Carl W. Roberts
Sergeant, U.S. Army

Carl W. Roberts was born on 18 August 1896 in Willoughby, OH, the only son of Cutler J. and Cora Alice Byers Roberts.

Roberts joined the Army as a Private on 7 May 1917 and became part of the 5th Ohio Infantry. The 5th Ohio Infantry was recalled to federal service for the third time, passing to Federal control on 15 July 1917 and Roberts was promoted to Corporal ten days later, on 25 July. It was re-designated the 145th Infantry Regiment, and assigned as one of the components of the 37th Infantry Division. Roberts was assigned to Company M, 1st Battalion, 145th Infantry Regiment. On 2 August 1917, he was promoted to Sergeant.

The WWI Actions of Sergeant Carl W. Roberts and the 145th Infantry

The 145th trained at Camp Sheridan, AL, five miles outside Montgomery, until May 1918. The Regiment was then moved to a staging area at Camp Lee, VA, and later to the Hoboken (New Jersey) Port of Embarkation. It sailed on its first overseas duty on 8 June 1918, destined for action in France and Belgium, and additional service in Germany. The 145th Infantry arrived at Brest, France, on 22 June 1918. The American Expeditionary Force in France at this time was engaged in training and construction work, with some units holding a quiet sector near Balfert, not far from the French-Swiss Frontier. The 145th Infantry moved promptly to the Bourmont Area (Haute Marne Department), east of Paris, where it engaged in intensive training for about a month.

On 22 July 1918, the 145th Infantry was ordered with the 37th Division to the Baccarat Sector, in the Vosges Mountains about 30 miles southeast of Nancy. There it was attached to the French VI Corps, French Eighteenth Army. The 145th Infantry first entered the front line trenches on 4 August 1918, in the Baccarat Sector. The fighting for the most part consisted of raids and patrol work. This tour of duty lasted about six weeks, and came to an end on 16 September. Upon relief from the Baccarat Sector, the 145th Infantry, with the rest of the 37th Division, moved to the U.S. First Army area, taking station at Recicourt (Meuse Department), westward from its previous station, on 21 September 1918. It was now attached to the U.S. V Army Corps. More than four years of bloody and terrible fighting over Belgium and northeastern France had resulted in a deadlock between Germany and the Allied Nations.

On 26 September the last great Allied offensive of the war began in the Meuse-Argonne Forest area. It was this attack that started the Germans on their final retreat leading to collapse. On 23 September the 37th Division relieved the 79th Division in the Avocourt Sector. The 145th Infantry was initially in the 37th Division reserve in the Montfaucon-Avocourt area. When the Meuse-Argonne Offensive started, the Regiment moved into the front line. In this battle the 145th Infantry distinguished itself in the capture of Montfaucon, an action so heroic that it has been commemorated in the Regimental Coat of Arms by a falcon, representing the town which bears the name Falcon Mountain, or Montfaucon. Following the Monfaucon action the 145th Infantry was relieved on 1 October 1918, returning to the vicinity of Recicourt (Meuse Department), where it remained for two days.

On 3 October the Regiment moved to the U.S. Second Army Area and was attached to the U.S. IV Corps. On 7 October it relieved an infantry regiment of the 89th Division in the Pannes Sector, and remained in the front line for ten days, until relieved by a regiment of the 28th Division on 16 October. Far to the northwest, near the English Channel, a new allied offensive was in progress. The 145th Regiment moved on 18 October to the Ypres Area, in western Belgium, arriving on 21 October. In this sector the Regiment participated in two major attacks. With the 37th Division it was attached to the Army Of France in Belgium, being assigned to the French XXX Corps on October 28.

Overcast skies and drizzling rain made for a dismal day on 3 November in Oudenaarde, Belgium. Visibility being poor, the enemy did not attempt a counter-attack but secured their positions approximately 500 to 1000 meters from the river banks. Enemy artillery was fierce with much destruction to the town, surrounding villages and troop concentrations. Despite the poor visibility, the German airforce was also active. Twelve German officers and 317 soldiers were taken prisoner at that time.

On 4 November 1918, SGT Roberts was Killed in Action while the 145th Infantry was attacking the Germans in Oudenaarde in an attempt to recapture the bridge over the Scheldt River. He died one week before the end of the war.

Medals

Purple Heart with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
World War I Victory Medal

Honors

The American Legion Palmer-Roberts Post 214 in Willoughby, OH, is partially named in honor of Carl W. Roberts.

Family

While Carl Roberts was in the Army, he married Gladys M. Lynn. They were expecting a baby when Carl died. Their daughter - Mildred Elizabeth Roberts - was born in December 1918, about 1 month after Carl's death. He never knew he would have a daughter.

His daughter, Mildred Elizabeth, married Albert Walter Binckley and they had 2 daughters. One daughter is deceased but Patricia Ann Binckley, born on 28 January 1947, was alive as of October 2014 and lives in California.

Burial

Sergeant Carl W. Roberts is buried at the Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial in Waregem, West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium in Plot C, Row 2, Grave 5. Geert De Backer, Lebbeke, Belgium, has formally adopted Sergeant Roberts grave. (See the Certificate of Adoption in the Photos section.)

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