Slapton Sands Tank
Slapton Sands Tank
bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Roster > Roster Records > Roster A, © 2023 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 1 Oct 2023.
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​Part 1/24 of Big Pigeon's Pottawattamie Area World War II Dead Roster, 27 "A" names
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† Adams, Paul, SN 316-35-93, US Naval Aviation, Pott. Co. 
  • b. 28 Mar 1917 Co. Bluffs; s/o Charles Adams & Angelina Pane of Co. Bluffs, both b. Calabria, Italy; entered service 13 Dec 1934 from Co. Bluffs; bur. Holy Sepulchre Cem., Omaha.
  • Naval Air Station, Seattle, WA; DNB 11 Mar 1945, Seattle; murder/suicide, gassed while sleeping by domestic partner Vivien Breitner.

† Adams, Waldo Paul “Ted”, SN 37-121-373, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 14 Oct 1919 Elmo, Nodaway Co., MO; s/o Jordan H. Adams & Ollie M. Sloan of Co. Bluffs; m. Ruth Mae French of Co. Bluffs 1940; entered service 21 Apr 1942 from Co. Bluffs; bur. Cedar Lawn Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • 134th MP Co.; DNB 4 Jan 1945, Naples, Italy, motorcycle accident; The MTO > MTO Comm. Zone.

† Adler, Marvin Sanford, SN 724-60-92, US Navy, Bexar Co., TX & Pott. Co.
  • b. 30 Dec 1920 Co. Bluffs; s/o Nathan Adler & Goldie V. Cherniss; family moved to San Antonio, Bexar Co., TX 1936; entered service Aug 1942 from San Antonio; bur. Oak Hill Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • Destroyer USS Anderson (DD 411), Task Group 77.2, Leyte Gulf, Philippines; WIA 1 Nov 1944; DOW 4 Nov 1944; kamikaze attack, 16 dead; Philippines Liberated > Philippines Naval War.

† Agnew, Wayne Burton, SN 37-191-857, US Army, Adams & Benton Cos.
  • b. 6 Mar 1910 Nodaway, Adams Co.; s/o Floyd L. Agnew & Pearl E. McKisson; m. Icy A. Dixon 1934, div. 1938; m. Mary A. (Haley) Emmons 1942; entered service 22 Apr 1942 from Nodaway, service credited to Benton Co.; bur. Rhone American Cem., Draguignan, France.
  • 713rd Railway Operating Bn.; DNB 5 Dec 1944 Miramas, NW of Marseille, France; accidental gunshot; The ETO > The ETO Comm. Zone.

† Ahrenkiel, Wayne, SN 37-656-532, US Army, Shelby Co.
  • b. 16 Jun 1924 Melville Twp., E of Audubon, Audubon Co.; s/o Sam Ahrenkiel & Jessie Justesen; family moved to Elk Horn, Shelby Co. in late 1930s; entered service 19 Jan 1943 from Rt. 1, Elk Horn, Shelby Co.; bur. Manila American Cem., Luzon, Philippines.
  • 24th Recon. Sqdn., 24th Inf. Div.; KIA 15 Feb 1945 Luzon, Philippines; Philippines Liberated > Luzon.

† Aid, Alvin Eldred, SN 37-503-126, US Army, Page & Taylor Cos.
  • b. 6 Feb 1923 New Market, Taylor Co.; s/o Roy S. Aid & Wilma B. Norman; family moved from Dallas Twp., Taylor Co. to Nodaway Co., MO in late 1930s & to Clarinda, Page Co. in early 1940s; m. Geraldine M. Perry 1941; entered service 1 Feb 1943 from Clarinda.
  • ​3206th Quartermaster Service Co., based at St. Anthony, near Falmouth, Cornwall, England; KIA 28 Apr 1944 off Slapton Sands, Devon, England; on Landing Ship Tank LST-531 which was sunk by German E-boats; Operation Tiger - The ETO > ETO Comm. Zone; BNR.
  • Notes: Around 749 US servicemen died when German E-Boats attacked eight LSTs approaching Slapton Sands for a training exercise. LSTs 507 and 531 were sunk.

† Alff, John Fredrick, SN 37-118-084, US Army, Pott. & Cass Cos. 
  • b. 26 Mar 1914 SE of Hancock, Lincoln T., Pott. Co.; s/o Herman F. Alff & Amelia K. Brockman of Hancock; entered service 17 Mar 1942 from Anita, Cass Co. at Des Moines, Polk Co.
  • 436 Coast Artillery Bn.; on troop transport USS Tasker H. Bliss (AP-42); KIA 12 Nov 1942 Fedala Roads, off Casablanca, Morocco; Bliss sunk by German submarine U-130, 31 dead, 204 survivors; The MTO > North Africa > Operation Torch; BNR.

† Alley, Guy Hersell, SN 37-267-605, US Army, Mills Co.
  • b. 21 Jan 1922 rural Tabor, Rawles T., Mills Co.; s/o Fred M. Alley & Erville M. Stewart; family lived in Lyons Twp., Mills Co., S of Glenwood; entered service 12 Oct 1942 from Glenwood; bur. Glenwood.
  • 382nd Inf. Regt., 96th Inf. Div.; KIA 9 Nov 1944 W of Dagami, Leyte, Philippines; Philippines Liberated > Leyte.

† Allstot, Max Vernon, SN 621-05-54, US Navy, Shelby & Crawford Cos.
  • b. 10 Apr/May 1922 Harlan, Shelby Co.; s/o Guy W. Allstot & Undine Fish; m. Ila M. Pearson 1941, two children; entered service 15 Sep 1942 from Denison, Crawford Co.
  • Cruiser USS Louisville (CA 28); KIA 6 Jan 1945, Louisville damaged by kamikaze attack in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippines, 42 dead; Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets; BNR.

† Alter, Earl Carlton, SN O-157398, US Naval Aviation, Harrison Co.
  • b. 13 May 1921 Persia, Harrison Co.; s/o Franklin L. Alter & Alma Tinker of Persia; m. Mary E. Fahrenkrog; entered service 26 Mar 1942 at Kansas City, MO; group burial Jefferson Barracks Nat’l Cem., St. Louis, MO.
  • Naval Air Patrol Sqdn. VP-52, Fleet Wing #4; based at Adak NAS, Aleutian Is., Alaska Territory; Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina BuNo 07271 co-pilot; DNB 18 May 1943 Aleutian Is.; plane lost on patrol, all ten dead; wreckage & six bodies recovered; North Pacific > Alaska.

​† Andersen, Edwin Pershing, SN 38-050-262, US Army Air Force, Audubon Co. & Harris Co., TX.
  • ​b. 11 Oct 1917 Audubon, Audubon Co.; s/o Jens J. Andersen & Martha Nelsina Madsen; family moved to Decatur Co. in early 1920s & to Audubon in 1927; Edwin moved to Houston, Harris Co., TX in late 1930s; service credited to Harris Co.; bur. Keokuk Natl. Cem., Keokuk, Lee Co.
  • 845th Bomb. Sqdn., 489th Bomb. Gp., Eighth Air Force, based at Halesworth, SE of Norwich, Suffolk, England; Consolidated B-24 Liberator #42-94786 Heaven Can Wait II crew member with pilot Claude T. Lovelace Jr.; KIA 18 Sep 1944 near Groesbeek, SE of Nijmegen, Netherlands; during a low-level supply drop for Operation Market Garden, aircraft hit by flak and crashed; at least five dead; The ETO > ETO Air War.

† Andersen, Eugene Phillip, SN 648-40-43, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • b. 21 Jul 1920 Co. Bluffs; s/o Alfred Andersen & Nellie M. Babcock of Co. Bluffs; entered service 29 Jun 1942 from Co. Bluffs; bur. Cedar Lawn Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • Landing Ship Tank LST-3; KIA 6 Aug 1943 off N coast of Sicily, between Palermo & San Stefano; LST-3 damaged by German bomber; Operation Husky - The MTO > MTO Sea War.

​† Andersen, Harold Martin (served as Anderson Harold M), SN 37-037-894, US Army, Shelby Co.
  • b. 12 Jun 1918 near Tennant, Shelby Co.; s/o Martin L. Andersen & Johanna Jensen, both b. Denmark; family moved to Center Twp. near Harlan in late 1920s; entered service 8 May 1941 from Center Twp.; bur. Manila American Cem., Luzon, Philippines.
  • 200th Coast Artillery Regt. (actually an anti-aircraft unit  armed with 3" 75mm guns & 50 caliber machine guns); stationed at Fort Stotsenburg N of Manila, Philippines to protect nearby Clark Army Air Base; POW captured with the fall of the Bataan Peninsula; DNB 7 May 1942 at Camp O'Donnell, N of Manila, Luzon, dysentery; Japan Ascendant > The Philippines Lost.

† Anderson, Edward Franklin, SN 621-91-60, US Navy, Monona & Woodbury Cos.
  • b. 8 Jun 1926 rural Whiting, Ashton Twp., Monona Co. s/o Charles E. Anderson & Edna Nelson (d. 1934); parents div. 1928; raised by grandparents James W. (d. 1943) & Harriet E. Nelson (d. 1940) of Woodbury Co. & by sister; entered service 1 Jul 1943.
  • Submarine S-28 (SS-133); DNB abt 4 Jul 1944 off Oahu, Hawaii Territory; S-28 disappeared after submerging during a training exercise; Naval War with Japan > US Submarine Force; BNR.

† Anderson, Elmer Dean, SN O-75023, US Navy, Montgomery Co.
  • b. 15 Nov 1911 Red Oak, Montgomery Co.; s/o Elmer N. Anderson & Elsie L. Wieland; entered service Jun 1935 from Red Oak after graduation from US Naval Academy.
  • Destroyer USS Truxtun (DD-229); DNB 18 Feb 1942 Placentia Bay, near Argentia, Newfoundland; Truxtun & supply ship USS Pollux (AKS-2) lost on rocks in winter storm while on convoy duty returning from Reykjavik, Iceland; 110 dead from Truxtun & 99 dead from Pollux, 186 survivors; Battle of the Atlantic; BNR.

† Anderson, James Marshall Jr., SN 0-667-227, US Army Air Force, Mills Co.
  • b. 10 Nov 1918 Sterling, Logan Co., CO; s/o James M. Anderson Sr. & Mary E. Harris (d. 1945); m. Virginia L. Noel Apr 1941, one child; entered service 23 Mar 1942 from Glenwood State School, Mills Co; service credited to unknown county.
  • 482nd Bomb. Sqdn., 505th Bomb. Gp., 73rd Bomb. Wing, Twentieth Air Force; based at North Field, Tinian, Mariana Is.; Boeing B-29 Superfortress #42-6351 Pocahontas bombardier w/ aircraft commander John Kretzer; KIA 14 Apr 1945 over Honshu, Japan; aircraft lost, presumably to antiaircraft fire, on night bombing mission at 8,000 feet over arsenal area, Tokyo; crew of 11 all died; Japan Overpowered > Strategic Air War - Japan; BNR.

† Anderson, Leon Edward, SN 37-128-873, US Army, Cass Co.
  • b. 13 Aug 1920 rural Eckley, Yuma Co., CO; s/o Samuel Edward Anderson and Elva May Gardner; family moved to Grant Twp., Cass Co. in early 1930s; entered service 26 Jun 1942 from rural Anita, Cass Co.; bur. Evergreen Cem., Anita.
  • 378th Inf. Regt., 95th Inf. Div., XX Corps, Third Army; KIA 18 Nov 1944 Metz, Lorraine, France; Battle of Metz - The ETO > War of Attrition > Lorraine & Alsace 1944 > Lorraine/Third Army.

​† Anderson, Robert Arthur, SN 620-60-66, US Naval Aviation, Boone Co.
  • b. 5 Mar 1924 Dunlap, Harrison Co.; s/o Fred Thorbjorn Anderson & Roberta Belle Gould; family moved to Boone, Boone Co. later in 1924; entered service 9 Jun 1942 from Boone.
  • Torpedo Sqdn. VT 31, Carrier Air Gp. 31, on USS Cabot (CVL-28); Grumman TBF Avenger gunner w/ pilot Donald Hornberger; attack on Japanese destroyer escorting a supply convoy north of Chichi Jima, Bonin Is., Japan; KIA 4 Aug 1944; crew of three lost; Fourth Bonin Raid - US Naval War w/ Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets; BNR.

† Anderson, Roy Hayward, SN 37-111-081, US Army, Cass County.
  • b. 5 Jan 1917 Brighton Twp., NW Cass Co.; s/o August C. Anderson Jr. & Lizzie Christensen; family moved to Atlantic, Cass Co. in late 1920s; married Frances L. Hays, one child; entered service 31 Dec 1941 from Atlantic; bur. Atlantic Cem.
  • Co. I, 126nd Inf. Regt., 32nd Inf. Div.; KIA 27 Dec 1942 shrapnel from mortar on Saputa-Sanananda Track, Papua, New Guinea; Buna Campaign - South & SW Pacific > SE New Guinea.

† Anderson, Virgil Wendell, SN T-003-902, US Army Air Force, Buena Vista & Pott. Cos. (unknown ties to Pott. Co. area)
  • b. 19 Mar 1923 Alta, Buena Vista Co.; s/o Johannes P. Anderson (d. 1934) & Margaret H. Hanson; m. Arlene Marie Degner 1942; entered service 2 Dec 1942 from Des Moines; service credited to Pott. Co. (no known connection); bur. Elk Cem., Alta.
  • 95th Troop Carrier Sqdn., 440th Troop Carrier Gp., Ninth Air Force; based at Chateaudun, NW of Orleans, France; Douglas C-47A Skytrain/Dakota #42-100906 co-pilot; KIA 27 Dec 1944 near St. Hubert, W of Bastogne, Belgium; flak brought plane down during glider tow mission carrying supplies to Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge; three dead, two survivors; The ETO > ETO Air War.

† Anderson, William Riley, SN 37-483-559, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 4 May 1924 Co. Bluffs; s/o William E. Anderson & Bernice C. Eledge; entered service 13 Jul 1943 from Rt. 4, Co. Bluffs; bur. Walnut Hill Cem., Co. Bluffs.
  • Co. F, 350th Inf. Regt., 88th Inf. Div., II Corps, Fifth Army; WIA 28 May 1944 SE of Rome, near Roccagorca, Lazio, Italy, DOW 28 May 1944; The MTO > Italy > Cassino to Rome.

† Arkfeld, Francis Felix, SN 621-46-99, US Navy, Shelby Co.
  • b. 30 Aug 1922 Panama, Shelby Co.; s/o John J. Arkfeld & Mary B. Keane; entered service 6 Nov 1942 from Panama.
  • Landing Craft Tank LCT-486; KIA 7 Jun 1944, craft sunk by a mine off Utah Beach, Normandy, France; The ETO > ETO Sea War; BNR.

† Armentrout, Russell Marion, SN 37-656-533, US Army, Shelby Co.
  • b. 19 Sep 1917 at Botna, Shelby Co.; s/o Marion Armentrout & Nettie Mockler, Shelby Co. natives; m. Bonna M. Nelson 1941, two children; entered service 19 Jan 1943 from Harlan, Shelby Co.; bur. Harlan Cem.
  • Troop C, 12th Cavalry Regt., 1st Cavalry Div.; KIA 20 Mar 1944 on Los Negros Is., Admiralty Is., SW Pacific; Operation Cartwheel - South & SW Pacific > Bismarck Archipelago.

† Armstrong, Kenneth Burton, SN 37-735-072, US Army, Harrison Co.
  • b. 4 Oct 1923 Sioux Twp., Monona Co.; s/o Bert A. Armstrong & Viola M. Devenport; family lived in several locations in Monona & Harrison Cos. and Kansas; m. Margaret E. Hinkel 1942, two children; entered service 20 Jun 1944 from Missouri Valley, Harrison Co.; bur. Soldier Valley Cem., Pisgah, Harrison Co.
  • Co. F, 319th Inf. Regt., 80th Inf. Div., XII Corps, Third Army; KIA 6 Feb 1945 Luxembourg, near German Border, at Sauer River NW of Wallendorf, Eifel, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany; The ETO > Siegfried Line 1945 > XII Corps to Bitburg.

† Ash, Lawrence Edward, SN 37-691-207, US Army, Marshall & Montgomery Cos.
  • b. 11 Jun 1921 Le Grand, Marshall Co.; s/o Austin A. Ash & Nancy Elna Granger; m. Ida M. Butts Jun 1943; entered service 24 Feb 1944 from Rt. 2, Marshalltown; service credited to Montgomery Co. (no known connection); bur. Rock Valley Cem., Le Grand.
  • Co. E, 28th Inf. Regt., 8th Inf. Div.; KIA 6 Dec 1944 near Vossenack, HürtgenWald, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; Battles of the Hürtgen Forest - ​The ETO > War of Attrition > Rhineland 1944 > Queen/Hurtgen.

† Ash, Mickiel Daniel, SN 37-196-388, US Army, Pott & Polk Cos.
  • b. 26 Dec 1913 Cass Co., NE; s/o James H. Ash & Catherine Bourke; raised in Co. Bluffs; m. Elizabeth C. “Bessie” Jamell 1941, one child; entered service 23 May 1942 from Des Moines; bur. Lorraine American Cem., St. Avold, Lorraine, France.
  • 347th Inf. Regt., 87th Inf. Div.; KIA 20 Dec 1944 near German border at Obergailbach, E of Sarreguemines, Moselle Dept., France; The ETO > War of Attrition > Lorraine & Alsace 1944 > Lorraine/Third Army.

† Aultz, Dorsey Everet, SN 37-189-141, US Army, Pott. Co.
  • b. 8 Nov 1910 Custer, Custer Co., OK; s/o William C. Aultz (d. 1943) & Lucy S. White (d. 1929), farm hand in rural Pott. Co.; entered service 24 Mar 1942 from Rt. 2, Oakland, Pott. Co.; bur. Laurel Hill Cem., Omaha.
  • Co. I, 359th Inf. Regt., 90th Inf. Div.; KIA 13 Jun 1944 near Picauville, SW of St. Mere Eglise, Normandy, France; The ETO > Normandy Campaign > Normandy, June 1944.