To: Jelle Nieskens who adopted the grave site of John Rose.
I would love to hear about what else you may have learned about John Rose since you first made the original post on this web site.
My Uncle Paul was also in the 251st combat engineers. My guess is that John Rose and my uncle had the same experience as they travelled across Europe from September 1944 until the end of the war in Europe on May 1945.
Here is where the 251st Combat Engineers were based on the notes kept by my Uncle Paul.
My Uncle was a member of the 251st Combat Engineers. He left his training at Camp McCoy in August 1944. In September 1944, he moved to Kilmer NJ, then boarded the ship Larg Bay to move from NYC to Liverpool, and finally to SouthHampton. In October they crossed the English Channel to arrive at Cherburg France. Then moved to Liege Belgium. In November 1944 they were in Tongres Belgium, Schinnen Holland, Palenburg Germany and Geilenkirchen Germany. In December 1944 they were in Schenseel and then Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. In January 1945, they were in Rurdorf, and eventually moved to Kuckhoven as they prepared for the Roer River Crossing. The Roer River crossing was suppose to happen in early February but the Germans flooded the river, delaying the river crossing for weeks. Roer River crossing eventually happened on February 22, 23, and 24. There are many pictures of this crossing by a Time Magazine photographer that you can easily find on the web. In March 1945, they were in Anrath, Krefeld, Munster, Rhoda, and Eisbergen Germany. In April they were in Hannover, Gurdelagen, Salzwedel. As the war ended in May 1945, they were in Hannover, Lehrtre Germany.
Given that John Rose died Feb 23, 1945, it is highly possible that he died in the Roer River Crossing battles which happened Feb 22, 23, and 24th. There is a tremendous amount written about the Roer River crossing, with lots of great photos by a Time Magazine photographer. Blessing to you Jelle, and great love to your country and your family.
Tom