Two US soldiers killed in World War II were recently identified and honored in Italy

Recently, rosettes were placed next to the names of 2nd Lt. Allan Knepper (left) of the U.S. Army Air Force and Army Private Commander Harry Hosfelt on the Wall of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. The rosettes signify that the remains of the two soldiers killed in World War II have been recovered and identified. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

NAPLES, Italy — Two U.S. Soldiers who died in Italy during World War II are no longer considered missing.

On Friday, rosettes were placed next to the names of Private First Class Harry Hosfelt and 2nd Lt. Allan Knepper of the Army Air Force on the Wall of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in the Italian town of Nettuno, the American Battle Monuments Commission said in a statement Monday.

The bronze markings indicate that the remains of the soldiers have been identified.

Hosfelt was killed on February 9, 1944, during a battle with German troops near the town of Cisterna di Latina. The 20-year-old native of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, was assigned to Company A of the 30th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division.

His remains were recovered in March 1945, but officials did not have enough information to positively identify him. The remains were subsequently buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a June 6 statement.

In 2021, Hosfelt’s remains were exhumed and examined, and according to DPAA, he was finally officially identified on September 28, 2023. He was buried in Connellsville on June 29.

Rosettes recently installed on the Wall of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery indicate that the remains of two U.S. service members missing during World War II have been recovered and identified. The rosettes were installed on July 19, 2024, next to the names of 2nd Lt. Allan Knepper and Army Pfc. Harry Hosfelt of the U.S. Army Air Force. (American Battle Monuments Commission)

Knepper, 27, of Lewiston, Idaho, was killed on July 10, 1943, when the P-38 Lightning fighter plane he was flying came under enemy fire and crashed near Caltagiorne, Sicily, the DPAA said in a separate statement on July 11.

Knepper’s plane crashed during one of many missions against enemy forces during Operation Husky, the first Allied attempt to retake Europe. More than 2,000 U.S. troops were killed in the operation.

From 2015 to 2023, the Department of Defense and its partners researched, investigated, and excavated a crash site near Caltagirone and recovered evidence and remains believed to be linked to Knepper. He went missing on August 10, 2023, according to DPAA.

Knepper, who was assigned to the 49th Fighter Wing of the 14th Fighter Group in the North African and Mediterranean theaters, will be buried in Lewiston on Aug. 2, the DPAA said..

The rosettes for Hosfelt and Knepper are the 18th and 19th additions to the Wall of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, which contains the names of 3,095 U.S. soldiers, the AMBC said.