April 6, 2017, marks 72 years since the passing of a World War II soldier from Mount Ephraim, Private First Class Daniel Benevento.

Daniel was born “Donato" in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 22, 1909 to parents Rocco and Lucy Benevento. Daniel's family was from the Tricarico area of Italy. Not sure yet of the reason he was born in Argentina, but the family eventually returned to Italy. Father, Rocco emigrated to America in 1900 and in 1921, Mother Lucy and Daniel (then age 12), joined him by making the journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Newark, New Jersey.

Later, Daniel had married Helen Melnychuck and moved to 202 Baird Avenue in Mount Ephraim. Daniel and Helen had 3 sons, Daniel Jr. was born in 1936, Stephen in September 1943, and Anthony was born in October 1944.

Daniel enlisted in the army on April 5, 1944 at Fort Dix. It is likely that he went to an Infantry Replacement Training Center because of the shortage of trained infantrymen as a result of the “Battle of the Bulge.” After completion of his training, Daniel would have had a few day of leave until reporting to his point of embarkation.

In January 1945, Private Benevento was shipped overseas to France, where he ended up billeted with the 21st Reinforcement Battalion for a only a short time. On February 18, 1945, Daniel was assigned to the 63rd Infantry Division, 253rd Regiment, Company “C” (1st Battalion), 1st Platoon. This particular platoon was referred to as the "Forty Thieves". The regiment was located in Sitterswald, Germany at the time.

On February 19th, the Forty Thieves attacked Auermacher and occupied the town after extensive house-to-house fighting. The next day they followed up “B” company into Kleinblittersdorf and mopped up some pockets of resistance throughout the town. The “Thieves” continued their attack north on February 24th to Bübingen. Also on this day, Company “C” was awarded a Combat infantry Badge.

In the early afternoon of March 3rd, Company “C” was to advance into the woods overlooking Kleinblittersdorf to seize and hold a quarry that the was occupied by German soldiers. That evening, they had entered the quarry and cleared the southern half despite heavy artillery and mortar fire. Progress was slow during the next day. The Thieves had advanced only 200 yards in while dodging bullets, and artillery fire. By March 5th, the quarry was finally taken.

The 63rd Infantry Division summarized this battle as follows: “The Battle of the Quarry’ militarily speaking was scarcely more than a skirmish. It will be remembered only as an unforeseen delay in a small operation -- except by the men of Company “C”, 253rd Infantry. Southeast of the Badenland village of Gudingen lies the quarry, cut in a substantial hill. It is about seven hundred yards long and five hundred yards wide. A narrow gauge railroad runs around the bottom of the steep hillsides. In short, it is an ordinary commercial limestone pit. -- but to what is left of Company “C”, it was a pit of Hell.” For it’s effort for its action, Company “C” 253rd Infantry would later be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation on May 13, 1946.

March 12th, the Forty Thieves added new reinforcement soldiers and moved north towards Fechingen. There they prepared for Operation “Undertone” which was the attack against the Siegfried Line. Their role in the operation was to create a diversion by attacking a wooded area west of Ensheim, a town about 3 kilometers northeast of Fechingen.

At H-Hour (1:00am) on March 15th, the Thieves moved across an open meadow towards the woods when a German artillery barrage opened up on the woods and its approaches. The men advanced through this shelling and endured six hours of combat capturing 75 prisoners. That morning, the Forty Thieves were ordered to withdraw to their original position due to a successful diversionary mission. During this battle, Daniel Benevento and 2 others were wounded. I do not know yet when he returned to his outfit so I will continue with what happened with his company.

March 17th, the 253rd were relieved from combat and assembled in Ensheim and Eschringen in preparation for the next phase of attack against the Siegfried Line. On March 20th, the 1st Battalion of the 253rd made quick progress and with little resistance against the second belt along the line securing the high ground to protect the movement of the remainder of the regiment. The mighty Siegfried Line had fallen to the 63rd Division by that afternoon. Daniel received a promotion from Private to Private First Class on March 23rd.

On the afternoon of March 28th, the 63rd Division crossed the Rhine River over a heavy pontoon bridge at Rheindurkheim. They assembled a few miles north of Mannheim in Vierheim. Two days later, “C” company was transported east to the vicinity of Ladenburg on the backs of tanks from the 753rd Tank Battalion. They reached the Neckar River, where a footbridge was recently completed. The tanks were unable to cross this bridge, so the Forty Thieves dismounted and crossed on foot and entered Heidelberg by the afternoon.

March 31st, they proceeded south to Neckargemund, where they encountered house after house with white flags displayed from each window. Neckargemund was the site of a warehouse containing vast cases of champagne. Most of the men of the 1st Battalion, 253rd Regiment had never tasted champagne, but they all agreed that it was the best “lemon pop soda” they had ever drunk. Needless to say, the troops got very drunk that night in Neckargemund. The 63rd Infantry Division HQ moved east to Aglasterhausen. The trail was clearly marked by empty champagne bottles strewn along the route.

On April 4th, Company “C” moved into Hochstberg where they boarded assault boats to cross the Jasgt River. The Germans lobbed a heavy concentration of artillery and mortar fire at boats and troops. Once across the river, they moved up to the southern edge of a wooded area adjacent to the river just west of Herbolsheim. The following morning, they tried to advance but were stopped by artillery, mortar and small arms fire coming from the high ground. They were finally able to move forward on April 6, after other units from the 63rd Infantry Division attacked the enemy positions that had pinned them down. The Thieves moved out and followed a creek through open fields where they “dug-in” to an area southwest of the village of Kressbach by evening.

It was a cold, rainy day on April 7, 1945. Company “C” had taken Kressbach in that morning. In the afternoon, the Forty Thieves plus a 5 man machine gun squad were directed to proceed from town through the open field and proceed east. The first squad was in the lead with scouts very far out ahead. The squad was spread as wide as possible with one half of the men on one side of the creek and half on the other. The menacing edge of the woods was on their right.

The German troops watched closely and held their fire as the Forty Thieves moved out in front of them. The platoon members on the south slope of the field were only 50 yards in front and moving east across their line if fire. It was imperative that the defenders conserve their fire since their ammunition was almost depleted. The first squad scouts from the Forty Thieves were approximately 1000 yards from town, and the rest about 400 yards when the Germans opened up on their positions. Machine gun and rifle fire had cut down the Thieves on all sides.

The only place which afforded any protection was the creek which ran through the center of the field. Those who were close enough to the stream dove in and established covering fire. Anyone more than twenty yards or more from this stream were wounded or killed outright.

The spring-fed water of the creek was very cold in early April and only a about a foot deep. The height of the banks along the creek ranged from eight inches at it’s lowest point up to three foot high. The soldiers that were fortunate enough to dive in for cover had to crawl through the freezing water.

During this ambush, PFC Daniel Benevento was killed along this creek when a bullet struck him in the left side of his chest. Platoon 1 of Company “C”, 253rd Infantry Regiment lost 24 members. 17 men were killed and 7 wounded. The Forty Thieves had been reduced to just nine in number.

Benevento was originally buried on the afternoon of April 10th, 1945 in a temporary US Military Cemetery in Bensheim, Germany. On September 19 1945, he was disinterred from Bensheim and transferred to the U.S. Military in St. Avold, France. After the request from Helen Benevento, PFC Daniel Benevento was permanently buried in Plot B, Row 22, Grave 52 at Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold France on April 20, 1949.

He was survived by his wife, Helen, children: Daniel, Stephen, and Anthony, Daniel's parents: Rocco and Lucy, older sister: Mary Tancredi, older brother: Anthony, and younger brother: Joseph.

This week in 1945 must have been an extremely difficult time for the families of Mount Ephraim servicemen. Having lost Attilio Simone on April 6th, Daniel Benevento on the 7th, and on April 8, 1945 yet another soldier. I will be posting his story tomorrow.

May their sacrifice never be forgotten.