PFC Gilbert Amabisco

++Familial History++:

Special appreciation to Ms. Peggy Fowler for the Ancestry data.

Gilbert Amabisco was born 14 October 1920 in Miami, Gila County, Az. The second of six children. He was killed when his Dakota transport plane was shot down over Magneville, Departement de la Manche, Basse-Normandie, France 6 June 1944 (D-day).

The 1940 census reports him living with his family at 2111 M. Street in Sacramento, CA. There are several different spellings for his last name. The two most common are Amabisco and Amabisca. His was listed as a farm worker and a janitor. At the time of his induction he was employed by George Noble Hammond owner of the Hammond Typewriters at 613 J. Street. Another document stated that he was a construction worker. Gilbert completed his second year of high school before entering the workforce.

The father, Francisco Amabisco entered the US in Douglas, AZ, United States on 22 July 1910. His age was listed as 24 which computes to a date of birth being 1886. His wife was listed as Adela Carranza and a child named Alfredo Amabisco. This information is confusing as his son Alfredo was born in 1922.

The 1930 census listed her age at 29 which would calculate to a 1901 birthdate. In reality, she was probably born in 1891 as she had confirmed her first marriage when she was 17 and would have only been nine years of age in 1910. She was designated as a widower and living at 439 4th Street in Yolo, CA which is now considered part of Sacramento. We could not locate the records of her first husband’s death. Her occupation was listed as working in a cannery.

The immigration year within the 1930 document listed their arrival as 1915 instead of 1910. In 1919, she crossed again through Naco, AZ and listed her name as Adelaida Carranza De Amavisca and stated her birthplace was Ojo De Agua De Cumpas, State of Sonora, Mexico.

His mother’s name has been listed with several variations. The US Border Patrol gave her maiden name as Carranza, the 1930 census inserted it as Ynes, 1940 census as Yanes but she can also be associated with Ifaves, Amabisco, and Amavisca. She does not appear to have completed her naturalization as a United States citizen. She passed away on 18 April 1973 in Yuba City, CA and interned in the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Sacramento.

There were six children born in the family. The oldest son was Francisco Carranza Amavisca who was born 17 September 1919 in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. The 1940 census reports his occupation as being a farm laborer and that he had completed the third year of high school. He was listed as 20 years of age in 1940 and Gilbert at 19 years. His draft card #4539 list his family address as 1400 7th Street in Sacramento.

In many documents the post-nominal initials are “Sr.”. We were able to locate only one child generated from his marriage to Sonia Amavisca (1928-2019) and it is a daughter named Elizabeth Amavisca (1958-2009). He passed away on 19 December1992 and was buried in Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Sacramento. The memorial number is 193626179.

The third son was named Alfred Amabisco Sr. who was born 6 July 1922 in Miami, AZ, and passed away 24 February 2004. In 1940 his age was 17, he had a paper route and completed the 1st year of high school. He later witnessed the signature of Gilbert’s induction papers. He also enlisted in the US Army and fought in the Aleutian Islands and the Eastern Mandates Southern Philippines Campaign. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, and the American Defense Service Medal. He was survived by his wife Jackie McDougald Amabisco, sons Alfred Jr. and Michael, and daughters Cynthia, and Nancy Stephens. He was an auto repairman for about 45 years before his death. He is also interned in the Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Sacramento. The memorial ID is 193626237.

The fourth son was named Aurelio Carranza Amabisco who was born in Miami, AZ on 6 July 1922 (his enlistment records indicate his birth year to be 1921 and also 1923). His service number was 20807432 and served in the National Guard Infantry. He was aged 16 at the time of the 1940 census. The occupation listed was punch counter kitchen helper and had completed the second year of high school. His profession was also listed as semiskilled chauffeur of taxis and 18 wheel rigs. He owned and was the bartender for the Mi Casita Bar and Restaurant. He also was a member of the George W. Manhart Post No. 391 of the American Legion and the G.T. Forum. The data indicates he passed away in 1972 at the age of 50 in Sacramento. His children were Jeanette and Joe.

The first daughter was born in Oregon and her name was listed as both Angelina Amavisca and Angelina Yanes. Her birthdate was 22 September 1924 in Columbia, OR and passed away on 5 August 2005. She was 15 years of age at the time of the 1940 census. The employment records list her occupation as a stenographer. She was survived by her children, Gilbert Allyn Jones, Sr., Duke Granda, David Granda, John Ganda, Elaine Gramosky, Monique Wishniewsky, and Marquita Granda.

The last child born to the family was Josephine Amabisco Montes. She was born on 30 June 1927 in Broderick, California (it was formally known as Washington and resided in Yolo County). Her husband was Fred V. Montes and operated the La Plazita, a specialty shop in Yuba City and Marysville. She died on 11 June 1982 in San Francisco, CA. She had three daughters Diana Jo, Yolanda, and Debbie Dee.

++Service History++:

PFC Amabisco enlisted in the US Army on 8 September 1942 in Sacramento, California and the service number was 39396357. At that time he was living at home with his mother and siblings at 2924 J. Street, Sacramento. His draft card number was 1572. Birth date was listed as 14 November 1920 (all other documents have 14 October 1920 except the headstone which has the birth year as 1921). It was witnessed by his younger brother Albert Amabisco and Mrs. Adela Ifaves (Mother AKA Yanes).

He was selected for paratrooper training and assigned to Company I, 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He was trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. This is where the regiment got its nickname “Currahees” a Cherokee word which is translated into English as ”Stand Alone”.

On 6 June 1944 the 1st platoon boarded a Douglas C-47 “Donna Mae” at an 9th Air Force field in England at 0100. It was assigned to the 440th Troop Carrier Group, 50th Troop Carrier Wing, and 9th Troop Carrier Command. The intended drop zone was Zone D in Basse-Normandie, France. While on transport aboard C-47A Skytrain #42-100905 it was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed west of Magneville, Basse-Normandie, France just before 0140. Another report gave the location as near Le Férage, south of the village. 18 paratroopers and four crew members perished in the crash. They are listed below:

Pfc Gilbert Amabisco – Paratrooper

Cpl Donald E. Bignail – Paratrooper

T/4 John E. Bray, Jr. – Paratrooper

Pfc Richard L. Calhoon – Paratrooper

Warren K, Carney – Paratrooper

Pvt James J. Farrell – Paratrooper

S/Sgt Finney W. Gordon – Navigator

2nd Lt John M. Greeley – Co-pilot

Pfc John J. Kittia – Paratrooper

Pfc William E. Olson – Paratrooper

Pvt Howard A. Phillips – Paratrooper

1st Lt Ray B. Pullen – Pilot

S/Sgt Sidney H. Saltszman – Radio Operator

Pvt Frederick P. Smith – Paratrooper

Sgt Robert L. Todd – Paratrooper

T/5 Orville R. Vanderpool – Paratrooper

Pvt Paul J. Weber – Paratrooper

Pvt Glen L. Weirich – Paratrooper

Pvt Clarence M. Wright – Paratrooper

Pvt John A. Wright – Paratrooper

Two documents listed different numbers for the survivors. One indicated four servicemen and the second only two. The only survivor’s names from the crash are as follows:

1st Lt Gerald V. Howard, Jr.

Cpl Marvin M. Stallings

Lt Howard, Jr. was killed later in the war and rests in the Neupré War Cemetery in Belgium.

On 13 July, the bodies of the victims were transferred to the US military cemetery of Blosville. PFC Amabisco was repatriated to his final resting spot in Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Sacramento, CA. The memorial number is 113871785.

Today, six of the 18 paratroopers are buried in the Coleville-sur-Mer Cemetery which houses most of the American soldiers that were killed in Normandie.

A memorial is located in Magneville, France honoring those that died in the C-47 crash. It is located on the north side of the Tocqueville Road, and after passing the retirement home. The coordinates are 49.44738,-1.55101 "." 49°26'51"N 1°33'4"W "." 49°26.843 N 1°33.060 W. The directions to the memorial are as follows: Take the N13 NW from Caen to Valognes. From there, take the D2 S then the D126 NW and D87 SW. Follow Le Ferrage/Tocqueville W to the monument. The latter is located on the northern side of the road.

The Eastern Plaque reads:

9th USAAF

440the Troop Carrier 95th Squadron

C-47 n 2100905

And includes all the soldier’s names that were on the plane.

Sources:

National Archives at Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941; NAID: A1, 2110-C; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General

Ancestry.com. U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941. Microfilm publication M1916, 134 rolls. ARC ID: ++596118++. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Record Group 92. National Archives at Washington, D.C.

Applications for Headstones, compiled 01/01/1925 - 06/30/1970, documenting the period ca. 1776 - 1970 ARC: ++596118++. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 February 2021), memorial page for PFC Gilbert Amabisco (14 Oct 1920–6 Jun 1944), Find a Grave Memorial no. 113871785, citing Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California, USA ; Maintained by Eleanor Baker (contributor 47346615).

++506th Infantry Website :: WWII (506infantry.org)++

++506th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia++

Crash of the Dakota C-47 42-100905 – Magneville – Serial 16 – D-Day – Normandy 1944 – D-Day Overlord (dday-overlord.com)

C-47 # 2100905 June 6th 1944 - Magneville le 6 Junu 1944 | Aerosteles

++Gilbert Amabisco : Private First Class from California, World War II Casualty (honorstates.org)++