Bernard Joseph Luecking

Private Bernard J. Luecking served with Baker Company, First Battalion, 1st Marines during the battle of Guadalcanal.
He was killed in action in an ambush along the Lunga River on 17 September 1942.

Branch

Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 265078

Current Status

Remains Not Recovered

Pursuit Category

The DPAA has not publicized this information.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

January 14, 1923
at Baltimore, MD

Parents

John George Luecking
Marian Ruth (Fealen) Luecking

Education

Baltimore City College

Occupation & Employer

Glenn L. Martin Company

Service Life

Entered Service

January 28, 1942
at Baltimore, MD

Home Of Record

2826 Rayner Avenue
Baltimore, MD

Next Of Kin

Mother, Mrs. Ruth Luecking

Military Specialty

—

Primary Unit

B/1/1st Marines

Campaigns Served

Guadalcanal

Individual Decorations

Purple Heart

Additional Service Details

—

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

Private Bernard Luecking served with Baker Company, 1st Marines during the Guadalcanal campaign.

On 17 September 1942, a combat patrol consisting of the bulk of B/1/1 plus supporting elements departed the Marine perimeter for a mission along the banks of the Lunga River. Their primary objective was to discover how far Japanese forces had withdrawn following the brutal battle of Edson’s Ridge. Due to a decision by an inexperienced company commander, Baker Company advanced along the dry riverbed instead of through the jungle.

As the lead elements of Baker Company rounded a curve in the river and approached a small island, they were ambushed by a half-dozen Japanese machine gun positions. A platoon-sized group was cut off from the main body, and fought desperately to escape the trap. After a few hours of combat, the patrol was ordered to return to friendly lines – effectively abandoning the trapped men to their fate.

Over the next several days, a few escapees managed to reach their company. Seventeen Marines and a Navy corpsman did not return, and were optimistically reported as “missing in action.” Among them was Private Luecking.

Burial Information or Disposition

On 25 September 1942, a patrol led by Major Marion Fawcett returned to the ambush site.

The patrol arrived on the scene of our recent engagement at about 1030.

A thorough search was conducted for the bodies of eighteen (18) men missing since 17 September 1942. Seventeen (17) bodies were found and identified by men from "B" Company.

It is the opinion of the undersigned that the body not found was that of Private Mickey A. Boschert, and that his was the body recently reported buried by members of the Raider Battalion. Counting this unfound grave, all eighteen men are accounted for as killed in action.

Due to the advanced decomposition of all bodies, it was impossible to ascertain whether or not wounded men had been mistreated or bayoneted.

Major Marion A. Fawcett, patrol report, 26 September 1942.

Due to distance and decomposition, the remains could not be moved from the ambush site and so were buried near where they fell. Major Fawcett carefully noted the location on his map and prepared a sketch overlay depicting the exact layout of the individual graves. His patrol then returned to the perimeter, where they observed a memorial service for their fallen buddies.

In October 1944, the ambush site was re-discovered by chance. Graves Registration personnel were dispatched and recovered the remains of nine men – eight of them readily identifiable. (The ninth was identified after the war as Corpsman James F. Pierce.) The other nine Marines – including Private Luecking – were not located.

The next attempt to locate the site took place in September 1947. Troops from the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company attempted to replicate Major Fawcett’s coordinates, but unfortunately were issued a different map than the one used in the early days of the Guadalcanal campaign. They conducted a vague, general search over a wide area, but came up empty-handed. Following this failure, the case was declared closed.

Today, the remains of Private Luecking and eight of his comrades still lie in their temporary graves along the Lunga River.

Note: Although all members of the patrol were likely KIA on 17 September 1942, their military date of death is recorded as 25 September 1942 – the day they were found by Major Fawcett’s men.

Memorials

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial

Next Of Kin Address

Address of wife, Mrs. Nelly Greenlee.

Location Of Loss

Approximate location of the ambush site along the Lunga River.

Gallery

Related Profiles

The Lunga patrol as described by the 1/1st Marines War Diary. Some of the missing men managed to escape the trap, but eighteen did not.

A report of the burial patrol by Major Marion Fawcett, 26 September 1942.

Major Fawcett's map overlay. Names in white were later recovered.

Map 101 – an early grid overlay of Guadalcanal in use during September 1942 – was used to plot the burial location. Later search teams used Map 104, which had a different numerical grid.

Two Baltimoreans killed just days apart on Guadalcanal. Neither Private Luecking nor Platoon Sergeant Malanowski were accounted for. The Baltimore Evening Sun, 12 November 1942.