USMC
VMF-222
March 1997
Pilot 1st Lt. Moszek Murray Zanger (POW, KIA)
Crashed December 5, 1944
AIrcraft History
Built by Goodyear.
Mission History
Took off from Nissan on a strike against Rabaul. At 1430, Zanger and Paulis had a mid-air collision while making a left turn over the southern coastline of Ataliklikun Bay. Zanger's plane went into a violent spin with one half of left wing tearing off. he bailed out from about 4,000' and was seen to land apparently uninjured, about 300' east of the Vudal River; and about three miles inland from Ataliklikun Bay. Paulis was able to retgain control of his plane and madeit back to base safely.
Captured and taken POW, and imprissoned at Tobera Airfield. Zero pilots Kawato, Ikeda, and Miyagoshi went down to Tobera specifically to see the pilot, as they were curious about him. The Marine Corps casualty card for Zanger states: "shot trying to escape in June or July 1945 and was buried near the Komoriyama detachment of the MPs."
Prisoner of War: Rabul, New Britain by Jose Holguin:
"In early May [1945], three new Marine airmen joined us. They were to be the last except for a New Zealand pilot by the name of Ronnie Warran who in late July, 1945, flew too low wile strafing a truck and hit the palm trees... During that time he brought us up to date on how the war had progressed up until he had gone down and also told us about an American prisoner by the name of Sanger [sic] (related to Margaret Sanger) who had been held at the same place with him, but who had been killed trying to escape."
Recovery of Remains
Post War, his remains were recovered and buried in a private cemetary in California.
Henry Sakaida adds:
"I have his Individudal Deceased Personnel File and his remains were recovered. It was noted that he had several fractures and broken bones. Under the circumstances, he would not have been in any physical shape to escape! So what happened? He attacked two guards and they beat him to death. After the war, the cover story was that he was shot while trying to escape."
References
Thanks to Henry Sakaida for historical details
"My Ten Year Search For Zanger" by Henry Sakaida, Banzai 1997
F4U
POW
