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NAME Herman Henry Spoede, Jr. |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER O-13697 |
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| UNIT VMF-213 Pilot |
HOME OF RECORD San Antonio, TX |
NEXT OF KIN Parents, Lt. Col. Herman Sr. & Bessie Spoede |
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| DATE OF BIRTH September 3, 1921 at Wallis, TX |
ENTERED SERVICE September 18, 1942 (commissioned) |
DATE OF LOSS July 3, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Rendova |
CASUALTY TYPE Missing In Action Declared Dead July 4, 1944 |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS First Lieutenant Herman H. Spoede, Jr., was a pilot assigned to VMF-213, a Marine fighter squadron based at Guadalcanal in the summer of 1943. He was well known among the “Hell Hawks” as the squadron’s first pilot to score a confirmed kill. On the afternoon of 3 July 1943, VMF-213 sent two flights to patrol the skies over Rendova in the western Solomon Islands. They stayed on station until dusk, then headed back towards Guadalcanal flying on instruments in bad weather. The division lead by Captain James N. Cupp “hit a turbulent thunderhead that tossed them around in the air like feathers.” Cupp attempted to radio his two pilots, but only got a response from 1Lt. Robert Votaw. Lt. Spoede was last seen heading off course in the darkness. Cupp and Votaw made emergency landings at a base in the Russell Islands and rejoined their squadron the next day. Spoede never returned. He was declared dead on 4 July 1944. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK First Lieutenant posthumous Captain |
STATUS OF REMAINS Missing |
MEMORIALS Wallis Cemetery Honolulu Memorial |
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