Many will recognize the name, but I'll wager many do not know the story and it's great.
Frank Denius was a 1942 graduate of Schreiner Institute in Kerrville before enrolling at the Citidel. He would leave there in 1943 to enlist in the Army as a private and was trained in Artillery. After the war he settled in Austin, where he would spend the rest of his life, and enrolled at the University of TEXAS earning degrees in business and law. His ties to TEXAS were strong and he gave generously to the athletic department. Our practice field is named after him.
He would land on Omaha Beach on D +1, the 7th of June where he was assigned to an Artillery forward observer unit with the 230th Artillery Battalion. The forward observer units operated behind enemy lines. It was while working behind enemy lines where Frank would earn his 1st Silver Star. His Lt was killed by enemy machine gun fire (FO units were prime targets) and now PFC Frank would take over spotting duty to provide supporting artillery to the 29th Infantry Division (personal note, one of those members of the 29th is a friend of Michelle and I's though sadly he has now passed away). His actions would result in his 1st Silver Star Award.
It was his actions in August that would earn the now Corporal Denius his 2nd Silver Star Award for his actions critical to blunting a major German counter-offensive. Below is from Texas Sports:
Frank would participate in all 5 major battles of WWII including the Battle of the Bulge. He would earn 4 Silver Stars in all and would finish as one of the Top 10 most decorated soldiers of the war.
His exploits are chronicled in his book, "On the Way" (an artillery term indicating a round had been fired at the FO so he was paying closer attention). Honored to have an autographed copy in my collection.
On a personal note, my wife's 1st in person game was Kansas 2005 which was also our annual Military Appreciation Day. We met Frank outside the Foundation and chatted with him for 20-30 minutes, he was facinated that it was Michelle's 1st game. He could not have been more gracious.
Part of this was influenced by my sharing the story of Uncle Ferd Wright (technically a cousin but Uncle fit better) who was also my Dad's best friend. Ferd was a crewman on a B 26 who flew 2 missions on D-Day which meant he was in the air 8-12 hours.
Ferd in front of his B 26
L-R, Wayne Wright, Ferd's son and Vietnam Huey pilot, Uncle Ferd and my brother Don who was a speaker at a Veteran's Day event.
B 26 with Normandy invasion stripes.
Frank Denius was a 1942 graduate of Schreiner Institute in Kerrville before enrolling at the Citidel. He would leave there in 1943 to enlist in the Army as a private and was trained in Artillery. After the war he settled in Austin, where he would spend the rest of his life, and enrolled at the University of TEXAS earning degrees in business and law. His ties to TEXAS were strong and he gave generously to the athletic department. Our practice field is named after him.
He would land on Omaha Beach on D +1, the 7th of June where he was assigned to an Artillery forward observer unit with the 230th Artillery Battalion. The forward observer units operated behind enemy lines. It was while working behind enemy lines where Frank would earn his 1st Silver Star. His Lt was killed by enemy machine gun fire (FO units were prime targets) and now PFC Frank would take over spotting duty to provide supporting artillery to the 29th Infantry Division (personal note, one of those members of the 29th is a friend of Michelle and I's though sadly he has now passed away). His actions would result in his 1st Silver Star Award.
It was his actions in August that would earn the now Corporal Denius his 2nd Silver Star Award for his actions critical to blunting a major German counter-offensive. Below is from Texas Sports:
In Normandy two weeks later, Frank Denius was again supporting the 2nd Battalion, 120th Infantry when they moved into position at Mortain on August 6. Early the next day, the Germans launched a massive counteroffensive with 70,000 troops, determined to reach the sea and divide the Allied armies. Their attack started by sweeping west, through and past Mortain, towards Avranches and the coast. Hill 314 (some sources identify it as Hill 317) was the dominant terrain in the area and it lay astride the two main roads leading west out of Mortain. Approximately 700 men of the battalion and its attached units gathered there and consolidated their defense of Hill 314. For the next six days they would be cut off, surrounded, and repeatedly attacked until they were out of ammunition and nearly defenseless, except for one thing. From their vantage point, the observers -- Frank Denius among them -- could call fire missions wherever they could see the enemy and they could see from horizon to horizon. They dealt terrible destruction on the Germans and the counterattack to the sea failed because of it. Late on August 10, the Americans on the hill received an airdrop of supplies relieving the critical shortage of ammunition and rations. However, they were out of medical supplies and the untreated wounded were dying as a result. In one of the most unusual happenings of the war, the 230th Artillery emptied some of their base ejection projectiles and filled them with bandages, dressings, sulfanilamide and morphine syrettes. On the evening of August 10 and again on August 11, Frank Denius directed the shelling of his own position with the medical supply-filled rounds. At least some of the projectiles were recovered with serviceable contents intact, and those supplies were critically needed. Late in the morning of August 12, other 30th Infantry Division units reached Hill 314 and relieved the 376 survivors that were still able to walk away from the hill. One of those survivors was Frank Denius, who afterwards was decorated with a second award (first oak leaf cluster) of the Silver Star.
Frank would participate in all 5 major battles of WWII including the Battle of the Bulge. He would earn 4 Silver Stars in all and would finish as one of the Top 10 most decorated soldiers of the war.
His exploits are chronicled in his book, "On the Way" (an artillery term indicating a round had been fired at the FO so he was paying closer attention). Honored to have an autographed copy in my collection.
On a personal note, my wife's 1st in person game was Kansas 2005 which was also our annual Military Appreciation Day. We met Frank outside the Foundation and chatted with him for 20-30 minutes, he was facinated that it was Michelle's 1st game. He could not have been more gracious.
Part of this was influenced by my sharing the story of Uncle Ferd Wright (technically a cousin but Uncle fit better) who was also my Dad's best friend. Ferd was a crewman on a B 26 who flew 2 missions on D-Day which meant he was in the air 8-12 hours.
Ferd in front of his B 26
L-R, Wayne Wright, Ferd's son and Vietnam Huey pilot, Uncle Ferd and my brother Don who was a speaker at a Veteran's Day event.
B 26 with Normandy invasion stripes.
