Utente:ItalyWWII/Sandbox
The Lake Garda DUKW tragedy 30 April 1945, Italy
On the night of the 30th April 1945, 25 men from 10th Mountain Division died when there DUKW sank on the evening of the 30th April 1945 when their {DUKW} (amphibious craft) crossing from Torbole sul Garda to Riva del Garda. There was only one survivor Cpl. Thomas Hough.[1]
On April 30, 1945, In an effort to take out German forces on the western side of the lake in Riva, 26 men were loaded onto a DUKW amphibious truck at Torbole, and moved out onto the lake crossing from the eastern to the western side. Along with the men, crews from B and C Battery, 605th Field Artillery Battalion, were two 75mm pack howitzers. But during the crossing, the overloaded vehicle stalled and began to take on water. Only one of the men was able to swim back to shore. All 25 remaining Soldiers went down with the DUKW, and their bodies have not been recovered to this day. But, while these Soldiers still remain missing in Lake Garda, they have not been forgotten. A l well remember their tragic loss and searched for the sunken DUKW over the past few years.
The Search
In December of 2012, the local volunteer group, the Gruppo Volontari del Garda found the vehicle below 270 meters of water, at a point where historical records believe the DUKW sunk.[2] They determined that future recovery efforts would be difficult in those conditions, and so to date, there has been no decision made on what to do about the wreck site.[3] [4]
The scientific submersible ICTINEU 3, participated in an archaeological campaign on Lake Garda, in northern Italy, inspecting an amphibious vehicle of World War II which sank on April 30, 1945.[5]
Legacy
To honor these men and all the fallen from WW II, Italians and Americans will gather at Torbole, Italy, every April 30. They gather by the marble memorial marker in the plaza at Torbole and near the Darby Memorial. The ceremony always takes place at the end for the annual Col. Darby 40-mile march.[6] [7] The Fondazione Museo storico del Trentino and the Association Benàch have worked together to produce a comprehensive documentary film about this story in a film called “The Last Mountaineers”.
The Fallen
In honor of those that perished, here are the names of the fallen Soldiers aboard the DUKW that fateful evening, April 30, 1945. B/605th FAB, 10th MD
- Cpl. William R. Armstrong
- Pvt. Merle Britton
- Pfc. Willard E. Chapman
- Pfc. Jerry T. Dillard
- Cpl. Emory E. Hamilton
- Pvt. Howard Harper
- Cpl. James Harwell
- Pfc. Edward E. Koskela
- Pfc. Stanley R. Lade
- Cpl. William E. Madara
- Pfc. Frank J. Miller
- Pvt. William C. Morrison, Jr.
- Pvt. Roger L. Murray
- Pfc. Elmer C. Paulson
- Pfc. Xwell Y. Reynolds
- Cpl. Gayle W. Russell, Jr.
- Pvt. Frank Tame
- Pfc. Charles E. Tannehill
C/605th FAB, 10th MD
- Pfc. Walter J. Armstrong
- Cpl. Max L. Champion
- 1st Sgt. James S. Hilley
- Pfc. Leroy A. King
- Pfc. Norman B. Russel
- Cpl. Richard Wright
52nd QM BN, 10th MD
- Pfc. Nicholas DelGross
DUKW 10th Mountain Division Nago-Torbole William Darby
- ^ (EN) Jack Beckett, The wreck of thee DUKW sunk in Italy will be recovered - could hold the remains of 24 soldiers, su WAR HISTORY ONLINE, 14 settembre 2015. URL consultato il 10 febbraio 2021.
- ^ (EN) Italian volunteers find U.S. Army DUKW 67 years later, su www.army.mil. URL consultato il 10 febbraio 2021.
- ^ (EN) Ayse, Lake Garda 2018 DUKW Military Wreck Grave Site | Promare, su promare.org, 2 ottobre 2018. URL consultato il 10 febbraio 2021.
- ^ (EN) Colleen Barry, The Associated Press, Submarine search ends for remains of American WWII soldiers in Italy’s Lake Garda, su Navy Times, 4 ottobre 2018. URL consultato il 10 febbraio 2021.
- ^ (EN) Lake Garda PROMARE 2018 - ICTINEU Submarins, su ictineu.net. URL consultato il 10 febbraio 2021.
- ^ One thousand US military to appear at Col. Derby March, su www.italianinsider.it. URL consultato il 10 febbraio 2021.
- ^ Memorial set for 25 WWII US soldiers lost in Italian lake, su AP NEWS. URL consultato il 10 febbraio 2021.