Some More on Wilmington WWII Housing-- Part 1

From the Feb. 9, 2010, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "My Reporter: What is the history of housing developments put in at Greenfield Lake? Were they once military housing?" by Ben Steelman.

Housing developments named Lake Village, Lake Forest and Greenfield Terrace were built around Wilmington, North Carolina's Greenfield Lake. (The first two developments reminded me of Chicago suburbs.) They were built for civilian defense workers, mostly working at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, present day site of the NC State Port facility.

During World War II, Wilmington, as did many military equipment ports, faced a severe housing shortage as workers and military personnel flocked into the city. From a prewar population of 33,000 in 1941, the city grew to 120,000 at the height of the war.

That's Called Real Fast Growth. --GreGen

Wilmington's Riverside Apartments: WWII Housing-- Part 2

They rented for $41.85 and $43.85 a month depending if they were on a corner or not. After the war, it later was named Dove Meadows and started deteriorating and became an embarrasment to the city.

A New Jersey construction company bought it from HUD in 1983 to convert the complex into 474 one and two bedroom townhomes, but HUD ended up foreclosing on them.

Later, the Wilmington Housing Authority acquired it and in 2002 demolished it for a new neighborhood. 

Today it is called Sunset South.

--GreGen

Wilmington's Riverside Apartments: WWII Housing Complex-- Part 1

From the June 29, 2011, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "My Reporter "Whatever happened to Riverside Apartments?" by Ben Steelman.

During World War II, Wilmington grew from a sleepy town of 10,000 to over 100,000 with all the war industries and military personnel. Riverside Apartments was a World War II housing complex of 500 red brick units located near the State Port (old NC Shipbuilding Co.) during the war).

They were likely built in 1943 to help solve the huge housing problem in wartime Wilmington, North Carolina.

One hundred four-room units were also opened in 1945 for armed forces members and their families. The earlier units were opened to house essential war workers and their families. Each one consisted of a kitchen, living room and two bedrooms.

Got to Live Somewhere. --GreGen

Remembering Pearl Harbor: Don't Wear Blue

From the Dec. 29, 2011, NBC 9 News, Colorado's News Leader "Remembering Pearl Harbor: The survivors."

Fred Mack remembers running for a hangar right in front of another man. "I felt a concussion and then looked back and he was no longer there."

Charles Boswell can't shake the image of severely burned man treading water in the harbor,  "He was saying 'Don't touch me! Don't touch me!' They reached down and pulled him up by the arm, and all they came up with was burnt muscle."

George Blake remembers that night of the attack, "We had orders to go back to the barracks one at a time and to change our clothes. It was the Japanese wore blue uniforms and [our] infantry had orders to shoot on sight anyone in a blue uniform. Well, we had blue fatigues on at the time."

Two other Pearl Harbor survivors: Charles Boswell, mess cook, USS Tennessee and George Richard, USS Tennessee.

Interesting Stories. --GreGen

Cloquet's Last Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies

From the September 19, 2013 Pine (Minnesota) Journal by Wendy Johnson and Jane Peterson.

Gordon "Gordy" Caza made his last public appearance at Cloquet's 4th of July parade this past summer. He died Sunday, September 15th.

Mr. Caza enlisted in the Army at age 17 and was sworn in at Fort Snelling and shipped to California then to Hawaii where he was assigned to a truck company.

In September 1941, he was stationed at Fort Armstrong in downtown Honolulu, about five miles from Pearl Harbor.

He was going to breakfast when an alert went off. He thought it was part of a routine maneuver. Once they knew it was an attack, they grabbed rifles and ammunition and headed for the parade ground.

Two Japanese planes flew over them strafing as they went.

The next day, he went to the Punch Bowl, site of an ammunition depot and hauled ammunition to Pearl Harbor where he saw the incredible damage and destruction.

--GreGen

Small World: Aviators' Paths Crossed in WWII-- Part 4

Near the end of the war, on two missions over Berlin, Paul Tuck encountered the Luftwaffe's secret weapon, jet planes. "We didn't even know they existed," he said.

On one other mission, escort was provided by the famous Red Tails, the Tuskegee Airmen, who said, "Don't you worry white boy, we're up here."

Tuck also remembers suiting up for missions ten times, only to have them called off because of weather or for other reasons.

The article did not, however, say which mission Tuck and Bill Hogan shared an experience.

--GreGen

Small World: Aviators' Paths Crossed in WWII-- Part 3

Continued from August 31st.

Paul Tuck received a Purple Heart while operating a still camera to record bombing missions when a piece of German shrapnel hit him in the "rear end" over Augsburg, Germany. Quite a few American flyers were wounded that way. Some even killed.

On another mission, his plane was "shot up pretty bad" and had to land in Yugoslavia. The ball turret gunner on the underside of the plane was stuck inside when they couldn't crank the turret up into the plane so they had to land nose first to save the gunner, not a pleasant option.

They were rescued and sent back to Italy to fly another day.

--GreGen

Wilmington's Military Cutoff Road-- Part 4

Because of its heavy use, it was apparently paved by the Army soon after the war began. This new route and name first appeared on maps after the war.

The Military Cutoff terminus at Wrightsville Highway, as Oleander Drive was then known, has become a useful bypass around downtown Wilmington.

During the war, it was not used to as way to get to the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company on the Cape Fear River.

--GreGen

Wilmington's Military Cutoff Road-- Part 3

One person named Ev Smith had a comment and I'd have to say Ev Smith is one very informed person. According to Smith, the Military Cutoff Road was originally an unnamed and unpaved country road off US-17 used by troop convoys from Camp Davis to reach the Wrightsville Beach USO Club.

The August 28, 1941, Wilmington Star mentioned the road in connection with the opening of the club on Harbor Island.

Wrightsville Beach had many other attractions including the famous Lumina Pavillion and, of course, lots of bars. The club and Wrightsville Beach remained popular destinations throughout the war.

--GreGen

Wilmington's Military Cutoff Road-- Part 2

During the war it was a largely forested, undeveloped area until very recently. Even as late as the 1960s, the only major structure from Market Street to the intersection of Oleander Drive and Wrightsville Avenue, was the Buccaneer Gun Club, a firing range.

But now, there is plenty of development and more planned. And, of course, the construction and traffic woes that come along with it.

And, in Wilmington, the inevitable photo-enforced cameras.

--GreGen

Wilmington's Military Cutoff Road-- Part 1

In the last blog entry, I mentioned this road. I've been through the Wilmington area many times but am unfamiliar with the name, but obviously it is a major road with lots of traffic. And anyone who knows anything about Wilmington knows that there is lts of traffic--everywhere!!

From the June 10, 2009 Wilmington (NC) Star-News My Reporter "Why do they call it Military Cutoff?" by Ben Steelman.

I've also seen it called Military Cut-off Road.

It dates to World War II when Army vehicles used the route as a shortcut from Camp Davis (now Holly Ridge, NC) to Wrightsville Beach, bypassing downtown Wilmington.

Now, it is a major commercial thoroughfare with Mayfaire Town Center, Landfall Shopping Center, The Forum and other complexes. It has also become a major congestion problem.

--GreGen

Bits of War: Military Cutoff Road-- PH Survivor Dies-- First Pitch

1. MILITARY CUTOFF ROAD-- From the 9-11-13 Wilmington Star-News. The World War II Miliary Cutoff Road passed by by Mayfairz and Landfall.

2. PH SURVIVOR DIES-- James C. Beatty, 91, died Sept. 10th in Ithaca, NY.

3. FIRST PITCH-- From 7-28-13 Colorado Springs Gazette. Oldest Pearl Harbor survivor Jim Downing, 99, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the local minor league game. I wrote about this man back in August.

--GreGen

War Bomber Flight Sparks Memories-- Part 3

Scott Welch was a World War II B-17 pilot.

He said that since the planes did not have a booster, steering it was quite hard. Because of that, a one-hour raid took the same amount of energy as eight hours of normal work. Usually, a crew would consist of nine men.

On his 21st mission, Welch says he was wounded by a piece of flak, which entered through his buttocks and went 12 inches up his back. He feels lucky he can still walk. Hey, the men would be seated or standing up and the flak came up from the ground.

By the time of his injury, Welch was so used to shells blowing up around him, that explosions didn't even make him flinch. His heart rate would stay the same.

Essentially, the bombers would be flying nearly wing-to-wing in flight formations and there was always the chance of a crash.

Those Men In Those Magnificent Flying Machines. --GreGen

War Bomber Flight Sparks Memories-- Part 2

Daniel Feldman, a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association of Lake County called the plane a "flying museum." "Of the 12,746 B-17s built during World War II, almost half were destroyed. There are 10 to 12 left flying in the world.

The B-17 has a reputation for being extremely rugged, and it was loved by pilots and their crews because it got them home."

Scott Welch was a World War II B-17 pilot who readily agrees with Feldman. He also went up along with Hazel Krauklis and said, "B-17 was the most responsive airplane. It took a lot of strength to fly it because there was no booster. If you had to roll [the plane in midair], it took a lot out of you."

--GreGen

War Bomber Flight Sparks Memories-- Part 1

From the Aug. 22-28 Lake County (Il) Journal by Jesse Carpender.

"The last time Hazel Krauklis took a flight on a World War II B-17 bomber plane, it was 1944 and she was a sheet metal worker with the Women's Air Corps in Kansas.

"On August 19, the 89-year old woman got to experience it again.

"I'm used to seeing them in army colors," Krauklis said as she boarded a B-17 at Waukegan Regional Airport." She and five other veterans took a ride on the plane which was built in late 1943.

She said that it was rare for women to fly in the bombers and the only reason she got the chance to do it was in 1944 because of a rule saying that you got to be on board for the test flight if you helped build it. I did not know that WACs also built the planes.

--Quite a Woman. --GreGen

Naval Aviator Hero Edward "Butch" O'Hare-- Part 4

Edward O'Hare's bravery and success was some of the first good news the United States had during the war. President Franklin Roosevelt presented the now-Lt. Cmdr. O'Hare the Medal of Honor on April 21. The citation called his feat "one of the most daring, if not the most daring, single action in the history of combat aviation."

Sadly, O'Hare would not survive the war. America's first World War II naval ace was shot down in November 1943 in a nighttime dogfight defending his ship from a torpedo plane attack in the Pacific. His death was front-page news across the nation.

So, the Next Time You Fly Into Chicago's O'Hare Airport. --GreGen

U.S. Pearl Harbor Losses: Cruisers and Destroyers

CRUISERS:

 HEAVY DAMAGE BUT REPAIRED: USS Raleigh

LIGHT DAMAGE: USS New Orleans, USS Detroit, USS San Francisco, USS Helena, USS Honolulu.

DESTROYERS: DESTROYED BUT PARTS SALVAGED: USS Downes, USS Cassin

HEAVILY DAMAGED: USS Shaw. (With that explosion I have to wonder how they were ever able to get the ship back in service.

--GreGen

U.S. Pearl Harbor Losses: Battleships

From Snopes.com.

TOTAL LOSSES: USS Oklahoma, USS Arizona, USS Utah (former battleship, used as target ship); 

SUNK AT BERTH, LATER RAISED AND REPAIRED: USS California and USS West Virginia; 

BEACHED TO PREVENT SINKING, LATER REPAIRED: USS Nevada

LIGHT DAMAGE: USS Pennsylvania, USS Maryland, USS Tennessee.

---GreGen

Naval Aviator Hero Edward "Butch" O'Hare-- Part 3

The nine Japanese bombers O'Hare was flying against had three guns each and nothing better to do than shoot at him. That did not deter O'Hare and he flew directly at them and in less than five minutes, shot down five of the enemy and damaged a sixth.

By then, planes from the Lexington were approaching and the Japanese broke off the action. Only one bomber returned to base.

Coming just three months after Pearl Harbor this was a great jolt of good news for the United States. (Doolittle's Raid did not come until mid-April.

---GreGen

Naval Aviator Hero Edward "Butch" O'Hare-- Part 2

Lt. O'Hare was flying solo support for the aircraft carrier USS Lexington along with its four cruiser and ten destroyer escort group on February 20, 1942, America's "Dark Days" of the war.

The rest of the Lexington's aircraft had just repulsed a Japanese bomber attack and were on the ship's deck refueling and rearming when a second squadron of nine Japanese bombers arrived on the scene.

This was the 28-year-old O'Hare's first action, and he immediately threw himself into the fray, knowing that if the bombers got through, the Lexington and its 1,700-man crew would certainly be lost.

Flying in a fighter, O'Hare had speed and maneuverability on his side, but he was heavily outgunned.

--GreGen