On November 20, 1943, a US force of approximately 35,000 troops from the 2nd Marine Division and the Army’s 27th Infantry Division began the amphibious assaults on Tarawa Atoll. The American invasion was part of Operation Galvanic to capture the Japanese-held Gilbert Islands. It was the first US offensive in the critical Central Pacific region and was the largest invasion force yet assembled for a single operation in the Pacific.
What followed was seventy-six hours of hell. It was the first time a US amphibious landing faced serious Japanese opposition. The enemy fought almost to the last man. By the time the US secured Tarawa’s island of Betio on November 23, the Japanese defenders suffered 4,690 deaths. The US 2nd Marine Division’s losses were 997 killed, 88 missing, and 2,233 wounded.
Volunteers with the non-profit Stories Behind the Stars (www.storiesbehindthestars.org) have written memorials to honor the Battle of Tarawa’s thirty-three Pennsylvania fallen. Berks County was home to two of those killed in action: PVT Herbert L. Bitzer and PFC Frank Hein.
Herbert Lefever Bitzer was born on February 26, 1919, in Reading, PA, and baptized on November 27 at Reading’s Zion United Church of Christ. He was the only child of George Washington Bitzer (1876-1940), a foundry worker, printer and janitor, and Edith I. Greiner Bitzer (1890-1950), a homemaker. His entire upbringing occurred in Reading, PA.
A tragic accident when Bitzer was nine years old had a great impact on his life. In the summer of 1928, he and Quentin Hickman were walking along the Schuylkill River when Hickman fell into the water. Bitzer, who did not know how to swim, had to watch in horror as his friend slipped beneath the water and drowned. He vowed to learn to swim and to teach others.
Bitzer graduated from Reading High School in 1937. He received a scholarship to Springfield College in MA, where he qualified as a water safety instructor and was assistant coach of the swimming team. He returned to Reading and became coach of the YMCA swimming team.
Bitzer registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 in Reading. He was 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighed 170 pounds and had blue eyes and blonde hair. Bitzer joined the Marine Corps on January 20, 1942 in Philadelphia. He was assigned to the 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which was activated in San Diego, CA in February 1941. It fought in the battles at Guadalcanal in 1942-43 and at Tarawa in November 1943.
Bitzer was killed in action on November 20, 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa in the South Pacific’s Gilbert Islands. Bitzer was buried in Section C, Site 1272, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, HI. He is memorialized with a cenotaph at Aulenbach Cemetery in Mount Penn, PA.
Frank Hein was born on April 2, 1921, in Reading, PA. He was the youngest child and sixth son of Lawrence George Hein and Frances J. Cieniewicz Hein. His father was born in Germany in 1887, immigrated in 1897 and worked as a laborer at an iron works factory. His mother was born in Russia in 1887, immigrated in 1906 and was a homemaker. There were six boys and one girl in the family: Lawrence, Jr, Frances Lilian, Adam, Andrew Frank, Phillip Thomas, John and Frank.
Hein completed grade school and, prior to entering the service, was employed as an Ordnance Inspector at the Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company. Kelsey-Hayes produced machine guns and tank parts during the war years.
At the time of his enlistment, Hein was living in MI and was engaged to Frances Kravanya. He entered active service in the Marines on November 8, 1942 from Detroit, MI. He was assigned to C Company, 2nd Marines and sent to San Diego for training. Hein was part of the 11th Replacement Battalion at Camp Elliot, San Diego. Hein also trained there at the Tank School. He was sent to New Zealand in April 1943 where he was part of Co C, 1st Bn, 2nd Mar, 2nd MARDIV, Fleet Marine Force (FMF). In November of 1943, Hein was in Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
Hein served with the First Battalion, 2nd Marines during the assault landings on Betio, Tarawa Atoll. On November 20, 1943, the assault waves were subjected to devastating fire from the moment they crossed the island’s coral reef and suffered heavy casualties while coming ashore and on the beach itself. By 1030, the reserve units were struggling towards the beach themselves and making a tough landing under fire.
Hein survived the devastating landings and endured terrible combat over the next two days as the survivors of his company advanced across the tiny island. On November 22, 1943, however, he suffered multiple wounds, either from bullets or an exploding shell, which caused his death at the age of twenty-two.
Hein’s body was found and buried on November 23, 1943. It is not clear if Frank Hein’s remains were recovered along with others. If they were, he has not yet been accounted for. It is possible that he was one of the Marines buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific awaiting identification. Hein was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.
Stories Behind the Stars memorials are accessible for free on the internet and via smart phone app at gravesites and cenotaphs. The non-profit organization is dedicated to honoring all 421,000 fallen Americans from World War II, including 31,000 from Pennsylvania. To volunteer or to get more information, contact Kathy Harmon at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org or visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org.
