Remains of Jewish-American World War II hero missing for 80 years brought home. How were remains identified?

The remains of a Jewish-American soldier who was killed in 1944 in France during World War II, have been brought to his home in the US after 80 years. According to ‘New York Post‘, 1st Lt. Nathan Baskind from Pittsburgh, was 28 years old when he was killed. The Allied Forces soldier survived the D-Day invasion but got injured, he was captured later and was admitted to a hospital with wounds. He died later and was cremated along with Nazi soldiers in France.

Baskind joined US Army in 1942

According to Raugh Jewish Archives, Nathan Baskind was the son of Lithuanian and Russian immigrants who settled in Pittsburgh. He joined the U.S. Army in 1942 at the age of 26.
After his last remains were brought to the US, Baskind’s niece Samantha Baskind said that she was profoundly thankful for the extraordinary lengths that all of those groups had gone to.

How were Baskind’s remains identified?

Earlier, two US organizations worked with the German Embassy in Israel to help identify Baskind’s remains, which had been mixed in a mass grave in Cherbourg, Normandy. The remains of 24 German soldiers from a mass grave in Cherbourg were dispersed in 1957. At that time the objects belonging to Baskind were found.

According to ‘New York Post’, a US genealogist visited Marigny cemetery in Germany and noticed that among the names of 17 German soldiers on a plaque at a burial mound was one name that didn’t seem to belong — Baskind’s. He contacted the people associated with Operation Benjamin. Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter probed the matter and identified the grave of the Israel American soldier.

FAQs:

Who was Nathan Baskind?
Nathan Baskind was a US soldier who died in France during World War II. His last remains were brought to his home after 80 years.

How was Nathan Baskind killed?
The Allied Forces soldier survived the D-Day invasion but got injured, he was captured later and was admitted to a hospital with wounds. He died later and was cremated along with Nazi soldiers in France.