Victor Howard Hertager
PFC Victor H. Hertager was a Marine aviator with VMTB-232.
His TBF Avenger was lost while attacking Simpson Harbor, Rabaul, on 17 January 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 491261
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
November 13, 1925
at Klamath Falls, OR
Parents
Heine Hertager
Ruth (Teigen) Hertager
Education
Prospect High School (1943)
Occupation & Employer
Recent graduate
Service Life
Entered Service
February 13, 1943
at San Francisco, CA
Home Of Record
Prospect, OR
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Ruth Hertager
Military Specialty
Aerial gunner
Primary Unit
VMTB-232
Campaigns Served
Northern Solomons
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 17 January 1944, TBF-1C #24363 (Squadron Number 121) took off from Piva as part of an 18-plane strike against ships at Simpson Harbor, Rabaul. Aboard were the pilot, First Lieutenant Harold H. Millar, Jr., radioman Corporal Leonard B. Pike and gunner PFC Victor H. Hertager – a veteran crew who had already sunk a Japanese transport ship.
Once over Simpson Harbor, Millar lined up on another transport and dove down for his drop. The bomb scored a hit, but the Avenger never pulled out of the dive. Other aviators reported that both wings came off the fuselage, and the bomber rolled over and hit the water. It was not clear if a structural failure was to blame, or if Millar was so close to the target that his wings clipped the mast.
VMTB-232 concluded its tour of duty the following day and departed for Espiritu Santo. All three Marines were posted as missing after the mission, and ultimately declared dead on 18 January 1945.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Ruth Hertager.
Location Of Loss
TBF-1C #24363 crashed into Simpson Harbor, near Rabaul.
