Print This Page

Private First Class Darwin Clair Zufall

High school year book photo
  • Unit: 6th Ranger Battalion, Company D
  • Service Number: 35604345
  • Date of Birth: December 14, 1924
  • Entered the Military: March 8, 1943
  • Date of Death: October 17, 1944
  • Hometown: Canton, Ohio
  • Place of Death: Suluan Island, Eastern Samar, Philippines
  • Award(s): Purple Heart
  • Cemetery: Plot L, Row 6, Grave 29. Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines
Contributed by Mrs. Sarah Overton
DoDEA Yokosuka Middle School (Yokosuka , Japan)
2024/2025

Early Life

Darwin Clair Zufall was born on December 14, 1924. He was the first child of Solomon and Elizabeth Zufall, and later became the brother of Charlotte “Tootie” Zufall and David Zufall. The Zufall family lived in a cozy working-class neighborhood in Canton, Ohio. Like many of his neighbors, Darwin’s father, Solomon, was a laborer at a local steel mill. 

Darwin attended McKinley High School in Canton, but left school before graduating to enlist in the U.S. Army. Darwin enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 8, 1943. He went to the reception center at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, along with 24 other young men from Stark County. 

The Zufall in the 1930 U.S. census. National Archives and Records Administration.
The Zufall in the 1940 U.S. census. National Archives and Records Administration.
Darwin Zufall’s draft registration card, December 28, 1942. National Archives and Records Administration.

Homefront

Canton, Ohio, is located about 60 miles south of Cleveland. It was a steadily growing city through the first half of the twentieth century, with a population of about 10,400 people in 1940. 

Steel

The steel industry was essential to Canton’s economy during the first half of the twentieth century. Ohio was a hub of American steel production, and Canton’s steel industry was critical to the nation’s successful production of warfighting equipment. Darwin’s father and many neighbors worked as laborers at the local steel mills through the 1930s and 1940s. 

Football

Canton claims to be the nation’s birthplace of football, and launched the National Football League in the 1920s. Football was hugely popular in Canton, and Darwin was a talented football player. He was a valued member of McKinley High School’s varsity football team for several seasons, and his high school yearbook noted that he was “a hard-working lineman.”

Darwin Zufall, shown third from the right in the second row, was a valued member of his high school’s football team, 1941. McKinley High School.

Military Experience

Darwin Zufall was ordered to report to the newly created 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion, Delta Company, located at Port Moresby, New Guinea. Zufall and his fellow Rangers spent most of 1944 training in the hills near Port Moresby. In addition to a rigorous physical conditioning routine, the Rangers received communications, patrolling, scouting, and weapons training.

In the fall of 1944, the 6th Rangers received their first operational assignment. The invasion of Leyte was planned for October 20, 1944. The Rangers were directed to capture three islands at the mouth of Leyte Gulf three days before the invasion to eliminate any possible Japanese interference. 

The entire battalion of Rangers departed New Guinea on October 10, 1944, by boat for the week-long trip to the Philippine Islands. A typhoon hit them on route to the Philippines, and only D Company attempted to carry out their mission at Suluan Island. The Rangers met with fierce Japanese resistance, and in the ensuing firefight, Darwin C. Zufall was the first 6th Ranger killed in action.

Letter from Darwin’s father, Solomon, after receiving his son’s effects, February 21, 1945. Individual Deceased Personnel File.
Darwin’s uncle, Corporal Andrew Zufall, wrote a letter to the U.S. Army to locate the grave of his nephew (part 1), October 18, 1945. Individual Deceased Personnel File.
Darwin’s uncle, Corporal Andrew Zufall, wrote a letter to the U.S. Army to locate the grave of his nephew (part 2), October 18, 1945. Individual Deceased Personnel File.

Commemoration

Darwin was the only Ranger killed in action during the operation at Leyte Gulf, and his fellow Rangers were ultimately successful in capturing those islands at the mouth of Leyte Gulf. The ensuing American invasion was successful, reinforcing American control in the Pacific. 

Darwin’s rifle company buried his remains in an isolated grave on Suluan Island before continuing their operations in the Philippines. His remains were then moved several times. Finally, on September 26, 1949, Darwin was laid to rest at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

The cemetery in Manila is on the land of the former Fort McKinley, which was named for former president William McKinley, who was born and raised in Darwin’s hometown of Canton, Ohio.

The grave of Darwin C. Zufall at Manila American Cemetery. American Battle Monuments Commission.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Darwin Zufall. Individual Deceased Personnel File, Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Darwin C. Zufall. U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949. Digital Images. https://ancestry.com. 

Darwin C. Zufall. U.S., Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945. Digital Images. https://ancestry.com. 

Darwin Clair Zufall. U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Files, 1938-1946. Digital Images. https://ancestry.com. 

Darwin C. Zufall. U.S., World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954. https://ancestry.com. 

Darwin Clair Zufall. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Digital Images. https://ancestry.com. 

“Departure Date for 64 Men Set.” The Akron Beacon Journal [Akron, OH], March 3, 1943. Newspapers.com (146890173).

“Lineups and Roster of Teams.” The Evening Independent [Massillon, OH], November 21, 1942. Newspapers.com (10641107).

“McKinley . . . for Grid Battle of Massilon.” The Plain Dealer [Cleveland, OH], November 18, 1942. Newspapers.com (1059556348).

McKinley High School Yearbook. Canton, Ohio: Canton City Public Schools, 1943. https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/63807?page=95.

Ohio. Stark County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. http://ancestry.com.

Ohio. Stark County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. http://ancestry.com.

“South Paradise.” Sykesville Post-Dispatch [Sykesville, PA], September 26, 1938. Newspapers.com (1002065642).

Secondary Sources

“The Birth of the NFL”. History. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.history.com/news/the-birth-of-the-national-football-league.

“Darwin C. Zufall.” American Battle Monuments Commission. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/zufall%3Ddarwin. 

“History.” Canton, Ohio. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.cantonohio.gov/511/History.

“Historic Context: Overview of Ohio, 1940-1950.” Ohio History Connection. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.ohiohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/rp-17-3.pdf.

“PFC Darwin Clair Zufall.” Find a Grave. Updated August 8, 2010. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56766535/darwin-clair-zufall.

“Sixth Battalion.” WWII Rangers. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://wwiirangers.org/our-history/ranger-history/6th-btn/.

This profile was researched and created through the Researching Silent Heroes program, sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Commission.