Jewish Servicemen in The New York Times, in World War Two: Two Memories of the USS Franklin (CV-13), March 19, 1945

As touched upon in the post “A Minyan of Six? – Jewish Sailors in World War Two: Aboard the USS Franklin and USS Wasp, March 19, 1945 – United States Navy and United States Marine Corps”, Lt. Cdrs. Samuel Robert Sherman of San Francisco and David Berger of Philadelphia both survived the attack on the USS Franklin on that date.  Berger received the Silver Star and Sherman the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for their actions, with Lt. Cdr. Sherman’s duty as a flight surgeon including the truly awful task of identifying and “burying” (at sea) very many of the ship’s fallen, not a few of whom he knew personally.  He also discusses his extremely difficult interaction with the carrier’s Air Group Commander – the man doesn’t come across too well! – who is left unnamed in his story. 

These are the only Jewish crewmen who served on the Franklin whose recollections of that awful day have – as far as I know – been recorded and preserved.

Lt. Cdr. Sherman’s account, which appears at the website of the Naval History and Heritage Command under the heading “Oral Histories – Attacks on Japan, 1945”, with the title “Recollections of LCDR Samuel Robert Sherman, MC, USNR, Flight Surgeon on USS Franklin (CV-13) when it was heavily damaged by a Japanese bomber near the Japanese mainland on 19 March 1945”, was adapted from: “Flight Surgeon on the Spot: Aboard USS Franklin, 19 March 1945,” which was published in the July-August, 1993 (V 84 N 4), issue of Navy Medicine (pp. 4-9).  

This (I-assume-1945-ish?) photo, which appears on the cover of Navy Medicine, shows Lt. Cdr. Sherman receiving the Navy Cross.  (Photo c/o The National Museum of American Jewish Military History.) …

… while this portrait of a very civilian Dr. Sherman appears in the June, 1962, issue of California Medicine, in an article announcing Dr. Sherman’s April 17, 1962, election as President of the California Medical Association.

Here’s a verbatim transcript of Dr. Sherman’s story:

I joined the Navy the day after Pearl Harbor.  Actually, I had been turned down twice before because I had never been in a ROTC [Reserve Officer Training Corps – located at many colleges to train students for officer commissions] reserve unit.  Since I had to work my way through college and medical school, I wasn’t able to go to summer camp or the monthly week end drills.  Instead, I needed to work in order to earn the money to pay my tuition.  Therefore, I could never join a ROTC unit.

When most of my classmates were called up prior to Pearl Harbor, I felt quite guilty, and I went to see if I could get into the Army unit.  They flunked me.  Then I went to the Navy recruiting office and they flunked me for two minor reasons.  One was because I had my nose broken a half dozen times while I was boxing.  The inside of my nose was so obstructed and the septum was so crooked that the Navy didn’t think I could breathe well enough.  I also had a partial denture because I had lost some front teeth also while boxing.

[An observation:  Dr. Sherman’s comments about what seems to have been his extensive experience in boxing are intriguing, for they prompt the question of why someone with his academic background and social status – they had a private airport – would deign to pursue the sport so ardently, to the point of repeated physical injury.  To this question I can offer two answers: 1) Samuel Sherman (before he became Dr. Sherman) simply had an innate interest in the sport, and 2) Born in San Francisco in 1906 and a resident of that city, perhaps Samuel Sherman became a boxer – as was not uncommon among Jewish men in American urban environments in the early decades of the twentieth century – as self-defense in the face of antisemitism.  Which may become an imperative for American Jews once again, in this world of 2024.  And beyond.]

But the day after Pearl Harbor, I went back to the Navy and they welcomed me with open arms.  They told me I had 10 days to close my office and get commissioned.  At that time, I went to Treasure Island, CA [naval station in San Francisco Bay], for indoctrination.  After that, I was sent to Alameda Naval Air Station [east of San Francisco, near Oakland CA] where I was put in charge of surgery and clinical services.  One day the Team Medical Officer burst into the operating room and said, “When are you going to get through with this operation?”  I answered, “In about a half hour.”  He said, “Well, you better hurry up because I just got orders for you to go to Pensacola to get flight surgeon’s training.”

Nothing could have been better because airplanes were the love of my life.  In fact, both my wife and I were private pilots and I had my own little airfield and two planes.  [This was Sherman Acres , “…situated on what used to be Sherman Army Airfield, a small airfield dedicated in 1941 and used during WWII.  …  The airport was located on the east side of Contra Costa Highway and straddled present day Monument Boulevard.  Sherman Field was located northeast of the intersection of Contra Costa Boulevard and Monument Boulevard.”]

Since I wasn’t allowed to be near the planes at Alameda, I had been after the senior medical officer day and night to get me transferred to flight surgeon’s training.

I went to [Naval Air Station] Pensacola [Florida] in April 1943 for my flight surgeon training and finished up in August.  Initially, I was told that I was going to be shipped out from the East Coast.  But the Navy changed its mind and sent me back to the West Coast in late 1943 to wait for Air Group 5 at Alameda Naval Air Station.

Air Group 5

Air Group 5 soon arrived, but it took about a year or so of training to get up to snuff.  Most of the people in it were veterans from other carriers that went down.  Three squadrons formed the nucleus of this air group–a fighter, a bomber, and a torpedo bomber squadron.  Later, we were given two Marine squadrons; the remnants of Pappy Boyington’s group.

Since the Marine pilots had been land-based, the toughest part of the training was to get them carrier certified.  We used the old [USS] Ranger (CV-4) for take-off and landing training.  We took the Ranger up and down the coast from San Francisco to San Diego and tried like hell to get these Marines to learn how to make a landing.  They had no problem taking off, but they had problems with landings.  Luckily, we were close enough to airports so that if they couldn’t get on the ship they’d have a place to land.  That way, they wouldn’t have to go in the drink.  Anyhow, we eventually got them all certified.  Some of our other pilots trained at Fallon Air Station in Nevada and other West Coast bases.  By the time the [USS] Franklin [CV-13] came in, we had a very well-trained group of people.

I had two Marine squadrons and three Navy squadrons to take care of.  The Marines claimed I was a Marine.  The Navy guys claimed I was a Navy man.  I used to wear two uniforms.  When I would go to the Marine ready rooms [a ready room is a room where air crew squadrons were briefed on upcoming missions and then stood by “ready” to go to their aircraft.  Each squadron had a ready room.], I’d put on a Marine uniform and then I’d change quickly and put on my Navy uniform and go to the other one.  We had a lot of fun with that.  As their physician, I was everything.  I had to be a general practitioner with them, but I also was their father, their mother, their spiritual guide, their social director, their psychiatrist, the whole thing.  Of course, I was well trained in surgery so I could take care of the various surgical problems.  Every once in a while I had to do an appendectomy.  I also removed some pilonidal cysts and fixed a few strangulated hernias.  Of course, they occasionally got fractures during their training exercises.  I took care of everything for them and they considered me their personal physician, every one of them.  I was called Dr.  Sam and Dr.  Sam was their private doctor.  No matter what was wrong, I took care of it.

Eventually, the Franklin arrived in early 1945.  It had been in Bremerton [Washington] being repaired after it was damaged by a Kamikaze off Leyte [in the Philippine Islands] in October 1944.  In mid-February 1945 we left the West Coast and went to [Naval Base] Pearl [Harbor, Hawaii] first and then to Ulithi [in the Caroline Islands, west Pacific Ocean.  It was captured by the US in Sept.  1944 and developed into a major advance fleet base.].  By the first week in March, the fleet was ready to sail.  It took us about 5 or 6 days to reach the coast of Japan where we began launching aerial attacks on the airbases, ports, and other such targets.

The Attack

Just before dawn on 19 March, 38 of our bombers took off, escorted by about 9 of our fighter planes.  The crew of the Franklin was getting ready for another strike, so more planes were on the flight deck.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a Japanese plane slipped through the fighter screen and popped up just in front of the ship.  My battle station was right in the middle of the flight deck because I was the flight surgeon and was supposed to take care of anything that might happen during flight operations.  I saw the Japanese plane coming in, but there was nothing I could do but stay there and take it.  The plane just flew right in and dropped two bombs on our flight deck.

I was blown about 15 feet into the air and tossed against the steel bulkhead of the island.  I got up groggily and saw an enormous fire.  All those planes that were lined up to take off were fully armed and fueled.  The dive bombers were equipped with this new “Tiny Tim” heavy rocket and they immediately began to explode.  Some of the rockets’ motors ignited and took off across the flight deck on their own.  A lot of us were just ducking those things.  It was pandemonium and chaos for hours and hours.  We had 126 separate explosions on that ship; and each explosion would pick the ship up and rock it and then turn it around a little bit.  Of course, the ship suffered horrendous casualties from the first moment.  I lost my glasses and my shoes.  I was wearing a kind of moccasin shoes.  I didn’t have time that morning to put on my flight deck shoes and they just went right off immediately.  Regardless, there were hundreds and hundreds of crewmen who needed my attention.

Medical Equipment

Fortunately, I was well prepared from a medical equipment standpoint.  From the time we left San Francisco and then stopped at Pearl and then to Ulithi and so forth, I had done what we call disaster planning.  Because I had worked in emergency hospital service and trauma centers, I knew what was needed.  Therefore, I had a number of big metal containers, approximately the size of garbage cans, bolted down on the flight deck and the hangar deck.  These were full of everything that I needed–splints, burn dressings, sterile dressings of all sorts, sterile surgical instruments, medications, plasma, and intravenous solutions other than plasma.  The most important supplies were those used for the treatment of burns and fractures, lacerations, and bleeding.  In those days the Navy had a special burn dressing which was very effective.  It was a gauze impregnated with Vaseline and some chemicals that were almost like local anesthetics.  In addition to treating burns, I also had to deal with numerous casualties suffering from severe bleeding; I even performed some amputations.

Furthermore, I had a specially equipped coat that was similar to those used by duck hunters, with all the little pouches.  In addition to the coat, I had a couple of extra-sized money belts which could hold things.  In these I carried my morphine syrettes and other small medical items.  Due to careful planning I had no problem whatsoever with supplies.

I immediately looked around to see if I had any corpsmen [Hospital Corpsman is an enlisted rating for medical orderlies] left.  Most of them were already wounded, dead, or had been blown overboard.  Some, I was later told, got panicky and jumped overboard.  Therefore, I couldn’t find any corpsmen, but fortunately I found some of the members of the musical band whom I had trained in first aid.  I had also given first-aid training to my air group pilots and some of the crew.  The first guy I latched onto was LCDR MacGregor Kilpatrick, the skipper of the fighter squadron.  He was an Annapolis graduate and a veteran of the[USS] Lexington (CV-2) and the [USS] Yorktown (CV-5) with three Navy Crosses.  He stayed with me, helping me take care of the wounded.

I couldn’t find any doctors.  There were three ship’s doctors assigned to the Franklin, CDR Francis (Kurt) Smith, LCDR James Fuelling, and LCDR George Fox.  I found out later that LCDR Fox was killed in the sick bay by the fires and suffocating smoke.  CDR Smith and LCDR Fuelling were trapped below in the warrant officer’s wardroom, and it took 12 or 13 hours to get them out.  That’s where LT Donald Gary got his Medal of Honor for finding an escape route for them and 300 men trapped below.  Mean while, I had very little medical help.

Finally, a couple of corpsmen who were down below in the hangar deck came up once they recovered from their concussions and shock.  Little by little a few of them came up.  Originally, the band was my medical help and what pilots I had around.

Evacuation Efforts

I had hundreds and hundreds of patients, obviously more than I could possibly treat.  Therefore, the most important thing for me to do was triage.  In other words, separate the serious wounded from the not so serious wounded.  We’d arranged for evacuation of the serious ones to the cruiser [USS] Santa Fe (CL-60) which had a very well-equipped sick bay and was standing by alongside.

LCDR Kilpatrick was instrumental in the evacuations.  He helped me organize all of this and we got people to carry the really badly wounded.  Some of them had their hips blown off and arms blown off and other sorts of tremendous damage.  All together, I think we evacuated some 800 people to the Santa Fe.  Most of them were wounded and the rest were the air group personnel who were on board.

The orders came that all air group personnel had to go on the Santa Fe because they were considered nonexpendable.  They had to live to fight again in their airplanes.  The ship’s company air officer of the Franklin came up to LCDR Kilpatrick and myself as we were supervising the evacuation between fighting fires, taking care of the wounded, and so forth.

He said, “You two people get your asses over to the Santa Fe as fast as you can.” LCDR Kilpatrick, being an [US Naval Academy at] Annapolis [Maryland] graduate, knew he had to obey the order, but he argued and argued and argued.  But this guy wouldn’t take his arguments.

He said, “Get over there.  You know better.” Then he said to me, “You get over there too.”

I said, “Who’s going to take care of these people?”

He replied, “We’ll manage.”

I said, “Nope.  All my life I’ve been trained never to abandon a sick or wounded person.  I can’t find any doctors and I don’t know where they are and I only have a few corpsmen and I can’t leave these people.”

He said, “You better go because a military order is a military order.”

I said, “Well what could happen to me if I don’t go?”

He answered, “I could shoot you or I could bring court-martial charges against you.”

I said, “Well, take your choice.” And I went back to work.

As MacGregor Kilpatrick left he told me, “Sam, you’re crazy!”

Getting Franklin Under Way

After the Air Group evacuated, I looked at the ship, I looked at the fires, and I felt the explosions.  I thought, well, I better say good-bye right now to my family because I never believed that the ship was going to survive.  We were just 50 miles off the coast of Japan (about 15 minutes flying time) and dead in the water.  The cruiser [USS] Pittsburgh (CA-72) was trying to get a tow line to us, but it was a difficult job and took hours to accomplish.

Meanwhile, our engineering officers were trying to get the boilers lit off in the engine room.  The smoke was so bad that we had to get the Santa Fe to give us a whole batch of gas masks.  But the masks didn’t cover the engineers’ eyes.  Their eyes became so inflamed from the smoke that they couldn’t see to do their work.  So, the XO [Executive Officer, the ship’s second-in-command] came down and said to me, “Do you know where there are any anesthetic eye drops to put in their eyes so they can tolerate the smoke?”

I said, “Yes, I know where they are.” I knew there was a whole stash of them down in the sick bay because I used to have to take foreign bodies out of the eyes of my pilots and some of the crew.

He asked, “Could you go down there (that’s about four or five decks below), get it and give it to the engineering officer?”

I replied, “Sure, give me a flash light and a guide because I may not be able to see my way down there although I used to go down three or four times a day.”

I went down and got a whole batch of them.  They were in eyedropper bottles and we gave them to these guys.  They put them in their eyes and immediately they could tolerate the smoke.  That enabled them to get the boilers going.

Aftermath

It was almost 12 or 13 hours before the doctors who were trapped below were rescued.  By that time, I had the majority of the wounded taken care of.  However, there still were trapped and injured people in various parts of the ship, like the hangar deck, that hadn’t been discovered.  We spent the next 7 days trying to find them all.

I also helped the chaplains take care of the dead.  The burial of the dead was terrible.  They were all over the ship.  The ships’ medical officers put the burial functions on my shoulders.  I had to declare them dead, take off their identification, remove, along with the chaplains’ help, whatever possessions that hadn’t been destroyed on them, and then slide them overboard because we had no way of keeping them.  A lot of them were my own Air Group people, pilots and aircrew, and I recognized them even though the bodies were busted up and charred.  I think we buried about 832 people in the next 7 days.  That was terrible, really terrible to bury that many people.

Going Home

It took us 6 days to reach Ulithi.  Actually, by the time we got to Ulithi, we were making 14 knots and had cast off the tow line from the Pittsburgh.  We had five destroyers assigned to us that kept circling us all the time from the time we left the coast of Japan until we got to Ulithi because we were under constant attack by Japanese bombers.  We also had support from two of the new battlecruisers.

At Ulithi, I got word that a lot of my people in the Air Group who were taken off or picked up in the water, were on a hospital ship that was also in Ulithi.  I visited them there and was told that many of the dead in the Air Group were killed in their ready rooms, waiting to take off when the bombs exploded.  The Marine squadrons were particularly hard hit, having few survivors.  I have a list of dead Marines which makes your heart sink.

The survivors of the Air Group then regrouped on Guam.  They requested that I be sent back to them.  I also wanted to go with them, so I pleaded my case with the chaplain, the XO, and the skipper [ship’s commanding officer].  Although the skipper felt I had earned the right to be part of the ship’s company, he was willing to send me where I wanted to go.  Luckily, I rejoined my Air Group just in time to keep the poor derelicts from getting assigned to another carrier.

The Air Group Commander wanted to make captain so bad, that he volunteered these boys for another carrier.  Most of them were veterans of the [USS] Yorktown and [USS] Lexington and had seen quite a lot of action.  A fair number of them had been blown into the water and many were suffering from the shock of the devastating ordeal.  The skipper of the bombing squadron did not think his men were psychologically or physically qualified to go back into combat at that particular time.  A hearing was held to determine their combat availability and a flight surgeon was needed to check them over.  I assembled the pilots and checked them out and I agreed with the bombing squadron skipper.  These men were just not ready to fight yet.  Some of them even looked like death warmed over.

The hearing was conducted by [Fleet] ADM [Chester W.] Nimitz [Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas].  He remembered me from Alameda because I pulled him out of the wreckage of his plane when it crashed during a landing approach in 1942.  He simply said, “Unless I hear a medical opinion to the contrary to CDR Sherman’s, I have to agree with CDR Sherman.” He decided that the Air Group should be sent back to the States and rehabilitated as much as possible.

In late April 1945, the Air Group went to Pearl where we briefly reunited with the Franklin.  They had to make repairs to the ship so it could make the journey to Brooklyn.  After a short stay, we continued on to the Alameda.  Then the Navy decided to break up the Air Group, so everyone was sent on their individual way.  I was given what I wanted–senior medical officer of a carrier–the [USS] Rendova (CVE-114), which was still outfitting in Portland, OR.  But the war ended shortly after we had completed outfitting.

I stayed in the Navy until about Christmas time [1945].  I was mustered out in San Francisco at the same place I was commissioned.  As far as the Air Group Officer, who said he would either shoot me or court-martial me, well, he didn’t shoot me.  He talked about the court-martial a lot but everybody in higher rank on the ship thought it was a really bad idea and made him sound like a damned fool.  He stopped making the threats.

5 June 2000

Lt. Cdr. Samuel R. Sherman (0-130988), was born in San Francisoc to Mrs. Lena Sherman on November 17, 1906.  He and his wife, Mrs. Marion A. (Harris) Sherman (4/17/13-6/24/98) resided at 2010 Lyon St. (490 Post Street?) in San Francisco.  His name appeared in a War Department Release of October 27, 1944, and can be found on page 54 of American Jews in World War II.  He received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart.  Dr. Sherman passed away on March 21, 1994. 

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As a newspaper article and therefore far more topical than retrospective, William Mensing’s Philadelphia Inquirer article about Lt. Cdr. David Berger is of greater brevity than the Naval Medicine article about Lt. Cdr. Sherman.  But, it does have an interesting point in its favor:  It features a photograph of the Lt. Cdr. with Captain L.E. Gehres, commander of the Franklin, and Lt. Donald A. Gary, who was instrumental in saving so many men on the wounded warship.

PHILADELPHIAN DISCUSSING EXPERIENCES ON FRANKLIN

The Philadelphia Inquirer
May 18, 1945

Lieutenant Commander David Berger (center), of 224 E. Church Road, Elkins Park, assistant air officer on the U.S.S. Franklin, shown with Captain L.F. Gehres (left), the carrier’s skipper, and Lieutenant Donald A. Gary in New York yesterday.

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Phila. Officer’s Story Of Ordeal on Carrier
By LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DAVID BERGER

As told to William Mensing, Inquirer Staff Reporter

Philadelphia Inquirer
May 18, 1945

On the morning of March 19, as assistant air officer aboard the Franklin, I was on the bridge of the ship.  We were operating with the Fast Carrier Task Force as an air striking force against the Japanese Fleet.

I was standing by the primary flight control assisting Commander Henry H. Hale, air officer, in launching our planes.  Many of our planes were on deck fully loaded and ready for the signal to take off.

KNOCKED TO THE DECK

Suddenly there was a terrific concussion and I was knocked to the deck.  I must have been out for a matter of minutes.  When I came to I got up and was unable to see anything around me.  Huge pillars of acrid black smoke pinned me against the “island” structure.

I managed to grope and climb to the “sky forward;” the highest part of the ship.  Smoke and flame seemed to envelope the entire ship.  There was a series of explosions that rent the air and the concussion, almost made me lose my, grip on an iron rung.

With several members of the crew I threw a line over the star board side and we slid down.

DROPS THROUGH SMOKE

There was a jump of about four feet from the bottom of the line to the gun deck, on which I landed.  The smoke was so thick that I thought I was about to fly through I space.  The thud of the deck felt good.

We landed in the midst of a 40-millimer gun buttery.  We figured it was quits.  Smoke kept billowing around us and somehow the other fellows and myself got separated.  I couldn’t get my breath.  I coughed and started to choke, when suddenly through the black a little bit of blue appeared.

SHIP CHANGES COURSE

Brother, did that blue look good.  The sky never was so welcome to anybody.  I crawled toward, the air space on my stomach and sucked in all the air I could get.  About that time the captain turned the ship around and by doing so changed the course of the smoke and saved a lot of us from suffocating.

After that as many of us as were left after the initial explosions and the all-enveloping inferno formed into volunteer fire fighting groups.  We fought the fires all that day and well into the next.

While, some were fighting the fires others formed into rescue squads to reach the men trapped below decks in various compartments.

ATTACKED AGAIN

During the second day of that living hell we were attacked again.  I was in a very uncomfortable place in the hangar deck examining the wreckage caused by the fire and explosions.  It was one mass of twisted and tangled steel and rubble.

I made my way through the wreckage to the flight deck.  We were still being attacked and, brother, it was hot.  The deck was hot from the fires, the weather was hot, everybody was hot.  I tried to crouch behind the mount of a five-inch gun.

GUN READY TO EXPLODE

It wasn’t very comfortable in the crouching position.  I turned and suddenly realized that the gun itself was smoking like the very devil and about ready to explode.  Did I clear out!

Finally the attack planes disappeared and we went back to our fire-fighting task.  The experience on the Franklin was about the worst thing I have ever gone through.  The sinking of the Hornet seemed like nothing in comparison when I look back on the whole nightmare.

PHILA. MAN PRAISED

Every member of the Franklin’s crew was a hero.  It seems almost impossible to single out any one man or group of men.  However, I can’t help thinking of the heroic work done by one particular Philadelphia boy.

He is Willie Cogman, of 1412 S. Chadwick St., Negro, Steward’s Mate, who was the Captain’s steward.  All the survivors performed innumerable, tasks in the emergency.  Cogman was one of a group of Negro sailors who, directed by Commander Joe Taylor, rigged the Franklin for tow.

LONG AND TEDIOUS WORK

It was a torturous job and took long and tedious work.  Early in the afternoon, the day after we were first bombed, Cogman and his men had the ship ready to be taken in tow by the cruiser Pittsburgh.  For his heroic efforts I am given to I understand that he will receive a Navy award.

Throughout the whole ordeal there were countless personal acts of heroism and every member of the Franklin’s crew and officers acted according to the highest traditions of the Navy.

I look forward to the day when I can get back to Philadelphia and tangle in the legal battles, but not until we get back for a final crack at those Japs.

Phila. Lawyer

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DAVID BERGER, 32, husband of Mrs. Harriet Fleisher Berger, of 224 R. Church Road, Elkins Park, was assistant air officer aboard the carrier Franklin.

He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jonas Berger, of Archibald, Pa.  A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Commander Berger is a member of the Philadelphia Bar.  Prior to entering the Navy as a Lieutenant (j.g.) in March, 1942, he served with the Alien Registration Commission.

Commander Berger is one of the survivors of the carrier Hornet, sunk in the Battle of Santa Cruz in 1942.  He is also a recipient of a Presidential Unit Citation as an officer on the carrier Enterprise, veteran of Pacific battles.

Lt. Cdr. David Berger (0-136584) was born in Archibald, Pa., on September 6, 1912, to Jonas (7/9/85-2/28/55) and Anna (Raker) (1/88-2/7/60) Berger; his brothers and sister were Ellis, Norman, Shea, Rose, and Leah, the family residing at 224 Church St. in Elkins Park, Pa.  A graduate of the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, he was the husband of Harriet M. (Fleisher) Berger, of Archibald.  The Assistant Air Officer of the Franklin, he was rescued after the sinking of the USS Hornet on October 26, 1942.  Along with the above article and photo in the Philadelphia Inquirer of May 18, 1945, his name appeared in a Casualty List released on May 22, 1945, and can be found on page 510 of American Jews in World War II.  He passed away on September 22, 2007.

References

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

Herman, J.K., Flight Surgeon On the Spot: Aboard USS Franklin 19 March 1945, Navy Medicine, July-August 1993, V 84, N 4, pp. 409

Hoehling, Adolph August, The Franklin Comes Home, Hawthorn Books, New York, N.Y., 1974

Webb, Eugene, Samuel R. Sherman, M.D., C.M.A. President-Elect, California Medicine, June, 1962, V 96, N 6, pp. 429-430

A Minyan of Six? – Jewish Sailors in World War Two: Aboard the USS Franklin (CV-13) and USS Wasp, March 19, 1945 – United States Navy and United States Marine Corps

Difficult reading…

On March 19, 1945, the most significant historical event – in terms of Allied casualties incurred during a single military action – occurred when the aircraft carrier USS Franklin was struck by two semi-armor-piercing bombs dropped from a single D4Y “Judy” dive-bomber, while conducting strikes against the southern part of the Japanese island of Kyushu as part of Task Group 58.2. 

One bomb struck the flight deck centerline and penetrated to the hangar deck, while the second struck aft and penetrated through two decks.  Due to a combination of factors – 21 aircraft on the hangar deck, many fueled and some armed; the hangar deck’s aft gasoline system remaining in operation; the presence of 31 fueled and armed aircraft on the carrier’s flight deck; “Tiny-Tim” air to surface rockets loaded onto aircraft on both both decks – the carrier endured a series of external and internal explosions (particularly on the hangar deck … a gasoline vapor explosion combined with the ricochet and explosion of Tiny-Tim rockets, the combined effects of which which left only two survivors), the ship experienced the loss of over 800 crewmen, leaving the Franklin as the most heavily damaged American aircraft carrier to survive the Second World War.

The ship was saved due to the efforts of her crew, and, the assistance of cruisers Pittsburgh and Santa Fe, and, destroyers Miller, Hickox, Hunt, and Marshall, the latter four vessels making a particular effort to retrieve crewmen who had either been blown over the Franklin’s side by explosions, or who’s jumped to save themselves from smoke and flames. 

A vast understatement, but it gives you an idea…

You can read far more about this event (and avail yourself of many historical references) at Wikipedia, from which the above account has been taken. 

The photo below has been reproduced innumerable times in print and pixels, but deservedly so, and is an apropos introduction to this post.  The image is excellent simply “as” an example of photojournalism, in terms of composition, focus, lightning, and visually capturing the dramatic entirety of a naval vessel fighting for its life.  Historically, the picture vividly shows the carrier’s post-attack list to starboard, smoke rising from the rear of the hangar deck, its damaged island, and many surviving members of the ship’s crew standing on the flight deck (at least, those able to do so).

“USS Franklin (CV-13) … afire and listing after she was hit by a Japanese air attack while operating off the coast of Japan, 19 March 1945.  Photographed from USS Santa Fe (CL-60), which was alongside assisting with firefighting and rescue work.  Official U.S. Navy Photograph 80-G-273880, now in the collections of the National Archives.”

On May 18, 1945, the following map accompanied the Times’ articles about the Japanese strike on the Franklin.  Though correct in placing the carrier’s location on March 19 as generally east of Kyushu and south of Shikoku, in reality, when the ship was struck by bombs, the carrier’s position was substantially east of that shown here…

… as you can see in the two Oogle Maps, below.  The blue oval shows the position generated by placing the carrier’s reported position in degrees and minutes into Oogle Maps’ position locator.  (To be specific, 32 01 N, 133 57 E, via Pacific Wrecks.)  Here, I’ve replaced Oogle’s “red circle and arrow” with a tiny group of blue pixels (it looks better.) …

…which also appears below, in this view at a far smaller scale.

I have more more information about the March 19, 1945 Japanese attack upon the USS Franklin, comprising transcripts and images of newspaper articles published in the Philadelphia Record, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Evening Bulletin, and (to a very limited extent!) The New York Times, plus a few videos and numerous links, here.

Of the crewman aboard the Franklin one of the oldest was Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class George Benjamin Shapiro (7083561).  The son of Benjamin Shapiro of 346 New York Ave. in Brooklyn, he was born in Vilna on May 10, 1900.  The husband of Sylvia (Hannes) Shapiro, the couple’s address (or at least Sylvia’s wartime address) seems (?!) to have been 393 7th Ave. in Manhattan, which is directly across the street (still today as much as in 1945!) from Penn Station. 

Having emigrated to the United States at the age of eight, George unsurprisingly registered for the Draft upon the advent of America’s entry in World War One, and served in L Company, 23rd Regiment, of the New York National Guard.  His WW II military service was never actually chronicled by the National Jewish Welfare Board because – as revealed in the accounts below and paralleling the lives of many American Jewish WW II servicemen – he was not (fortunately!) wounded or injured, and (c’est la vie … not that important in the scheme of things!) he simply does not seem to have received any military awards, other than the invaluable and intangible award of survival. 

He simply did his duty, survived the war, and returned to his family and civilian life, within a culture and era that have passed into history, and perhaps in 2024’s retrospect, were a historical anomaly.

(Truly, the past is indeed a foreign country.)

George died at the age of ninety four on December 17, 1994, and is buried at Sharon Gardens Cemetery in Valhalla, New York

Perhaps due to the combined circumstances of his age, survival on the Franklin, and simply having been a Jew, George was the subject of news articles in the Brooklyn Eagle (on June 17) and The Jewish Times of Delaware County, Pa. (on July 13).  Though the Eagle article is uncredited, in the context of the timing and content of the Times article, it’s obviously by the author of the latter: Ben Samuel, who penned many articles about the WW II military service of American Jewish servicemen.  The clue is straightforward:  Both articles share and present their content in an identical way (for instance, mentioning Commander (then Lieutenant) Donald A. Gary, who was instrumental in saving the lives of some 300 of the Franklin’s crew members, let alone raising steam in a boiler in extremely dangerous conditions), but with different emphasis and length.  The Eagle article also includes the only photograph of George that I’ve thus far located.   

Though the Eagle’s article was published first, it’s obviously been abstracted from the content of the Times article, which, appearing a month later, obviously represented Samuel’s original text.  Both articles address Shapiro’s very extensive sports background and his enlistment in the Navy, the content of the Times’ article paying notable attention to Jewish religious services aboard the Franklin, the implication being that there were always enough men for a minyan.  (The Jewish prayer quorum which as understood through the Tanach – Numbers and Leviticus – necessitates the presence of 10 men, regardless of social status, learning, or intellect.)  The article includes the names of some of the Jewish sailors who were among the ship’s fallen, and closes with the remarkable quote (remarkable given the universalistic, self-negating American Jewish mindset of the mid-twentieth century) that one of George’s motivations for military service was actually to contribute to the war against the Third Reich

It didn’t quite work out that way, but that did not diminish the nobility of his intent.

Here are the two articles:

“Pop” of the U.S.S. Franklin

Ben Samuel
The Jewish Times (Delaware County, Pennsylvania)
July 13, 1945

When enemy bombs struck the USS Franklin, Electrician’s Mate Second Class George F. Shapiro was in the electric repair shop.  Two-bombs had hit.  Shapiro made his way forward toward the wardroom.

There were two hundred men trapped in that room.  The bulkheads had closed automatically.  Smoke was seeping in.  The men had small hope of being rescued.

When we spoke to George last week and asked him what they did in that room, he said, “we just sat there and prayed, I guess.  Then, when the smoke was getting heavy, Lt. Gary suddenly appeared in a ‘breather.’  He took out ten at a time through the air uptakes.  When we got out we found the flight deck on fire.  I joined a fire control party.  Men trapped by the fire had to jump overheard to save their lives.  Most of them were picked up later by destroyers. Then the Santa Fe came alongside and I helped tie her up to our ship.  A gangplank was heaved across and a lot of men were ordered to leave the ship.”

George could have left the ship, but he and many others stayed aboard the Franklin.

Recently, when the Franklin returned home, he was among the survivors.

Two years ago George Shapiro tried to enlist in the navy as an officer, but he was told that he was too old for a combat commission.  He had won five varsity letters at City College, and in the light of his athletic record, he was offered an athletic instructor’s commission.  But George at 43 didn’t feel old at all.  He turned down the instructor’s commission, and went into the navy as a “boot”.

He went to school for a while, then was assigned to the Franklin.

The crew of the Franklin used to call George “Pop.”  The nickname came about net only because of his age, but because the men used to go to him for advice all the time.  They gave him a lot of respect.  It was “Pop”, too, in the absence of a Jewish chaplain aboard ship, who used to conduct services.  Every Friday night he’d hold a service in the ship’s library.

George told us about the first service held after the bombing attack.

“It was the Friday after,” he said.  “There were just six of us there.  Some had been taken off, some we didn’t know what had happened to them.  Now we know, Ginde’s dead.  Irving Fishman (S 2-c, Dorchester, Mass.), Morris Bocheneck (SK 1-c. Brooklyn, N. Y.) – both dead.  Paul Fineberg (AM 2-c, Dorchester, Mass.), Morton Mittleman (MM 3-c, Bronx, N. Y.), Herman Tucker (SSML, 3-c) – they’re all missing.  And there are others.  But the six of us, we felt we had to hold the service, even if we didn’t have a “minyan.”  We held it on the flight deck and we were sad, but we were proud too, because somehow holding our Jewish service on the damaged flight deck of ‘Big Ben’ meant a great deal to us, both as Americans and Jews.”

George came here from Russia when he was eight years old.  He’s held a variety of odd jobs.  Once he was a street car conductor.  After he graduated from college, he played professional football for the Flatbush Giants.  When the war’s over, he wants to go into the automobile business.  He worked in that business before.

His athletic record at City College was exceptional.  He was on the varsity teams in football, polo, track, swimming and wrestling.

We asked him why he turned down that athletic instructor’s commission when he joined up.

“I didn’t like what the Nazis were doing.  I wanted to see some action – and I sure saw it!”

Franklin Crewman To Talk at War Plants

Brooklyn Eagle
June 17, 1945

Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class George P. Shapiro, 43, could have had a navy commission.  He could have remained on shore and been an athletic instructor on the basis of his five varsity letters won at City College.

Instead, the Brooklyn sailor who was “too old” for a combat commission enlisted as a “boot” and joined the crew of the ill-fated airplane carrier Franklin.  He was one of 200 men trapped in the wardroom when the bulkheads of the carrier closed after two Jap bombs struck her decks.

If it hadn’t been for the heroism of Lt. Donald A. Gary of Oakland, Cal., who rescued the men through the ventilation tubing, he would have suffocated in the smoke-filled room.  When Shapiro got on deck he joined a fire-control part, and when told he could leave the ship for a rescue ship, he elected to remain aboard.

In Eight Attacks

A veteran of the invasions of Guam, Palau and Leyte and attacks on Luzon, Manila, Tinian, Formosa and the second battle of the Philippine Sea, Shapiro, who lives at 346 New York Ave., is about to tour the country to address workers.  The trip will be a memorial to the buddies lost in the Franklin attack.

Since there wasn’t a Jewish chaplain aboard the ship, Shapiro, who was called “Pop” by the other sailors, conducted services Friday nights.

“There was only six of us at the first service after the attack,” he remembered.  “We didn’t know what had happened to the others then.  Now we know.  They were dead or missing.  We didn’t have a minyan (religious quorum) but we held the service anyway – on the damaged flight deck of “Big Ben”.

Shapiro served in the army during the first World War, but the armistice was declared while he was a student in Pre-Officers Training School.  He was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps at college and served in the New York State Guard.

At City College he was renowned as that athletic rarity, the “five-letter man”.  He was captain of the varsity polo team, acting captain of the football team, captain of the U.S. Volunteer Life-Saving Corps and member of the track and wrestling teams.  This record, combined with the fact that he was president of his freshman and junior classes, the school’s athletic association and “Soph Skull,” honorary fraternity, influenced his naval classification board to list him as officer material this time.  They wouldn’t make him a combat officer and he chose to be a seaman.

Shapiro was recently engaged to Sylvia Hannes of 1504 Sheridan Ave.  After the war he expects to return to selling insurance.

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These three documents from George’s life are from Ancestry.com.

Here’s George’s WW I Draft Registration Card, showing that as on September 12, 1918, he was a Columbia University student, enrolled in the Student Army Training Corps (SATC), and residing in a place known as Brooklyn.

This is George’s WW I New York State Abstract of Military Service card.  Cards of this format were used to record data for servicemen in other states.  But, I don’t know if such cards were used by all states for this purpose, but to their uncertain absence from Ancestry, or – if they exist – their inaccessibility.

Moving ahead in time, here’s George’s WW II Draft Card, I think categorized at Ancestry.com as an “old man’s” draft registration card.  By now, George was in his early 40s. Note that his employer was the Equitable Life Insurance Company, a profession to which he spoke of returning, within Ben Samuel’s article.  Did he postwar?  I don’t know!

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In much the same format as I’ve presented information about the military service of Jews in the Second (and First…) World War, below are records of the names of Jewish sailors and officers aboard the Franklin on March 19, 1945.  Killed in action first, then wounded, and finally, those who emerged from the terrible day unhurt.  What’s immediately noticeable in all but a very few cases (those of S2C Abraham J. Barbash – who could’ve emerged from a Damon Runyon story – and Lt. Cmdrs. Berger and Sherman, both of whom feature in another post), is the real absence of substantive information about them, “as people”.  The degree of physical destruction that occurred on the carrier eventuated in the complete obliteration of personal possessions – particularly letters, photographs, and documents – that might in “normal” circumstances have been returned to their families, and thus have preserved in time at least a faded impression of their personas. 

As before, the names of many of these men, especially the wounded, never appeared in American Jews in World War II.    

Of particular note are the names of Ginde, Fishman, Bockenek, Fineberg, Mittleman, and Tucker, all of whom figured centrally in Ben Samuel’s article, as having been regular members of Friday minyans on the Franklin. 

So, all that is left is their names, which in the fullness of time is true for all men, however high or low.  

Or, as stated by Rabbi Shimon in Pirke Avot (The Ethics of the Fathers), Chapter Four, Verse Thirteen: “There are three crowns – the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood and the crown of sovereignty – but the crown of good name surmounts them all.”  (זָדוֹן. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, שְׁלֹשָׁה כְתָרִים הֵן: כֶּֽתֶר תּוֹרָה, וְכֶֽתֶר כְּהֻנָּה, וְכֶֽתֶר מַלְכוּת, וְכֶֽתֶר שֵׁם טוֹב עוֹלֶה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן.)

Killed in Action

For those who lost their lives on this date…
Monday, March 19, 1945 / 5 Nisan 5705
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –
…Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím
May his soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life.

Fallen of the USS Franklin
Commemorated at
Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii

Barbash, Abraham Jacob, S2C (Seaman), 8108675
Mrs. Minnie (Berkowitz) Barbash (wife), 940 Tiffany St., Bronx, N.Y.
Rabbi and Mrs. Aaron (4/25/80 (1883?) – 1/7/46) and Esther (Seslofsky) (8/15/84-6/13/64) Barbash (parents)
Anna, Leon, and Sylvia (sisters and brother)
2475 85th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born Bronx, N.Y., 7/9/12
King Solomon Memorial Park, Clifton, N.J. – First Soroker Bessarabier in Jerusalem Section
Casualty List 5/10/45
The Franklin Comes Home – 39
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

This photo of Seaman Barbash’s commemorative matzeva, from FindAGrave, is by dalya d

“S/2C Abe Barbash, from Tremont Avenue in the Bronx, was one of the others caught on the fantail.  Abe, famed among his shipmates for running an almost nonstop (except when on duty) poker game in the laundry and quite advantageously, had never learned to swim, else he might have graduated from quartermaster school.  He also possessed an unconquerable fear of heights.  When a young seaman with both arms broken was carried out of the hangar area onto the fantail, Abe took off his own life jacket and laced it around the injured youth, who was lowered into the sea away from the explosions on the fantail.  Abe then decided, in view of his lack of swimming ability, that he’d better locate another life jacket, even though he might not be able to muster sufficient courage to jump into the sea.  He returned inside the hangar deck – and directly into the explosion of a 500-pound bomb.  As a buddy would recall, “Not even his dog tags were ever found.”” – From “The Franklin Comes Home”

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Berkowitz, Philip Alfred, COX (Coxswain), 2023661
Mr. and Mrs. Michael (11/25/98-4/15/72) and Ethel Marion (James) (7/26/02-3/12/73) Berkowitz (parents)
26 Lewis St., Medford, Ma.
Born Boston, Ma., 6/27/24
American Jews in World War II – 150

Bochenek, Morris, SK2C (Storekeeper), 7101788
Mrs. Sylvia Simon Bochenek (wife), 5516 12th Ave. / 1163 45th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. Hyman (12/26/83-3/14/43) and Sera (Goodman) (1881-11/16/57) Bochenek (parents)
Abraham Boshnack (brother) (4/25/06-10/26/91)
5516 12th Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born Brooklyn, N.Y., 7/22/14
Casualty List 5/10/45
American Jews in World War II – 281

Fineberg, Paul Matthew, AM2C (Aviation Metalsmith), 2025182
Mr. Louis Meyer (9/12/99-12/10/76) Fineberg (father), 486 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester, Ma.
Born Revere, Ma., 12/24/23
American Jews in World War II – 157

Fishman, Irving, S2C (Seaman), 5790445
Mr. and Mrs. Henry and Lillian Fishman (parents); Donald (brother), 7 Irma St., Dorchester, Ma.
Born 1926?
American Jews in World War II – 157

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Geller, Herbert, PhM3C (Pharmacist’s Mate), 8110314
Mrs. Gussie Geller (mother) (1892-5/28/67), 176 Varet St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born Brooklyn, N.Y., 12/16/21
Casualty List 5/10/45
American Jews in World War II – 319

This photo of Gussie Geller’s matzeva, which commemorates her son Herbert, at FindAGrave, is by Brooke Schreier Ganz

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Gindi, Jacob “Jack”, S2C (Seaman), 7118530
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac (1893-2/1/31) and Rachael (Dweck) Gindi (10/22/08-4/23/99) (parents)
Estelle, Ralph, and Sam (sister and brothers)
587 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y. (1930 address is 587 Bay Parkway)
Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Edward (1/15/03-?) and Renee (“Renee Rachel”) (Dweck) Shamosh (step-father and mother) (10/22/05 (or 10/22/08)) – 4/23/99) (married 10/4/22)
Edward S., Joseph S., and Robert S. (half-brothers)
5729 6th St., Washington, D.C.
Born Brooklyn, N.Y., 10/5/26
American Jews in World War II – 76

Groll, Abraham L., S1C (Seaman), 7129183
Mr. and Mrs. Sam (1888-?) and Tsilka (Sophie) (Epstein) (1893-3/74) Groll (parents)
205 Powell St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Gussie, Molly, Morris, Nathan (siblings); Sam (father?), 180 Chester St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 1/11/27
Casualty Lists 5/11/45, 11/6/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Hoffman, Samuel, ACOM (Aviation Chief Ordnanceman), 4024449
Mr. Oscar Hoffman (father), 79 Tehama St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 4/20/11
Casualty List 5/17/45
American Jews in World War II – 346

Mittleman, Morton Joel, MM3C (Machinist’s Mate), 8107153
Mr. and Mrs. Charles (8/15/78-4/72) and Estelle (Gluck) (4/5/05-9/11/01) Mittelman (parents)
2525 Grand Concourse, Bronx, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 3/15/16
Casualty List 5/11/45
American Jews in World War II – 395

Perlman, Morris, RM3C (Radioman), 8175575
Died of wounds, aboard USS Santa Fe, on 3/23/45
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin and Mollie Perlman (parents), 882 N. Marshall St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 4/8/20
Jewish Exponent 5/4/45
Philadelphia Inquirer 4/21/45
ABMC lists as died 5/23/45 – incorrect!
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

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Steppach, David Henry, Jr., PhoM3C (Photographer’s Mate), 6409983
Mr. and Mrs. Dave Henry (4/15/87-12/22/66) and Rose (Johns) (6/17/97-9/28/80) Steppach (parents)
1333 Harbert Ave., Memphis, Tn.
Sally Ann (Steppach) Loeb (sister) (9/24/19-6/26/07)
Born Memphis, Tn., 6/11/22
Temple Israel Cemetery, Memphis, Tn. – Cremieux Section, Lot 90
American Jews in World War II – 568

This photo of Photographer Mate Steppach’s commemorative matzeva, from FindAGrave, is by Patrick Whitney

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Stern, Robert Cyril, S2C (Seaman), 6345185
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard E. (3/12/96-11/15/91) and Ruth (Lewis) (1/23/03-6/80) Stern (parents)
2801 W. Chestnut St., Louisville, Ky.
Born Louisville, Ky., 8/18/21
American Jews in World War II – 130

Tucker, Herman, SSML3C (Ship’s Service Man Laundryman), 8146740
Mrs. Clara (Kramer) Tucker (wife) (4/18/19-9/12/04), 1557 Hoe Ave., Bronx, N.Y.
Born N.Y., 1915
Casualty List 5/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 462

Zassman, Harry, S1C (Seaman), 8022679
Mr. and Mrs. Louis (6/30/87-11/24/59) and Sarah (Shine) (5/19/90-2/13/71) Zassman (parents)
73 Franklin Ave., Revere, Boston, Ma.
Mr. Louis Zassman (father), 12 Grant St., Beverly, Ma.
Born Beverly, Ma., 11/5/24
Casualty List 5/11/45
American Jews in World War II – 185

Wounded or Injured – Survived War

Balaban, Jule Israel, ART2C (Aviation Radio Technician), 6504319
Rescued by USS Pittsburgh (after having been blown overboard?)
Mr. and Mrs. Uscher (Harry) (11/15/95-5/11/66) and Rose (Finkel) L. (1897-1988) Balaban (parents)
Edward, Estelle (Stella), Jessel, Marion, and Selgene (brothers and sister)
118 North Maine Ave. / 147 Dewey Place, Atlantic City, N.J.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 11/9/21 – Died 5/8/09
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Berger, David, Lt. Cdr., 0-136584, Air Officer (Assistant), Silver Star
See more here.

Finkelstein
, Arthur Julius, S 1C (Storekeeper), 8125189

Received aboard USS Santa Fe from U.S.S. Franklin
Mrs. Sarah Finkelstein (mother), 250 Stockton St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born N.Y.., 10/22/22 – Died 12/25/10
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Levine, Eugene, SK 2C (Seaman), 7078118
Received aboard USS Santa Fe from U.S.S. Franklin
New York, N.Y.
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Liebman
, Simon, S2C (Seaman), 8160710

Received aboard USS Santa Fe from U.S.S. Franklin
New York, N.Y.
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Miro
, David Maurice (David bar Avraham), Lt. JG, 0-374322, Communications Officer

Received aboard USS Santa Fe from U.S.S. Franklin
Mrs. Bernice Marcia (Goldman) Miro (wife) (6/14/15-6/20/93); Jeffrey and Judy (children), 1501 Burlingame, Detroit, Mi.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel (1/4/82-11/15/44) and Fannie (Alden) (3/14/86-7/7/51) Miro (parents)
Lillian, Minnie, Morry, and Shirley (sisters and brother)
5430 Linwood St., Detroit, Mi.
Born Harrison, N.Y., 4/20/09 – Died 2/14/05
The Jewish News (Detroit) 5/25/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Rothstein
, William, S1C (Seaman), 7115376

Received aboard USS Santa Fe from U.S.S. Franklin
Mr. and Mrs. Harry (1901-5/69) and Dora (1902-1990) Rothstein (parents); Betty (sister), 986 Rutland Road, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 9/13/25 – Died 2/23/68
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Schlesinger
, Abraham Louis “Abe”, Jr, Lt., 0-101101

Received aboard USS Santa Fe from U.S.S. Franklin
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham L. (12/25/84-1953) and Elise (Cahn) (9/18/88-2/80) Schlesinger (parents), Gilmore Apt. # 210, Memphis, Tn.
Born Memphis, Tn., 2/18/15 – Died 9/24/97
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Serebrin, Leonard, S2C (Seaman), 8817317, Purple Heart
Mr. and Mrs. Max and Pearl (Sherman) Serebrin (parents), 601 North Cummings St., Los Angeles, Ca.
David and Edith (brother and sister)
Born Cleveland, Oh., 6/7/26 – Died 11/6/03
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Sherman, Samuel Robert, Lt. Cdr., 0-130988, Flight Surgeon, Navy Cross, Purple Heart

See more here.

Not Casualties – Survived War

Adelson, Albert, WT3C (Water Tender), 8100191, Letter of Commendation
Born Brooklyn, N.Y., 3/29/24 – Died 9/23/16
201 New Lots Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
USS Franklin Crew Commendation List
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Baruch
, David, S1C (Seaman), 7110026

American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Feldman, Hyman Samuel (Herschel ben Shmuel), S 2C (Seaman), 8530886
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Bessie (Blinder) Feldman (parents), 318 Summit Ave., Brighton, Ma.
Born Lynn, Ma., 3/20/17 – Died 11/9/99
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Friedman
, Herman Samuel, SF1C (Ship Fitter), 8124906, Bronze Star Medal

Born 1916
317 (817?) E. 175th St., Bronx, N.Y.
New York Times 5/18/45, 5/22/45
USS Franklin Crew Commendation List
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Glasberg, Irving, AOM3C (Aviation Ordnanceman), 2044659, Letter of Commendation
Died 8/31/82
USS Franklin Crew Commendation List
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Hirschberg, Saul Benjamin, S1C (Seaman), 6436672
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

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Kassover, Martin Louis (Mordechay bar Moshe), S2C (Seaman), 8106517, Letter of Coommendation
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Martha (Zlosnick) Kassover (parents), Celia and Rose (sisters), 43 74th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 4/24/21 – Died 3/16/91
USS Franklin Crew Commendation List
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

This image of Martin L. Kassover’s matzeva, at FindAGrave, is by Romper90069

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Sandler, Joseph, ACMM (Aviation Chief Machinist’s Mate), 2583242
Mr. Irvin Schaffer (friend), Baltimore, Md.
Born 1925 – Died 1999
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Schulman, Samuel, S2C (Seaman), 8151873
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Setner, Irving Jerome, S2C (Seaman), 9613842
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Shapiro, George Benjamin, EM2C (Electrician’s Mate), 7083561 – see above!

Skolnick, Seymour, S1C (Seaman), 7093448
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born 1923 – Died 1988
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Soloway, Samuel Sidney, F1C (Fireman), 7116901
Mr. Jacob Soloway (father), Jack and Jerry (brothers), 185 Hillside Ave., Newark, N.J.
Born Bayonne, N.J., 11/1/25 – Died 1/27/99
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

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Fallen of the USS Wasp
Commemorated at
Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii

The USS Wasp incurred damage from the same cause as that which befell the USS Franklin: An aerial attack.  In this case, the loss – entirely severe enough if one was among the casualties – was nowhere near the same gravity as that incurred by the Franklin, and the carrier resumed operations not long after. 

From Wikipedia: “In spite of valiant efforts of her gunners, on 19 March 1945, Wasp was hit with a 500-pound armor-piercing bomb.  The bomb penetrated the flight deck and the armor-plated hangar deck, and exploded in the crew’s galley.  Many of her shipmates were having breakfast after being at general quarters all night.  The blast disabled the number-four fire room. Around 102 crewmen were lost.  Despite the losses, Wasp continued operations with the Task Group and the air group was carrying out flight operations 27 minutes after the damage.”

Blatt, Melvin, EM2C (Electrician’s Mate), 8103051
Mr. Albert Blatt (father), 345 Georgia Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born Detroit, Mi., 7/15/23
Casualty List 5/8/45
American Jews in World War II – 278

Brust, Marvin S., S1C (Seaman), 8092779
Mr. and Mrs. Irving (?-11/16/54) and Anna (?-3/20/61) Brust (parents), Joseph (brother), 79-23 68th Ave., Middle Village, N.Y.
Born Brooklyn, N.Y., 1/31/24
Long Island Star Journal 5/7/45
Casualty List 5/8/45
American Jews in World War II – 286

Levine, Paul Harold, F1C (Fireman), 3138269
Mr. Louis Levine (father), 18027 Roselawn Ave., Detroit, Mi.
Born 1927
The Jewish News (Detroit) 4/13/45
American Jews in World War II – 193

Lippsett, Donald Michael, F1C (Fireman), 7128566
Mr. George Lippsett (father), 552 Shepherd Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born 1926
Casualty List 5/8/45
American Jews in World War II – 382

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United States Marine Corps

During Battle of Iwo Jima

(This example of the 4th Marine Division shoulder patch comes from TTMilitaria.)

Wounded in Action

Eisenberg, Sidney Seymour, Pvt., 332718, PH
1st Battalion, Headquarters Company, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division
Mrs. Phyllis Eisenberg (wife), 2056 Grand Ave., Bronx, N.Y.
Mrs. Rose Feller (mother), 68 West 94th St., New York, N.Y.
Born Bronx, N.Y., 2/1/24
Casualty List 7/13/45
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(This reproduction of the 3rd Marine Division shoulder patch is by WW II Impressions.)

Killed in Action

Norwitz, Nelson Nathan, Pvt., 829563, PH
34th Replacement Draft, 3rd Marine Division
Mrs. Nelson N. Norwitz (wife), 1729 N. Smallwood St., Baltimore, Md.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin (7/24/90-5/21/39) and Tillie (Cole) (4/12/93-7/28/68) Norwitz (parents)
Bernard and Herman (brothers)
1512 Appleton St., Baltimore, Md.
Born Baltimore, Md., 8/24/19 or 8/24/20
Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii – Plot N, Row 1, Grave 548
American Jews in World War II – 142

– Aboard the USS Franklin –

VMF-214

Killed in Action

Kuperwasser, Abraham, Cpl., 840002, Radio Technician, United States Marine Corps
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Itka (Gitla) Kuperwasser (parents), 1504 Charlotte St., New York, N.Y.
Mr. Eddie Caplan (friend?), 1416 North Mill St., Los Angeles, Ca.
Born Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland, 8/8/22
Casualty List 5/17/45
(U.S. Marine Corps History Division – Casualty Card Database and ABMC list date as 3/20/46 – one year plus one day after he was actually killed in action)
American Jews in World War II – Not Listed

Marine Detachment

Survived

Brody, Samuel Henry (Shmuel Hayyim bar Tzvi), PFC, 855237, Bronze Star Medal, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Anna Brody (parents), Orchard and Landis Ave. (northeast corner), Vineland, N.J.
Born Los Angeles, Ca., 5/8/25 – Died 5/11/00
Navy Department Release 2/16/45
American Jews in World War II – 228

Killed in Action

Segal, Leon Harry, PFC, 828085, Purple Heart
Mrs. Rebecca (Kessler) Segal (wife) (2/4/14-3/11/95), 5510 Jackson St., Houston, Tx. (Married 10/17/38)
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Nathan (1/24/79-8/22/67) and Mamie (Kaufman) (5/6/84-11/14/68) Segal (parents)
Bernard and Justine (brother and sister)
Born Nogalas, Arizona, 6/5/19 – Died 7/28/95
American Jews in World War II – 573

This photo of PFC Segal, from FindAGrave, is via Jaap Vermeer

References

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

Herman, J.K., Flight Surgeon On the Spot: Aboard USS Franklin 19 March 1945, Navy Medicine, July-August 1993, V 84, N 4, pp. 409.

Hoehling, Adolph August, The Franklin Comes Home, Hawthorn Books, New York, N.Y., 1974

Webb, Eugene, Samuel R. Sherman, M.D., C.M.A. President-Elect, California Medicine, June, 1962, V 96, N 6, pp. 429-430.

The USS Wasp, at Wikipedia

And further…

Minyan

Minyan: The Prayer Quorum, by Aryeh Citron

Why Are Ten Men Needed for a Minyan?, by Shmuel Kogan

What if the tenth guy walks out?, by Menachem Posner

Why Is a Minyan Needed for Kaddish?, by Yehuda Shurpin