William Kucera

Sgt William Kucera was killed in action on 06 June 1944, serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment. On the morning of June 6, 1944, elements of the Regimental Troops of the 116th Infantry landed at Dog Green Beach as part of the assault on Omaha Beach. One boat team, led by Lts. Padgett and Pingenot, crossed the beach under fire—suffering one killed and three wounded—before joining a band of 28 Rangers at a nearby cove, where they spent the day fighting to clear German positions around a fortified house and cliff-top gun emplacements, holding ground beyond the cliff until 11 p.m. before rejoining the battalion near Vierville. A separate party under Lt. Taylor pushed inland from the Chateau de Vaumicel, moving well beyond the battalion's eventual night position with no contact with other invasion forces, before doubling back late in the evening to reach the rendezvous point. Other small groups from the unit were scattered across the beach that day, some pinned down under fire and others fighting alongside different companies as the chaos of the landing dictated. Sgt Kucera was killed in action that day; the report does not specify the individual circumstances.