Memorial

More information

Pvt Eugene J. Appleby graduated from North High School and attended The Ohio State University for one year. He worked as a clerk before he enlisted in Columbus, Ohio on 10 November 1943. He was a very talented pianist and had a plane and a car, very rare in those days. He was a bit of a daredevil.

On 17 September 1944, Pvt Appleby took part in Operation Market Garden. The regiment was tasked with landing at Drop Zone T, north of Groesbeek. Pvt Appleby successfully jumped and was seen on the ground by members of his unit. However, as the soldiers rallied to move toward their objective, he was seen struck by enemy fire.

He was last seen by Capt John P. Foley, who stated: "Pvt Appleby jumped with this organization in the airborne invasion of Holland; our mission was to seize the Nijmegen Bridge across the Waal River. Our Drop Zone was located several miles southeast of Nijmegen. He was last seen immediately after the jump. As the men got out of their parachutes and ran about the Drop Zone trying to locate their equipment bundles, they drew occasional rifle fire from the enemy. Pvt Appleby was seen to get hit in the forehead and drop to the ground."

Pvt Appleby was officially declared dead one day and one year after he was reported missing in action.

On 8 September 2011 the Royal Netherlands Army Recovery and Identification Unit (RIU) was notified by the Groesbeek Police of possible human remains found at the Groenendaal Farm by local residents. The remains were transferred for identification. The first set of remains was identified in 2012 as being Gerald W. Kight. In the beginning of January 2017 the news was announced that the other paratrooper who had been found in 2011, had been identified as Pvt Gene J. Appleby. His remains were reburied in the South Lawn Cemetery in Ohio on 22 June 2017.