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Anthony Antonoglou

Private Anthony “Tony” Antonoglou served with Dog Company, First Battalion, 5th Marines.
He was killed in action near Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, on 1 November 1942.

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Branch

Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 368444

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Current Status

Remains Not Recovered.

Pursuit Category

The DPAA has not publicized this information.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

July 23, 1924
at Miami, FL

Parents

James Antonoglou
Ruby Bell (Brown) Antonoglou
later Mrs. Ruby Nakis

Education

Florida Industrial School for Boys

Occupation & Employer

Student

Service Life

Entered Service

December 15, 1941
at Orlando, FL

Home Of Record

531 Athens Street
Tarpon Springs, FL

Next Of Kin

Father, Mr. James Antonoglou

Military Specialty

Machine Gunner

Primary Unit

D/1/5th Marines

Campaigns Served

Guadalcanal

Individual Decorations

Purple Heart

Additional Service Details

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

On 1 November 1942, the 5th Marines opened the “Matanikau Offensive” by forcing their way across Guadalcanal’s Matanikau River. Their First Battalion crossed near the river’s mouth using footbridges built under cover of darkness, and began advancing west at 0630 hours. The first two hours passed without opposition – but the morning would not stay quiet for long.

At 0840, Charlie Company reported receiving machine gun fire from their front and right flank. Casualties mounted quickly as the Marines attempted to break through a well-camouflaged Japanese defensive line running through a ravine west of Point Cruz. Machine gun sections from Dog Company deployed to provide supporting fire, but quickly became targets themselves.

If those snipers were hot before, they were sizzling now. It was awful. We're setting up this machine gun and the place is alive with Japanese. They're popping out everywhere. They had their guns all over the place, their mortars up in front, and the shells were whizzing around like bees.... They weren't fooling. They got every one of my fourteen men, killed or wounded them.

Charlie Company lost three officers, many enlisted men, and their supporting heavy machine guns in quick succession. Baker Company was called up from reserve to assist, secured the left flank, and helped push the last 250 yards towards the first objective line. The Marines paused to reorganize from 1130 to 1230, then attempted to advance again. An entire afternoon of fighting resulted in more dead and wounded men, and no ground gained.

On the right flank near the coast, Able Company encountered Japanese troops dug into camouflaged coral bunkers and supported by artillery. Their supporting gunners were also hard hit by shrapnel and small-arms fire. While waiting for evacuation, wounded Private Leonard Baumann was shocked to see “Bonin, Kapanoske, Whalen, Wells, and others were really in a bad way. [A] few of our boys were killed. In all, ‘D’ Co. caught hell.”

Private Anthony Antonoglou was one of the Dog Company gunners killed in action while supporting either Charlie or Able Company. No specific details of his death are known.

Burial Information or Disposition

On November 2, 1942, 1/5 began to gather its dead. Of the thirty-nine fatalities reported on the previous day, nine were interred in the 1st Marine Division Cemetery. Some of these died of wounds on their way to the hospital. The remainder – thirty enlisted men – were all buried in the field. The same location was recorded for each man: “About 400 yards west of Point Cruz, about 600 yards inland from the sea, on the island of Guadalcanal.” Thirty markers in a small area must have been an arresting sight – and, one would presume, a highly visible one. Yet to this day, only seven of these Marines have ever been located, and the exact location of the rest is still a mystery.

Read more about this burial site at Military History Now.

Next Of Kin Address

Home address of father, Mr. James Antonoglou.

Location Of Loss

Approximate location of the burial site near Point Cruz.

Related Profiles

Members of First Battalion, 5th Marines KIA November 1, 1942.
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