Richard B. Koenig

Richard B. Koenig was born in Jud, ND on July 11, 1899 and was a resident of Stutsman County, ND when he entered the US Army Ft Warren, Wyoming on April 29, 1941. He served in the Asiatic Pacific Theater.

Richard B. Koenig was held as a POW in the Philippine Islands. In December 1944, he was boarded onto the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. The ship sailed on December 13th and came under attack from American planes on December 14th. As evening approached, the attack was called off. The next day the planes returned and continued the attack. When the pilots saw the large number of men climbing from the ship's holds, they realized the ship was carrying POWs and called off the attack. After the POWs were off the ship, the attack resumed and the ship was sunk by American planes at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, on December 15, 1944. The surviving POWs were boarded onto the Enoura Maru which sailed on December 27th and reached Takao, Formosa, by the New Year. While docked it was bombed by American planes on January 9, 1945, killing many of the POWs. On January 12th, the dead were removed from the ship's holds and buried in a mass grave on Formosa. The surviving POWs were boarded onto the Brazil Maru which sailed on January 13th and reached Japan on January 29, 1945. Koenig died the next day, and his body was cremated. He is buried at British Commonwealth War Cemetery, Yokahama, Japan.