World War II, or the Second World War, was a global military conflict involving the majority of the world's nations, which formed two opposing military alliances - the Allies and the Axis. Over 100 million military personnel were mobilized, making this war the most widespread war in global history. Over 70 million people were killed, a majority of the dead being civilian. This make World War II the deadliest conflict in human history.

Historians hold that the start of WWII was on September 1, 1939 with the German invasion of Poland and the declaration of War upon Nazi Germany by the countries of the British Commonwealth and France. The United States entered into the War after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Sunday, December 7, 1941.

World War II ended on September 2, 1945 when Japan formally surrendered.

During World War II more than 1/3 of the world's 15 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust. The Nuremberg Trials were held in 1945 to 1946 at the Palace of Justice, bringing 22 of the most important captured Nazi Germany leaders before the International Military Tribunal. The second trial at Nuremberg was conducted under the Control Council Law No. 10., which involved a series of twelve U.S. military tribunal trials for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the surviving members of the military, political and economic leaders of Nazi Germany. Of the Nuremberg Trials, 142 of the 185 defendants were found guilty of at least one of the charges. 24 received death sentences with 11 subsequently reduced to life imprisonment; 20 received life imprisonment; 98 recived varying sentences; and, 35 were acquitted. Four defendants committed suicide during the trials and 3 were removed from prosecution due to health and illness issues.

Japan's Admiral Isoroku YAMAMOTO laid the plans for a quick first strike attack upon Pearl Harbor. On the morning of April 18, 1943, P-38 Lightnings from the 339th Fighter Squadron ambushed YAMAOTO's plane and its escorts near Bougainville. In the ensuing fight, YAMAMOTO's plane was struck, going down and killing all on-board. 1st Lt. Rex T. BARBER has been generally credited with the strike and demise of Admiral YAMAMOTO. General Hideki TOJO, Japan's prime minister throughout much of World War II, ordered the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. General TOJO fought the idea of surrender, believing it to be a disgrace. He was hanged as a war ciminal in 1948 by orders of the Allied court. World War II ended with an Allied force victory. As a result of the War the United Nations was created along with NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The United States and the Soviet Union emerged from the War as superpowers and entered into a period known as the Cold War.

ALLEN, TEC5 Warren A., born 1919; hometown Tingley IA
U.S. Army, 112th Engineer Combat Battalion
M.I.A. Tuesday, June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Normandy; Awarded Purple Heart    Interment at Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, France  :Plot I, Row 23, Grave B
Memorial gravestone at Tingley Cemetery, Ringgold County, Iowa

ATHEY, Pay Clerk John F.
U.S. Navy   M.I.A., declared dead on October 24, 1944
Awarded Purple Heart  Memorialized on the tablets of the missing in action, Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines

BARNETT, PVT Lyle F.
U.S. Army, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division    K.I.A. Thurs., January 4, 1945
Awarded Purple Heart   Inter: Epinal American Cemetery, Epinal (Vosges), France, Plot B, Row 16, Grave 3

BEEDE, 2nd Lt. Owen Russell
U.S. Marine Corps.    K.I.A. March 6, 1944
   Inter: Maple Row Cemetery, Kellerton, Iowa

BOLINGER, SGT Virgil E.
U.S. Army, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division    K.I.A. Tues., May 8, 1945   Awarded Purple Heart    Interment at Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines, Plot B, Row 14, Grave 131

BRAND, PFC Harold W.
Born circa 1921, son of Lewis G. and Madge R. BRAND
U.S. Army, Died of Wounds

BROWN, PVT Ivan J., Born 1923, son of Iris G. and Elvin BROWN
U.S. Army, 3206th Quartermaster Service Company
M.I.A. Friday, April 28, 1944   Awarded Purple Heart
Memorialized on Tablets of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England    Memorial gravestone at Honey Grove Cemetery, Grant City, Worth County, Missouri

CARROLL, Pvt. Emmett
U.S. Army  K.I.A. July 11, 1941

CRACRAFT, PFC Charles Curtis, son of Benjamin Leonard &Emma Kay (JAGGER) CRACRAFT
338th Infantry, 90th Division, U.S. Army
born 18 Oct 1911, Mount Ayr IA; K.I.A. 12 Jun 1944, 6 days after D-Day, France. Interred Oakland (a.k.a. Saltzman) Cemetery, Ringgold IA

COX, SGT William R.
33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, U.S. Army  K.I.A. August 7, 1944
Inter: Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France, Plot 1, Row 11, Grave 20

CURRY, PVT Lyndon J., born 1926 Ringgold Co. IA
enlisted 21 Aug 1944 at Fort Levenworth into U.S. Amry   K.I.A., interred Maple Row Cemetery, Kellerton, Iowa

DOWELL, PFC Iven C.
born 1922, Ringgold Co. IA, married
enlisted 19 Mar 1943 at Camp Dodge into U.S. Army   K.I.A.; interment in Iowa

DUFFIELD, PFC Leland Jr.
Born 1917, Wyoming. Interment 20 Feb 1942 at Fort Des Moines with U.S. Army
K.I.A., interment in Iowa

DULANEY, 2nd LT. Robert A.
U.S. Army Air Force, 339th Bomb Squadron    K.I.A. May 7, 1944, Germany   Awarded Purple Heart    Interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa

FAUBION, PFC Robert E.
U.S. Army, 535th Anti-Aircraft Artillary (Automatic Weapons) Battalion    Died of wounds Thurs., March 15, 1945   Awarded Purple Heart    Interment Henri-Chapell American Cemetery, Henri-Chapell, Belgium, Plot D, Row 13, Grave 15

GRIFFITH, TEC5 Chester C.
U.S. Army   K.I.A.

HALEY, SGT Kenneth A.
U.S. Army Air Forces, 7th Squadron, 62nd Troop Carrier Group
Death not Battle Related, Sunday, May 14, 1944 Awarded Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Interment at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy, Plot F, Row 14, Grave 19

HANNON, TSGT John D.
U.S. Army, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division
K.I.A. Tuesday, December 12, 1944   Awarded Purple Heart
Interment at Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines, Plot B, Row 15, Grave 132
Memorialized on monument at Fort William McKinley, Manila, Philippines

HENSLEY, SSGT Rolland W.
born 1918 NE, residence Ringgold Co. IA, single
enlisted 29 Apr 1942 at Fort Des Moines into U.S. Army Air Forces
M.I.A., declared death May 25, 1945
Memorialized at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis MO, Section 81, Site 266

HERROLD, FLO [Flight Officer] Leo V., born January 28, 1919
U.S. Army   Death not Battle Related on January 18, 1943
Interment March 1, 1948 Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California
Section D, Site 264

HOLIDAY, SSGT Albert H., born 1920 Ringgold Co. IA, single
enlisted 10 Sep 1941, Fort Des Moines into U.S. Army Air Forces, 641st Bomber Squadron, 409th Bomber Group, Light    K.I.A. Sunday, June 11, 1944 Awarded Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster  Inter: Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England; Plot G, Row 6, Grave 161

JONES, CAPT Francis Maurice, born 1922 Ringgold County, single
enlisted 10 Mar 1943 at Santa Ana Army Air Base, California
K.I.A. Awarded Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Interment: Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, Plot G, Row 6, Grave 161

KASTER, Machinist's Mate 1c Vernon Wayne
U.S. Navy    K.I.A. Sun., Jan. 30, 1944   Awarded Purple Heart    Memorialized on Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines

KELLEY, TSGT Albert L., born November 30, 1917
enlisted 14 Apr 1942 into U.S. Army  K.I.A. December 12, 1944; interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Ringgold Co. Iowa

LINK, S/1c Arlo Millard, son of Mr. &Mrs. Will Corwin LINK, Diagonal
U.S. Navy  K.I.A. Fri., August 10, 1945; Awarded the Purple Heart. Memorialized on Tables of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines

LIVESAY, C/1c Earnest Sherman, son of Mrs. Margaret Ellen LIVESAY, Redding IA
U.S. Navy   K.I.A.

LYNCH, SGT. MAJOR Willis C.
U.S. Army  born Nov. 27, 1889, son of Edwin S. &May Olive (SERGEANT) LYNCH; died April 28, 1943, Kansas

MALOY, Lt. Flavel Baird "Bill" Jr., born February 7, 1918, Mount Ayr IA
U.S. Navy  K.I.A. September 9, 1943; Awarded the Purple Heart. Memorialized on Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Maila, Philippines

MARSHALL, PVT Olin F.
U.S. Army Air Forces, Headquarters Squadron, 21st Air Service Group
Death not Battle Related on Thursday, June 29, 1944
Interment at Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines, Plot G, Row 14, Grave 45

McDOWELL, CPL Robert Lee, born 1921
U.S. Marine Corps, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division
K.I.A. March 11, 1945, Iwo Jima; interment Oliver Cemetery, Ellston, Ringgold Co. Iowa

MICKAEL, PFC Ivan W.
U.S. Army   K.I.A. Oct. 25, 1944, Battle of Peleliu, Philippines; Interment USAF Cemetery 1 or 2, Manilla, Philippines; Re-interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa

MILLER, S/1c Everett V.
SI U.S. Coast Guard Reserves. S/1c was killed in action on March 9, 1944, and memorialized on the tablets of Missing in action, Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England. A gravestone in S/1c MILLER's honor was set at Benton Cemetery, Benton, Ringgold County. He was awarded the Purple Heart.

MILLER, 1st Lt. John W.
U.S. Army  Captured and held as a P.O.W.

MILLER, Sgt. Robert L., born August 31, 1923, AAABattalion, CAC
Died June 18, 1945  Interment Redding Cemetery, Redding, Iowa

MOORE, Fireman 2c Richard Ewing, born December 18, 1918, Mount Ayr IA
U.S. Navy K.I.A. November 13, 1942  Interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr IA

NEWTON, TSgt. Richard E.
born May 29, 1915 U.S. Army
K.I.A. July 3, 1944  Interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr IA

NOBLE, PVT Keith K., born April 4, 1922
U.S. Army   Death not BATTLE Related on December 2, 1944
Interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Ringgold Co. Iowa

O'CONNELL, 2nd LT Martin George, Jr.
born March 27, 1921, son of Martin George and Mary J. (TRACY) O'CONNELL
U.S. Army   died April 23 1944 over the English Channel, Death not Battle Related
Interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Ringgold Co. Iowa

OLSON, PVT Leo O. served during World War II with the U.S. Army, Maintenance Company 81st A.R., 5th A.D. He died at the age of 24 from non-battle causes on July 13, 1942, Campe Cooke, California.

PINE, SSgt. Arthur W.
U.S. Army Air Forces, 722nd Bomber Squadron, 450th Heavy Bomber Group Died Tues. May 30 1944 Awarded Purple Heart and Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Interment Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy, Plot A, Row 11, Grave 35

POTTORFF, PVT Ralph Mervin, born Dec. 13, 1919, son of Charles Arthur "Charley" &Eda Belle (TRIGGS) POTTORFF; married Aug. 16, 1939 Gwendolyn GRAVES; enlisted July, 1944 U.S. Army, Patton's Third Army. K.I.A. Feb. 7, 1945, Siegfried Line, Germany. Interred overseas; memorial stone at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr

REYNOLDS, CPL Charles "Francis", born 1917, married
enlisted 20 Aug 1943 at Camp Dodge into U.S. Army Air Forces, 372nd Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group, Heavy  Finding of Death [M.I.A.] Saturday, July 15, 1944   Awarded Purple Heart and Air Medal  Memorialized on Tablets of Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines

RUSH, Machinist's Mate Arthur Lynn, U.S. Navy aboard "Uss Northampton" (CA-26)
K.I.A. during Battle of Tassaforonga, Guadalcanal, November 20, 1942

SAWYER, TEC5 Max Elton, born April 21, 1921, son of Ernest H. &Opal L. (JENNINGS) SAWYER. Enlisted July 6, 1943 U.S. Army, Aid Man, medical unit of 35th Infantry, 2nd Battalion K.I.A. September 21, 1944, France Interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa

SHAW, TEC5 Lewis E., born 1921
U.S. Army, 304th Infantry Regiment, 76th Infantry Division
Death not Battle Related, Sunday, February 18, 1945
Interment Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, Plot B, Row 8, Grave 14  Memorial gravestone at Redding Cemetery, Redding, Ringgold Co. Iowa

SHRIMPTON, PFC Donald A., born September 14, 1921, Diagonal, Iowa
Bulldozer operator with the Corps of Engineers, building bridges ahead of the troops
PFC SHRIMPTON died January 10, 1945, of wounds received when his troop ship was torpedoed when returning to Manila    Interment Graceland Cemetery, Creston, Union County, Iowa

SMITH, Machinist's Mate 2c Glee, son of Mr. &Mrs. Jay Otto SMITH, Maloy IA
U.S. Navy, K.I.A.

SPENCE, PFC Robert Allen, born August 3, 1925, son of Clarence William and Leola Mae (STEPHENSON) SPENCE, Mount Ayr, Iowa. Enlisted on October 15, 1943 at Camp Dodge, Des Moines, Iowa, with the U.S. Army   K.I.A. during battle in Belgium, December 1, 1944; interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa.

SPENCER, SSGT Doyle Elvin, born May 16, 1924, son of Henry and Dora SPENCER, Ringgold Co. IA, single, Enlisted February 25, 1943 at Camp Dodge, Des Moines, Iowa, with the U.S. Army. K.I.A. February 9, 1945, Germany. Interment in Belgium; reinterred Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa October 27, 1948.

SPENCER, PVT Glee Elton, born October 28, 1921, son of Henry and Dora SPENCER, Ringgold Co. IA, single. Went overseas February 3, 1944. K.I.A. December 23, 1944 during Battle of the Bulge, Luxombourg. Interred Lorraine, France; re-interred October 27, 1948, Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa.

STAATS, SSGT Cecil I., born 1920, Minnesota; residence Ringgold Co. IA, single
enlisted 27 Jul 1940 at Fort Des Moines with U.S. Army, Company L, 381st Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division, Philippine Department
K.I.A. January 26, 1945 at Santa Margarita, Samar, Philippine Islands when going to the aid of another soldier during Task Force 58-A    Awarded Combat Infantryman Badge, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star for the Leyte Campaign, WWII Victory Medal, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button Interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa

STUART, PFC Avery W.U.S. Army, 60th Infantry of the 9th Infantry Division
Died of wounds Tues., September 26, 1944   Awarded Purple Heart
Inter: Henri-Chapell American Cemetery, Henri Chapell, Belgium, Plot B., Row 11, Grave 9.

SWEENEY, SSGT William F., born 1920
U.S. Army, 377th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division
K.I.A. during Battle of the Bulge, Thursday, November 9, 1944   Awarded Purple Heart
Interment Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold (Moselle), France, Plot J, Row 31, Grave 36

WEBB, PVT Harold Allen, born May 17, 1924, the son of Isaac Walter and Semma May (MYERS) WEBB. Enlisted May 10, 1944 U.S. Army at Camp Dodge. K.I.A. December 24, 1944, Luxembourg. Interment Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa

WHIPP, PFC Lloyd Loudon, born March 31, 1925, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd A. WHIPP of Lenox
U.S. Marine Corps, V Amphibious Corps  K.I.A. March 15, 1945, Iwo Jima   
Interment Clearfield Cemetery, Ringgold County, Iowa

ZARR, Sgt. Cloyd D., born August 1, 1912
U.S. Army, 548th Military Police Company
Died of non-battle causes on Sunday September 9, 1945    Interred Honolulu Memorial Cemetery, Honolulu, Hawaii, Plot B, Grave 74.

SOURCES:
en.wikipedia.org/siki/World_War_II
WWII Navy, Marine Corps &Coast Guard Casualties Database, ancestry.com
usgwarchives.org/ia/ringgold/military/ww2/ringgoldwwii.txt
U.S. WWII Army Enlistment Records 1938-1946, ancestry.com database
U.S. Rosters of WWII Dead 1930-1945, ancestry.com database
www.wwiimemorial.com
World War II Honor Roll, ancestry.com

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, 2008