This Military Service Page was created/owned by
CWO3 Manuel (Manny) Vizinho
to remember
Marine PFC George Balmer.
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Contact Info
Last Address 1527 Euterpe St. New Orleans, LA
MIA Date Mar 04, 1945
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Unknown, Not Reported
Location Japan
Location of Memorial Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii
Service numberĀ 331237
The 3rd Tank Battalion was formed during World War II on 16 September 1942. Arriving on the island on 20 February 1945, the battalion played an important role in the capture of Iwo Jima. PFC Balmer was killed on March 4, 1945.
Western Pacific Campaign (1944-45)/Battle of Peleliu
From Month/Year
September / 1944
To Month/Year
October / 1944
Description The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of Peleliu, present-day Palau. U.S. Marines of the First Marine Division and later soldiers of the U.S. Army's 81st Infantry Division, fought to capture an airstrip on the small coral island. This battle was part of a larger offensive campaign known as Operation Forager which ran from June–November 1944 in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Major General William Rupertus, USMC—commander of 1st Marine Division—predicted the island would be secured within four days. However, due to Japan's well-crafted fortifications and stiff resistance, the battle lasted over two months. In the United States, it was a controversial battle because of the island's questionable strategic value and the high casualty rate, which exceeded all other amphibious operations during the Pacific War. The National Museum of the Marine Corps called it "the bitterest battle of the war for the Marines".