Saverio "Sam" Genovese

February 6, 1925 - May 15, 2005

Saverio’s parents were first-generation Italian immigrants, arriving in New York City in 1911 before taking up residence in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1920.  In his youth, someone in the family called him "Sam" and it stuck.  According to his daughter, Sharon, his family, friends and co-workers always called him "Sam" and sometimes "Samuel". [1] He attended Public School No. 10 through the 8th grade and graduated from Eastside High School in 1932.

Sam entered service in May of 1942, training in Mississippi before going oversees in October of 1943. He first saw combat in North Africa but was transferred to the Italian campaign.  Saverio is listed on this field report, (second from bottom), dated March 2, 1944.  Ailano is northeast of Naples in the Province of Caserta.

Then Sam was transferred to southern France, with Company E of the 2nd Battalion with the 36th Infantry Division's 142nd Infantry Regiment. [2]

When Sam was reported MIA in France on September 21, 1944, his family feared the worst. He had been captured by an Waffen-SS unit after an intense battle and sent by train and truck to Stalag 7-A in Moosburg. But his parents had no idea where of his location or his physical condition for six months. 

Just prior to receiving Sam’s first letter, on March 3, 1945, his father, Generoso (aka "Jerry"), was presented with the Bronze Star that Sam  earned for heroic action in combat in northern Italy, along with a glowing letter of commendation:

“For heroic achievement in combat on May 31, 1944. When his unit had succeeded in taking the high ground near an enemy stronghold, Private First Class Genovese, a machine gunner, moved into position on the forward slope. He and a comrade operated the gun in the face of repeated enemy counter-attacks, often firing without support from the rifle troops. Although artillery and mortar shells exploded nearby and the area was raked with incessant small arms fire, he remained steadfastly in position. When the gun bolt was broken, he and his companion quickly changed it and continued firing...Genovese disdained retreat and held his position against the hostile thrusts, contributing materially to the final repulse of the assault”. [3]

The first letter Sam sent home was written after being transferred with 19 other soldiers to a tiny work camp in Nussdorf am Inn. Just after Easter, he wrote home and reported that he was OK, and had a good first impression of the German farming family to which he had been assigned.

Sam's Experiences in Nussdorf

For the first two weeks in Nussdorf am Inn, Sam was assigned to do road work, along with fellow POWs Jeff Banks, Leonard Oviedo, and Armando Uva. These four men dug drainage ditches, cleared roadside brush, and put down crushed stone. An unnamed local Nussdorfer's horse-drawn wagon was used to transport the  stone  that they would load, unload, and spread with shovels and rakes. This work (according to Jeff Banks) was supervised by "an old, retired, German Navy Captain who spoke a little English".  Sam never mentioned any of this to his family. [4]

The family to whom Sam was assigned after the first two weeks remains amiss. He didn't mention the family in his only letter home. According to his daughter, Sharon, "He never spoke about his experiences in WW2", so, sadly, the rest of Sam's story in Nussdorf may never be known. 

Sam's liberation was reported in local newspapers, June 8, 1945. [5]

After the War

Sam had a tough time adjusting to civilian life in the first few years after the war. After several run-ins with the law, he found full-time employment at a "Tuber" at a dyeing factory in the Silk City section of Paterson, New Jersey. [6] At a neighborhood picnic in 1948, he met Helen Brigliadoro.  He proposed after dating Helen for a year, and they were married on May 6, 1950, at the Blessed Sacrament R. C. Church.  After a memorable honeymoon in Montreal, Canada, the newlyweds settled down in the working class, East 31st Street, neighborhood of Paterson, New Jersey. [7]  

Sam's favorite past-time after the war was bowling. It was no passing fancy. In the 1950s, he was part of a several semi-professional bowling league in the Paterson, New Jersey, area.  Sam even scored a perfect 300 from time to time. Sam continued working in the silk industry until 1960, when he took the civil service test, which qualified him to hold a variety of jobs working for the City of Paterson until he retired.

Sam married again in 1983. He and his second wife, Teresa, lived in West Park and Hollywood, Broward County, Florida, until he passed away. [7]

[1] Peter David Orr's telephone interview of Sharon Stevenson (Genovese): Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.

[2] Fold3, US, 36th Infantry Division, 1940-1945 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/1147/unit-history-us-36th-infantry-division-1940-1945 : accessed Aug 29, 2024), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/1147/unit-history-us-36th-infantry-division-1940-1945.; US National Archives: RG 64, Roll 545, "Morning Report of Co. E. 142nd Infantry of 36th Army of 2 March 1944 - Ailano, Italy."

[3] The Morning Call (Paterson, NJ) February 16, 1945, p. 28; “News Briefs,” The Herald-News, March 3, 1945, p. 8.

[4] Note: These details are only known because of fellow POW, Jeff Banks; this captain was probably August Weihe, a WWI German Navy veteran.

[5] "Three Soldiers Reported Liberated," The Herald-News, June 8, 1945, p. 8.

[6] 1950 United States Federal Census for Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey: April 12, 1945: Number 32-69 "Sevario (sic) Genovese" unmarried son of Generosa Genovese.

[7] "Helen Brigliadoro Becomes Bride of Saverio Genovese", The Morning Call, May 12, 1950, p. 28; "Marriages", The Morning Call, May 24, 1950, p. 4.

[8] Marriage of Teresa Beatrice Passaro and Saverio Genovese, Apr. 29, 1983: Florida Dept. of Health: Vol. 5345, Cert. No. 033334, Broward Co. Florida.