Joseph M. Molitor
Service # 6911340
Entered Service From: Minnesota
Rank: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces
Unit: 2nd Observation Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group (Light), V Interceptor Command
Date of Death: 04 October 1942, from dysentery and malaria in the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Buried: Manila American Cemetery – Plot C, Row 2, Grave 88
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1920 United States Federal Census (03 January 1920): Gaylord Village, Sibley County, Minnesota (sheet 9B, family 69) – Joseph Molitor (1 6/12 Minnesota).
1930 United States Federal Census (03 April 1930): Gaylord Village, Sibley County, Minnesota (sheet 3B, family 70, State Street) – Joseph Molitor (11 Minnesota).
1937 Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory – Joseph M. Molitor, Dismantler, Western Electric Company, r 1212 S. E. 5th, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1938 Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory – Joseph M. Molitor, Clerk, r 1212 S. E. 5th, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Joseph M. Molitor enlisted as a Private (S/N 6911340) in the U.S. Army Air Corps on 30 July 1938.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 30 July 1938 to August 1938
Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron Technical School, Air Corps, Chanute Field, Illinois.
Private Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340.) Enlisted and Joined 30 July 1938.
Monthly Roster of Troops – August 1938 to 02 September 1938
10th Air Base Squadron, Air Corps, Chanute Field, Illinois.
Private Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340). He was transferred on 02 September 1938 to Headquarters ACTS, Chanute Branch, Chanute Field, Illinois.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 02 September 1938 to 07 May 1939
Headquarters ACTS, Chanute Branch, Chanute Field, Illinois – Air Corps Unassigned
Private Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340). On 07 May 1939 Private Molitor was transferred to the Philippine Islands Department.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 15 November 1939 to 31 December 1939
2nd Observation Squadron, Air Corps, Nichols Field, Rizal, Philippine Islands
Private Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340). He was transferred from Base Headquarters and 20th Air Base Squadron Post and joined the 2nd Observation Squadron on 15 November 1939.
2nd Observation Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group (Light), V Interceptor Command, U.S. Army Air Corps. The 2nd Observation Squadron operated out of Nichols Field in 1939 with 2 Douglas O-46A's, 3 Stinson O-49 Vigilant's and 11 Curtiss O-52 Owl's. They flew reconnaissance and liaison missions.
On 01 November 1940, the 2nd Observation Squadron was moved to Clark Field where it was reassigned directly to newly formed Far East Air Force (FEAF) as a courier and reconnaissance squadron, reporting to the Headquarters staff.
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THIS IS an appeal to the ham or short wave radio operators in this area. Joseph Molitor, former Minneapolis man, is now stationed in the Philippines and he'd like to contact, through his station, short wavers in this section. His station is KA7AT, operates on 20 meter phone (14074 KCS and 14114 KCS). He's on air every morning from 6 to 10 our time. Incidentally, Joe also volunteers to deliver any radiograms from parents here of boys who are in the service in the Philippines. If you have any messages you want to send him for delivery, write to him – Joseph Molitor, Second Observation Squadron, Clark Field, Philippine Islands. And you local hams try to pick him up, will you? Source: The Minneapolis Star (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Saturday, 31 May 1941, page 9.
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The 2nd Observation Squadron was moved back to Nichols Field in November 1941 with 21 various aircraft.
"HAWAII BOMBED–WAR!" On 07 December 1941 Japan attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. Ten hours later, 08 December 1941 (Manila time), Japan attacked the Philippines. Over the next few days the Far East Air Force was virtually wiped out. Two O-46s and almost all of the O-52s of the 2nd Observation Squadron were destroyed in the Japanese raid on Nichols Field. With Japanese control of the air over Luzon during December 1941, the unarmed planes of the 2nd Observation Squadron were overwhelmed, and by the end of the year the remainder of the squadron's aircraft were destroyed either on the ground or in the air. Source: https://webot.org/info/en/?search=2d_Observation_Squadron
Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, as part of War Plan Orange-3 ordered the withdrawal of the American and Filipino forces to the Bataan peninsula where they could to delay the invading enemy forces until promised reinforcements arrived - reinforcements that never came. The 2nd Observation Squadron relocated to Bataan Airfield, about three miles north of the town of Cabcaben. Manila was declared an open city on 26 December, and by the 28th, Japanese forces occupied Nichols Airfield.
The men of the 2nd Observation Squadron were assigned to the newly formed infantry units referred to as Provisional Infantry Regiments of the 71st Division. Born in the jungles of Bataan on 07 January 1942, the Provisional Air Corps Regiment were men were drawn from maintenance, ordnance, communications, intelligence, ground staff, and aircrew squadrons. The regiment comprised two battalions: 1st Battalion (Headquarters Squadron of the 20th Air Base Group, 19th Air Base Squadron, 27th Materiel Squadron, 28th Materiel Squadron, and 7th Materiel Squadron); 2nd Battalion (2nd Observation Squadron, 48th Materiel Squadron, Headquarters Squadron of the 27th Bomb Group, 91st Bomb Squadron, and 17th Bomb Squadron).
These Provisional Infantry units composed of Air Men, who in most cases had never had any infantry combat training. Most had to be taught how to put bullets into their rifles and how to use hand grenades, and how to dig a proper foxhole. It was akin to on-the-job training. Although clumsy, at times, comical, and, at times, very shaky, they performed valiantly. It was not pretty, but they did their job. The Provisional Air Corps Regiment spent its brief existence in almost continuous front line service.
"From the very beginning, the men on Bataan were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American Soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
The Japanese started their final offensive of Bataan on Good Friday, 03 April 1942. By the evening of 08 April, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, General Edward P. King surrendered the Luzon Force the next morning, 09 April 1942.
After enduring four months of combat, hunger, and illness, S/Sgt. Joseph M. Molitor and most other members of his unit were surrendered with the rest of the Luzon Force on 09 April 1942. Practically all entered captivity malnourished and sick.
He, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March. When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Surviving the brutal treatment by the Japanese at Camp O'Donnell (about 1500 American and 22,000 Filipino prisoners of war died in just three months) Staff Sergeant Joseph M. Molitor was transferred to the Cabanatuan POW Camp No. 1, approximately 8 kilometers east of the town by the same name.
In early June of 1942, prisoners from Camp O'Donnell began to stream into Camp No. 1, joining the men from Corregidor and increasing the number of prisoners to over 7,300 men. Most of the POWs were assigned to work details and farm labor. Because of the poor health of the men from O'Donnell, the death rate at Camp #1 soared.
Staff Sergeant Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340) was stricken on 18 June 1942 with dysentery and malaria. He died while being treated for dysentery and malaria and malnutrition at 04:00 am, 04 October 1942, in Barracks 2, Hospital Area, POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines. He was one of ten men to die that day, the 1867th prisoner to die since the Camp opened in June. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, 2,764 Americans had died at Cabanatuan in 2½ years. 90% of the POW deaths in Cabanatuan were men from Bataan.
He was buried in communal grave No. 505 in the camp cemetery along with nine other deceased American POWs who died that day.
Joseph M. Molitor Prisoner of Japs
The war department announced Saturday that Staff Sgt. Joseph M. Molitor, son of Mathias J. Molitor, 1212 Fifth Street SE., is a prisoner of the Japanese. Source: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Sunday, 16 May 1943, page 21.
Sadly he was already dead by the time his family received word that he was a prisoner.
After the war, all the remains in the Cabanatuan Prison cemetery that could be found were disinterred (between December 1945 - February 1946) and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands. He was reburied in Block 2, Row 24, Grave 3003 (D-D 8951). The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin (father, Mr. Mathias J. Molitor), Staff Sergeant Joseph M. Molitor was buried in his final resting place in the 7701 Ft. McKinley Cemetery (now known as the Manila American Cemetery) – Plot C, Row 2, Grave 88.
At least 71 member of the 2nd Observation Squadron died at the hands of the Japanese during WWII.
Joseph M. Molitor
Service # 6911340
Entered Service From: Minnesota
Rank: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces
Unit: 2nd Observation Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group (Light), V Interceptor Command
Date of Death: 04 October 1942, from dysentery and malaria in the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Buried: Manila American Cemetery – Plot C, Row 2, Grave 88
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1920 United States Federal Census (03 January 1920): Gaylord Village, Sibley County, Minnesota (sheet 9B, family 69) – Joseph Molitor (1 6/12 Minnesota).
1930 United States Federal Census (03 April 1930): Gaylord Village, Sibley County, Minnesota (sheet 3B, family 70, State Street) – Joseph Molitor (11 Minnesota).
1937 Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory – Joseph M. Molitor, Dismantler, Western Electric Company, r 1212 S. E. 5th, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1938 Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Directory – Joseph M. Molitor, Clerk, r 1212 S. E. 5th, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Joseph M. Molitor enlisted as a Private (S/N 6911340) in the U.S. Army Air Corps on 30 July 1938.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 30 July 1938 to August 1938
Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron Technical School, Air Corps, Chanute Field, Illinois.
Private Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340.) Enlisted and Joined 30 July 1938.
Monthly Roster of Troops – August 1938 to 02 September 1938
10th Air Base Squadron, Air Corps, Chanute Field, Illinois.
Private Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340). He was transferred on 02 September 1938 to Headquarters ACTS, Chanute Branch, Chanute Field, Illinois.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 02 September 1938 to 07 May 1939
Headquarters ACTS, Chanute Branch, Chanute Field, Illinois – Air Corps Unassigned
Private Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340). On 07 May 1939 Private Molitor was transferred to the Philippine Islands Department.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 15 November 1939 to 31 December 1939
2nd Observation Squadron, Air Corps, Nichols Field, Rizal, Philippine Islands
Private Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340). He was transferred from Base Headquarters and 20th Air Base Squadron Post and joined the 2nd Observation Squadron on 15 November 1939.
2nd Observation Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group (Light), V Interceptor Command, U.S. Army Air Corps. The 2nd Observation Squadron operated out of Nichols Field in 1939 with 2 Douglas O-46A's, 3 Stinson O-49 Vigilant's and 11 Curtiss O-52 Owl's. They flew reconnaissance and liaison missions.
On 01 November 1940, the 2nd Observation Squadron was moved to Clark Field where it was reassigned directly to newly formed Far East Air Force (FEAF) as a courier and reconnaissance squadron, reporting to the Headquarters staff.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THIS IS an appeal to the ham or short wave radio operators in this area. Joseph Molitor, former Minneapolis man, is now stationed in the Philippines and he'd like to contact, through his station, short wavers in this section. His station is KA7AT, operates on 20 meter phone (14074 KCS and 14114 KCS). He's on air every morning from 6 to 10 our time. Incidentally, Joe also volunteers to deliver any radiograms from parents here of boys who are in the service in the Philippines. If you have any messages you want to send him for delivery, write to him – Joseph Molitor, Second Observation Squadron, Clark Field, Philippine Islands. And you local hams try to pick him up, will you? Source: The Minneapolis Star (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Saturday, 31 May 1941, page 9.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 2nd Observation Squadron was moved back to Nichols Field in November 1941 with 21 various aircraft.
"HAWAII BOMBED–WAR!" On 07 December 1941 Japan attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. Ten hours later, 08 December 1941 (Manila time), Japan attacked the Philippines. Over the next few days the Far East Air Force was virtually wiped out. Two O-46s and almost all of the O-52s of the 2nd Observation Squadron were destroyed in the Japanese raid on Nichols Field. With Japanese control of the air over Luzon during December 1941, the unarmed planes of the 2nd Observation Squadron were overwhelmed, and by the end of the year the remainder of the squadron's aircraft were destroyed either on the ground or in the air. Source: https://webot.org/info/en/?search=2d_Observation_Squadron
Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, as part of War Plan Orange-3 ordered the withdrawal of the American and Filipino forces to the Bataan peninsula where they could to delay the invading enemy forces until promised reinforcements arrived - reinforcements that never came. The 2nd Observation Squadron relocated to Bataan Airfield, about three miles north of the town of Cabcaben. Manila was declared an open city on 26 December, and by the 28th, Japanese forces occupied Nichols Airfield.
The men of the 2nd Observation Squadron were assigned to the newly formed infantry units referred to as Provisional Infantry Regiments of the 71st Division. Born in the jungles of Bataan on 07 January 1942, the Provisional Air Corps Regiment were men were drawn from maintenance, ordnance, communications, intelligence, ground staff, and aircrew squadrons. The regiment comprised two battalions: 1st Battalion (Headquarters Squadron of the 20th Air Base Group, 19th Air Base Squadron, 27th Materiel Squadron, 28th Materiel Squadron, and 7th Materiel Squadron); 2nd Battalion (2nd Observation Squadron, 48th Materiel Squadron, Headquarters Squadron of the 27th Bomb Group, 91st Bomb Squadron, and 17th Bomb Squadron).
These Provisional Infantry units composed of Air Men, who in most cases had never had any infantry combat training. Most had to be taught how to put bullets into their rifles and how to use hand grenades, and how to dig a proper foxhole. It was akin to on-the-job training. Although clumsy, at times, comical, and, at times, very shaky, they performed valiantly. It was not pretty, but they did their job. The Provisional Air Corps Regiment spent its brief existence in almost continuous front line service.
"From the very beginning, the men on Bataan were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American Soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
The Japanese started their final offensive of Bataan on Good Friday, 03 April 1942. By the evening of 08 April, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, General Edward P. King surrendered the Luzon Force the next morning, 09 April 1942.
After enduring four months of combat, hunger, and illness, S/Sgt. Joseph M. Molitor and most other members of his unit were surrendered with the rest of the Luzon Force on 09 April 1942. Practically all entered captivity malnourished and sick.
He, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March. When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Surviving the brutal treatment by the Japanese at Camp O'Donnell (about 1500 American and 22,000 Filipino prisoners of war died in just three months) Staff Sergeant Joseph M. Molitor was transferred to the Cabanatuan POW Camp No. 1, approximately 8 kilometers east of the town by the same name.
In early June of 1942, prisoners from Camp O'Donnell began to stream into Camp No. 1, joining the men from Corregidor and increasing the number of prisoners to over 7,300 men. Most of the POWs were assigned to work details and farm labor. Because of the poor health of the men from O'Donnell, the death rate at Camp #1 soared.
Staff Sergeant Joseph M. Molitor (S/N 6911340) was stricken on 18 June 1942 with dysentery and malaria. He died while being treated for dysentery and malaria and malnutrition at 04:00 am, 04 October 1942, in Barracks 2, Hospital Area, POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines. He was one of ten men to die that day, the 1867th prisoner to die since the Camp opened in June. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, 2,764 Americans had died at Cabanatuan in 2½ years. 90% of the POW deaths in Cabanatuan were men from Bataan.
He was buried in communal grave No. 505 in the camp cemetery along with nine other deceased American POWs who died that day.
Joseph M. Molitor Prisoner of Japs
The war department announced Saturday that Staff Sgt. Joseph M. Molitor, son of Mathias J. Molitor, 1212 Fifth Street SE., is a prisoner of the Japanese. Source: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Sunday, 16 May 1943, page 21.
Sadly he was already dead by the time his family received word that he was a prisoner.
After the war, all the remains in the Cabanatuan Prison cemetery that could be found were disinterred (between December 1945 - February 1946) and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands. He was reburied in Block 2, Row 24, Grave 3003 (D-D 8951). The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin (father, Mr. Mathias J. Molitor), Staff Sergeant Joseph M. Molitor was buried in his final resting place in the 7701 Ft. McKinley Cemetery (now known as the Manila American Cemetery) – Plot C, Row 2, Grave 88.
At least 71 member of the 2nd Observation Squadron died at the hands of the Japanese during WWII.
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Minnesota.
Family Members
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