Roy Kenneth KREISER

Parents : Leroy R & Edna D Yiengst KREISER

Siblings : William E, Marlin R, Betty L, Marian L & Paul R

Source : Frogman

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  Sainte Mère Eglise #2 N°3586

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

Source : smithada_1

Roy Kenneth Kreiser was born on 6 Jun 1925 in Lebanon, PA and died on 6 Jun 1944 in Normandy, France as the result of hostile action on D-Day in WWII. His parents were LeRoy Russell Kreiser (1902-1974) and Edna Deborah Yiengst (1898-1980). Per the 1930 US Census, his father worked at a steel mill, his mother was a seamstress and they lived in North Cornwall, PA. Per the 1940 Census, his father was in private work. Roy had 3younger sisters and 4 brothers (1 older and 3 younger). He graduated from high school and he was not married. He worked as a stock clerk at McCrory 5&10 store in Lebanon, PA prior to entering the Army.

Roy registered for the draft on 30 Jun 1942 in Lebanon, PA and enlisted in the Army on 6 Jul 1942 at Harrisburg, PA as a private in the engineers. His service number was 13090866. It is not known where he did his basic and engineer training. He was assigned to Company B, 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion (AEB), 82d Airborne Division. Pvt Kreiser deployed in May 1943 but it could not be determined if he deployed to North Africa or to England to join the battalion. On 25 Mar 1942, the 307th AEB was ordered to active service at Camp Claiborne, LA as part of the 82nd Airborne Division. The battalion consisted of 3 companies: a medical company and Companies B and C of engineers. The 307thAEB participated in operations in Sicily supporting the 82nd Airborne Division. After Sicily, Company B was attached to the 505th PIR for the remainder of the war. After this reorganization, the 307th AEB participated in the invasion of Salerno and Anzio. In Dec 1943, the PIRs returned to Cookstown, Northern Ireland to join up with the remainder of the 82nd Airborne Division. They relocated again to Quorndon, Leicester, England on 14 Feb 1944 for continued training. On 31 May 1944 the 307th AEB and the Division moved to an airport in Leicester, England where they staged for the Normandy invasion. They departed the airport on 5 Jun 1944 aboard C-47 aircraft for the Normandy invasion. Visibility was hampered by poor weather conditions as the C-47s crossed the English Channel. At 0300 hours on 6 Jun 1944, the PIRs were given the green light to jump. However, many of the troop carriers missed their drop zones and the paratroopers landed across a large swath of the countryside around Normandy. It is not known if Pvt Kreiser survived the jump or not. However, he did die on 6 Jun 1944, but the exact circumstances leading to his death are not known. On D-Day, the 82d Airborne Division had 156 Killed, 347 wounded and 756 missing.

Source : Sue Johnson  

Source : Joel Frampton Gilfert

Source : Fold3

 Pvt Kreiser’s remains were initially buried at Temporary Cemetery #3586 (plot W, row 7, grave 126), Saint Mere Eglise Cemetery #2, Carentan, France.

His remains were eventually buried at the Normandy American Cemetery (plot F, row 16, grave 14) at Colleville-sur-Mer, France.

Pvt Kreiser was awarded the Purple Heart.

Source : Fold3

Source : Fold3

82^nd AIRBORNE DIVISION - ALL AMERICAN

Activated/Activé	Normandy/Normandie
25 Mar 1942	Days of Combat/Jour de Combat  422
	Casualties/Victimes  9 073
Entered Combat/Entré au combat
9 Jul 1943 at Sicily
Commanding Generals/Commandants généraux Maj. Gen. Omar Bradley (Mar 42 - Jun 42) Maj. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway (Jun 42 - Aug 44) Maj. Gen. James M. Gavin (Aug 44 - Mar 48)	Campaigns/Campagnes Sicily (9 Jul - 17 Aug 43) Naples-Foggia (9 Sep 43 - 21 Jan 44) Rome-Arno (22 Jan 44 - 9 Sep 44) Normandy (6 Jun 44 - 24 Jul 44) Rhineland (15 Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45) Ardennes-Alsace (16 Dec 44 - 25 Jan 45) Central Europe (22 Mar 45 - 11 May 45)
CARTE DE CAMPAGNE DU THÉÂTRE MÉDITERRANÉEN CAMPAIGN MAP OF THE MEDITERRANEAN THEATER
PLAN DE ROUTE DE LA CAMPAGNE - CAMPAIGN ROUTE MAP
DIVISION CHRONICLE The 82d Airborne Division landed at Casablanca, 10 May 1943, and trained. Elements first saw combat in Sicily, when the 505th RCT and part of the 504th dropped behind enemy lines, 9-10 July 1943, at Gela. The remainder of the 504th RCT dropped, 11-12 July 1943, also near Gela, after running friendly naval and ground force fire. Scattered elements formed and fought as ground troops. The elements were flown back to Tunisia for reequipment and returned to Sicily to take off for drop landings on the Salerno beachhead. The 504th Parachute Infantry dropped, 13 September 1943, and the 505th the following night; the 325th landed by boat. These elements bolstered Salerno defenses and fought their way into Naples, 1 October 1943. After a period of occupation duty (and combat for some elements in the Volturno Valley and Anzio beachhead), the Division moved to Ireland, November 1943, and later to England, February 1944, for additional training. Moving in by glider and parachute, troops of the 82d dropped behind enemy lines in Normandy on D-day, 6 June 1944, before ground troops hit the beaches. Cutting off enemy reinforcements, the Division fought its way from Carentan to St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte, fighting 33 days without relief. Relieved on 8 July, it returned to England for refitting. On 17 September, it was dropped at Nijmegen, 50 miles behind enemy lines, and captured the Nijmegen bridge, 20 September, permitting relief of British paratroops by the British 2d Army. After heavy fighting in Holland, the Division was relieved 11 November and rested in France. It was returned to combat, 18 December 1944, to stem the von Rundstedt offensive, blunting the northern salient of the Bulge. It punched through the Siegfried Line in early February 1945, and crossed the Roer, 17 February. Training with new equipment in March, the Division returned to combat, 4 April, patrolling along the Rhine, securing the Koln area, later moving across the Elbe, 30 April, into the Mecklenburg Plain, where, 2 May 1945, the German 21st Army surrendered.	CHRONIQUE DE DIVISION La 82ème division aéroportée a atterri à Casablanca le 10 mai 1943 et s'est entraînée. Les éléments ont d'abord été combattus en Sicile, lorsque le 505ème RCT et une partie du 504ème ont été largués derrière les lignes ennemies, du 9 au 10 juillet 1943, à Gela. Le reste de la 504ème RCT est tombé, du 11 au 12 juillet 1943, également près de Gela, après des tirs amicaux contre des forces navales et terrestres. Des éléments épars se sont formés et se sont battus en tant que troupes au sol. Les éléments ont été rapatriés en Tunisie pour le rééquipement et sont retournés en Sicile pour décoller pour atterrir sur la tête de pont de Salerne. Le 504th Infantry Parachute Infantry est tombé le 13 septembre 1943 et le 505ème le lendemain soir; la 325ème atterrit en bateau. Ces éléments ont renforcé les défenses de Salerno et se sont introduits à Naples, le 1er octobre 1943. Après une période d'occupation (et de combat pour certains éléments dans la vallée de Volturno et la tête de pont d'Anzio), la division s'est installée en Irlande en novembre 1943 , Février 1944, pour une formation supplémentaire. Se déplaçant en planeur et en parachute, les troupes du 82d tombèrent derrière les lignes ennemies en Normandie le 6 juin 1944, avant que les troupes terrestres ne frappent les plages. En coupant les renforts ennemis, la Division se fraya un chemin de Carentan à Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, combattant 33 jours sans soulagement. Soulagé le 8 juillet, il est retourné en Angleterre pour y être réaménagé. Le 17 septembre, il a été largué à Nimègue, à 50 milles derrière les lignes ennemies, et a capturé le pont de Nimègue, le 20 septembre, permettant ainsi à la 2 e armée britannique de soulager les parachutistes britanniques. Après de violents combats en Hollande, la division est soulagée le 11 novembre et se repose en France. Il fut remis au combat le 18 décembre 1944 pour endiguer l’offensive de von Rundstedt, assourdissant le saillant septentrional des Ardennes. Il a percuté la ligne Siegfried au début de février 1945 et a traversé la Roer le 17 février. S'entraînant avec de nouveaux équipements en mars, la Division est revenue au combat le 4 avril, patrouillant le long du Rhin, sécurisant la région de Koln, traversant ensuite l'Elbe le 30 avril dans la plaine de Mecklenburg où, le 2 mai 1945 s'est rendu.