| U.S. Army 87th Infantry Division, 346th Infantry Regiment, Company G Pvt Joseph F. Diffenderfer 33906248 Killed In Action - February 1st 1945, Schonberg, Belgium Buried: Green Hill Cemetery, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, USA |
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| HISTORY OF JOSEPH F. DIFFENDERFER Joseph F. Diffenderfer was born on September 5th 1921 and entered service in Baltimore, Maryland on July 18th 1944 with the United States Army. He was Killed-in-Action (KIA) on Thursday, February 1st 1945 while serving with the 346th Infantry Regiment of the 87th Infantry Division, during World War Two in the vicinity of Schonberg, Belgium. He was 23 years old at the time of his death. Private Joseph F. Diffenderfer is buried in the Green Hill Cemetery, Waynesboro, Franklin County Pennsylvania, USA |
| 346TH INFANTRY REGIMENT FEBRUARY 1945 The 87th Infantry Division landed in France on December 1st through 5th 1944 and took over the Metz, France sector from the 5th Infantry Division. The 87th Infantry Division then moved to the Gross Rederching area of the Saar-German border on December 11th 1944, relieving the 26th Infantry Division. Attacking on December 14th 1944, the division took Rimling in heavy combat and by December 15th 1944 the 347th Infantry Regiment had taken Oberailbrach and the heights overlooking the Blies. The division continued clearing operations in the outer portions of the West Wall until its offensive was ordered stopped on December 18th 1944. The 87th Infantry Division was then transferred to counter the German Ardennes counteroffensive. The 87th Infantry Division took Moircy on December 30th 1944, but lost it to a counterattack the following day. Moircy was secured on January 1st 1945. On January 3rd 1945, the 87th Infantry Division had surrounded the woods east of St Hubert, and was halted near Pironpre, west of Bastogne. The division was forced out of Bonnerue on January 6th 1945. The 347th Infantry Regiment took Bonnerue on January 11th 1945. The 87th Infantry Division fought the Battle of Tillet from January 6th through the 10th 1945, which ended as it crossed the Ronce River east of Petite Langlir. The 87th Infantry Division moved to Luxemburg to take over from the 4th Infantry Division zone along the Sauer from Echternach to Wasserbilling on January 17th 1945. On January 26th 1945, the 87th Infantry Division relieved the 17th Airborne Division beyond Wattermal, Belgium. The 87th Infantry Division attacked from the heights west of the Our River on January 29th 1945 and assaulted the West Wall. Manderfeld and Auw fell as the 87th Infantry Division crossed into Germany on February 1st 1945. Private Joseph F. Diffenderfer was Killed-in-Action (KIA) on February 1st 1945 in the vicinity of Schonberg, Belgium. |
| The President of The United States of America condolence letter, above photo. When a service member was Killed In Action (KIA) the President sent an official condolence letter. The letter pictured above was sent to the Next of Kin (NOK) and is stamped with the signature of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The stamp is an officially endorsed mechanical duplicate of a signature. This letter was sent as official condolence for Private Joseph F. Diffenderfer 33906248 who was killed in action in the European Area, February 1st 1945. |
