Edward E. Koskela Obit.,
Edward E. Koskela,24, son of Mrs. Kate Koskela, Route 1, Osage, MN, was killed in Italy April 30, 1945, during an amphibious operation. He was in field artillery. Koskela survived by his mohter, four brothers adn tw sisters, entered service in Detroit Lakes in December 1943.

Name:Edward E Koskela inducted From: Minnesota Rank:Private First Class Combat Organization:605th Field Artillery Battalion 10th 10th Mountain Division Death Date:30 Apr 1945Monument:Florence, Italy Last Known Status:Missing U.S. Awards:Purple Heart Medal

Edward E. Koskelanbsp; Death Date:30 Apr 1945Cemetery:Tablets of The Missing At Florence American Cemetery Cemetery Burial Plot:Missing in Action or Buried at Sea Cemetery City:Florence Cemetery Country:Italy nbsp; WAR:World War II Awards:Purple Heart Title:Private First Class Rank:Private First Class Service:U.S. Army Service ID:37583470 Division:605th Field Artillery Battalion, 10th Mountain Division Data Source:World War II Honor

Honor Roll

The names of our comrades that follow are those of the 997 men who lost their lives while serving their country with the Tenth Mountain Division during World War II.

Our National Association's WWII Database Committee has worked diligently to assure that every 10th soldier's death is properly documented. The unit designation that is listed for each soldier is his primary unit or the unit to which he was assigned at the time of his death.

Names that are preceded by the symbol Delta indicate that these men died during the Aleutian Campaign.

Names that are preceded by an asterisk indicate that these men remain interred in the American Cemetery and Memorial near Florence, Italy.

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), which maintains the cemetery, will provide relatives with photographs of specific burial sites upon request. The ABMC will also arrange to place flower arrangements at specific burial sites. (The 10th Mountain Division Foundation provides a single flower for the grave of every 10th Mountain Division soldier there each Memorial Day.)

Information concerning photographs and floral arrangements may be obtained by contacting:

American Battle Monuments Commission
Mediterranean Office
Amembassy/ABMC
PSC 59, Box 100
APO AE 09624

The American Cemetery is located on the outskirts of Florence near Imprunetta. Visitors can reach the site by SITA interurban bus from the bus station near the main railroad station in Florence. For further details, telephone 055/202-002.

Koskela, Edward E. 605-B

Killed in Action (KIA) on 30 Apr 1945
Lake Garda (Lago di Garda), Italy
Missing in Action (MIA)/Buried at Sea
Tablets of the Missing
at Florence American Cemetery,
Florence, Italy

The unit was laying communication wire as the 10th Mountain Division pursued German forces into northern Italy’s rugged alpine region, home to the 50-mile-long Lake Garda. When the enemy blew up tunnels through the mountains ringing the lake’s northern end, the division’s commanders sent soldiers across the lake in amphibious six-wheeled trucks, known by their military designation DUKW and known to GIs as ducks.

On the night of 30 April 1945, three DUKWs left the lake’s east side carrying members of the division’s 605th Field Artillery. One of the vehicles, jammed with 25 soldiers and a 75 mm cannon, stalled during the journey and soon began taking on water. According to Cpl. Thomas Hough, the lone survivor, the soldiers desperately tossed their equipment and ammunition overboard in an attempt to keep the vessel from sinking. But the DUKW went down anyway, plunging the men into the frigid waters of the glacier-fed lake. 24 soldiers drowned and their bodies were not recovered. Hough, a former lifeguard from Dayton, Ohio, was rescued by two 10th Mountain soldiers on shore who heard the cries for help, and died in 2005.


Courtesy of Russ Gunther #48350514