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name
REED, Ralph F - Date of
birth
11 March 1916 -
Age
28 - Place of
birth
Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pennsylvania
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33931328 -
Rank
Private -
Function
Automatic Rifleman -
Unit
I Company,
3rd Battalion,
18th Infantry Regiment,
1st Infantry Division,
2nd Platoon
-
Awards
Bronze Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Died of Wounds - Date of
death
26 November 1944 - Place of
death
Schöntal, Hürtgen Forest, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 17 | 28 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William F. Reed (father)
Anna A. (Hile) Reed (mother)
Violet E. (Hartz) Reed (wife)
Pearl Reed (daughter)
Gary Reed (son)
More information
Pvt Ralph F. Reed enlisted in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania on 5 April 1944.He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal posthumously for his action on 21 November 1944 in the vicinity of Heiseern, Germany. During the attack upon the strongly defended town, the 2nd platoon of I Company was on the right flank of the company and was protecting this exposed section of the company. As the assault moved toward the objective the platoon came under heavy enemy machine gun fire and two members of the platoon were wounded. Pvt Reed, a BAR gunner, moved through this heavy fire until he reached an exposed position from which he could place observed fire upon the hostile emplacement. He opened fire on the machine gun, killed the gunner and pinned down the remaining crew members and prevented the from firing their weapon until members of his platoon could advance and destroy the emplacement with rifle grenades.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil / 1940 Census / Correll and Kehr Family Tree
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, David L. Mengel (nephew)