Emil W. Lekatz

Company A 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

4th Infantry Division

KIA 01/02/1945

Emil William Lekatz was born in Crosby, Crow Wing County, Minnesota on July 24, 1918.

His religion was listed as Catholic.

Prior to entering military service he was employed by Chicago Cork Works
in Chicago, Illinois.

His Army serial number indicates he was drafted into the Army.

The application for his grave marker indicates he entered the Army on May 12, 1943.

He was assigned to Company C 22nd Infantry from the 92nd Replacement Battalion on November 27, 1944.

He was transferred to Company A on December 6, 1944.

Private Lekatz was killed in action near Rosport, Luxembourg when his five man patrol was ambushed
by approximately 15 German soldiers on January 2, 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge.

Clipping courtesy of Julien Woestyn

Pvt. Emil Lekatz, 26, was killed in Luxemburg on January 2, 1944. He was a member of the 22 D Infantry, First Army
and a son of Mr. And Mrs. Louis Lekatz, Bates Township.

Pvt. Lekatz took part in the Battle of St. Lo and moved from Paris to Belgium. His unit went into Germany and was
shoved back to Luxemburg in the German push of December 16, 1943.

A graduate of the Iron River High School Class of 1938, he left Bates to work in a Chicago defense plant
and was inducted from there in May of 1943. ¹

Note: No record of Emil W. Lekatz taking part in the battle for St. Lo, as stated in the above article, could be found by the website editor.

Emil W. Lekatz was buried in the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery,
Hamm Cemetery, Hamm, Luxembourg and some time later
his remains were returned to the United States where he was
reinterred in Michigan.

Burial:
Stambaugh Cemetery
Iron River
Iron County
Michigan, USA
Plot: Block 7 Lot 237

Grave marker for Emil W. Lekatz

Photo by Dale Safford from the Find A Grave website

¹ BATES TOWNSHIP LEGACY 1885-1985 centennial book Chapter IV War Casualties, taken from
the Find A Grave website created by: Dale Safford

Top photo by Dale Safford from the Find A Grave website

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