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name
LOTERBAUGH, James Gilbert "Bugsy" - Date of
birth
25 March 1909 -
Age
35 -
Place of birth
Hocking County, Ohio -
Hometown
Muskingum County, Ohio
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
35738624 -
Rank
Private -
Function
Tank Driver -
Unit
C Company,
774th Tank Battalion,
1st Platoon
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Finding of Death - Date of
death
11 December 1944 - Place of
death
Strass, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten -
Walls of the Missing
* This soldier has been accounted for. A rosette has been placed next to his name.
Immediate family
-
Members
George W. Loterbaugh (father)
Ide M. (Hiles) Loterbaugh (mother)
Chester A. Loterbaugh (brother)
Andrew J. Loterbaugh (brother)
Evelyn P. Loterbaugh (sister)
William G. Loterbaugh (brother)
Floyd P. Loterbaugh (brother)
George W. Loterbaugh (brother)
Earl T. Loterbaugh (brother)
Forest E. Loterbaugh (brother)
Esther (Shipley) Loterbaugh (wife)
James Loterbaugh (son)
More information
Pvt James G. Loterbaugh enlisted at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, on 13 January 1944.Pvt Loterbaugh's M4 Sherman tank was hit by heavy artillery and anti-tank fire. Due to the speed and intensity of the fighting, the C Company commander was unable to maintain an accurate count of his troops. By mid-day of 11 December 1944, it is believed the entire platoon, including Loterbaugh’s tank, was Missing in Action. The Germans never reported Loterbaugh as a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a presumptive finding of death in December 1945.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Pvt James G. Loterbaugh was accounted for on 20 September 2024. He was buried in Dayton National Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio on 3 June 2025.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / Hills Family Tree, http://muskingumlibrary.org, http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org - After Action Report 774th Tank Battalion, www.routsong.com
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.findagrave.com - Robert Sage