Arthur Blatman
Last Name: Blatman [1]
First Name: Arthur [2]
Middle Initial/Name: Martin [3]
Nickname: Artie; Ottie [4]
Birthdate: April 4, 1917 [5]
Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA [6]
Wilmington Residence: When he registered for the draft in October of 1940 he listed his address as, “213 W. 2nd Street, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware.” [7]
High School: Wilmington High School class of 1935[8]
Secondary School:
Civilian Occupation Prior to Service: Blatman Bakery, at the same address as his home, 213 W. 2nd Street, Wilmington, Delaware. [9]
Branch of Armed Services: United States Army
Armed Services Serial Number: 32072580 [10]
Service Duration: October 16, 1940 to March 8, 1945.
Training Grounds/Domestic Locations: Fort Dix, NJ; Fort Bragg, NC (Field Artillery – Mountain fighting with mules; Tried to join the Army Air Corps (unsuccessful); Officer Candidate School, Ft. Sill, OK, 97th Field Artillery Btn., Battery B.; Camp Polk, LA, also Athletic Director for Camp Polk; Fort Knox, KY [11]
Unit(s): 97th Field ARtillery Battalion, Batery 'B'; 399th Armored F.A. Bn HQ. Btry.[12]
Rank(s): Prvt.; Cpl.; Lt.[13]
Theater(s) of Operation: Pacific; Europe [14]
Locations: Noumea (New Caledonia); England; (Liverpool, London, Bournemouth); France; Belgium; Holland; Germany. [15]
Campaigns/Battles: : Battle of Guadalcanal
Military Occupation/Specialty: Field Artillery. Forward Artillery Observer. [16]
Awards/Honors: Bronze Star on Asiatic Pacific ribbon for Battle of Guadalcanal; Purple Heart and Bronze Star. [17]
Memorials: Establishment of the Arthur M. Blatman Post 767 Jewish War Veterans organization; At the annual Sports Night at the Jewish Community Center of Wilmington, Delaware, announced the Arthur Blatman Sportsmanship Award; [18]
Of Interest: Letters containing detailed descriptions of training and road marches; Letters to Mr. Sollod about requesting a discharge; Letters in '43 detailing struggles at officer's school. In a News Journal article written by William P. Frank on May 17, 1945 it was stated, “Lieut. Arthur Blatman of Wilmington, now attached to an armored field artillery unit, recently ‘sacrificed’ his life to aid the advance of his unit. Blatman was a forward observer and as such he crossed a river, dismounted with his men, carried a portable radio with him, located the enemy units and gave information to his artillery when he was captured. Just before the enemy marched in on him – guns drawn, etc. – Blatman had flicked off his radio but while being questioned he surreptitiously turned on his radio and spoke presumably to his captors: ‘If I hadn’t been captured I’d call for fire upon this position … 20 times … 20 times … 20 times!’ Hearing this message, his side some miles away opened fire on the portable radio site and ‘blew’ Blatman and the enemy to bits.” [19]
Delaware Connection(s): Mendel Fine, Harry First, Joe First, Sid Greenstein, Gus Reissman, Abe Lewis, Bruce Findsey, Marty Balick, Lou and Max Simon, Dave Glazer, George Mittleman, Morty Sklut, Jake Kovner, D.L. Weiner, Emil Cohen, George Weiner, Bertram Braunstein, Moe Braunstein, George Slonsky, J.F. (Franny) Walsh, Milton Cohen.
Discharge Date:
Where Returned:
Did Not Return: Killed in Action. [20]
Death Date: March 8, 1945 [21]
Death Place: Oseberg, Kreis Wesel, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Death Cause: Killed in action.
Place of Burial: Jewish Community Center Cemetery, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. [22]
Photo:
First Letter to Mollye: 05/02.1941
Last Letter to Mollye: 03/11/1945
Number of Folders in Mollye Collection: 9
Y Recorder link(s):
Delawares WWII Fallen Profile:
Oral History Interview(s):
Later Work:
Date of Marriage:
Spouse Name:
Spouse Nickname:
Spouse Birthdate:
Spouse Birthplace:
Spouse Death Date:
Spouse Death Place:
Name(s) of Children:
Survivors/Relation:
Father's Name: Joseph Blatman [23]
Mother's Name: Lena Diamond Blatman [24]
Birthplace of Father: Russia [25]
Birthplace of Mother: Russia [26]
Sources:
CITATIONS
PROFILE
- ↑ National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For Delaware, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 6
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ The Mollye Collection of letters, Jewish Historical Society of Delaware.
- ↑ National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For Delaware, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 6; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50338542/arthur_martin-blatman
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) · Wed, Feb 19, 1964 · Page 21.
- ↑ National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For Delaware, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 6
- ↑ https://aad.archives.gov/aad/print-record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=all&tf=F&q=Arthur+M.+Blatman&bc=&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=2741701
- ↑ The Mollye Collection of letters, Jewish Historical Society of Delaware.
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ The Mollye Collection of letters, Jewish Historical Society of Delaware; The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) · Wed, May 17, 1944 [correction, should be 1945] · Page 6
- ↑ The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) · Tue, Aug 7, 1945 · Page 16; The Mollye Collection of letters, Jewish Historical Society of Delaware.
- ↑ The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) · Wed, Feb 19, 1964 · Page 21; The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) · Sat, Mar 22, 1958 · Page 3
- ↑ The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) · Wed, May 17, 1944 [correction, should be 1945] · Page 6
- ↑ The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) · Wed, Mar 30, 1949 · Page 56
- ↑ (ibid.) ; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50338542/arthur_martin-blatman
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ Year: 1920; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 2, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1615; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 53
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ (ibid.)
- ↑ (ibid.)