Charles Cranor NMI Jr

Pvt Charles Cranor, NMI Jr was killed in action on 12 June 1944, serving with Company D, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment. On 12 June 1944, the 1st Battalion resumed its advance early in the morning, pushing roughly five miles forward to the Caumont-St. Lo road and the village of La Vacquerie. Records show the battalion encountered German rear guard forces along the way, with a sharp firefight and an ambush along the St. Lo road resulting in enemy dead, prisoners taken, and captured ambulances carrying wounded evacuees. Under Field Order #21, the battalion jumped off at 0630 hours and fought its way to the high ground east of Caumont, where it dug in for the night. While these actions are recorded at the battalion level, the exact role of this company within that day's fighting is not separately documented. Pvt Cranor was killed in action that day; the report does not specify the individual circumstances.