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name
HOLZKNECHT, Edward Martin - Date of
birth
20 February 1924 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky -
Hometown
Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
35697129 -
Rank
Private -
Function
unknown -
Unit
B Company,
1st Battalion,
406th Infantry Regiment,
102nd Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
4 February 1945 - Place of
death
Near Brachelen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 4 | 20 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Joseph C. Holzknecht (father)
Alma L. (Klein) Holzknecht (mother)
Joseph J. Holzknecht (brother)
Robert H. Holzknecht (brother)
Rita (Cummins) Holzknecht (wife)
More information
Pvt Edward M. Holzknecht enlisted in Louisville, Kentucky on 17 February 1943 and had been overseas since September 1944. Graduate of Louisville Male High School, he was formerly employed at the du Pont neoprene plane.Per Frank Worthington, Jr, 406th Infantry, B Company:
"Whitie (Lt Robert T White - platoon leader) gave the order to our platoon runner to pass the word that we were pulling out. The situation dictated that we crawl as close to the ground as humanly possible. Our runner was Eddie Holzknecht, a fine young man from Louisville, Kentucky. Eddie approached me to give me the message from Whitie. He raised his head above the small of my back to see in the complete darkness if anyone was out there who had not received the order to withdraw. He was immediately hit by machine gun fire."
Source of information: André Koch, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record - www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / Kentucky, Birth Index, www.newspapers.com - The Courier-Journal
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, www.newspapers.com - The Courier-Journal