Killed in action at Iwo Jima 67 years ago today

[devildog34]

Walter Taranski was born April 1, 1919 to Polish parents in Detroit, Michigan. He attended school through the 8th grade and spent a year in vocational schooling in 1936. He had general math and mechanical drawing for a year as well as wood shop training. Walter earned a job as an assistance driver for the National baking company where he delivered bakery goods door to door earning $18 a week. He worked there for 5 years and when the war broke out for the U.S. in late 1941 he quickly earned a job in the rapidly mobilizing wartime economy where he began working for the Murray Manufacturing Corporation who had shifted into the wartime production by developing parts for aircraft such as the P-47 Thunderbolt and the B-17 Flying Fortress. Walther was working as an installer for the doublers on the fuselage and wings of both B-17s and P-47s. He also was installing hydraulic uplocks for the landing gears and removing and replacing faulty rivets in the plants final assembly section. He was earning a healthy wage of $48 dollars a week. He worked at the plant for a year and a half before his selective service draft notice came for the Marine Corps. On Dec. 1, 1943 Walter was inducted into the Marine Corps under the category of selective service class III. His 9XXXXX service number reflects his status as a draftee. He was sent to MCRD San Diego Dec. 19, 1943 and then sent to a Pioneer company Engineer battalion at Camp Pendleton February 9, 1944 where he was a truck driver. Six days later he was sent to Co. G 3rd Battalion 28th Marines of the newly formed 5th Marine Division. He was trained as an automatic rifleman spec number 746 as of October 22, 1944. He served in Co. G as an assistant BAR gunner. By early 1945, Walter and the rest of Company G departed Hawaii for an unknown destination until shipboard briefings revealed that they were headed to the remote volcanic island of Iwo Jima.

 

On the afternoon of February 19, 1945 as the epic amphibious assault on Iwo Jima became hours old, Japanese fire that intensified with the subsequent landing of 4th and 5th waves along the 7 landing beaches that stretched for 2 miles remained steadfast as reserve elements of the 5th Division and 4th Division landed. On Green beach, the 3rd battalion which had been designated as the regiment’s reserve battalion of the 28th Marines, came ashore about 12:45 that afternoon. The mortar fire that greeted them had not let up since that morning. The battalion was ordered into the line adjacent to the regiment’s 2nd battalion. The most intense fire of course emanated from Mt. Suribachi. It took the battalion most of the late afternoon to fight their way into position. By early evening the battalion had suffered heavy casualties. By the very late afternoon, the 28th Marines had been lined up facing south from west to east 2/28, 3/28 and 1/28. Following heavy naval gunfire support and air support, the regiment’s attack ran into intense resistance and quickly stalled out. By 5:00 that evening BGen. Leo Hermle ordered the division to consolidate the day’s gains and begin digging in.

 

The following day, the 3rd battalion of the 28th Marines began their attack on the regiment’s right and were met with intense enemy fire from a complex network of caves, pillboxes and reinforced bunkers at the foot and dotted along the slopes of Suribachi. The majority of the available naval gun support and air support were directed along the slopes and base of Suribachi seemingly with no effect to the men attacking who continued to meet an unrelenting level of resistance.

 

By the next day and following the intense resistance of the previous 2 days, the 28th Marines had succeeded in surrounding Mt. Suribachi and of course the high point fell to the Marines on Feb. 23, 1945, an action immortalized by the 2 flag raisings that took place. The 28th Marines were then redirected to enjoy the horrendous fighting taking place towards the northern half of the island.

 

By March 1, 1945, the 28th had joined the hideous fighting going on in the north at places like Hill 362 and Nishi Ridge and the Bloody Gorge. On March 7th, 3/28 led the advance through a small enemy strong point just south of hill 215 on the island’s North Western edge just north of Nishi Ridge. By late afternoon, the battalion had managed to battle their way through the heavy resistance of enemy small arms and machine guns to allow the other battalions to come up on line along the high ground which offered observation of the immediate surrounding area. While on the ridge, a steady wind blowing from the north brought the heavy scent of sulfur fumes which the regiment was afraid could be poisonous gas. Immediately the regiment donned gas masks in the wake of the alert but later discovered it was the fumes from a burning enemy ammo dump.

 

On March 9, 1945, 3/28 participated in a regiment-wide push along with Combat Team 27 (27th Marines) in an assault on the Japanese positions at Nishi Village. By March 10, 1945 the 28th Marines had advanced about 400 meters . By March 11, 1945, the 28th again attacked abreast of each other and smashed into the enemy line that overlooked a steep gorge. The regiment only gained 30 yards before it’s assault petered out at the cost of 143 casualties. The casualties for Landing Team 2/27 (2nd Battalion 27th Marines) had been so horrendous that by March 9, 1945, the battalion was no longer employable as a front-line battalion and was no longer use in such a manner for the remainder of the campaign. (Note my grandfather was with E Co. 2/27 and was hit on March 8 according to his casualty file although he swears it was March 10).

 

By March 12 the 28th Marines continued to engage isolated pockets of enemy resistance that were plentiful enough that there was very little ground gained. The enemy, perhaps more so in this northern sector than anywhere else, became fluid, moving from position to position via the vast network of tunnels and continuously escaped the nonorganic weapons of the infantry such as tanks, 37mm guns etc. The enemy was also successful in hugging the Marine lines to avoid the pulverizing effects of artillery from the 13th Marines. During the afternoon of March 12, the enemy facing 3/28 managed to annihilate two machine gun squads of the battalion and capture the guns and turn them on the Marines.

 

By March 13th the 28th Marines attacked the enemy positions along the dominating ridge following a rocket attack of 7.2 inch rockets fired from the back of tanks used by the 5th Tank battalion. 3/28’s attack slammed into the positions that had been the target of the seemingly devastating rocket barrage but found the enemy virtually unscathed and the battalion suffered heavy casualties.

 

On March 16, 1945, 3/28 along with the 26th Marines attacked abreast through some of the island’s rockiest and most irregular ground. The infantry tactics in this part of the island were purely sacrificial as the infantry advanced to draw the enemy fire in order for the positions to be revealed so that tanks could blast them with their 75mm guns or with their flame throwers. Company H of 3/28 managed to capture an enemy sergeant major who revealed that the enemy positions contained a cave large enough to house a battalion and that over 500 enemy soldiers remained as hold outs in this part of the island and the General Kuribayashi was with them. It was on this day that Kuribayashi delivered what he believed would possibly be his final message to his men: “The battle situation has come to the last moment. I want my surviving officers and men to go out and attack the enemy tonight. Each troop: Go out simultaneously at midnight and attack the enemy until the last. You all have devoted yourself to his majesty, the Emperor. Don’t think of yourself. I am always at the head of all of you.”

 

On March 18, 1945 while the 28th Marines held their position to the south of the gorge, the 26th Marines attacked in order to drive the remaining Japanese resistance out of the 800 yard long and 75 yard wide gorge. During this day, the 28th Marines repeatedly encountered Japanese who poured out of tunnel entrances leading to the main hold out and suffered several casualties. Among these was 25-year old Walter H. Taranski who was shot in the back and later died of his wounds. Other records reveal that Walter suffered a gunshot wound through the chest and later died of his wounds that same day.

 

Back in Detroit, Walter’s mother grew weary of the news of the battle of which she likely knew her son was a part of. For months neither Walter’s mother nor his wife Lois heard anything from him. On April 9, 1945, his wife wrote to the Navy Department and the Commandant that she had heard nothing from Walter for 4 ½ months nor had she seen his name on any casualty lists. “I am terribly worried,” wrote Lois, “as I feel that by this time that I should have received at least some word from him unless he has been wounded or killed while engaged in combat.” On April 13, 1945, Walter’s mother Margaret wrote a similar letter to the Marine Corps asking about the whereabouts of her son she had not heard from him in over 7 months. On April 20, 1945 came an official notice from the Marine Corps notifying Walter’s mother that he had been wounded in action March 18, 1945. It appears the neither Walter’s wife Lois or his mother was notified of his death until April 17, 1945, that Walter had in fact died from his wounds.

 

As the next of kin, Lois Taranski requested that her late husband’s remains be interred in a permanent overseas cemetery June 14, 1948. The remains were to be interred in a permanent cemetery in Guam according to the wife’s request but somehow the mother was under the impression the remains were to be brought to Hawaii for internment there. Ultimately Walter’s final resting place is at the National cemetery of the Pacific in the punch bowl in Hawaii where he remains today in Section N grave 503.

 

Rest in Peace Walter your sacrifice is not forgotten.

Semper Fi

[devildog34]

the purple heart

[devildog34]

back of the heart

[devildog34]

casualty file

[devildog34]

casualty file reverse

[devildog34]

telegram from his concerned mother

[devildog34]

Another letter from his mother

[devildog34]

Copy of the transmital letter of the purple heart

[devildog34]

Letter concerning the interment.

[devildog34]

another letter concerning his interment

[scottplen]

Very Nice Heart !!! :thumbsup:

[Dirk]

A nice medal and very well researched ....but more importantly really moving series of letters between the Marine Corps and his mother...very sad....while the medal is very nice, your write up does much to honor him after all those years....hope his mother found a small degree of peace knowing he came back "home".

[TCSchultz]

Honolulu, Hawaii, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), 1941-2011 Honolulu, Hawaii, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), 1941-2011

 

Name: Walter H Taranski

Birth Date: 1 Apr 1919

Death Date: 18 Mar 1945

Origin State: Michigan

 

I have a photo of his headstone if you'd like it, just email me at tcschultzataoldotcom and I'll send it over to you as the file is to large to post here.

[devildog34]

Walter's grave thanks to fellow forum member.

Semper Fi,

Kevin

[TrueTexan]

Devildog34,

First and foremost, thank you for your excellent account of this soldier's story. I stumbled across it in researching my uncle who was also KIA at Iwo. He was also PFC, Co G, 3/28, 5th Div, so I'm guessing my uncle (William Lewis Vestal) and Walter Taranski fought together. This is the best account of what might have happened to Lewis that I have been able to find. I did not know that about the Service Number starting with a "9", as his was, as well. He, however, was killed on 21 Feb, so he did not live to see the taking of Suribachi. He was also buried on Iwo in the 5th Marine Division Cemetery (on 25 Feb, 4 days later, so the fighting must have still been quite intense), until his body was shipped back to the States in 1948. My father and 4 of his 7 brothers were in WWII (one was in WWII and Korea, and a final one in Korea), 3 were Marines (2 Navy, 1 Army/Air Corp). One was severely injured on Guadalcanal but survived. One fought in Okinawa and then was shot fighting in Korea. I am making a trip to Saipan, Tinian and Iwo in March 2017 (and Guadalcanal in August) in their honor, and am grateful for your information as I try to complete Lewis's story for this trip. I would truly appreciate hearing how you were able to get such details of the various days (were you related to him?). I'm also working to piece together the events of the uncle in Guadalcanal (Co K, 3/8). I've gotten everything I can from the ancestry site but some records/Muster Rolls are missing. If you have any further information or know of any resources I can use to get more specific information about my uncles or their units, I would really appreciate your letting me know. If not, then I thank you again for this post. Next time I'm at the Punchbowl, I will look for Walter's grave and pay him my respect. And my respect and gratitude to you for your service as well.

S/F

[devildog34]

True Texan, I Sent you a PM