The Story
Pfc Edward Bechtel was killed in action on 07 June 1944, serving with HQ Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment. On 7 June 1944, the 116th Infantry Regiment, having reverted to the control of the 29th Infantry Division, was ordered to continue clearing the area west of Vierville-sur-Mer. By nightfall, the regiment had taken up positions west of St. Laurent-sur-Mer and Vierville. While no separate record survives for 1st Battalion's specific movements that day, its soldiers would have shared in this broader regimental effort to secure and hold ground beyond the invasion beaches in the days following D-Day. Pfc Bechtel was killed in action that day; the report does not specify the individual circumstances.
Source: NARA