ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Ensign Eugene Mandeberg, a U.S. Naval Aviator and Detroit native, will be laid to rest with full military honors in Livonia.
Mandeberg was one of four Americans shot down in the final aerial dogfight of World War II.
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The burial service is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Beth El Memorial Park, 28120 6 Mile Road.
Madeberg’s identification was made possible by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in collaboration with the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory.
They used Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, a new DNA capture method that marks a significant advancement in identifying service members lost in past conflicts.
Mandeberg flew the F6F Hellcat fighter, launching from the USS Yorktown (CV-10), both of which played key roles in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
Before joining the Navy, Mandeberg worked as a reporter for The Michigan Daily at the University of Michigan and the Associated Press.
After pilot training, he served with Fighter Squadron (VF) 88 aboard the USS Yorktown.
On Aug. 15, 1945, Mandeberg piloted one of several F6F Hellcats on a sweep of airfields near Tokyo, including Atsugi Airfield, clearing a path for bombers and torpedo planes.
After Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s unconditional surrender, the planes began returning to the carrier.
However, enemy forces had not received the news and attacked the Americans, who were relatively inexperienced in combat.
The Hellcats engaged the enemy, shooting down a total of nine planes, including one by Mandeberg, making him one of the last Americans to shoot down an enemy plane in the war.
Despite their success, four Hellcats failed to return to the Yorktown.
Mandeberg was listed as Missing in Action, and his remains were unaccounted for after the war.
On March 20, 1946, U.S. personnel recovered remains from the Myoho-ji Temple in Yokohama, Japan, believed to belong to an American F6F pilot linked to the USS Yorktown crash on Aug. 15, 1945.
The remains were initially unidentified and interred as “Unknown” at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
On Nov. 15, 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency exhumed the remains for scientific analysis. On March 4, 2025, the remains were positively identified as those of Mandeberg.
Mandeberg was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement as a carrier-based fighter pilot.
His citation honors his courage and airmanship during the final aerial engagement of World War II.