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Personal info

Full name
BERDUCCI, Alphonse A
Date of birth
16 April 1925
Age
20
Place of birth
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Hometown
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

Military service

Service number
33788596
Rank
Sergeant
Function
Squad Leader
Unit
B Company,
1st Battalion,
115th Infantry Regiment,
29th Infantry Division
Awards
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
21 April 1945
Place of death
Area Elbe River near Darchau, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Plot Row Grave
E 21 21

Immediate family

Members
John Berducci (father)
Mildred (D'Annunzio) Berducci (mother)
Albert Berducci (brother)
Clara T. Berducci (sister)
Anthony J. Berducci (brother)

More information

Sgt Alphonse Berducci enlisted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 5 July 1943.

He was promoted to Private First Class on 1 July 1944 and was lightly wounded in action on 11 July 1944. He rejoined his unit on 31 October 1944 and was promoted to Sergeant on 11 December 1944.

The following is a statement of one of the members of his unit: Sgt Alphonse Berducci and I were advancing on the left side of the line. As we approached a house, we saw a door partially open with someone peeking out the crack of the door. Berducci ran a line of bullets up the door with his Thompson submachine gun. We checked out the house and found two elderly people and some children. They were all right, but I don't know why. As we advanced we came to a clearing and made a wrong turn as our leaders soon discovered. We thus had to reverse our direction. On our way back to the hill we were to take, the Germans were firing 20mm anti-aircraft guns, ground level fire. The shells were exploding just over our heads. More than likely some of the men were wounded at that time. Here we go again. We came out of the brushy area into an area of two-foot planted pine trees. I had carried 280 rounds of ammunition into this action. The Cosmoline was already burning out the wood of my rifle. We were down close to the ground. I kept trying to see what was ahead of me. Every time I lifted my head a little bit, a sniper would snip off a branch within inches of my head. Someone yelled at me to keep my head down. I yelled back that I could not see what was going on. It may have been Berducci that yelled at me, because as I looked to my right, there was Berducci up on both feet. At that same instant his head jerked back and he fell to the ground, dead. He had been hit in the head. I could see the back of his helmet explode outward.

Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.govwww.ancestry.com - Veteran Compensation Application File / Family Tree

Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, Anna Marie Scarpato