.

Since 2/28/99

An Account of How S/Sgt. David Rosenkrantz

Died in Battle in World War II

 

Facinating Story of How the Internet Was

Used to Answer a Fifty-Five Year Old Question

 

(Back to Main Page)

 

As you know I have been digging up anything I could regarding my Uncle Dave's WWII military career. I especially wanted to find out how he died, since it has been an unresolved question in the family since he was first reported MIA. Attempts made in 1944 and 45 to find out the truth of how or where he died were difficult and, frankly, unreliable.

I had started to find other members of the 82nd Airborne, 504 Parachute Infantry Regiment via the internet who knew other living members. One of the email addresses I was given (among many) was for Dave Thomas. Dave Thomas's father, Fred Thomas, as it turned out, had trained and served with Dave in the states, North Africa, Sicily & Italy. Because of his wounds in Italy, Fred did not see Uncle Dave again after he was wounded.

Dave Thomas had been researching H Company for 5 years. He sent me the following email message after receiving my message:

HOW DID YOU GET MY ADDRESS? I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A RELATIVE OF YOUR UNCLE FOR 5 YEARS. MY FATHER FRED THOMAS WAS A FRIEND OF YOUR UNCLE. HE WAS WOUNDED IN ITALY. WE RETURNED THIS LAST JULY TO SICILY AND ITALY TO FOLLOW HIS FOOT STEPS. I HAVE A PICTURE OF YOUR UNCLE WITH MY DAD TAKEN IN ITALY. I KNOW OF A MAN, TED FINKBIENER IN LOUSIANA WHO SAW YOUR UNCLE SHOT FROM BEHIND IN A FOREST FIRE FIGHT. I HAVE HIS NUMBER AT WORK. YOU CAN CALL ME TOLL FREE AT [omitted]

REGARDS,
DAVE THOMAS

As you could expect, when I read this message, I just sat there stunned for about 5 minutes.

I talked to both Dave and Fred Thomas. They were very informative. I heard some stories about Uncle Dave that I will add to his website tribute later. However, neither knew the details of Uncle Dave's death, but knew someone who did: Ted Finkbeiner. So I called Ted Finkbeiner. Ted goes by the nickname "T". I finally got hold of T by phone. He basically told me the following:

T had known Dave (whose nickname was "Rosy") for a long time (both were in H Company) and they were friends, but not intimately close because they were not in the same squad. However, Dave had just been made his platoon sargeant. They were in Holland for Operation Market Garden in September 1944. They had already crossed the Waal River (the famous Waalcrossing) on September 20 and were on patrol at the front near the Den Heuvel farm outside Nijmegen, Holland. [Note: This is what the researchers in Holland speculated as well]. They were in the woods near a small building. Dave was 15 yards away from T and they were all laying low. Dave stood up behind a tree to shoot at some Germans in the distance. Dave did not know that they themselves had been surrounded as part of a German counterattack. T sensed they were not in the clear and was was yelling, "Rosy! Rosy! Get Down!" when Dave was killed by machine gun fire from behind. According to T, there is no doubt Dave was killed at that point. In Spring 1999 I received a written account from Larry Dunlop of Dave's death. Larry's account is slightly different, but not very much. One of the other veterans I talked to is writing a book about H Company and is working on resolving these minor differences in the story.

I asked T why Dave would have been listed as "Missing in Action" all this time with no details. He was fairly sure it was because when it got dark, they all slipped out and left any bodies behind in the woods. Without a body, he was MIA.

Again, this all matches with the accounts from the Dutch researchers and, in fact, one of the historical accounts of the events at that time states:

"27-30 Sept - The Germans attack the positions of the 3rd Battalion 504th along the Wylerbaan Road and at the Den Heuvel estate."

Also, one of the researchers had sent me the following:

"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."

For me this settles a lot things up. No more speculation about what happened to Dave. And, as far as ways to die in war, it could have been a lot worse.

Dave, and many others died defending our country. We owe them a lot.

I must admit to being utterly amazed at being able to find people who knew my Uncle Dave and one who even witnessed how he died. The internet is quite amazing in that regard.

Phil Rosenkrantz 2/27/99 (Revised 9/6/99)