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Team MII 439-G

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Revision as of 03:22, 20 September 2026 by Admin (talk | contribs) (Curtis/Walker commendations; May 1945 M/Sgt roster; GO 133 Good Conduct Medal)
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Soldiers whose infobox lists team MII 439-G. If someone is missing or listed in error, edit that soldier's page.

The full roster is also at Category:Team MII 439-G.

Class-roster terms: About the data.

Soldiers


Associated IPW Team 69 (SO 103)

Kurt Kugelmann and William R. Malsh appear on the roster with MII 439-G and were listed together on IPW Team 69 in MITC Special Orders No. 103 (29 April 1944) (scan).

SO #125 (22 May 1944)

Kurt Kugelmann and William R. Malsh (with IPW Team 69) appear on Replacement Depot No. 2 SO #125 assigning IPW teams to Hq MIS / FID (scan).

SO 135 (23 May 1944)

IPW Team 69 (including Kurt Kugelmann; William R. Malsh lined through as Walsh) was placed on DS with FID by Hq MIS ETOUSA SO 135 (scan).

SO 145 (2 June 1944)

IPW Team 69 (including Kurt Kugelmann and William R. Malsh) was attached to Third U.S. Army for duty with Headquarters, XX Corps (scan).

Special Orders F-84 (7 December 1944)

MIS (Forward) Special Orders F-84 (APO 887), 7 December 1944, paragraph 21, assigned the following to MII Team 439-G, attached to 12th Army Group, initially reporting for duty with XX Corps of Third U.S. Army, and directed them to proceed to Headquarters Third U.S. Army (G-2) without delay by organic motor transportation:

  • 1st Lt William R. Malsh (01596715) QMC (order middle initial H.)
  • S/Sgt Kurt Kugelmann (32906164)
  • Pvt Jerry G. H. Lissner (32090157) — no roster page matched yet
  • Pvt Walter J. Herz (32983122) — no roster page matched yet
  • Pvt Oscar Moss (36895439) — no roster page matched yet

Hand annotation on the extract: “MII 439 G”. Page 2 scan · page 1.

Team status reports (December 1944–March 1945)

Activated 8 December 1944 (SO F-84). Attached to Third U.S. Army for duty with XX Corps (G-2), APO 340.

Roster (31 December 1944 / 29 January 1945 / 31 March 1945)

  • Lt / 1st Lt William R. Malsh — OIC (ASN 01596715 / O-1596715)
  • S/Sgt → Tech/Sgt Kurt Kugelmann (32906164)
  • Pvt → T/5 Oscar Moss (ASN variants 36895439 / 36895493 on reports)
  • Pvt → T/5 Walter J. Herz (ASN variants 32983122 / 32983132)
  • Pvt → T/5 Jerry G. Lissner (ASN variants 32090157 / 32990157)

29 January 1945 status report: promotions per SO No. F-18, Hq MIS (Fwd) ETOUSA — Kugelmann to Tech/Sgt; Moss, Herz, and Lissner to T/5. 15 January 1945: negative report on casualties/awards for the referenced December period. 19 January 1945 MIS transmittal invites attention to an 8 January XX Corps letter on team personnel.

Vehicles on 31 March 1945 report: jeeps WD 20455916 and 20490257; 1/4-ton trailer WD 0631772.

Jeep casualty (Kugelmann)

Annex to March 1945 team status report: on 26 August 1944 S/Sgt Kugelmann was injured in a jeep accident south of Étampes, France, while on duty with Hq XX Corps (IPW Team 69)—fracture of the right acromion and subconjunctival hemorrhages in both eyes—evacuated via clearing station, 34th and 77th Field Hospitals (France), and 216th General Hospital (England). The annex states he still suffered after-effects when reporting as a member of MII 439-G.

Rheingönheim intelligence report (21 January 1945)

SECRET report from HQ XX Corps, MII Team 439-G (signed Lt. William R. Walsh / Malsh), 21 January 1945: civilian informant Henry Oettinger (Thionville) on “Chilinin Werk” war factory at Rheingönheim (possible V-weapon production) and 105 mm AA Batteries 2 and 5 nearby; six snapshots referenced.

XX Corps Signal commendation (9 April 1945)

Col. C. A. Carlsten, Signal Officer, Headquarters XX Corps, 9 April 1945, commended 1st Lt. William R. Walsh (Malsh) and the members of MII Team 439-G, in particular Technical Sergeant Kurt Kugelmann, for locating telephone exchanges, repeater stations, and underground cable routes (Metz–Saarlautern; Marnheim–Wiesbaden) by questioning civilians—data used for wire circuits and forwarded to Twelfth Army Group.

Research notes

  • March 1945 roster ASN variants for Moss/Herz/Lissner differ slightly from SO F-84; no soldier pages matched yet for those three EM.
  • May 1945 status report types SO F-84 date as “7 December 45” (activation was Dec 1944). Herz / Moss / Lissner still have no Classes 1–31 roster soldier pages.

Commendation chain (April 1945)

Following the 9 April Signal Officer letter, Col. James O. Curtis, Jr., AC of S, G-2, XX Corps, wrote a 1st Indorsement on 12 April 1945 praising 1st Lt William R. Malsh and MII Team 439-G since attachment on 7 December 1944 and recommending a commendation or other recognition. On 30 April 1945 Lt. Gen. Walton H. Walker, Commanding General, XX Corps, added a 2d Indorsement commending the team’s outstanding performance (referencing the Signal Officer and G-2).

Team status report (May 1945)

31 May 1945 status report (received Hq MIS 12 June): still attached to Third Army / XX Corps per SO F-84. Roster:

  • 1st Lt William R. Malsh (0-1596715) QMC — OIC
  • M/Sgt Kurt Kugelmann (32906164)
  • T/4 Walter J. Herz (32983132)
  • T/4 Oscar Moss (36895493)
  • T/4 Jerry G. H. Lissner (32990157)

Awards line: “Commendation, see attached copies.” Casualties: none. Same jeeps/trailer as March.

Good Conduct Medal (GO 133, 30 July 1945)

Headquarters XX Corps General Orders No. 133, 30 July 1945, Section III, awarded the Enlisted Man’s Good Conduct Medal (AR 600-68) to the enlisted men of Military Intelligence Interpretation Team Number 439-G:

  • Master Sergeant Kurt Kugelmann (32906164)
  • Technician Fourth Grade Walter J. Herz (32983132)
  • Technician Fourth Grade Jerry Lissner (32990157)
  • Technician Fourth Grade Oscar Moss (36895493)

Gallery

Sources