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name
ARMSTRONG, Ralph Gleason - Date of
birth
18 May 1925 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
Tennessee -
Hometown
Knox County, Tennessee
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
34883286 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
302nd Infantry Regiment,
94th Infantry Division
-
Awards
unknown
Death
-
Status
Died non-Battle - Date of
death
31 May 1945 - Place of
death
Paris, France
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Epinal
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 30 | 33 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Dean E. Armstrong (father)
Cora M. Armstrong (mother)
Anna L. Armstrong (wife)
More information
Pfc Ralph G. Armstrong graduated from Central High School and was an electrician apprentice before he enlisted at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia on 17 August 1943.Pfc Armstrong was a prisoner of war, who was held in Stalag XII-A in Limburg an der Lahn, Germany. When the Allied forces advanced eastwards, this camp was evacuated and the prisoners were transported by freight trains to Stalag IV-B in Bad Orb, Germany.
An article in the Knoxville News Sentinel of 10 April 1945 raises questions about his death. This article says his wife received a cablegram on that day in which Pfc Armstrong lets her know he is "getting along all right", which means that he was liberated by American troops.
He died in a hospital in Paris from a kidney ailment developed from malnutrition while he was a prisoner.
He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery in Solers, France.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com - Kyle Simmons, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record / World War II Prisoners of War Data File, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1930 Census, www.findagrave.com
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Andy, The Knoxville News Sentinel - 10 April 1945