ALTER, Reinhardt A. 1919-1943

ALTER

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 6/5/2017 at 14:18:53

Beaver Township Soldier Reported Lost At Sea

Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Alter, living two miles west of Stout, received a message from the War Department in Washington the last of the week advising them of the loss of their son Reinhardt, who was with the U.S. convoy which was attacked by submarines while crossing the Atlantic on February 7th of this year. The attack came at midnight. On March 1st the family received word from the war department that their son was missing at sea. The message that came a few days ago reported Reinhardt definitely lost.

Daily papers at the time of the convoy attack reported the loss of from 300 to 350 U.S. soldiers and seamen.

Reinhardt Alter was 24 years old. He had resided on a Grundy county farm all of his life. He was inducted into the army Aug. 21, 1942. Prior to going into the army he was employed on the Jacob Meester farm in Pleasant Valley township. A brother, Carl Alter, was inducted into the army February 2, 1942. A younger brother is at home helping his father in the operation of the farm.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 12 August 1943, pg 1

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Memorial Service For German U-Boat Victim

Memorial services for Reinhardt Alter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Alter of Beaver township, will be held at Salem Lutheran church in Beaver township next Sunday afternoon. Reinhardt lost his life when a convoy on which he was going overseas was sunk by a U-boat in the Atlantic on February 7th of this year. He was inducted into the U.S. army on Sept. 4 of last year. He was born on the Alter farm 2 miles west of Stout May 4, 1919.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 7 October 1943, pg 1