Sgt. James Merlyn Molgaard
120th Inf. Regiment
2nd Battalion
Company E

Click for a video clip of Mr. Molgaard talking about Mortain.

Click on all photos to enlarge!

  Discharge Papers   Separation Papers

    Stars and Stripes article...story of the "Lost Battalion" at Mortain.

Mr. Molgaard remembers US GIs digging potatoes from a small farmer's garden during the day.  The farmer related that German soldiers did the same during the night.

Hometown, Audubon, Iowa article. Mortain article.

Hometown, Audubon, Iowa article.

  Special Diploma presented by France...see letter.

    July 29th, 1944 Bronze Star.

  From 120th official history book.  Map of July 29th area.

    Aug. 11th, 1944 Bronze Star.

  Sept. 21st. 1944 Bronze Star...Award missing.

From 120th official history book. Maps of Sept. 21st area.

Dec. 6th, 1944 Chaplain Letter home.

Piece of one of the Blue parachutes that dropped supplies on top of Hill 314.  Sgt. Molgaard and the men that went to retrieve the supplies decided to all take a piece of the parachute.  The only supplies they were able to obtain were K-rations.  Sgt. Molgaard carried the piece all the way back to Iowa and graciously allowed me to scan it. Below is a couple of paragraphs from Robert Wiess' great book on Mortain, FIRE MISSION.  It describes the air drop and even the colors of the parachutes...BLUE and ORANGE.

Mortain photo and map. 

Distinguished Unit Citation for 2nd Battalion at Mortain.

Article in hometown newspaper...May, 2006.