DENVER (KDVR) — The remains of a World War II soldier from Denver were finally identified nearly 80 years after his death, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday.
Staff Sergeant Harold A. Schafer was 28 years old when he was killed in action during WWII. He was considered non-recoverable until he was accounted for on Sept. 26 last year.
Colorado WWII POW soldier identified over 80 years after death
Schafer joined the Army in 1943 was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division in December of 1944, according to the DPAA.
His battalion crossed the Saar River on Dec. 6, 1944, and had secured a wooded high ground north of Dillingen, Germany, but the battalion was stopped by German resistance, the DPAA said in a release.
For several days, Schafer’s battalion was defensive on the hill against numerous enemy counterattacks. On Dec. 10, 1944, according to the DPAA, Schafer was moving to a different fighting position when he was struck and killed by enemy machinegun fire.