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Remember...Wilbert Henry Illig
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Wilbert Henry Illig was born to George H. Illig and Ida J. Illig on August 25, 1921, in Rankin, Pennsylvania. The family would eventually move to Hollidays Cove (later a part of Weirton), where George (Sr.) was employed as a mechanic at Weirton Steel. The family appeared to be more prosperous than most despite the Great Depression, and George and Ida's three sons (George, Jr.; Howard; and Wilbert) also landed jobs at Weirton Steel.
Before his employment, Wilbert had attended high school for at least two years, and prior to that he was enrolled in Edgewood Public [elementary] School and Edgewood Junior High School. Wilbert and Howard both were drafted in 1942.
Wilbert was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division (originally the 82nd Infantry Division). Paratrooper training was in its infancy but nevertheless rigorous. The 504th trained for the Sicily landings (Operation Husky) while in North Africa. Taking off on July 11, 1943, from Tunisia, the 504th Regimental Combat Team was severely decimated in operations around Gela. The action would have been demoralizing for Wilbert and his comrades-in-arms, but his unit regrouped and became part of the invasion at Salerno. Wilbert met his untimely death on February 16, 1944, when the Germans led a counteroffensive, Operation Fischang (inland from Anzio). It is likely much of the fighting in Italy was short-handed as resources were being diverted to Operation Overlord in Normandy.
A Purple Heart recipient, Wilbert Illig was returned to the States in 1948 after initially being interred in a cemetery in Italy. His eternal resting place is now Grafton National Cemetery.
Essays from the National Cemeteries Project are posted on the West Virginia Humanities Council's website. For a more comprehensive biography of Wilbert Illig, refer to the essay written by University High School students Sarahlynn Dickson and Tanu Ellison at https://wvhumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Illig_Wilbert_Henry-USA.pdf.
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
