The Niland Brothers of WWII

The Niland Brothers: Saving Sergeant Niland

Sole Survivor Policy

• Designed to protect members of a family from the draft
• Implemented in 1948 but used as early as 1944
• Caught public attention after the 5 Sullivan brothers killed in WWII
• Soldiers with family-related deaths in battle are also excused

Conclusion

Frederick "Fritz" Niland

• The Sole Survivor Policy: Because of the situation the Niland brothers and the Sullivan brothers had faced, the U.S. allowed the Sole Survivor Policy which enabled sons or daughters of families to be excused from war. The policy had helped so that families with only one remaining children left were able to be sent back home to be with their families.
• The Niland Brothers: Because of their sacrifices during the war, the Niland brothers had played significant roles due to their bravery. Along with the Sullivan brothers they became the symbol of devotion to the U.S. and had been deemed heroes by many Americans

Edward Niland

• Tech Sgt. of U.S. Army Air Force
• Shot down in Burma & captured May 16, 1944
• Captured in Japanese POW camp
• Reported dead until liberated in May 4, 1945
• Died 1984 at age of 72 in Tonawanda

Bibliography

• Youngest of the four brothers
• Sgt. in 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division
• "Saving Private Ryan" loosely based on his accounts
• Shipped to England and back to the U.S. in 1944
• Died in 1983 in San Francisco at the age of 63

Table of Contents

1. "The Niland Boys" (2006) Retrived June 8, 2015 from

http://library.canisius.edu/archives/niland

This article talks about the four Niland brothers and how each had been described due to the significance of their actions in the war.

2.van der Vat, Dan. "D-Day: The Greatest Invasion, A People's History". Bloomsbury, New York and London. (2003) Retrieved June 8, 2015 from

https://books.google.com

The books gives detailed accounts and information of D-Day and the events that had taken place following the invasion. References of the Sole Survivor Policy are briefly described in the book containing information about the process of the policy.

3. Cellania, Miss. "Saving Sergeant Niland". Neatorama.com. 6 June 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2015 from

http://www.neatorama.com/2011/06/06/saving-sergeant-niland/

This article relates the true story of Sgt. Frederick niland to that of the fictional Pvt. Ryand from the film "Saving Private Ryan". The articles provides information of the inspiration behind the creation of Pvt. Ryan in the movie to the accounts of Sgt. Niland in real life and how their stories are similar and correlates with each other.

1. Edward Niland

2. Preston Niland

3. Robert Niland

4. Frederick Niland

5. Sole Survivor Policy

6. Conclusion

7. Bibliography

Robert Niland

• Younger brother of Preston
• Tech Sgt. the U.S. Army
• 505th PIR, 82nd Airborne Division
• Killed in action attempting to save two men
• Died June 6, 1944 in Normandy
• Buried in Normandy American Cemetery along with Preston

Preston Niland

• 2nd oldest brother
• Drafted in army March 31, 1941
• Second Lt. in 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division
• Participated in D-Day 1st Battalion Attack
• Died June 7, 1944 in Normandy near Utah Beach