Pfc John F. Cramer was born August 16, 1918 and was killed in action October 7, 1944. Following his death he was buried in the ABMC Henri-Chapelle Cemetary in Belgium. At his mother's rquest he was reinterred in his hometown cemetery in Steubenville, Ohio in late 1947. Pfc Cramer's posthumous officially engraved slot brooch Purple Heart is the centeriece of the group.
In all likelihood, Cramer was part of the 4th Division invasion on D-Day in Normandy.The amphibious invasion of Europe began on June 6, 1944. The 4th Division's 8th Infantry Regiment was the first Allied ground unit to assault German forces on the Normandy Beaches. The remainder of the Division quickly followed, landing on Utah Beach. For 26 days the Division pushed inland, reaching the Port of Cherbourg and sustaining over 5,000 casualties. Breaking out of the Beachhead and expanding operations well into France, the Division was given the honor of being the first Allied unit to participate in the liberation of Paris. The Ivy Division quickly moved on through northern France reaching Belgium and the border of Germany by September 1944. In November, the 4th Infantry Division moved into the Hurtgen Forest and fought what was to be its fiercest battle. The 4th Infantry Division held its ground during the Battle of the Bulge; crossed the Rhine, then the Danube, and finally ceased its advance at the Isar River in southern Germany.
Pfc Cramer was listed as MIA on October 7, and the body recovered on October 30, as stated in his IDPF. It further states that the casualty occured in Germany. The 4th Division was listed as being in Bullingen, Belgium at that time. Bullingen is on the border between Germany and Belgium
Spring 2022 sold to a collector.
