BLOHM, RALPH J.

Ralph Blohm

Ralph Blohm was born April 13, 1925 to Henry and Dorothy Lyons Blohm. He lived at 184 Osborn Road with his parents and his brother Daniel. His family were members of the Church of the Resurrection. Ralph's father was a mechanical engineer for a public utility company and later a civilian employed by the Navy at Pearl Harbor. His parents were both from the Bronx. Ralph was a graduate of Rye High School, Class of 1943, where he was known for his athletic prowess in track and football. The summer before his enlistment Ralph and 13 of his classmates worked on dairy farms in Vermont to help in the war effort. He enlisted and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Service Time: Ralph enlisted in the US Army on August 19, 1943. He first enlisted in the ski patrol, and then as a paratrooper. Ralph received his initial training at Fort Benning, Ga. , and went overseas in May 1944. He was a member of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He achieved the rank of Private First Class. The regiment would participate in three major battles during the war: Battle of Normandy, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge.

The Battle of the Bulge started just after dawn on 16 December 1944, the Germans launched a major offensive west through the Ardennes Forest. Their goal was the port city of Antwerp where they hoped to choke off the Allied supply lines. Almost the only American theater reserve were the two refitting airborne divisions. The 101st was ordered to the vitally important town of Bastogne, the central road junction in the Ardennes.

The 101st was jammed into trucks for an overnight rush to Bastogne in Belgium on 18 December. At Bastogne the 101st Airborne was encircled and the Germans had an almost ten-to-one advantage. Allied control of the air was useless for the first week of the battle, due to miserable weather.

The lightly armed 101st, cut off from its supplies, cold, hungry, unable to properly care for its wounded, running low on and even out of ammunition, with little artillery support, held off desperate German attacks for more than a week.

Finally, on 26 December, the 4th Armored Division of Pattons Third Army broke through the encirclement to reinforce the defense. Ralph was wounded at Bastogne in late December 1944 and died of his wounds on 17-Jan-45 he was 19 years old.

Sometime after the Battle of The Bulge, General Eisenhower spoke to the 101st Airborne Division when the unit was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for its stand at Bastogne. This was the first time in the history of the United States Army that an entire Division had been so honored.

Four and half years after his death, Ralph J. "Lefty" Blohm's body was returned to Rye in late July 1949. Flags over public buildings and parks were flown at half mast. A Requiem Mass was held at the Church of the Resurrection and he was buried with full military honors at St. Raymond's Cemetery in New york City.

Ralph J. Blohm Rye Paratrooper Killed in Action

Ralph Joseph Blohm, 19-year-old paratrooper, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Blohm of Sound View Avenue, was killed in action in Belgium according to a notification received by his father, a civilian employed by the Navy at Pearl Harbor. He was attached to the 101st Division, and died on January 17 from wounds received in action. Paratrooper Blohm first enlisted in the ski patrol, and then as a paratrooper. He received his initial training at Fort Benning, Ga. , and went overseas last May. He is a graduate of Rye High School, where he was known for his athletic prowess. He has a brother, Daniel, a student at Milton School.
RYE, NEW YORK FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1945


Military Honors Paid Pfc. Ralph J. Blohm

Military honor was paid Pfc. Ralph Joseph Blohm, 19-year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry R. Blohm, 184 Osborn Road, killed at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge, at funeral services last Thursday morning. Flags over public buildings and in the parks of the city were flown at half-mast and a military guard of honor was provided by Rye Post 128, American Legion, at the William H. Graham Funeral Home. The Right Rev. Monsignor John D. McGowan, pastor, and the Rev. Cornelius OBrien led in recitation of the Rosary at the funeral home and conducted the Requiem Mass at the church of the Resurrection. Interment took place in St. Raymonds Cemetery, New York City.
July 28, 1949 THE RYE CHRONICLE PAGE THREE