Dorothy Jane Burdge lands along with the other 'girls' of the American Red Cross Clubmobiles at Utah Beach, over a month after D-Day. Dorothy Jane Burdge and her sister are assigned to Group F. Their Clubmobile is nicknamed Atlanta. From here her Clubmobile forms part of the rearguard action of the VIII Corps in the advance of the US Army.
After their landing on Utah Beach in July 1944 the F-group of the Red Cross Clubmobiles eerst naar Bretagne, daarna nafirst goes to Brittany, then to Paris, and in October 1944 to the Ardennes.
Bastogne has become a new operating base, providing the nearby troops with coffee, donuts, cigarettes and chewing gum.
On December 16, 1944 F-Group is attacked during the German Ardennes offensive and four Clubmobiles just manage to escape from Bastogne. The return trip takes them through the now famous places in this offensive: St. Vith and Vielsalm.
After the failure of the German Ardennes offensive, the Americans resume their advance in Germany. On March 15, 1945, the F-Group of the Red Cross Clubmobiles arrived at the German Siegfried Line and ten days later they cross the river Moselle, and then cross the Rhine at Koblenz.
They advance quickly. After passing through Idstein, Eisenach, Ohrdruf, Bad Berka in Thuringen the VIII Corps and the 6th Armored Division (to which the F-Group was added) reach the Czech border. It is not long before the Americans meet the Russians advancing from the east.
During a rest period, 1st Lt.Lee A. Branch makes some round trips from the German airfield Fliegerhorst Leinawald in a captured German Arado 96. At that time, the Clubmobile "Atlanta" with Dorothy Jane and Grace is at the airport. After Branch makes several trips, the American Red Cross girls are invited to take a trip in the 2 seater aircraft.
Grace goes first, followed by Dorothy. And that goes wrong with fatal consequences. In his attempt to fly under a high voltage cable Branch catches a tree with a wing tip and crashes. Both die in the accident. The autopsy reveals that death was instantaneous. .
Dorothy Jane Burdge was active from July 16, 1944 and was with the advance of US troops in France, Belgium and Germany. Until the fatal accident, she had served for close to 9 and a half months. Her life ended tragically during what should have been a fun trip.
On May 4, 1945 Dorothy Jane was initially buried in Eisenach, Germany. A month later her body was transferred to the American cemetery in Margraten. There she was buried in Block RR, Row 12, Grave 290. After the completion of the cemetery she was buried in Block B, Row 7, Grave 4.