Urban Allen (L) in Europe.
January 10, 1943 
March 3, 1944
November 18, 1944
November 26, 1944
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December 4, 1944
January 1, 1945
January 14, 1945
January 19, 1945
February 1, 1945
February 6, 1945
February 12, 1945
February 15, 1945
February 28, 1945
March 1, 1945 |
Urban S. Allen served for the United States Army in the 87th Engineer's Brigade. Born in 1917, Allen graduated from Senior High School in New Albany, Indiana. At the age of 24, Allen enlisted in the army on January 17th, 1941. While away, he often wrote to Catherine Trudeau: his close cousin. As a soldier, he was stationed in England and France. On February 28, 1945, Allen anticipated the eventual crossing of the Rhine, "Seems like the big drive is on, and perhaps we will reach the Rhine soon. That is one operation I'm really sweating out. My other experiences will be like a football game compared to that. We're all hoping that Germany will surrender after it's crossed." On March 24th, 1945, his company successfully built a 1,237 foot bridge in thirteen hours to cross the Rhine River in Germany. Our historical collection includes a photograph of this accomplishment. |
