Memorial

More information

Pvt Jay E. Derendinger was a chauffeur before he enlisted at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on 13 July 1943.

After the Germans captured the Baraque de Fraiture crossroads, known as Parker's Crossroads, on 23 December 1944, a group of fourteen American defenders of the crossroads attempted to escape the next day and reunite with their own troops. However, they were shelled by a German tank on the Chemin de Fraiture, killing four men and one seriously wounding. All five of them were in a jeep.

A memorial plaque was unveiled at the site of this incident in June 2011.

Note about the picture: According to his nephew, all family photos were destroyed in a house fire and very likely this picture of Jay Derendinger is the only one that still exists. It was taken by a neighbor who herself didn't have children and made it her mission to take photos of all of the neighborhood children.