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Antonio ZAPPA
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Source : Harry Alexander | |||||||
| NUMBER OF SERVICE | 33405766 | ||||||
| AGE | 22 yo | ||||||
| DATE OF BIRTH |
5 May 1922 Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, PENNSYLVANIA | ||||||
| ENLISTMENT STATE | Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, PENNSYLVANIA | ||||||
| FAMILY |
Spouse : Anna M Figan Parents : Ortenzio & Letizia ZAPPA Siblings : Eleanor M, Francis, Carl R & Ortenzio Jr | ||||||
| RANK |
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| FONCTION | Tank commander | ||||||
| JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT |  | ||||||
| DATE of ENLISTEMENT | 30 June 1942 | ||||||
| COMPANY | Company C | ||||||
| BATTALION | 70th Tank Battalion | ||||||
| DIVISION | 4th Infantry Division | ||||||
| ARMY | 1st Army | ||||||
| DATE OF DEATH | 28 August 1944 |
Source : Michelle Chubenko | |||||
| STATUS | KIA | ||||||
| PLACE OF DEATH | Tremblay-lès-Gonesse (Tremblay-en-France) | ||||||
| CEMETERY TEMPORARY |
CEMETERY TEMPORARY of St André N°3572
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| CEMETERY | NORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY of Colleville | ||||||
| GRAVE |
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| DECORATION & BREVET |
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| STORY | |||||||
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The ZAPPA family was originally from Italy, the maternal part had immigrated to the United States for a generation already, the father, Ortenzio, had just arrived. He met Letizia, who was born in Pittsburgh in 1903 and married in October 1920. Quickly naturalized in turn they had 7 children together including Antonio, the eldest in 1922.
After high school Antonio joined the army while the country had been in conflict for a few months. In October shortly after the beginning of his classes he married Anna M. FIGAN before joining the 70th Tank Battalion in Sicily the following summer. He is assigned to the C company while the battalion re-equips in Mistratta, he is then young Private.
Later the 70th is sent back to England to prepare for D-Day, he then passed successively corporal and technician 4th grade in March 1944. Thus he participated on June 6 by landing on Utah Beach and supporting the 4th Infantry Division throughout the Normandy campaign during which he became sergeant and commander, he even participated in the liberation of Paris at the end of August. On 28 August the company advanced with the 22th Infantry Regiment to Tremblay-lès-Gonesse (now Tremblay-en-France) in order to continue putting pressure on the retreating German troops. Fighting remains fierce in the area and civilians often find themselves in the midst of clashes and bombings. Thus the US tanks face the German units near the area called "Powder Room" where large quantities of explosives had been stored by the occupier. It is reported that two Shermans were destroyed there and one seriously damaged it is doubtless there that the Sgt. Antonio ZAPPA found death. | |||||||
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Source : Ancestry | |||||||
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Source : archives.gov | |||||||
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Source : archives.gov |
Source : archives.gov | ||||||
| SOURCE INFORMATION & SOURCE PHOTO | Daniel Victor - Findagrave.com - Weremember.abmc.gov - Ancestry - archives.gov |
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| EDITORS | Victor, Jean-Philippe, Eric, Henri, Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud |