SSGT Neils Anderson was killed in Normandy July 19, 1944. He was originally buried in St. Mere Eglise Cemetery No. 2. He was reinterred in Utah at his parents request in 1947. Copies of his IDPF indicate some confusion about his actual date of death which was either July 17 or July 19. Anderson's records indicate he arrived in France on June 11, 1944, only 5 weeks before being killed.
Anderson's group includes his officially engraved split brooch posthumous Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, and 9th Division patch. Also included is his IDPF.
Going in at UTAH beach, the 60th Infantry did not land on D-Day but rather went in on June 10, 1944. They were committed to action on June 14th. The job of the 60th was to aid as much as possible the cutting of the Cotentin Peninsula. The regiment immediately began working from village to village, ejecting German defenders as they went. From Utah Beach, the unit started moving east, securing the Douve line. This phase of operations lasted from 14-16 June, 1944. Beginning near Renouf, the 60th pushed northwest towards Reigneville. From there they shot west to Ste. Colombe. In the town of Ste. Colombe, the unit secured a series of three bridges over the Douve River. Encountering continued resistance from the town of Nehou to the west, the unit went directly into the village of Nehou. From here, during June 17-18 the regiment split into three battalions and proceeded to cut the peninsula. The Second Battalion went west towards hill 145, securing the hill near the town of St. Pierre-d'Arthglise. The First Battalion went west towards hill 133, securing it. Finally, the Third Battalion pushed into the town of Barneville-Sur Mer, providing the final cut in the Contentin Peninsula. From 19-21 June 1944, the 60th advanced north, toward the town of Cherbourg. On June 19th, the 60th had set a front line, extending from the west to the east, and just to the north of the village of Helleville. Advancing toward Cherbourg, by the 21st of June, the regiment had pushed the line north, to the village of Gourbesville.
As of April 2022 this was sold to a collector.
