X-00027 Normandy American Cemetery
7 July 1944
US Army 364th General Service Engineering Regiment.
The loss of these four men occurred as they attempted to secure a former German Army munitions supply depot in the commune of Fontenay-sur-Mer, near the landing area of Utah Beach. There were several casualties in the incident, and we discovered a note from a white Lieutenant, Roy Diddle, that he believed a specific set of remains was one of his soldiers, but he was unable to determine which one due to the mangled and charred condition of the remains. We provided the full case information to DPAA and Stars and Stripes also covered the story in an article dated 11 May 2017.
We know the names of the 364th men lost in this event. We have a possibility that one of the remains identified by Lt. Diddle may be Mack Homer. The archival records in this case are numerous, and the case remains very challenging. We were to learn that there were actually seven men killed in this explosion, with more from the 364th than we originally believed, and the records concerning the transfer of remains from various temporary cemeteries to final burial in permanent cemeteries were of great importance in learning of the chain of custody at each step of the process. Some of the seven men were identified, thus reducing the difficulty of the remaining unknowns.
Mack Homer
Do you have items such as papers, photos, uniforms, gear, guns, weapons and other artifacts? Read more and Support Us.
If you have any data and roster info on units and those who served we would be interested in adding it to our digital project-library; please Contact Us
Help us with transcribing data. Unit histories, personnel rosters, award documents. Want to help? Contact Us
Copyright, 2023, Sons Of Liberty Museum, Inc.,
All Rights Reserved