Comes with a hand-signed C.O.A.

Soldier: Cpl. James F. Crowder (34579164)

Unit: Battery C - 691st Field Artillery Battalion (U.S. Army)

Division: The 691st Field Artillery Battalion was a separate artillery battalion assigned to support different divisions including the 84th Infantry Division, 102nd Infantry Division, 8th Armored Division, and 75th Infantry Division.

Combat Role: The Field Artillery Battalion operated 105 mm howitzers, providing artillery support for advancing infantry and armored forces.

Documented Unit Combat: Fighting along Germany’s western approaches with the 84th Infantry Division during November and December 1944. Support for the 102nd Infantry Division’s planned operations around Brachelen and the Roer River in January 1945.

Later Operational Connections: Support for the 8th Armored Division in February 1945 and the 75th Infantry Division during March and April 1945, during the Allied advance toward and beyond the Rhine.

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This rare World War II American Bible Society pocket New Testament bears the handwritten identification of a U.S. Army soldier of Cpl. James F. Crowder. His recorded assignment, “Battery C, 691 F.A. BN,” identifies Battery C of the 691st Field Artillery Battalion. The ownership page includes an Army serial number that appears to read 34579164 and names Mrs. Frank Crowder of Tyrone, Georgia, as his nearest relative. These personal inscriptions connect the volume to an American artillery soldier and the family he left at home. Its dark, textured cover retains gold “New Testament” lettering, with rubbing, worn corners, and aged paper consistent with extended handling and combat usage.

Published in New York by the American Bible Society, the volume contains the New Testament in the King James translation. Its production code, “2384M·42,” suggests a 1942 printing. The year 1816 on the title page identifies the society’s founding, rather than the book’s publication date. Inside, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s printed message encourages members of the armed forces to find strength, wisdom, and inspiration in Scripture. The accompanying presidential signature is a printed facsimile.

The inscribed unit connects this artifact with American artillery operations in northwestern Europe. Equipped with 105 mm howitzers, the 691st Field Artillery Battalion supplied supporting fire to infantry and armored formations. The battalion supported the 84th Infantry Division from November 23 through December 20, 1944, during fighting along Germany’s western approaches. In January 1945, it formed part of an artillery grouping supporting the 406th Infantry Regiment of the 102nd Infantry Division in preparations for operations around Brachelen and the Roer River. These assignments place the battalion within the difficult winter fighting that preceded the Allied advance deeper into Germany.

During the closing months of the European war, the battalion supported the 8th Armored Division from February 21 through February 27, 1945, followed by assignments supporting the 75th Infantry Division during March and April. Its operational history therefore connects it with the wider Allied offensives toward and beyond the Rhine. Artillery service depended on coordinated work by gun crews, forward observers, communications personnel, ammunition handlers, and drivers. Their howitzers suppressed enemy positions, supported advancing troops, and delivered defensive fire against counterattacks.