Edward Joseph Amann was born August 11, 1924 in Utica, NY to John Joseph Amann (1893-1955) and Rose Mary Iffert (1896-1973). His parents were married on August 30, 1919 in Utica, NY. and they were both from the area, growing up together. His dad served in World War I and after years of hard work and saving owned an operated his own bakery in the Utica, NY area. He had an older brother Alfred (1921-1944) and a younger brother Richard (abt. 1929). Alfred was killed in World War II as well. The family lived on Brinckerhoff Ave. and then Dudley Ave. in Utica, NY. He was a member of the St. Mary's church and its Holy Name Society. He attended St. Mary's School and Utica Free Academy before going to work at the Rome Army Air Field in Rome, NY.

He registered for the draft on December 14, 1942 in Utica, NY. He was 5'-3” tall and weighed 119 pounds. He had blue eyes and brown hair. Edward was drafted into the U.S. Army on September 20, 1943 in Utica, NY with service number 32944917. He reported having completed 2 years of high school. He did his basic training at Camp Croft, S.C. and Ft. Meade, Md. and was then sent overseas to England in January 1944.

The 8th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the“Fighting Eagles”, was part of the D-Day landing on June 6, 1944. Landing on Utah Beach the 8th went on to participate in the campaign of northern France. It was during this fighting on July 26, 1944, known as the breakout from St. Lo, that Pvt. Amann was killed. He is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, Departement du Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France, Plot G, Row 8, Grave 34.

His mother had only just received word that her brother Staff Sgt. Bernard J. Iffert had been killed in France on July 16, 1944.  She also had another son, Alfred, who would be killed only a month later.  

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Jewish Servicemen Cards, 1942-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.

"Edward Amann Killed in Action", Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, August [day illegible], 1944, pg. 2-A.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56641819/edward_j-amann: accessed September 4, 2025), memorial page for PVT Edward J Amann (17 Jul 1925–26 Jul 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56641819, citing Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, Departement du Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France; Maintained by Frogman (contributor 47380828).

Headstone Inscription and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949. Microfilm Series A1 43, NAID: 7408555. Records of the American Battle Monuments Commission, 1918–ca. 1995. Record Group 117. The National Archives in Washington, D.C.

National 4th Infantry Division Association website at https://www.4thinfantry.org/about-us/division-history accessed on Sept. 5, 2025.

National Archives and Records Administration, Various Morning Reports obtained by searching using his service number. St. Louis, MI. accessed at https://catalog.archives.gov/search-within/85713825.

"Pvt. Amann Dies in France", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, date illegible, pg. 7.

Year: 1930; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0130; FHL microfilm: 2341356

Year: 1940; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02862; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 67-70A

Supporting Documents

July 1944 Morning Report, of 5 pages showing him in list assigned to the 4th Infantry Division