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name
THAYER, Harold E - Date of
birth
21 June 1918 -
Age
26 -
Place of birth
Allegany County, New York -
Hometown
Allegany County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
32132039 -
Rank
Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
F Company,
2nd Tank Battalion,
9th Armored Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
unknown - Date of
death
18 December 1944 - Place of
death
East of Bastogne, in the direction of Clervaux, Luxembourg
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 30 | 7 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Edgar W. Thayer (father)
Anna V. (Taft) Thayer (mother)
Herbert H. Thayer (brother)
Richard A. Thayer (brother)
Leroy W. Thayer (brother)
Gerald W. Thayer (brother)
Melton R. Thayer (brother)
More information
Sgt Harold E. Thayer enlisted in Buffalo, New York on 3 June 1941.On 13 December his unit was stationed near the village of Troisvierges in Luxembourg. In the early hours of the Battle of the Bulge on 16 December his unit received orders to hold 2 crossroads located east of Bastogne in the direction of Clervaux. Their orders were to take between 36 and 48 hours that allow the arrival of the reinforcements to the 101st Airborne Division.
Sgt Thayer's unit and two armored infantry companies formed the Task Force Harper (Lt Col Harper). Task Force Harper was located at Feitsch crossroad (little town on the Luxembourg border at the East of Bastogne) on 18 December 1944. In the afternoon of 18 December, about 16:00, T.F. Harper caught the first elements of the 2nd Panzer. As the German tanks got less defensively, he tried to hold out as long as possible and in the evening, the T.F. Harper no longer existed. In 15-20 minutes of unequal fight he lost 24 of 25 tanks of the 2nd Tank Battalion. The last tank was abandoned by its crew. Sgt Harold E. Thayer was killed in action as well as many others of these comrades. Also Lt. Col. Ralph S. Harper lost life.
Source of information: Didier Dradon, www.abmc.gov, www.ancestry.com - Family Tree / 1930 Census / U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, www.findagrave.com - Marc Thayer III, www.fold3.com
Photo source: Didier Dradon, Wellsville Daily Reporter - family photo