Albert Hein

ASN:36326744

Albert William Hein enlisted in the Army of the United States on September 29, 1933, to serve for a 3-year period. Born February 5, 1915, he was from Chicago, Illinois.

First Sergeant Albert Hein

He served as a Private First Class with Battery E of the 3rd Field Artillery, Fort Sheridan, Illinois. PFC Hein was honorably discharged from his service on October 4, 1936, by reason of expiration of his term of service.

On October 16, 1940, he registered for the draft in Chicago, Illinois. This twenty-seven-year-old was 5-9, 145 pounds with a light complexion, blonde hair, blue eyes and no other obvious physical characteristics. At the time he was employed at Naxin Utilites of Chicago, Illinois.

PFC Hein returned to active service on March 25, 1942 at Camp Grant, Illinois. He was then assigned and trained at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and promoted to Corporal, A-Battery, 319th Field Artillery Battalion, June 22, 1942.

The 319th transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in August 1943, Corporal Hein was assigned as a gun crewman.

The 82nd Airborne was deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and Corporal Hein sailed with the battalion to North Africa arriving in Casablanca May 10, 1943.

Company Morning Reports

Company Morning Reports were produced every morning by the individual Army units to record personnel matters. The following events for Albert Hein were reported:

  • December 21, 1943, appointed Sgt. from Corporal, effective the 20th. Station: Camp Ballyscullion, Northern Ireland.

  • January 11, 1944, from duty to furlough 9 days. Station: Camp Ballyscullion, Northern Ireland.

  • January 20, 1944, from furlough to duty. Station: Camp Ballyscullion, Northern Ireland.

  • July 18, 1944, from duty to furlough 5 days to Leicester, England at 0600. Station: Papillon Hall, 4 miles west of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England WF 1406.

  • July 23, 1944, from furlough to duty. Station: Papillon Hall, 4 miles west of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England WF 1406.

  • June 19, 1945, transferred to A-Battery, 681st Glider Field Artillery. Station: Lubtheen, Germany RT Nord DeGuerre.

  • June 11, 1945, promoted to 1st Sgt. Station: Lubtheen, Germany RT Nord DeGuerre.

First Sergeant Albert Hein fought in the major campaigns of Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Normandy, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.

While stationed in North Africa the 319th was bivouacked near Bizerte, Tunisia, prior to the Italian campaign in September 1943. There, SGT Hein (standing 2nd soldier from left) posed with other A-Battery soldiers during training. Dave Stelow and Harold Jinders (kneeling R-L -other soldiers unknown) trained with the 319th’s forward echelon in Tunisia and also fought in all the major campaigns.

During the 82nd Airborne campaigns in Central Europe, the 319th’s combat echelons were fighting in Normandy, Holland, Belgium and Germany. Group battery photos (when permitted) were often taken near their gun sections. The photos below were taken in Normandy and near Hurth, Germany.

Following the Holland campaign while stationed in Suippes, France, First Sergeant Hein received his Glider Qualification Certificate. Issued and signed (see below) by Captain Charles Sartain and Lt. Colonel James Todd on December 8, 1944.

The Adjusted Service Rating Score (ASR) was a system the U.S. Army used at the end of the war to determine when soldiers were eligible for discharge. First Sergeant Hein (112 points) was one of many “High Point” soldiers with a score over 85 points.

Prior to returning to the USA on September 14, 1945, First Sergeant Hein posed with the 319th officer section in Epinal, France. He also appeared in the A-Battery group photo taken June 20, 1945 in Epinal, France.

Standing (L-R); Tom Ludwick, Arno Mundt, Al Hein, Marvin Ragland, Charles Sartain, Calvin Hightower, Ed Spencer, Vince Buinowski - Kneeling (L-R); John Girardin, Sal Covais, Bob Rappi, Dave Stelow, Harold Peters, Thurman King, Marvin Fellman, Thomas Legg, unknown - Chief of Sections, Epinal, France

In a 2004 interview A-Battery soldier Bob Rappi recalled; “Staff Sergeant Albert ‘Heinie’ Hein as a very reliable soldier, who was promoted to First Sergeant. Hein was thirty years old, married, and had already done a hitch in the service when he re-enlisted in 1942, he was in the regular army. The battery itself was composed of six guns, or sections, with their crews. Hein was the man in charge of the number one crew. I (Rappi) succeeded Hein as Able Battery’s Chief of Sections. They made them officers and Sergeants faster than us guys coming out of the woods, but Hein was a pretty good guy and I liked him.”  

First Sergeant Hein separated from the service on September 30, 1945, at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and returned to civilian life. He proudly held a Recognition Certificate issued for Meritorious Service by his home State of Illinois in 1947.

Photos and images courtesy of the Albert Hein family

His service was awarded with the Good Conduct Medal, Distinguished Merit Badge with Oak Leaf Cluster, European/African Middle Eastern Service Medal Ribbon with 1 Silver Battle Star, 1 Bronze Battle Star, 4 overseas Service Bars, 2 Service Stripes, Belgian Fourragere, and one Bronze Arrowhead.

Albert Hein, 68, died May 13, 1983.

God Bless this hero.