Grover Cleveland Johnson, Jr.
Private, U.S. Army Air Forces
33423107
853rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation
Entered service from: Pennsylvania
Died: November 26, 1943
Mediterranean Sea
Missing in Action
Tablets of the Missing
North Africa American Cemetery
Carthage, Tunisia
Awards: Purple Heart
Introduction
Private Grover Cleveland Johnson, Jr.
Grover Cleveland Johnson was inducted into the Army from Pennsylvania. Nicknamed “Buddy,” he was known by his fellow soldiers as a very pleasant person to be around, with an upbeat attitude who would tell jokes all the time. He was assigned to the 853rd Engineer Battalion and was stationed at Bradley Field, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, until January 1943, when the Battalion was moved to Dyersburg Army Air Field in Tennessee where he served until August 1943.
Private Johnson went overseas about September 13. His battalion was attached to the Army Air Force, and was on its way to India by way of the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal. The 853rd Engineers had the task of taking over captured airfields and repairing them for the use of American air units.
Private Johnson met his death on November 26, 1943, while troops were being transported on board the H.M.S. Rohna. The Rohna was sunk off the coast of Africa near Bone, Algeria, when a guided missile from a German plane struck her amidships. The missile impacted in a part of the ship where the 853rd Engineers was quartered, and many were killed instantly. A friend who had just left him before the missile struck says he never saw Private Johnson after it hit the ship; it is likely that he was one of the many lost in the initial explosion. Heavy seas and darkness hampered further rescue work, and 1,015 Americans, more than half of the 1,981 men aboard the ship, died in the attack.
For more information, visit the Rohna Survivors Memorial Association.