James Patrick Griffin
Corporal James P. Griffin was a Marine radioman and gunner with VMSB-241.
He was shot down after bombing Lakunai airfield, Rabaul area, on 12 February 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 849662
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
March 8, 1919
at Chicago, IL
Parents
John Francis Griffin, Sr.
Bridget Agnes(Sugrue) Griffin
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Royal Moulding Company
Service Life
Entered Service
May 14, 1943
at Chicago, IL
Home Of Record
Providence, RI
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Ruth E. Griffin
Military Specialty
Aviation radioman/gunner
Primary Unit
VMSB-241
Campaigns Served
Northern Solomons
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 12 February 1944, Corporal James Griffin and First Lieutenant Joyce M. Sanders flew SBD-5 #35954 on their second mission to the Rabaul area. After bombing Lakunai airfield, Sanders spotted a Japanese gunboat firing on the retiring American aircraft. “Sending his plane directly at the ship, which was bristling with guns, he strafed it from masthead height,” noted a contemporary report. This “utter disregard for his own safety” had a tragic end; the gunboat turned its fire on Sanders’ Dauntless and sent the bomber careening into St. George’s Channel, just east of Credner Island.
Sanders and Griffin were posted as missing after the mission; both men were declared dead on 13 January 1945.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Ruth Emily (Mahon) Griffin
Location Of Loss
Sanders and Griffin were shot down about 50 yards east of the Credner Islands, near Rabaul.
