WOODWARD, HARRY L Dec. 22, 1943 age 28 KIA New Britain Is., SW Pacific

HARRY L. WOODWARD, b. July 5, 1915 Ohio; d. Dec. 22, 1943 Killed in Action  New Britain Is., Solomon Islands

1^st Lt O-1037372 Army 93^rd Chemical Composite Co

Buried New Albany National Cemetery, Indiana
 

Parents: William & Clara B, from Indiana & Penn. Father was the Proprietor for Electric Lighting Specialties
Siblings: Charles, Kenneth, Richard, Betty L., Robert L., Thomas, Barbara. # children born in Ohio, rest in Michigan
Parents: William & Clara B, from Indiana & Penn. Father was the Proprietor for Electric Lighting Specialties.

Siblings: Charles, Roy, Kenneth, Richard, Betty L., Robert L., Thomas J., Barbara L.  3  born Ohio, 5 born Michigan

Mother Clara spent a good part of her life pregnant. In 1940 they lived with 5 of their children at 3795 Vicksburg Ave. near the GM Headquarters Bldg. Harry graduated from Redford in Jan 1934 and did one year college. In 1940 he was a Dept Store salesman for wholesale toys.
 

He enlisted June 24, 1941 in Detroit.  The purpose of a composite company was to provide field organizations of divisional size with a CWS service organization capable of simultaneously operating supply points, doing third and fourth echelon maintenance, running a field laboratory and a field impregnating program and providing at least a nucleus of trained men for decontamination. It was in the Pacific that most composite companies saw service. In 1942 the CWS employed 60,000 soldiers and civilians and was appropriated $1 billion. They completed a variety of non-chemical warfare related tasks including producing incendiaries for flame throwers and flame tanks. Chemical soldiers were involved in smoke generation missions. The Pacific was the most likely area for the initiation of gas warfare but the CWS deficiency of knowledge as to the employment of gas in the tropics was a serious drawback. They were also hampered by a lack of information on the effectiveness of toxic munitions in a tropical environment.

On Dec 15, 1943 the 112th Cavalry ECT landed on Arawe Peninsula, whose main geographic feature is Cape Merkus, for the purpose of diverting the enemy forces from Cape Gloucester were a Marine Division was to land 11 days later. This was the start of the Battle of Arawe, part of the Allied Operation Cartwheel.  

At 0615 the leading platoon reached the village and the advance was stopped as one trooper was killed "by frontal fire from caves. Reconnaissance disclosed that the enemy was resisting from two caves. Bazooka fire was employed and closed the entrance to one cave, but the other cave was protected by log pilings in such a manner that bazooka and machine guns did no apparent damage. The troop had landed with two filled flame throwers carried by trained operators. These were called forward. Tests revealed that one flame thrower was not functioning properly. The" troop's assault party was formed, including one flame thrower team augmented by a machine gun. Fire was placed on the entrance to the cave while the flame thrower operator crawled up to within fifteen yards and fired the entire charge. The assault platoon then advanced to the cave entrance and threw in hand grenades. Seven enemy dead were found in the cave. All of them were badly burned and their clothes were still ablaze. The operation was completed at 1130 without further loss to the cavalry. Arawe was secured after about a month of intermittent fighting with the outnumbered Japanese force there.

1^st Lt. Woodward was killed on Dec 22.