Rank and Name, Staff Sergeant Charles H. Wilson.
Unit/Placed in, 1896th Engineer Battalion, Aviation.
On January 12, 1945, the 1896th Engineers Aviation Battalion was enroot to the Philippines (Lingayen Gulf) and was suddenly attacked by a Japanese kamikaze plane that slammed into the ship causing heavy fires, resulting in numerous casualties, she reached Lingayen Gulf but Charles H. Wilson along with 108 others were killed due to a kamikaze attack.
Charles is born approx. on 1917 in Pennsylvania.
Charles enlisted the service in Pennsylvania with service number # 33160283.
Charles was KIA on Transport to Lingayen Gulf with the SS. Kyle V. Johnson the ship was torpedoed by /died on, he is honored with a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Expeditionary Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy & Marine Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
Charles is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.
Walls of the missing.
Thanks to,
Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com ww2-europe.com
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano
National Historian
Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
Tank Destroyers, http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/
Lingayen Gulf
A group of merchant ships were in a convoy that arrived in Lingayen Gulf on January 11, 1945; just two days after the landing began. The voyage from Leyte to Lingayen Gulf was without mishap, but action began almost immediately after the arrival of the convoy. Elmira Victory assisted in shooting down a plane that exploded in the water against the side of the ship. Fragments of the plane flew over the ship and made holes in her side. Flying fragments wounded six members of the merchant crew. Fire broke out on the ship, and later a case of fragmentation bombs ignited but did not explode. Fortunately, there were no further attacks against the ship while at Lingayen. Henry Dodge assisting in destroying one plane on January 12 and had two bombs fall close. George Von L. Meyer reported night attacks by small boats with bombs attached and indicated that several of these attacks were successful. She was credited with an assist in the destruction of a plane on January 12. Her Armed Guards went to general quarters 30 times prior to her departure on January 26. Bombs fell fairly close to Peter Lassen on January 12, the only occasion on which the enemy penetrated the air defenses. She reported 22 alerts. Juan Cabrillo reported 19 red alerts to January 31 and 16 actual raids. Only on January 12 did two bombs fall close. Bennington was credited with the destruction of one plane and an assist in the destruction of another on that day. One of these planes just missed an ammunition ship and the other landed on the deck of a ship. John W. Foster reported planes sighted on January 25 and 29 and Katherine L. Bates had bombs land close on January 27 and 29. But this first group of merchant ships had a much easier time than the second group.
The second convoy had its heaviest action on January 12, the day before it reached Lingayen Gulf. At about 1253 a plane crashed into the No. 2 hold of Otis Skinner. Fire raged for 36 hours, but she continued toward Lingayen Gulf. There were no personnel casualties. Repairs were completed on February 4 and the ship left for Leyte on February 8. In the late afternoon attack on January 12, a plane hit Kyle V. Johnson I in her No. 3 hold. Apparently her 20mm fire hit this plane. Flames broke out on the ship. One Armed Guard was burned, and there were many Army casualties. This ship received credit for one plane destroyed and for an assist against another during the day. She reached Lingayen Gulf.
