William Brown Harris

Private First Class William Brown Harris was killed in action on September 16, 1943 near Salerno, Italy during World War II.  He was 22 years old.

William Brown Harris was born on November 24, 1920 in Vance County, North Carolina, the son of George Badger Harris and Florence Agnes Baskett Harris.  He graduated from Henderson High School in the Class of 1938.

PFC Harris was inducted into the U.S. Army on December 9, 1942 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  After completing training, he was deployed to the European Theatre of War on April 17, 1943 serving in the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Division, Fifth Army.

The 143rd arrived in Algeria early in 1943 and participated in the landing at Salerno, Italy on September 9, 1943.  Luftwaffe planes began strafing and bombing the invasion beaches while the troops were landing.  Allied minesweepers cleared an inshore channel; and, by late morning, destroyers could steam within 100 yards of the shoreline to shell concentrations of German tanks.  By the end of the first day the 36th Division had established itself in the plain to the right of the Sele river and the higher ground to a depth of  5 miles.

The Allies fought to expand their beachhead for three days while the Germans defended stubbornly to mask the build-up of their reinforcements for a counter-offensive. By September 12, it had become clear that the Fifth Army had an acute shortage of infantry on the ground. On the morning of September 13, elements of the 36th Division attacked and captured Altavilla from the high ground behind Paestum, but a counterattack by the Germans forced them to withdraw as darkness fell. During the afternoon, two German battlegroups crossed the Sele to engage the 2nd Battalion of the 143rd Infantry and virtually wipe it out. 

With strong naval gunfire support from the Royal Navy and well-served by Fifth Army's artillery, reinforced and reorganized infantry units defeated all German attempts on September 14 to find a weak spot in the lines. German losses, particularly in tanks, were severe. That day and the following night every available Allied aircraft was ordered to support the Fifth Army including the strategic bomber force. Over 1,000 tons of bombs were dropped during the daylight hours. The Allied bomber effort continued on September 15, and the beachhead was essentially secured on September 16, the day on which PFC Harris was killed in action.

Private First Class William Brown Harris is buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Henderson, North Carolina.  

Last edited: 30 May 2026