Missing PA WWII soldier identified, to be returned home

FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) – A Pennsylvania soldier missing in action since World War II has been identified and will finally be laid to rest back home.

U.S. Army Private 1^st Class Harry H. Hosfelt Jr. was killed on Feb. 9., 1944 when his unit engaged German troops near the town of Cisterna di Latina, Italy. The 20-year-old soldier had been assigned to Company A, 30^th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division for only a short period of time.

His body was not recovered, and he was not reported as a prisoner of war, which prompted the War department to proclaim him dead in February 1945.

The Army Quartermaster Corps was tasked with recovering missing American personnel as part of the American Graves Registration. In March 1945, investigators recovered a set of remains designated as X-745, near the small hamlet of Ponte Rotto thought to be associated with Hosfelt. However, there was not enough data to positively identify Hosfelt and the remains were buried in what is now the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.

While studying unresolved American losses in the Anzio battlefield, a historian for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency determined that the remains possibly belonged to Hosfelt, and efforts were made to identify the remains in September 2021.

To identify Hosfelt, scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as mitochondrial DNA analysis. He was identified last year but family were only recently notified, according to a press release.

Before enlisting, Hosfelt was employed as a leveler for the H.C. Frick Coke Company at its Continental No. 1 plant, according to newspaper records. He first enlisted March 29, 1943, and was trained at Fort McClelland, Ala., and Camp Howze, Texas. Newspaper records indicate that he was recognized as a sharpshooter with the infantry.

Hosfelt was shipped overseas in September 1943 and arrived the following month in Africa, where he was assigned to a replacement battalion and joined the Fifth Army, according to newspaper records.

He left behind a widow, Genevieve Hosfelt, and 2-year-old son, Harry Hosfelt III., of Everson, Pa.

Hosfelt’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Hosfelt will be buried in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, on June 29, 2024.