Niland brothers
The Niland brothers were four
Irish descent from Tonawanda, New York, who served in the military during World War II. They were sons of Mr and Mrs Michael C. Niland.[1] Two survived the war, but for a time, only one, Frederick "Fritz" Niland, was believed to have survived. After the reported deaths of his three brothers, Fritz was sent back to the United States to complete his service, and only later learned that his brother Edward, missing and presumed dead, was actually captive in a Japanese POW camp in Burma
.
Brothers
- Technical Sergeant Edward Francis Niland (December 22, 1912 – February 28, 1984),Tonawanda until his death in 1984 at the age of 71.[2]
- Second Lieutenant Preston Thomas Niland (March 6, 1915 – June 7, 1944),4th Infantry Division, was killed in action on June 7, 1944, in Normandy, at the Crisbecq Battery.
- Technical Sergeant Robert Joseph "Bob" Niland (February 2, 1919 – June 6, 1944),June 6, 1944 in Normandy. He volunteered to stay behind with Corporal James Kelly and hold off a German advance while his company retreated from Neuville-au-Plain. He was killed while manning his machine gun; Corporal James Kelly survived.
- Sergeant Frederick William "Fritz" Niland (April 23, 1920 – December 1, 1983),Bronze Star for his service.[2] This story is evidenced in Stephen Ambrose's book Band of Brothers, as well as from biographical data on Francis L. Sampson. Private James Ryan in the film Saving Private Ryan is loosely based on him.[5] Fritz died in 1983 in San Francisco at the age of 63.[2] Fritz married Marilyn Hartnett Batt and they had two daughters, Catherine (Cate) and Mary.[citation needed]
Memorials
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Robert J. Niland lies next to his brother Preston in the American Cemetery -
Memorial about Robert J. Niland in Neuville-au-Plain, France, where he was killedhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SGT_Frederick_Niland_grave.jpg SGT Frederick William “Fritz” Niland’s grave marker at Fort Richardson National Cemetery in Anchorage, Alaska
In popular culture
Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan is loosely based on the brothers' story.[5]
See also
- Bixby letter
- Borgstrom brothers
- Sullivan brothers
- Rogers brothers
- Brothers von Blücher, Germany's counterparts to the Niland/Sullivan Brothers
- Cervi Brothers
- Sole Survivor Policy
References
- ^ "Army & Navy: Stumpy's Boys". Time. 21 August 1944. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Canisius College. July 2006. Archived from the originalon 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- Buffalo Courier Express. 1945-05-05. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2006-09-22. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- Buffalo Courier Express. 1945-05-08. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2006-09-22. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ ISBN 1610606914.
- Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia
- Saving Private Ryan a real-life drama" by Ron Churchill, University of Buffalo Reporter
- Saving Private Ryan: pictures behind the scenes at Paratrooper Research Team