#onthisday in 1944, the 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion including Saratoga’s Arthur Traver reinforced the 319th Glider Field Artillery in support of the crossing of the Douve River This was known as the Battle of Carentan. It was an engagement between airborne forces of the United States Army and the German Wehrmacht during the Battle of Normandy. The battle took place between 10 and 15 June 1944, on the approaches to and within the city of Carentan, France. The actions on 13 June was very active with attacks and counter-attacks in an area known as bloody gulch. Arthur Traver was born to a farm family living on Burke Road in the Town of Saratoga. His mother, Mary Morehouse Traver was described as “a person with high ideals for herself, her family, and her community” passed away when Traver was 6 years old. His father, Humphrey Travers raised him and his brothers and sisters while running the family farm. It is this early life experience of hardship and hard work that had an indelible impact on Traver’s commitment to his community and country. Arthur Traver was drafted into the US Army. He served in the 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division during WW II. He fought in Italy, Normandy D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and Battle of the Bulge. When he returned home from the War, he married Marie Hutchinson. He joined the Quaker Springs Volunteer Fire Department. He served the community in the fire department for 64 years and held various positions including Fire Chief. After the War, Traver started a 25 year career driving a school bus for the Schuylerville Central Schools. You can learn about Arthur Traver by visiting https://ift.tt/vnck9RC Saratoga has been defined by the people who by choice or by chance make up this community. There are many individuals like Arthur Traver that help define this country, our region, and this community. It is the determination of our forefathers, in surmounting overwhelming odds that help define the American spirit – the will and ability to shape a better future. It is the people it is that define this community by choice or by chance have changed this country and even the world. That is why studying the people of Saratoga is integral to a good understanding of the condition of being human.
Historian at Saratoga - Town of Saratoga 