DOB/DOD: January 26, 1920 (Danbury, CT) – March 2, 1945; 25 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: Pembroke Road, Danbury
ENLISTMENT: March 29, 1943, in Springfield, Massachusetts
SERVICE NUMBER: 845756
UNIT: Company B, 1st Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0745, Rifleman
FAMILY: Born to Joseph (1887-1962) and Margaret Halas (1896-1960), born in Czechoslovakia. The second youngest of five children. Siblings are Joseph Jr. (1915-1991), John (1916-1964), Margaret Halas Kelly [her husband Walter was a 4-time recipient of the Purple Heart Medal] (1917-2005), and Paul (1925-2005). Ludwig worked as a farmer for his father before joining the Marines. 1, 2, 3 Brothers Paul and John also served during WWII in the Army.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in 1943. Assigned to the Charleston Navy Yard from mid-1943 to early 1944. Assigned to the 5th Marine Division, 28th Marines, 1st Battalion in April 1944 at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California. Officially listed as “Died of Wounds” due to shrapnel to the abdominal area on March 1, 1945, and died of those wounds on March 2, 1945. 5
From the Connecticut Military Portrait Collection, Connecticut State Library, Identifier: PG570. Used with permission.
From FindAGrave.com: At 0902 on February 19, 1945, Bobo’s Bastards (B Company, 28th Marines) landed near the base of Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Lt. Frank Wright and his First Platoon planted the American Flag and quickly struck out for Iwo’s west coast.
On February 28, the 28th Marines moved north to help in the assault on the plateau. Even as the 28th moved north, the First Battalion of the 27th Marines assaulted Hill 362A and were violently repulsed. The taking of Hill 362A and Nishi Ridge would fall to the 28th Marines, with B Company in the forefront of the battle. On March 1, the First Battalion would lose 93 men, taking Hill 362A. Twenty-nine of these men would be from Baker Company.
Early on the morning of March 1, naval ships saturated the surface of Hill 362A with heavy shells. Low-flying aircraft strafed, bombarded, and rocketed the hill. Marine artillery added their voice to the crescendo with their 105 and 155 guns. The First Battalion, including B Company, quickly captured Hill 362A.
It would take another two days to take Nishi Ridge a few hundred yards to the north. Sixty-five men from the First Battalion would die, and another 218 men would be wounded. Hill 362A and Nishi Ridge cost B Company 72 wounded and 18 dead. 4
Company B, 1st Battalion, 28th Marines, went through nine company commanders in the fighting; 12 different Marines served as platoon leaders of the second platoon, including two Privates. 6
Honored at the World War II Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Danbury, Connecticut.
Initially buried in the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, Plot 5, Row 2, Grave 1027. At his mother’s request, his remains were repatriated and buried in Wooster Cemetery, 20 Ellsworth Avenue, Danbury, Connecticut; Section 23, Lot 130. 5Photo by Jeff DeWitt.
1 – 1930 census https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/
2 – 1940 census https://www.ancestry.com/cs/1940-census
3 – https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238/
4 – https://findagrave.com
5 – USMC Casualty Report received via FOIA request
6 – https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003131-00/pcn-190-003131-00/sec7.htm