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Niland brothers

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The Niland brothers; from left to right: Edward, Preston, Robert, and Frederick

The Niland brothers were four American brothers from Tonawanda, New York, who served in the military during World War II. They were sons of Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Niland.[1] Two survived the war but, for a time, only one, Frederick "Fritz" Niland, was believed to have survived. After the reported deaths of his three brothers, Fritz was sent back to the United States to complete his service, and only later learned that his brother Edward, missing and presumed dead, was captive in a Japanese POW camp in Burma.

Brothers

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Memorials

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Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan is loosely based on the brothers' story.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Army & Navy: Stumpy's Boys". Time. August 21, 1944. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "The Niland Boys". Canisius College. July 2006. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  3. ^ "Tonawanda Flier Freed from Japs" (PDF). Buffalo Courier Express. May 5, 1945. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2006. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  4. ^ "400 Prisoners in Crossfire Aided by Native: Tonawanda Lad Freed by British in Burma" (PDF). Buffalo Courier Express. May 8, 1945. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2006. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Mark Bando (2001). 101st Airborne: The Screaming Eagles at Normandy. Zenith Imprint. pp. 153–155. ISBN 1610606914.
  6. ^ SGT Frederick William “Fritz” Niland’s grave marker at Fort Richardson National Cemetery in Anchorage, Alaska
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