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Casualty Info
Home Town Sevierville, TN
Last Address Sevierville, TN
Casualty Date Oct 25, 1944
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery and Memorial - Manila, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates (cenotaph)
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
At 07:40 on October 25, 1944, during the fighting in Leyte Gulf, "Taffy 1" was jumped by land-based planes from Davao in the first deliberate suicide attack of the war. The first one crashed into USS Santee; and, 30 seconds later, USS Suwannee splashed a kamikaze during his run on USS Petrof Bay. Her gunners soon shot down another enemy plane, then bore down on a third circling in the clouds at about 8,000 ft (2,400 m). They hit the enemy, but he rolled over, dove at Suwannee and crashed into her at 0804 about 40 ft (12 m) forward of the after elevator, opening a 10 ft (3.0 m) hole in her flight deck. His bomb compounded the fracture when it exploded between the flight and hangar decks, tearing a 25 ft (7.6 m) gash in the latter and causing a number of casualties.
SK2 Tritt was listed as missing in action after the attack and was later declared dead.
Comments/Citation:
Service number: 6400707
The information contained in this profile was compiled from various internet sources.
Marshall Islands Operation (1944)/Battle of Roi-Namur Island
From Month/Year
February / 1944
To Month/Year
February / 1944
Description Japan took over in 1914 and colonised the Marshalls extensively, developing and fortifying large bases on many of the islands. Roi-Namur was the target of the U.S. 4th Marine Division in the Battle of Kwajalein, in February 1944. During the Japanese occupation, the two islands were connected by a narrow neck of land and causeway. After the American occupation, US Navy SeaBees filled the area between the islands by December 1944; the two islands are now joined are presently called Roi-Namur with a total area of about one square mile.
