The Corbin Family: Military Service and Sacrifice in the 20th Century
The story of PFC Cecil D. Corbin offers a glimpse into the lives of ordinary Americans who served their country during times of global conflict. His family history, marked by multi-generational military service and resilience in the face of economic hardship, provides a compelling backdrop to his own contributions during World War II.
Early Life and Family Background
Cecil D. Corbin's early life was shaped by the challenges of the early 20th century. Prior to his marriage with Bertha Waldrep, Neal lived with his parents, William and Rebecca Corbin, in Chipley, FL, about twenty minutes Northwest of Tallahassee. During World War I, Cecil’s father, Neal Corbin, enlisted on July 16, 1918. Neal Corbin likely separated from Bertha shortly after returning from military service, as he is listed as married at the time of his discharge. By 1920, however, Bertha and her daughter Gladys had relocated to Georgia, while Cecil and Earl lived with their grandparents, William and Rebecca Corbin, in Chipley, Florida. Their father, Neal, may have also been living there, though he does not appear on the 1920 census with his parents and sons. The family worked on the farm, with William and his three older sons cultivating the land and their grandmother, Rebecca, likely taking care of Cecil and Earl. In 1930, Cecil and Earl still lived with their grandparents, but only one of their uncles lived at home. Both boys attended school. In 1935, their living situation changed again when William Corbin passed away on February 12, 1935. Cecil, Earl, and their grandmother, Rebecca, then moved to Lynn Haven, FL, to live with Neal and his new wife, Lizzie. The relocation, combined with the country’s ongoing struggles during the Great Depression, likely led Cecil to stop his education after eighth grade, and Earl after sixth grade.
Service in the Panama Canal Zone
As the US moved away from imperialist policies in South America, National Socialist Germany broke the terms of the Versailles Treaty and began openly rebuilding Germany’s military. Cecil’s and Earl’s responsibilities while at the Canal Zone included protecting US shipping interests and the Canal from possible attacks. Once hostilities began in 1939, the US Congress invested $50 million into the Canal Zone to protect US shipping and prepare in case the war, led by numerous imperial powers, spilled into the Western hemisphere.
Protecting Vital Infrastructure: Ft. Brady and the Soo Locks
After Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, President Roosevelt increased defenses at critical American installations. The troops at Ft. Brady protected the Soo Locks, a major shipping channel through which ninety percent of US iron ore passed on its way to steel mills in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Service in Iceland
Even before the US entered World War II, Iceland’s US representative, Vilhjalmr Thor, asked, in July 1941, for the State Department to place Iceland under US protection according to the Monroe Doctrine. Though considered outdated by 1941, the 1823 Doctrine provided a diplomatic loophole for the US to protect British interests while also maintaining neutrality. The British occupied Iceland until the US took control later that year.
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From Normandy to Metz: Cecil Corbin's Combat Experience in Europe
On August 9, 1943, Cecil’s 5th ID redeployed to England for advanced training and then moved to Northern Ireland for additional preparations. Subsequently, the 5th ID crossed the British Channel to France after the Battle for Normandy. Cecil and his Division arrived at Utah Beach in Normandy on July 9, 1944 about one month into the Battle for Normandy which began on June 6, 1944. Upon its arrival on French soil, Cecil’s 5th ID was assigned to the First Army, and on July 13, 1944, it relieved the 1st ID at Caumont-sur-Orne, in the region of Calvados, twenty miles south of the city of Caen in Normandy. The Allies used Caumont as a defensive position, and the 5th ID saw little combat there until July 21, when a German platoon attacked the town. Two days after this attack, the British army took control of the Caumont sector, and Cecil’s 5th ID traveled twenty-six miles west, in the direction of St. By July 26, Cecil and the rest of the 10th attacked the Southwest region of Vidouville. They fought all morning on July 30 to capture Hill 183. After successfully overcoming the Germans and repelling their counterattack, the 10th secured the line of departure for other 5th ID regiments to attack the following morning, which ultimately won the battle. On August 4, 1944, after the Allied victory at Vidouville, Cecil’s 5th ID fell under the command of Lieutenant-General George Patton’s Third Army and headed Southeast. On August 7, 1944, it reached the outskirts of Angers, a strategic city with bridges over the Maine and Loire Rivers. On the morning of August 8, the 2nd regiment of the 5th ID went Northwest of Nantes to contain any German forces from moving North or East. That night, the 11th regiment, also of the 5th ID, met heavy resistance in front of the Prunier railway bridge, the last remaining bridge over the Maine River. The Germans attempted to destroy the bridge, triggering brutal combat, but failed to stop the advancing Allied forces. On August 10, Cecil’s 10th attacked the city from the north and, at full strength, overwhelmed the Germans. To advance swiftly, the 5th ID and its infantry regiments kept a pace of fifty to ninety miles a day, traveling only with their essentials. Cecil and his combat comrades lived off K-rations, while the Army repurposed their kitchen and supply trucks to haul troops. Soldiers packed vehicles like tanks, occupying any available space to move faster through the campaign. After Angers, Cecil and the 5th ID continued their drive 135 miles eastward toward Chartres. They captured the city on August 19th, then continued their advance sixty-five miles east to Fontainebleau. The supply chain struggled to keep pace with the Third Army’s rapid advances. Meanwhile, in early September, the First Army, moving north, began its attack on Antwerp, Belgium, pulling all available resources there. As a result, the 5th ID became stranded in Verdun. This disruption in the supply chain proved costly. As Cecil and the Red Diamond Division approached Metz, a fortified city fifty miles east of Verdun, German soldiers initially fled. When the Allied advance stalled, however, the Germans returned, strengthened their defense, and forced the 5th ID to endure two months of grueling combat in the mud. Metz, considered unconquerable, challenged Cecil’s 5th ID with its network of heavily fortified positions. A first attempt to take the city began on September 16 and lasted until October 16, with the 5th ID playing a key role. To prepare for the attack without access to Allied supply lines, soldiers siphoned fuel from supply vehicles, ensuring the 5th ID could cross the Moselle and establish a bridgehead near Fort Driant.
Sacrifice and Remembrance
PFC Cecil D. Corbin was first buried at the Limey temporary cemetery in the city of Toul, not far from his final resting place at the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold. On December 13, 1944, the 5th ID finally captured Metz, which had not fallen from a direct assault since A.D. 451. The 5th ID went on to fight at the Battle of the Bulge, or the Second Battle of the Ardennes, the last major German offensive against the Allies in the winter of 1944-1945. Cecil served his country in Florida, Panama, Iceland, England, and France after enlisting in 1937. For his service, Cecil was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. After World War II, the US created permanent cemeteries in Allied countries for its soldiers who died liberating Europe. The cemetery established in St. Avold, France, primarily honored soldiers who fell during the Lorraine and Alsace campaigns, including those who died during the Battle of Metz. Cecil was likely reinterred in the late 1940s from his temporary grave in the Limey Cemetery to be laid to rest permanently in St.
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