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Ralph Leon Naundorf

Private Ralph L. Naundorf served with Weapons Company, 5th Marines.
He was killed in action near Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, on 3 November 1942.

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

Branch

Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 370506

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

June 22, 1923
at Norton, MD

Parents

Hans Paul Naundorf (d. 1940)
Nettie (Ward) Naundorf

Education

Still Pond School (junior high)

Occupation & Employer

Farm laborer

Service Life

Entered Service

January 24, 1942
at Baltimore, MD

Home Of Record

Kennedyville, MD

Next Of Kin

Mother, Mrs. Nettie Naundorf

Military Specialty

Primary Unit

Weapons/5th Marines

Campaigns Served

Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal

Individual Decorations

Purple Heart

Additional Service Details

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

The third day of November 1942 marked the third day of a combined Marine-Army push to the west along Guadalcanal’s northern coast. Ambitious planners hoped to seize the Japanese base at Kokumbona, but an unexpectedly fierce defense by the Imperial Army’s 4th and 124 Infantry Regiments inflicted heavy casualties and stunted progress. The 5th Marines faced an especially tough challenge from Colonel Nomasu Nakaguma’s 4th Infantry entrenched around the base of Point Cruz. Two days of fierce fighting, including an unusual American bayonet charge, finally trapped the surviving Japanese infantry in a constricted pocket west of the Point.

Supporting all of this activity were several halftracks belonging to the regiment’s Weapons Company. Although stymied in places by small ravines and stream beds – and by occasional mechanical difficulties like thrown tracks – these self-propelled gun mounts brought 75mm firepower to the front lines. The company lost two men killed in action during the November attack – PFC Timothy T. Donovan on 2 November, and PFC Ralph L. Naundorf on 3 November.

Muster roll of Weapons Company, 5th Marines, November 1942.
Burial Information or Disposition

Donovan and Naundorf were both “interred in Lunga area” on Guadalcanal’s north coast. The specific location was not recorded; while map overlays were supposedly produced, they were of no help to post-war search parties, and both Marines were declared non-recoverable in 1949.

Five years later – apparently by chance – Donovan’s remains were discovered in an isolated grave on Guadalcanal. He was identified and returned to his native New Jersey for burial in 1955. To this date, no identifiable trace of Ralph Naundorf has been found.

Next Of Kin Address

Address of mother, Mrs. Nettie Naundorf.

Location Of Loss

Naundorf’s regiment was engaged in the vicinity of Point Cruz.

Related Profiles

Members of the 5th Marines non-recovered from the Point Cruz action, November 2-3, 1942.
November 2
November 3
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