Tec5 Walter Jackson Alexander

Familial History

Tec5 Walter Jackson Alexander was born 19 October 1920 in Roper, North Carolina to Charlotte “Lettie” Jackson and Walter McDuffie Alexander. He died 27 November 1943 after his transport ship, HMT Rohna was sunk by German bombers off Algeria. His family resided in Nash County, North Carolina prior to the war.

Charlotte “Lettie” Jackson was born 17 March 1889 to Sarah Frances Stubbs and Isiah Daniel Jackson. She died 13 November 1969 in Rocky Mount and laid to rest with Walter. Her Memorial # was 92133519. Lettie married Walter 1 March 1913 in Beaufort, North Carolina.

Walter McDuffie Alexander was born 13 May 1888 to Sarah Mariah Sawyer and John Midgett Alexander. He died 4 February 1923 in North Carolina and interred in the Isaiah Wiley Jackson Cemetery, Pinetown, Beaufort County, North Carolina. His Memorial # was 92133485.

The Alexander union produced 5 children composed of 2 daughters and 3 sons. Their names are listed chronologically with corresponding birth and death dates: Clyde Leslie Alexander (13 January 1914-20 May 1992); Mildred Nadine Alexander Williams (24 November 1916-14 January 1991); John Daniel “Jack” Alexander (24 October 1917-11 April 1995); Tec5 Walter Jackson Alexander; and the youngest daughter as Private.

Service History:

Tec5 Walter Jackson Alexander registered for the draft 16 February 1942 in Rocky Mount, Nash County, North Carolina. He was unemployed and Mrs. Lettie Alexander signed as the next of kin.

He enlisted into the US Army 10 August 1942 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Walter had completed 1 year of high school, was working as a repairman for the railroad, single, and without dependents.

Walter was assigned to the 853rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation. His Service Number was 34315650. The US Hospital Admission Card Files indicated his boat was sunk by enemy actions.

The following information was condensed from HISTORY - 853rdAviationEngineers (853rdengineerbattalion.org): The Battalion boarded HMT Rohna 23 November 1943 and quartered in the aft decks 6 - 8 of the ship. The roll call listed 793 officers and men. After a complete day of boarding supplies and troops they departed at 1200 hours on the 24th. The ship was one of five in Convoy KMF-26 Annex. The troops continued to drill concerning boat stations, abandon ship, and other important tasks, during the voyage.

Around 1600 hours on the 26th, an “Alert” alarm sounded, and all troops were ordered below decks while the gun crews and fire-control details were ordered to their stations. Several German twin engine bombers were noted from the southwest and the escort vessels opened fire.

At 1700 hours, the HMT Rohna was hit by a Henschel Hs-293 radio-controlled missile. The He-177a was piloted by Hans Dochtermann and the bomb hit the ship at the water line and all power was lost. The 853rd were quartered near the impact site and due to the blast, fires, and exploding ammunition accounted for most of the dead.

The weather had become difficult, and the sea was producing 15-foot swells. Of the 16 lifeboats only 5 were successfully launched. At 1730 hours, LTC Frolich ordered “Abandon Ship”. The water was very cold, and hypothermia took the lives of many that had successfully escaped the sinking ship. USS Pioneer collected 606 survivors alone. Overall, 1,015 of the 2,000 personnel was lost. Over 100 crewmen also were casualties of the bombing.

For further information concerning the sinking and the US Classification as “Secret”, please open the following hyperlink. Rohna-Classified - TRSMA (rohnasurvivors.org).

Tec5 Walter Jackson Alexander was memorialized in the North African American Cemetery, Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia. The Plot was the Tablets of the Missing and the Memorial #56245103.

Commendations:

Purple Heart

Stories Behind the Stars:

Thank you, Tec5 Walter Jackson Alexander of the US Army Air Corps, for your sacrifice and service to our country.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars Project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII Fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’ s name and read his/her story.

If you noticed anything missing in this profile, you can contact the author, Click on the author’s name located at the bottom of the story page next to the words “added by”.

The

author is Dr. Jack W. Chisum, and the email address is jchisum@q.com.

Resources:

HISTORY - 853rdAviationEngineers (853rdengineerbattalion.org)

HMT Rohna - Wikipedia

Casualties - TRSMA (rohnasurvivors.org)

Rohna Classified documentary — Rohna Attack Casualty Search

HISTORY - 853rdAviationEngineers (853rdengineerbattalion.org)

Hs-293 radio-controlled - Search (bing.com)

Walter J Alexander in American Battle Monuments Commission - Fold3

TEC5 Walter J. Alexander (1920-1943) - Find a Grave Memorial

Walter J Alexander : Technician Fifth Class from North Carolina, World War II Casualty (honorstates.org)

(0024) ~ HMT Rohna: a Virtual Cemetery - Find a Grave