Jump to content

Taylor A. Le Sueur Jr.


tdogchristy90
 Share

Recommended Posts

tdogchristy90

One more if its okay. Supposedly this gentleman died while on a hellship in Japan, a Bataan POW. The engraving seems to be of a stamped style? Taylor A. Le Sueur Jr. Any thoughts on the heart or information on the soldier in question would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

post-13708-0-20202100-1582309871_thumb.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Name:

 

Taylor A Lesueur Jr

 

Date of Loss:

 

15 Dec 1944

 

Branch:

 

U.S. Army

 

Rank:

 

CPL

 

Service Number:

 

18032381

 

Status:

 

Missing in Action

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Service Member

CPL TAYLOR A LESUEUR JR

Army.png
  • Conflict
  • Service
  • Status
  • WORLD WAR II
  • UNITED STATES ARMY
  • Unaccounted For

On December 13, 1944, Japanese forces in the Philippines began the transfer of 1,621 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan. The POWs were to make the journey aboard transport ships whose harsh conditions and extreme overcrowding led survivors to refer to them as "Hell Ships." The ships also lacked markings that would distinguish them from any other military target, causing some of them to be attacked by Allied forces who could not identify them as POW transports. On December 14, 1944, Allied aircraft attacked the first ship, the Oryoku Maru, in Subic Bay in the Philippines, killing many Allied POWs who became lost in the water, sank with the ship, or were washed ashore. Survivors of the bombing were put aboard two other ships, the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru, to continue on to Japan. During the journey, while anchored in Takao Harbor, Formosa (present-day Taiwan), the Enoura Maru was attacked by Allied aircraft from the USS Hornet (CV-8), killing Allied POWs who were lost in the water, on board the ship, or on the nearby shore. Survivors of the Enoura Maru bombing were loaded onto the Brazil Maru, and reached Japan on January 30, 1945. As a result of these incidents, Allied POWs were lost in the Philippines, at sea between the Philippines and Taiwan, while anchored in Taiwan, at sea between Taiwan and Japan, and in Japan. The attacks on these POW transports ultimately resulted in a series of death notifications from the Japanese government through the International Red Cross (IRC), and some casualties were given up to five different dates of death at various locations during the transfer. Witness accounts from surviving POWs offer detailed information for a handful of casualties, but the specific dates of loss and/or last-known locations for many of these POWs are based on the most recent reported date of death.

Corporal Taylor A. LeSueur Jr. joined the U.S. Army from Oklahoma and was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, stationed in the Philippines during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and was interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate CPL LeSueur was killed several weeks later in the attack on the Enoura Maru; however, these reports often involve information solely furnished by enemy governments, with some casualties given multiple dates of death. Future research may determine that these reports were inaccurate. Corporal LeSueur remains were not located or identified after the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Corporal LeSueuer is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Mania American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small official impressed (stamped) naming was used late war. I have both a KIA and POW WW2 Purple Heart in this style.

 

 

Wharf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The final answer that Tdogchristy70 is looking for is that "YES," this is official "pantograph" engraving and "YES" it is probably his original KIA (MIA) issued heart. Remember, those who were MIA would have been delayed a year and a day before being declared as legally dead. As the war didn't end until August 1945, it could have been August 1946 before a final determination was made.

 

Allan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small impressed (stamped) naming on Purple Hearts like this was done from August 1945 to Approx. November 1945.

 

See: Naming Of Posthumous World War II Army Purple Hearts by Kurt Stauffer and Frank Smith, OMSA Journal, November, 1995.

 

 

 

Wharf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...