Daniel George Weinbrecht, Jr.

Private Daniel G. “Bud” Weinbrecht, Jr., served with Love Company, Third Battalion, 6th Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal on 22 January 1943.

Branch

Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 406161

Current Status

Remains Not Recovered

Pursuit Category

The DPAA has not publicized this information.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

November 26, 1921
in Indianapolis, IN

Parents

Daniel George Weinbrecht, Sr.
Luella May (Grant) Weinbrecht (d. 1937)

Education

George Washington High School

Occupation & Employer

Link-Belt Manufacturing

Service Life

Entered Service

June 10, 1942
at Indianapolis, IN

Home Of Record

1049 South Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, IN

Next Of Kin

Father, Mr. Daniel Weinbrecht Sr.

Military Specialty

Individual Decorations

Purple Heart

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

The 6th Marine Regiment (Reinforced) arrived at Guadalcanal on 4 January 1943. After a week of acclimating and scouting, they were attached to the Combined Army and Marine (CAM) Division and moved into forward reserve positions. Over the next few days, they gradually relieved other combat units exhausted by the XIV Corps offensive to drive the last remaining Japanese forces off the island.

On 22 January, the CAM division launched a full-scale assault aimed at Kokumbona, with the Marines moving along Guadalcanal’s north coast. Little resistance was met at first, but as 3/6th Marines tried to scale Hill 94, Japanese troops concealed in a ravine opened fire with machine guns and anti-tank weapons. The firefight lasted several hours and ultimately held up 3/6 about 400 yards from their starting point.

The battalion reported seventeen men wounded during the day’s advance, and four killed in action. Among the dead was Private Daniel G. Weinbrecht of Indianapolis, Indiana. According to Private Henry Szewczyk of L/3/6, more Marines might have become casualties if not for Weinbrecht’s actions. In April 1943, he penned a letter to his fallen friend’s family.

Dear Sir

I'm glad you wrote inquiring about Dan because it settled a question which I've been thinking about for a long time. As Dan was the best buddy I ever had, I should have written about what a swell guy he was, and then I thought maybe the letter would make you feel worse about it.

You have all the reason in the world to be proud of Dan. He died a REAL HERO. A Jap sniper shot him while he was saving the life of another marine. It all happened on Guadalcanal, Jan. 23 [sic] as we were advancing over a grassy knoll. Jap machine guns and snipers opened up on us. Many of our men got hit and the rest of us laid low and returned their fire. We were in this trap for four hours and the hot sun was getting the best of us.

The men were passing out with the heat and had to be carried out to the shade or be left to die. The boy next to Dan couldn't stand it any longer and passed out. Dan knew what would happen if he was left lying in the sun. He stopped firing and started to drag him to safety. In doing so, he exposed himself to a sniper and was shot. He didn't suffer a bit – he died instantly.

Danny was liked by everyone. The day he was killed, his corporal cried. I can't tell you how much I've missed him. I knew him since the day we left Indianapolis. He was my buddy in boot camp, and we always went out together on liberty. We planned on what we were going to do when we got back. He wanted to marry Virginia more than anything else. There never was a marine as true to a girl as he was. It must have been a great shock to you when you got the news, but I'm sure you're very proud of him!

Pvt. Henry Szewczyk

L/3/6th Marines

Burial Information or Disposition

According to casualty reports, Weinbrecht’s body was buried in the field on the following day. His grave was marked on a map overlay that correlated with coordinates (67.1-201.55) on the standard Map 104 of Guadalcanal’s northern coast. Unfortunately, this location could not be located by post-war searchers.