In late September 1944, the 773rd Tank Battalion, was clearing German forces out of the Parroy Forest near Lunéville, France. On Oct. 9, 1944, in the final battle for control of the region, Rabe and four other soldiers were attacked by enemy fire in their M-10 Tank Destroyer. The M10 tank received a direct hit at point-blank range by a German Panzer tank that was hidden behind a log house. Clayton Hellums, Donald Owens and Lawrence Harris had no chance, they burned alive and disintegrated when the tank exploded, because of the ammunition and fuel ignition. The tank burned fiercely for 24 hours, hence the impossibility after the war to identify the wreck. However, Ernest Rabe and Everet Peabody, survived their serious injuries, but it is unclear what happened to these two men afterwards.

Source of information: http://www.ww2wrecks.com/portfolio/battlefield-archaeology-the-search-for-the-destroyed-m10-tank-of-the-us-773rd-tank-destroyer-battalion-and-its-crew-by-gerard-louis/