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Brief Chronology of
Staff Sargeant David Rosenkrantz
- in World War II
82nd Airborne
504 Parachute Infantry Regiment
- 3rd Battalion
H Company
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- Since I saw the movie, "Saving Private Ryan",
I have been researching what I could find out about my Uncle
David Rosenkrantz who was Missing In Action in World War II.
I have been using books, movies, and the internet. This message
summarizes what I have found out to date capped off by two very
surprising email messages copied at the end.
Contrary to what I had been told as a young boy, David
really died in Holland during the infamous offensive known as
"Operation Market Garden". David was one of the early
members of the 504
PIR to train for combat in WWII. They trained in Ft. Benning
and Ft. Bragg and then toughened up in North Africa. They saw
their first action in Sicily.
The 3rd Battalion was in the first wave of attack in the
invasion of Sicily. David apparently landed in a remote area
and, along with a Corporal Lee Black of Tennessee, captured 200
Italians. A newspaper account of this is now on the internet
at the 504
PIR Web Site Memories page. [Note: The "casualty
list" available on the same site lists David as MIA
and he is memorialized on the "Wall
of the Missing" at the Margraten Memorial which I believe
is in the Netherlands Cemetary.]
According to one of the veterans I contacted recently,
David was injured in Sicily. He recuperated and rejoined them
in Italy. David was in two battles in Italy: Naples and Anzio.
Troopers from H Company, with a group of Rangers, made the initial
landing on 9 September on the Italian coast at Maiori. They quickly
advanced inland to seize the Chiunzi Pass and a vital railroad
tunnel. They continued on until they captured Naples.
Anzio was a two-month long battle fought in the mountains
in Winter. The 3rd Battalion was committed with the British First
(Guards) Division in the heaviest fighting, with the paratrooper
companies reduced in strength to between 20 and 30 men. H Company
drove forward to rescue a captured British General and was cut
off. I Company broke through to them with their remaining 16
men. For its outstanding performance from 8 to 12 February 1944,
the battalion was presented one of the first Presidential Unit
Citations awarded in the European Theater of Operations. Conditions
were brutal, but the 504 was stellar and at Anzio received the
nickname from the Germans as, "Those
Devils in Baggy Pants". A book by that title was written
in 1946 by a member of C Company. On page 26 he makes a reference,
I believe, to Dave's involvement in capturing 200 Italians.
Because the 504 was in England recouperating from heavy
battle losses in Italy, they missed the Normandy invasion. They
left England in September 1944 to participate in "Operation
Market Garden" in Holland. A famous war movie about "Operation
Market Garden" came out in 1977 called, "A Bridge Too
Far" based on the book by Cornelius
Ryan. The movie can be rented at most video stores. I have
read about a half-dozen accounts of the battle in history books
and the movie is historically accurate in the greatest detail.
The 82nd was assigned to capture the bridges at the towns
of Grave and Nijmegen. One account on the internet tells of the
capture of the Bridge at Nijmegen like this:
- "However, the Nijmegen road and rail bridges,
which
were the last remaining link to British Airborne forces in Arnhem,
remained
in enemy hands, and the far bank was heavily defended by the
Germans.
An assault crossing of the river was necessary, but it was a
seemingly
impossible task because it required moving in boats across the
400-yard
wide river against German 88’s, flak wagons, 20mm cannons,
machine
guns and riflemen. Nonetheless, the crossing was launched. However,
only
11 of the 26 boats that comprised the initial wave were in condition
to
return across the river to deliver succeeding waves. 3rd Battalion
crossed
first, followed by 1st Battalion, and they established a firm
bridgehead
- from which the units carried the battle to the enemy
and captured the bridge
from the far side. A British General, after witnessing the crossing,
characterized the attack with a single word as he shook his head
and said,
'Unbelievable.'"
David was apparently in the first wave of boats that crossed
(H & I Companies). A Company crossed in the second wave of
boats.
Several days ago I received the email messages at the end
of this message from a contact I recently made in Holland. The
gentleman helps with a war memorial museum there dedicated to
the Airborne. You can read from the messages that he believes
that David survived the river assault, but went missing while
on patrol about a week later.
-
- See the page with this incredible
story.
David was a true war hero and fought defending his country.
In the minds of our soldiers in WWII, they were defending the
US from ever having the enemy set foot on our soil. They were
courageous and probably the finest fighting force in the history
of the world...bar none.
Having never met my Uncle David, this has been a very emotional
experience. The family never talked much about David because,
in my opinion, they were too devastated by his death to talk
much about him or other tragedies of the war. One thing is for
sure, after talking to anyone who knew David, it is obvious he
was very well liked. All I have heard is, "Everyone liked
Dave."
Here's to you Uncle Dave! Thank you for leaving such a
rich legacy for your family!
Regards,
- Phil
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- I have already responded to the request in the last paragraph
of the second message below. I hope you find this interesting...I
know I have, and will try to keep anyone who is interested informed
about any developments.
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Date: Tue, 05 Jan 1999 21:24:47 +0000
From: Frank van den Bergh
Subject: Your uncle
Dear Phil,
I have asked around and as far as I now know your uncle
went missing
on the Wylerbaan road in Groesbeek, a town, a few miles south-east
of
Nijmegen. The Wylerbaan actually runs north from the town all
the way to
Wyler on the German border and was much fought over in 1944.
It could well
happen that your uncle is found. The last missing soldier found
on the
Wylerbaan was found about five years ago. Nowadays the Groesbeek
Liberation
Museum 1944 is located on the Wylerbaan.
I also have mailed Mr. Jan Bos from Nijmegen (who, like me, is
part
of the Historical Section of the Groesbeek Liberation Museum
1944) to look
into this and I will try to find out more info.
Yours sincerely
Frank van den Bergh
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Dear Phil,
Well today I got around to checking with father Thuring, who
knows
as much as can be known about the action that took place here
in 1944. Not
much is known, however, about your uncle. We know that along
the couple of
miles long Wylerbaan, the H company took the sector from the
farm Den Heuvel
north, towards Wyler on the German frontier. Now the Wylerbaan
roughly was
the frontline, but to the east of the Wylerbaan there was a line
of forward
defence positions. Forward of that was a kind of no-mans land
in which
patrolling went on. The Germans attacked this area fiercely for
three days,
among others on the 28th. I now translate something from the
diary of Sgt.
Oldfather, G Coy, 504 Para for the day your uncle went missing:
"This morning at six Owsianik came down and told that
the Krauts were
breaking through the line of Item Company. Soon the combats started.
Para's
fell back on our lines. Automatic eapons and artillery blasted
off. I saw a
shell fall in the midst of a group of us; luckily most walked
on. From this
distance it is difficult to tell our troops and the Germans apart.
Undoubtedly we let a number of Germans slip past. Our artillery
opened up
and shelled the woods at Den Heuvel. From what the guys told
us, they must
have spent a lively night there. The Germans had managed to get
as far as
the foxholes. Carter hosed everything with the BAR. When all
was prepared
for a counterattack, orders arrived to break everything up, as
the 508th
came to relieve us. They arrived at 21.00 hours. What a relief1
Our new
sector was in the middle of the woods (later entries in the diary
make clear
the company was in reserve). The cooks were waiting with hot
coffee, milk
and sugar. That went down well. Got hold of an overcoat and fell
asleep
between Owen and Owsianik..."
Now, the fighting at Den Heuvel was so confused and fierce
that to
this day four men still are missing from it. One missing soldier,
Vincent
Willson, was found about five years ago at Den Heuvel during
spring ploughing.
These actions took place about a week after the heroic Waalcrossing
and the intact capture of the Waal bridges on the 20th, in which
your uncle
also took part. 'H' Company, commanded by Captain Carl W. Kappel,
was one of
the two companies in the first wave of this extremely hazardous
and brave
operation (the other one was 'I' Coy). In this operation 'H'
Company lost 7
men killed.
I you don't mind I also have a question: could you send me any
additional information about your uncle? I would be grateful
if you could,
for example, furnish me with his date of birth, wether he was
married and
had any kids, and if so when did he marry, to whom and what were
their names
of any children. Also the names of his parents could come in
very useful. It
would be most appreciated by father Thuring.
I do hope that this information is of some help.
Yours sincerely
Frank van den Bergh |