Every D-Day fallen has a story - 2,502 of them
- Don Milne
- May 29, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: May 25, 2024
The 2,502 Americans, who died in Normandy on June 6, 1944, were not able to participate in a celebratory parade thanking them.
More than 130 volunteers from more than three dozen states, as well as France and England, have written their stories. As you scroll below, passing like a parade, you can see a brief bio of a fallen flag bearer representing his state, a link to his full story, the count of fallen from that state, and a link to where you can find the other stories of the fallen from that state.
Note: Flags reflect version in use in 1945.
Alabama
"Band of Brother's" Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division
Plane shot down and burned after crashing
Husband, father, shipping clerk
45 D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Arizona
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division
Parents both died before the war
12 Arizona D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Arkansas
Bronze Star recipient
359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division
Landed on Utah Beach, still missing in action
15 Arkansas D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
California
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Killed during battle of Douve River
Joined army at age 15
85 California D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Colorado
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Died during Brécourt Manor assault
Farmer, star high school basketball player, National Parks Service worker
19 Colorado D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Connecticut
Silver Star recipient
Medic, 1st Infantry Division
Textile mill worker
40 Connecticut D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Delaware
Glider copilot
Died in crash with 101st Airborne General Don Pratt
Husband, father, farmer
10 Delaware D-Day Fallen
District of Columbia
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Shot by German sniper
Father army colonel, West Point grad
12 District of Columbia D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Florida
81st AA Battalion, 101st Airborne Division
Died exiting landing craft on Utah Beach
Farmer with 10 siblings
20 Florida D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Georgia
502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Infantry Division
Evacuated after wounded, but killed by straffing enemy plane
Telegram messenger
47 Georgia D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Idaho
146th Engineer Combat Battalion
Never made it to Omaha Beach
Farmer
10 Idaho D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Illinois
12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division
Died of wounds after blood transfusion
Parents from Yugoslavia, college grad, glass company salesman
121 Illinois D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Indiana
741st Tank Battalion
Floating DD tank sank before reaching Omaha Beach
Farmer, his nephew visited Omaha Beach 50 years later
82 Indiana D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Iowa
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Accountant, nephew of British Deputy Prime Minister Clement Attlee
40 Iowa D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Kansas
149th Engineer Combat Team
Tasked with clearing path off of Omaha Beach
Brothers, farmers
35 Kansas D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Kentucky
LCI hit mine and sunk with Kelly in engine room
Garage mechanic, high school trumpet player
45 Kentucky D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Lousiana
397th AA Battalion
Shot disembarking from LCT
Cajun, seven siblings
33 Louisiana D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Maine
Medic, 1st Infantry Division
LCI hit below the water line and capsized
16 Maine D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Maryland
Field hospital surgeon, 29th Infantry Division
Parents from Italy, doctor, husband
39 Maryland D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Massachusetts
7th Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Infantry Division
Jewish, born in Russia, lawyer, husband of woman from India, father
84 Massachusetts D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Michigan
Distinguished Flying Cross recipient
B-26 bombardier with 33 missions
Collided with other B-26
Only child, president of high school model airplane club
86 Michigan D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Minnesota
B-24 ball turret gunner
Crashed after running out of fuel
Worked at hatchery farm
41 Minnesota D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Mississippi
29th Field Artillery, 4th Infantry Division
LCT hit a mine and sunk
Farmer, 9 siblings, husband
23 Mississippi D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Missouri
Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division
Wounded on Omaha Beach and drowned
Youngest of 10 children, both parents died, law clerk, husband
45 Missouri D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Montana
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Infantry Division
Killed at Battle of La Fiere Bridge
Family furniture business, University of Wyoming graduate
11 Montana D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Nebraska
Silver Star Recipient
16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Unit broke out of Omaha Beach
Husband and father, farmer
14 Nebraska D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Nevada
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Plane shot down by flak
Husband, coal cleaner
3 Nevada D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
New Hampshire
325th Glider Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division
Attended University of New Hampshire
14 New Hampshire D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
New Jersey
502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Killed in doorway of plane when jumping
Parents were Jewish immigrants from Austria, washing machine salesman
115 New Jersey D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
New Mexico
B-24 bombardier on OSS mission flying supplies to underground forces
Wounded, captured, and died on Luftwaffe operating table
Parents from Austria-Hungary, husband and coal miner
11 New Mexico D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
New York
Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division
Only 18 of 230 members survived D-Day unscathed
Only child, chocolate company worker
310 New York D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
North Carolina
320th Barrage Balloon Battalion
Barrage balloons were set on beaches to stop German strafing
Husband, metal fabricator, every one of his brothers enlisted
39 North Carolina D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
North Dakota
Glider pilot
Glider shot down by flak
Husband and school teacher
7 North Dakota D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Ohio
101st Airborne Signal Corps
Glider crashed on landing
135 Ohio D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Oklahoma
Combat engineer tasked with clearing obstacles on Omaha Beach
Husband and father, ore hauler
35 Oklahoma D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Oregon
Company commander, Company B, 743rd Tank Battalion
Floatable DD tanks
Newspaperman
10 Oregon D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Pennsylvania
P-51 pilot shot down by flak
Attended Lehigh University
294 Pennsylvania D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Rhode Island
Company C, 2nd Ranger Battalion
Died leading men to Pointe du Hoc cliffs
Parents from Poland, meat market salesman
23 Rhode Island D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
South Carolina
Job was to clear obstacles on Omaha Beach
Husband, joined NCDU (forerunner of today's Navy Seals)
24 South Carolina D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
South Dakota
4th Mechanized Cavalry Group, which captured Isles Saint-Marcouf, off Utah Beach
Joined army after Germany invaded Norway
Norway born, gas station attendant
4 South Dakota D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Tennessee
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne
Plane shot down, all lost
Parents and sister died while he was young. Worked as a coal miner and textile worker.
37 Tennessee D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Texas
Combat engineer to clear obstacles on Omaha Beach
Cotton farmer, football end
100 Texas D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Utah
16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
His Company L lost a third of its men on D-Day
Namesake nephew was killed in the Vietnam War
5 Utah D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Vermont
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division
Parents immigrated from Italy and France
5 Vermont D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Virginia
4042nd Quartermaster Truck Company
Truck driver in the first wave of trucks to land on Omaha Beach. The trucks were tempting targets and only one-third made it to the beach.
Husband and prewar farmer and truck driver.
184 Virginia D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Washington
Navy Cross Recipient
USS LIC (L) 415
Saved at least four soldiers drowning or wounded and killed while rescuing a wounded soldier.
Husband, volunteered for Navy the day after the Pearl Harbor attack.
18 Washington D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
West Virginia
Elite Counter Intelligence Corps, assigned to 101st Airborne Division
Husband and prewar math teacher. Widow never remarried.
48 West Virginia D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Wisconsin
507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division
Hitztaler landed near a German command post and was captured after a short fire fight. After being interrogated by the Germans, Hitztaler and the other Americans with him were executed.
Father immigrated from Austria. Anthony worked for a coal company.
44 Wisconsin D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Wyoming
Bronze Star recipient
Radio operator, 116th Infantry Regiment HQ Company, 29th Infantry Division
Husband and prewar fireman.
5 Wyoming D-Day Fallen
Find their stories here
Thanks to Ancestry.com and its subsidiaries Newspapers.com and Fold3.com for providing free research access to many of our writers. Thanks to MyHeritage.com for providing significant financial support for this project. Thanks to The National D-Day Memorial for providing us with their list of the D-Day fallen.
The D-Day fallen project was managed by volunteers Emily Ritter of Indiana and Jenna Rabtzow of Colorado. Many thanks for their countless hours in completing something that has never been done before.
コメント