Herbert Henry Fritzie
First Lieutenant Herbert H. Fritzie was a Marine pilot assigned to Marine Air Group 21 (MAG-21).
He was killed in an accidental crash near Efate, New Hebrides, on 11 March 944.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-24716
Current Status
Remains not recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
May 18, 1922
at Whittier, CA
Parents
Herbert William Fritzie
Alma Dora (Boldt) Fritzie
Education
Coalinga High School (1940)
Taft Junior College
Occupation & Employer
Geologist
Standard Oil Company
Service Life
Entered Service
August 22, 1942 (enlisted)
June 12, 1943 (commission)
Home Of Record
106 Grant Street
Coalinga, CA
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Rita Mae (Johnson) Fritzie
Military Specialty
Pilot
Individual Decorations
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Herbert Fritzie received his Marine Corps commission and pilot’s wings at NATC Corpus Christi in the summer of 1943. He spent the next several months at El Centro, California, training as a scout bomber pilot before deploying overseas in February 1944. Fritzie was assigned duty with Marine Air Group 21 at Efate, and began the process of acclimating to flying in the South Pacific
On 11 March 1944, Fritzie and Sergeant Edward F. Ruszel boarded a Dauntless dive bomber (SBD-5 #10978) for a routine familiarization hop. As they flew over Devil’s Point, Fritzie put the plane into a steep left turn – but the Dauntless failed to recover and went into a spin. Aircraft and crew hit the water three miles off Devil’s Point and sank immediately. No trace of survivors could be found, and both Marines were declared dead immediately following the accident.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Rita Johnson.
Herbert and Rita were married on 6 January 1944, just six weeks before he died.
Location Of Loss
Fritzie and Ruszel went down three miles from Devil’s Point, Efate, New Hebrides (now Vanuatu)
