Luther Hammett Newton

Private First Class Luther Hammett Newton Jr was killed in action on July 11, 1944 in Normandy, France during World War II.  He was 22 years old.

Luther Hammett Newton Jr was born on December 23, 1921 in Virginia, the son of Luther Hammett Newton Sr and Myrtle Hortense Puryear Newton of Clarksville, Virginia.  He was married to Margaret Lee Riggan Newton who was residing in Henderson, North Carolina at the time of his death.

PFC Newton was inducted into the U.S. Army at Camp Lee, Virginia in December, 1942.  He was deployed to the European Theater of War in September, 1943 serving with the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.

The division as a whole shipped out to Belfast, Northern Ireland in October 1943. On June 7, 1944, the 38th, along with most of the 2nd Infantry Division landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day +1. They went into heavy action near the village of Trévières on the 10th of June.

Following the Invasion of Normandy, American forces began their advance toward Saint-Lô. The city was a crossroads for roads running west to east and the main objective of U.S. forces in the Normandy Campaign.  Securing the city would provide a base for the First Army to assault the main German defensive line in Normandy and open a channel to break out and initiate a drive east towards Germany.  Although progress was steady, it came at a high cost—an estimated 40,000 casualties for a gain of just 20 miles. The Battle of Saint-Lô took place between July 7 and 19, 1944.  The 38th saw heavy action throughout the Normandy Campaign, most notably at Hill 192 to the northeast of the City of Saint-Lo.

On July 11, 1944, at 6 am, Company E of the 38th Infantry Regiment commenced an assault on the western side of Hill 192, followed by the other units of the regiment at 6:30 am with the support of tanks of the 741st Tank Battalion, a company of the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion and a company of the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion. During an hour of fighting, the Americans opposed the fierce resistance of German parachutists. Self-propelled guns and German tanks engaged in the battle but were silenced by the 741st Tank Battalion. Finally, 15 paratroopers were taken prisoner and Company E resumed the advance south of Cloville.

The 1st battalion stormed at 6.20 am but was stopped on the starting line by German artillery and the direct shots that put six tanks out of action.  On the right flank of the 38th Infantry Regiment, the 2nd Battalion progressed towards the 972 departmental road (D972) linking Saint-Lô to Bayeux and reached Hill 192 at 19 hours.

Meanwhile, in spite of the lack of armored support during the first part of the day, the infantrymen of the 1st battalion continued to advance towards Hill 192. The Germans put up strong resistance, resulting in heavy casualties for both sides.  Company A progressed on the left flank, C Company on the right flank and Company B was in second position in the center. The Germans, unable to resist any longer, decided to retreat and abandoned Hill 192 to the Americans who captured it at 1330 hours and continued to advance through a landscape ravaged by artillery fire. All the groves or hedges likely to camouflage Germans were systematically pounded by the assailants. The 38th Infantry Regiment was installed for the night within 200 meters of the D972, the final objective of the day.  PFC Newton was killed in action on July 11, 1944 in the assault to capture Hill 192.

Private First Class Luther Hammett Newton Jr. is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France.  A cenotaph in his memory is located in the Union Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery, Clarksville, Virginia.

Last edited: 8 June 2026