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Betty Montgomery-Family
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Marine Capt Robert Woodson Marshall.
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Contact Info
Home Town Amite
Last Address Box 514 Amite, La
MIA Date Jan 20, 1944
Cause MIA-Died in Captivity
Reason Other Cause
Location Papua New Guinea
Location of Memorial Manila American Cemetery - Taguig City, Philippines
Excerpt from Henry Sakaida, The Siege of Rabaul, 1996. "After taking off from Torokina Airfield, Bougainville Island, on January 20, 1944, 11 F4U Corsairs were flying a B -25 escort mission targeting the Vunakanau Airfield near Rabaul. A division of four F4Us flown by Lieutenant Robert See, Captain Marion R. McCown Jr., 1st Lieutenant Robert Hugh Brindos, and 1st Lieutenant Robert Woodson Marshall were "flying top cover over the bombers. Just south of Cape St. George they ran into the entire 204th Air Group (42 Zeroes). The Japanese were soon crawling over them. Lt. See managed to claim two Zeroes and returned safely to base, but the other three disappeared. After his F4U went down, 1st Lieutenant Robert W. Marshall was captured by the Japanese and sent to the prisoner of war camp on Rabaul where he died the same day of massive bleeding."
MARSHALL, Robert W, 1STLT, O-020355, USMC, from Louisiana, location New Britain Island, date of loss January 20, 1944 + MARSHALL, Robert W, Captain, O-020355, USMC, from Louisiana, Manila American Cemetery + MARSHALL, Robert Woodson, 20355, POW & MPDet, HQ USMC, Washington DC, January 20, 1944, missing in action-POW + MARSHALL, Robert W., 1st Lieutenant, USMCR. Mother, Mrs. Hazel E. Marshall, Box 514, Amite, La
Body Not Recovered
Other Comments:
Prisoner of War Medal
First Lieutenant Robert W. Marshall (MCSN: 0-20355), United States Marine Corps, was captured by the Japanese after his F4U-1 Corsair was shot down over New Britain on 20 January 1944, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his death in captivity on or about 20 January 1944. Action Date: January 20, 1944 - January 20, 1944
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Northern Solomon Islands Campaign (1943-44)
From Month/Year
February / 1943
To Month/Year
November / 1944
Description The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, during the first six months of 1942. The Japanese occupied these locations and began the construction of several naval and air bases with the goals of protecting the flank of the Japanese offensive in New Guinea, establishing a security barrier for the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain, and providing bases for interdicting supply lines between the Allied powers of the United States and Australia and New Zealand.
The Allies, in order to defend their communication and supply lines in the South Pacific, supported a counteroffensive in New Guinea, isolated the Japanese base at Rabaul, and counterattacked the Japanese in the Solomons with landings on Guadalcanal (see Guadalcanal Campaign) and small neighboring islands on 7 August 1942. These landings initiated a series of combined-arms battles between the two adversaries, beginning with the Guadalcanal landing and continuing with several battles in the central and northern Solomons, on and around New Georgia Island, and Bougainville Island.
In a campaign of attrition fought on land, on sea, and in the air, the Allies wore the Japanese down, inflicting irreplaceable losses on Japanese military assets. The Allies retook some of the Solomon Islands (although resistance continued until the end of the war), and they also isolated and neutralized some Japanese positions, which were then bypassed. The Solomon Islands campaign then converged with the New Guinea campaign.
