Schroeder, Walter C.

WALTER CONRAD SCHROEDER

TECHNICAL SERGEANT
U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS

Walter Conrad Schroeder was born September 18, 1915 in Decatur Indiana to Wilhelm and Lisette (Gallmeier) Schroeder. Walter was the youngest of six children including Reinhardt, Luella (Hockemeyer), August, Erna (Merkle), and Martha (Bulmahn). The family lived and worked on the family farm on U.S. Highway 27 along the Allen-Adams County line. As a child, he attended St. John's parochial school.

According to the 1940 Census and his 1940 Draft Card, Walter's employment and residence was listed as being with C.C.W. Gallmeier in Friona Texas. Charles Christian Gallmeier was his uncle and he may have been helping to work on the family farm along with a friend, Edgar Zwick. 

Walter enlisted into the United States Army Air Corps on February 18, 1942. Upon completion of his basic military training, Walter was assigned to the 500th Bomb Squadron, 345th Bomb Group of the 5th Air Force. The 500th Bomb Squadron was activated and trained at Columbia Army Air Base in South Carolina in November 1942. The group trained with B-25 medium range bombers. It was here, at Columbia Army Air Base that the Doolittle Raiders trained for their historic raid on Tokyo in April 1942. 

The 500th Bomb Group trained for service in the Pacific theatre for missions that included tactical bombing, strafing airfields, attacking shipping, dropping supplies, and reconnaissance. In May 1943, the 345th Bomb Group and Sgt. Schroeder were sent to New Guinea where they supported the island hopping campaign against the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre of war. Here, Schroeder was assigned as a Crew Chief on the B-25D "Axis Fate" (41-30053).

On September 29, 1943; TSgt. Schroeder and the crew of "Axis Fate" were assigned to gunnery practice at the "Morseby Wreck". The "Moresby Wreck" was the remannts of the SS Pruth, a British cargo ship that had run aground on a reef in 1924. It was abandoned and due to its proximity to Port Morseby was attacked by Japanese fighters accidentally. It was then used by allied aircraft for strafing and bombing practice during WWII by crews stationed in New Guinea. Sadly, seven aircraft were lost on practice runs between November 10, 1942 and the crash of the "Axis Fate" on September 29, 1943. The cause of the crash is unknown as there were no witnesses and the entire crew was killed. The remains of the crew, however, were recovered, identified, and returned to the U.S. for burial. 

In November 1943, the 345th "Air Apaches" earned a Presidential Unit Citation for their support of Operation Cartwheel, which was the allied mission of neutralizing Japanese forces at Rabaul as General MacArthur's troops advanced to liberate New Guinea. 

The "Air Apaches" went on to provide air support during the liberation of the Philippines and were chosen to provide an air escort to Japanese military delegates when they surrendered on the island of le Shima on August 17, 1945.

TSgt. Schroeder was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu Hawaii.

In 1946, memorial markers were erected in the St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery for four members of the church who were killed in service to our nation during WWII. The four identical markers were placed next to each other, within view of their former homes. The markers were erected for Ensign Elmer Oetting, Sgt. Frederick Scheumann, Private Arthur Berning, and TSgt. Walter Schroeder. Ensign Oetting and Private Berning are interred in their plots while the others are interred elsewhere. 

For his service and sacrifice, TSgt. Schroeder earned the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal. 

SOURCES

             “345th Bombardment Wing.” Wikipedia, 30 Jan. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/345th_Bombardment_Wing. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

            “AncestryClassroom.” Www.ancestryclassroom.com, www.ancestryclassroom.com/discoveryui-content/view/19962678:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=d789f5a7-d073-4bf5-9bf0-57afdb467b37&_phsrc=Mbf70&_phstart=successSource. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

            “Decatur Daily Democrat 26 May 1947 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana’s Digital Historic Newspaper Program.” Newspapers.library.in.gov, newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=DCDD19470526.1.4&srpos=144&e=------194-en-20-DCDD-141--txt-txIN-walter+schroeder------. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

Indiana Historical Bureau, comp. Gold Star Honor Roll: Adams County. Bloomington: Indiana War History Commission, 1949. Print. Vol. 1 of Indiana in World War II.

           PacificWrecks.com. “Pacific Wrecks - B-25D-1 “Axis Fate” Serial Number 41-30053.” Pacificwrecks.com, pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-25/41-30053.html. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

           “Pacific Wrecks - SS Pruth (Moresby Wreck).” Pacificwrecks.com, pacificwrecks.com/ships/ss/pruth.html. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

            “SGT Walter Conrad Schroeder (1915-1943) - Find A...” Www.findagrave.com, www.findagrave.com/memorial/3791693/walter_conrad-schroeder. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

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