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| PFC John Kotas served with 1st Infantry Division in Sicily where he earned the Silver Star. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71607668/john-j_-kotas |
John was born June 24, 1919 in Solvay, New York. His parents Anthony and Helen were born in Poland and Pennsylvania, respectively. He had a younger brother and a younger sister. John attended Solvay High School and was active in the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1940, John was living at home with his parents in Solvay and working in a library.
John enlisted in the US Army in January 1941 and served as a PFC in the 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division. The 16th Infantry participated in the North African campaign, beginning with an amphibious assault near Arzew, French Morocco on 8 November 1942. PFC Kotas fought with the 16th Infantry in a number of locations to include the Ousseltia Valley, Kasserine Pass, El Guettar, and Mateur in Tunisia. For its actions at Kasserine, the regiment was decorated with the Croix de Guerre by the French Government and received its first Presidential Unit Citation for its actions near Mateur.
PFC Kotas and the 16th Infantry next participated in the amphibious invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943. After achieving a relatively bloodless hold on the beachhead in the darkness, the regiment pushed into the hills beyond, where the regiment was soon hit hard with an armored counterattack by German tanks. By 14 July 1943, the regiment had moved through Pietraperzia, Enna, and Villarosa. Fighting against snipers and well-fortified positions, the regiment moved forward by a series of flanking movements and by 29 July had taken the high ground west of the Cerami River. In early August, the regiment reached the town of Troina in eastern Sicily, where it experienced some of the most bitter fighting it would see during the war. PFC Kotas was killed in action on 5 August 1943 during the assault on Troina, and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action. The citation reads in part:
“When his company was subjected to heavy machine gun crossfire in its advance on an enemy hill, Private Kotas, unmindful of the enemy's strategic advantage, stormed one of the enemy nests in a valiant attempt to destroy it. Although killed in this action, his effective grenade fire compelled the enemy machine gun crew to withdraw.”
John J. Kotas is buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Syracuse, New York. His younger brother Raymond served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Force and survived the war.
Thank you PFC Kotas for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for John.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled P-47 pilot Jack Engman. You can read about Jack here.
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!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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