Jere H. Lange was born on July 6, 1910 in Robinson, Brown County, Kansas to Justus Lange and Sara Lange, nee Jenkins. Jere had seven older siblings: John, Zelda, Alfred, Brittomarte, Dennis, Cornith, and Lucian Lange. The family lived in Robinson, where Justus Lange worked as a farm laborer and foreman on the railroad.

Jere Halberstadt Lange registered for the draft on October 16, 1940. He was 30 years old, 6’1” tall, and weighed 160 pounds. He had brown hair, gray eyes, and a light complexion. He lived in Boise, Idaho and was unemployed. He listed his brother, John Thomas Lange, as his next of kin. He enlisted in the United States Army on May 8, 1943 in Portland, Oregon. His residence was Cowlitz County, and he was working as a carpenter’s apprentice. He was single, without dependents, and had a grammar school education.

Private Jere Lange served in the 32nd Photographic Squadron, 5th Reconnaissance Group. On April 20, 1944, Private Lange was aboard the SS Paul Hamilton, a Liberty Ship that was transporting men and supplies for the Army Air Force in Italy. The ship was attacked by German bombers near Cape Bengut, Algiers. One aerial torpedo struck and detonated the ship’s cargo of high explosives and bombs. Of the 580 men aboard, only one body was recovered. The 32nd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron lost 317 officers and enlisted men that night.

Private Jere Lange’s name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at the North Africa American Cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

SBTSProject/Washington/Cowlitz

Sources:

Information on the SS Paul Hamilton from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Paul_Hamilton

Missing Air Crew Reports, WWII, https://www.fold3.com/image/47349933

American Battle Monuments Commission, https://www.fold3.com/record/529885267/jere-h-lange-american-battle-monuments-commission

WWII Army Enlistment Records, https://www.fold3.com/record/90944079/jere-h-lange-wwii-army-enlistment-records

WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualty List, https://www.fold3.com/image/310763493?rec=299418861

U.S. WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954, https://www.fold3.com/record/706676486/lange-jere-h-us-wwii-hospital-admission-card-files-1942-1954

Findagrave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56248374/jere-halberstadt-lange

Longview Daily News (Longview, Washington), 26 May 2019, Sun, Page C4, https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/592862579/?utm_source=fold3.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Fold3

1920 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/47172305:6061

1930 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/32444721:6224

1940 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/57878041:2442

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Unaccounted-for Remains, Group B (Unrecoverable), 1941-1975,

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/15791:62207?tid=&pid=&queryId=d092fc2c5d141afb6c9148e0c3e79600&_phsrc=xOR57867&_phstart=successSource

Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/30179959:9170?tid=&pid=&queryId=d092fc2c5d141afb6c9148e0c3e79600&_phsrc=xOR57868&_phstart=successSource

World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/30179959:9170?tid=&pid=&queryId=d092fc2c5d141afb6c9148e0c3e79600&_phsrc=xOR57868&_phstart=successSource

Jere H Lange