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name
FILES, Hanford Allen - Date of
birth
17 November 1920 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Wahkonsa Township, Webster County, Iowa -
Hometown
West Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-495711 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
E Company,
2nd Battalion,
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
82nd Airborne Division
-
Awards
Silver Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
17 September 1944 - Place of
death
At the crossroads of the Bosschebaan with the Generaal De Bonsweg
Grave - De Elft, the Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| K | 9 | 20 |
Immediate family
-
Members
James R. Files (father)
Anna (Louis) Files (mother)
Gordon L. Files (brother)
Mary N. Files (sister)
Roger B. Files (brother)
More information
1st Lt Hanford A. Files was a 1942 graduate of the University of California (UCLA) and on the 1941 and 1942 UCLA rowing team as an oarsman.His platoon had set up a roadblock at the crossroads of the Bosschebaan with the Generaal De Bonsweg when, at a certain moment, they heard the sound of a tank engine and assumed that it was British. Lt Files, together with some men, went to take a look. It turned out to be two German Stug III's that were approaching. They opened fire, wounding several paratroopers, and killing Lt Files, who was hit in the throat. This was the only occasion when a German counter attack approached anywhere near the Grave Bridge.
He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery of Molenhoek, Netherlands on 21 September 1944. He was given his final resting place at Margraten on 17 February 1949.
He was awarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously for gallantry in action against the enemy on 17 September 1944.
Source of information: André Koch, Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / U.S., Headstone and Interment Records, http://www.marketgarden.com
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Fred Munckhof, www.ancestry.com - University of California-Los Angeles Yearbook 1941