9-21-19 Garand Picture of the Day - S/SGT.David Rosenkrantz 82nd Abn Div

[Mark in Rochester]

During Operation Market Garden the 82nd Airborne jumped into the Nijmegen area in the Netherlands and helped capture the bridges at Grave and Nijmegen over the Waal (Rhine) River. David was part of the famous Waalcrossing where paratroopers of the Third Battalion of the 504 PIR crossed the Waal River in daylight in canvas-wooden rowboats under fire to capture the railroad and road bridges in Nijmegen. It was basically a suicide mission and is portrayed graphically in the movie A Bridge Too Far. Many lives were lost in crossing and capturing the bridges but David survived and helped capture both bridges.

A week later on 28 September 1944 David’s squad was on patrol at a farm in the Den Heuvel area a few miles south of Nijmegen. Unknown to them a large German counter attack was about ready to swarm over the H Company squad as well as I Company which was positioned just north of them.

What comes next is what Ted Finkbeiner told me: Upon discovering the counter attack the squad members were ordered to retreat and were taking cover. It was not an “orderly retreat” and David had not gotten the word. David ran by SGT Ted Finkbeiner who by now was in his foxhole. David was looking for a place to presumably take aim at the enemy. Ted was yelling at David to get down from 15 yards away but he couldn’t hear him. David was killed from behind by German machine gun fire as he stood up behind a tree. The squad retreated after dark unable to retrieve David’s body. When they went back for it, it was gone.

His remains would be missing for the next 73 years.

The rest of the Story Here https://www.cpp.edu/~rosenkrantz/par.../uncledave.htm

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[browningautorifle]

At least they finally found him...

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

That is love in action.
Hats off to all involved.