79th division, 313th NEED INFO

My mother grew up in state homes & orphanages- she never knew her family. We recently discovered many brothers & sisters (only 1 living). Her brother William Stanton Miller Jr was KIA 23 Nov 44 & is buried in Epinal, France. I can not find how he was killed- where was he & what killed him. I've sent away for a casualty report to National Archives as service records were lost in the fire. Can anyone tell me about battles around the time of my uncle's death?

 

Heather, my father was in the 313th from September, 1944, through the end of the war. He was a platoon leader in Company I ("Item Company"). To learn about the regiment's service in WW2, I recommend starting with History of the 313th Infantry in World War II, by Sterling Wood. It can be read online at History of the 313th Infantry in World War II

The author was one of the regiments CO's.

Do you know which company he was in?

 

The Bangor Library also has a downloadable PDF of the 313th Infantry Unit History as well as the History of the 79th Infantry Division. The 313th History does have him listed in the roster. Unfortunately, the roster of Enlisted Men does not indicate with which Company they served. It appears the 313th was assaulting the Siegfried Line in December 1944 in the vicinity of Lauterberg, France. The 79th Division was ordered to withdraw to the Lauter River, and the 313th began their withdrawal on 22 Dec 1944. That gives a general overview of what was going on around the time of his death.

I would also suggest requesting his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). The IDPF is a collection of documents related to the disposition of the remains and personal effects of soldiers who died during the War. They often contain the unit (company level) with which he served, correspondence with the next-of-kin, and sometimes clues as to the cause of death.