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Press Release | Oct. 3, 2024

Tanker Accounted for from WWII (Loterbaugh, J.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. James G. Loterbaugh, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 20, 2024.

In December 1944, Loterbaugh was assigned to Company C, 774th Tank Battalion, as a crewmember on an M4 “Sherman” tank. His unit was engaged in battle with German forces near Strass, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest, when his tank was hit by heavy artillery and anti-tank fire. Due to the speed and intensity of the fighting, the Company C commander was unable to maintain an accurate count of his troops. By mid-day of Dec. 11, it is believed the entire platoon, including Loterbaugh’s tank, was Missing in Action. The Germans never reported Loterbaugh as a prisoner of war. The War Department issued a presumptive finding of death in December 1945.

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Loterbaugh's case will be published once the family has received their full briefing.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, and find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency.