PFC Carl Stoll was killed in action in France on July 5th, 1944. His father, Jacob Stoll of Eaton, was advised by telegram from the War Department.
PFC Stoll was born February 16th, 1912 in Windsor Colorado and attended Windsor grade schools, later farming with his father in the Eaton district. He was inducted into the Army March 22nd, 1942, was trained at Camp Barkeley Texas, and then later in Louisiana and California. He was able to spend a 22-day furlough with his family prior to being sent for duty overseas.
He was stationed in England until the invasion of France where he was killed in action. PFC Stoll is survived by his father Jacob, two brothers; Jake Stoll Jr., and Benjamin Stoll of Eaton; and a sister, Mrs. Sol Winters of Loveland, Colorado. Memorial services were held at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Windsor.
Additional information provided by Stories Behind the Stars:
Carl Stoll, 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division, 3rd Army
Private First Class Carl Stoll (38104325) was born February 16, 1912 in Windsor, Weld County, Colorado, to Jacob F. Sr. and Katherine Schmidt Stoll. Carl had two brothers and one sister. His mother died in 1920 when Carl was eight years old.
Carl enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division (“Tough ‘Ombres’”), Third Army and sent overseas.
The 90th Infantry Division landed in England on April 5, 1944, and trained from April 10 to June 4. The first elements of the division saw action on D-Day, June 6, on Utah Beach, Normandy, the remainder entering combat June 10.
At 0930 on June 8, 1944, the convoy delivering the 357th Infantry Regiment dropped anchor off Utah Beach. Debarkation into big LCI’s began at 1200 and by 1245 the first elements of the Regiment were wading ashore. At this time, the Regimental Commander was notified that the prearranged transit area had not yet been secured by the 4th Division - which had made the initial D-Day assault landing - and that the Regiment would move instead into an area in the vicinity of Loutres.
On the July 3, the 90th Division attacked to the southwest with the 357th in Division reserve. Twelve additional battalions of field artillery were supporting the attacking elements, and the enemy was forced to give ground. On July 5, the 357th was committed and began its advance on Beau Coudray, a small town whose capture was to develop into one of the toughest engagements to the entire war. It was located forward of strategic high ground which dominated the entire area and served as an excellent observation post for the crack German paratroop defenders. The ensuing six days saw the type of slugfest which is so costly to both sides. The Germans had mined and registered in with mortar and artillery fire all the approaches to the town. Any movement brought down pulverizing barrages, and any coordinated assault was invariably followed by savage enemy counter-thrusts. Often the assaulting troops found themselves face to face with counterattacking enemy armor and infantry before they had had time to consolidate their gains and prepare any type of defense.
It was during these days of battle that, on July 5, 1944, PFC Stoll was killed in action attacking the small town of Beaucoudray, France, 11 miles south-southwest of Saint-Lô, and 32 miles south of Utah Beach.
PFC Stoll is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, France, in Plot C, Row 9, Grave 43. This cemetery, sited on a bluff high above the coastline of Normandy, France where the legendary D-Day beach landings took place, is one of the world’s best-known military memorials. These hallowed grounds contain the graves of 9,386 American military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. On the Walls of the Missing, in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed 1,557 names.
PFC Stoll is honored on the walls of the Colorado Freedom Memorial, Row 36, Column 1, Panel 13. The Memorial is located in Aurora, Colorado, near Buckley Air Force Base. Constructed of glass panels that reflect Colorado’s mountains and blue skies the Memorial holds the names of over 6,000 Coloradans killed or missing in action. They are grouped by war, but names will not be alphabetically listed. Much of the Colorado Freedom Memorial is meant to reflect the chaos of war, including the shuffling of names.
There is a monument to the 90th Infantry Division on Utah Beach: ”To the Memory of the Heroic Dead of the 90th Infantry Division U.S. Army 6. June 1944 - 9. May 1945” The Tough 'Ombres’ Combat Team
PFC Stoll was awarded the Purple Heart.
Thank you for your sacrifice and service, PFC Stoll … Rest in Peace.