Where Was Louis Radlof Buried

After reading the Burial Case File for Louis Radlof, PVT, US Army, SN 4005514, a number of questions started to arise. Where was he killed? Where was he initially buried? The thought intrigued me and turns out over the 2 years since I first looked into this, a lot of new data appeared which eventually narrowed down the location of his wartime grave.

By April 2020 the summary burial cards were also available online at the National Archives and provides a good summary of the what happen to Louis (figure 1 and 2). This was one of the last things I found and was created sometime after the war to document all burials and disposition of remains.  The front side confirms the data from his burial case file that he was buried in a wartime grave then moved Meuse Argonne Cemetery then reinterred into his final resting place as shown below. In reality I suspect the burial card was created from his burial case file. The top half of the back side was completed for remains that where shipped back to the United States.

Louis Radlof Burial Card form the National Archives - Front

Louis Radlof Burial Card from the National Archives - Back

Here is the URL for the main page of the Card Register:  https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6943087  The records are group by last name. Once open up a file there might 1500 to 1800 names. In the image page number window (bottom right) just enter a page number, check the name then move up or down as needed.

Source:  “Card Register of Burials of Deceased American Soldiers, 1917 - 1922 (File: Rabe - Reeder). Record Group 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774 - 1985.” National Archives, Washington DC. Accessed April 10, 2020. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/109105220.