Date of death:

October 6th, 1944

Nationality:

American

Mentioning of name on Monument Ardennes ad Neupré.

Clarence Roseland was a shipping clerk for an electrical appliance company before he enlisted in West Allis, Wisconsin on 28 August 1943.

He was married to Vilia Starfelt on 21 September 1940.
On the morning of 6 October 1944, the combat near Bruyères was still fierce, and Pfc Roseland’s 3rd Battalion was thrust into German territory. The battalion held its line despite the dense woods, thick fog, and poor weather. German forces, however, captured the commanding officer of 3d Battalion, and Pfc Roseland and other members of his unit moved into a defensive position on high ground southeast of Grandvillers. Later, the battalion received orders to withdraw to stronger positions farther to the rear. As the unit withdrew, German forces counter attacked. Pfc Clarence E. Roseland was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions under fire that day. Below is the story of his actions per Pfc Roseland’s Company Commander:
"The second platoon of M Company with a section of heavy 30 caliber machine guns was left to cover the withdrawal. One machine gun squad had already made its withdrawal and the other was making preparation to do so, when a heavy German counter attack was launched, by approximately 50 SS troops was launched, supported by artillery, mortar, and automatic weapons. Pfc Clarence E. Roseland, manning the machine gun, started to deliver fire. By this time, the squad was pinned down and was slowly being encircled. The Germans had advanced through the wooded terrain to within 40 yards of his machine gun, Pfc Roseland ignored the heavy enemy fire and continuously exposed himself to observe enemy movements. He continued to lay down a heavy concentration of fire. Each time the Germans assaulted; they were met by deadly fire from Pfc Roseland''s gun. The squad received orders to attempt withdrawal, Pfc Roseland volunteered to cover their withdrawal. Each member of the squad was able to exit the position but before Pfc Roseland was able to retreat his gun was overrun and he himself killed. His personal sacrifice made possible the safe withdrawal of his company and his own section of machine guns. The German loss was fifteen dead and fourteen wounded. The counter-attack was completely disorganized."
At some point in the fighting, his machine gun stopped, and two of his company mates saw him killed. Shortly thereafter, the enemy overran his position; when American troops re-took this ground later, they could not find Pfc Roseland’s body.

The War Department listed Pfc Roseland as missing in action as of 6 October 1944. Six months later, it reviewed the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and determined that he had been killed in action on that same day. On 21 April 1945, the War Department issued a "Report of Death" for Pfc Roseland.

On 4 December 1950 and 12 April 1951, AGRC investigators visited the area near Bruyères to find any information they could on the loss of Pfc Roseland. During the first investigation, AGRC personnel interviewed the mayor of Brouvelieures, who, after the war, had commissioned two local men to bury all the unburied dead within the territory of the commune. In the process, they had found the remains of three American soldiers, all of which were taken to the U.S. Military Cemetery at Epinal, in 1947. The AGRC later identified two of these men.

The third man, initially identified for unknown reasons only as "Cochrane," was found in a heavy machine-gun position, which was, according to the mayor, supposedly attacked on or about 6 October 1944. Investigators acknowledged that all the circumstances surrounding the death of this individual resembled those in which Pfc Roseland was killed. They also suggested that two unknowns recovered from Taintrux, roughly 15 km east of Brouvelieures, be compared against Pfc Roseland’s physical data. There are no X-numbers for these files in Pfc Roseland’s IDPF, and it is not known if this comparison ever occurred.

In addition, investigators revealed the existence of a "mass grave" at Brouvelieures. The investigator recommended the mass grave be opened and that the AGRC verify the identity of "Cochrane."11 There is no further reference to "Cochrane" in Pfc Roseland’s IDPF; however, the AGRC later identified Sgt George R. Cochrane, a member of Company G, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, who was killed in action on 6 October 1944 near Brouvelieures.

In April 1951, investigators returned to Brouvelieures. They observed that, since German military personnel had buried the remains, no one in the local community was able to state definitively that Americans were interred there. The team obtained permission to open and check three informal cemeteries; however, all mass graves and isolated burials held German remains. To be thorough, the AGRC team compared Pfc Roseland’s dental records against the remains it had found, without success. The team instructed the local person in charge of future exhumations in proper procedures and means of identifying American and German deceased. Investigators also instructed local authorities to notify the AGRC in the event that they discovered remains they could not definitely identify as German. The team recommended that PFC Roseland be considered non-recoverable.

On 19 June 1951, a board of AGRC officers convened in Liege, Belgium, to consider Pfc Roseland’s case. It, too, recommended that he be declared non-recoverable.14 On 23 October 1951, the Memorial Division of the Quartermaster Corps approved this finding.

Historians at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) are comprehensively reassessing the evidence related to unaccounted-for soldiers killed in the Vosges area between September and October 1944. As part of their work, they compare files for unknown remains recovered from the region to the files of unresolved casualties like Pfc Roseland. To date, however, Pfc Roseland has not been linked with any unknown remains.

As research into losses in the Vosges area is ongoing, DPAA currently considers Pfc Roseland’s case to be in an "Active Pursuit" status.

He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in active ground combat against the enemy on 1 June 1944 in Italy.

Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!

• - American Battle Monuments Commission
  - Raf Dyckmans, Paul Roseland (grandson), Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Lund Family Tree