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Bill Beigel Researches Michigan WWII Casualties, MIAs, and POWs

These summaries are posted to honor these selfless men from Michigan who served and lost their lives. This list includes Medal of Honor recipient 1st Lt. George H. Cannon ~ Bill

Abel, Andrew W., TEC5, Camp McCoy, died of “poisoning acute, carbon tetra chloride, adema, pulmonary”, 12/21/44 at Station Hospital, Fort Sheridan, IL. TEC5 Abel was on temporary duty assisting the Postal Department as a truck driver. While at Antlers Hotel in Milwaukee fell asleep in bed; a fire occurred, and Abel suffered poisoning due to the fire extinguisher spray used to put out the fire. He had previously served in South Pacific (Hudsonville, MI)

Adcock, John F., CPL, HQ Detachment, USAAF, died 9/25/45 at 120th General Hospital, Manila, Luzon, Philippines, after “plunge from 3rd floor window, while mentally unstable”, 201 and 293 file (Detroit, MI)

Arocha, Ernest D., PVT, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, KIA 7/29/44 at La Fourchet, France, considerable confusion over date of death (Merrill, MI)

Atkins, Floyd, CPL, 225th Army Air Force Base Unit, drowned 7/30/44 in Canyon Lake, South Dakota, near Rapid City AAB (Barbeau, MI)

Beals, Halsey W., PVT, 737th Tank Battalion, DOW at Aid Station (59th Field Hospital, Andilly, France) after being wounded due to “the explosion of a shell in the tank in which he was riding as a crew member”, very unusual to see letter of this type for a non-flyer (Muskegon, MI)

Berner, Gerald R., 2nd LT, 32nd Bomb Squadron, 301st Bomb Group, downed 2/25/44 over Metnitz, Austria, letter from father “…almost two years have elapsed since the end of the war, and we have not yet received any information concerning the location of my son’s grave (Detroit, MI)

Blaida, John M., SSGT, 576th Bomb Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group, downed 5/29/44 over Gueltz, Germany, in what was later the Soviet occupied zone, extensive interview with German witnesses of crash and burial, some in original German on German forms, extensive records in regard to identifying remains (Monroe, MI)

Boughley, Donley G., PFC, 13th Armored Regiment, 87th Reconnaissance Squadron, DNB 4/21/44 of cerebral edema resulting from acute alcoholic intoxication, at Ft. Benning, GA (Traverse City, MI)

Briske, Frederick W., SGT, 412th Bomb Squadron, 95th Bomb Group, killed in bomb loading accident on 5/27/43 at AAF Station 102 (Framlingham, England), listing all other deaths from the accident, death certificate for his father (Onekama, MI)

1st Lt. George H. Cannon, MOH

Medal of Honor Recipient George H. Cannon

Cannon, George H., 1st LT, 6th Defense Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, KIA 12/7/41 on Midway Island “…while manning C.P. position 2nd deck power house was struck by shell fragments….”, Medal of Honor winner, recreation center in Detroit named in his honor, first alumnus of University of Michigan to die in War (Ann Arbor, MI)

Eyestone, Oliver, NMI, 2nd LT, 739th Bomb Squadron, 454th Bomb Group, ditched 8/24/44 in Adriatic Sea on return from raid against the Kolin Oil Refinery in Czechoslovakia, 2 of crew survived ditching and were picked up by a PBY (Muskegon, MI)

Furtwangler, Robert N., SSGT, 370th Bomb Squadron, 307th Bomb Group, MIA 6/30/43 on X-Ray search mission in area of Guadalcanal (Parma, MI)

Giannone, Anthony J., TEC5, 23rd Signal Corps, Heavy Construction Battalion died 11/29/45 of leukemia at Percy Jones General Hospital, Battle Creek, MI (Detroit, MI)

Gordon, Kenneth, SSGT, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, KIA 5/29/43 on Attu Island, unknown cause, friend of K. KRETSINGER, below (Detroit, MI)

Heffner, Maurice, NMI, TEC5, Medical Detachment, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, KIA 5/29/43 on island of Attu, buried at Little Falls #1 Cemetery prior to being repatriated, identified by fingerprints (Jackson, MI)

Helmer, Frederick J., CPL, 11th Tank Battalion, 10th Armored Division, KIA 4/26/45 at Eichen, Germany, AR600-550 ‘Inventory of Effects’ form used (Detroit, MI)

Hootman, Herald M., MAJ, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, KIA 1/3/43 GSW at Buna, New Guinea, extensive correspondence in file regarding effects (Grand Rapids, MI)

Hootman, Herald M., MAJ, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, KIA 1/3/43 GSW at Buna, New Guinea, extensive correspondence in file regarding effects (Grand Rapids, MI)

Hughes, Jack E., 2nd LT, 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, MIA 7/16/44 on bomber escort mission to Vienna, aircraft seen to blow up and crashed near Monsonszolnok, Hungary, detailed, translated Hungarian records of crash and burial, MACR data, MIA till 1947 (Detroit, MI)

Hyslop, Archie L., SGT, 744th Bomb Squadron, 456th Bomb Group, downed 7/2/44 over Kapolasnyek, Hungary, excellent details regarding search for remains, translated records, details of mission but no MACR, same crew as F/O ERNIE PHILLIPS (below), two photos of Hyslop in file, sent by mother to show his teeth for identification purposes (Detroit, MI)

Jatros, George, NMI, 1st LT, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 84th Airborne Division, KIA near Nijmegen, Holland, (Operation Market Garden), 9/24/44, buried in Margraten (Detroit, MI)

Kader, Eugene I., SSGT, 844th Bomb Squadron, 489th Bomb Group, downed 10/19/44 when another aircraft, out of control, fell on his ship, shearing off tail and causing it to go into a flat spin, over Edenkoben, Germany, while on a mission to Mainz, Germany, letter from mother “…it puzzles me that I have not heard a thing concerning my son’s burial….” (Detroit, MI)

Lucas, Joseph, PFC, 882nd Field Artillery Battalion, DNB 5/26/45, GSW, vicinity of Hannau, Germany, investigation into death performed, accidentally shot by another soldier while on guard duty at food warehouse during riot by German civilians; extensive information on this in VA file (Detroit, MI)

Martin, Wayne Love, SSGT, 494th Bomb Squadron (M), 344th Bomb Group (M), KIA 9/23/44 on mission to Venlo, Holland, crashed at Rumein, Germany, dog tag mutilated (note: this was the means used to identify him), letter from mother dated 3/18/47, good Correspondence Action Work Sheet, body badly mangled (Detroit, MI)

Martin, Wayne Love, SSGT, 494th Bomb Squadron (M), 344th Bomb Group (M), KIA 9/23/44 on mission to Venlo, Holland, crashed at Rumein, Germany, dog tag mutilated (note: this was the means used to identify him), letter from mother dated 3/18/47, good Correspondence Action Work Sheet, body badly mangled (Detroit, MI)

Meyers, Morris, NMI, SSGT, 550th Bomb Squadron, 385th Bomb Group, MIA 6/21/43 deploying to Europe between Gander Bay, Newfoundland, and Prestwick, Scotland, entire crew non-recoverable, letter from family asking why some personal effects were home if no trace of crew ever located (Detroit, MI)

Munroe, Stewart W., Jr., 2nd LT, 565th Bomb Squadron, 389th Bomb Group, downed 10/1/43 on mission to Weiner-Neustadt, extensive documentation on crash and on other crashes in the area that date, note in file regarding search for remains “Case in Russian zone; no publicity, impossible to get detailed information under such circumstances” (Grosse Point Park, MI)

Nash, Travis E., 506th Bomb Squadron, 44th Bomb Group, downed 4/5/45 over Wipperfurth, Germany, “hit by shrapnel and was dead prior to bailing out”, another account stated “…heard from a Russian POW that he was shot by a German soldier after he landed on the ground…” (Detroit, MI)

Ogg, Forrest M., SGT, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, KIA  6/19/44 on Saipan, Bronze Star Medal citation, (Birmingham, MI)

Parker, William W., 2nd LT, 779th Bomb Squadron, 464th Bomb Group, KIA 10/17/44 in landing accident after mission at Panatella, Italy, entire crew killed, extensive and well-inventoried personal effects (Flint, MI)

Pertolla, Hugo O., SSGT, 744th Bomb Squadron, 456th Bomb Group, shot down 7/2/44 near Kapolnasnyek, Hungary, excellent details regarding search for remains, translated records, details of mission by no MACR, same crew as NYEN, above, and PHILLIPS, below, alludes to PHILLIPS falling to his death from aircraft (Detroit, MI)

Poremba, John J., Fireman 1c, aboard USS Halligan, MIA 3/26/45 when ship hit by kamikaze 6 miles west of Okinawa (Ecorse, MI)

Ramp, Francis P., PVT, 362nd Infantry Regiment, 91st Infantry Division, DOW 10/17/44 at 8th Evac Hospital, near La Mazzetta, Italy, marriage certificate of ex-wife, mother concerned that others killed in Italy were being returned before her son was (Detroit, MI)

Riegel, George E., 2nd LT, 322nd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, downed 10 miles south of Aachen, Germany, on Schweinfurt Raid, 8/17/43, letter from brother-in-law thanking QMC for their good work, also thank-you letter regarding military escort who accompanied remains home (Lansing, MI)

Ross, Kenneth S., PFC, 413th Infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry Division, killed 4/21/45, MW wounds to body, at Gollmenz, Germany due to ‘friendly fire’ in tank exercise (Dearborn, MI)

Scriber, George I., PVT, 11th Tank Battalion, 3rd Armored Division, KIA 4/16/45 at Pfedelbach, Germany, SFW head, inventory of effects on avery neatly prepared form, letter from mother requesting that the NOK be changed from wife to her (Clearwater, MI)

Serapiglia, Anthony, 1st LT, 366th Fighter Squadron, 358th Fighter Group, killed 4/12/44 in aircraft accident in Northumberland, England (Detroit, MI)

Slomczenski, Chester M., TSGT, 535th Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, 3/30/45 downed over Gross Haesuslingon, Germany, aboard “In Like Errol”, remains found six months later in River Aller and buried in British Military Cemetery (Detroit, MI)

Smith, George A., PVT, 161st Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division, KIA 4/26/45 at Kapintalan, Luzon, Philippines (Midland, MI)

Steinsultz, Harry L., 1st LT, 767th Tank Battalion, DOW (EA Mortar-Burned) 11/7/44 at 27th General Hospital, Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea (Detroit, MI)

Vasos, Nick G., SGT, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, KIA 11/8/42 at Fedala, Morocco, attempt to identify ownership of watch (Sault Ste. Marie, MI)

 

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