James Wallace Greene, Jr.
Sergeant James W. Greene, Jr. was a Marine aviator with VMTB-233.
He was shot down over Simpson Harbor, Rabaul, on 14 February 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 403889
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 19, 1923
at New Britain, CT
Parents
James Wallace Greene, Sr.
Catherine Marie (Treanor) Greene
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
July 16, 1942
at Springfield, MA
Home Of Record
17 Uncas Road
New Britain, CT
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. James Greene Sr.
Military Specialty
Aerial gunner
Primary Unit
VMTB-233
Campaigns Served
Northern Solomons
Individual Decorations
Air Medal
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 14 February 1944, VMTB-233 ordered a mission to lay mines in Rabaul’s Simpson Harbor. Dropping a Mark 12 naval mine from an Avenger required slow speed and low altitude, so planners decided to send three separate waves at one-hour intervals under cover of darkness. Group C – which included pilot 1Lt. Robert W. Sherman, radioman PFC William B. Cashman, Sr., and turret gunner Sergeant James W. Greene, Jr. in Plane #107 – departed Piva airfield at 0230 for the ninety-minute flight to Rabaul.
Unfortunately for the attackers, Japanese spotlight crews were on the alert – and “very accurate in picking up the planes and keeping them in the light.” Anti-aircraft gunners were also primed and ready, having battled two previous waves of attackers. Group C was badly mauled with three Avengers, including Sherman’s #107 (TBF-1C 24340), failing to return to base. VMTB-233 lost a total of six Avengers and eighteen Marines on the disastrous mission.
The entire crew of #107 was declared dead on 15 February 1945. Sherman was awarded a posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross, while Cashman and Greene received Air Medals.
Burial Information or Disposition
Postwar records indicate that Lieutenant Sherman survived and was captured by Japanese forces. Held as a prisoner of war at Rabaul and Tunnel Hill, Sherman reportedly died of beriberi on 28 June 1944. His remains were recovered from a grave near the Tunnel Hill camp and identified after the war. Other Marines lost on this mission were identified from Finschhafen Cemetery #5; Cashman and Greene may be among the remains yet to be investigated.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, James & Catherine Greene.
Location Of Loss
Plane #107 was lost in the vicinity of Simpson Harbor, south of Rabaul.
