Memorial

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Sgt Victor L. Novickie enlisted in Tyler, Texas on 13 November 1942.

On the night of 6 November, Sgt Novickie was part of a reconnaissance patrol that was sent to scout machine gun positions in the area of a slag pile and short rail spur in the vicinity of the Krefelder Strasse and Elchenrather Strasse in the town of Würselen. The regiment had been in this area for several days, and night patrols were a standing order from headquarters. While on the patrol, the men came under heavy machine gun and mortar fire from the German positions manned by troops of the 3rd Panzer Grenadiers, which seriously wounded at least four of the men: Novickie, Felsman, Dumont, and Jackson. While the other men retreated, these four were left behind and subsequently captured by the Germans. Their capture is noted in a report of the 3rd Panzer Grenadiers that give some details of the engagement. According to a Totenlisten Amerikaner which was obtained from the archives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, all four men died of their wounds while in captivity in Würselen at some point on 7 November 1944. They were buried in unmarked graves, and it wasn't until much later that the US Army learned of the whereabouts of their remains. The War Department listed the place of death of Novickie and Felsman as Kohlscheid. Pfc Jackson, whose remains were repatriated stateside from Margraten in 1949, had a place of death listed as Palenburg. Dumont is the only one with a correct place of death listed, yet his date of death was incorrectly listed by the War Department as 8 November 1944.