from the line on the night of August 15th-16th.
St Mihiel Offensive
With the Germans now on the defensive after Soissons, combined with large scale movements of American troops, it was very clear that something big was being planned. That “something” would turn out to be the St Mihiel Offensive, which kicked off on September 12th, 1918. Meticulous planning by American Generals would contribute heavily to the success of the offensive, which smashed through the Saint Mihiel salient with relative ease on the first day, but with the attacking force advancing so quickly, supporting units such as Sgt Rockwell’s 2nd Sanitary Train struggled to keep up. Thankfully, casualties for the division were relatively light, and the medical personnel was not overwhelmed. By September 15th, the offensive ended as a major success for the allies, but one last push was needed to end the war for good. However, it would not be in the St. Mihiel sector as the Germans believed. Instead, the entire 2nd Infantry Division was quickly relieved from the line on the night of September 15th-16th and ordered to assist the French Fourth Army during the upcoming Meuse Argonne Campaign.
Meuse-Argonne: The Final Drive
This move was fully completed by September 28th, two days after the offensive had begun. Progress was being made by the allies, but the Blanc Mont Ridge lay in the path of the advance. Since it was deemed impenetrable by the French, the task of capturing it was given to the 2nd Infantry Division who was ordered to the front line on October 2nd. The attack began the very next day with an intense bombardment of the enemy positions and a creeping barrage to cover the advance of the American troops. Watching the attack from the front line, Sgt Rockwell’s 23rd Ambulance Company readied themselves by creating dressing stations for the lightly wounded, assigning men as litter-bearers, and preparing ambulances for the anticipated casualties of the new advance. For the time being however, the 2nd Infantry Division’s troops had cleared all German forces leading up to Blanc Mont without much resistance, and began advancing up the ridge. By nightfall, they had captured a portion of their objective and a large group of the German headquarters detachments who were stationed at Blanc Mont. A mad dash by the Americans finally cleared the rest of the ridge, enabling the advance to continue, which was becoming increasingly bloody each day, evident by how many casualties Sgt Rockwell’s unit came into contact with. After a gruelling three days of combat, the division was pulled from the line to become the reserve force for the attack on St Etienne, minus a few battalions who would accompany the advance.
It was soon evident by the ferocity of the German defensive line that more units of the 2nd Infantry Division would be needed for the attack, including the ambulance companies for medical needs. On the night of October 9th-10th, the bulk of the 2nd Infantry Division was relieved from the front line after suffering five thousand casualties during the first phase of the Meuse Argonne Campaign. Yet again, Sgt Rockwell's 2nd Sanitary Train were awarded their second Croix de Guerre by the French for “courage under fire at the attack on October 3 on Blanc Mont and the Medeah Farm...Thanks to the valuable assistance thus rendered to the infantry operations, the enemy was driven from the banks of the Suippe and from the Massif de Notre Dame de Champs.” The next twelve days was their longest period of rest since they entered combat, but was also a period of great concern. The 2nd Infantry Division had been skeletonized by the French army, who kept the 2nd Engineers and the division artillery at the front to support the offensive, and it was feared that the division may cease to exist. By the time the division was once again mobilized and entered the line in the Argonne Forest in late October, all elements of the division were thankfully reunited. The purpose of this assignment was that the 2nd Infantry Division, which had gained a reputation from both sides as a crack unit, was chosen to lead the massive November 1st attack in the Argonne Forest to force the Germans to the Meuse River. Such a large attack meant the services of the division, such as its signal battalion, ammunition train, and in the case of Sgt Rockwell, the sanitary train, needed to be ready to support the massive advance. Such preparations had become routine after months of treating and transporting casualties, so by the morning of November 1st, they were ready.
The attack began with the troops following close behind a creeping barrage and was extremely successful. In combination with all other units reaching their objectives, the 2nd Infantry Division managed to break through the German line and entered the Bois de la Folie, with Sgt Rockwell’s Ambulance Company following close behind. As the division continued their rapid advance, so did transporting their casualties back to field hospitals, and during this time, Sergeant Rockwell was gassed while helping treat the wounded. A few days later on November 11th, 1918, the Armistice was declared which effectively ended the 2nd Infantry Division’s impressive combat lineage. After recovering from his wound, Rockwell rejoined his unit as they entered Germany for occupational duties. Already standing at an impressive six feet three inches for the time period, Sergeant Rockwell towered over the German family who he was billeted with, but was nonetheless well fed and cared for during his extended stay overseas. Once eight months of occupational duties were completed, Sergeant First Class Rockwell finally left France aboard the Virginian on July 23rd, 1919, arriving in New Jersey on August 4th and honorably discharged from the US Army on the 20th after experiencing over a year and a half overseas and five bloody campaigns. Returning to Massachusetts, Winthrop continued his career in the funeral business as an Undertaker, and joined the Freemasons in 1923, eventually becoming a 32nd Degree Mason by the time of his passing. In the 1920’s, Winthrop married Elsie Burnham and had two children, which prompted him to serve on the Watertown School Committee for many years. His son Arthur eventually took over the funeral business as he got older. Winthrop eventually passed away on March 23rd, 1978 in Watertown, where he lived for his entire life.