World War II Honoree

Moszek Murray Zanger

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Los Angeles, California

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

SERVED AS A F4U 'CORSAIR' FIGHTER PILOT OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER DURING THE WAR. FIRST LIEUTENANT ZANGER DISAPPEARED IN LATE 1944 WHILE ON PATROL OVER RABAUL, PAPUA NEW GUINEA. HIS AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH HIS WINGMAN'S PLANE AND HE BAILED OUT OF THE CRIPPLED CORSAIR AS IT SPIRALED SOME 4,000 FEET AND CRASHED INTO THE JUNGLE BELOW. INITIALLY LISTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, HIS STATUS WAS LATER CHANGED TO KILLED IN ACTION. THE EXACT CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS DEATH ARE UNCLEAR BUT HE WAS TAKEN AS A PRISONER OF WAR BY THE JAPANESE AFTER HIS DOWNING. JAPANESE REPORTS SPECIFY THAT HE WAS SHOT AND KILLED SHORTLY AFTER HIS CAPTURE WHEN HE GRABBED A SWORD AND ATTACKED TWO GUARDS WHILE TRYING TO ESCAPE. AFTER THE WAR, WHEN HIS REMAINS WERE RECOVERED, A FORENSIC STUDY SHOWED THAT HE HAD BEEN BEATEN, NOT SHOT. AUSTRALIAN MILITARY RECORDS SHOW THAT SEVERAL OF THEIR JAPANESE PRISONERS OF WAR HAD SEEN A DOWNED AMERICAN PILOT, CALLED 'ZANGA' IN CAPTIVITY IN MARCH, 1945. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOWED THAT THE DOWNED PILOT HAD APPARENTLY TRIED TO FLEE THE ISLAND IN AN INFLATABLE DINGHY AND WAS CAPTURED BY A JAPANESE NAVY PATROL BOAT. HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO JAPANESE GROUND FORCES WHERE HE WAS KEPT CHAINED INSIDE A HUT, BECAME MALNOURISHED OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, AND WAS BEATEN AND KILLED. HIS BODY WAS BURIED NEAR AN AIRSTRIP ON THE ISLAND. AWARDED GOLD NAVAL AVIATOR WINGS, AND POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART, PRISONER OF WAR MEDAL, AIR MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL.