Military Service through the years
“It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant to edit newspapers! In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late.
Accordingly, I’m readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I’ll, in turn, do my best for the Cause by writing editorials – after the fact.” ~ Robert E. Lee, 1863
Maybe things haven’t change THAT much since the Civil War.
Only family members who are KNOWN to be direct relatives are listed.
| Name | Rank | Birthplace (Nativity) |
Residence at signup |
Age at signup |
Date of signup |
Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh LIVINGSTON | Private | Missouri | Browning, Illinois [Map] | 19 | 2 August 1862 | Farmer |
| Remarks: Enlisted as Private; Enlisted in Company B, 119th Infantry Regiment Illinois on 7 October 1862. Transferred on 11 February 1864. Transferred in Regiment RC on 11 February 1864. Listed as “Distinguished Service”. Unit Numbers: 295 295. Civil War Pension Index: filed in Missouri, listed as Hugh Livingston-Invalid June 14, 1879 — Mary Jane Livingston – Widow Dec 15, 1886. B-119 Illinois Infantry-C-4 V.R.C. | ||||||
More information about the regiments can be found via the Civil War Soldiers & Sailors site on the Regiments picture/link. From there you can pull up information by entering Union, Illinois, 119 for Unit number.
| Name | Rank | Birthplace (Nativity) |
Residence at signup |
Age at signup |
Date of signup |
Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basil E. SINCLAIR | Private | Pollock, Missouri | Route 3, Pollock, Sullivan Co., MO [Map] | 30 | 5/25/1918 | Minister |
| Remarks: Served overseas from 8/16/1918 to 5/31/1919. | ||||||
Note: If you are researching a person from Missouri who served in World War I, try Missouri State Archive Records – Soldiers 1812 – WWI.
| Name | Rank | Birthplace (Nativity) |
Residence at signup |
Age at signup |
Date of signup |
Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova L “Jack” COFFMAN | Private 1st Class, Army | Missouri | ||||
| Remarks: Prisoner of War. He was in the Infantry of the U.S. Army in the European Theatre (Germany). He was captured in 1945 and liberated the following year. He was held in Stalag 12A to 9B Limburg An Der Lahn Hessen-Nassau, Prussia [Map] 50-08.[1] | ||||||
| Name | Rank | Birthplace (Nativity) |
Residence at signup |
Age at signup |
Date of signup |
Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl A HANSMAN | Captain, U.S. Army Air Forces | California | Navigator | |||
| 793rd Bomber Squadron, 468th Bomber Group, Very Heavy | ||||||
| Remarks: Died on 14 February 1945 while evading captivity on Malaya (or Malaysia [Map]. He was a navigator on a “B-29 which crashed in Negeri Sembilan was registered as 42-24704 of the 793rd Bomb Squadron of the 468 Bomb Group [4] flying out from Kharagpur, India. It was named Postville Express. The B-29 mission was to bomb Singapore Drydock which was used by the Japanese to repair battle damage Japanese carrier and ships.[2][5] The aircraft was lost on January 11, 1945 [7] which means Carl evaded capture for over a month before his death.
Awards: Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters.[3] Monument: Fort William Mckinley, Manila, the Philippines.[6] Other: Augustus Robert Hansmann WWI Registration Card — Carl’s father. |
||||||
1. For further details, see U. S. National Archives & Records Administration. This link is to the search page. Enter a name in the search.
2. For further details including other members of the crew, see Aircraft Archaeology in Malaya [Note: This site is down. I do have a complete copy of it. If it does not come back on-line or I don’t find it at a different location, I will post it on this site. The information is too interesting and valuable to not have available.***] Also see Negeri Sembilan – Malaysia, B-29 “Postville Express” serial number 42-24704. Read the Story of Postville Express and B-29 “Postville Express” Serial Number 42-24704.
3. For further details, see American Battle Monuments Commission. Enter Hansman Carl to obtain his information.
4. For further details, see ArmyAirForces.com 468 Bomb Group. Note that this site is transitioning to a forum format. We can no longer reach the data but are promised it is intact. Once the new site is established, this link will be replaced. ~ Updated 1-Dec-2015. Note: 13-Apr-2019 Sadly, the site has been closed.
5. Another sources on this aircraft’s fate is: 56 Years ago – 1-15 JAN 1945. Search for “11 JANUARY 1945” for quicker access.
6. Source is World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas records on Ancestry.Com.
7. Source is B-29 “Postville Express” Serial Number 42-24704. This page provides details of that event and lists the crew.
Commander – Lt. Col. Robinson Billings
Pilot – Maj. Donald Humphrey
Navigator = Captain C. A. Hansman (survived, later KIA)
Bombardier – 1st Lt. William F.Duffy
Engineer – 1st Lt. Ernest C. Saltzman
Radio – T/Sgt. M. A. Kundrat
Radar Observer – 1st Lt. M. J. Govednick (POW)
CFC Gunner – S/Sgt J. A. MacDonald (POW)
Left Gunner – T/Sgt H. D. Gillett (POW)
Right Gunner – T/Sgt Ralph Lindley (POW)
Tail Gunner – S/Sgt R. E. Spratt
*** Site no longer exists. 13-Apr-2019
Page updated 15-Mar-2016.