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On 7 Sep 1944, a light tank (M-5) of Company D, 40th Tank Battalion, on a road reconnaissance from Ste-Marie-aux-Chenes to Maizieres-les-Metz, France, was ambushed and apparently hit by a German grenade and/or panzerfasust. The tank did not burn. All of the 4-man crew escaped the knocked out tank and made it back to their lines, except one man (the driver T/5 Randall Klinger of Steelton, PA). German forces kept the crew from aiding Klinger, whose remains have never been recovered and identified although they may have been recovered as an Unknown but not identified. On 10 Oct 1944, after 7th Armored Division had left this area (on 25 Sep 1944), men of the 359th Infantry. 90th Infantry Division, which had moved into this area, found remains that they moved to their 90ID collecting point for remains. They provided no information about where the remains were recovered. All that was known about the remains was that they were the burned remains of a tanker. Graves Registration realized this was not a 90ID man and tried unsuccessfully to learn where the remains were recovered. Ultimately, the remains were sent to the Temporary U.S. Military Cemetery at Andilly, France and buried as Andilly Unknown X-44. There was no way at that time to associate the remains with any missing men.But now we have a significant collection of documents. Combining the contemporary records of the 40th Tank Battalion, 48th Armored Infantry Battalion (to which B/40 was attached 9 Sep 1944) and Combat Command A (to which both battalions were attached) with the Individual Deceased Personnel File of Randall Klinger and the file of Andilly Unknown X-44, it is now clear that the physical characteristics (height, weight, shoe size, tooth charts) of Klinger and X-44 are almost identical. The evidence is extremely strong that Andilly Unknown X-44 is in fact T/5 Randall Klinger. This web page presents that evidence. |
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"As of 0600 7 Sept our operations for the day had resulted in the eastward advance of D Clm to Mondelange and C Clm to St Privat. Advance elements of D Clm had reached the Moselle River. "On 7 Sept 44 Task Forces of Combat Command A were disposed as follows: Task Force Chappuis in vicinity of Mondelange on the Moselle River; Task Force McConnell in vicinity of St Privat; Task Force Brown in the same vicinity as Task Force McConnell. The 489th AFA Bn was in firing position in the vicinity of St Marie. Task Force Chappuis which already had been on the Moselle River began a methodical search for crossings and by noon of the 8th had reached a point slightly north of Maizieres where it received artillery fire from all directions all afternoon and evening. About 1000 Co D 40th Tank Bn was sent forward to contact CC A and reinforce them. Contact was made but A Co 40th Tank Bn was returned to CC A. Division reported forces of tanks and infantry withdrawing from the Northwest to the Northeast in the vicinity of Briey. Combat Command A was ordered to send a force to Briey to block the advancing enemy and secure flank of the Division. A Co 814th TD Bn, less one platoon, and one platoon A Co 33rd Armd Engr Bn, was dispatched on this mission. Result of their operation was to make the necessary defensive disposition Southwest of Briey. Later during the day they reported few enemy tanks and enemy infantry in Briey. No further reports were received. At about 1100 Task Force McConnell was sent by way of St Privat, Roncourt, Pierrevilleres to reinforce Task Force Chappuis. Task Force Brown followed Task Force McConnell. Task Force McConnell contacted Task Force Chappuis who had already reconnoitered for crossings over the Moselle River in the vicinity of Houconcourt. About 1130 Hq CC A, moved forward over the routes followed by Task Force McConnell and Task Force Brown, moving very slowly in bounds never exceeding one thousand yards. While crossing small dirt road at about 1500, NW of Sylvange, the column came under heavy artillery fire where casualties resulted and Hq CC A had to withdraw from the interdicted road. One battery 489th AFA Bn had been in firing position about 1000 yards west of point where Hq CC A was and also came under artillery fire making it necessary for them to withdraw to the North. A Co 48th Armd Inf Bn received instructions to make crossing of the Canal des Mines and the Moselle River West of the town of Talange. At about 1800 the CG 7th Armd Div visited this site with the Division G-3. Combat Command A was informed that bridge equipment and assault boats were being sent forward for the crossing. CO CC A had already moved forward and set up his own Hq in the vicinity, South of Talange where Col Chappuis' Task Force had dug in due to very heavy artillery fire. No further action except occasional artillery fire resulted during the night and at 0600 8 Sept 44 disposition of Combat Command "A" was as follows: Task Force McConnell vicinity Talange; Task Force Chappuis North of Houconcourt and vicinity; Task Force Brown vicinity Sylvange, Hq CC A in field about 2000 yards northwest Pierrevillers. Trains immediately south of Pierrevillers. "Personnel losses on this date included: Pvt 0'Connor, A Co 40th Tk Bn, KIA, Lt George M. Hook, A Co 40th Tk Bn, and Sgt Wickham, A Co 40th Tk Bn, SWA. Cpl Vincent J. Bearder and Tec 5 George W. Harrison, of Hq Co 40th Tk Bn, KIA, Pfc Milton E. Jones, Hq Co 40th Tk Bn, SWA. Lt William S. Vilda and Tec 4 Henry W. Hellyer, both of Hq CC A were seriously wounded in action. Vehicular losses reported one M-5 Tank of D Co 40th Tk Bn."
 This clarifies the mission that caused D/40 to move to Maizieres-les-Metz. It appears that a force of at least some D/40 light tanks moved from Ste-Marie-aux-Chenes toward Maizieres-les-Metz and that the tank driven by T/5 Randall Klinger provided the reconnaissance for a possible route for that move. The route from the top of the heights on the west bank of the Moselle River down to the plain of the River valley is steep and winding, with many places where an ambush could be set. It seems likely that the tank made it nearly to Maizieres before being ambushed. |
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Click on title text to see PDF of IDPF.  
CAVEAT: His IDPF is filled with erroneous information. Somehow, his induction physical showed him missing tooth R-16 when later records show it was present. The Graves Registration searcher had no idea he was looking for a light tank and when he found a medium tank with remains, he presumed those were the remains of Klinger. The researchers used the 40th Tank Battalion After-Action Report, even though it clearly showed that D/40 was detached from the Battalion at that time. Another researcher went in 1949 on a wild goose chase to locations that were in the zone of a completely different Corps on 7 Sep 1944. The abundance of errors is depressing. But in hindsight, even if they had had all the information correct and looked in the right places, they would not have found him, since he had apparently been recovered 10 Oct 1944 as Unknown X-44 Andilly. Nevertheless, the presence of so many errors must be kept in mind when reading his IDPF. The 19 Sep 1944 "Missing Report" (PDF 31), affirmed by witness Sgt. William E. Schuder, who was Klinger's tank commander, reads:
 The surviving members of his crew are listed on PDF p 25. As is so often in this IDPF, the rank of William C. Farris is shown as Sgt. when he was actually a Pvt. Combining the MOS information from the Morning Reports (above) and the Missing Report (above), the complete 4-man crew of the M-5 light tank was:
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS The most important means of comparison of Klinger with any other remains are his physical characteristics. His chararcteristics at 13 Mar 1942 induction, with an incorrect (see below) 13 Mar 1942 dental chart and an assigned year-and-a-day date of death, show the following (PDF 50):
His weight would normally decrease as he went through basic training, so that 143 pounds is probably more than what he weighed 7 Sep 1944. His last tooth chart was dated 27 Oct 1943 (PDF 47) and clearly showed that tooth R-16 was in place and not missing, despite what the erroneous 1942 induction physical showed.
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Click on title text to see PDF of IDPF. Current Burial
Initial Burial
Original Recovery
The key fact is that the remains were originally recovered to the Collecting Point of the 359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division, north of Doncourt, France. The 90th Infantry Division Association has posted the "Report of Operations 90th Infantry Division 1 October -1 November 1944 Eastern France" After-Action Report on their website. Page 1 states: "c. 359th Inf held a N-S line from point 600 yds W of AMANVILLERS S to cut the road from GRAVELOTTE just W of ST HUBERT'S FARM." This was not in the Moselle River Valley but on the higher ground several miles west. Maizieres-les-Metz was still a German strong point, and 357th Infantry Regiment moved into position there 8 Oct 1944 and pressed their attack 9-10 Oct 1944 to clear out Maizieres-les-Metz. The 359th seems mostly to have been in reserve, providing relief of other units. The key point in the 90ID report is that at the time of recovery of Andilly X-44 by 90ID the 90ID combat was at Maizieres-les-Metz -- which is where Randall Klinger was earlier killed. Andilly X-44 was recovered from the vicinity of Maizieres-les-Metz and presumed to have been a casualty of the Oct 1944 combat there when he may in fact have been Randall Klinger who was killed there 7 Sep and never recovered at that time. PHYSICAL CHARACERISTICS
Although some front teeth were broken, most teeth were intact, allowing for a full tooth chart (PDF 23). The original in the IDPF is a negative, which has been converted to positive here.
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Here are the key findings:
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Active overview of all pages at the 7th Armored Division web site
