McKEAN COUNTY
WORLD WAR II
GOLD STARS
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US
THEATRE: 48 Civilian:
2 |
EUROPE:
159
Killed in Action North Africa: 10 Sicily: 4 Italy: 13 France: 34 Belgium: 10 Netherlands: 2 Germany: 43 England: 3 Mediterranean: 2 Unknown: 1 Shotdown Germany: 13 Hungary: 1 Austria: 2 Sicily: 1 Netherlands: 1 North Africa: 1 England / Channel: 6 Italy: 3 France: 2 Yugoslavia: 1 Belgium: 1 Romania: 1 Europe unknown: 2 Died of Illness: 1 Missing in Action: 6 Died as POW: 2 |
PACIFIC:
79
Killed in Action Philippines: 22 Peleliu: 2 Guam: 2 Iwo Jima: 3 Okinawa: 7 Saipan: 2 Hawaii: 1 Moratai: 1 Midway: 1 Singapore: 1 New Britain: 1 Makin Island: 1 Unknown: 4 Shotdown Japan: 1 China: 2 Burma: 1 India: 1 Philippines: 1 New Guinea: 3 Unknown: 8 Died of Illness: 1 Civilian: 1 Missing in Action: 13 Buried at Sea: 16 Died as POW: 5 |
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Deaths
By Year:
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1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 Unknown |
County
Deaths:
33 44 117 86 7 3 |
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Deadliest Months:
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April
1945
November 1944 March 1945 |
23
20 18 |
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Deadliest Day:
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November 13, 1942
November 8, 1944 |
4
4 |
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Ships
Sunk:
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SS HALO
USS JUNEAU Shinyo Maru (POW ship) |
3
3 2 |
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A - B
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Private Robert S. Alexander
Company G, 311th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division Hometown: Kane Died in service on 30 December 1942 Camp Butner, NC. Buried: Forest Lawn Cemetery, Kane |
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Messman August J. Anderson
SS Caddo (Tanker) United States Merchant Marine Hometown: Kane Age: 43 Killed in action on 23 November 1942 The SS Caddo was sunk by a German submarine on the North Atlantic with a crew of thirty-nine and armed guard of thirteen on board. |
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Buried: Forest Lawn Cemetery, Kane The 551st was attached to the 82nd Airborne Division and was assigned to push back the Germans from the Salm River valley. On 3 January, the battalion was to attack in the direction of Dairomont, a small village with open fields covered with fifteen inches of snow and scouts had reported the Germans having several machine guns, mortar positions and supporting armor. Recalled as the “battle of the sunken road” by those veterans there that day, the paratroopers launched the assault with A Company taking immediate small arms fire and took cover along an embankment in the snow covered field. A German tank emerged from the left, near the Laurent farm, and fired point-blank into the troopers. Another tank came from the opposite direction and began attacking the same group. The paratroopers are mowed down and some take shelter in the ditch along the road. One tank is knocked out of action with a direct hit in the tracks and the order to retreat back to the woods is given to the survivors. Sixty-eight enlisted men and three officers are killed in the fighting that day from the 155 men in A Company. On 7 January, the under strength battalion led a suicide attack across the open fields against the last enemy pocket of resistance in Rochelinval. Company A led the assault with forty-six men and were decimated by the German machine gun fire. Only seven men made it to the village edge. The rest of the battalion finally overwhelmed the German defenders and captured the village taking three hundred prisoners and killing fifty-one. After only five days of combat, 110 men were left from the original strength of 790. The casualty rate was 84%, the highest of the airborne units after its sister airborne unit, the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion. |
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Private First Class Earl J. Anderson Anderson was a clerk/typist with the
345th. |
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Staff Sergeant Wallace K. Anderson Posthumously awarded the Silver Star when he left his foxhole as he saw a truck burst into flames after hitting an anti-tank mine. In the face of an intense artillery and mortar barrage, he made his way across 250 yards of enemy fire-swept terrain to the vehicle. Despite the flames and concentrated enemy shelling, Anderson successfully extricated an officer and two enlisted men who were helplessly trapped in the truck. |
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Pivate Howard E. App
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Flight Officer John C.
Bailey
487th Bomber Group, Heavy Hometown: Smethport Died non-battle Declared deceased 4 July 1946 |
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Staff Sergeant Chester
C. Bair
215th Training Battalion, Camp Blanding, FL Hometown: Eldred Died of illness on 3 April 1944 Age: 46 Buried: Lamphier Cemetery, Eldred |
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Corporal Burton G. Baker
633rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Automatic Weapons Battalion, Coast Artillery Corps Hometown: Rixford Killed in action on 12 September 1944 France Age: 24 Buried: Lamphier Cemetery, Eldred Repatriated: 18 May 1949. |
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 Private First Class Paul Z. Beck Company E, 405th Infantry Regiment 102nd Infantry Division Hometown: 208 Congress Street, Bradford Killed in action on 28 February 1945 Age: 21 Buried: Plot C, Row 9, Grave 4 Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands |
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Seaman 2/Class John Begeny,
Jr
United States Coast Guard USS Leonard Wood (APA-12) Hometown: Ludlow Wounded in action on 15 November 1942 Died of Wounds: December 9, 1942 Age: 20 North Africa Buried: Sheffield, PA Repatriated: 3 June 1948 |
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Tech Sergeant Robert A.
Bell
318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division Hometown: Bradford Died of wounds on 24 September 1944 Age: 25 Buried: Plot C, Row 15, Grave 90 Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France |
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Private First Class Edgar
W. Bennett
United States Army Hometown: Eldred Killed in action on 17 September 1944 Age: 28 Buried: Allegany, NY Repatriated: 8 July 1949 |
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Seaman LaVerne D. Bentley
Pacific Coast Operations, US Navy Hometown: Kinzua Road, Red Bridge Killed in a bomber crash on 30 March 1943 Age: 26 Buried: Section F-P, Site 342 Hampton National Cemetery, Hampton, VA |
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Private First Class Edward
W. Bernard
Company G, 5th Regiment, 1st Marine Division Hometown: Custer City Killed in action 15 September 1944, Peleliu Age: 20 Buried: McKean Memorial Park, Lafayette Twp Repatriated: 12 November 1948 |
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Fireman 1/Class Okinawa Gunto Operation Strikes
against Kyushu, Shikoku, Islands of Japanese Empire. |
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Corporal Mervin P. Birtcil
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Corporal Frank D. Black
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Second Lieutenant |
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First Lieutenant Donald E. Blair Bombing mission from Pandaveswar to Moulmein, Burma. Attacked five minutes after leaving their target, Blair's B-24 had one engine on fire as it dove into clouds over Bilugyun Island, 10 miles from Moulmein. Declared deceased October 4, 1946. |
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Lieutenant (JG) Robert W. Blakeslee
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First Lieutenant Bert L.
Blendinger
C-46 Pilot, 49th Troop Carrier Squadron 313th Troop Carrier Group Hometown: Interstate Parkway, Bradford Killed in action 24 March 1945 over Germany Age: 24 Buried: Willow Dale Cemetery, Bradford Repatriated: 3 November 1948 |
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Private First Class
George O. Bloomquist, Jr Company F, 163rd Infantry Regiment 41st Infantry Division Hometown: Kane Killed in action 15 April 1945 at Bongao, Philippines Age: 19 Buried: Mt. Tabor Cemetery, Kane Repatriated: 4 September 1948 |
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Private Harold W. Boardman
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Private First Class William
C. Bogdon
Coast Artillery Corps, Port Newark, NJ Hometown: Boylston Street, Bradford Died from an accidental gunshot wound to the head on 23 January 1943 Age: 26 Buried: St. Josephs Lithuanian Church Cemetery Mahanoy City, PA |
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Private First Class Peter
S. Bonfilio
Battery B, 559th Field Artillery, 83rd Infantry Division Hometown: Kane Died from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident in Belgium on 31 January 1945 Buried: St. Callistus Cemetery, Kane Repatriated: 13 August 1948 |
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First Lieutenant Peter A. Borsa Borsa's C-47 was shot down by American
Naval AA friendly fire when mistaken for enemy aircraft. All
five men on the C-47 were killed. Radio Operator Guerner and
Navigator Borsa are buried next to each other in Arlington.
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Corporal Eldene B. Bosworth
Company E, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division Hometown: Port Allegany Killed in action 14 April 1945 Muhlenberg, Germany Buried: Coudersport, PA Repatriated: 8 December 1948 |
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Sergeant Bernard D. Bova
Company K, 106th Infantry Regiment 27th Infantry Division Hometown: Duke Center Killed in action 23 June 1944 Saipan Age: 27 Buried: Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Olean, NY Repatriated: 21 January 1949 |
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 Tail section of Bowler's B-17 near Schornsheim, Germany, after Regensburg mission. |
Sergeant Richard E. "TEX" Bowler Bowler was a replacement gunner for
another crew member that was injured. Bowler was badly wounded
by ME-109 and probably died during decent in his parachute or
upon landing near Schornsheim, Germany. |
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Corporal Ralph E. Bradybaugh
Company C, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division Hometown: Kane Killed in action 3 January 1945 near Bastogne, Belgium Age: 21 Buried: Forest Lawn Cemetery, Kane Repatriated: 9 December 1948 |
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Corporal Alfred O. Brockell
Company A, 143rd Infantry Regiment 36th Infantry Division Hometown: Vine Street, Port Allegany Killed in action 3 October 1943 Italy Age: 26 Buried: Port Allegany Repatriated: 30 November 1948 |
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Tech Sergeant Arthur G. Brown
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Aviation Chief Radioman
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First Lieutenant
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Seaman 2/Class Avram H. Bryman
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Private First Class Burkhard was leading a platoon in action and it was his heroism in attracting enemy fire which saved the remainder of the unit from being wiped out. |
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Tech Sergeant William J. Butler
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A - B
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