Edward A. Fraundorf
Biography: Edward Alfred Fraundorf was born on March 25, 1923, in Parma, Ohio, which is a suburb of Cleveland. He was the son of Carl Fraundorf and Ruth Schnur and graduated from Parma High School in 1941. Edward played minor league baseball until he was drafted.
Service Time: Edward entered the service on January 25, 1943, and was assigned to the 804th Tank Destroyer Battalion. He would have joined the unit late during their time in Africa or soon after they landed in Italy. The 804th spent time training French troops in Africa and as observers at the front.
After landing in Naples, Italy, the unit saw their first action at Cellole and Fasani providing nighttime harassing fire. They supported the efforts of a number of units including the 88th Infantry Division and their efforts to take the Gustav Line. They would play significant roles in the Rome-Arno, North Apennines and Po Valley Campaigns.
Edward returned to the U.S. and worked as a bricklayer and later a millwright for General Motors. On May 24, 1951, he married the former Agnes “Aggie” Yahnak (see photo below) who was the daughter of Andrew and Anna Yahnak of Uniontown, PA. The couple made their residence in Parma, Ohio and had two children, Tim, born in 1952 and Diane in 1954. In his spare time, Edward enjoyed playing the guitar and harmonica as well as fishing and gardening. He was a member of the United Auto Workers Union and the VFW.
Just prior to to his planned retirement from GM, Edward passed away in January of 1985, at the age of 60. He was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Cleveland, OH. I want to thank Edward’s daughter, Diane, and son-in-law, Mario, for supplying this information and many photographs of him and members of his unit.