Arthur Erwin Wende
PFC Arthur E. Wende served with Baker Company, First Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 22 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 35658
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
October 18, 1923
at Hayward, WI
Parents
George F. J. Wende
Ella (Hoeppner) Wende (d. 1942)
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Park attendant
Wende’s Resort (family business)
Service Life
Entered Service
January 12, 1942
Milwaukee, WI
Home Of Record
Wende’s Resort
Hayward, WI
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. George Wende
Military Specialty
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Primary Unit
B/1/2nd Marines
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Wende served with Company B, First Battalion, 2nd Marines during the invasion of Tarawa. His battalion constituted the regimental reserve, and was ordered to land against heavy opposition at Beach Red 2 on the morning of 20 November 1943.
Wende survived the initial landings, followed by two days of intense combat on the western end of Betio. On 22 November, however, he suffered a fatal gunshot wound in the forehead. No further details of his death are known.
Burial Information or Disposition
PFC Wende’s body was recovered from the battlefield and buried in a trench near Green Beach. This location – known as “2nd Marines Cemetery #1” or “Cemetery C” – contains the bodies of at least thirteen individuals, and perhaps more. However, the cemetery was not found by the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company, and it is still undiscovered today.
If casualty reports are correct, when Cemetery C is found, the remains of PFC Arthur Wende should be located in Grave #1.
Next Of Kin Address
Wende’s Resort was located on the Chippewa Flowage, about twenty miles outside of Hayward, Wisconsin.
Location Of Loss
PFC Wende was killed in action and buried in the vicinity of Green Beach.