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name
ECKMAN, Robert Wirt - Date of
birth
15 January 1919 -
Age
25 - Place of
birth
Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware -
Hometown
Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
42141497 -
Rank
Private -
Function
unknown -
Unit
G Company,
2nd Battalion,
8th Infantry Regiment,
4th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
4 December 1944 - Place of
death
in the vicinity of Schwartzenbroich, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| F | 21 | 6 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Charles A. Eckman (father)
Florie (Wirt) Eckman (mother)
Charles A. Eckman (brother)
Ada V. (Buel) Eckman (wife)
More information
Pvt Robert W. Eckman was a draftsman working for his father's Contractor business of building custom homes before he enlisted at Fort Dix, New Jersey on 19 May 1944.Per Arnold Erbstoesser, his buddy: In a close fire fight through the trees, Robert Eckman was hit by shrapnel from a tree burst. A chunk went through his back and chest severely wounding him. He was close to me when this happened and I ran back to some aid men a few yards away to report it. They said they would take care of him.
After the war was over, a note was posted on the Sergeant's door asking of the whereabouts of soldiers on the list. I was surprised to see Robert Eckman's name on it. I immediately went in to the Sergeant's office and told him I know exactly where he was in the middle of the Hürtgen Forest.
Source of information: André Koch, William L. Beigel, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil / 1930 census / Delaware Marriage Records, 1913-1954, https://www.facebook.com - War Department Report of Death Bill Beigel
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, Arnold Erbstoesser and David Erbstoesser