Battle Deaths Summary

World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the nations in the world. It was the deadliest conflict in world history.
Countries fighting in the war formed into opposing alliances: the Allies and the Axis. The main powers of the Allies were the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. The main Axis powers were Germany and Japan.
It was the most widespread war in history. There was military action on every continent. More than 100 million people served in military units from more than 30 countries. It is estimated that more than 20 million members of the military from these 30 countries died in the war.
United States military casualties totaled 416,800, including Merchant Marine and Coast Guard. There were also 1,700 American civilian deaths due to military activity or crimes against humanity.
Approximately 8,500 men and women from North Carolina died in the war. Of those, at least 91 were from Henderson County.

For the United States, the war officially started in the Pacific with the attack on Pearl Harbor and ended in the Pacific with the surrender of Japan.
For the residents of Henderson County, the war also started in the Pacific and ended in the Pacific.
County residents began four years of mourning when Clarence James Hamilton and Marcus “Mark” Alexander Rhodes died on the USS Arizona in the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
The last reported death of a Henderson County resident in the war was from Leyte Island, the Philippines, where Talmadge Argyle Aiken died Aug. 17, 1945.
The only two men from Henderson County who died as prisoners of war were captured and held by the Japanese in the Pacific. Thomas D. Howard and Brack Brownlow McCraw were both captured May 7, 1942, at the Battle of Corregidor in Manila Bay, the Philippines. The last report when Howard was seen alive as a Japanese POW was Nov. 23, 1942. The last reported sighting of McCraw in a POW camp was Jan. 25, 1943. Both presumably died in Japanese POW camps.

The only Henderson County family to lose more than one child or sibling in the war was the family of Burchett Pinkney Gibbs and Nannie Merrell Gibbs. Brothers Glenn Pinkney Gibbs and James Arnold Gibbs were killed in action Sept. 15, 1944, in combat along the Gothic Line in the north of Italy. They died the same day at the same location from the same German artillery shell.

The loss of the most Henderson County men in a single battle event was the Battle of the Bulge fought from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945, in the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France and Luxembourg. Seven men from the county died in the Battle of the Bulge: J. Chester Levi, Dec. 12; Aaron Eratus Williams, Dec. 18; Richard Lewis Heggie Jr., Dec. 19; Andrew W. Mathew, Dec. 20; James Lester Dodson, Dec. 22; Christie Patrick Costanza, Dec. 25; and Jess Willard Cochran, Jan. 4.

Of the most publicly well-known battles of the war, Henderson County suffered one loss at the D-Day invasion and one at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Ray Wilford McGraw was killed in action June 6, 1944, at Utah Beach on D-Day in France. James Charlie Hudson was killed in action Feb. 27, 1945, at the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific.

In possibly the least well-known fighting in the war, six men from Henderson County died in the China-Burma-India Campaign. Two men died in fighting along the Burma Road, Samuel Wilson McKinney on June 1, 1944, and Charlie Franklin Shytle on Jan. 17, 1945. Two men died when their bombers crashed into the Himalayan Mountains between Burma and China, Charles Richard Hedge on June 3, 1942, and George Welling Tidd Jr. on Dec. 1, 1943.

No men from Henderson County died in battles in North or East Africa, the Middle East, along the Eastern Front of the European Theater, in the Allied Invasion of Southern France, or battles in the North Pacific Area.

As to statistics of the men who died from Henderson County, the war is divided into three theaters of operation: the European Theater, the Mediterranean Theater, and the Pacific Theater.
Thirty-nine men from Henderson County died in the European Theater. This includes the Battle of the Atlantic, Strategic Bombing in Europe, the Normandy Campaign, the Rhineland Campaign, and the Central Europe Campaign.
Seventeen men from Henderson County died in the Mediterranean Theater. This includes the First Allied Invasion of Italy, the Allied Advance to Rome, the Allied Advance into Northern Italy and in the Mediterranean Sea.
Twenty-seven men from Henderson County died in the Pacific Theater. This includes the island-hopping campaigns of the Central Pacific, South Pacific, and Southwest Pacific, and the China-Burma-India Campaign in Southeast Asia.
In the summaries below the names, more detail is given on combat in Italy and the Pacific. From teaching high school classes and recent classes consisting of people of all ages, it appears that there is more familiarity with individual battles and events in Western Europe than those in Italy and the Pacific.
The war in the Pacific, island-hopping, individual battles, was so different than that of Europe that summaries are longer.
Only battles where Henderson County men died are summarized.

European Theater

Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)
1. Brothers, Walter Eugene (Jr.) – USS Truxton, Feb. 18, 1942, MIA/buried at sea (Navy)
2. Walker, Norman B. – ship sunk by German sub, abt. 1943, MIA/buried at sea (Merchant Marines)
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, 1939 to 1945. It was at its height from mid-1940 to the end of 1943. The Battle of the Atlantic was fought between warships and submarines of the German Navy and German aircraft against ships from the navies of the United States, Great Britain and Canada; merchant shipping, including Merchant Marine ships; and coastal fortifications and the Coast Guard along the east coast of the United States and Canada. By the end of the war, 3,500 merchant ships and 175 warships of the Allies were sunk. It has been called the “longest, largest, and most complex” naval battle in history.
On Feb. 18, 1942, the USS Truxton and the USS Pollux ran aground a few hundred yards off the coast of Newfoundland. Enormous waves, high winds and blinding snow from a winter storm caused the ships to go off course. Sailors had to decide whether to stay on the sinking ship or brave the icy sea. The wooden lifeboats were smashed to pieces against the ship by the waves. The seas and temperature made escape for the crews extremely hazardous, and many succumbed to the cold waters or were killed in the surf crashing on the cliffs. Residents of St. Lawrence and Lawn came to the aid of survivors. Rescuers placed themselves at risk as they rigged ropes and waded into the icy surf. The surviving crew members were taken into the residents’ homes. The rescue efforts saved the lives of 46 men of the USS Truxton’s crew of 156. Walter E. Brothers Jr. of Henderson County was not among the survivors.

Strategic Bombing – Battle of Europe
1. Levi, Robert Glenn – in England, Nov. 10, 1943, non-battle death (Army Air Forces, bomb squadron)
2. Clayton, John W (Johnny) – bombing raid on Hamburg, Germany, Feb. 29, 1944, KIA (Army Air Corps)
3. Drake, Harold Bertram – bombing mission over Czechoslovakia, June 17, 1944, KIA (Army Air Forces)
4. Heaton, William McNeal – ground attack mission on Gelnhausen airfield near Frankfort, Germany, Sept. 5, 1944, KIA (Army Air Corps, fighter squadron)
5. Staton, Roy Earle, Jr. – bomber went down near island off the coast of Yugoslavia, Oct. 17, 1944, KIA (Army Air Corps)
Strategic Bombing in the Battle of Europe occurred between 1939 and 1945. These were air campaigns directed toward a recognizable strategic target. This includes the bombing of railways, harbors, cities (civilian areas), and industrial areas in enemy territory. The strategy was to attack the enemy’s industrial and political infrastructure.

Western Front

Normandy Campaign (June-August 1944)
1. McGraw, Ray Wilford – Utah Beach in D-Day Invasion, June 6, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
2. Henderson, Glenn Witherspoon – combat near Cherbourg, France (landed at Utah Beach), July 7, 1944, died of wounds (Army, infantry)
3. King, Judge Dick – combat near Periers, France, (landed at Utah Beach) July 10, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
4. Bradley, Lee Roumles – breakout from the beachhead (landed at Omaha Beach), July 12, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
5. Rice, Clayton Dock – St. Lo break-through of Operation Cobra (landed at Omaha Beach), July 12, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
6. Hefner, Charles Manning – St. Lo break-through of Operation Cobra (landed at Omaha Beach), July 31, 1944, died of wounds (Army, infantry)
7. Rhymer, Harry Cray – Operation Cobra (landed at Omaha Beach), July 31, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
8. Burgess, Jack LeeOperation Cobra (landed at Utah Beach), Aug. 10, 1944, died of wounds (Army, infantry)
9. Johnson, Lewis Fred – Operation Cobra, Aug. 11, 1944, died of wounds (Army, infantry)
10. Cantrell, Jahue Revis – Battle for St. Malo and Dinard in Brittany, France, (landed at Omaha Beach), Aug. 14, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
11. Sherman, Horace – combat in Melun, France,  Aug. 23, 1944, KIA (Army, armored infantry)
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied Invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord). D-Day was the day of the actual landings on Tuesday, June 6, 1944, on the beaches of Normandy, France. The operation was the largest amphibious invasion in world history and was executed by land, sea and air elements of the Army, Navy and Air Forces of the United States, Great Britain and Canada. The men who died from Henderson County, one on D-Day and the others later in the campaign, landed on Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. Omaha Beach was the most heavily fortified and took the most casualties. Small units of infantry supported by naval artillery and the surviving tanks eventually infiltrated the coastal defenses by scaling the bluffs between German strong points. Casualties on Utah Beach were the lightest on any of the beaches.
The Normandy Campaign continued for more than two months, concluding with the Battle of the Falaise Pocket near Falaise, France, on Aug. 24, the liberation of Paris on Aug. 25, and the German retreat across the Seine River on Aug. 30. Operation Cobra of the campaign was to breach the German defenses in Normandy, France, open a corridor, and advance into Brittany, France.

Rhineland Campaign (Battle of Siegfried Line, Ardennes-Alsace Campaign) (August 1944–February 1945)
1. Smith, Marvin Pinkney – combat in the Vosges Mountains of France, Oct. 2, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
2. Stepp, Gordon James (James Gordon) – Hatterath, Germany, Oct. 4, 1944, died of wounds received in Rhineland Campaign (Army, infantry)
3. Heatherly, Robert Vane Brooks – combat near Opheusden, the Netherlands, Oct. 7, 1944. KIA (Army, glider infantry)
4. Jackson, Floyd Harden – combat east of Embermenil, France, Oct. 17, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
5. Cate, Roy Daviscombat near Aachen, Germany (borders Belgium and the Netherlands), Nov. 3, 1944, died of wounds (Army, armored field artillery)
6. Levi, J. Chester (Harry) – Battle of the Bulge, Dec. 12, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
7. Williams, Aaron Eratus – Battle of the Bulge, Dec. 18, 1944, died of wounds (Army, engineer battalion)
8. Heggie, Richard Lewis, Jr. – Battle of the Bulge, Dec. 19, 1944, KIA (Army Air Corps, night fighter squadron)
9. Mathew, Andrew W. – near the Rur (Roer) River in Belgium or the Netherlands, Dec. 20, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
10. Dodson, James Lester – Battle of the Bulge, Dec. 22, 1944, died of wounds (Army, reconnaissance)
11. Costanza, Christie Patrick – Battle of the Bulge, Dec. 25, 1944, KIA (Army, armored infantry)
12. Cochran, Jess Willard – Battle of the Bulge, Jan. 4, 1945, KIA (Army, armored infantry)
13. Higgins, Robert Edgarcombat at the Rhine bridgehead at Herrlisheim, France, Jan. 16, 1945, KIA (Army. Infantry)
14. Osteen, Charles “Charlie” H. – combat after Battle of Bulge, Jan. 30, 1945, KIA (Army, glider infantry)
The Rhineland Campaign, the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine, began Aug. 25, 1944, and ended with the Allies preparing to cross the Rhine River in early 1945. Some of the battles and campaigns in which Henderson County men died, prior to the Battle of the Bulge, included the Battle of Aachen from Oct. 2-21, 1944, in Aachen, Germany; the Lorraine Campaign in France from Sept. 1-Dec. 18, 1944, primarily in northern France; The Battle of Hürtgen Forest, east of the Belgian-German border, from Sept. 19 to Dec. 16; and Operation Queen at the Siegfried Line (border between Germany and the countries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) moving toward the Rur River (flows through the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) from Nov. 16 to mid-December.
The Rhineland Campaign also includes the Battle of the Bulge fought from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945, in the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France and Luxembourg. Heavy snowstorms engulfed parts of the Ardennes area during the battle, along with sub-zero temperatures. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II, with 19,000 American dead.

Central Europe Campaign (March to May 1945)
1. Lanning, Brazillia Mitchell, Jr. – unknown location in Germany, 1945 (day and month not known), KIA (Army)
2. Middleton, William “Willie” Allard – during drive to Rhine River, March 8, 1945, non-battle death (Army, tank destroyer)
3. Hill, John Frank – combat near Crailsheim, Germany, April 10, 1945, KIA (Army, armored infantry)
4. Love, Lowell Everett – near the Rhine River, April 12, 1945, KIA (Army, tank battalion)
5. Rymer, Andrew MacWilliams – near Borsdorf, Germany, April 13, 1945, KIA (Army, tank destroyer)
6. Thompson, William Boyce – air mission over Germany, April 20, 1945, KIA (Army Air Corps, Thunderbolt pilot)
7. Lamb, Jennings George – location not known, May 23, 1945, non-battle death (Army, infantry)
The Central Europe Campaign is the Western Allied invasion of Germany. It was the military overrun of Nazi Germany by the Allies in the final months of the European Theater of World War II. The invasion began in March 1945 when the Allies pushed to the Rhine River, seized an intact bridge at Remagen and established a small bridgehead on the river’s east bank. The Allies crossed the Rhine and fanned out, overrunning all of western Germany from the Baltic in the north to Austria in the south before the Germans surrendered May 8, 1945.

 Mediterranean Theater

Allied Invasion of Italy September 1943
1. Rogers, Thomas “Tom” Russell – Paestum on the Gulf of Salerno, Sept. 12, 1943, KIA (Army, infantry)
The Allied Invasion of Italy was the Allied landing Sept. 3, 1943, on mainland Italy. The island of Sicily had already been taken by the Allies. The main invasion force landed around Salerno on the western coast in Operation Avalanche on Sept. 9. Two other operations were at Calabria and Taranto. Henderson County’s Thomas “Tom” Russell Rogers landed at Salerno. Tactical surprise was not achieved. The first wave of the infantry approached the shore at Paestum to hear a loudspeaker from the landing area proclaim in English: “Come on in and give up. We have you covered.”  The Allied troops attacked. For the next three days, they fought to expand their beachhead. By early October, all of southern Italy was in Allied hands.

Allied Advance to Rome October 1943 to June 1944
1. Anders, Charles William (Charlie)Volturno Line offensive, Nov. 19, 1943, KIA (Army, infantry)
2. Praytor, James Howard – combat near Mount Capraro. Jan. 12, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
3. Cox, Everette Irshman – Pimlott Line near Anzio, Italy, May 12, 1944, KIA (Army, field artillery)
4. Williams, Fred Thomas – combat near Formia, Italy, May 14, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
5. Worley, Wofford Gentry – German air raid on airfield on island of Corsica, France. May 13, 1944, KIA (Army Air Corps)
The Allied Advance toward Rome began in October 1943 and ended when Allied forces entered Rome on June 4, 1944. Fighting at the Volturno Line began in October 1943. The line ran from Termoli in the east, along the Biferno River through the Apennine Mountains to the Volturno River in the west. German forces had set up a series of defensive lines across Italy, intended to delay the Allied advance. The Volturno Line was the southernmost of these. The Gustav Line was one of two defensive lines on the west of the Apennine Mountains, called the Winter Line. In two days’ of fighting near the Winter Line U.S. infantry gained Mount Capraro on Jan. 12, 1944. Operation Shingle took place from January to May 1944 near Anzio, Italy. It began with an Allied amphibious landing Jan. 22, 1944, near Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. The Germans formed a ring around the beachhead. From January to May a rain of shells fell on the beach, the marsh, and the harbor. Allied troops were subjected to bombardment from aircraft and artillery fire. The line where the troops were “stuck” on the beaches at Anzio was sometimes called the Pimlott Line. The Allies finally broke out in May 1944, the Battle of Anzio. The city of Formia was near where the Battle of Anzio was fought. The final breakout from Anzio was May 23, 1944.
The French island of Corsica was taken by the Italians in the early years of World War II. The French liberation of the island took place simultaneously with the Allied landing in Sicily in September 1943. The United States military then began building airfields on the island. So many U.S. planes and airmen were stationed on the French Mediterranean island that it was called the USS Corsica, an unsinkable aircraft carrier. Fourteen airfields were the jumping-off points for B-25 bombers and P-47 fighters that attacked German lines throughout Italy, southern France and Austria. The island was often subjected to German air attacks.

Allied Advance into Northern Italy June 1944-April 1945 (Operation Olive, Northern Apennines)
1. Allen, Glenn Lance – Combat in central Italy, July 2, 1944, KIA (Army Armored Division)
2. McCarson, Alvin Sevier – bombing mission over Italy, July 11, 1944, MIA/buried at sea (Army Air Corps)
3. Smith, Charles Ray – bombing mission over Italy, Aug. 17, 1944, MIA/buried at sea (Army Air Corps)
4. Gibbs, Glenn Pinkney – combat along Gothic Line, Sept. 15, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
5. Gibbs, James Arnold – combat along Gothic Line, Sept. 15, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
6. Jones, Joseph Nathaniel – combat along Gothic Line, Oct. 10, 1944, died of wounds (Army, infantry)
7. Duncan, Marvin Melvo – Gothic Line in Operation Olive, Oct. 16, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
8. Adams, Udell Isaac – Bomber ditched at sea, Oct. 28, 1944, died of injuries (Army Air Corps)
9. Corn, Rufus Widdie (Wid R.) – Northern Apennines offensive, April 21, 1945, KIA (Army, mountain infantry)
From June to August 1944, the Allies advanced beyond Rome, taking Florence and closing on the Gothic Line. This last major German defensive line ran from the coast some 30 miles north of Pisa, across 170 miles of the rugged North Apennine Mountain chain between Florence and Bologna to the Adriatic Coast, just south of Rimini. Fighting along the Gothic Line from August until the end of 1944 is sometimes called Operation Olive. It has been described as the biggest battle of materials ever fought in Italy. More than 1,200,000 men participated in the battle.
By Oct. 28, the Allied offensive had slowed and troops spent the winter in the mountains awaiting better weather. In February 1945 fighting began anew along the Gothic Line. On April 21, Allied troops entered Bologna and other forces had reached the Po River in northern Italy. Surrender by the Germans was signed April 29 and fighting ended May 2, 1945.

Battle of the Mediterranean
1. Gibbs, Horace Jefferson – on board the HMT Rohna in Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 27, 1943, MIA/buried at sea (Army, aviation engineers)
2. Williams, Roy James – ship attacked in Mediterranean Sea, MIA April 20, 1944; finding of death, April 21, 1945, KIA (Navy, armed guard)
The Battle of the Mediterranean was a naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea from June 10, 1940, to May 2, 1945. In September 1943, fighting decreased with the Italian collapse and the surrender of the Italian fleet. But, German aircraft and ships continued to attack Allied ships in the Mediterranean. Two Henderson County men died in these attacks.
The British troopship Rohna was carrying United States troops when it was sunk by an air attack of the German Luftwaffe on Nov. 26, 1943. The ship sank north of Algeria. Of the 1,138 men lost, 1,015 were American, including Horace Jefferson Gibbs of Henderson County. The attack constitutes the largest loss of U.S. troops at sea in a single incident. An additional 35 American troops later died of wounds. The Germans used glide bombs (guided missiles) in the attack. A memorial to the sinking of the Rohna was unveiled in 1996 at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Seale, Ala.
Roy James Williams was in Convoy UGS-38 that was attacked April 20, 1944. “Some 28 merchant ships with Armed Guards aboard were in a much larger convoy about four hours east of Algiers and enroute to Bizerte when German torpedo planes came in for the kill on April 20, 1944 … Two American ships were hit and one was sunk.” He was possibly on the SS Paul Hamilton. This ship was carrying many naval guards. The USS Lansdale was also carrying some Navy armed guards. The SS Royal Star sank.

 Pacific Theater

Central Pacific Area
1. Hamilton, Clarence James (James Clarence) – Attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, KIA (Navy, USS Arizona)
2. Rhodes, Marcus “Mark” Alexander – Attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, died of wounds (Navy, USS Arizona)
3. Shytle, Joseph Edward – Battle of Saipan, July 8, 1944, died of wounds (Marine Corps)
4. Ledbetter, Edward Hammett – Battle of Tinian, July 25, 1944, KIA (Navy pharmacist’s mate serving with Marine Corps Medical Battalion)
5. Cecil, Charles Purcell – plane crash in Pacific, July 31, 1944, non-battle death (Navy Rear Admiral)
6. Pace, Marion Herbert – Second Battle of Guam, Aug. 10, 1944, KIA (Army, infantry)
7. Rogers, John Henry Theawell – Eniewetok Atoll, Marshall Islands, Sept. 10, 1944, KIA (Navy, USS Deede)
8. Henderson, Jerry Moores – Battle of Peleliu, Sept. 15, 1944, KIA (Marine Corps)
9. Johnson, Morris Lynn, Jr. – Battle of Peleliu, Sept. 28, 1944, KIA (Marine Corps)
10. Hudson, James Charlie – Battle of Iwo Jima, Feb. 27, 1945, KIA (Marine Corps)
11. Dillard, Thomas Edwin – Battle of Okinawa, April 6, 1945, KIA (Navy, USS Bush)
12. Akers, Charles Lee (Jr.) – Battle of Okinawa, May 4, 1945, KIA (Marine Corps)
13. Duncan, Clarence Arnold – Battle of Okinawa, June 7, 1945, KIA (Marine Corps)
On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan attacked American bases on Pearl Harbor, Guam and Wake Island. On the same day, they also attacked Hong Kong, and invaded the Philippines (U.S. territory), Thailand and Malaysia. The United States was not officially at war anywhere in the world prior to the attacks. Any opposition to war vanished after the attacks. Pearl Harbor was attacked by 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged and four sank. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. About 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed. During the attack, 2,402 Americans were killed and 1,282 wounded. Clarence James Hamilton and Mark Alexander Rhodes were serving on the USS Arizona. The next day, Dec. 8, the U.S. declared war on Japan. Germany and Italy declared war on the United States on Dec. 11 and the United States reciprocated the same day.
The next four years saw Japanese invasions and attacks on almost every island and nation in the Pacific, including Korea, China, and Australia; all nations in Southeast Asia; the eastern Soviet Union; the Aleutian Islands in Alaska; and into the Indian Ocean.
Planned, major battles in the Central Pacific region did not begin until 1944, as these were the islands closest to Japan.
The Battle of Saipan was fought from June 15 to July 9, 1944, on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands. Battleships began bombardment June 13. Marine amphibious landings began June 15 on the west coast . On June 16, Army units landed. Japanese troops were anchored on Mount Tapotchau in the center of the island. The Japanese used caves, hiding in the day and attacking at night. At dawn July 8, the Japanese attacked in a final suicidal “banzai charge” (human wave attacks). “About 3,000 Japanese charged forward and behind them came the wounded, with bandaged heads, crutches, and barely armed.” The Japanese surged over the American front lines in a 15-hour attack. Marine Joseph Edward Shytle of Henderson County died July 8 in the largest Japanese Banzai attack in the Pacific War. By July 9, Saipan was in U.S. control. Almost all the 30,000 Japanese troops died.
The Battle of Tinian was fought from July 24 to Aug. 1, 1944, on the island of Tinian in the Mariana Islands, the next island in the “island-hopping” campaign. Marines landed July 24, supported by naval bombardment and artillery fire. The Japanese again retreated during the day and attacked at night. Edward H. Ledbetter from Henderson County, a Navy pharmacist’s mate, was serving with the Marine Corps Medical Battalion. He was killed the day following the initial landing, July 25. On July 31, the surviving Japanese launched a suicide charge. The battle saw the first use of naplam in the Pacific. The “fire bombs” burned away foliage concealing enemy installations. Several hundred Japanese held out in the jungles. The last holdout was not captured until 1953.
The Second Battle of Guam was fought July 21 to Aug. 10, 1944, in the Mariana Islands. Guam was a U.S. possession captured by the Japanese in the First Battle of Guam on Dec. 10, 1941. Marines landed July 21 on the western side. They were pinned down on the beaches and progress inland was slow. The Japanese again used night infiltration tactics. Supply was difficult as ships could not come closer than a reef several hundred yards from the beach. The airfield and harbor were captured July 30. The Army joined the fight in August. Again, the Japanese refused to surrender, and almost all were killed. Soldier Marion H. Pace from Henderson County was killed Aug. 8. On Aug. 10, Guam was declared secure. Some Japanese held out in the jungle, ambushing and killing Marines. On Jan. 24, 1972, a Japanese sergeant was discovered by hunters. He had lived alone in a cave for 27 years.
John Henry Theawell Rogers from Henderson County was killed in action Sept. 10, 1944, while serving on the USS Deede. He had been at a radar training station and returned to the ship Sept. 6. Ship diaries state that the USS Deede was in port on the Eniewetok Atoll on Sept. 10. There was no battle reported. This atoll was taken by U.S. forces earlier in the war and at this time was used as a port and also housed an airfield. The exact circumstances of his death are unclear.
The Battle of Peleliu was fought September to November 1944 on the island of Peleliu (Palau), 6 square miles in size. The battle lasted more than two months. The casualty rate was the highest for U.S. military personnel of any battle in the Pacific. Navy warships began bombardment Sept. 12. But, most of the Japanese positions were unharmed. Marines landed Sept. 15. As they approached the beaches, Japanese opened the steel doors guarding their positions and fired artillery. Many Marines waded ashore through the coral reef in deep water while being raked by Japanese machine guns. Casualties were severe and many had lost their rifles and other gear. Henderson County Marine Jerry M. Henderson was killed on landing day. Marines captured the airfield on the second day. Temperatures were around 115 °F and there were high casualties from heat exhaustion. Water was distributed in empty oil drums contaminated with oil. By the eighth day the Marines were holding the airfield and the southern portion of the island. On Sept. 28, the 5th Marines were sent to capture Ngesebus Island, north of Peleliu. The island fell quickly. Marine Sgt. Morris Lynn Johnson Jr. of Henderson County was killed in action Sept. 28 during fighting either on Peleliu or Ngesebus Island (see separate story on web site). In the next few days, Marines captured the Point on Peleliu, resorting to hand-to-hand combat. Japanese again infiltrated at night. By mid-October, the Marines had lost about half their men. Army replacements began arriving and Marines evacuated. The Army battled the remaining Japanese for another month. On Nov. 27 the island was declared secure. About 31 Japanese held out in the caves until April 22, 1947. The battle for the mountain on Peleliu is considered the most difficult fight that the U.S. military encountered in World War II.
The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought Feb. 19-March 26, 1945. It was the first American attack on Japanese home territory and the longest and most intense in the Pacific Theater. Bombardment began June 15. Amphibious landings began Feb. 19. Fighting on the island was also difficult because of the volcanic ash. Japanese bunkers were connected to an elaborate tunnel system so after they were cleared they were reoccupied. Marines again engaged in hand-to-hand fighting. The invasion proceeded north to capture the airfields and the remainder of the island. The taking of Mount Suribachi, Feb. 23, is immortalized in photographs. Henderson County Marine James Charlie Hudson was killed in action Feb. 27. On March 25, Japan launched a final counterattack in the north. As usual, most Japanese fought to the death. The island was officially declared secure March 26. About 3,000 Japanese were still hiding in caves and tunnels, coming out at night. The last of the holdouts surrendered about 1951.
The Battle of Okinawa lasted from early April to mid-June 1945. It was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War. The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties (including civilian) in the Pacific Theater. At sea, 368 Allied ships were sunk. The Navy’s dead exceeded its wounded, mainly from kamikaze attacks. Between the American landing April 1 and May 25, seven major kamikaze attacks were attempted, involving more than 1,500 planes. Thomas E. Dillard of Henderson County died April 6 on the USS Bush during a kamikaze attack. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed, wounded or committed suicide. The main Marine landing was on the western coast. Other Marines conducted a “demonstration” of landing on the southeastern coast to confuse the Japanese. The Army landed in the south-central part of the island. Marines entered the north coast on April 13 in mountainous and wooded terrain. Again, Japanese hid in fortified caves and attacked at night. Marine Charles L. Akers Jr. of Henderson County was killed May 4. On May 29 Marines captured Shuri Castle. On June 4, Marines launched an amphibious assault on the peninsula, the location of the Japanese naval base. All the Japanese sailors committed suicide. Henderson County Marine Clarence A. Duncan was killed June 7. The last major Japanese resistance ended June 21, but some continued hiding. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulted in Japan’s surrender a few weeks after the end of fighting on Okinawa.

 South Pacific Area
1. Reese, Frank – Battle of Savo Island, Solomon Islands, Aug. 10, 1942, KIA (Navy, USS Astoria)
2. Pressley, Vance Melvyn – Battle of Guadalcanal, Sept. 14, 1942, KIA (Marine Corps)
3. Rhodes, Luther Lerue – Battle of Guadalcanal, Oct. 7, 1942, KIA (Marine Corps)
4. Capps, Edward Otho – Battle of Guadalcanal, Jan. 15, 1943, KIA (Army, infantry)
5. Hartnett, Thomas M. – bomber crashed in Pacific near Solomon Islands, March 20, 1944, MIA/buried at sea (Army Air Corps)
The Battle of Savo Island was a naval battle that took place Aug. 8–9, 1942. It was the first major naval engagement of the Guadalcanal campaign. In response to Allied landings in the eastern Solomon Islands, the Japanese brought seven cruisers and a destroyer down New Georgia Sound to attack the Allied fleet. The Japanese surprised and routed the Allied force, sinking one Australian and three American cruisers. The USS Astoria was in a “northern” group. The Japanese attacked the southern force first, at night. Crewmen on the Astoria observed flares or gunfire from the southern battle, but it took time for the crews to go to full alert. Japanese cruisers began firing torpedoes, aimed searchlights, and opened fire. Astoria was quickly hit by numerous shells and set afire. Other Japanese cruisers began attacking the flaming ship, bringing it to a halt. Astoria’s crew tried to save the ship, but the fire was out of control, and the ship sank. Sailor Frank Reese of Henderson County was declared killed in action Aug. 10. The remaining Allied ships temporarily withdrew from the Solomon Islands. The withdrawal of the fleet left ground troops in a precarious situation.
The Battle of Guadalcanal (Guadalcanal Campaign) was fought from Aug. 7, 1942, to Feb. 9, 1943, on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. It was the first major offensive by the Allies against Japan. On Aug. 7, 1942, Allied forces landed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi and Florida in the southern Solomon Islands to stop the Japanese threat to supply and communication routes between the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. The Allies overwhelmed the outnumbered Japanese, and captured Tulagi and Florida, as well as an airfield (re-named Henderson Field). The Japanese made several attempts between August and November 1942 to retake Henderson Field. Three major land battles, seven large naval battles, and almost daily aerial battles culminated in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942, in which the last major Japanese attempt to retake control of the island was defeated. Marine Vance M. Pressley of Henderson County was killed in action Sept. 14 in the Battle of Edson’s Ridge (Lunga Ridge), a narrow, grassy, long, coral ridge that ran parallel to the Lunga River south of Henderson Field. The Japanese conducted night attacks Sept. 12 and 13. Marines defeated wave after wave of frontal Japanese attacks, with some hand-to-hand fighting. On Sept. 14 the remaining Japanese began a five-day march west to the Matanikau Valley to join another Japanese unit. Between Oct. 6 and 9 Marines crossed the Matanikau River and attacked newly landed Japanese forces. Marine Luther L. Rhodes of Henderson County was killed in action Oct. 7 in the Matanikau Valley. In December, U.S. Army units began arriving. The Allies renewed the offensive Jan. 10, 1943, attacking the Japanese on Mount Austen and two nearby ridges. All three were captured by Jan. 23. Army soldier Edward O. Capps of Henderson County was killed in action Jan. 15. The Japanese evacuated their remaining forces Feb. 1 to 7, 1943.

Southwest Pacific Area
1. Howard, Thomas D. – captured by Japanese in Philippines May 7, 1942, died after Nov. 23, 1942, as POW (Army, coast artillery)
2. McCraw, Brack Brownlow – captured by Japanese in Philippines May 7, 1942, died after Jan. 25, 1943, as POW (Army, chemical aviation)
3. Aiken, Talmadge Argyle – Leyte Island, Philippines, Aug. 17, 1945, non-battle death (Army Amphibious Battalion)
The Philippines was a commonwealth of the United States in 1941 with several U.S. military bases. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and Japanese invasions throughout the Pacific, there was no way to re-enforce or supply American troops in the Philippines. On Dec. 12, 1941, the Japanese landed on southern Luzon. The attack on Mindanao followed Dec. 19. From January to March 1942 waves of Japanese air and artillery attacks hit Allied forces weakened by malnutrition, sickness and prolonged fighting. On April, 3, 1942, the Japanese began to break through along Mount Samat. American forces were overrun near the Alangan River. The fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942, ended organized opposition to the invading Japanese on Luzon in the northern Philippines.
The island of Corregidor, with a network of tunnels and defensive armament, and its fortifications across the entrance to Manila Bay, was the remaining obstacle to the Japanese. Corregidor was a U.S. Army Coast Artillery position defending the entrance to Manila Bay. In March 1942, Navy submarines brought in mail, orders and weaponry. They took away American and Filipino government officials, high-ranking military officers and records. Corregidor was defended by 11,000 members of the Army, Navy and Marines, and Filipinos. Some had reached Corregidor from the Bataan Peninsula when the Japanese overwhelmed units there. The Japanese began their final assault on Corregidor on May 1, 1942. On the night of May 5-6, Japanese landed at the northeast end of the island. Most American forces surrendered or were captured May 7 to 8, 1942, including Thomas D. Howard and Brack Brownlow McCraw of Henderson County. Some individual Americans and many Filipinos carried on the fight as guerrillas. The defeat was the beginning of three and a half years of atrocities: The Bataan Death March, Japanese prisoner of war camps, the “Hell Ships” with Americans and Allies onboard en route to Japan. Thousands were crowded into the holds of Japanese ships, without water, food, or sufficient ventilation. The Japanese did not mark “POW” on the decks of the vessels, and some were attacked and sunk by Allied aircraft and submarines. Howard was last reported alive Nov. 23, 1942, and McCraw was last seen alive Jan. 25, 1943, both in POW camps in the Philippines. American military forces and Filipino guerrillas began the campaign to liberate the Philippines on Oct. 20, 1944, with landings on the island of Leyte. The island was re-captured in early 1945. Landings followed on Mindanao. By the end of June 1945, the Japanese were fighting in isolated pockets. Japan surrendered Aug. 15, 1945. Talmadge A. Aiken of Henderson County died Aug. 17, 1945, on the island of Leyte in the Philippines.

 Southeast Asia

China Burma India Campaign
1. Hedge, Charles Richard – bomber crashed into a mountain in Burma, June 3, 1942, MIA (Army Air Corps)
2. Tidd, George Welling, Jr. – bombing mission to Insein, Burma, Dec. 1, 1943, KIA (Army Air Forces)
3. McKinney, Samuel Wilson – Burma Road during battle for Myitkyina, Burma, June 1, 1944, KIA (Army, engineer battalion)
4. Ward, William Jennings Sr. – Misamari, India, Nov. 3, 1944, non-battle death (Army Air Forces)
5. Shytle, Charlie Franklin – near Burma Road between Burma and China, Jan. 17, 1945, KIA (Army, infantry)
6. Arnette, Kenneth Russell – plane crashed in India, Feb. 4, 1945, non-battle death (Army Air Forces)
Japan and China were at war before the United States entered World War II. China was receiving aid from the United States before the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the war between China and Japan became part of World War II. From 1941 to 1942, the only way to aid China was by flying over the Himalayan Mountains from Burma and bringing personnel and supplies by trucks along the Burma Road that connected China with Burma and into India. Japan invaded the nation of Burma, today’s Myanmar, in March 1942, captured Rangoon on March 8 and cut the Burma Road lifeline to China. China could then only be supplied and aided by flying over the Himalayan Mountains (“The Hump”) from India,or capturing territory in Burma and building a new road, called the Ledo Road. Allies began working behind enemy lines, gathering intelligence, harassing the Japanese through guerrilla actions, identifying targets for the Army Air Force to bomb, and rescuing downed airmen. The “guerrilla” units were aided by civilians in Burma.
Allied pilots began flying “The Hump” in April 1942 from India to China. Bases were in India. They flew over the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains on bombing missions and in military transport aircraft to re-supply the Chinese and units of the U.S. Army Air Forces based in China. The missions continued on a daily basis from May 1942 to August 1945. Two men from Henderson County, Charles R. Hedge (bomber crashed into mountain) and George W. Tidd Jr. (Japanese shot down bomber) died flying “The Hump.” One of the airfields in India where American airmen flying “The Hump” were based was in Misamari in the Assam Valley at the foot of the Himalayas. This is where William J. Ward Sr. of Henderson County was based when he died Nov. 3, 1944.
The Ledo Road (later re-named the Stilwell Road) was built after the Japanese cut the Burma Road. The route ran from Ledo, Assam, India, to Kunming, Yunnan, China. The road was built by American soldiers and civilians in the area. Construction began in December 1942. The road went through extremely steep mountainous and rugged terrain, with hairpin curves and sheer drops of 200 feet, surrounded by a thick rain forest. As the road was built American troops were attacking the Japanese in the northern area of Burma. One of the largest forces of Japanese was around the town of Myitkyina, Burma. Myitkyina was on the planned route of the Ledo Road, and also had rail and water links to the rest of Burma. Allied attacks on Myitkyina began in March 1944 and continued into May 1944. Samuel W. McKinney of Henderson County was one of the men in an Army engineer battalion building the Ledo Road. With the Allied military force weakened from fatigue, disease and wounds, during the fighting from March to May, the engineer battalion was ordered to the front lines. “Men who had been used to driving trucks and operating heavy equipment were suddenly picking up a rifle and heading into battle … The battle for Myitkyina raged for two months and the engineers, fighting alongside poorly trained Chinese soldiers, bore the brunt of the Japanese forces, defending against infantry attacks as well as artillery and mortar fire.” McKinney was killed in action June 1. Myitkyina was finally captured Aug. 3, 1944.
Charlie F. Shytle of Henderson County was fighting with the Mars Task Force in Burma. The soldiers arrived at the small village of Mong Wi in early January 1945. From there the Mars Task Force moved east to drive the enemy from the hills overlooking the Burma Road. The Ledo (Stilwell) Road was now open and Allies were in the process of opening the old Burma Road and the liberation of Burma. The Mars Task Force reached the vicinity of the Burma Road (old) on Jan. 17, 1945. Bringing up artillery and mortars, the Americans opened fire on the highway and sent patrols to lay mines and ambush convoys. This was the day Shytle was killed in action.