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PVT BENNIE S. UPTON

Grave marker for Bennie S. Upton in Plot A Row 3 Grave 54 in Molenhoek American Cemetery, Holland

His remains were transferred to the Margraten American Cemetery when it was completed after the end of WW-II.
(taken by
Roger Kitchen on the first anniversary of Operation Market Garden, Sept, 17, 1945 at Molenhoek American Cemetery, Holland)

 

Application for a grave marker and resulting headstone for Pvt.  Bennie S. Upton erected after his re-interment at Plot L Row 10 Grave 2 in Margraten American Cemetery, Holland.

Pvt Upton was killed in action along the Wylerbaan when an 88 shell landed on his position in the Den Heuvel Woods, Holland on September 22, 1944.  His awards include the Purple Heart.
 

An eyewitness account of his death reads:

April 9, 1989

Dear Albert Conder: (Benny's cousin)


This is written in response to a notice in [the] 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment Assoc. News Letter, of April 1989, regarding Bennie S. Upton, who was killed in action in Holland on Sept. 22, 1944. 

Bennie was a Bazooka man, with his best buddy Charles B. Tuttle. (Bazooka's required a two-man team) in the third platoon of Co. D. His platoon leader was Lt. Sickler and his platoon Sgt. was a Sgt. Bray. I was in the third platoon of Co. D and got to know Upton and Tuttle. Like most of the G.I.s, I recall him being in excellent physical shape. Also, he was a neat looking soldier and always neat and sharp, with highly polished jump boots, which I know he was proud to wear.

It was while the platoon was dug in on this small road (mostly behind hedges that were planted along the side of the road) that Bennie was killed with his buddy Tuttle. There was a farm site in front of their position (which was nothing more than a fox hole behind the hedges).  I don't know what their target was (probably some enemy movement at the farm site), but they fired a couple of rounds from the bazooka. A little more than a half a mile to our front was the German Nechwald forest, which was crawling with German soldiers, tanks, and field guns. Apparently, a German tank or field gun observed the flash from the bazooka. An 88-mm zeroed in on Bennie’s position, which received a direct hit. This is very sad to say, but as the rest of us surmised, that also set off the bazooka ammunition that was stored near or in the hole. Needless to say, neither of those two brave boys suffered.

[submitted by Norb Studelska