December 27, 1922: Japanese Launch the First Purpose-Built Aircraft Carrier in the World

DECEMBER 27, 1922

Japanese aircraft carrier  IJN Hosho becomes the first purpose-built aircraft carrier commissioned in the world.  Set the stage for a certain latter event in 1941, didn't it.

--GreGen

No More War Price and Rationing Boards in Sycamore, Sandwich and DeKalb in 1945

From the November 4, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"With the War Price and Rationing Board offices at Sycamore and Sandwich having been closed, the files from these offices are being moved to the office in DeKalb.

"The DeKalb office will no longer be known as the DeKalb War Price and Rationing Board but starting tomorrow, will be the DeKalb County Price Control Board.  With nearly all of the rationing programs at an end, all stress will now be laid in keeping prices in line."

--GreGen

The First New Car Since 1942 Makes Its Appearance in DeKalb in 1945

From the October 28, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 years ago.

"The first new automobile to appear in a Sycamore sales room since  February 1942, went on display this morning at the garage of Drayton and Fredericks.

"At the early hours of 7:30 o'clock this morning people had already begun streaming in  to view the car."

Somewhat Back to Normal.  Wonder What Kind of a Car It Was?  --GreGen

Carl Monk Survived Sinking of the SS Leopoldville on Christmas Eve 1944-- Part 2: A Secret for Too Long

June Monk learned that her husband Carl and the other survivors of the sinking of the SS Leopoldville were told to keep it secret.  But word got out many years later after the events surrounding the sinking were declassified.

Around 1994, some of the survivors began talking about it.  Allan Andrade, a retired New York City police investigator wrote a book about it called "Leopoldville: A Tragedy Too Long Secret."

Despite the book and works by other authors and documentaries it is still one of the least-known events of World War II.  (I had never heard of it before.)

Andrade has helped in the formation of the Leopoldville Memorial Association and is historian for  the Leopoldville.org website.

--GreGen

Carl Monk Survived Sinking of SS Leopoldville on Christmas Eve 1944-- Part 1

From the December 24, 2020, Trib Live "Manor World War II veteran survived little-known Christmas Eve disaster off French coast" by Jeff Himler.

Carl Monk, like many WW II veterans, rarely spoke of what happened to him during the war.  He had a small scar near his left elbow that he received while fighting with his infantry unit in France and a brief tale of surviving a German U-boar attack on his transport ship SS Leopoldville on Christmas Eve 1944 about five miles from its destination, Cherbourg, France.

"All he ever said was the boat was torpedoed," said his widow, June Monk, 95, of Manor, Pennsylvania.  "He told me  somebody puled him out of the water and laid him on the deck of a small French ship."

"He never wanted to go on a large ship after that."

After her husband's death at age 85, in 2008, June Monk learned just how lucky her husband had been to be among the survivors of the torpedoed SS Leoploldville.  The Beligian vessel, a former passenger liner, was transporting  more than 2,000 members of the  U.S. Army's 66th Division from Southampton, England, to join the fighting in France.

The transport's sinking claimed the lives of 763 Americans, including more than 80 Pennsylvanians.  Area casualties included two local boys, Pfc. Glenn Elvin Lowry and PFC. Jack Nevin Lowry, twin brothers and  1942 graduates of Rostraver High School.

The incident is considered to be the largest military catastrophe to strike an infanrty division attacked by a submarine in U.S. History.

--GreGen

Remains of Isaac Parker of the USS Oklahoma Identified

From the December 23, 2020, Arkansas Democrat Gazette "Remains of Arkansas sailor confirmed" by Brianna Kwasnik.

Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class Isaac Parker of Woodson was assigned to the USS Oklahoma that was moored in Battleship Row by Ford Island in Pearl harbor that day.  He was among the 429 who died aboard the ship.

The reason so many of the crew were unidentified was that their bodies were no recovered until starting in 1943.  In 1947, thirty-five bodies were identified.  In October 1949,  all the rest of the remains were classified as  "non-recoverable."

However, now, using DNA, most of those Oklahoma "Unknowns" are being identified.

Isaac Parker was a black man and will be buried June 8, 2021 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis.  His father, Holsey C. Parker was a U.S. Army veteran from World War II and is also buried at that cemetery.

He was born on June 8, 1824, and joined the U.S. Navy at age 17.

--GreGen

Veteran Henry Naruszwiecz to Celebrate His 105th Birthday

From Dec. 22, 2020, WCVB 5 News, Massachusetts.

World War II veteran Henry Naruszwiecz will celebrate his 105th birthday this January 1 or January 3rd (as some of his family think).  But he is absolutely sure it's the 1st.

He and his two older brothers served in the U.S. military in World War II.

Seventy-six years ago he was at the Battle of the Bulge under the command of  General George S. Patton.  "We had one of the best armored field artillery units he'd seen," Henry said.  "So he sent us up there.  It was two days before Christmas."

Humor has served him well over all those years.  As far as the secret to living so long, he says "I don't know, I don't know. moderate living I would say, don't do anything to excess."

He says he still drives the Buick he bought in 2007 and still has an active Massachusetts drivers license, good for four more years and says that when he is 109, he'll give it up.

The Greatest Generation.  --GreGen

Honolulu's Black Cat Cafe-- Part 2:

One very popular concession they had at the Black Cat was the photo gallery where the men could pose for photographs with "hula girls" to send to their families back home.  "Look Mom, I'm in Hawaii!!  Wish You Were Here."

But, for the servicemen, the food was the Big Thing!!  After the war, eating at the Black Cat was one of the sailor's most remembered times of their Hawaiian experience. Prices were rock bottom.

The menu in 1941 listed hot dogs at 10 cents, hamburgers at 15 cents, a roast turkey dinner for 50 cents, and the most expensive  item was the porterhouse steak with mushrooms for a dollar.

One veteran reminisced:  ... the prices at the Black Cat were about the cheapest you could find anywhere, and we would go over and eat breakfast ... as a matter of fact  we would eat all our meals there.  All the sailors knew about the Black Cat."

For those stationed in Hawaii  during the war it was truly "hotsy-totsy" with gravy.

--GreGen

Honolulu's Black Cat Cafe, A Big Navy Hangout-- Part 1: In the Perfect Spot

From Hawaiian Time Machine.

Paul Goodyear of the USS Oklahoma, went here, but would rather go to a small restaurant that he found.  But, the Black Cat was a major destination of U.S. naval personnel when on liberty.

"A river of white flows down Hotel Street..." an observer  poetically described the scene as thousands of off-duty sailors wearing their white uniforms descended on Honolulu's main entertainment drag, quickly filling the shooting galleries pinball palaces and taxi-dance halls, and the cafes with names like the Bunny Ranch and Lousy Liu's.

Nowhere was the hustle and bustle greater than at the Black Cat Cafe.  Ideally situated across from the Armed Forces  YMCA at the corner of  Hotel and Richards  streets --  a stone's throw from the Iolani Palace -- the Cat provided  the men with food, slot machines, and various other types of entertainment.

--GreGen

Life on USS Oklahoma Before Attack-- Part 4: About the Black Cat and Royal Hawaiian

QUESTION:  Did you go to the Black Cat?  (A popular Oahu bar for sailors)

ANSWER:  Yes, but it was not one of my favorite places.  One of the first times I went on liberty, I found a small restaurant.  It had a bar with a few stools.

*************************

QUESTION:  What was the reaction of Hawaiians to people from the Mainland?

ANSWER:  I didn't have much contact with them.  We used to go to Waikiki and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.  The Royal Hawaiian had a little grass shack with a fence around it.  We would always try to sneak in and get our picture taken in front of that grass shack.

The guard would chase us away and it was a game of cat and mouse.  If  you were not getting your picture taken you were taking someone else's picture.

*************************

I'll have to find out about this Black Cat Bar.

Oh, Those Were the Days, But, Then....  --GreGen

Life on USS Oklahoma Before Attack-- Part 3: 'We Were in 7th Heaven'

This interview is very interesting.  I haven't read much about what life was like on those old battleships before the attack.  I also did not know  about the collisions with the USS Arizona and Enterprise.  I don't know, two collisions or near-collisions might mean a problem somewhere.

This was from an interview with USS Oklahoma survivor Paul Goodyear in 2002.

************************

QUESTION:  What do you hear when the Oklahoma collided with the Arizona?

ANSWER:  I recall the scraping of metal, and crunching sound, but you are so busy, you don't pay attention.

*************************

QUESTION:  When you were going above the armored deck, where were you going?

ANSWER:   I was heading toward the signal bridge.  (His station)

*************************

QUESTION:  When did the ship pull in the first week of December (1941)?

 ANSWER:  It was Dec. 5.  I went on liberty  and went to Capulani (Kapiolani) Park and listened to 'Hawaii Calls'.  We put on bathing suits and went swimming.  We were in 7th heaven.  We didn't have much money so we couldn't do much.

(I am going to have to do some research on the Enterprise and Arizona collisions.)

--GreGen

Life on the USS Oklahoma Before That Day-- Part 2: 'A Good Ship, It Was A Happy Ship'

Questions asked of Paul Goodyear who was on the USS Oklahoma.

QUESTION:  What was your average day on the USS Oklahoma?

ANSWER: The Oklahoma was a good ship, it was a happy ship.  Capt. Foy was our captain and he was a straight shooter.  We had to get up and do some cleaning and studied to take a test for the next rate.  We worked with other guys and tested each other.

We had to swab  the decks, but we never  holystoned the deck because we had battleship linoleum.  We didn't have the wooden decks.  We had to keep or area clean.

All our watches were on the Signal Bridge.  That was on the superstructure.

***************************

QUESTION:  Tell me about the maneuvers you made in the Oklahoma.

ANSWER:  I think just around Hawaii.  I was  on board when we collided with the Arizona and then near miss with the Enterprise.

***************************

QUESTION:   What happened with the Enterprise?

ANSWER:  I don't know, but the next morning our flagstaff was bent.  "Collision" was sounded and since we were below the armored deck. we had a hatch to go through to get above that deck.  We had a phobia about being  trapped down there.  That hatch was heavy and once it was closed, it was hard to open.  It was the same thickness as the armored deck.  We headed out so we wouldn't get trapped down there.

I remember right before we collided with the Arizona, nothing came over the loudspeaker but we heard the propellers suddenly reversing and we were up through the hatch.  We didn't know what was going on, but we were out of there, just to get above the armored deck.

****************************

After reading this and knowing what happened to so many aboard the Oklahoma on that December 7, this is strange.  "We had a phobia about being trapped down there."

--GreGen

Life On Board the USS Oklahoma Before That Day-- Part 1: Stay Up Late

From the December  12, 2020,  Examiner-Enterprise  "Goodyear served as signalman on USS Oklahoma"  by Joe Todd.

This was from the second installment of an interview Joe Todd did with Pearl Harbor survivor Paul Goodyear in 2002.  He was aboard the USS Oklahoma in the attack.

It was interesting to find out what life was like aboard the ship before.  His rating was 3rd Class Signalman.

QUESTION:  WHERE WERE YOUR QUARTERS ON THE OKLAHOMA?

ANSWER:  Turret Number 2 came  into our compartment just a couple of feet and we were below the armored deck.  The compartment went from port to starboard.

Radio One was on the port side where the radiomen stood their watches.  It was about ten feet wide and the signalmen had the starboard side of the ship, but we all berthed together in the same compartment.

Since we were below the armored deck, we didn't have darkened ship while at sea.  We could stay up late, write letters, play Acee Deucee or read because we could keep our lights on.

--GreGen

Pearl Harbor in My Other Blogs This Past Monday, 79th Anniversary-- Part 2: Why Must We Remember Pearl Harbor

Continuing with my other four blogs.  Go to the My Blogs section to the right of this, click on the blog and scroll down to December 7 entry.

CIVIL WAR II:  THE CONTINUING WAR ON THE CONFEDRACY:  Mickey Granitch of the USS Pennsylvania getting ready for a football game with the USS Arizona's team.  Fought the battle in his uniform.

SAW THE ELEPHANT:  THE CIVIL WAR:  Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors carry on after the original Pearl Harbor Survivors Association disbands because of age and loss of members.

RUNNING THE BLOCKADE: CIVIL WAR NAVY:  Wayne Rader of the U.S. Army at Schofield Barracks.

ROADDOG'S ROADLOG BLOG:  Why we must remember Pearl Harbor (and why it isn't remembered).

--GreGen

Pearl Harbor in My Other Blogs This Past Monday-- Part 1: The USS Oklahoma Unknowns

This past Monday was the 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and yo commemorate it, I posted about the event in all eight of my blogs.  You can go over to the My Blogs column to the right of this and click on the blogs and go to that date to find out what I wrote.

But, here is a short synapsis of what I wrote:

NOT SO FORGOTTEN: WAR OF 1812:  Walter Ray Pentico on the USS Oklahoma.  Still unidentified.

COOTER'S HISTORY THING:  USS Oklahoma Unknown Grant Cook Jr. of Cozard, Nebraska identified.  Also two brothers from Nebraska William and Howard Trapp.  A total of 22 Nebraskans were killed aboard the USS Oklahoma that day.

DOWN DA ROAD I GO:  Identifying the Unknowns of the USS Oklahoma.

--GreGen

Tulsa, Oklahoma's Last Pearl Harbor Survivor, Arles Cole, Laid to Rest

From December 9, 2020, Channel 6, Oklahoma's own: Pearl Harbor survivor laid to rest."

The last surviving member of Tulsa's Last Man Standing Club will be laid to rest  Thursday.  World War II veteran Arles Cole (I've also seen it spelled Arlis) was aboard the USS West Virginia during the attack.

You do not have to be a veteran to attend the funeral service.  It's at 2 pm at Floral Haven Cemetery.

********************************

A flag that normally only waves at Memorial Day over Floral Haven Cemetery flew at half staff today in honor of the life and legacy of Arles Cole.  It was a flag that he had given to the cemetery as a donation in 2001 for the Tulsa chapter of a Pearl Harbor survivors association of which he was a member.

The flag has 48-stars, like the one flown December 7, 1941.  It once flew over the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii.

Arles was just 17 and on board the USS West Virginia and managed to survive the attack when a dud bomb created o hole in the ship which allowed him to escape.

--GreGen

Pearl Harbor 79th Anniversary: Finding the USS Oklahoma Unknowns-- Part 1

Continued from today's post on my Cooter's History Thing blog.

Of the 2,403 American deaths at Pearl Harbor, 429 were from the Oklahoma.  Of those, only 35 were recovered and identified.  That means there were 394 unaccounted for.

In fact, most of the men who lost their lives that day were not recovered until 1943,m when the vessel was finally uprighted and searches able to be made.  By then, there wasn't much left.

Eventually, all the recovered unidentified remains were  buried together in communal graves at the National Memorial Cemetery  of the Pacific in Honolulu, better known as the Punch Bowl.  That's where they stayed until 2015 when they were disinterred for DNA analysis.

In the five years since, the USS Oklahoma Project  has resulted in 279 identifications.

And, there is hope that they will be able to make a dent in identifying the final 115.  Of those, sadly, so far there has been no family members known for 25 of the men.  That means they will remain unidentified, sadly.

Here's Hoping for Their Identification.  --GreGen

Heroes of Pearl Harbor: Ensign Herbert C. Jones (1918-1941) of the USS Maryland

From the December 6, 2020, Chattanoogan "Jerry Summers: 15 heroes of Pearl Harbor- No. 2" by Jerry Summers.

Ensign Herbert C. Jones was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Navy in 1945, after enlisting in the U.S.  Naval reserve in 1935.  He reported to the battleship USS California in November 1940 and the ship was assigned to Pearl Harbor.

On December 7, 1941, he was about to relieve the officer-of-the deck when the attack came.

In the first wave, the California was hit by both a bomb and a torpedo.  Jones organized and led a party to supply ammunition to the anti-aircraft battery aboard the ship after the mechanical hoists were put out of action.

He was fatally wounded by another bomb and although two sailors tried to pull him from the area which had caught fire, he refused to  do so, saying, words , in effect, "Leave me alone!  I am done for.  Get out of here before the magazines go off!"

Jones was posthumously awarded a Medal of Honor and in 1943, the destroyer escort USS Herbert C. Jones, was named in his honor.

--GreGen

USS Arizona Survivor Lou Conte-- Part 3: Plans On Being at Pearl Harbor Next Year for 80th Anniversary

After Pearl Harbor, Lou Conter stayed in the U.S. Navy, eventually becoming a pilot and flying in the VP-11 Black Cat Patrol Bombing  Squadron.  While serving in the Pacific, he was shot down twice and "helped rescue 219 Australian Coast Watchers from  upper New Guinea behind the lines and living with local  tribes," he recalled.

He stayed in the Navy until 1967, retiring as a lieutenant commander.

In 1991, during the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, he met fellow naval aviator George H.W. Bush.

Mr. Conter had plans to go to Pearl Harbor for the observance this year, but COVID-19 canceled his plans.

Yet, he has every intention of being there on December 7, 2021, for the 80th anniversary.  He says he will be turning 100 just before it.

He also has a book coming out about his life.  Should be very interesting reading.

He Sure Has Lived Through a Lot.  --GreGen

'I Just Did My Job': USS Arizona Survivor Lou Conte-- Part 2: 'I'm No Hero'

To this day, Lou Conter says he wasn't surprised when he saw the Japanese planes coming in.  "We knew  hat something was going to happen long before that; we'd been training for a year and a half."

On that morning, he was fortunately near the back of the ship when the bomb hit that destroyed the USS Arizona.

"The fire was all around the ship where the oil was," he remembered.

But, despite the flames and damage, he stayed aboard the ship for thirty minutes along with others attempting to rescue the wounded and burned sailors.  "We got everybody into the motor launches, got them to the hospital and fought the fire until Tuesday.

In the next days, he returned to his stricken ship several times, going into the ship to retrieve bodies.

"I'm no hero.  I don't believe myself as a hero, I just did my job and did what had to be done to protect America and the American flag," Conter said.

--GreGen

'I Just Did My Job" Recalls USS Arizona Survivor Louis Conter-- Part 1

From the December 2, 2020,  Fox 40 News (California) "'I just did my job:' Grass Valley Navy sailor recalls being aboard the USS Arizona during Pearl Harbor" by Doug Johnson.

Monday, December 7, is the 79th anniversary of this event.  Sadly, every year there are fewer and fewer survivors of it to commemorate it.

However, one local man was there.

"Everyone of us did our job well.  There wasn't one person on the ship that didn't do their job on the ship the way he was trained."  Lou Conter, 99, is one of just two men aboard that ill-fated ship still alive today.  He was a quartermaster 3rd class that day and had just turned 20 two months earlier.

His ship had just arrived at Pearl Harbor on the afternoon of December 5.  Little did they know that at that very time, a Japanese attack force was nearing its destination.

--GreGen

We're Four Days from the 79th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor: Death of Lambert Turner, 92, Served on USS Pennsylvania After the Attack

Since we are now just four days from the 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which plunged the United States into World War II, I will begin devoting this blog to recent events which have a Pearl Harbor connection.

Although, it is very clear that the United States had been preparing for entry into World War II for several years prior to it.

LAMBERT (LARRY) TURNER, 92

Died November 21, 2010.

Born and raised in Minnesota.  Joined the U.S. Navy  during his senior year and was posted to the USS Pennsylvania, which was damaged at Pearl Harbor during the attack and preparing for the invasion of Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped.

Sadly, all too often any news involving Pearl Harbor in WW II these days involves one of the survivors dying.

--GreGen

Relocated Japanese in Union Grove, Wisconsin, Moving to Shabbona, Illinois, to Work in Hemp Industry in 1945

From the September 23, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Announcement was made at Union Grove, Wisconsin,  that approximately 25  relocated Japanese  who have been working on government  contracts there, will leave to work at Shabbona"

They will be employed at the war hemp industries at Shabbona, according to the announcement, leaving Union Grove for Shabbona today."

I didn't know there were relocated Japanese this far east.

--GreGen

USS Princeton (CVL-23)-- Part 2: A Fighting Carrier

After Baker Island, the Princeton joined TF 15 and participated in air strikes against Makin and Tarawa.  Then it was to pearl harbor and back to Baker Island.  Then it was on to Empress  Augusta Bay and covering fighting there.

Other Actions of the Princeton:

1943

Rabaul

Nauru

*******************

1944

Wotje

Taroa

Kwajalein

Majuro

Eniwetok

Engebi

This Was One Busy Light Aircraft Carrier.  --GreGen

USS Princeton (CVL-23)-- Part 1: From Light Cruiser to Light Aircraft Carrier

From Wikipedia.

Earlier this week, I wrote about 101-year-old Al Oesterle recounting his memories of the sinking of this ship.  Here is some more information on the ship.

For part of this background information,  click on the USS Princeton label below and go back to my Feb. 23, 2013, blog entry.

The Princeton was laid down as the Cleveland class light cruiser Tallahassee (CL-61) by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in 1941 and was reclassified  as the Independence class light aircraft carrier CV-23 on 16 February 1942. and renamed the Princeton a month later.

It was launched  18 October 1942, sponsored by Margaret Dodds (wife of Princeton President  Harold Dodds) and commissioned at Philadelphia 25 February 1943, with Captain George R. Henderson in command.

After a shakedown cruise in the Caribbean Sea and reclassification to CVL-23, the ship, with Air Group 23 got underway for the Pacific and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 9 August.  She sortied with TF 11 on August 25 and headed for Baker Island.  There she served as flagship of TG 11.2 and provided air cover during the occupation of the island and construction of the airfield there 1-14 September.

During that time, planes from the Princeton downed  the new Japanese Emily  reconnaissance planes and more importantly provided the U.S. Navy with photographs of them.

--GreGen

Tires. Who Needs Tires? Ex-Sgt. Schnorr Does

From the September 16, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Ex-sergeant Bernard W. Schnorr was issued two tires by the rationing board, borrowing others from family, and gone to work.   Schnorr left Shabbona in 1942 as a farm hand, came back a few days ago as a mechanic.

"Finding the tires on the car he left in the garage three and a half years ago, he had been informed by the rationing board that no tires were available.  To work as his new trade he had to have tires.  It develops that the board found it possible to give him a certificate for two tires, and that he was able to borrow two from his family.

"So, he has gone to work at his new army-given occupation of  engine mechanic."

So, then as now, you can receive occupation training in the military.

Tires?  Who Needs Tires?  --GreGen

Forty Women Needed for Canning Jobs in DeKalb in 1945

From the September 9, 2020, MidWeek  (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago. 

"With every effort being made to can  the tremendous amount of corn and beans growing in this vicinity, extra help is urgently needed at the DeKalb plant of the California Packing Corporation.

"Forty women are required at the present time to assist in the canning of beans and corn, which will last another four weeks.   The work is similar to that in a home kitchen, but is essential as the more food that is canned at the DeKalb plant during the present pack, the more will be available during the winter months on the shelves of the grocery stores."

--GreGen

Al Oesterle remembers Sinking of USS Princeton-- Part 3:

The Princeton's crew were ordered to abandon ship.  When it was Oesterle's turn to leave, he climbed down a cargo net only to find there was no boat at the bottom.  He climbed back up and discovered that he was alone on his burning, stricken ship.

"I came back onboard to help... nobody was there but me," he said.

Eventually, a boat did come back for him and took him to the Birmingham.  In all, 1,361 members of the Princeton's crew were rescued.

Two days later, he wrote his mother to let her know he was alright.  "All in all it was quite a day.  None the worse for wear & tear," he wrote.

He finished the war stationed on other ships.  Among his  service medals are a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, which he received for valor.

On September1, 1945,  he and Joan were married at the Philadelphia  Naval Shipyard.  During the rest of his naval career as a dentist, Oesterle was stationed at bases in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois and California as well as a stint at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Joan died in 1998.

Quite the Story.  --GreGen

Al Oesterle Remembers USS Princeton Sinking-- Part 2: One Powerful Explosion

The explosion from the Japanese dive bomber's bomb started a fire that spread quickly across the ship.  Oeseterle and the other crew members scrambled to fight the fires as other American ships came to assist.  The USS Birmingham (CL-62) a light cruiser, pulled alongside the stricken Princeton.

The Birmingham's crew used high pressure hoses to pour water on the burning ship, but the fire reached  stored munitions and a massive  explosion rocked the Princeton.

The explosion shot out a storm of fire and debris.  On the Princeton,  108 men were killed.  On the Birmingham, where many of the crew were on deck or superstructure fighting the fire and assisting in rescuing,  233 men were killed and  another 426 wounded (out of 1255 crew).

Oesterle, who was standing on the deck of the Princeton next to Captain John Hopkins at the time of the explosion, suffered light burns on his neck, but otherwise was not harmed.    Captain Hoskins lost the lower part of a leg.

--GreGen

101-Year-Old Navy Veteran Al Oesterle recalls the End of the USS Princeton (CVL-23)-- Part 1

From the November 10, 2020, Coloradoan "101-year-old Fort Collins veteran remembers escape from ill-fated World War II carrier" by Kevin Dugan.

This story originally appeared in my November 11 Running the Blockade blog in honor of Veterans Day.  There was so much about this event (which I had never heard of) that I figured to write the rest of the story here.

Al Oesterle left the U.S. Navy in 1965 after a long career in it.   And, he had a near run-in with death that his family didn't learn about until nearly 40 years after it happened.  It was at a reunion of the crew that had served on the USS Princeton (CVL-23), a light aircraft carrier that was lost during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.  His wife, Joan heard that her husband might have been the last man to leave the stricken carrier before it sank.

Mr. Oesterle grew up in Joliet, Illinois and joined the Navy in 1939 at age 20 and attended the University of Illinois Dental School.   He graduated in 1942 and was appointed to the U.S. Navy Dental Corps.  After further training, he was assigned to the USS Princeton in December 1943.

The Princeton was operating in the Pacific Theater.

On October 24, 1944, east of  the Philippine island of Luzon, a lone Japanese dive bomber emerged from the clouds and dropped a bomb on the Princeton,  penetrating the flight deck and exploding  in the hangar bay, where aircraft were being armed and fueled.

--GreGen

Working at the Hemp Mill and a Wound from a Kamikaze Attack

From the September 2, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"The women employed at the hemp mill did not work Saturday as the day was used by the men  for some needed  repairing and cleaning of the boilers."

***************************

"For wounds suffered last May when his ship was hit by a Jap suicide plane off Okinawa  after 39 days in combat, Robert C. Helson,  pharmacist's mate  first class, of  206 Maplewood Avenue in DeKalb was awarded the Purple Heart medal."

Hemp, A Growing Industry in DeKalb County in 1945.  --GreGen

A Record Number of Telegrams Sent After Japanese Surrender: Great News, Big Changes

From the August 26, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Japan's surrender produced the largest volume of telegraphing in the nation's history as American business began work immediately to resume peacetime production and distribution, it was announced by R.S. Slack, Jr. of the DeKalb office.

"Here and throughout the nation, the volume of telegrams last week sent the 1945 volume line skyrocketing off the charts and  and exceeded even the busiest weeks of the war."

Western Union Telegrams.  --GreGen

DeKalb County Marine Brothers Meet and Catch Up on Home News in the Pacific.

From the August 26, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"From somewhere in the Pacific comes  word that Marine Pfc Lawrence Braser and his brother, Marine Pfc Roy Braser, have seen a lot more of enemy action than they have of each other during the past two years.

"Recently the tide turned and for several days the brothers had an opportunity to swap yarns and catch up on home town news during Lawrence's visit to an undisclosed Pacific spot while enroute to another Pacific base."

Roy Braser died  November 25, 2007 was born July 22, 1922, the son of Ida and Valey Braser.  He was discharged from the Marines in 1945 and went on to become owner and cofounder of  Downtown Shoes in Sycamore, Illinois.

He was preceded in death by his brother Lawrence.  Mr. Braser was buried at Lutheran Cemetery in Hinckley.  Lawrence Braser ( 23 September 1925-26 May 1995) is also buried there.

Quite the Way To Meet Your Brother.  --GreGen

Even License Plates in the War Effort

From the August 2, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Illinois automobile license plates in 1946 will have white figures on a maroon background, Secretary of State Edward J. Barrett announced today.

"As for the past three years,  the plates will be made of plastic to conserve war-needed metal."

--GreGen

Pearl Harbor Remembrance May Be Mainly Virtual This Year

From the November 14, 2020,  The Garden Island, Hawaii. 

On December 7, the National Park Service and U.S. Navy will host the 79th National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day to honor the 2,390 American lives lost that day when it was attacked in 1941. 

The ceremony will begin at 7:50 when a very small number of veterans and speakers  will be at  the Pearl Harbor National Memorial's Contemplation Circle with the keynote speech given by Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Most of the ceremony will take place virtually.

A moment of silence will be observed at 7:55, the exact moment of the Japanese attack.

--GreGen

Honoring Our WW II Veterans on Veterans Day-- Part 2: 1st Lt. Walter Pettit, Ruth Snively and Howard Miller

On Veterans Day I wrote about these WW II veterans in other blogs.  Every veterans Day I write about something to do with our Armed Forces in all of my blogs.

If you want to read the entry in the other blogs, just go ton the right of this entry to where it says My Blogs List and click on the blog.  Then go to the November 11 entry.

CIVIL WAR II BLOG

1st Lt. Walter Pettit, 97, U.S. Army Air Corps and Ruth Snively, 95, a Rosie the Riveter.

COOTER'S HISTORY THING BLOG

Howard Miller, USMC  His remains recovered on Betio, Tarawa, and returned home.  See Nov. 11 and 13 entries.

--GreGen

Honoring Our WW II Vets on Veterans Day-- Part 1: A USS Oklahoma Unknown and Another One On the USS Princeton When It Was Hit by a Kamikaze

This past Wednesday was November 11th, the day where we always honor all of out veterans, those still here and those who are gone.

Every Veterans Day, I write about some aspect of the commemoration or about newly identified  remains or veterans still living, in all eight of my blogs.  It is that important to me.

Here are the WW II veterans I wrote about in my other blogs on Wednesday.  You can go to these sites by clicking on the My Blog List column to the right of this entry.  Then go to the November 11 entry:

SAW THE ELEPHANT: CIVIL WAR BLOG

Petty Officer 2nd Class James M. Flanagan, one of the newly identified USS Oklahoma Unknowns.

RUNNING THE BLOCKADE:  CIVIL WAR NAVY BLOG

Al Oesterle who was on the USS Princeton in the Pacific when it was hit by a kamikaze

--GreGen

Oklahoma Family Honors Life of Sailor Who Died at Pearl Harbor on Board the USS Oklahoma

From Oklahoma 6, Tulsa by Sawyer Buccy.

Navy Fireman 1st Class Rex E Wise, of  South Haven, Kansas, was 21 when he met his death on December 7, 1941, on board the USS Oklahoma.    He was reburied on what would have been his 100th birthday.

Rex's 83-year-old niece Marilyn Weller, said her mother had sent DNA to the Department of Defense in 2015 and she died in 2017.  Two years later, the Defense department confirmed a match with her uncle among the USS Oklahoma Unknowns who had been buried in Hawaii.

--GreGen

World War II 'No Regrets Tour' by Sidney Walton, 101, Veterans Day

From the November 10, 2020, Pennsylvania Real-Time News "101-year-old World War II veteran embarks on Veterans Day motorcade tour" by Dan Gleiter.

On Tuesday, Harrisburg, Pa., provided a warm send-off for Sidney Walton where he received the Key to the City from the mayor.  Harrisburg police then escorted him in the first stage of his tour to Washington, D.C..

Mr. Walton is one of the last remaining World War II veterans and says he has always been sorry he did not get a chance to meet any pf the last surviving Civil War veterans before they too passed into history.  So, he launched his tour in 2018 with intentions to visit all fifty states and meet with all  fifty governors in his "No Regrets Tour."

He has already been to 35 states.

In 1941, he quit college in New York City at age 21 to join the U.S. Army and "fight Hitler."  That was nine months before Pearl Harbor.  During the war, he was with the  34th Infantry,  8th Division and fought in China, Burma, India Theater.

Out of 16 million WW II veterans, most recent estimates have  only 325,000 still alive with around 300 dying every day.  It is expected that all will be gone in the next 15 years.

Pennsylvania has around  18,000 still alive.

--GreGen

Not All Joy, Though, At V-J Day Celebration, the Injury of Martha Suknaich

From the August 19, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Condition of Martha Suknaich, 1114 Oak Street, who was injured when she fell from a car during the Victory celebration, was reported as being better this morning and she is resting much easier.

"Martha was riding on the running board of a car and fell to the pavement near the intersection of Lincoln Highway and First Street.  She suffered a head injury in the fall and may have a slight  skull fracture."

I looked her up and found that she recovered and died January 29, 2007, according to her obituary.  She was a 1945 graduate of DeKalb High School.  Her name at the time of her death was Martha N. Suknaich-Fulton.

It's Always Fun Until ....   --GreGen

An Impromptu Celebration in DeKalb, Illinois, for V-J Day

From the August 19, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Quiet settled over the city today and all that remained of last evening's Victory Celebration was debris along main street.  From shortly after six o'clock, when the fire whistle signaled the Japs had accepted the peace terms, the business area was a beehive of activity.

"With horns blaring, cow bells ringing,  noise makers of all types sounding, and the occupants of the cars cheering  lustily, the crowd  grew by the minute nd within an hour after the announcement was received, the impromptu celebration was in full swing.  There was joy and thanksgiving in the hearts of all."

--GreGen

Labor Shortages Still Around and a Post Office Holiday in 1945 for V-J Day

From the August 19, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Appeals are being made for DeKalb community women to assist  in the pack of corn at the DeKalb plant."  Still having labor problems on the home front.

"Delivery of mail  was resumed this morning after a two-day holiday for postal employees."  (Celebration of V-J Day)"

--GreGen

 

Still Knitting for the Troops in 1945

From the August 12, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Activities at the Red Cross production centers in DeKalb will be resumed tomorrow after a vacation period the past few weeks.

"There is a rush order for knitted items including V-neck sleeveless sweaters.  Women are asked to call for the yarn, 50 pounds having been received at the sewing center."

Still Knitting for the Troops.  --GreGen

When Will V-J Day Be Celebrated in DeKalb in 1945?

From the August 12, 2020, MidWeek  (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"A DeKalb retailers schedule has been prepared which will be followed by the stores in this city when V-J Day is officially announced.

"This schedule will be followed unless President Truman, by his proclamation, sets aside a specific period celebration, in which case the retailer schedule will be disregarded and the president's  proclamation will be followed.

--GreGen

About Those War Souvenirs

From the August 5, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago

"In conformance with the government order that all guns which were sent or brought into this country by service men as souvenirs, these guns are being registered at the DeKalb police station."

Even Souvenir Guns.  --GreGen

Home Front Price Controls in DeKalb County in 1945

From the August 5, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"In Friday evening's paper the dry groceries price list for  Group One and Two stores will be published.  Use of this list will permit  the housewives to know the correct ceiling prices in the stores doing less than $250,000 business per year.

"Housewives are urged to clip the list and post it on their pantry doors or some other common place where they may refer to it when making out their shopping lists."

So, not only were items rationed, but also price controls were a part of the home front war effort even as the war was drawing to a close.

--GreGen

Did a German Plane Fly Over DeKalb in 1945?

From the August 5, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"A group of workers employed by the California  Packing firm south of DeKalb yesterday noted a strange  appearing plane flying over and none seemed able to identify it.

"Pictures in a Chicago paper showed an American crew  posing beside a captured Junkers plane and those in the group  feel certain that this is  the ship that passed over south DeKalb yesterday."

--GreGen

Bits of War, Nov. 2019; Two USS West Virginia Unknowns from Pearl Harbor Identified, 1st U.S. Flag on Normandy Beaches Shown

**  Navy Fireman 1st Class Bethel E, Walters, 25, was killed on board the USS West Virginia n December, 7, 1941.  His remains were recovered but couldn't be identified.  He was from Bellevue, Texas and his remains were identified with DNA.

**  Hadley Heavin's body was among those unknown from the USS West Virginia when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor.  No decision has been made as to where he will be buried, in Hawaii or back home at his family's cemetery in Baxter Springs, Kansas.

**  The first U.S. flag flown on the beaches on D-Day was displayed at the  Lodge Casino in Billings, Montana, on Saturday, Nov. 23.  Sgt. John Horvath flew it and then sent it home to  his wife in Ohio. This year, Navy veteran Steve Billey saw the flag was for sale and bought it for $162,500.  He also got Horvath's dog tags and Purple Heart.  The flag also has a bullet hole in it.

--GreGen

Cookies and Sewing for the Boys

From the March 13, 2019, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1944, 75 Years Ago.

**  "Cookies for the boys in service of Cortland  Township will be packed Tuesday evening at the Charles Forest  home."

**  "The Fairdale ladies who are interested in Red Cross work sew at the school house each Wednesday."

--GreGEn

Marvin Kornegay of the USS Texas at D-Day-- Part 2

This bombardment continued for the rest of the day, during which a total of 441 shells were fired at the Germans.

Perhaps the best representation of the Texas' power on June 6, 1944, occurred six hours into the invasion when Allied infantry were stopped and forced to cover  by sniper and machine gun fire.  Recognizing the  defense being exhibited around Exit D-1, the Texas moved to within 5,000 yards of the shore.  Accompanied by a few destroyers, she unleashed her main guns on the Germans and "completely demolished all structures in the Exit, reducing them to rubble."

Today, it is a museum ship near Houston, Texas, and the only dreadnaught left in the world.  For four decades she sailed the globe and fought in some of the most important battles of World War II.  She was the most powerful and most complex weapon the world had ever seen when she was commissioned.  For a brief time, in all the world, she had no rival.

--GreGen

War Production for the Northern Illinois Corporation Upped in 1944

From the March 13, 2019, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1944, 75 Years Ago.

"For the past several days the Northern Illinois Corporation, manufacturing division,  has been working a 24-hour a day schedule following an emergency  order received from the ordinance (probably ordnance) division of the War Department.

"Instructions received from the ordinance (ordnance) department were to step up production at the local plant to the limit.  All of the other employees were called back, but with the shortage of available help at the present time, a number of business men and others have been helping in the assembly lines."

--GreGen

See Northern Illinois Corporation (finance company) for more information and on Thomas E.  Courtney

Remains of USS West Virginia Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor Identified: Hadley Heavin

From the February 4 2020,Four States Home Page.com

The defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has identified the remains of two Kansas sailors killed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

One was Rex Wise who I wrote about earlier.

The other was Navy Fireman 1st Class Hadley Heavin who was 23, one of 106 killed aboard the USS West Virginia that day. He was from Baxter Springs.  He will be buried May 23, 2020, in Baxter Springs, Kansas.

--GreGen

Remains of USS Oklahoma Victim Rex Wise Identified

Kansas Public Radio

The remains of a Kansas man who was killed 78 years ago on the USS Oklahoma have been identified.

U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Rex Wise was just 21 when he died,  one of 429 who died aboard the Oklahoma that day.    He will be buried in April  near his home in South Haven.

The Defense POW/MIA announced that he was accounted for in the fall of 2019.

Welcome Home.  --GreGen

Two More Pearl Harbor Survivors Die: George Larson and Walter Borchert

December 23, 2019

**  Pearl Harbor survivor George Larson dies at age 101.  He was a radio operator in the U.S. Coast Guard stationed at Pearl Harbor during the attack. 

The first thing he knew about the attack was seeing three planes flying about 500 feet above him.    He held his post as bombs fell.  Messages rolled in and it was his job to sift through them.

After the attack there was fear that the Japanese would land troops on the island.  He said:  "I was put on patrol around the lighthouse.  I walked around the water's edge with my .45 revolver cocked and loaded."

**  Walter Borchert, Pearl Harbor survivor died.  U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class was aboard the destroyer USS Worden which was anchored near Battleship Row and saw the USS Arizona blow up.

After the attack, his ship went out to look for the Japanese fleet.  When his ship returned to Pearl Harbor he helped pull dead bodies out of the water and said, "It wasn't a pretty sight."

His ship later fought at Midway, Coral Sea, Mindanao and Tulagi Island.

He was the last Pearl Harbor survivor of the Lakes Region area.

--GreGen

Earthquake Bomb Found and Detonated in Poland

From the October 12, 2020, U.S. News & World Report.  Reuters.

It was a five-day operation to defuse the largest-ever WW II bomb found in Poland.  During the war, this earthquake bomb was dubbed the Tallboy and used by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and weighed nearly 5,400 kg and packed 2,400 kg of explosives.

It was found in the Piast Canal which connects the Oder River and the Baltic Sea and was dropped in 1945 during an attack on the German cruiser Lutzow.

That's One Really Big Bomb.  --GreGen

Ten Little Known Facts About WW II-- Part 3: City Tricked the Allies, Oops and the Author

 3.  A GERMAN CITY TRICKED ALLIED BOMBERS INTO THINKING IT WAS IN SWITZERLAND

The city of Konstanz (birthplace of Ferdinand von Zeppelin, famous for his airships and giving part of the name of that rock group).  However, during the war, three companies in the city were producing military hardware for the Germans.

How'd they do this?  Read the article and find out.

2.  NAMING BLUNDER

CINCUS to COMICH  to drop.  Now CNO.

1.  THE PROMISING YOUNG ENGLISH AUTHOR WHO DISAPPEARED

Dan Billany had already published two books.  Then he was captured in Italy.  Then?

--GreGen

Ten Little Known Facts About WW II-- Part 2: Tsars, Missing Nazi Uranium, a Volcano and the French Bretons

Remember, if you want to know more, go to the ListVerse site.

7.  TSAR BORIS III OF BULGARIA DIED

But the question is, who killed him?   Tsar Boris III had done a lot for Bulgaria, rebuilding it after World War I.  He kept his country neutral during WW II.  But, he died in 1943, apparently poisoned.  

6.  MISSING NAZI URANIUM

The Nazis were getting close to harnessing nuclear energy.  But, no one today knows exactly what happened to several hundred Nazi uranium cubes.

5.  THE US AIR FORCE VS. AN UNDEFEATABLE ANCIENT ENEMY

And that ancient foe was none other than Mt. Vesuvius.  The Allies occupied the region around it in mid-March 1944, when it erupted again.

4.  BRETON SEPARATISTS WERE NAZI COLLABORATORS AND RESISTANCE FIGHTERS

From the French region called Brittany near where D-Day took place.

--GreGen

Ten Little Known Facts About World War II-- Part 1: American Soil, Fought Together and an American Massacre

From the October 13, 2020, ListVerse by C.J. Phillips.  I am just going to write a little bit about each one.  For the complete story, go to the site.

10.  A BATTLE ON AMERICAN SOIL

Japan actually invaded U.S. territory in Alaska.

9.  THE GERMAN ARMY AND AMERICAN ARMY FOUGHT TOGETHER

At the Battle for Castle Itter.  It wasn't a big battle, but the two sides did fight together.

8.  THE MIDNIGHT MASSACRE

On July 7, 1945, an American soldier opened fire on German and Italian prisoners in Salina, Utah, with a machine gun, killing nine.

--GreGen

10 Odd Jobs of World War II-- Part 3: Field Artillery Sound recorder and Airplane Woodworker

9.  FIELD ARTILLERY SOUND RECORDER

Until the development of radar, sound ranging was one the most effective ways to locate enemy artillery, mortars and rockets.  The process was first developed in World War I, and then continued being used through the Korean War.

From a forward operating post, a field artillery  sound recorder would monitor  an oscillograph and recorder connected to several microphones.  When the sound of an enemy gun would reach a microphone, the information would be recorded on sound film and the data from several microphones could be analyzed to locate an enemy gun.

The technology is still in use today by many countries, which often use  sound ranging in concert with radar.

10.  AIRPLANE WOODWORKER

Although wood was largely phased out and replace by tubular steel in airplane construction by the time World War II started, there was still a need for airplane woodworkers to repair and maintain existing aircraft-- especially gliders and some training aircraft.

Wooden gliders like the Waco CG-41--  the most widely used American troop/cargo glider of the war--  played critical parts in the action.  The CG-4A was first used in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943.  They most commonly flew airborne troops into battle, most famously on the D-Day assault on France on June 6, 1944 and in Operation Market Garden in September  1944.

They were also used  in the China-Burma-India Theater.

--GreGen

 

10 Odd Jobs of World War II-- Part 2: Coopers, Model Makers, and Pigeoneers

6.  COOPER--  Built and repaired wooden buckets, barrels, casks, kegs used to pack, store and ship supplies and equipment.  Wood was used for much of WW II, but improvements in cardboard and metal packaging  marked the beginning of the end for wooden transport items.

7.  MODEL MAKER--  Created scale models of military equipment, terrain and other things used as training aids and operational planning.

One of their proudest moments came in Operation Fortitude which was aimed at fooling the Germans as to where Allied troops would be landing on D-Day.  Dummy buildings, aircraft and landing craft were constructed by modelers and positioned near Dover causing the Germans to withhold reinforcements to the Normandy beaches.

This was the famed "Ghost Army."

8.  PIGEONEER--  Responsible for all aspects of the birds' lives.  They would breed, raise, train and care for their birds which were used to deliver messages.  Birds would be trained to fly at night and that food and water would be located at different locations.

According to the military, some 90% of their messages were delivered successfully.

--GreGen

10 Odd Jobs of World War II-- Part 1: Blacksmiths and Those "Foxhole Radios"

From Dec. 28, 2019, World War I

From Department of Defense.

1.  BLACKSMITHS

Made items to repair machinery and make horseshoes for the tens of thousands horses and mules still used in the military.

2.  MEAT CUTTER

Hey, the troops ate meat.  Somebody had to carve it up.

3.  HORSEBREAKER

Train horses and mules to do their job.  Horses and mules not used as much as in WW II as WW I, but still around.  For example, the 5332nd Brigade in Burma  had 3,000 mules assigned to it.

4.  ARTISTS AND ANIMATION ARTISTS

Maps, illustrations, film,

5.  CRYSTAL GRINDER

Many radios required crystals to operate.  Personal radios not allowed on front lines, but crystal sets lacked power to be detected by the enemy.  So those on front lines improvised crystal radios.  These were known as "Foxhole Radios."

--GreGen

New Aircraft Carrier to be Named After Doris Miller

It was announced that a future Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier will be named after Pearl Harbor  hero Dorie Miller.  It is the first aircraft carrier ever to be named after a black sailor or an enlisted man because of heroic actions.

He was ship's cook on the USS West Virginia when the attack came and manned a .50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft gun until he ran out of ammunition and then helped other sailors.

Later,he died on the USS Liscome Bay when it was hit by a torpedo and sank in 1943.

This is the second Navy ship named for him.  The other one was the USS Doris Miller (FF-1091) which served 1973-1991).

A Well-Deserved Honor.  --GreGen

Winston Churchill & Barbara Frietchie-- Part 2; "Shoot If You Must"

In May 1943, in the midst of World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited President Franklin Roosevelt in Washington to firm up the Allied alliance.  For a weekend break, President and Mrs. Roosevelt, Churchill, and presidential aide Harry Hopkins journeyed to Shangri-La, the presidential retreat in the Catoctins in Maryland (now Camp David).

As they drove through Frederick, Maryland, Churchill, a close student of American history, inquired after the house of Barbara Frietchie.  That moved Harry Hopkins to quote the famous line, "Shoot if you must, this old gray head...."

"When it was clear that no one else in the car could add to this quotation," Churchill recalled, "I started out."  He proceeded to recite, from memory, in those resonant Churchillian tones, the 30 couplets of Whittier's "little ballad," to the astonishment and delight of his audience.

All pitched in when he got to "Shoot, if you must...."

Wonder if they took a detour by Barbara's place?

--GreGen

Winston Churchill and Barbara Frietchie-- Part 1

Here is a story that goes between two wars.

The Winter 2019 issue of Civil War Monitor had an article titled "The Barbara Frietchie Caper" by Stephen W. Sears, which in effect debunked the whole story of the famed Barbara waving the U.S. flag at Confederate troops passing through her Frederick, Maryland, on their way to the Battle of Antietam in 1862.

You know, the poem by John Greenleaf Whittier that had the couplet:

"Shoot if you must, this old grey head,
But spare your country's flag."

Well, that story gets another line during World War II with that great English statesman Winston Churchill.

Wonder What It Was.  See the Next Post.  --GreGen

Dutch Taking Care of American Graves in Their Country-- Part 3

The American Cemetery in Margraten put out a call put out a call to local residents to see if they would like to adopt the grave of an American soldier.  Harrie's grandmother called and found out that William Herron's grave had not been adopted.  She immediately adopted it.

"Often I bring her by car from Beek to Margraten, "Harrie said, "She did this for 42 years."

In 1986, I took it over with love and passion, he said.  "I feel it as a duty, a desire  to take over what my grandmother started.

The family has adopted the graves of three other American soldiers and have photographs and addresses for Darrell M. Tranbarger and Garland W. Monzingo, but not of Jerome R. Lane or William Herron.

There is a waiting list to adopt a grave, and all 8,301 graves there have been adopted, according to Harrie.

"We must never forget the brave people from another country who died for our freedom." he said.

--GreGen

Bits of War: A Congressional Gold Medal and Two More Remains Identified

**  Nicholas Robolino awarded Congressional Gold Medal posthumously.  He was a member of a top secret air group of B-24 bombers in the 492nd Bombardment Group called "The Carpetbaggers" tasked with dropping supplies and spies behind German lines.

**  Marine killed at Betio, Tarawa, identified and buried in Iowa.  Marine Corps Reserve Pvt. Channing Whitaker.  He was only 17 when he enlisted in 1942 and was killed Nov. 22, 1943.  Many Marines killed there were not identified at the time and DNA is being used.

**  U.S. Army Air Forces Tech Sgt. Max W. Lower was on a B-24 when it was shot down during Operation Tidal Wave on August 1, 1943, over the oil fields at Ploiesti, Romania.  Some 310  died that day but his body was not identified and buried in Romania and then in a U.S. military cemetery in Belgium.

His body was identified using DNA.  He is now buried in Utah.

--GreGen

Dutch Taking Care of American Graves in Their Country-- Part 2

The Dutch family, however, is missing a photograph of William A. Herron and would like to have one.  Harrie Visschers discovered that William was born August 19, 1924 in  Keokuk, Iowa.  He wrote to the City of Madison in hopes of finding  a descendant with a picture to place on his grave.

The library found a death notice, but no photo with the obituary.

STORY FROM A CAFE

During the war, German soldiers would look for places .  Cafe owners had to take them in or risk being shot. Harrie's grandmother and grandfather had a cafe  and said that the Germans were polite and "normal young people."

"Nearing the end of the war, the liberators -- American and Canadian soldiers passing through to the front lines -- also found shelter in the cafe of my grandparents,"  Harrie said.  "Grandmother was a great cook, and so she indulged the boys, their heroes.  But with one soldier she had a special mother-son relation."

That was William Herron.

After he left town, he sent her another letter asking her that if he was killed in Germany that Tina should send the letter to his parents, who lived in Ohio.

Once Tina discovered that William had been killed in the town of Wesel on March 24, she mailed the letter.

--GreGen

Private Tranbarger's Grave Is Cared For By Netherlanders-- Part 1: Also Take Care of Grave of William A. Heron of Keokuk, Iowa

From the December 8, 2016, Daily Gate City (Keokuk, Iowa)  "Netherlanders care for American graves" by Chis Faulkner.

In April 1945, Tina Visschers-Cleuskens of Beek, Limburg, Netherlands  adopted the grave of an American soldier who died there in World War II and is buried in the town of Margraten.

His name was William A. Herron, a private first class from Iowa as the war was nearing its end and Americans were in the process of  liberating their country from the Germans.  William Herron died  on March 24, 1945, just a few days before the end of the war.

Every year, on March 24, Tina visited his grave, and also on Christmas and Memorial Day, and placed gladiolas on his grave.

She died in 1988 at the age of 91, but her grandson, Harrie Visschers, has continued the tradition.

The family also takes care of Darrell M. Tranbarger's grave at the cemetery.   Darrell's brother Orval was killed on the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941, and his remains just identified this year.

--GreGen

World War II on April 14, 1945

The death of Darrell Tranbarger came on April 14, 1945 when I read that 338 U.S. military personnel also died.  So, I decided to look up what was happening that day and which one he might have been involved in.  

From HistoryHowStuffWorks site

Things Happening on April 14, 1945.

APRIL 14--  Allies march through the center  of encircled German troops in the Ruhr Pocket, taking prisoners and splitting German ranks.

APRIL 14--  The Allies launch Operation Teardrop to locate German U-boats in the North Atlantic rumored to be carrying V-2 Rockets to be used against New York City.

*****************************

Events around April 14.

APRIL 12--  President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies suddenly after suffering a stroke at his Warm Springs, Georgia, vacation home.  Vice President Harry S. Truman is sworn in as president.

Most likely, he was involved in the battle known as the Ruhr Pocket.

--GreGen

Private Darrell M. Tranbarger, Orval's Brother, Killed in 1945

In my April 8, 2020,  blog entry, I wrote about Seaman 1st Class Orval Austin Tranbarger's remains from the USS Oklahoma being identified.

I came across his name in Find-A-Grave and see that his poor family lost a son not only in the opening minutes of the war, but also another one in Europe on 14 April 1945.  Germany's official surrender came on May 7, 1945.  His parents most likely didn't find out until after Germany's surrender.

The sorrow they had to feel had to be indescribable.  Losing sons at the beginning and end of the war like that.

PRIVATE DARREL M. TRANBARGER

Born:18 Mar 1923 in Missouri

Died:  14 April 1945  (age 22)  in the Netherlands

Burial:  Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Netherlands.

He was the family's second-born.  Orval was the first-born.

--GreGen

Private Darrell Tranbarger

From HonorStates site.

Born Pike County, Missouri.  Private , U.S. Army.   1128th Engineer Combat Group.  Killed in Action.

Service Number:  20540311

Joined Regular Army at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, on December 1, 1941.

Buried and memorialized at Plot K Row 13 Grave 13.  Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.  This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.

One of 9,880 American Gold Star casualties associated with Missouri with this group.

This covers World War I through the Vietnam War.

Private Tranbarger was one of 338 American servicemen to die on April 14, 1945, during World War II.

--GreGen

Just Sandwiches and Pies at Snack Shack

From the April 8, 2020, MidWeek  (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"DUE TO INABILITY--  To secure sufficient ration points to serve meals, beginning April 2, the SNACK SHOP  will serve only sandwiches and pie until further notice."

--GreGen

Talking About Nazi Spies in the U.S.

From the April 8, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Those attending the lecture last evening at the high school given by Dorothy Waring were high in the praise of the speaker who spoke on 'Factual Performances of Nazi Spies in the U.S.', a topic which all are interested in  but know little about.

"The speaker was able to give first-hand information as she was an investigator of subversive activities for a former congressional committee and her work as a secret agent brought her into contact with most of the  infamous and dangerous Nazi spies."

Spies Right Here In the Good Old U.S.A.?!!  --GreGen

Hitler Plans to Die in Battle in 1945

From the April 8, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"A captured German general told front correspondents today that Adolf Hitler plans to die in battle at the head of   SS Elite Guard troops especially picked for the honor of dying  with the fuehrer.

"SS units were already being designated for the sacrifice, German Major General Hans Boehlsen said in an interview with a London News-Chronicle correspondent  on the Third Army Front."

Go Down With His Ship.  --GreGen

Sycamore's German POW Camp

From the Sycamore (Illinois) History Museum.

During World War II, German prisoners were sent to POW camps throughout the United States.  Many were sent to Camp Grant in Illinois (outside of Rockford).

During harvest time, many of the POWs from Camp Grant were sent to Sycamore to help with food efforts, including the Sycamore Preserve Company.  They stayed at temporary barracks on Park Avenue (where Upstaging is located today).

They ate their meals in town and worked in the local canning factory and  harvested food at local farms.

During the last year of the war, some 300 Germans were housed here from ages of 16 to 25.  They worked harvesting sweet corn, peas and asparagus.  Then they helped  can vegetables at the Sycamore Preserve Company.

The camp ran from June 1945 to October 1945.

--GreGen

AP's Edward Kennedy Was the Man on the Scene Who Broke the Surrender Story

Same Source as the previous V-E Day entries.

Edward Kennedy, then AP's  chief of bureau in Paris, was present at the surrender and was first to report the end of the war in Europe to the United States and the world, bypassing the Allied political embargo.

The news was broadcast unofficially over German radio, but U.S. President Harry Truman and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had agreed to suppress the news of the capitulation for a day, in order to allow Russian dictator Josef Stalin to stage a second surrender  ceremony in Berlin.

Kennedy published the news anyway, angering U.S. authorities.  The military suspended AP's ability temporarily  to dispatch any news from the European theater, and Kennedy was called home and later fired.

AP issued a statement saying, "Kennedy did everything right," because the embargo  was for political reason, not to protect the troops.

"The world needed to know," AP's  then-president and CEO Tom Curley said.    Kennedy "stood up to the power."

--GreGen

Sgt. Ridolph on Overseas Broadcast

From the April 29, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Sgt. Sam J. Ridolph, son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ridolph of 901 North Thirteenth Street, will be heard in a special overseas broadcast Friday noon.

"The program was recorded somewhere over in Europe where Sgt. Ridolph  is serving with a ground crew in the First Tactical Air Force."

Good to Hear from Loved Ones at the Front.  --GreGen

About the Submarine Wahoo

From the January 16, 2019, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1944, 75 Years Ago.

"Information appearing in one of the picture magazines reveals that the moving picture 'Destination Tokyo' is based upon the exploits of the now missing submarine 'Wahoo' of which Lieut. Comm. Dudley Mortin, well  known in DeKalb, was the commander.

"The 'Wahoo'  has been reported overdue since the first if December by the Navy Department."

--GreGen

LCC 60

I looked up the LCC 60 and found that Lt. (jg) Howard Vander Beek had written a book about the ship's operation on D-Day at Utah Beach.

It is titled "Aboard the LCC 60 Normandy and Southern France, 1944"  published in 1990, 95 pages.

It is offered on Amazon for $245 so must be fairly rare.

--GreGen

A Drive-By Birthday Salute for USS Arizona Survivor Louis Conter, 99: Now Just Two Left

 From the September 14, 2020, Union (California County, Nevada) by Elias Funez.

Grass Valley's WW II hero and USS Arizona survivor, retired Lt. Cmdr. Lou A. Conter, was celebrated Saturday with a drive-by salute for his 99th birthday.

He knew nothing of it, but representatives of nearly every local law enforcement, firefighter and community, including state parks and Forest service took part.

Colter said that he would be missing this year's commemoration at Pearl harbor on December 7, but has plans to go in 2021.

Said Mr. Conter:  "Ken Potts is the only other survivor from the USS Arizona.  I talked to him a couple of weeks ago.  He's in Utah, he and his wife bought that house in '47 when they got out of the service.  And, they're still living there.  He was 99 on April 15, he's five months older than I am.  There's just the two of us left."

He was on board the Arizona that day when it blew up and helped rescue crewmen afterwards and dove into the wreckage  to recover bodies in the days afterwards.

Later in the war, he became a  VP-11 Black Cat pilot and was responsible for helping rescue  over 200 Australian Coastwatchers  stranded in Northern New Guinea.

Happy Birthday Mr. Conter!!  --GreGen

Is the Pandemic This Generation's Pearl Harbor or 9/11?-- Part 4: When We're United...

We agree that we are under attack by the coronavirus.  We agree that it can strike Americans of all personal and political persuasions.  And, not just us, but anyone in the world.

But, while we have taken steps to deal with this medical transgressor, those steps have not been uniform or coordinated, and they often seem to be more about politics than public safety.

The coronavirus is the problem, but as Pogo once put it, the enemy is us.

The world learned from the World War II generation that when we're united no outside force can defeat us.

World War II Veteran Who Brought the USS Batfish to Oklahoma Hopes to See It Restored

From the Nov.19, 2019, Tulsa (Ok) Channel 2 NBC by Chris DiMaria.

World War II submarine veteran Nick Guagliado was instrumental in bringing the WW II submarine USS Batfish to its present home at the Muskogee War Memorial Park on  on May 7, 1972.   On May 23, 2019, it was moved from its hole in the ground by floodwaters from the Arkansas River (the article has video of it being moved by the river).

Now, it is going to need 250 semi-loads of dirt and millions of dollars to repair and the park is calling for help.

--GreGen

USS Oklahoma's Unknowns: Gerald "Gerry" Clayton and Grant C. Cook, Jr.

From November 22, 2019.

As the government continues the process of identifying those among the 429 who died on the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor.

**  GERALD "GERRY" CLAYTON:

Storekeeper 2nd Class.  His parents, Lee and Grace Clayton were first contacted by the U.S. government on December  20, 1941, saying that their son was missing in action.  Then, on Jan. 3, 1942, they received another telegram saying that he had survived with apologies for the first notification.  They received nothing after that.  It wasn't until March  12, 1942 that they received a letter saying their son had perished.

This past July family members held a ceremony  at the Central City Cemetery where he was buried with full military honors.

**  GRANT C. COOK, JR.

Fireman 1st Class.  His remains were identified earlier this year and buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on Oahu.  Cook was from Cozad, Nebraska.  A book on his life has been given to the Cozad Library.

-GreGen

Bits of War: Japanese Aircraft Carriers-- Ernest Childers-- Goldstar Museum in Iowa

From November 22, 2019.

**  Japan is getting aircraft carriers for the first time since World War II.  Two helicopter destroyers are being  modernized into de facto aircraft carriers.

**  Plaque dedicated at Fort Drum (NY) to Lt. Col.  Ernest Childers, the first Native-American to receive the Medal of Honor.  Was a member of Co. C, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division.

From Oklahoma and a member of the Muskogee Creek Nation.  Received Medal of Honor for bravery during combat in Oliveto, Italy, in September 1943.

**  The Goldstar Museum at Camp Dodge in Iowa has a new exhibit on Iowans serving in Europe during the war.  More than 262,000 Iowans served during the war and 8,398 were killed.

--GreGen

Asheville's Fortress of Art: Biltmore Estate

From the 2014 Our State (NC) magazine by Bryan Mims.

During World War II, Asheville, North Carolina's Biltmore Estate became the center of a top-secret scheme to save some of America's most indispensable works of art.  Among them, the classic portrait of George Washington painted by Gilbert Stuart.

This was, of course, just in case.

Earlier in 1941, that painting had been at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C..  Rumors of Nazi looting of Art had already crossed the Atlantic.

And, also, there was Titian's"Venus With a Mirror" and Raphael's  Portrait of "Bindo Altovitti" and a self portrait by Rembrandt.

Where to safely hide these and other works away, just in case, became of utmost importance.

His long-time friend, Edith Vanderbilt had that huge place in western North Carolina called the Biltmore, a 250 room home.  She agreed.  And, she knew just the room to put this new art.

--GreGen

Is the Pandemic This Generation's Pearl Harbor or 9/11?-- Part 3: The Pandemic Is Not the Same Thing

 A few months back, the writer of the article, E.J. Montini, received a letter from a reader who was describing the difficulties of living through the pandemic.  He related how his 18-year-old son was going off to college not knowing whether he would be able to move into a dorm or participate in sports or even leave his parents' house.

"This pandemic is his generation's 9/11," the man wrote.

Except, it's not.

My parent's generation, the WW II one, recognized a common enemy and came together to defeat it.

Likewise, with 9/11, Americans of all personal and political persuasions united in sorrow and  and in resolve against those who attacked us.

It isn't that way now.

--GreGen

Is the Pandemic This Generation's Pearl Harbor or 9/11?-- Part 2: 'September 11 Is Your December 7'

This encounter between the writer and the old World War II veteran took place on December 7, 2001, on the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

This was just a few months after the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

The old veteran said to the writer,  "September 11 is your December 7."

And, it is.

And, it always will be.

Is the Pandemic This Generation's Pearl Harbor or 9/11?-- Part 1

 From the September 11, 2020, AZCentral "The COVID-19 pandemic is not this generation's 9/11" by E.J. Montini.

On December 7, 2001, E.J. Montini went to the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor held each year at the USS Arizona Anchor Memorial at the Arizona State Capitol where he saw a group of elderly gentlemen, some in suits, some in casual Hawaiian shirts, but all of them wearing blue and white garrison caps with a "Pearl Harbor Survivor's" insignia on one side.  They'd be sitting in a reserved seating area.

After the ceremony, he struck up a conversation with one of them, thanking him for his service.  He then related the tale of how his father was 20-years-old on December 7, 1941, and enlisted soon afterward.  His father was working at a steel mill at the time and crazy for a 17-year-old waitress at a place called the State Soda Grill.

They'd get married shortly before he shipped off to Europe with the Army.

I told the old vet that my parents recalled hearing President Franklin Roosevelt  on the radio saying that that day would "live in infamy."  And, how all the years of their remaining lives the date of December 7 meant something for them.

And, then....

--GreGen

My Friend's Memory of 9/11

 I was with my buddy Dennis today as he was working on putting in a battery in my 1985 Firebird in preparation of starting it for the first time in two years.  To say that effort did not go as planned is an understatement.  Nothing went right with the removal of the battery or the installation of the battery I had bought yesterday.

We finally ended up going to the O'Reilly's in Fox Lake, Illinois, where I bought a battery that could be used on an '85 Firebird.  I sure didn't know that you had to have specific batteries for specific cars.  Foolish ol' me felt that when it comes to batteries, one size fits all.  It sure "don't."

Anyway, Dennis said he sure remembered 9/11.  He said he was working for Jay's Potato Chips and thatthe was on a delivery to a store when he first heard about it.

And, that was the topic of conversation along his route for the rest of the day.

--GreGen

Preparing for the Repatriation of German Prisoners in DeKalb County in 1945

From the September 9, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

September 9, 1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Col. Forrest W. Edwards, Camp Grant (in Rockford) commander,  is urging all employers of German prisoners of war to take steps toward replacing them with civilian workers (Americans) in anticipation of the gradual  repatriation of the prisoners.

About 2,500 German prisoners are being used by private contractors under supervision of Camp Grant mostly in agricultural and food processing work."

If you had to be a prisoner of war, these Germans by far had it better than anyone else. As a matter of fact, a lot of the Germans returned home, settled their affairs and then moved to the United States where they became American citizens.

Another Way to Tell That the War Was Over.  --GreGen

A POW Camp in Sycamore, Illinois, in 1945

From the April 29, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"At a special meeting of the city council held Monday night, the members by a vote of five to two to provide water and sewage facilities for a proposed prisoner of war camp such labor to be used  this year for the operation of the Sycamore Preserve Works.

"A six inch sewer from 150 feet south of the end of South Avenue, and a three inch  water main from the same point for a distance of about 400 feet to the camp site, which is the old DeGraff farm, was approved by the city."

Using Prisoners to Help With Labor Shortages on the Home Front.  --GreGen

Battleship USS North Carolina Reopening to Full Public Tour

 From the September 4, 2020, Spectrum 1 News

Due to the state going to Phase 2.5 Reopening.  Full tour route will resume Saturday, September 5.   But procedures to  prevent the spread of COVID-19 will continue.

Those procedures include:
**  Offering only self-guided tours.
**  Visitors wear cloth masks.
**  Only non-cash payments (credit cards)
**  Providing hand sanitizer  and hand-washing facilities.
**  Clean high-touch areas and bathrooms often.
**  Using protective barriers at sales desks.

HOURS OF OPERATION:  8 AM TO 5 PM DAILY
Adult admission $14.
I see in the photograph that they have the ship's bell from the USS North Carolina (ACR-12) which was commissioned in 1908 and has that date on it.)
--GreGen

Plans for the End of WW II in Europe Already in DeKalb County in 1945

From the April 8, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back"

1945, 75 Years Ago

"Arrangements were made some time ago by the Ministerial Alliance for holding a united service of thanksgiving and praise when the announcement has been received that the hostilities have ceased in Europe.

"The services will be held at  the First Lutheran Church and all ministers of the community have been invited to participate.  Singing of hymns of praise and thanksgiving and prayers of  gratitude for the ending of this one phase of the war will take place.

"The retailers also have a Victory Day schedule which will be followed by the closing of the stores."

The Expected End of War in the European Theater.  --GreGen

President Trump Visits Wilmington and Recognizes the City's Role in WW II-- Part 2: USS North Carolina 'An Enduring Symbol of American Greatness'

 President Trump gave a 15-minute speech and declared Wilmington, North Carolina, as the nation's first World War II Heritage City.  "With this designation, we proudly declare  that we don't tear down the past, we celebrate our heroes.  We cherish our history, we preserve our history and we build our future."

The North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, based in Wilmington, was the largest employer in the state during the war, with 23,000 workers at its peak and built almost 250 merchant ships (mostly Liberty Ships) for the war effort.

During the war, Wilmington was called "The Defense Capital of the State."  The North Carolina General Assembly passed a resolution in 2017, asking the federal government to recognize Wilmington for its war contributions.

The city became a "wartime boomtown," with its population more than doubling in size.

Wilmington's strategic position and contributions made it a target for attack by German U-boats.  Merchant ships were sunk off the entire Atlantic and Gulf coasts as well as off Wilmington.  One German U-boat reportedly surfaced and fired its deck gun at a chemical plant near Fort Fisher, just south of the city.

Standing in front of the battleship USS North Carolina which fought in WW II, the president called it "an enduring symbol of American greatness."

--GreGen

President Trump Visits Wilmington, NC, Yesterday and Recognizes the City's Role in WW II-- Part 1

From the September 2, 2020, Spectrum News "In visit to Wilmington, president marks city's WW II history, criticizes protesters" by Charles Duncan.

Standing in front of the battleship North Carolina, President Trump recognized Wilmington's role in World War II as the nation marked the 75th anniversary of Japan's signing of the surrender document on board the USS Missouri that ended World War II.

Sadly, the USS North Carolina was not in Tokyo Bay on September 2, but one of the battleships sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the USS West Virginia, was.  Other battleships there were the USS South Dakota, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, Mississippi, Idaho and the British battleships HMS Duke of York and King George V.

The president said that Wilmington and North Carolina made extraordinary contributions to the war effort.  "Nearly two million American servicemen trained for combat in North Carolina, more than any other state,"  Trump said.  "Over 11,000 North Carolina patriots fought to their very last breath.

--GreGen

President Trump to Visit Wilmington on Wednesday, Sept. 2 to Declare the City the Nation's First World War II Heritage City

From the August 30, 2020, U.S. News & World Report  "Trump to visit Wilmington to declare it WW II 'Heritage City' "The visit is timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Japanese signing of the surrender terms on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

Legislation enacted last year requires the U.S. Secretary of the Interior  to declare at least one American city every year to be a World War II Heritage City.  Wilmington is the first one to receive the honor thanks in large to the efforts of Wilbur D. Jones who worked many years to have cities which had a lot to do with the war so honored.

Wilmington is also the home of the battleship USS North Carolina since 1962.

A great honor for Wilmington

--GreGen

Aircraft Carriers Serving As Air Transports

Continued from previous blog entry.

During World War II, smaller aircraft carriers often performed the role of aircraft delivery.

More recently, in the late 2000s, the USS Bon Homme Richard transported "red air" aggressor jets to Hawaii for exercises.

In 1992, two B-25 Mitchell bombers took off from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid on Japan in 1942.  That operation involved sixteen b_25s taking off from the carrier USS Hornet.

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson brought another group of warbirds to Hawaii for the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.

--GreGen

USS Essex Delivers Warbirds to Hawaii for 75th Anniversary of End of WW II

From August 11, 2020, Drive  "Amphibious assault ship USS Essex carries load of gorgeous World War II warbirds to Hawaii" by Joseph Trevithick.

The U.S. Navy's Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex recently served as a transport ship, bringing  a load of WW II-era warbirds to Hawaii.  Included were  a P-51 Mustang fighter,  and a B-25 Mitchell bomber.  They are to take part in the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II on Friday, August 14.

There were other planes as well, such as two Catalina flying boats, an F8F Bearcat fighter, an FM2 Wildcat  fighter, two Texas  trainers and a Boeing -Stearman PT-17  biplane.

There were a real lot of photos of them moving the planes off the ship.  Go to the site and check them out.

Hopefully the Planes Will Remain for the 75th Official Anniversary of the End of the War with the Signing of the Japanese Surrender on the USS Missouri.   --GreGen

World War II Surrender Ceremony on Board the USS Missouri to Be Held September 2, 2020

From the August 24, 2020, "WW II surrender ceremony in Hawaii limited to local veterans" by Hannah Patrick.

This 75th World War II anniversary at Pearl Harbor will likely be the last  opportunity for many of that war's aging veterans to attend a commemoration, but sadly will only be limited to those veterans living in Hawaii because of coronavirus concerns.

Originally plans called for 200 to assemble on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri, where the original surrender ceremony took place in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

Organizers are working on a way to make the event virtual for WW II veterans on the mainland.

Here's Hoping They Find a Way to Make It Virtual.  --GreGen

Another Way to Tell the War is Over: End of Lend-Lease

On August 21, 1945, 75 years ago, President Harry Truman ended the massive Lend-Lease program that shipped $50 billion in aid to Allies during World War II.

--GreGen

Floyd Welch, Pearl Harbor Survivor on the USS Maryland, Dies at Age 99-- Part 1

From the August 18, 2020, West Hawaii  "Floyd Welch, survivor of Pearl Harbor, dies at 99" by Pat Eaton-Robb.

Floyd Welch, who is credited with saving  the lives of fellow sailors in the attack, has died at age 99 on August 17 in East Lyme, Connecticut.

He was born in February 1921 in Burlington, Connecticut and was serving on the USS Maryland that December 7, 1941.

He said he was coming out of the shower when he heard the first alarm and later the explosions from bombs and torpedoes.  Coming deckside, he saw a raging fire and the USS Oklahoma, tied up next to the Maryland, was turned over.  He first started helping pull Oklahoma survivors out of the water.

"By using blueprints of the Oklahoma, so as not to burn into a fuel void, we began the long and extremely difficult process of  cutting holes through the bottom steel plates of the Oklahoma," he said in his remembrance of the battle.  "When we could see the planes coming, we would try to find cover.  We would cut near where we heard the trapped crewmen tapping.  In all, I believe 33 men from the Oklahoma were rescued through these holes."

--GreGen

75 Years Ago Today Was V-J Day, the Real End of World War II

From Wikipedia.

Victory Over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect, bringing that war to an end.

The term is applied to both days in which the initial announcement of the end of the war was made --  August 15, 1945, in Japan, and, because of time zone differences, August 14, 1945, when it was announced in the United States.  It also applies to September 2, 1945, when the official surrender document was signed.

The long nightmare was finally over.

--GreGen

Death of One of Nevada's Last Two Pearl Harbor Survivors, Leonard Nielsen, 98-- Part 1

From the August 12, 2020, Las Vegas (Nevada) Review-Journal.

November 30, 2018 Veterans Reporter News.

He died on August 9, 2020.

Mr. Nielsen joined the Navy in 1940 and trained at San Diego.  Upon completion of boot camp, he was assigned to the USS Arizona and sailed to  Pearl Harbor where he was transferred to the heavy cruiser  USS Pensacola where he was a ship-fitter (a sailor who made underwater repairs to the hull of the ship).

On November 30, 1941, the Pensacola left Pearl Harbor to transport Marines to Midway Island, but he had gotten sick and remained at Pearl and had an emergency appendectomy on the hospital ship USS Solace four days before the attack. He was still on that ship on December 7.

And, he had quite the view of the unfolding carnage.  "The wave after wave of Japanese planes never seemed to stop," he said.  "What startled me most  was seeing a Jap plane fly by so close I could clearly see the pilot's face."

--GreGen

McHenry's Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive 2020 Commemoration-- Part 2: Come On, We need More Publicity About the Event

I just found out about the ceremony the night before it took place this past Sunday, August 9.  We were at Sunnyside Tavern in Johnsburg, Illinois, when my buddy Mark showed a copy of the commemoration events.  I knew right then I was going to attend.  Again, it is something I do in remembrance of what truly was the Greatest Generation (which is also my sign-off for this blog, GreGen in case you're wondering) and it is so sad to see them leaving us at such high numbers these days.  Even the youngest WW II veterans are around 95.

This year, instead of all the ceremony taking place at Veterans Park in McHenry as it has always done before, there was to be a flagpole and flag dedication at four local cemeteries which did not have them.  It was to take place one after the other from 10 am to 1 pm.

I made the mistake of not writing the times and places down as I figured I'd have no problem finding this information on the computer at home.

BIG MISTAKE

I should have known better.  Even though this is a really large ceremony, one of if not the very largest in the state and country (where sadly the vast majority of towns and cities have nothing), there is very little publicity of any sort.  Every year, I have a difficult time finding out any particulars about it.  But, at least I knew where it would be.

But, this year it was a moving commemoration and I needed to know where and at what time it would be.

I checked Yahoo Search, but only found information about the past nine or ten years.  Nothing for 2020.  This event is put on by McHenry's three veterans organizations:  the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Polish Legion of American Veterans.  So I checked their websites.  Nothing.  Then I checked the City of McHenry and McHenry County websites, but again, nothing.

--GreGen

McHenry's Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive Ceremony-- Part 1: Dedicated to Uncle Delbert and Roy S. Hume

McHenry, Illiniois, commemorated the end of World War II yesterday for the 11th straight time.  Only this year it was different.  The first ten times the ceremony was held in Veterans Park downtown and the guests of honor were originally the World War II veterans (but now has been extended to the Korean War veterans).

They had special seats near the gazebo bandstand where a Big Band played before and afterwards.  Speeches were given by various politicians and commanders of veteran organizations.  McHenry has three of these:

American Legion
VFW
Polish Legion of American Veterans

Each veteran had their name read and branch of service, years served and something about their service.  Then there was a rifle salute by the Combined Veterans Honor Guard and white doves were released.  American flags were all over the park.

It is a striking ceremony and one that I have attended the last eight years.  But this year, I almost didn't get to go to it.  I wasn't even sure they were going to have it.  The ceremony is always scheduled for the second Sunday in August.  This is also the same day that Johnsburg's St. John the Baptist Church has their Parish Fest.  We always go to that as well, then I leave early and drive over to Veterans Park.

With the coronavirus this year, Parish Fest was canceled and I figured the Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive was as well.  With the advancing ages of our WW II and Korean War veterans, having their presence at a ceremony, even one outside did not seem to be a good idea.  But on Saturday night I found they were going to have it.

I will dedicate this year's Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive to my Uncle Delbert, who was a member of the 101st Airborne and at the Battle of the Bulge where he and one other member were the only two in his company to survive unscathed.

I also dedicate this to my buddy Mark's dad, Roy S. Hume, USN, who served on board the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto along with a young officer named George H.W. Bush.

--GreGen

The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki-- Part 1: "Prompt and Utter Destruction"

From Wikipedia.

The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6, 1945, and August 9, 1945, respectively.  The two bombings, between them, killed  between 129,000 and 226,000 people. most of them civilians.    These two bombings remain the only two times atom bombs have been used in conflict.

In the final year of World War II, the Allies were preparing for what surely was to be a very costly invasion of the Japanese homeland.  The undertaking was preceded by a conventional firebombing campaign which devastated 67 Japanese cities.

The war in Europe had ended May 8 with the German surrender.  Now the Allies turned their attention to Japan.  They called for an unconditional Japanese surrender of their armed forces under the terms of the Potsdam  Declaration on July 26, 1945.  If they did not, the Allies promised "prompt and utter destruction."

The Japanese fought on despite the ultimatum and dire warning.

--GreGen

Today Is Also "Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive"

This is a day to honor World War II veterans (and now Korean War veterans) as it also marks the anniversary of the end of World War II.

And, I went to one of the ceremonies where four new flagpoles and U.S. flags were dedicated in cemeteries in and around McHenry, Illinois.

The flagpoles were given by a family, with construction donated by a local company and a year's worth of large U.S. flags donated by the McHenry American Legion.

I have been to this commemoration in McHenry for the last eight years.

I was afraid it wasn't going to be held this year because of you-know-what.

--GreGen

75 Years Ago Today: Nagasaki

Seventy-five years ago today, the United States dropped the second atom bomb on Japan.  This time on he city of Nagasaki.

The dropping of these two bombs finally made the Japanese government realize the futility of further resistance and World War II end a few days later.

--GreGen

Death of Pearl Harbor Survivor Phillip G. Tveten, 99

From the April 16, 2020, Cavalier County (ND) Republican.

Died April 9, 2020, in his sleep.

Born October 28, 1920, on his family farm in Hatton, N.D..  Went to elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from Hatton High School in 1938.  Enlisted in U.S. Navy  in December 1939 and went through training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station and was assigned the the battleship USS West Virginia.

He was on it during the December 7, 1941, attack which he survived and spent the rest of the war serving on destroyers in the Pacific.    He was on the USS Henley (DD-391) when it was sunk by a torpedo off the coast of New Guinea in October 1943 and spent six hours in the water before rescue.

The rest of the war he was on the USS Leutze (DD-481).  Aboard this ship, he survived a kamikaze hit that resulted in 38 casualties and put the ship out of commission for the remainder of the war.

Mr. Tvetin was discharged from the Navy in December 1945.

Quite a Naval Record.  --GreGen

75 Years Ago Today: Hiroshima

Seventy-five years ago a single bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and its detonation and another one a few days later ended World War II.  The atom bombs.

They were a horrible weapon without a doubt and it is my belief that had they not been dropped, the capture of Japan would have resulted in even more deaths than those two blasts.  And, I am talking about both Japanese lives and American ones.

I have no doubt that the Japanese were prepared to fight to the last man, woman and child.  And that is considering they no longer really had the ability to win the war or stop the Americans.  American casualties would have been a minimum of 100,000 and perhaps many more.

So, as bad as their use was, it ended the war right away and that was a good thing.

--GreGen

Lt. John Fox, Black Medal of Honor Recipient

Last week I wrote in my Civil War II: The Continuing War on the Confederacy blog that one person thinks one of the Army bases named after a Confederate should be renamed for this man.  I'd never heard of him so looked him up in good ol' Wikipedia, and would have to say he would be a worthy person to name the base after in his honor.

From Wikipedia.

JOHN R. FOX  (May 18, 1915-December 26, 1944)

United States Army 1st lieutenant  who was killed in action after calling in artillery fire on the enemy during World War II.  In 1997, he was awarded the nation's  highest military decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor,, for his actions on December 26, 1944, in the vicinity of Sommocolonia, Italy.

Fox and six other Blacks who served during World War II were awarded the Medal of Honor by President Clinton on January 13, 1997,  in a ceremony at the White House.  The seven recipients were the first and only Black Americans  to be awarded the Medal of Honor  for World War II service.

This is considering that 25 Blacks received the Medal of Honor in the Civil War (including one at Fort Fisher).  Eighteen received the medal during the Indian Wars, six during the Spanish-American War and two during World War I.

Personally, i would like to see recommendations for the Medal of Honor opened again for deserving Blacks from World War II.

How So Few Blacks Were Awarded Medals of Honor Just Doesn't Sound Right.  --GreGen

Closed Due to Confederadication

Sadly, I am going to have to close this blog down to devote efforts to my  Civil War II:  The Continuing War on the Confederacy blog.  As some time in the future, when the current move to eradicate any and all things Confederate from the United States ends or slows down, I will start this one up first.  But right now, just way too many things are happening to Confederate monuments and all things Confederate and I am trying to keep up with it.

On average, I come across 20-30 headlines from the media about what is happening and with eight blogs, I don't have enough time to devote to the topic.  I have already closed down two other blogs.

I am calling this move by certain groups and politicians Confederadication.  The name just came to me as I was typing a story.  It combines the words Confederate and eradication.  They are trying, and accomplishing, the elimination of all things Confederate.

I had been looking for a term for this statue/flag mess and had been using Confederate Haters, but that just didn't have the right ring to it.   I just dropped the "te" at the end of Confederate and added "dication"  and there was the word.

So, Until Some Future Date, Good Reading.

--GreGen