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name
ACKER, Eugene Henry - Date of
birth
12 March 1926 -
Age
18 - Place of
birth
Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33946641 -
Rank
Private -
Function
unknown -
Unit
C Company,
1st Battalion,
311th Infantry Regiment,
78th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
1 February 1945 - Place of
death
Kesternich, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 14 | 30 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Ira E. Acker (father)
Esther L. (Martz) Acker (mother)
Betty R. Acker (sister)
Lurea J. Acker (sister)
Faytrene Acker (sister)
Melva M. Acker (sister)
More information
Pvt Eugene H. Acker enlisted in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania on 2 June 1944.The second battle for Kersternich took place from January 30, 1945 to February 1, 1945. In the battle, the American 311th Infantry Regiment against the 272th Volksgrenadier Division. This time the offensive was conducted under Simpson's Ninth Army. Over the succeeding weeks the 272th Volksgrenadiers had infiltrated and created strong points throughout the village. While this battle was no less a struggle than the earlier battle, the entrenched Germans inside the village could not stave off the unrelenting American attack and the village of Kesternich fell to American hands.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Laura Phillips, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census / Headstone and Interment Record / Veteran Compensation Application File, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record
Photo source: Nico Leers, www.findagrave.com