Bill’s blog archive: Daily Posts

More than 260 UCLA students, faculty  and alumni were killed in World War II; only Harvard University suffered more casualties.  As a two-time graduate of UCLA, I was honored to research every one of their stories in order to memorialize their sacrifices, their humanity, and their often heroic last acts.

A summary of how and where they died provides a snapshot of the American military experience in World War II. My files consist of many hundreds of pages of military service records, official and personal correspondence, lists of personal items, and various previously classified documents. If you would like more information about any of those listed here, if you are a veteran who served alongside these great Americans, or if you are a surviving family member, fellow student, or friend, please get in touch with me and let me help you share your stories.

To all of the veterans of the Greatest Generation,
I add my humble thanks to countless others whose freedom you bought with your lives…

Four of the Bruins were killed in flight training accidents, prior to the War.  The first was Lieutenant NATHAN H. CODDINGTON, who was killed on June 7, 1938, when his bomber-trainer aircraft crashed near Zuehl Field, TX. His death was followed by that of Aviation Cadet JOHN WELDEN (“Weldon”) McNICHOLS, who was severely injured in a flight training accident at Pensacola, FL, on July 25, 1940, and who died seven days later on August  2, 1940. The next was Flight Cadet CALVERTON COLES, who was killed on November 11, 1940, when his Army Air Corps trainer crashed at 12 miles west of Poteet, TX.  The final pre-war death was 2^nd LT CURTIS R. VANDER-HEYDEN. He was killed when his Marine training aircraft crashed near Lillian Bridge, FL on November 17, 1941, only three weeks before the War began.

As the War began for America at Pearl Harbor, so UCLA’s first combat loss was there as well.

Seaman 2^nd Class ROBERT F. CONRAD was killed in the sinking of the battleship USS Arizona on December 7, 1941; his remains were never found.  As combat came to the Philippines, two other Bruins were lost this month.  1^st LT GLEN M. ADLER was shot down by Japanese pilots over Pampanga Province on the 10^th, and 1^st LT HENRY D. MARK was killed on the ground while serving with the Philippine Scouts on the 24th.

1942

One Bruin was killed in the first month of 1942.  MARION FLAY BAUGH was technically a civilian, but in realty a military pilot serving with the renowned “Flying Tigers”.  He was killed in a flight training accident in Ying Ping Hsien, China, on the 2^nd.

Eight flyers were lost in varying circumstances in February.  On the 1^st, Ensign DANIEL SEID, serving with Fighter Squadron 6 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, was downed over Roi on the atoll of Kwajalein.  A naval Destroyer-Escort was later named in his honor.  One the 7^th, 2^nd LT HUBERT R. MARCH died in a crash at Natal, Brazil. Two flyers were lost on the 11^th.  One was 1^st LT EARL R. STONE, JR., missing in action over Mt. Mariveles on the Bataan Peninsula.  The other was Aviation Cadet WELDON W. WOODS, who was killed in a training accident near Lemoore, CA.  Aviation Cadet Woods was only the first of many Bruins to die in flight training accidents.  On February 19^th, 2^nd LT JACK R. PERES of the 33^rd Provisional Pursuit Group was downed in combat with the Japanese over Darwin, Australia. 1^st LT RUDY J. BINDER was killed on the 20^th when his aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff at Grays Harbor, WA, on February 20, while on a coastal patrol mission. The same day, 2^nd LT HERBERT A. HAYDEN of the 9^th Bomb Group was downed over Belmont, Queensland, Australia, while a passenger on an administrative flightm . The final death occurred on the 26^th, when 2^nd LT ROBERT O. JESSUP was killed when the P-40 fighter he was ferrying crashed into Skullton Mountain, PA.

The months of March and April provided a short respite. There was only one loss in May. On the 8^th, CAPT ANGUS C. MAC PHEE was killed when the dive bomber he was piloting crashed into Puget Sound, WA.

There were three deaths in June, all of a non-combat nature.  On the 2^nd, CAPT RALPH A. PLATE, of the 45^th Infantry, Philippine Scouts, died as a POW at Camp O’Donnell on the island of Luzon. On the 7^th, 2^nd LT HERBERT H. BALLEW was killed when his BT-14 trainer crashed at the R.E. Hillburn ranch near Lovington, NM.  The next day, ARTHUR BAINBRIDGE WYSE, a UCLA faculty member, was killed in a test of naval blimp capabilities off the New Jersey coast.

There was only one death in July. This occurred on the 21^st when ROBERT H. HOTALING, rank unknown, died due to leukemia at the Veterans Administration Hospital in San Francisco, California.

Three Bruins died in August. The first was 2^nd LT ROBERT E. HALPRIN who was killed in a training crash at Muroc Dry Lake, CA, on the 3^rd.  The second was Yeoman, 2^nd Class GENE V. STROMBERG, who lost his life when his vessel, the heavy cruiser USS Quincy, was sunk at the Battle of Savo Island on the 9th. The last was 2^nd LT ROBERT A MARIAM, killed in a training crash near Quincy, FL on the 29^th.

On September 9, Marine flyer 1^st LT WILLIAM B. DEUTERMAN, of Fighter Squadron VMF-111,went missing on a combat mission over the coast of the Samoan Islands.  On the 27^th, Seaman 1^st Class PHILIP E. SMITH lost his life while serving with a Naval Armed Guard unit aboard the SS Stephen Hopkins when it was sunk by a German U-Boat off the coast of Brazil. Then, perhaps the most unusual non-combat death occurred.  Gunners Mate 1^st Class RICHARD W. ANDES, assigned to the submarine USS Swordfish, was killed on the 30^th in a horseback riding accident while on leave in Australia.

On October 7^th, SGT WILLIAM F. ROWELL of the 185^th Infantry Regiment was accidentally killed while his unit was on training maneuvers at Knudsen’s Gap on the island of Kauai.  The next day, Captain DON BROWN, son of actor Joe E. Brown, was killed when the aircraft he was ferrying to another base crashed near Palm Springs, CA. The final casualty this month was Marine Major GORDON A BELL.  He was killed at his base at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, when the airfield was shelled by cruisers of the Japanese Navy.

On November 1, another Bruin was lost to a flight training accident.  1^st LT WILLIAM E KYLE was killed when his B-26 ‘Marauder’ crashed on landing at MacDill Field, FL.  PVT ROBERT S. JONES died while in training at Camp Blanding, Florida, on the 5^th. On the 13^th, Ensign CURTIS L. RINEY and LT SEYMOUR D. RUCHAMKIN were both killed when their ship, the destroyer USS Cushing, was sunk in Ironbottom Sound near Guadalcanal in the Third Battle of Savo Island.  Like Daniel Seid, a naval Destroyer-Escort was named in Ruchamkin’s honor. The final loss for the month was on the 16^th, when a B-24 heavy bomber, copiloted by 2^nd LT WILFRED A. JOHNSON, went missing on a training mission over the Gulf of Mexico.

The next month, December, saw the loss of two Bruins.  In yet another flight training accident, 2^nd LT JOHN E. WILLIAMS was killed when his B-26 ‘Marauder’ crashed into Tampa Bay, FL, just after takeoff on the 8^th. On the 12th, LIEUTENANT JUNIOR GRADE LISTON R. COMER, JR, flying from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga, was killed on a practice flight when his aircraft crashed into Mount Mou on the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific

1943

In the first month of 1943, 1^st LT WILLIAM L. ROBINSON of the 37^th Bomb Squadron went missing in action on the 15^th, while on a combat mission to Oued el Akrit, Tunisia, and 2^nd LT JEROME FOREMAN of the 82^nd Fighter Squadron was killed in a training crash near Princetown, Devon, England, on the 27^th.

There were two combat losses in February.  On the 2nd, 2nd LT HARRY E. FRENCH of the 59th Fighter Squadron was downed over Senna Station, Algeria, while on a reconnaissance flight. On February 16, 1st LT HOMER R. ALLEN of the 360th Bomb Squadron was downed off Brest, France, while attacking the German U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France.

Three losses in February were due to stateside flight accidents.  On the 1^st, 1^st LT JOSEPH R. JANOVSKY was killed in a crash near Columbia, SC.  2^nd LT HILARY BLACKWELL was killed the next day when his B-25 crashed into Sharp Top Mountain, north of Bedford, VA.  Two days later, 2^nd LT GEORGE N. VERRY was killed in a crash at Meridian, MS.

Another stateside crash began the month of March when 2^nd LT NEMO R. LEEMAN was killed on the 3^rd in a crash near Shoemaker, NM.  On the same day, Ensign DOUGLAS R. GOFF was killed when his ship, the USS Asheville, was sunk during a Japanese attack south of Java. On March 5^th, LT EDWARD P. HAUPT was killed when his submarine, the USS Grampus, was sunk in the Blackett Straight off the island of  Kolombangara, near Guadalcanal. On the 11^th, another stateside crash took the life of 2^nd LT VICTOR L. KOLB, near Lutz, FL.  The last death of month occurred on the 28^th, when 1^st LT SHELBY J. CULLISON, who had previously been captured in the Philippines, died of disease while a POW at Osaka, Japan.

On the first of April, Major RICHARD N. JENSON of the 1^st Armored Division was killed at El Guettar, Tunisia. Four days later, TSGT ARNOLD E. HYMAN of the 306^th Bomb Group was shot down over Antwerp, Belgium.  On the 14^th, 2^nd LT BENJAMIN S. KIMMELSMAN died while an officer candidate in the 2^nd Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, VA. On the 16^th, 2^nd LT ROBERT R. NULL of the 90^th Bomb Group was shot down 30 miles from Bena Bena, New Guinea.  Colonel DONALD R. LYON was killed on the 28^th while serving with the 14^th Army Air Force; he was the highest ranking Bruin to die in the War.  The US Army Coastal Freighter FS-215 was named in his honor. The last Bruin killed in combat this month was 1^st LT ROBERT E. LONGSTRETH, of the 515^th Bomb Squadron, downed over Messina, Sicily on the 30^th.  There was one non-combat death. On the 24th, Major ALBERT H. BOHNE, a Marine Flight Test officer involved in aircraft production inspection trials, was killed when the plane he was piloting crashed on the runway at Bolling Field in Washington, DC.

The worst month of the war yet was May.  On the 6^th, SGT DAVID E. WILSON of the 13^th Armored Regiment was killed in action near Mateur, Tunisia.  The same day, PFC WILLIAM GEORGE WHITE, JR. of the Marines was killed while practicing to become a glider pilot, near Hagerstown, MD. Five days later, Aviation Cadet WILLIAM C. SCHROUDER, JR., was killed in a flight training accident near Glendale, AZ.  On the 13^th, Marine Lieutenant Colonel WILLIAM E. GISE was downed over the Russell Islands in the Solomon Islands group.  Three days later, Lieutenant Junior Grade JACK G. GREY of VP-62 was killed when his Navy patrol bomber crashed in Kulak Bay, Adak Island, in the Aleutians on the 24^th. The same day, 2^nd LT ROBERT A. CALKINS, of the 341^st Bomb Squadron, died as a POW in a military hospital at Lucca, Italy.

On the 20^th, 1^st LT HENRY E. SMITH of the 240^th Quartermaster Battalion was killed at Oran, Algeria. The next loss of this month occurred on the 25^th, when 2^nd LT ARTHUR C. TILTON, of the 349^th Night Fighter Squadron, died in a training crash near Leesburg, FL. The final death occurred when 2^nd LT DAVE B. HAGERMAN, of Marine Dive Bombing Squadron 26, was killed in a training crash at Crescent Lake, FL.

Only one loss occurred in June, which was on the 8^th, where naval Aviation Cadet JACK R. TABER was killed while flying a gunnery training crash near Kingsville, TX.

There were five deaths in July. On the 15th, Ensign HARLEY E. MERRITT went down near the Coronados Islands off San Diego in a flight training accident. Also on the 15th, Apprentice Seaman JAMES C. ELEY died of polio while in Naval training school at Emory, VA. On the 17th, Ensign RODGER B. WILSON was killed in a mid-air flight training collision near Jacksonville, FL. The sole ground combat loss occurred on July 22nd, when Captain JACK C. CORMACK of the 161st Infantry was killed in on New Georgia Island in the Pacific.  On the 25th, Captain JOHN A. VAN WIE of the 360th Bomb Squadron was the only combat flight death when his B-17 was downed over Bad Oldesloe, Germany.

In August, Aviation Cadet GEORGE C. HERREN was killed in a flight training accident near Taft, CA.  On the 17^th, 2^nd LT JACK L. TARR of the 48^th Fighter Squadron was shot down on a combat mission over Cape Spartiviento, Italy. On the 27^th, 2^nd LT KEMPKER CAMPBELL of the 806^th Bomb Squadron was killed when the B-24 he was piloting crashed near Cheyenne Mountain, CO, killing all aboard. On the 28^th, 2^nd LT JACOB SILVERSTEIN of the 550^th Bomb Squadron, was killed when his B-17 was shot down over Oscherleben, Germ

There were seven losses in September. On the 4^th, Lieutenant  WALLACE A. BONAPARTE was killed in the sinking of USS LST-473, 20 miles off Morobe, New Guinea.  The same day, 2^nd LT HERBERT W. EVANS of the 701^st Bomb Squadron was the copilot of a B-24 that crashed near Moville, Iowa, on a training flight. Five days later, 1^st LT DONALD L. HESSE, of the Air Transport Command, was killed with his aircraft exploded in mid-air over Accra, in what was then known as the ‘Gold Coast’ area of Africa.  On the 11th, 1st LT FARID SIMAIKA of the 530th Bomb Group was downed over Indonesia, and executed by the Japanese at a later, unknown date.  He was a silver medal winner in Diving in the 1928 Olympic Games. Ensign THEODORE C. VIAULT died in a training crash near Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL, on the 19^th. Perhaps the most tragic death occurred on the 22^nd, when Apprentice Seaman ROBERT W. LINLEY, JR., committed suicide in the Los Angeles area. PVT JOHN A. SUMMER died of causes unknown on the 23^rd.

Remarkably, there was only one loss in October.  On the 9^th, Ensign DUDLEY W. CRAWFORD, JR, was killed when his destroyed, the USS Buck, was sunk by a U-Boat off Salerno, Italy.

There were two deaths in November.  On the 3^rd, Lieutenant Junior Grade THOMAS M LEOVY, JR., was missing in action in the Atlantic, while serving with a Naval Armed Guard unit aboard the Dutch vessel MS Zaandam. On the 29^th, Captain WILLIAM REITZ of the 496^th Bomb Squadron was killed in the crash of his B-26 bomber over Venlo, Holland.

There were two losses in December. The first was on the12th, when 1st LT JAMES J. HAMER of the 82nd AAF Depot Repair Squadron died in an airplane crash at Lalminarhat, India.  On the 30^th, Captain HARRY C. ARP was killed on a training mission when his aircraft crashed into a home in Lawrenceburg, IL, killing all aboard and two residents in the house.

1944

The amount of casualties began to greatly increase in 1944.  On January 1, naval Lieutenant WILLIAM H. LOSSE, of Patrol Squadron 15, drowned after the aircraft he was piloting crashed 100 feet southwest of Alpha Island, Great Sound, Bermuda.  On the 3^rd, PFC FREDERIC A. BRACKETT serving with Company A, Postal Battalion at the New York Port of Embarkation, died of appendicitis at Fort Slocum, NY. On the 14, 1^st LT GEORGE J. KILGEN died in a flight training accident 3 miles south of Rush Springs, OK.  Three days later, on the 7^th, two flyers were killed.  1^st LT WARREN A. JONES, of the 367^th Fighter Squadron, was shot down over Gunderschingen, Germany.  Captain FLOYD G. WOOD was killed while a passenger on an administrative flight when his aircraft crashed in bad weather on Bearwallow Mountain, NC.

The first loss in February was Captain HENRY K. EMERSON of the 7^th Infantry Division, killed on Ennylagegun Island during the invasion of the Kwajalein group on the 4^th.  On the 10^th, 2^nd LT ROBERT C. AYREST of the 712^th Bomb Squadron was killed in a takeoff accident at Tibenham, England.  The next death occurred when naval LT JOHN W. BAKER, of Bombing Squadron 144, was downed over Tarawa on the 14th.  Another flight training death occurred when 2^nd LT WILLIAM C. JONES was killed in a crash near Yuma, AZ on the 23rd. The final death of the month was 2^nd LT HAROLD R. HOWARD of the 432^nd Fighter Squadron, whose aircraft disappeared in bad weather on a patrol mission over the Admiralty Islands on the 29^th.

The first loss of March occurred when 2^nd LT JOHN E. SCHILLING of the 578^th Bomb Squadron went missing in action with the rest of his crew on a mission to Orainienburg, Germany. Two Bruins were lost on the 6^th.  Major FREDERICK K. KOEBIG of the 5^th Bomb Group was killed while a POW of the Japanese when his POW camp at Rabaul, New Britain, was attacked by Allied bombers.  The other was 1^st LT WALTER L. REGOLI, of the 551^st Bomb Squadron whose B-17 was shot down on the first American daylight bombing mission against Berlin.  On March 10, Private WILLIAM C. CREMO, of the 246^th Field Artillery Battalion, was killed on Bougainville in the Solomons.    On the 15^th, Captain EDWARD C. COLLINS, of the 10^th Air Force, was serving as a cameraman when his B-24 disappeared on a reconnaissance flight somewhere between Kharagpur, India, and Tezpur, India. On the 23^rd, LTJG ALBERT L. PETERSON of VB-305 was killed when his plane crashed on return from a mission at the Torokina Airstrip at Bougainville, New Guinea.  Next, on the 25^th, ORVILLE V.SCHOLTZ, a civilian co-pilot with the Air Transport Command, was downed while flying a cargo aircraft over the Azores. The final death of the month was Captain DORRANCE C. ZABRISKIE, killed in a training crash on the 31^st, south of Punta Gorda, FL.

In April, all four of the deaths in the month were flight-related.  On April 1, 1^st Lieutenant HUGH A. BARDEEN, JR., was killed in a training crash at Ellington Field, TX.  The next day, flyer 1^st Lieutenant MILES M. GLIDDEN, serving with Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 134, was also missing in action over the Green Islands in the Pacific.   On April 6^th, 1^st LT WILLIAM S. SULLIVAN was co-piloting a B-24 of the 765^th Bomb Squadron when bombs aboard the aircraft exploded prematurely. He bailed out over Asinello  Island, off the coast of Yugoslavia, and was never seen again. The final flight death of the month occurred on the 17^th, when WASP flyer EDITH C. KEEN was killed in a crash at Mission TX.

There was only one death in May, 1944, which proved to be the calm before the storm.  This was PVT LEONARD KAPLAN, who died while in infantry training at Camp San Luis Obispo, CA, on the 13th.

June of 1944 saw the Allied invasion of Europe, and with it came a tremendous rise in casualties.  Two Bruins were killed in Normandy, France on June 6^th, D-Day. They were 2^nd LT AARON E. DENNSTEDT of the 16^th Infantry Regiment, and 1^st LT JOHN R. SIMONS, of the 26^th Infantry Regiment.  The next three casualties also occurred in Normandy.  They were Captain WAYNE K. HARVEY of the 508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment on the 11^th, and both 1^st LT NORVIN F. CRAIG of the 116^th Infantry Regiment and 2^nd LT MARSHALL K. GERTH of the 120^th Infantry Regiment on the 15th.  Meanwhile, above Normandy, 1^st LT DEAN J. HILL of the 335^th Fighter Squadron was downed over the area of Vitro, France.

On June 17^th, 2^nd LT JEROME K. NORTHROP of the 72^nd Bomb Squadron was missing with the crew of his B-24 on a mission to the Japanese airstrip on  Param Island. On the 21^st, PFC HERBERT J. CLARK of the 9^th Marine Regiment was killed on Guam, while 2^nd LT SCHYLER VANRENSSLER of the 81^st Fighter Squadron shot down and killed over Chengtu, China, the next day. On the 29^th, Corporal ROSCOE R McCREA, JR., of the 319^th Bomb Squadron, was killed with his entire crew when their bomber crashed into the water at the end of their landing strip on Wakde Island, New Guinea. Also on this date, Technician Third Grade GLYNN R. BURNS, of the 497^th Motor Vehicle Company, died in a bomb loading accident at Mudford, Hampshire, England. A third UCLA man to die this date was 1^st LT ROBERT C. HOLTHAM, of 377^th Fighter Squadron, shot down over Avrenches, France. Two more Bruins died on the 30^th.  1^st LT JOHN M. ADAMS of the 58^th Fighter Squadron was killed in a takeoff accident at Pangschacheng, China, and Captain JAMES F. JENNINGS was killed in a flight training accident near Palm Springs, CA.

As devastating to the Bruin family as June was, July of 1944 proved to be the worst month of the War.  The first loss was on the 4^th, when 2^nd LT KEI TANAHASHI, of the 442^nd Regimental Combat Team, was killed in Terriccio, Italy. On the 7^th, Corporal YOSHIHARU AOYAMA, also of the 442^nd, was killed at Cecima, Italy.  The same day, 2^nd LT SEYMOUR P. DROVIS of the 105^th Infantry Regiment was killed on Guam. On the 11^th, Flight Officer FRED B. HERMAN, of the 775^th Bomb Squadron, was missing in action on a mission to Munich, Germany. On the 15th, another Bruin was killed in Italy when 2^nd LT LESLIE H. ELLIOTT of the 362^nd Infantry Regiment was killed at Chianni.  The next day, 2^nd LT JAMES B. CURRAN of the 134^th Infantry Regiment was killed at St. Lo, France, and 2nd LT JACK E. HUGHES of the 94th Fighter Squadron, was shot down on a mission to Vienna, Austria.  Another Bruin was lost the next day, when Captain CHARLES L. DONOVAN died on a stateside aircraft maintenance flight at Forestville, MD.  On the 18^th, ENS JAMES FRANKLIN TAYLOR was killed in a flight training accident near Waldron Field, Corpus Christi, TX. On the 20^th, 2^nd LT OWEN H. JORGENSON of the 613^th Bomb Squadron was shot down over Weimar, Germany, and killed on the ground while attempting to escape capture. On the 22^nd, 2^nd LT RICHARD R. ROGERS of the 12^th Marine Regiment became another Bruin to die on Guam.  Two days later, 2^nd LT JACK P. WADSWORTH of the 8^th Infantry was killed in Normandy, France, as the vicious fighting continued there. The next day, 2^nd LT ELM H. HALPRIN, of the 746^th Bomb Squadron, was killed in a crash at Zapponetta, Italy on the 25th. On the 26^th, 2^nd LT DAVID A. LIPOW of the 342^nd Bomb Squadron was shot down over Linz, Austria. On the 27^th, Captain ROBERT L. FRANK of the 22^nd Marine Regiment was killed on Guam, adding to the total of Bruins lost in the campaign for this small Pacific island.  The next day, Captain ROBERT T. VILES, of the 318^th Fighter Squadron, was downed over Tinian, near Guam.  The last death of this bloody month occurred the next day, when Captain ROBERT W. FROBACH, JR., of the 106^th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, was killed at Livorno, Italy.

In August, the pace slowed somewhat.  On the 4^th, Corporal HAROLD G. JOBE of the 47^th Infantry Regiment added to the list of Bruins lost in the “killing zone” of Normandy.  His death in Normandy was followed by another in this area on the 8^th, when PVT WILLIAM J. GOULD of the 330^th Infantry was killed there.  Also lost on the 8^th was 1^st LT ROBERT M. LUNDQUIST of the 785^th Bomb Squadron. He was killed in action over Germany, and his body brought back to England by his crewmates, who managed to keep their damaged B-24 airborne. The next day, 2^nd LT CHARLES W. SWALLOW was killed when the B-24 he was piloted suffered an in-flight engine fire, and crashed 5 miles southeast of Kiowa, Colorado.  On the 13^th, PVT STANLEY MAC FARLAND of the 9^th Infantry was killed at La Petitere, France, as the US Army finally began to break out of the Normandy. On the 14, 1^st LT EDWIN H. KARGER of the 9^th Bomb Squadron was killed when his B-24 crashed shortly after takeoff at Kermitola, India. On the 16^th, 2^nd LT LEELAND KARPE of the 95^th Bomb Group, copilot of a  B-17 nicknamed “Wrinkled Belly Baby”, was involved in a mid-air collision with another B-17 over Zeitz, Germany. The same day, Major ALBERT J. SCOTT III serving with Headquarters, 20^th Corps, was killed in France. The last death of this month occurred when THOMAS TREANOR, a civilian correspondent with the Los Angeles Times and Time Magazine, was killed when his jeep was struck accidently by an Allied tank on the 19^th, in France.

In September, on the 1^st,  2^nd LT DONALD J. HOEFFLER of the 849^th Bomb Squadron was killed in a mid-air collision off the coast of France.  Three of the next four casualties for the month were also in  the air, as Captain BURTON N. RODIER, JR, of the 26^th Fighter Squadron, was downed over China on the 5^th, 1^st LT CHARLES F. McINTOSH of the 569^th Bomb Squadron was downed over Nurnberg, Germany on the 10th, and 2^nd LT VERN C. BROWN of the 330^th Bomb Squadron was killed over Vannes, France on the 13^th.

On the ground, Private ALBERT HOFFMAN died of heat exhaustion while in training at Camp Roberts, California on the 11th.   On the 14^th,2nd LT CHARLES R. CRAM of the 32nd Armored Regiment was killed while his unit was attacking the Siegfried Line in Belgium. On the 17^th, 1^st LT HANFORD A. FILES of the 504^th Parachute Infantry Regiment was killed in Holland during part of the airborne attacks in that country known as Operation ‘Market Garden’. On September 24^th LT BOB KINGSTON, assigned to Naval Air Station, Daytona, was killed on a practice mission when his fighter collided with his wingman near Bunnell, FL. The next death this month was Major EDWARD E. BAILIE, who was killed on an administrative flight on the 28^th when his aircraft crashed 3 miles east of Weatherford, TX. The final death of this month was JOHN B. TERRY, a civilian with the US Public Health Service who died in the Philippines on the 31^st.

On September 7^th Captain WILLIAM F. O’BRIEN, who had served with the Army in the Visayan-Mindanao Force in the Philippines, and been captured there, died while aboard the Japanese ship Shinyo Maru when it was sunk by the American submarine USS Paddle off the coast of Mindanao.

Captain Francis Brown Wai. Awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the recapture of the Philippines from Japan, 1944. Captain Wai is the only Chinese-American to receive the Medal of Honor in WWII. Photo credit: Wikipedia

US Military forces were on the attack on many fronts in the month of October, and the casualties continued.  On October 1,1^st LT NICHOLAS T. ANGELES of the 137^th Infantry Regiment died of wounds at 35^th Evacuation Hospital in France.  On the 3^rd, 2^nd LT CLAUDE S. WELLS of the 182^nd Infantry Regiment was killed on the island of Bougainville, in the Solomons group.  On the 5^th, 2^nd LT WILLIAM E. GUYER of the 405^th Bomb Squadron was downed over Seleman Bay in the Indonesian Archipelago. Another WASP flyer, MARJORIE DAVIS, was killed in a flight accident near Walnut, Mississippi on the 16th.  Another non-battle death occurred this day when 2^nd LT GEORGE VALENCIA, JR. was killed in a vehicle accident near Taft, CA, close to the base where he was serving as a flight instructor.  On the 22^nd, CAPT FRANCIS B. WAI (pictured at right) of the 34^th Infantry was killed on San Pedro Beach on the island of Leyte, in the Philippines, as the invasion of that island group began. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. The last Bruin to be killed this month was PFC LESLIE N. EWING Jr., of the 135^th Infantry Regiment, at La Valle, Italy, on the 24^th.

The last casualty of the month was TEC5 LARRY A. NEPOMUCENO serving was the 1^st Civil Affairs Unit, who went missing in action in the Philippines on the 27th.

The last casualty of the month was TEC5 LARRY A. NEPOMUCENO serving was the 1^st Civil Affairs Unit, who went missing in action in the Philippines on the 27th.

On November 1, Ensign WALSTANS S. ROBSON was killed when his destroyer, the USS Abner Read, was hit by a kamikaze in Leyte Gulf. On the 3^rd, 1^st LT EDWARD A. RIMPAU of the 109^th Infantry, died of wounds at Rotgen, Germany.  On the 8^th, CAPT ROBERT J. LANDIS of the 317^th Infantry Regiment was killed in Italy. The next casualty was PFC THOMAS R. MANN, Jr., of the 317th Infantry, killed at Aube, France on the 9^th.  On the 16^th, 2^nd LT THOMAS J. JOHNSTON of the 734^th Tank Destroyer Battalion was killed at Kerkrade, Germany.The same day, 2^nd LT JEROME ROSENTHAL, copilot of a B-24 in the 23^rd Bomb Squadron was shot down on raid against the Japanese fleet at Brunei Bay, Borneo.  The following day, Major HUBERT L. DRAKE was killed in action in the Hurtgen Forest, while commanding the 1^st Battalion of the 22^nd Infantry Regiment. On the 22nd, Lieutenant Colonel of ROBERT B. WESTBROOK of the 339th Fighter Squadron was downed over the Makassar Straight in the Pacific, while attacking a Japanese gunboat.

In December, the Allied armies moved further on the advance, and some hoped that victory in Germany was in hand, but it was not to be.  The first loss this month was on the 5^th when Technician 3^rd Grade HERBERT A MILES of the 929^th Field Artillery Battalion was killed in Germany.  2 days later, PFC EDWARD K. ERRET, JR., of the 114^th Infantry, was killed at Grenelbruck, France.  On the 11^th, Ensign RICHARD G. LEPPERT was killed aboard the destroyer USS Reid when it was strafed by Japanese aircraft south of the island of Leyte in the Philippines. On the 13^th, Major THOMAS E. HARRIS of the 324^th Infantry Regiment was killed in Germany. On the 15^th, 3 Bruins were lost in the sinking of the Japanese “Hell Ship” Oryoku Maru. They were naval personnel LT WARREN A. GARWICK and ENS PAUL W. FRENCH, along with MAJ HUGH R. NUTER of the 4th Marine Regiment. The ship went down in Takao Harbor, Taiwan

Four more Bruins were killed this month; most of their deaths were associated with the German offensive into the Ardennes Forest, known as the Battle of the Bulge. December 13^th saw the death of 1^st LT SEWARD P. MILES of the 310^th Infantry Regiment at Lammersdorf, Germany. On the 19^th, 2^nd LT EDWIN M. SAMUELSON of the 346^th Infantry Regiment was killed at Retit-Rederchingen.  The next day, 1^st LT WILLIAM E. LATHAM, of the 110^th Infantry Regiment, was killed at Fishbach, Luxembourg. Also serving with the 110^th this day was 1^st LT RICHARD P. WOODS, killed nearby at Clearvaux, Luxembourg.  The last death of the month occurred on Christmas Eve.  Captain HAL F. CRAIN of the 262^nd Infantry Regiment was aboard the HMS Leopoldville when it was sunk in the English Channel by a German submarine.  The 262^nd was being rushed into combat due to the extreme casualties being incurred by American units fighting the Battle of the Bulge.

LTCMDR Bradford Maitland Brooks was a flyer in the U.S. Navy in WWII, a graduate of UCLA and a member of the Theta Chi fraternity.

In the Pacific, LTCMDR BRADFORD M. BROOKS (pictured at left) of VPB-117 was killed when his PB4Y-1 patrol bomber was downed by Japanese aircraft off Negros Island, in the Philippines.

1945

The Battle of the Bulge continued into January of 1945, taking the lives of PFC THOMAS M. CLIFFORD of the 56^th Armored Battalion at Chenogne, Belgium, on the 2^nd; 2^nd LT ROBERT H. REBER of the 275^th Infantry Regiment at Phillipsbourg, France on the 4^th; 2^nd LT ROBERT H. WARDELL of the 276^th Infantry Regiment at Wingen-sur-Moder, France on the 5^th;  CPL WALTER E. STERZ, JR. of the 274^th Infantry Regiment in the Neider Bonn Forest, Germany and PFC JOSEPH B. STREET of the 63^rd Armored Infantry Battalion near Longchamps, Belgium, on the 13^th, 1^st LT WILLIAM B. CHRISTIAN of the 314^th Infantry Regiment  in Germany, 1^st LT JOHN L. PERKINS of the 47^th Tank Battalion at Hatten, France,  2^nd LT FRANK J. WILLIAMS of the 291^st Infantry Regiment at Grand Halleaux, Belgium on the 15th, and, on the 17^th, PFC JOHN A. D. SPEERS of the 56^th Armored Infantry Battalion at Herrlisheim, France.

Three Bruins died aboard Japanese “Hell Ships” thismonth. On the 7^th, CAPT RICHARD A. ROSHE of the 31^st Infantry Regiment died in Takao Harbor, Formosa, in the sinking of the Enoura Maru. Some reports stated was beaten to death and thrown overboard into the ocean.   On the 17th, PFC JAMES C. RUBY, an Army medic, died and was thrown overboard from the Brazil Maru, somewhere in the Pacific between Taiwan and Moji, Japan. Between the 9^th and the 15^th, ENS PAUL W. FRENCH and MAJ HUGH R. NUTTER of the 4^th Marine Regiment died in the sinking of the Oryuku Maru, again in or around Takao Harbor

In ground combat, 1^st LT EUGENE L. TALBOTT of the 160^th Infantry Regiment was killed in action at Bamban on Luzon in the Philippines on the 30th. On the same day, 1^st LT VICTOR G. RYLAND of 493^rd Bomb Squadron was killed at Suichan, China, on the 30th.  His aircraft was landing at this field in darkness when it was shot down in a friendly-fire incident.

Five combat deaths occurred in February. On the 1^st, 1^st LT LAWRENCE H. KING of the 35^th Infantry Regiment was killed at San Roque in the Philippines. The next combat death occurred on the 12^th, when 1^st LT WESLEY W. WILLIAMS of the 414^th Infantry Regiment was killed in Germany. On the 17^th, 1^st LT FREDERICK A. SCHMIDT of the 347^th Infantry Regiment was killed at Hergersburg, Belgium. On the 24^th, 1^st LT FRANK X. GEHRIE, JR., of the 65^th Troop Carrier Squadron was killed on the ground on Luzon in the Philippines by enemy sniper fire. The final combat death occurred with PFC CLARENCE F. SHAW, JR (“Tim”) of the 345^th Infantry Regiment was killed in Germany on the 25^th.

There were also two non-combat deaths. 1^st LT PAUL L. GEORGE died as a POW at Camp Fujuoka in Japan on the 8^th, and Hospital Apprentice MARILYN WEEKS died of an infection at the Naval Hospital in Seattle on the 10^th.

The drive into Germany continued in March.  On the 14^th, 2^nd LT BAREND J. ALBERS, Jr., of the 47^th Infantry Regiment, was killed at Nutscheid.  PVT DAVID B. JENNINGS of the 409^th Infantry Regiment was killed at Bergzabern on the 23^rd and 1^st LT CHARLES B. PIKE of the 120^th Infantry Regiment was killed at Speyer the next day.  There were two flight deaths this month. On the 15^th, Major RICHARD N. JENSEN of the 500^th Bomb Squadron was shot down 15 miles northwest of Hong Kong. On the 25^th, 1^st LT FRANCIS W. GODFREY, of the 404^th Fighter Group, was shot down over Wissen, Germany.

In the Pacific, SGT DONOVAN G. KENDALL of the 12^th Cavalry Regiment was killed in the Philippines on the 29^th.  In the Pacific, 1^st LT JOHN T. ARMITAGE of the 25^th Marine Regiment was killed on Iwo Jima on  the 7^th, and 2^nd LT ERWIN R. COHEN of 24^th Marine Regiment was killed there four days later, on the 11^th

In the Pacific air war, SSGT VICTOR COTTAN of the 879^th Bomb Squadron was killed on the 11^th when his B-29 crashed shortly after take-off from Tinian.

In April, on the 4^th,1^st LT ROBERT C. SIGEL of the 187^th Glider Infantry Regiment was killed at Mount Macolod, on Luzon, in the Philippines. 2^nd LT JAMES E. TARBELL of the 71^st Infantry Division was killed at Mourmelon-le-Grand, France; the same day, 2^nd LT IRVING G. WEIDE of the 309^th Infantry Regiment was killed near the Ruhr River in Germany on the 7^th.  Also killed this day was 2^nd LT KIRKLY L. SINCLAIR, JR., in Germany, when his jeep ran over a mine. The next day, 2^nd LT DANIEL R. SHULER, of the 273^rd Infantry Regiment was killed at Munden, Germany. On the 17^th, 2^nd LT JACK R. STRAHAN of the 165^th Infantry Regiment was killed on Okinawa. On the 21^st, 2^nd LT HITOSHI YONEMURA of the 442^nd Regimental Combat team became the last Bruin death in Italy when he was killed at Marciano.  The last death for the month was Technician 3^rd PHILLIP J. CORWIN of the Headquarters Company of the European Theatre Command, who was killed in a jeep accident at Trier, Germany, on the 30^th.

The last victim of combat in Germany was 2^nd LT JAMES P. PANDEL of the 5^th Infantry Regiment, who died of wounds received two weeks prior on May 12^th.  He died in a military hospital in Pecking, Austria.

Three Bruins were killed in the Okinawa campaign this month.  The first was 1^st LT ROBERT E. LOPEZ of the 7^th Marine Regiment, killed on the island on the 7^th.  On the 19^th, 2^nd LT GERALD W. BELL of the 383^rd Infantry was killed at Tobaru.  On the 27^th, Major ROBERT C. MAZE of Marine Squadron VMF-511, flying from the USS Block Island, was downed over Ishigaki.

There were four more casualties of the Okinawa campaign in June.  The first was 1^st LT KEVORK V. TASHJIAN of the 6^th Marine Division, killed on the 10^th. On the 16^th, LT BURTON B. HARRIS was killed when his vessel, the destroyer USS Twiggs, was hit by a Kamikaze.   On the 17^th, 1^st LT ERWIN W. KRUEGER of 184^th Infantry Regiment was killed. On the 20^th, 2^nd LT CLARENCE C. CARSTENS of the 5^th Marine Regiment died, of wounds received over a month earlier.

The last death of the month occurred on the 22^nd, when Private DAVID K. MANSON of the 172^nd Infantry Regiment was killed at Gahiham, on Luzon in the Philippines.

Five Bruins lost their lives in July.  On the 3^rd, 1^st LT DONALD E. MARSH of the 792^nd Bomb Squadron was the copilot of a B-29 that crashed just after takeoff near Tinian, on a raid to Japan. On the 9^th, aboard a B-29 like LT Marsh, 2^nd LT LEONARD B. SIECK of the 402^nd Bomb Squadron went missing over the Pacific on a raid to Tokyo. On the 11^th, 1^st LT HUGH F. SHELDON of the 9^th Bomb Squadron died when his aircraft crashed at Hsinching, China, on a fuel hauling mission.  2nd LT HAROLD L. PULLIAM, of the 449th Fighter Squadron, was killed in crash 9 miles from Mengtze, China. The final death was Lieutenant Junior Grade DAVID L DRISCOLL, killed when the USS Indianapolis was sunk in the Philippine Sea on the 30^th.

In August, 2^nd LT ROY F. VERNIER, JR., 291^st Infantry Regiment, died in the crash of an administrative flight 25 miles south of Manta, Ecuador. On the 7^th, 1^st LT THEODORE A. KURKJIAN of the 396^th Bomb Squadron was the last Bruin to die in combat, when his B-25 was downed over the Chiran Airfield on Kyushu, Japan. On the 17^th, 2^nd LT GORDON E. MYERS was killed when his B-29 collided with another over Weatherford, TX.

September saw the deaths of the last two Bruins to die in World War 2.  2^nd LT OWEN B. CLAYMAN of the 20^th Weather Squadron went missing on September 6, while on an administrative flight somewhere over the Philippines. The final death occurred when 1^st LT SEYMOUR FREED of the3970th Quartermaster Truck Company died of illness at Ledo, Assam, India.

–This post has been edited to correct the vessel to which Gunner’s Mate Richard W. Andes assigned. The name of the vessel was the USS Swordfish.