“I have an exposition of sleeping come upon me.”  Quote from his High School Yearbook

Henry N. Kopf Jr. was born on July 15, 1922 in Oneonta, New York. His father was Henry N. Kopf Sr. (1878-1924) and his mother was Maud Simmons (1887-1966). They were married on August 20, 1905 in the hamlet of Shokan, Ulster County, New York at the Dutch Reformed Church.  They had six children, Henry Jr. being the youngest. Henry Sr. was a train engineer for the Ulster & Delaware (U & D) railroad in Oneonta. He died on March 2, 1924 at the age of 46, leaving Maud with a large family to raise. Henry Sr. had served in the Spanish-American War in 1898 and his pension helped his family to keep their home on Rose Avenue in Oneonta for the next twenty years and provided his children the time to complete four years of high school before entering the workforce. According to the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Censuses, Maud never worked outside of the home.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Henry Jr. never entered the New York National Guard while still in high school; and therefore, was not taken into the U.S. Army in 1940 when all National Guard units across the country were absorbed into the active military. In fact, he did not enlist into the military until August 26, 1942, more than two years after graduating from high school in 1939.

While in High School he called “Hank” and played on the six man football team as a senior.  He was classmates with men like Fred Hodges and Nicholas Rosher who was also killed in the war. 

After completing his schooling he worked as a machinist in the Scintilla Magneto Company in Sidney, New York, a manufacturer of aircraft and automobile magnetos. He entered the U.S. Army as a corporal in the 150th Engineer Combat Battalion with service number 12137778. The 150th was formed in 1943, well into the war. Most of the men were drafted from the Northeast and took their basic training at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.

In late March 1945 the U.S. Third Army under General Patton faced the difficult task of constructing a bridge across the Rhine River in order to enter Germany. The Germans had destroyed a total of 22 road and 25 railroad bridges across this large river. Only one bridge remained and it was heavily defended by the Germans. The 150th along with other engineer battalions had to build two threadway bridges across the Rhine. Work on this operation came under heavy attack by Luftwaffe aircraft during the day; thus, much of the work occurred at night.  During the period of March 24-31, a total of 60,000 Allied vehicles passed over these bridges under fierce gunfire. Henry Jr. was involved in the construction of these bridges. He was killed on April 1, 1945.  U.S. Army Hospital Admission Card File records reported he received wounds in the thigh and abdomen that resulted in his death.  He received the Purple Heart posthumously. He had survived the June 6th Normandy invasion to die at the Rhine. He is buried at the Lorraine Military Cemetery, St. Avold, France, Block A, Row 27, Grave 23. He was 22 years old when he died.

If you notice anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact Jim Greenberg at nez13820@gmail.com. 

Sources

Year: 1940; Census Place: Oneonta, Otsego, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02717; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 39-32 https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6236736:2442 accessed August 20, 2022

Year: 1930; Census Place: Oneonta, Otsego, New York; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0027; FHL microfilm: 2341370 https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/44434026:6224 accessed August 20, 2022

Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56657228/henry-n-kopf, accessed January 4, 2023.

Hospital Admission Card Files, ca. 1970 - ca. 1970. NAI: 570973. Records of the Office of the Surgeon General (Army), 1775 - 1994. Record Group 12. The National Archives at College Park, MD. USA.

Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917 - 9/16/1940. NAI 76193916. Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007. National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.

 https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3928247:61861,accessed August 20, 2022

National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 00941; Reel: 87

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6724633:8939, accessed August 21, 2022

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147 https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/303932054:2238  accessed August 21, 2022

The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; NAI Title: U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934; NAI Number: T288; Record Group Title: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773-2007; Record Group Number: 15; Series Title: U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934; Series Number: T288; Roll: 268

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/10765208:4654 accessed August 21, 2022

150th Combat Engineer Battalion (of WWII) Site Entrance Page https://www.150th.com, accessed December 30, 2022.

Supporting Files