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Cpl Steven Ryan (LoneWolf)
to remember
Marine Capt Joseph Lawson Narr.
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Contact Info
Home Town Philadelphia
Last Address Kansas City, MO
MIA Date Nov 11, 1942
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location Solomon Islands
Location of Memorial Manila American Cemetery - Taguig City, Philippines
VMF-121
Commissioned at Quantico in mid-1941. Four days after Pearl Harbor, the squadron headed for the West Coast. The forward flight echelon touched down at Guadalcanal in late September; all pilots arrived by Oct. 9, 1942. VMF-121 scored 160+ victories in Wildcats (the most of any USMC or Navy squadron) before transitioning to F4U Corsairs in June, 1943. After serving three combat tours in the Solomons, the squadron was re-organized. The new VMF-121 served at Peleliu from Sept. 1944 until the end of the war, including strikes against Yap. VMF-121 was credited with downing 208 Japanese planes.
Capt Joseph Lawson Narr, Ace pilot with 8 confimed kills, was declared Missing In Action on 11 Nov 1942.
Other Comments:
Body Not Recovered
Navy Cross
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant Joseph Lawson Narr (MCSN: 0-10336), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while serving as a Pilot in Marine Fighting Squadron ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE (VMF-121), Marine Air Group FOURTEEN (MAG-14), FIRST Marine Aircraft Wing, in aerial combat against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands Area during a period of intense enemy activity from 13 October 1942 to 30 October 1942. Pressing home his attacks against the enemy with skill and determination, Second Lieutenant Narr shot down seven Japanese aircraft during this period, thereby contributing to the security of our forces in that area. His cool courage, splendid airmanship and indomitable fighting spirit were an inspiration to all the members of his squadron and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. Action Date: October 13 - 30, 1942
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Guadalcanal Campaign (1942-43)
From Month/Year
August / 1942
To Month/Year
February / 1943
Description The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II. It was the first major offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan.
On 7 August 1942, Allied forces, predominantly American, landed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida in the southern Solomon Islands with the objective of denying their use by the Japanese to threaten the supply and communication routes between the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The Allies also intended to use Guadalcanal and Tulagi as bases to support a campaign to eventually capture or neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. The Allies overwhelmed the outnumbered Japanese defenders, who had occupied the islands since May 1942, and captured Tulagi and Florida, as well as an airfield (later named Henderson Field) that was under construction on Guadalcanal. Powerful US naval forces supported the landings.
Surprised by the Allied offensive, the Japanese made several attempts between August and November 1942 to retake Henderson Field. Three major land battles, seven large naval battles (five nighttime surface actions and two carrier battles), and continual, almost daily aerial battles culminated in the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in early November 1942, in which the last Japanese attempt to bombard Henderson Field from the sea and land with enough troops to retake it was defeated. In December 1942, the Japanese abandoned further efforts to retake Guadalcanal and evacuated their remaining forces by 7 February 1943 in the face of an offensive by the US Army's XIV Corps, conceding the island to the Allies.
The Guadalcanal campaign was a significant strategic combined arms victory by Allied forces over the Japanese in the Pacific theatre. The Japanese had reached the high-water mark of their conquests in the Pacific, and Guadalcanal marked the transition by the Allies from defensive operations to the strategic offensive in that theatre and the beginning of offensive operations, including the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and Central Pacific campaigns, that resulted in Japan's eventual surrender and the end of World War II.
