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| USN USS Randolph (CV-15) VF-16  USN 1945 |
Pilot Ensign John J. Hantschel, O--378349 (MIA / POW, died August 6, 1945) WI Crashed July 25, 1945 Aircraft History Built by Grumman as Model G-50 in Bethpage, New York. Delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as F6F-5 Hellcat bureau number 77934. Wartime History Assigned USS Randolph (CV-15), Carrier Air Group 16 (CAG-16), Fighting Squadron 16 (VF-16). No known nickname or nose art. No known nickname or nose art. Wartime History On July 25, 1945 took off from the USS Randolph (CV-15) pilot Ensign John J. Hantschel on a mission against Shikoku Island. Fate of the Pilot Hantschel was captured by the Japanese and became a Prisoner Of War (POW) and transported to Chugoku Kempei Tai Headquarters at Hiroshimia. On August 6, 1945 the building was near the epicenter of the atomic bomb and he was killed by the blast. Memorials Hantschel was officially declared dead on July 26, 1946. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and Purple Heart, posthumously. Hantschel is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the tablets of the missing. In 1999, a Memorial For U.S. POWs killed by the atomic bomb was placed at the site of the former headquarters by the efforts and personal funds of Hiroshima resident, and A-bomb survivor and historian Mr. Shigeaki Mori. References Navy Serial Number Search Results - F6F-5 Hellcat 77934 American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - John J. Hantschel FindAGrave - Ens John J Hantschel (photos, news, tablets of the missing photo) Stars & Stripes "Three U.S. POWs added to roster of Hiroshima Deaths" July 17, 2009 Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated December 19, 2021 |
 F6F  POW / MIA 1 Prisoner |
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