Name:
Francis Leo Downs
Rank:
Private
Serial Number:
33559942
Unit:
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Date of Death:
1944-09-20
State:
Maryland
Cemetery:
Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands
Plot:
F
Row:
1
Grave:
7
Decoration:
Purple Heart
Comments:
Francis Leo Downs was born on January 31, 1920, in Leonardtown, St. Mary's County, Maryland. He served in HQ/3, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, as a Private during World War II. He was Killed in action on September 20, 1944, during Operation Market Garden while participating in the Waal River crossing, the heroic crossing that liberated Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He was one of the 49 paratroopers killed during the assault on German positions on the opposite bank. Pvt Downs is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.