On my first reading of The Journal of David Knox, 1st Lt., I was aware of the potential drama regarding the fate of Captain Stanford. I strongly feel that Mr. Knox would approve of the changes I made to keep the fate of Captain Stanford in doubt. Ultimately, it took only the modification of three sentences to achieve this goal. This edited version willed be refered to as The David Knox Journal.
Photos that lead each section of The David Knox Journal were choosen to convey the setting for the text that follows. Unfortunately it was rarely possible to find suitable photos of the 30th Infantry Division. Please forgive this breech of intellectual integrity for the sake of drama. While the journal has a terse written style, it deserves an emotional appeal for the tramatic events it reports.
The fixed header for these pages features the shoulder patch of the 30th Infantry Division and the US Army Infantry Officer's Crossed Rifles. These were choosen as powerful symbols of wartime service that officers of the Infantry took great pride.
I am a avid reader and maker of maps. The story of Company "L" unfolds over vast distances of Europe. To provide the reader with a sense of place, and, that the efforts of Company "L" were not isolated, numerous maps are provided that track the 30th Infantry Division or the 119th Infantry Regiment or the 3d Battalion of the 119th Infantry (3/119th Infantry).
Having come across the un-edited text of a World War II diary, I was inspired to learn basic HTML so I could present the diary to a larger audience. However I failed to secure permission from the family and the effort seemed to have gone to waste.
But while researching background information for the diary I came across the The Journal of David F. Knox, 1st. Lt. With permission and encouragement from Warren Watson, webmaster for oldhickory30th.com, I completed the pages you are now viewing.
I have had a life long interest in the experience of the Infantry Soldiers of World War II. Over time I have accumulated knowledge of the language, equipment, tactics and operations of the US Army of that period.
During WWII the US Army reached a peak strength of 8 milllion men. Less than one million served in the Infantry. The Infantry accounted for over 90% of the casualties of the Army Ground Forces. While all military service is honorable and important, it is paramount to know and honor those who suffered the most and paid the highest price.