WW2 Fallen - Bomber Pilot Arthur Friesz and Brother

Captain Arthur Friesz and his brother Robert both died in WW2 and are buried side by side.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=93419761&ref=acom
University of North Dakota 1942 Yearbook.

Arthur Ralph Friesz never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on June 13, 1917 in North Dakota. His mother was also born in North Dakota and her parents were from Austria. Arthur's father was born in Russia, though his parents were German speaking. His father came to America when he was 8 years old. His father worked as a dry goods clerk and later as a commercial traveler for a wholesale fruits company. Arthur had one older brother, two younger brothers and one younger sister. At the time of the 1940's census Arthur had completed four years of high school and was attending the University of North Dakota in his third or fourth year where he was studying commerce. 

I was unsuccessful at determining which unit he served in. Even searching for other airman who died on the same day yielded no clues.  What we do know from a short hometown article is that Captain Friesz died on November 7, 1944. He was flying a four-engine bomber based out of Rome Army Airfield in New York and crashed into a hill near Troupsburg, New York, 160 miles away.

Arthur's younger brother Robert also attended the University of North Dakota where he was a student in 1942. He achieved the rank of 2nd lieutenant in Company I, 3rd Battalion,116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. He died on August 25, 1944 during the first day of the assault on Brest, France.

Arthur and Robert have side-by-side graves is at Mandan Union Cemetery in Mandan, North Dakota.

Thank you Arthur and Robert for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for the Friesz brothers.


On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY

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