Wilbert G. Linsenbardt, age 27, from Cole County Jefferson City, Missouri .
Spouse: Louise M. Linsenbardt
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, December 5, 1942
Death details: In November 1942, the U.S. Army’s 32nd Infantry Division regained control of Buna, Papua New Guinea, with its goal of neutralizing an enemy threat to Port Moresby and, ultimately, to the Australian mainland itself. The rugged terrain that the soldiers faced was fiercely defended by Japanese troops and included tidal swamplands with a labyrinth of camouflaged trenches and bunkers. In December 1942, when the 32nd Infantry Division was reinforced with Australian soldiers, Buna finally fell to the Allies; however, malaria and other tropical diseases contributed to a high number of casualties and deaths for the 32nd Infantry Division. Private First Class Wilbert G. Linsenbardt, who joined the U.S. Army from Missouri, served with Company A, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, in the Pacific Theater. He was killed in action on December 5, 1942, near the Buna Mission, New Guinea, during the Buna-Gona Campaign. Records do not indicate the exact circumstances of his death but state that PFC Linsenbardt and 14 other soldiers were buried near the Buna Mission, approximately 200 yards from shore. After the war, Allied personnel were unable to locate PFC Linsenbardt’s remains. Today, Private First Class Linsenbardt is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Saint Louis Globe Democrat (1943)
Robert W. Meyer, age 17, from Cole County Jefferson City, Missouri .
