Tech5 Swanson W. Altice – 29th Div. 111th FAB – D-Day

Swanson Woodrow Altice (1916-1944)

Early Life

Swanson W. Altice was born on November 26, 1916 in Franklin County, Virginia. He was the 4th child and oldest son of Lester Fillmore and Nannie/Annie Blankenship Altice. The family eventually included at least 9 children who were all Virginia-born. Swanson’s older sisters included Glennie, Telitha, and Hazel Pauline. His younger brothers included Wilson/Wilbur, Fletcher, Boyd, Dolphus, and Alfred. The Altice family lived in a rural area near Roanoke in the south-western part of Virginia. At first, his father Lester worked on his rented farm, but by 1930 he was working in a rayon mill.

Education, Career, and Personal Life:

According to the 1940 census, Swanson had had the most education of all of his family members, having finished the 7th grade. In the 1940 census, Swanson claimed he was not working, but when he registered for the Draft on Oct. 16, 1940, he was working in South Charleston, West Virginia for the National Youth Administration, a New Deal job program. He is described as being 5 ft., 6 in. and 163 pounds with blue eyes, brown hair, and a light complexion. He was 23 years old in October of 1940.

Military Career:

Swanson W. Altice enlisted in the Army on April 11, 1941 in Roanoke, VA. This was before the U.S. entered WWII, so he was able to work his way up in the 29th Division during the more than 3 years that he served in the Army. The 29th Division was made up of many servicemen from Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. As early as 1942, the 29th began training west of London, England for a possible amphibious invasion. The servicemen were taught to swim and they were loaded with all their field gear, weighing up to 100 lbs. and then they practiced wading ashore in the surf.

Swanson had advanced to a Tech5 by June of 1944. He would have possessed specialized combat training and he would have been addressed as a Corporal or Tech Corporal. Swanson was in the 111th Field Artillery, which were equipped with 155mm howitzers. The 111th Field Artillery left England loaded into 13 DUKW’s (Duck) boats, which were stored in a LCT. Each DUKW carried one gun, about 14 men with their field gear, and sandbags and ammunition for the gun. These DUKW’s were heavily loaded and they were difficult to control in rough seas. When the the DUKW’s were ready to deploy in the 3rd wave of the assault at about 0800, the LCT’s doors opened and the DUKW’s drove into the waters of the Channel. Most sank right away. Only 1 gun was saved and it was deployed to another FA unit. The men struggled to reach the shore any way they could and many drowned. Without their heavy artillery, the men who made landfall and had their guns became infantrymen. Many other men who made landfall were hit by German artillery and gunfire on the beach and many were wounded or killed.

Death:

Swanson Altice may have been hit by German artillery while he struggled in the water, or he may have made it to Omaha Beach and been hit there. He was evacuated to a hospital where his wounds included artillery fragments to the face (cheek) and thigh. He died from his wounds, possibly also from drowning.

Post Death Events:

Swanson W. Altice was buried in the St. Laurent Cemetery in Baveux, France in Plot D, Row 3, Grave 55. His remains were returned to the U.S. and reinterred in Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 17, 1947 in Sec. 12, Grave no. 1360. He was awarded the Purple Heart medal posthumously.

References:

29th Division Association. 111th Field Artillery. https://29thdivisionassociation.com/29th-division-111th-field-artillery/

National Archives and Records Administration. Records of the Office of the Surgeon General (Army). 1775-1994. (Ancestry.com and Fold3 database.) U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954. https://www.fold3.com/record/704973181/altice-swanson-w-u-s-wwii-hospital-admission-card-files-1942-1954

National Archives and Records Administration. WWII Army Enlistment Records. https://www.fold3.com/record/86743936/swanson-w-altice-wwii-army-enlistment-records

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. U.S. Veterans' Gravesites, ca.1775-2019. https://www.fold3.com/record/706916327/altice-swanson-w-u-s-veterans-gravesites-ca-1775-2019

Wikipedia. Technician fifth grade_, _ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Technician_fifth_grade&oldid=969096758

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story. If you noticed anything missing in this profile, you may contact the author. Click on the author’s name located at the bottom of the story page next to the words “added by.”

Swanson W Altice