T4 Ernest Ignace Lorette
US Army 191st Tank Btn Infantry
from:Holyoke Massachusetts
Ernest Lorette was my great uncle. He served with the US Army Infantry 191st Tank Battalion in WW2.
I was recently given papers that had belonged to my step-grandmother, Edith Lorette. She had saved numerous newspaper articles and letters received by my grandfather, Edmond, in reply to his inquiries of the status of his brother, Ernest. Further, Ernest appears in the National Archives WWII Prisoners of War Data File, 7th of December 1941 - 19th of November 1946. In that file, Ernest is listed as having been a POW at Stalag 3B Furstenberg Brandenburg, Prussia. He was captured September 1943 and was released June 1945.
A letter received from Headquarters, 191st Tank Battalion by my grandfather and dated 11th of November 1943 states the following: "The battalion was engaging the enemy when the tank in which T/4 Lorette was riding, was hit by a shell. Your brother was the first man to leave the tank and since we have several witnesses to this we are satisfied that he was not injured. However, he saw that all the men were not leaving the vehicle so he went back into the tank to help a man with a leg wound. He was again seen leaving the tank with this man and was last observed dressing his wounds in a field. Latest information is that the man he was helping was captured by the enemy and is at the time a prisoner of war. We are in hopes that T/4 is with him but have nor received word to substantiate this."
Then my grandmother received a telegram from the Adjutant General confirming he was reported missing 3rd of September 1943 in the North African area which included Casino, Italy where Ernest was taken prisoner. His last known assignment was with the African Army of Occupation as a tank instructor. He was 25 years old.
