Private Fagre Oswald Peter (Service #: 36703342) died on 1944-06-14

You are reading the record of honored service member Fagre Oswald Peter, coming from the state Illinois in the United States of America (according to my records his last home and/or enlistment state).
He served as Private with military service number #36703342 in this unit - 315 Engineer Combat Battalion 90 Division.
He gave his life for our freedom on Wednesday 06 June 1944. He is buried or memorialized on the American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France.
The location of his grave: Plot E, Row 1, Grave 29

By Arve R. Pisani and anon-fiction writer of WWII books covering the Normandy Campaign (an extract from his book)

PFC Gerald L. Halvorson from the 315th Engineer Battalion, 90th Infantry Division, was one of those who desperately struggled through the bocage heading across the Cotentin Peninsula. The 25-year-old corporal from St. Ansgar, Iowa, had, landed in France at Utah Beach with his company just a few days earlier without much drama. Despite the short time, he had already had more than enough of real war close to him. 

Now Halvorsen’s Company A had been inserted into an attack formation where it previously had been close to a battalion. Halvorsen and the rest of the company waited at the forest’s edge for the signal to go forward. The clock was approaching 5:00 in the morning of June 13. He was carrying a radio set on his back, as he served as the radioman for the company commander, Captain St. Clair. On the other side of the field, they could see the outlines of the stone buildings and walls that constituted the village of Gourbesville, which was the assault target. There were hedges and big trees everywhere, providing perfect cover for snipers. Gerald glanced hurriedly toward Oswald Fagre, his best friend. Oswald was from Park Rapids, Minnesota. Oswald looked up at the same time and gave him a little smile. He held a bazooka in his hands and did not look entirely comfortable. Alongside Oswald stood a man who must have been his loader, whom Gerald did not recognize in the dim light. A little behind them stood Sergeant Robert Johnson from Wisconsin. Captain St. Clair gave the signal to attack, and the company began to move forward. They advanced across an open field toward the village. They had no support from tanks or other heavy weapons. 

At the edge of the village all was quiet. With any luck, the Germans had withdrawn. The grass in the field was high and wet with dew. Out in the field stood a large tree, and Gerald noticed Oswald steer toward it. A shot came without warning and Oswald’s head snapped back as he fell, revealing a small hole in the center of his forehead. Gerald did not know if it was the shock of seeing Oswald drop or the shot itself that scared him most. He caught a glimpse of the sniper wearing an American helmet and field jacket before he again hastily hid behind the tree Oswald had been heading for. Gerald was confused, but he instinctively hit the ground. Sergeant Johnson also saw what had happened. Remaining icy calm, he waited a moment. The German surfaced again, and the sergeant shot him right through the head with a short volley from his machine pistol. Suddenly all hell broke loose. Machine guns opened up and the sound of mortars could be heard shortly before explo­sions rained down amid the soldiers in Company A. An 88 mm barrage fol­lowed. Screams from the wounded mingled with the battle turmoil. A ter­rible scene unfolded among the engineers caught helpless in open ground.

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