James W. Imhoff was born on June 9, 1909 in Oneonta, New York. His father was Frederick W Imhoff  (1889-1978) and his mother was Cecile M Craft (1889-1942). They were married in 1907 and had one child, James. In 1920, after 13 years of marriage, they divorced and James remained with his mother in Oneonta. Initially, they lived with his maternal grandmother, Frances Craft. Over the next 10 years Cecile worked at various jobs in Oneonta and James went to school. They resided at several different locations during this period. When James reached 16, he started working part-time and continued his education. He completed three years of high school. While in school he participated in all three major sports – baseball, basketball, and football. He was especially good at basketball, being very fast. On March 25 1929 James married Loella M Olds. He was 20 years old and she was 19. On May 2, 1930 they had a son named Arthur Frederick Imhoff; Arthur was their only child.

James enlisted in the New York State National Guard in 1928, shortly after reaching the age of 18. He had several three-year tours of duty and was in Company G of the 10th Infantry Regiment of the Guard. Company G consisted mainly of individuals from the Oneonta area. In October 1940, prior to the United States entering World War II, the 12 New York National Guard Companies from upstate New York became the 106th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army. With the change of the National Guard to the regular Army, James was called to active duty and was appointed Second Lieutenant. Five months later he became the commander of Company G of the Second Battalion Headquarters Company. He commanded Company G through both the Tennessee training maneuvers and the Arkansas-Louisiana training maneuvers in the summer of 1941.

In 1942 he was selected for parachute training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was transferred from the 106th Infantry Regiment to the newly activated 503rd Parachute Battalion. After completing his required training at Fort Benning, he was assigned to the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. At this point he was promoted to the rank of captain and in September 1942, he and the Regiment were transferred to San Francisco. On October 20, 1942 the Regiment shipped out on the MS Poelau Laut for Australia and the war in the South Pacific. The ship docked first at the Panama Canal Zone where the 501st Parachute Battalion joined 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. The 501st had received special training on parachuting and fighting in a tropical rainforest environment.

In early 1942, after failing to seize Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Japan captured Lae, Papua’s second-largest city. This provided Japan with some control of the Solomon Sea and the Coral Sea, north of Australia. Lae had a small airfield that was developed into a significant forward base for Japanese aircraft and attacks against northern Australia, especially the city of Darwin. To eliminate this threat the United States and Australia attacked the Japanese base at Lae. As part of a larger operation, the 503rd Parachute Battalion jumped into the Markham Valley on September 5, 1943, making it impossible for Japanese to escape through the valley. See accompany map. The Battalion pushed the Japanese back toward Lae, constantly fighting major skirmishes with the rear guard groups. This was the first successful Airborne Combat Jump in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. James, now Major Imhoff, participated in this battle as member of the 503rd Parachute Battalion. The Japanese eventually evacuated Lae. This was one of several battle jumps that James made.

On Feb 25, 1944 while on a rest stay at General MacArthur's Headquarters in Brisbane, Australia, James was killed in an airplane accident during regular operation flight. On March 9, 1949, James’ body was returned home to Oneonta. Veterans from his original New York National Guard Company G met the train carrying his body. He now rest at the Great Plains Cemetery in Oneonta. He was 36.

If you notice anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact Jim Greenberg at nez13820@gmail.com. 

Sources

Birth Date and Location: June 9, 1909 Oneonta

Source: New York State, Birth Index, 1881-1942

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/24980239/person/27102186402/facts accessed July 17, 2022

National Archives at Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Applications for Headstones For U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941; NAID: 596118; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; Collection: New York, New York National Guard Service Cards, 1917-1954; Series: B2001; Film Number: 12

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; Collection: New York, New York National Guard Service Cards, 1917-1954; Series: B2001; Film Number: 12

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/510136:60808?tid=&pid=&queryId=4d1043dd75b465a6674db356fab4e46a&_phsrc=XFg16173&_phstart=successSource accessed July 17, 2022

New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY, USA; New York State Marriage Index

NYNG Officer Service Cards prior to 1/1/1930. Saratoga Springs, New York: New York State Military Museum.

1920; Census Place: Oneonta, Otsego, New York; Roll: T625_1255; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 213

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/110999214:6061?tid=&pid=&queryId=7f98f3c04858801b8e9d5dd7fac508b1&_phsrc=XFg16316&_phstart=successSource accessed July 17, 2022

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 01; Assembly District: 01; City: Oneonta Ward 04; County: Otsego; Page: 44

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/20323197:2704?tid=&pid=&queryId=7f98f3c04858801b8e9d5dd7fac508b1&_phsrc=XFg16317&_phstart=successSource  accessed July 17, 2022

1930; Census Place: Oneonta, Otsego, New York; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0031; FHL microfilm: 2341370

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/44441042:6224?tid=&pid=&queryId=7f98f3c04858801b8e9d5dd7fac508b1&_phsrc=XFg16315&_phstart=successSource accessed July 16, 2022

1940; Census Place: Oneonta, Otsego, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02717; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 39-38

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6243819:2442?tid=&pid=&queryId=c5ea798c0ef63fffc8d6ef630462ca8d&_phsrc=XFg16161&_phstart=successSource accessed July 17, 2022

New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY, USA; New York State Marriage Index

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=61632&h=1792539&tid=&pid=&queryId=c5ea798c0ef63fffc8d6ef630462ca8d&usePUB=true&_phsrc=XFg16164&_phstart=successSource&_gl=1*1etdltl*_ga*MTY5NTM5NjQ1MS4xNTA3NzQzNDgw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY1ODA5MTA2Ni40MS4xLjE2NTgwOTQxMDguMA. accessed July 17, 2022

The U.S. Airborne during World War II, 503rd Regimental Combat Team (RCT)

https://www.ww2-airborne.us/18corps/503_overview.html accessed July 20, 2022

Imhoff  Commands Parachute Unit. Oneonta Herald (Oneonta, New York), February 26, 1942

James W, Imhoff Promoted to Major. Oneonta Star (Oneonta, New York). January 21, 1943

Veteran of Company G, Being Returned Friday for Burial. Oneonta Star (Oneonta, New York) March 9, 1949.

Supporting Files