rob99,
In case you do not have this information I have checked several the NARA WW2 POW and Enlisted information and found the following:
SERIAL NUMBER 36957378
NAME
SORCE JOSEPH GRADE, ALPHA PVT Private
GRADE CODE 8 Private
SERVICE CODE 1 ARMY
ARM OR SERVICE INF Infantry
ARM OR SERVICE CODE 10 INF: INFANTRY
DATE REPORT: DAY (DD) 21
DATE REPORT: MONTH (MM)12 12
DATE REPORT: YEAR (Y) 4 1944
RACIAL GROUP CODE
STATE OF RESIDENCE
TYPE OF ORGANIZATION 740 Branch Immaterial/Infantry Division
PARENT UNIT NUMBER 0423 0423
PARENT UNIT TYPE 06 Group/Regiment/Commands/System
AREA 72 European Theatre: Germany
LATEST REPORT DATE: DAY (DD)
LATEST REPORT DATE: MONTH (MM)
LATEST REPORT DATE: YEAR (Y)
SOURCE OF REPORT
STATUS 8 Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated
DETAINING POWER
CAMP
REP
POW TRANSPORT SHIPS
I checked Ancestry.com and did not find much more as there are several Joseph Sorce's in the data base that served in WWII.
The fact that your Grandfather had a leg amputated while in captivity leads me to think the following:
He may have been repatriated through Switzerland shortly after the procedure so he may never have been in a POW Camp.
Most POWs were returned by ship after the war and ancestry.com has a wealth of information in the passenger lists to include the Camp the POWs were in and their Camp Id Tag Number etc. Because your grandfather had an amputation of his leg he more than likely was flown back to CONUS aka USA by Military Air Transport/Medical Evacuation. Again this is just speculation on my part based on a cousin who lost a leg in March of 1945 with the 28th ID and makes sense that he was handled in a similar manner. If your parents or aunt or uncle are still alive you can have them contact the link below and fill out the information to get copies of his records as well as awards.
www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/Also you can assist them, as many older folks are reticence to do it themselves; you just need to provide their mailing address and they will receive what records the government has for them. FYI many of the records of Army Veterans were destroyed in the 1973 fire but if any remain they will do a fairly good job of photo copying them. I have files that were burnt around the edges but still fairly readable. Also, with the service number provided above you should be able to get a file titled Information From The Hospital Admissions Cards Created By The Office Of Surgeon General Department of The Army 1942-1945 and 1950-1954 which will list the information that was compiled about the injuries your Grandfather had and his status. This information is great to have in order to establish that he was authorized a Purple Heart.
Your family members, Veteran, NOK of Veteran/ Surviving Family Member's i.e. Parents, Spouse and Children can a set of the Veterans Medals which will come engraved with the veterans Name. In your Grandfathers case this would include the Purple Heart, POW Medal, Good Conduct Medal and Bronze Star, All WW2 Recipients of the Combat Infantryman's Badge (CIB) were authorized the Bronze Star Medal by executive order in 1947; additionally he is authorized the following awards and medals not engraved CIB, American Campaign Medal, European-African, Middle-Eastern Campaign Medal and WW2 Victory Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Badge. The medals take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to receive. I am attaching the link below to help you in your quest.
www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/ I hope this information helps you in finding out more about your Grandfathers service and fill the gaps as well.
Regards,
John
If you do not receive a timely response I recommend contacting your Senators and Congressman's about your request and I think they can expedite the process for you and your family.
