Benjamin Dyl was born in 1916 to Jacob and Anna Dyl. They emigrated to the United States from Poland in 1912 with their oldest son, Andrew. By1930 the Dyl family was operating a confectionary shop, and living at 1524 Mount Ephraim Avenue, in the heart of Camden's Polish community. Between Andrew and Benjamin, two sisters had been born, Genevieve and Mary. Benjamin spent his early years in this Camden Neighborhood, where attended the Bonsall School, in the mostly Polish neighborhood neighborhood anchored by St. Joseph Catholic Church at 10th and Liberty Streets. The family later moved to Woodlynne, where he attended Collingswood High School, graduating in 1935.

47th Infantry Regiment

9th Infantry Division

Benjamin took the commercial course while in High School. His yearbook noted "Baseball seems to wield a strange fascination over him", and he was on the high school golf team during his senior year. Benjamin Dyl found work in a hosiery mill in Palmyra NJ. He had married Dorothy Etter, also of Woodlynne, and the couple had two sons. Benjamin was working as a machine operator when he was inducted into the United States Army on April 1, 1944.

After entering the Army in 1944, he trained at Camp Wheeler in Macon GA, and was sent overseas on September 15, 1944 as an infantry replacement. He was assigned to the 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, joining the Division shortly after it took Saarlautern. In November and December the 9th Infantry Division held defensive positions from Monschau to Losheim. Moving north to Bergrath, Germany, it launched an attack toward the Roer, 10 December, taking Echtz and Schlich. From mid-December through January 1945, the Division held defensive positions from Kalterherberg to Elsenborn., Germany. In this time he was promoted from Private to Sergeant.

During this period, Sergeant Dyl was wounded while on patrol, and was captured by German forces On January 15, 1945, Sergeant Dyl was ordered to lead a four man patrol to scout enemy positions. While approaching enemy lines, the patrol was pinned down by mortar fire. Two of the men were killed instantly, and Sergeant Dyl was wounded seriously enough to not be able to return to his own lines. The sole survivor, suffering from frozen feet after 36 hours out of doors, reported that Sergeant Dyl had been taken prisoner. Taken to a POW camp, Benjamin Dyl passed away on February 5th, 1945.

Benjamin Dyl, the son of Jacob and Anna Dyl, was survived by his wife Dorothy Etter Dyl, and two sons, Benjamin, aged 2, and Thomas, 1.

Article in the Camden Courier-Post of 16 July 1945.
(Courtesy of Mr. Phil Cohen www.dvrbs.com)

 

T/Sgt Benjamin Dyl is buried at Margraten American Military Cemetery, Plot H Row 9 Grave 2.

(picture used by permission from
http://www.dvrbs.com)

Margraten, The Netherlands

See Also:
All 47th (9th Infantry Division) casualties buried in The Netherlands

Sources and Acknowledgments:
Mr. Phil Cohen (www.dvrbs.com), information and picture of T/Sgt Dyl used by permission.

Directions to Margraten American Military Cemetery

Posted 3 January 2006

If you have any suggestions, comments or additional information, please contact me.

This website is dedicated to the men and women who died and/or are buried in The Netherlands during World War II.

 

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