Dear coole-ga;
I recalled hearing about the same incident and quickly went to work on
your question.
The young soldier you are referring to was PFC Maurice Lloyd (Company
L/399th Infantry Regiment of Rock Island, Illinois), killed in action
on January 1, 1945. His remains were discovered by a hiker in 1976 in
a forest near Lemberg, a small village a few kilometers southwest of
Bitche, in the Department (State) of the Moselle), France, and not
Hammelburg, Germany as you remembered. Upon exhumation, the body was
still clutching the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) and still facing
the direction of what was then the enemy position. After lying in the
foxhole for 31 years, the soldiers equipment and his rifle were
recovered and his remains were finally laid to rest by a honor guard
in the US Army's Ardennes Cemetery near the graves of his band of
brothers.
The grateful citizens of Lemberg erected a monument near the site of
Lloyds temporary tomb of 31 years, which reads:
To the memory of the American soldiers, Liberators of LEMBERG
LEMBERG 17 September 1995
I was stationed with the US Army near Zweibrucken, Germany not far
from Lemberg, France where this incident took place. Lemberg, which is
just across the southeast border of modern day Germany, has since been
repatriated to the French, but was indeed under German control at the
time of the battle. This, compounded by the number of years that have
passed since the story first broke, may very well have added to the
confusion.
I hope my research puts your mind at ease.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
GlobalSecurity.org
100th Division (Institutional Training)
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/100d.htm
The Oak Ridger Online
From Schwaigern to Heilbronn: WWII and Today
By Alex Gabbard, November 11, 1998
http://www.oakridger.com/stories/111198/new_1111980030.html
Lemberg
http://www.100thww2.org/mem/lemb1.html |
Clarification of Answer by
tutuzdad-ga
on
06 Nov 2002 19:51 PST
I am sorry, I should have said that Lemberg is just across the
SOUTHWEST border of modern day Germany, not far from Zweibricken,
Pirmasans, & Homburg. Having been stationed at Schweinfurt, I am sure
these places are likely to sound familiar to you.
Again, thank you for allowing me to research your question.
tutuzdad-ga
|