This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Sgt Ryan Mahana (Alcatraz)
to remember
Marine Capt Bruce Ffoulkes, Jr..
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Contact Info
Home Town San Francisco
Last Address San Mateo
MIA Date Dec 23, 1943
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location Papua New Guinea
Location of Memorial Manila American Cemetery - Taguig City, Philippines
Lost on same day with Maj. Pierre Carnagey - Exec in 2nd tour, MIA 12/23/43 Capt. James Brubaker - MIA 12/23/43
In late December and early January, they engaged in a series of large and deadly dogfights with the Japanese over Rabaul; eight Black Sheep pilots (including Pappy Boyington) were lost in an 11-day period from Dec.23 through Jan. 3. In these final days, Henry Miller moved up to Exec when Major Carnagey was lost, and then to acting CO when Greg Boyington disappeared. A few days later, the 'Black Sheep' flew their last combat mission, and as with the 'Swashbucklers', they were broken up, and a new team was designated VMF-214.
FFOULKES, Bruce Jr, 11443, POW & MP Det, HQ USMC, Washington DC, January 11, 1946, missing-killed in action + FFOULKES, Bruce, Captain, O-011443, USMC, from California, 1946 (WW2), Manila American Cemetery + FFOULKES, Bruce Jr, CAPT, O-011443, USMC, from California, location New Britain Island, date of loss December 23, 1943
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.
