WWII Casualties

Casualties by Last Name

The following Reardan area service men lost their lives during World War II (Clicking on their name will bring up more information about the individual):

• Cottrell, Marion Francis
• Finrow, John H. "Jack"
• Garber, Wayne
• Harder, Frank
• Lathrom, Waldon
• Magnuson, Gus
• Mahrt, John Roger
• Mann, Joe E.
• Plotts, Phillip Edward
• Protherough, Robert
• Schadegg, Louis George
• Seeger, Arthur
• Sikkenga, Albert
• Supinger, Lewis
• Tyler, Kenneth
• Wollenberg, Fred
• Zeimantz, Jack
• Zier, Philmer
• Zwainz, Marvin

The Davenport Times-Tribune reported on the death of others that have more tenuous connection to the community.

• Robert Poole
• Walt Hopkins

Prisoners of War Held by Japanese

While not casualties, there were four men from the community that were held as Prisoners of War (POWs) by the Japanese. There was much written about the POWs generally, both at the time of their release and later follow ups. A story about Major Samuel Grashio was published in the Davenport Times-Tribune after his escape from a prisoner of war camp and resumption of his duties at Gieger Field. The Spokesman-Review published a series of articles about a POW camp from the perspective of Major Achille C. Tisdelle which memtions Dr. Harold Proff.

The following community members were Prisoners of War held by the Japanese:

• Cunningham, Cecil
• Darnold, Bill
• Hickenbottom, John
• Proff, Dr. Harold

Timeline of Casualities

1941

• December 7: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.
• December 8: John Hickenbottom, a civilian contractor, captured by Japanese as they capture Midway Island.

1942

• December 8, 1941 Japanese Invasion of Batan – May 8, 1942 Battle of Corregidor: Cecil Cunningham, 1Lt. Dr. Harold Proff , and Bill Darnold captured by the Japanese in the Fall of the Philippines. Individual capture dates are not known. [Some 23,000 US and 100,000 Filipino soldiers were captured or killed during the invasion.]
• April 18: Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.
• August 5: Lt. (J.G.) Fred Wollenberg is missing in action during the Battle of Guadalcanal in the British Solomon Islands. This was the first major land battle in WWII for the US.

1943

• March 8: Philmer Zier, a navy radioman on a bomber out of Seattle, was lost at sea.
• July 30: SSgt Arthur Seeger, in army signal corps, died.
• August 17: Lt. Robert Protherough, a marine pilot, was killed in a training accident.
• October 6: Gunner's Mate Second Class Lewis Supinger was killed in action off the Solomon Islands.
• October 26: Phillip Plotts, navy mechanic, killed in aircraft crash.
• October 30: 2Lt. Francis Marion Cottrell, son of a former Edwall Methodist minister, drowned in a training accident off Santa Barbara.
• October 30: Lt. Gus Magnuson, valedictorian of Reardan high school class of 1939, died from poliomylitis in the hospital in Santa Barbara.

1944

• January: 1Lt. Frank Harder, Army Air Corps pilot, killed in action over Italy.
• June 6: Allied invasion of Europe.
• July 22 Cpl. Kenneth Tyler, a marine, was killed in action during the invasion of Guam (Second battle of Guam) on July 22.
• July 24 Pvt. Jack II. Zeimantz, 26, was killed in New Guinea.
• September: Operation Market Garden
• September 18: Pfc. Joe Mann, a paratrooper with the 101st Airbourne division, was killed in action in the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden.
• September 28: 1Lt. Albert L. Sikkenga, an army air corps pilot, was killed over Germany.
• October 6: Lt. Marvin Zwainz, former resident, killed in France.
• October 24: Lt. (J.G.) John "Jack" Finrow, a navy bomber pilot, reportedly was killed in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Based on date, it is more likely he died in the Battle of Leyte Gulf Battle.

• October 29: 1Lt. Louis Schadegg, son of a former school teacher and a medical paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division, was killed in action in the Netherlands.
• December: Battle of the Bulge.

1945

• January 3: Ensign Wayne Garber, nephew of Charles Garber and a Navy bomber pilot, was killed while stationed in England, probably on flight mission to support Battle of the Bulge.
• March 22: Allied Invasion of Germany.
• March 28: Pvt. Waldon Lathrom, field artillery, was killed in Luzon, Philippines.
• May 8: Victory in Europe (V-E Day).
• May 27: Lt. Roger Mahrt, Reardan high school valedictorian and army air corps navigator, listed as missing in action after his plane crashed into the sea on return from a mission over Indo China [now Vietnam].
• August 6: US atomic bombing of Hirosima.
• August 9: US atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
• August 15: Victory in Japan (V-J Day).
• September: Japanese POWs John Hickenbottom , Cecil Cunningham , Dr. Harold Proff, and Bill Darnold were liberated.

1946

• April 18: Lt. Roger Mahrt, an army air corps navigator, was declared dead.