1944. The exact
circumstances of his death are unknown.
After the initial assault and capture of a
number of bridges, a corridor from the
Dutch/Belgium border to Eindhoven and Nijmegen
was established. German forces on both east and
west side of that corridor attacked the American
forces although they were not in great strength. The Germans attempted to cut the road and
stop the flow of Allied forces north.
22 September saw
the heaviest fighting for the 101st Airborne in
Holland to date. The Germans were concentrating
their forces and counter attacked the the Dutch
town of Veghel. The defense of the town was put
in the hands of the deputy commander of the
101st Airborne Division, General MacAuliffe. The
327th GIR was sent at 10.00 in the morning from
St. Oedenrode to Veghel to hold the line,
together with elements of the 506th Parachute
Infantry Regiment and British Tank forces. When
the 3rd battalion got to Veghel, it appeared the
counter attack had already begun and 3rd
Battalion was immediately thrown in the battle.
The Sreaming
Eagles turned back the first attack on Veghel,
which came from the village of Erp to the east.
The Germans, however, swung to the northwest and
cut the highway between Veghel and Uden, then
turning south. As a German armored column
approached Veghel, Genaral McAuliffe ordered an
antitank gun brought up, which knocked out the
lead tank, and the enemy column turned back.
Additional battalions of the 327th arrived, as
did other elements of the 506th, along with
British tank squadrons.
It involved of
much of the fighting during the day. Colonel
Harper, Co of the 327th, order the other
battalions to force march from St. Oedenrode to
Veghel. The 2nd Battalion, of which Pvt Miller
was part, did not arrive in Veghel till dusk.
The enemy
continued attacking Veghel through the
afternoon, including several heavy artillery
bombardments, but McAuliffe and his forces held.
The next important step was to reopen the
highway; men and equipment badly needed further
north were backing up on the closed road.
Pvt Archie Miller
was killed during the fighting on the 22nd. Most
likely during shelling in the assembly area in
Veghel, although that can not be certain. He was
buried at Son temporary Cemetery on 24 September
at 17:00.
After the war Pvt
Archie Miller was re-interred at Margraten
Military Cemetery, Plot J Row 10 Grave 5.
(picture by Michel
Duijzings)
Private