Nicholas Del Grosso Dies in Italy Action
Another Gold Star, the 14th
(April 6, 1944) -- Pfc. Nicholas Del Grosso, 19, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Ignazio Del Grosso of Mt. Prospect Street, was reported killed in action around Feb. 20.
Del Grosso entered the Army in April 1943. He was
stationed in North Africa before going to Italy.
He was graduated from Belleville High School in
1941, where he played on the school basketball team.
He was awarded the Purple Heart.
Nicholas J. Del Grosso was the youngest of six children born to
Ignazio and Adeline Del Grosso, who emigrated from Benevento, Italy, to
Belleville, N.J., in 1905.
He attended Belleville School Eight and graduated Belleville High School,
Class of 1941. He was described as good kid and an excellent baseball
player.
After high school he was employed by American Precision Company on
Cortlandt Street in Belleville until he was inducted into the Army on April
8, 1943.
He received his Basic and Advanced Infantry training at Camp Croft,
Spartanburg, S. C., until August when he had a ten-day furlough, his last
visit home before going overseas.
He embarked on a troop ship at Fort Patrick Henry, Newport News, Va., in
September 1943 and was in a replacement unit in Oran, North Africa in
October. He then was transported by ship to Naples, Italy where he was
assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, 30th Regiment, Company E.
He was in the vicinity of Mount Rotundo near Mignano, Italy, during the
Cassino campaign when he was "slightly injured in action on November 14." He
was then recuperating from his injuries for approximately six weeks in a
field convalescent hospital near Naples.
He rejoined Company E in late December, and then participated in the Anzio
invasion on Jan. 22, 1944.
He was in the Anzio beachhead for nearly a month when on Feb. 19, his 30th
Regiment was called on to push back the intensive German attack that was
threatening to push the Allied beachhead into the sea. All the officers, the
sergeant and half of Company E were killed on this day. Del Grosso was
listed as killed in action on Feb. 20, near Carano, Italy.
This counterattack was fought so courageously that it was credited with
saving the beachhead and resulted in the enemy assuming a defensive posture
for the remainder of the Anzio Beachhead campaign.
Del Grosso was buried in the Nettuno cemetery on Feb. 23. His body was
repatriated to St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church Cemetery in August 1948,
where h lays with his parents today. His tragic death also contributed to
his mother's untimely death of a cerebral hemorrhage in December 1944.
Inspired by his great sacrifice of service to our country, several nephews
went on to become officers and men in the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and
Army.
His Del Grosso nephews are continuing to conduct extensive research into the
Anzio Beachhead campaign in an effort to gain additional understanding as to
the circumstances surrounding his death.
COURTESY: The Nephews of Pvt. Nicholas J. Del Grosso Association,
principle researcher, Frank Marano, LCDR, US Navy, Ret., (BHS '71, USNA '75)
Sources:
American Battle
Monuments Commission
Belleville Times, April 6, 1944
The Nephews of Pvt. Nicholas J. Del Grosso Association
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