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Question regarding date of death of WWII casualty


siege1863
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I am researching a WWII casualty. The man was a member of the 148th IR of the 37th ID and was killed in the fighting around Munda on the Island of New Georgia. According to the ABMC, he died July 28, 1943. I just purchased a great book on the Munda campaign and there are many references to the 148th IR and the fighting. Problem is that I am not certain on which day he was killed.

 

Would the July 28 death date attributed by the War Department be the same July 28 date in the battle accounts and in the book? Because New Georgia is on the other side of the International Dateline, in the US, the soldier died July 27. If the author use dates from official records, would these records not reflect the dates in the theater? This would seem logical. But, this brings us back to the question of which date the War Department uses--theater or US? If the death date is US-based, then he died in fighting that took place on July 29, in theater. The book shows significant action on all three days.

 

In the course of my other research on Mississippi WWII casualties, I have seen this same problem. Official records show one date and the headstone on the grave back in Mississippi differs by one day! Sometimes the death notice in the local paper will reflect the one day difference as well. In all instances that I can recall, this is seen for men who fought in the Pacific, CBI, etc.

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