James Kim Efishoff
Corporal James K. “Jim” Efishoff served with Item Company, Third Battalion, 4th Marines.
He was captured at Corregidor and died while a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan, Philippine Islands, on 22 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 266058
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
December 14, 1918
at Erwin, PA
Parents
Harry Efishoff, Sr.
Ruth (Evanoff) Efishoff (d. 1935)
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
June 24, 1938
at San Francisco, CA
Home Of Record
Fort Bragg, CA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Harry Efishoff
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
I/3/4th Marines
Campaigns Served
Philippine Islands / Corregidor
Individual Decorations
Prisoner of War Medal
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC James Efishoff, a pre-war China Marine of several years service, was stationed in the Philippine Islands when the United States entered World War II. Although originally a member of the Second Battalion, 4th Marines, Efishoff was transferred in December 1941 and fought as a member of Item Company in the defense of the Philippines and the siege of Corregidor. He was promoted to the rank of corporal during the campaign.
Jim Efishoff was captured in the fall of Corregidor on 6 May 1942, and eventually wound up as a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan Camp #1, Nueva Ecija province. Unsanitary living conditions, harsh treatment by guards, and a starvation diet took a rapid toll on the prisoners of war. In August 1942, Efishoff was diagnosed with beriberi and admitted to the camp hospital. Without sufficient supplies of vitamin B, there was no hope of recovery, and the corporal from California died on 22 November 1942.
Burial Information or Disposition
Efishoff was buried in Grave 807 of the Cabanatuan cemetery, along with fellow Marine PFC Lyman Lane and eleven members of the United States Army.
| Name | Rank | Service Number | Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Efishoff, James K. | Corporal | 266058 | 23 | Unaccounted |
| Lane, Lyman L. | PFC | 290274 | 26 | Identified |
| Schermerhorn, Carl V. | Captain | O-307776 | 31 | Identified |
| Thorne, Gale H. | PFC | 6565951 | 26 | Unaccounted |
| Settergren, Robert A. | PFC | 19017435 | 28 | Identified |
| Penny, Bruce H. | Private | 14039411 | 20 | Unaccounted |
| Martin, Alex | Corporal | 6571837 | 30 | Unaccounted |
| Crouse, David D. | First Sergeant | R-740489 | 65 | Unaccounted |
| Ulrich, Ernest H. | Private | 38054475 | 26 | Unaccounted |
| Huffman, Harold F. | Staff Sergeant | R-2286380 | 48 | Identified |
| Walsh, John E. | Corporal | 6983544 | 33 | Identified |
| Hasselkus, Howard L. | Sergeant | 35015981 | 24 | Unaccounted |
| Pierce, Robert C. | Sergeant | 6825221 | 29 | Unaccounted |
Grave 807 was exhumed in 1946, and the remains sent to Manila for examination. Those that could not be individually identified – including Corporal Efishoff – were buried as unknowns in the Manila American Cemetery.
The unknowns listed above are associated with X-numbers 372 through 380, Manila Mausoleum #2.
Efishoff was tentatively identified as X-375, but not proven.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Harry Efishoff Senior.
Location Of Loss
Corporal Efishoff died at Cabanatuan Camp #1.
