Carl Franklin Bower
Corporal Carl F. Bower was a Marine aviator with VMSB-235.
He was reported missing in action after a strike on Monoitu Mission, Bougainville, on 18 December 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 403921
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
December 30, 1921
at Berwick, PA
Parents
Lawrence Clea Bower
Flossie Alberta (Naugle) Bower
Education
Berwick High School (1939)
Occupation & Employer
Tractor operator
American Car & Foundry Company
Service Life
Entered Service
May 20, 1942
at Philadelphia, PA
Home Of Record
1706 Chestnut Street
Berwick, PA
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Flossie Bower
Military Specialty
Aviation radioman/gunner
Primary Unit
VMSB-235
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Corporal Carl Bower was an experience Marine radioman and gunner with VMSB-235, a dive bomber squadron that participated in the campaign for the northern Solomon Islands.
On 18 December 1943, VMSB-235 launched a series of strikes against targets across Bougainville. Bower and his pilot, Second Lieutenant Robert T. Frost, Jr., flew on the day’s sixth mission with the intent of bombing and strafing Monoitu Mission. Their Dauntless dive bomber (SBD-5 35961) was last seen over the target at 300 feet, “in an uncontrolled dive.” The aircraft was not actually seen to hit the ground, but surviving flyers reported a large fire burning on the ground which they presumed to be Frost and Bower’s SBD.
Burial Information or Disposition
Both Marines were reported as missing in action following the mission, and declared dead as of 19 December 1944.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Flossie Bower.
Location Of Loss
Frost and Bower were last seen on a strike against Monoitu Mission, Bougainville.
