Memorials › 1LT Clifton Carlos "Cliff" Williams

1LT Clifton Carlos "Cliff" Williams

20 Jun 1904 – 9 Jan 1945

Birth20 Jun 1904
Death9 Jan 1945
CemeteryManila American Cemetery and Memorial
Manila , Capital District , National Capital Region , Philippines
Added byRandy on 11 Jun 2024
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56786320

Bio

U.S. Army Service No. (ASN): #O-890090 Entered the Service from: South Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment Awards: Bronze Star, Purple Heart Cliff C. Williams is listed as Killed In Action in the 1946 Army and Army Air Forces Personnel Casualty List for Muscogee County, Georgia. U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 lists Cliff C. Williams, Birth year: 1934; Nativity: Alabama; Residence: Muscogee, Georgia; with enlistment date of 20 Oct 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia with Service No. #6067265 U.S., Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Unaccounted-for Remains, Group A (Recoverable), 1941-1975 lists his MIA Place as Taiwan (Formosa) on 9 Jan 1945. ***I would like to thank Jack Williams Find A Grave ID 46856865 for adding his photo to this memorial*** ***I would like to thank Carey Find A Grave ID 46955176 for adding their photos to this memorial*** ***I would like to thank Randy Find A Grave ID 46846747 for adding his photo of Cliff to this memorial in addition to adding the bio information listed below*** DPAA report: On December 13, 1944, Japanese forces in the Philippines began the transfer of 1,621 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan. The POWs were to make the journey aboard transport ships whose harsh conditions and extreme overcrowding led survivors to refer to them as "Hell Ships." The ships also lacked markings that would distinguish them from any other military target, causing some of them to be attacked by Allied forces who could not identify them as POW transports. On December 14, 1944, Allied aircraft attacked the first ship, the Oryoku Maru, in Subic Bay in the Philippines, killing many Allied POWs who became lost in the water, sank with the ship, or were washed ashore. Survivors of the bombing were put aboard two other ships, the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru, to continue on to Japan. During the journey, while anchored in Takao Harbor, Formosa (present-day Taiwan), the Enoura Maru was attacked by Allied aircraft from the USS Hornet (CV-8), killing Allied POWs who were lost in the water, on board the ship, or on the nearby shore. Survivors of the Enoura Maru bombing were loaded onto the Brazil Maru, and reached Japan on January 30, 1945. As a result of these incidents, Allied POWs were lost in the Philippines, at sea between the Philippines and Taiwan, while anchored in Taiwan, at sea between Taiwan and Japan, and in Japan. The attacks on these POW transports ultimately resulted in a series of death notifications from the Japanese government through the International Red Cross (IRC), and some casualties were given up to five different dates of death at various locations during the transfer. Witness accounts from surviving POWs offer detailed information for a handful of casualties, but the specific dates of loss and/or last-known locations for many of these POWs are based on the most recent reported date of death. First Lieutenant Cliff C. Williams, who entered the U.S. Army from South Carolina, served in the 31st Infantry Regiment during World War II. He was taken as a POW following the Japanese invasion and interned in the islands until December 1944, when he was put aboard the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. Records indicate 1LT Williams was killed several weeks later in the attack on the Enoura Maru; however, these reports often involve information solely furnished by enemy governments, with some casualties given multiple dates of death. Future research may determine that these reports were inaccurate. First Lieutenant Williams' remains could not be identified following the war, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, First Lieutenant Williams is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Deferred.

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Service Company 31st Infantry Regiment

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