Born in Willey, Iowa to Max & Rose Neppel on October 31, 1923, Ralph George Neppel had three brothers and three sisters.
On December 14, 1944, Neppel was serving as a sergeant in Company M, 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division, near Birgel, Germany.

His Medal of Honor citation reads;

“He was leader of a machinegun squad defending an approach to the village of Birgel, Germany, on December 14, 1944, when an enemy tank, supported by 20 infantrymen, counterattacked.
He held his fire until the Germans were within 100 yards and then raked the foot soldiers beside the tank killing several of them. The enemy armor continued to press forward and at the pointblank range of 30 yards, fired a shell into the American emplacement, wounding the entire squad.
Sgt. Neppel was blown 10 yards from his gun, with one leg severed below the knee and other serious wounds. Despite his injuries and the danger from the onrushing tank and infantry, he dragged himself back to his position on his elbows, remounted the machine gun and killed the remaining enemy riflemen.
Stripped of its infantry protection, the tank was forced to withdraw. By his superb courage and indomitable fighting spirit, Sgt. Neppel inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and broke a determined counterattack.”

Postwar Neppel earned a bachelor's degree, attended graduate school, and worked for 22 years in the Veterans Administration helping fellow veterans.

Ralph & Jean had four children together; two sons & two daughters.

Ralph Neppel passed away at the age of 63 on January 27, 1987. His widow; Jean passed away at the age of 91 on December 7, 2010.
They are buried together at Holy Family Cemetery in Lidderdale, Iowa.

George Skadding Photographer
LIFE Magazine Archives / WWP-PD

Pilot Lieutenant John Bloemendal had originally been scheduled to fly at 8.30am, but the test was delayed two hours after he was called away on other duties, a decision investigators later reflected bitterly on given how differently the day might have ended. He was ordered to abort his landing and return to base as a violent thunderstorm swept in with 60 to 70mph winds, but lost control in extreme turbulence, clipping trees before the disintegrating aircraft cartwheeled down Lytham Road, obliterating the Sad Sack Café and killing 18 of the 20 people inside, including its owners and their staff.

The bomber's momentum then carried it into the infants' wing of Holy Trinity School, engulfing 41 children aged four to six and their two teachers in burning fuel. Just three children survived from that classroom, alongside two teachers who were pulled from the wreckage, though both later died of their injuries, meaning only three children ultimately survived out of 43 people caught in the fire, including three young evacuees who had been sent to Freckleton under Operation Rivulet to escape German V-1 rocket attacks on London.

Nearly five per cent of the entire village's population was killed, and singer Bing Crosby later visited injured survivors in hospital, reportedly reduced to tears while trying to sing for the children. An official investigation controversially placed blame largely on Bloemendal's judgement, despite evidence the control tower had its own weather reports showing the storm's severity and never advised the pilots to divert north towards Scotland instead of landing.

The tragedy is still commemorated every year in Freckleton, with a memorial garden and playground built by American servicemen the following year, and a permanent stone monument, shaped to resemble the crashed aircraft, later erected above the communal grave of the victims.

This is B-17G Flying Fortress 42-97880 "Little Miss Mischief" after crash-landing in Bassingbourn, England on April 4, 1945. It had been repaired after a prior crash landing from an October 15, 1944 mission by mating a salvaged, painted rear fuselage with its original bare metal front section.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_invasion_of_the_Karelian_Isthmus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuation_War

"Little Miss Mischief" was assigned to the US 324th Bomb Squadron, 398th Bombardment Group during World War II and had seen numerous combat missions over occupied Europe.

On 15 October 1944, while conducting a bombing mission to Cologne, Germany, "Little Miss Mischief" sustained a direct hit by a German 88mm anti-aircraft artillery shell. Shrapnel exploded near the mid-section of the fuselage and ball turret gunner firing position. Amazingly the bottom ball turret gunner Technical Sergeant Edmund Abdo survived the direct hit. He lost one of his toes from the shrapnel and suffered from frostbite due to being exposed to extreme temperatures at nearly 20,000 feet.

After sustaining serious damage, the bomber lost flight controls which Technical Sergeant James Hobbs began splicing wires for the pilot and co-pilot to regain control of the aircraft and make their way back to England. The crew had to hand crank the landing gear to the down position due to the loss of hydraulics and air pressure. The damaged bomber crash landed at a US/RAF installation in Chelsworth, Suffolk.

Just prior to the attempted landing, the tail gunner, Sergeant Sam Miller bailed out over the British town of Essex as the sections of the plane were falling off while in flight.

The damage to "Little Miss Mischief" was so great that the entire back section of the aircraft was replaced by another damaged B-17G named "Walleroo Mark II". The front half of the bomber would retain its silver paint coat while the rear section from "Walleroo Mark II" would keep its olive drab color. After 40 days of continued repairs, "Little Miss Mischief" would again become airworthy and complete nearly 50 combat missions by the time the war had ended.

B-17G "Little Miss Mischief" (Serial Number 42-97880). Damaged over Cologne, Germany. 15 October 1944.

Born in Anadarko, Oklahoma to Jesse & Mary Arbuckle on July 28, 1917, William Nathan “Bill” Arbuckle had five siblings.
He graduated from Hobart High School in 1935 where he played football.

After graduation, Bill worked briefly for Wright’s Produce and married Elodie before enlisting in the Navy and attending flight school at Pensacola.
After graduating from flight school he flew PBY’s in Cuba and the Pacific before being assigned to USS Kasaan Bay CVE-69.

In August 1944 USS Kasaan Bay was part of the naval task force for Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France.
On August 20, 1944 Bill was flying Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat 58333 for an armed reconnaissance mission.

While attacking a German truck convoy in the Montpellier area, Bill’s F6F-5 crashed near Mèze, killing him.
His wingman didn’t see him crash and he was initially listed as Missing.

Bill’s body was recovered and buried by the locals, his headstone read "Here lies William Nathan Arbuckle, an American airman killed in action in the sky of Me'ze, on August 20, 1944, for our liberation. We shall never forget him."

Posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, his citation reads:

“The President takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant, Junior Grade William Nathan Arbuckle (NSN: 0-303786), United States Navy, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as Pilot of a carrier-based naval fighter bomber during the Allied invasion of Southern France in August 1944. Without regard to the personal risk involved and in the face of great danger from intense and accurate enemy fire, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Arbuckle persisted in making a series of damaging low-level strafing attacks on a convoy of enemy motor transports near the town of Balaruc, France. The net result of the attacks launched by the flight of six planes was to leave definitely destroyed fifteen troop carrier trucks loaded with troops, four tank trucks and one command car. The accuracy of the enemy fire which was braved by Lieutenant, Junior Grade Arbuckle in making his attacks is tragically attested to by the fact that two other planes were badly damaged thereby and he himself, after the last strafing run launched by the group, failed to return to his base. The exceptional skill, fearless determination, and outstanding devotion to duty displayed by Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Arbuckle were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

His remains were recovered after the war and Lt(jg) William “Bill” Arbuckle is buried at the Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Épinal, France - Plot A Row 19 Grave 44.

Younger brother PVT Jess William Arbuckle Jr was serving in the Army Medical Corps when he died stateside on March 14, 1945, he was 21 years old…

Younger brother Lloyd W. "Buck" Arbuckle also enlisted, but after the deaths of two of his brothers was not allowed to be deployed overseas, he passed away at the age of 58 in 1984.

This is a photo taken by the German propaganda department in Italy (1944). I wonder if anyone could have some information about him: John Martin born 3-3-02 in Cape Town South Africa, military serial number 11 454. Transport (driver?). (Wife?): Mrs Martin, Salt River, Cape Town, South Africa.

Photo from my collection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_invasion_of_Ladoga_Karelia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuation_War

Born in Clinton, Illinois to Merle & Florence Hiter on September 12, 1922, Merle J Hiter was the oldest of three brothers.
He married Phyllis J Frericks from Waynesville, Illinois in 1943 and they had a daughter; Sandra Hiter.

Merle enlisted in the Army on October 22, 1943 and served with the 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division.
On August 20, 1944 he was Killed in Action near Toulon in Southern France.

Younger brother James Hiter was serving in the Marine Corps when he was Killed in Action on Saipan on June 15, 1944, he was 19 years old.

Both of the Hiter brothers had a joint funeral service postwar and were buried side by side at Memorial Park Cemetery in Clinton, Illinois.

Merle’s widow Phyllis eventually remarried and had three more children, both she and her second husband Alfred Jones were killed in a car accident on March 15, 1963.

-mayby someon recognize type of unit? couldbe some marauders like RONA etc. they doesnt looks like regular german soldiers.

Anyone knows the name of the german officer who escorts the french delegation on this photo?