Michael Paul Konz

First Sergeant Michael Konz served with King Company, 8th Marines in the Guadalcanal campaign and at the battle of Tarawa. One of the company’s “old salts” from the pre-war ranks, Konz was highly regarded for his combat skills and earned a citation for participating in a challenging patrol on the ‘Canal.

The amphibious assault on Betio, Tarawa atoll – Operation GALVANIC – commenced on 20 November 1943. The Third Battalion, 8th Marines were in reserve for the landing operation, but were ordered to stand by in their LCVPs and were afloat by 1015. At 1200, the battalion’s first wave(which included King Company)  began heading towards Beach Red 3 to support the heavily-engaged BLT 2-8.

Several hundred yards from the beach, the LCVPs slammed into a coral reef and stopped. Ramps went down, and Marines gamely jumped out into water over their heads. Some drowned, while the rest faced “heavy 40mm, machine gun, and mortar fire” that shredded their ranks. Only about a hundred disorganized, demoralized men – less than a company – made it to shore. The King Company survivors were sent to hold the left flank of the Marine line, and endured heavy machine gun and sniper fire for the rest of the day.

“Top” Konz was killed in action during the battle. Primary sources disagree between 20 November and 21 November, although the latter date is considered official. However, an account from K/3/8 veteran Bob Voorhees suggests that Konz never made it to shore: