McKinley Bennie Lane was born in Anderson County, Tennessee. Pfc Lane was the son of Ben and BessieLane and brother of Jimmie Lane and Maddie Lane. He was married to Bevie Fritts and they had three children, Maxine, Avis Fay and Arvil Lane.
Buried at Lorraine American Cemetery, St-Avold, France, J, 16, 17
The Knoxville News-Sentinel, May 12, 1945:
Pfc. McKinley B. Lane was killed in action in Germany on April 26, according to word received by his family. He had been in service a little over a year and had been overseas four months. Before entering the service he was employed by the Merita Bakeries. Pfc. Lane was the son of Ben Lane and the brother of Jimmie Lane of Byington. His wife, Mrs. Bevie Fritts Lane, and their three children, Masine, Avis Fay and Arvil, live at 993 North Broadway. His mother, Mrs. Biessie Lane, and a sister, Maddie, live in Cleveland, Ohio.
From his grandson, Chris Lane–
The records I have (the division and regimental casualty lists) show that he was KIA. That day, April 26, the regiment was conducting an assault crossing of the Danube River, near Marxheim.
He was a member of F Company, 157th Infantry Regiment. That was the second of three rifle companies in 2nd Battalion of the regiment. He was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge with an effective date of 01 December 1944, which would suggest he arrived in the company somewhere around November 1944, however–I don’t have many of the F Company Morning Reports, but I do have those for December 44 and January 45. He is listed on the MR of 21 December as being 38 privates assigned from the 3rd Replacement Depot on that date. His Military Occupational Specialty is given as 745 — rifleman. At that time the regiment was in defensive positions not far from Bundenthal, Germany. On the 26th and 27th December, the 2nd Battalion resumed attacking, but then pulled back into defensive positions again.
He is also among many privates promoted to PFC on 06 January, per the MR of 07 January. At that time, the regiment had pulled back further, into France, and was occupying bunkers of the Maginot Line.
He is not mentioned elsewhere in the MRs of Dec and Jan, so he must have kept a very low profile and done his job well.
(Thanks to Hugh Foster for the information above!)
McKinley B Lane lives on in legacy to MANY grandchildren and great grandchildren!
- Rank: Private First Class
- Date of birth: 8 September 1919
- Date of death: 26 April 1945
- County: Knox
- Hometown: Knoxville
- Service Branch: Army/Army Air Forces
- Division/Assignment: 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Division, 5th Army
- Theater: Europe
- Conflict: World War II
- Awards: Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge
- Burial/Memorial Location: Lorraine American Cemetery, St-Avold, France
- Location In Memorial: Pillar XIV, Middle Panel
- Sponsored by: Arvell McKinley Lane (son), Christopher A. Lane (grandson)
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