Walter Wade Swanberger
Second Lieutenant Walter W. “Walt” Swanberger was a Marine Corps pilot who flew with VMF-221.
He was shot down and reported missing in the battle of Midway on 4 June 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-7538
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
Based on circumstances of loss, this individual is considered permanently non-recoverable.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
April 16, 1920
at El Centro, CA
Parents
Walter Louis Swanberger
Nancy Belle (Wade) Swanberger
Education
Santa Ana High School (1937)
Santa Ana Junior College (1939)
Occupation & Employer
Swanberger Menswear
(Family business)
Service Life
Entered Service
April 9, 1941 (enlisted)
October 22, 1941 (officer)
Home Of Record
1130 S. Van Ness Avenue
Santa Ana, CA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Walter Swanberger
Military Specialty
Pilot
Assistant Material Officer
Primary Unit
VMF-221
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Second Lieutenant Walt Swanberger was a Marine Corps fighter pilot stationed at Midway Island in early 1942. Unlike most of his fellow pilots in VMF-221 – who were stuck with outdated F2A-3 “Buffalo” fighters – Swanberger was entrusted with one of the modern F4F-3 “Wildcats” delivered to the island in May 1942. He hurried to learn the tricks and traits of his new aircraft, while simultaneously dealing with a little bit of bureaucratic red tape: correcting the spelling of his surname on military paperwork.
Swanberger was assigned to the Midway dawn patrol on 4 June 1942, taking off at 0355 to provide cover for heavier aircraft clearing the island ahead of an anticipated raid. He was still getting used to the Wildcat; new pilots found the fighter’s narrow landing gear troublesome, and Swanberger swerved his F4F-3 #3989 off the runway while taxiing to refuel. It was just after 0500; Swanberger spent an anxious hour watching the ground crew pull his Wildcat out of the sand and check for damage. By the time he was clear to take off, the rest of VMF-221 had departed and were climbing fast to intercept an incoming Japanese strike force.
Normally, Swanberger flew and trained with 5 Division (all equipped with Wildcats), but in the confusion of his late takeoff, he was unable to find his wingmen. Instead, he attached himself to Captain Kirk Armistead’s 3 Division. One of Armistead’s pilots, 2Lt. Charles Kunz, remembered seeing “one lone F4F-3 thought to be Swansberger [sic] flying in my division.”
This vague sighting was the last time any American laid eyes on Walt Swanberger. The Wildcat failed to return to Midway, and Swanberger was reported as missing in action – a status that endured until an official declaration of death on 5 June 1943.
Burial Information or Disposition
Shot down at sea; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Walter Swanberger.
Location Of Loss
Swanberger was shot down at an unspecified point after departing from Midway.
