The prior post having covered Jewish military casualties on February 25, 1945 (Adar 13, 5705) in the ground forces of the United States Army and other Allied nations, “this” post moves to the Pacific Theater of War, and focuses on Jewish servicemen in the United States Marine Corps, and, United States Navy.
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United States Marine Corps
The thirteen Marines whose names are listed below – whether wounded or killed in action – were all casualties during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
3rd Marine Division
(This reproduction of the 3rd Marine Division shoulder patch is by WW II Impressions.)
Jastrow, Mylon Louis, PFC, 438815, Purple Heart
9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Headquarters Company
Died of wounds (.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. / Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím)
Born Chicago, Il. 6/14/25
Mr. and Mrs. Isidore Louis (1/10/91-9/68) and Frances (Ephraim) (1/9/95-9/9/56) Jastrow (parents)
7050 South East End Ave., Chicago, Il.
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii – Section N, Grave 325
American Jews in World War II – 104
This photo of PFC Jastrow’s matzeva is by FindAGrave researcher Jeff Hall, who, in May of 2017 after a four-year effort, created “…virtual cemeteries for all American Ground Forces casualties during WWII.” The image shown here comes from Mr. Hall’s project to photograph headstones for all “…WW2 dead at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu.” Few headstone photos existed for this cemetery before 2008.
Lowe, Leonard, PFC, 395271, BSM, Purple Heart
12th Marine Regiment, 2nd Battalion, D Battery
Wounded in Action
Born Ohio 2/26/20 – Died 4/24/97
Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Bertha Lowe (parents); Florence (sister), 9607 Garfield Ave., Cleveland, Oh.
American Jews in World War II – 494
Newman, Irving, Cpl., 474277, Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
21st Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion, Headquarters Company
Wounded in Action (wounded previously at Guam; approximately 8/1/44)
Born Brooklyn, N.Y. 12/15/22 – Died 2001
Mrs. Gladys Newman (wife), 223 E. 96th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Kate (Schneiderman) Newman (parents), 223 E. 96th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Casualty Lists 9/28/44, 5/14/45
American Jews in World War II – 400
4th Marine Division
(This example of the 4th Marine Division shoulder patch comes from TTMilitaria.)
Abrams, Leon Joseph, Cpl., 808008, Fire Team Leader, Purple Heart
24th Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion, A Company
Killed in Action (.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. / Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím)
Born New Bedford, N.Y. 9/4/20
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Esther Abrams (parents), 27 Ryan St., New Bedford, Ma.
Annette C. and Herbert Abrams (sister and brother)
Plainville Cemetery, New Bedford, Ma. – Tifereth Israel, Row B, Lot 43
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed
Becker, William (Zeev bar David), PFC, 859148, Purple Heart
24th Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion, A Company
Wounded in Action
Born Denver, Co. 9/18/24 – Died 9/2/80
Mr. and Mrs. David (1876-9/18/31) and Minnie C. (1890-2/8/48) Becker (parents), 1100 Laurence St., Denver, Co.
Golden Hill Cemetery, Lakewood, Co. – Plot 18
American Jews in World War II – 58
Birnbaum, Seymour, Cpl., 863240, Purple Heart
4th Engineer Battalion, B Company
Killed in Action (.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. / Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím)
Born Brooklyn, N.Y. 5/12/24
Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Flora Birnbaum (parents); Morris and Ruth (brother and sister), 371 S. 5th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Casualty List 5/31/45
Place of Burial Unknown
American Jews in World War II – 278
David, Matthew, PhM3C, 8128880, Purple Heart
23rd Marine Regiment
Killed in Action (.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. / Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím)
Born New York, N.Y. 6/16/23
Mr. and Mrs. Morris (7/10/81-6/23/34) and Sarah / Sabra (Naphtali) (8/10/96-5/16/77) David (parents)
Anna (sister) (4/11/27-12/11/95)
850 Bryant Ave., New York, N.Y.
Another address… 1056 Fox St., Bronx, N.Y.
Mount Carmel Cemetery, Glendale, N.Y. – Section 5, Block J, Lot 525, Grave 1
Casualty List 4/28/45
American Jews in World War II – 295
Galperin, Hyman, PhM2C, 2247056, Purple Heart
Attached to 4th Marine Division
Wounded in Action
Born New York, N.Y. 12/25/24 – Died 6/6/08
Mr. Joseph Galperin (father), 24-17 Ditmars Ave., Astoria, Long Island City, N.Y.
Cedar Park Cemetery, Paramus, N.J.
American Jews in World War II – 317
Gershen, Irvin Jack, 1 Lt., 0-18848, Purple Heart
24th Marine Regiment, 3rd Battalion, I Company
Wounded in Action
Born Elizabeth, N.J. 7/23/20 – Died 12/27/76
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob (Jack) (Gershenowitz) (12/1/96-1/21/68) and Libby (Lillie) (Sherman) (8/11/00-11/19/99) Gershen (parents)
104 Lake Drive, Allenhurst, N.J.
U.S. Marine Corps History Division – Casualty Card Database gives date as 2/26/45
Fold3.com WW II War Diaries: USS Knox 19 (I-3-24-4) COMRANSDIV 44 30
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed
Rozner, James Howard (Yaakov Heersh bar Ben Tzion), Cpl., 329608, Purple Heart
25th Marine Regiment, 3rd Battalion, L Company
Killed in Action (.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. / Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím)
(wounded previously; approximately 6/26/44)
Born McKeesport, Pa. 6/4/16
Mr. and Mrs. Ben and Esther Rozner (parents), R.D. #1, Washington, Pa.
Beth Israel Cemetery, Washington County, Pa.
Navy Department Casualty Release 8/26/44
U.S. Marine Corps History Division – Casualty Card Database has only one entry – for 2/25/45
American Jews in World War II – 547
Jessica Dulis took this picture of Corporal Rozner’s mazteva.
5th Marine Division
(From Fitzkee Militaria comes this 5th Marine Division shoulder patch.)
Lauer, Julius Howard, PFC, 958064, Purple Heart
26th Marine Regiment, 3rd Battalion, G Company
Wounded in Action
Born Chicago, Il. 6/9/18 – Died 9/17/00
Mrs. Geraldine J. (Grinberg) Lauer (wife) (12/20/17-2/11/82), 3001 Paseo St., Kansas City, Mo.
Mr. and Mrs. Meyer (7/97-?) and Sarah (Margolis) (1899-?) Lauer (parents) (Or … was father Joseph Lauer?)
4225 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, Il.
American Jews in World War II – 107, 213
Remis, Isadore Harold, Pvt., 523506, Purple Heart
27th Marine Regiment, 2nd Battalion, E Company
Wounded in Action
Born Kansas City, Mo. 5/15/26 – Died 8/20/04
Mr. and Mrs. Abe (3/4/02-6/18/66) and Fannie (Plutzik) (12/3/06-3/18/59) Remis (parents), 2124 East 38th St., Kansas City, Mo.
American Jews in World War II – 215
Siegal, Norman Abraham, Pvt., 931139, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart
5th Engineer Battalion, Headquarters and Service Company
Wounded in Action
Born Chicago, Il. 12/26/11 – Died 11/51
Mrs. Sylvia (Vitz) Siegal (wife) (10/26/13-6/28/81), 5946 West Washington Blvd. / 6842 Clyde Ave., Chicago, Il.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Lena (Kessler) Siegal (parents)
Draft Card lists name as “Norman A(initail only) Siegal”
American Jews in World War II – 116
United States Navy
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United States Navy
Fighter Squadron VF-12
(Via Wikipedia, here’s the insignia of VF-12 from 1943 through 1945.)
On February 25, 1945, among the nine F6F-5 Hellcat fighters of Navy Fighter Squadron VF-12 on the USS Randolph, which embarked on a fighter sweep mission to airfields in the Tokyo Bay area was the aircraft (Bureau Number 72329) piloted by Lt. JG Norman Wesley Sandler (0-113013), of Des Moines, Iowa…
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Norman W. Sandler’s portrait from the 1938 yearbook of Roosevelt High School (via Ancestry.com)
(.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. / Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím)
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…armed with HVAR rockets instead of bombs, the planes struck hangars at the Hokoda Airfield, and, a radar station at Iso Saki, east of the Mawatari airfield.
As described in the Squadron’s Aircraft Action Report, adverse weather hindered planned operations during the mission: “Cloud cover was 1/10 throughout the mission, lowering to 3000-foot base at Mawatari airfield.” No Japanese planes were observed to be airborne, few were found on the ground, and no anti-aircraft fire was seen, the latter making the loss of Ensign Sandler – based on information in the Aircraft Action Report – a mystery.
Lt. JG Sandler’s wingman Ensign J.M. Finley, who’d followed Sandler into a diving attack on Hyakurigahara Airfield, had just pulled out of his dive when he noticed Sandler’s Hellcat tumbling “like a belly tank” toward the ground. The aircraft’s tail was detached, and was about 150 feet behind, above, and to the left of the fuselage of Sandler’s fighter. After turning to avoid the detached tail section, Ensign Finley noted an aircraft burning in a location where the main body of Sandler’s F6F would have struck the earth, though he didn’t actually see Sandler’s fighter crash. Finley specifically noted that Sandler’s dive angle was not excessive, with (visual) evidence suggesting that Sandler’s tail section was lost during or immediately after the Ensign’s pull-out. Sandler was not seen to have parachuted from his Hellcat.
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If I have my geography correct (!), think the former Hyakurigahara Airfield, the wartime base of the Hyakurihara Naval Air Group, is the site of the present Ibaraki Airport – 茨城空港 / Hyakuri Air Base: specific location Shimoyoshikage, Shirakawa-mura (Ogawa-cho), Higashiibaraki-gun, Ibaraki-ken.
This map shows the present Ibaraki Airport – 茨城空港 / Hyakuri Air Base (circled in red) in relation to Tokyo.
This closer look shows the facility itself, with the civilian airport to the west of the paired runways and the air base to the east.
Same scene, different view: An air photo of the above.
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Though I’m not aware of F6F losses being associated with structural failure of the aircraft’s tail section (for example, an early problem in the history of the Hawker Typhoon), in this case the possibility can’t be dismissed, particularly given the absence of anti-aircraft fire.
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A VF-12 Hellcat on the flight deck of the USS Randolph in 1945.
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This image, “box art” for Eduard’s 1/48 plastic model of the late F6F “Dash 5” Hellcat (kit number 8224), a nice depiction of a pair of VF-12 Hellcats in action over Japan, clearly displays the squadron’s horizontal white-stripe fin and rudder, white ailerons, and, plane-in-squadron number on fuselage side and cowling.
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From Fighters – Forum Maquettes Avions & Helicos, this photo shows the “real” #32 and other VF-12 Hellcats on the deck of the Randolph. Unfortunately, VF-12’s Aircraft Action Report doesn’t list the individual plane-in-squadron number of Lt. JG Sandler’s missing Hellcat, only the plane’s Bureau Number. (The original source of this picture isn’t listed, though I suppose it’s an official US Navy photo.)
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A review of Aviation Archeology’s database and FindAGrave reveal that Ensign Finley was shot down on April 8, 1945 (in F6F-5 72295) during an attack against Wan Airfield on Kikai Shima. Parachuting at sea, he drifted in his life raft for five days before being rescued by a PBM. His survival was the subject of an article in Air-Sea Rescue Bulletin No. 128 (of June 12, 1945; see page 28), published by the Coast Guard’s Air-Sea Rescue Agency.
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Born in Des Moines on December 20, 1919, Norman W. Sandler was the son of Nathan (1/28/96-12/3/62) and Belle (Klimosky) (3/6/96-12/19/84) Sandler, of 909 Polk Boulevard. He was the husband of Geraldine (Krum) Sandler (later Wolk) (11/29/23-5/20/04) and father of Karen Blair. The recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, and Purple Heart, his name can be found on page 127 of American Jews in World War II.
Lt. JG Sandler’s name appeared in Casualty Lists released on 3/10/45 and 3/15/46. On December 19, 1948, Lt. JG Sandler was buried at Glendale Jewish Cemetery in Des Moines. This image of his matzeva was taken by Katie Lou, who researches cemeteries and memorials in Polk County, Iowa.
References
Books
Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947
Combat Connected Naval Casualties, World War II, by States: U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, United States Navy Office of Public Information Casualty Section, Washington, D.C., 1946
Sites on the Web
National Diet Library Digital Collection of Japan, Aircraft Action Report No. VF12#12 1945/02/25 : Report No. 2-d(53): USS Randolph, USSBS Index Section 7 (文書名:Records of the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey ; Entry 55, Security-Classified Carrier-Based Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft Action Reports, 1944-1945 = 米国戦略爆撃調査団文書 ; 海軍・海兵隊艦載機戦闘報告書) (課係名等:Intelligence Branch ; Library and Target Data Division) (シリーズ名:Aircraft action reports (carrier-based aircraft))
VF-12 Insignia (“Artwork by anonymous friend of VF-12 – Photographed by Hymmolaya”), from Wikipedia entry for VF-12.
F6F Hellcat of VF-12 on deck of USS Randolph (color image; Unknown photographer; “Part of U.S. Navy photo 80-G-K-5339 from the collections of the Naval History Center”), from Wikipedia entry for VF-12.
Fukubayashi, Toru, Allied Aircraft and Airmen Lost over the Japanese Mainland During WW II, at POW Research Japan
Fukubayashi, Toru, Allied Aircraft and Airmen Lost over the Japanese Mainland During WW II, Records for Tobu (Kanto and Koshinetsu) Army District, at POW Research Japan