Van Holsbeck Alfred J.

Monuments

Bill Tucker Monument - 505th PIR

Sainte-Mère-Église American Paratroopers Plaque

Name:

Alfred J. Van Holsbeck

Rank:

Private First Class

Serial Number:

15098699

Unit:

505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne

Date of Death:

1944-06-06

State:

Michigan

Cemetery:

Oakridge Cemetery, Marshall, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA

Plot:

8 Williamson

Row:

Lot 49

Grave:

Decoration:

Purple Heart

Comments:

Alfred J. Van Holsbeck was born on November 20, 1923, in Mishawaka, St. Joseph County, Indiana. He was the son of Alfred Alphonse Van Holsbeck and Bethel Mae Snyder Van Holsbeck. Alfred served in Company F, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, as a Private First Class during World War II.

On June 6, 1944, during the D-Day invasion, the first planes carrying American paratroopers from the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, were followed by others, causing the German troops in Sainte-Mère-Église to realize the scale of the airborne operation above them. As the garrison opened fire, some paratroopers were killed in the air before even reaching the ground. PFC Alfred descended into a burning house. The fire ignited their ammunition worsening the blaze despite local efforts to control it. He was then Killed in Action and is now buried in the Oakridge Cemetery, Marshall, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA. PFC Van Holsbeck was awarded the Purple Heart.

Source of information: ar-documentary.info