103rd Cactus Division

William J. Krul was inducted into the Service on December 10^th, 1942 from Hamtramck, MI.   He arrived at Camp Claiborne, LA on December 14^th for his basic training.  He was assigned to the 409^th Regiment; Company A.

  

He moved with the Division to Camp Howze in November 1943. Krul was promoted quickly into a leadership role and obtained the rank of S/Sgt on March 28^th, 1944.  In September of ’44 he was transported to Camp Shanks and boarded the USS Monticello for the ETO. 

 

On December 19^th, 1944, in the vicinity of Bollenborn, Germany, Krul’s Company was attacking the Siegfried Line in a north east direction to protect the Battalion’s left flank.  The 3d Platoon, led by Krul, was given the mission of securing a section of high ground in the Company’s front.  During the ensuing action, Krul was personally leading his platoon and had nearly reached its objective when fire from a concealed bunker and an adjacent machine gun opened on him.  In an effort to take the bunker by marching fire, Krul, still in front, was hit by enemy fire.  He was believed to have been killed, but due to the lack of positive proof was reported as MIA.  Conclusive evidence of Krul’s fate was not received until May 15, 1945.  He was 26 years of age and left a wife and son.

 

Krul was temporarily interred at Hochfelden Cemetery until his remains were repatriated to the US in 1949.  He now rests at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, MI.

 

In October of 2005, and largely through the efforts of his family and the Macomb County (Michigan) Department of Veterans Affairs, S/Sgt. Krul was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor.  The medal was presented to his son, Bill and family, at a special program of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners in Mt. Clemens, Michigan.