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The family of 2nd Lt. Anthony Diederich, Jr.—Lost 15 July 1944 near Yap--has provide pictures, letters and additional information to remember his life. Please view the following page:
Anthony Francis Diederich was the first born son of Sophia Rose Greisen and Anthony Joseph Diederich. Known to the family as "Junior", he was born April 14, 1921, on a farm near Lindsay, Nebraska. His grandfather Mathais had immigrated from Germany in 1877 and homesteaded land in nearby Saint Bernard, Nebraska. Junior experienced the rigors of farm life doing yard chores and working in the fields. He attended a one-room country school with one teacher for eight grades. Junior's Mother, a strong advocate for education, ensured that he attended high school in a nearby town and then on to business college. After two years, he moved to Waterloo, Iowa seeking employment. When foreign conflict piqued his interest, he joined the Army Air Corps and became a pilot of the B24 Liberator aircraft. 2nd Lt. Diederich was based in the Admiralty Islands in the South Pacific at the time of presumed death as a result of a midair collision near Yap Island on July 15, 1944. He was 23 years old. The surviving nine children heard about their sibling, 2nd Lt. Diederich, all their lives. The inscription on a marker between his parents' graves in Saint Bonaventure Cemetery in Columbus, Nebraska, begins with the words: "IN MEMORY OF OUR SON...". On the reverse of the marker are the names of all 14 children of this farm family".
Additonal information about the loss of the Diederich B-24 is available at:
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