John Robert Lantz
Corporal John R. Lantz served with Able Company, First Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 22 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 420193
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
March 29, 1921*
at Elkhart, IN
* DOB on military records.
Birth certificate states 1922.
Parents
Frank Lantz (d. 1941)
Bernice Olivia (Parks) Lantz (d. 1940)
Education
Elkhart High School (ex-1942)
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
January 20, 1942
at Indianapolis, IN
Home Of Record
113½ West Jackson Blvd.
Elkhart, IN
Next Of Kin
Aunt, Miss Agatha Russell
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
A/1/8th Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Corporal Lantz previously served at the Naval Magazine, Indian Island, Washington.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Corporal John R. Lantz served with Company A, First Battalion, 8th Marines in the battle for Tarawa.
At midday on 20 November 1943, BLT 1-8 climbed over the sides of their transport ships and boarded LCVPs in Tarawa lagoon. They anticipated imminent landing orders, but due to the desperate situation on the beach were held offshore in their little boats, bobbing in the waves for the rest of the day and a very long night. Early on 21 November, they were ordered to land on Betio’s Beach Red 2.
At 0615, the first waves of 1-8 rushed down the ramps and into the breaking surf on a coral reef some 500 yards from shore. Although friendly troops held the water’s edge, they “immediately came under heavy machine gun fire from both flanks.” The battalion was decimated on the long walk to shore. An action report penned by the 8th Marines noted that “many of the casualties resulted from drowning, due to the heavy packs and equipment men attempted to take across the submerged fringing reef.”
Corporal Lantz survived the landing and a full day of combat, but did not live to see the end of the battle. He was killed in action on 22 November 1943; no specifics about the circumstances of death were recorded.
Burial Information or Disposition
“Buried on Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, 22 November 1943.” No specific grave or cemetery noted.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 11, Plot 1, Row 3, Grave 2.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of aunt, Miss Agatha Russell.
Location Of Loss
Corporal Lantz was killed in action at an unspecified location on Betio.
