World War 2

Murphys laws in combat operations
From Military Quotes.
Author(s) unknown.

The only thing more accurate than incoming
enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.

Things which must be shipped together as a set, aren't.

Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support.

Radar tends to fail at night and in bad weather,
(and especially during both).

Anything you do can get you killed, including nothing.

Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you
won't be able to get out.

If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you
will get MORE than your fair share of objectives to take.

Military Intelligence is a contradiction.

Fortify your front; you'll get your rear shot up.

Look for more to follow

During World War II, the saying "Kilroy Was Here!" 
began to appear as graffiti at home and wherever 
the American military traveled abroad. Eventually
the saying, and the cartoon character that often 
accompanied it, came to represent America's 
presence throughout the world. Today, it remains
a whimsical symbol of the momentous achievements
of an entire generation of Americans during the 
20th century's darkest hour.

Time Magazine prepared a list of the 10 most influential people 
of the century in each field to mark the end of the century. The 
10 most influential scientists, politicians, entertainers, sports 
figures, musicians, artists, and industrialists.

This month they published the 10 most influential people (overall) 
of the century. They named "the American G.I." the most influential 
person of the century. It's the only one that isn't a single 
individual. General Powell wrote the following introduction: 
As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I referred to the men and 
women of the armed forces as "G.I.s." It got me in trouble with 
some of my colleagues at the time. Several years earlier, the Army 
had officially excised the term as an unfavorable characterization 
derived from the designation "government issue."

Sailors and Marines wanted to be known as Sailors and Marines. 
Airmen, notwithstanding their origins as a rib of the Army, 
wished to be called simply Airmen. Collectively, they were blandly 
referred to as "service members."

I persisted in using G.I.s and found I was in good company. 
Newspapers and television shows used it all the time. The most 
famous and successful government education program was known as 
the G.I. Bill, and it still uses that title  for a newer generation 
of veterans. When you added one of the most common boy's names to 
it, you got G.I. Joe, and the name of the  most popular boy's toy 
ever, the G.I. Joe action figure. And let's not forget G.I. Jane.

G.I. is a World War II term that two generations later continues to 
conjure up the warmest and proudest memories of a noble war that 
pitted  pure good against pure evil and good triumphed. The victors 
in that war were the American G.I.s, the Willies and Joes, the farmer 
from Iowa and the steelworker from Pittsburgh who stepped off a 
landing craft into the hell of Omaha Beach. The G.I. was the wise-
cracking kid Marine from Brooklyn who clawed his way up a deadly 
hill on a  Pacific island. He was a black fighter pilot escorting 
white bomber pilots over Italy and Germany, proving that skin color 
had nothing to do with skill or courage. He was a native Japanese-
American infantryman released from his own country's concentration 
camp to join the fight. She was a nurse relieving the agony of a 
dying teenager. He was a petty officer standing  on the edge of a 
heaving aircraft carrier with two signal paddles in his hands, 
helping guide a dive-bomber pilot back onto the deck. They were 
America.....
Click here for Coliin Powell's complete introduction.

Mister W 1943 R&R Accra BWA
with 830th Sig Service Co
attached African Middle East Wing US Army Air Corps

We were a small unit of 24 men and two officers, the First Signal Center Team,
VI US Corps, Seventh Army detached to Second French Corps. Other units
having higher priority got the vehicles so we scrounged a couple of German
vehicles and converted them for our use.

"As I walked away I looked around me and saw nothing but a sea of white marble.
I was surrounded by markers representing thousands of men who had laid
the ultimate sacrifice upon that same altar of freedom. They sacrificed everything
they held dear so that I could be free. I had been living their legacy but was
oblivious to their sacrifice. I will not make that mistake in the future. Your legacy
lives inside me and I will protect it well for it is to be passed to my children.
You have made a difference for having lived and died...."

".....looking at the beach where so many a young men had died.
This was the view the enemy had as these men came ashore.
I again wondered how anyone made it off the beach alive.

I now understood why so many did not. I stood for a while beside
these men looking over the beach that had seen untold bravery among
unimaginable carnage and tried to compose myself."

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Native American Medal of Honor Winners during World War 2
In the 20th century, five American Indians have been among
those soldiers to be distinguished by receiving the United
States' highest military honor: the Medal of Honor. Given
for military heroism "above and beyond the call of duty,
" these warriors exhibited extraordinary bravery in the face
of the enemy and, in two cases, made the ultimate sacrifice
for their country.

Jack C. Montgomery. A Cherokee from Oklahoma, and a First
Lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Division Thunderbirds. On
22 February 1944, near Padiglione, Italy, Montgomery's rifle
platoon was under fire by three echelons of enemy forces,
when he single-handedly attacked all three positions, taking
prisoners in the process. As a result of his courage,
Montgomery's actions demoralized the enemy and inspired his
men to defeat the Axis troops.

Ernest Childers. A Creek from Oklahoma, and a First Lieutenant
with the 45th Infantry Division. Childers received the Medal
of Honor for heroic action in 1943 when, up against machine
gun fire, he and eight men charged the enemy. Although
suffering a broken foot in the assault, Childers ordered
covering fire and advanced up the hill, single-handedly killing
two snipers, silencing two machine gun nests, and capturing an
enemy mortar observer.

Van Barfoot. A Choctaw from Mississippi, and a Second
Lieutenant in the Thunderbirds. On 23 May 1944, during the
breakout from Anzio to Rome, Barfoot knocked out two machine
gun nests and captured 17 German soldiers. Later that same day,
he repelled a German tank assault, destroyed a Nazi fieldpiece
and while returning to camp carried two wounded commanders
to safety.

Battle of the Bulge

On Dec. 16, 1944, the Nazis launched a furious counterattack in the
Ardennes. While overcast skies grounded Allied planes 24 German
divisions drove a bulge 60 miles wide and 45 miles deep into the
American lines. Part of this success was won by a specially trained
unit that wore American uniforms and drove captured American vehicles.

Heroic resistance, however, finally halted the Germans. The 1st, 2nd, 4th,
and 99th Infantry divisions held the shoulders of the bulge at Monschau
and Echternach. Other brave stands were made at St. Vith by the 7th
Armored Division and at Bastogne by the 101st Airborne Division and
Combat Command B of the 10th Armored. On December 26 the 4th
Armored Division relieved encircled Bastogne, ending the crisis. The First
and Third armies eliminated the bulge during January. The Nazis lost
220,000 men and 1,400 tanks and assault guns. Allied casualties
totaled 40,000.

The Battle of the Bulge was also called the BATTLE OF THE ARDENNES
(Dec. 16, 1944-Jan. 16, 1945), the last German offensive on the Western
Front during World War II; an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back
from German home territory. The name Battle of the Bulge was
appropriated from Winston Churchill's optimistic description, in May 1940,
of the resistance that he mistakenly supposed was being offered to the
Germans' breakthrough in that area just before the Anglo-French collapse;
the Germans were in fact overwhelmingly successful. The "bulge" refers to
the wedge that the Germans drove into the Allied lines.

After their invasion of Normandy in June 1944, the Allies moved rapidly
across northern France into Belgium during the summer, but lost
momentum in the autumn. In mid-December, Allied commander General
Dwight D. Eisenhower's 48 divisions, distributed along a 600-mile front
between the North Sea and Switzerland, were caught unprepared by a
German counterthrust in the hilly and wooded Ardennes region of southern
Belgium. While Allied aircraft were hampered by bad weather, Gen. Gerd
von Rundstedt's 5th and 6th Panzer Armies launched two parallel attacks
with the eventual aim of retaking the great port of Antwerp. The 5th Army
under Gen. Hasso von Manteuffel, bypassing Bastogne (which was held
throughout the offensive by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division), advanced by
December 24 to within four miles (six kilometres) of the Meuse River. This
was the farthest point of the German drive, which was halted by Christmas
by the inadequacy of supplies and by Allied resistance. General George S.
Patton's 3rd Army relieved Bastogne on the 26th, and on January 3 the U.S.
1st Army began a counteroffensive. The Germans made an orderly
withdrawal between January 8 and 16, having used more of their resources
than they could afford on this last desperate attempt to regain the initiative
in the West

The son of poor Texas sharecroppers, Murphy will be
remembered as the most decorated U.S. combat,
soldier of World War II. He received 33 awards and
decorations, including the Medal of Honor, the highest
military award for bravery that can be given.

Entering service as a private, Murphy rose through the
ranks, receiving a battlefield commission of second
lieutenan. He fought in nine major campaigns in Europe,
was wounded three times, and became a legend within
the 3rd Infantry Division.

He survived World War II and a lengthy run in the movie
business, but was killed in a plane crash near Roanoke,
Va., along with five others Memorial Day seekend in 1971.
Murphy was buried in Arlington National Cemetery near
the Tomb of the Unknowns with full military honors.

In 1941, the Army paid $740 each for its first Jeeps.
The military bought its last Jeeps in 1982.

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
1000 MILES FROM THE NEAREST SALT WATER?

The navy needed to train pilots to fly off and land on carriers
and could not spare active ships for that purpose.
The problem was finding the carriers and a place to train.
The navy decided to purchase and convert two coal burning,
side-paddle cruise ships into aircraft carriers on the Great.
Lakes and conduct training in the protected waters of lake Michigan

In 1942 the American Shipbuilding Company stripped the Seeandbee
and 1200 men worked around the clock to convert it into an
aircraft carrier which was named the USS Wolverine. It had a
500 foot long long wooden deck, which was 300 feet shorter than
the decks of fleet carriers.
Another conversion took place and the newly born carrier was
named Sable. These Training Aircraft Carriers were docked in
downtown Chicago.

A complete interesting story can be found in the
Retired Officer Magazine October 2002.

The USS Slater

The Slater is a Cannon Class Destroyer Escort. Of the 565 destroyer
escorts produced in World War II, USS SLATER (DE-766)
is the only one remaining afloat in the United States,
and the only one with original battle armament and configuration.
These trim but deadly warships had the duty of looking out
for enemy submarines and kamikazes as they escorted
ship convoys across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Visitors have
a chance to see what life was like for the sailors who manned
these vessels when they come aboard this Cannon Class destroyer escort
in Albany, N.Y.

Pilots of Marine Corps Squadron VMF-114 in front of an
F4-U Corsair Fighter Plane taken on Espiritu Santo Island
in the Pacific, New Hebrides July 1944

Aircraft Wreckage
I am a French journalist/historian working on WW2
subjects and so I am much interested by the most
important role played by US troops all over the world
during this war. I am in touch with many veterans from
the US and collected their testimonies;, some will be
included in a book.

I must congratulate you for your wonderful site!
In fact I wanted to tell you that the picture shown
where Marines are next to an airplane at the
island of Espiritu Santo in the Pacific reminded
me something: I was on this island 30 years ago
(I am 58) and I remember perfectly the following: while
exploring the wild coast there, I came upon the remains
of an airplane, well parts of an engine, I just remember
it was American as I saw a mark, perhaps Whitney,
something?? It was right on the beach half covered by
vegetation.

In case you would know veterans who
have been to my area, that is Brittany/Bretagne: Brest,
Lorient, Rennes, Nantes, St Nazaire during the war,
could you put me in touch ? I am still looking for
witnesses who can share their war experience with me.
They can contact me directly or thru you, if you agree.
With all best wishes.
God bless America!

Ilan Braun
Le Tour du Parc, France (Brittany)

PS: my father was an underground officer in eastern
France: our area (Lorraine) was liberated by Patton's
army: THANKS to them and YOU!
E-Mail: Ilan.braun@free.fr

The Brewster F2A Buffalo is known for its portly barrel shape and its poor
performance. The only major action in U.S. hands was at the battle of Midway,
where its Marine pilots suffered heavy casualties against the more nimble
Japanese Zero. Afterwards, Buffalos were replaced by F4F Wildcats, and were
relegated to second-line duties.

The U.S. Coast Guard's role during World War II has never been
properly recognized nor commemorated even though Coast
Guardsmen served with distinction in every theatre of operation.
This is particularly true of the convoy battles that took place in
the Atlantic Ocean. The Coast Guard's fleet of cutters and craft
first began sailing into harm's way on the Atlantic after the
establishment of the Neutrality Patrol in 1939 and then into real
danger escorting convoys in 1941, all prior to the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Direct action with the
German Navy soon followed. The USS Alexander Hamilton,
CG fell victim to a U-boat's torpedo in January, 1942, becoming
the first US warship lost in combat in the Atlantic after the attack
on Pearl Harbor. Cutters countered and quickly drew blood,
sinking three U-boats off the East Coast in 1942. Coast Guardsmen
on board the cutter Icarus, who sank U-352, gained the distinction
of being the first U.S. servicemen to take German prisoners of war.

After helping to screen convoy HX 170 to the MOMP, Alexander Hamilton
was tasked to tow the disabled storeship USS Yukon (AF-9) to Iceland.
USS Gwinn (DD-433) steamed ahead as an escort. The British rescue tug
Frisky arrived later to take over the tow. At about 1:00 pm, the Alexander
Hamilton handed off the tow to Frisky and steamed ahead to screen
the other ships. At this same time, the German submarine U-132 had
detected these ships and maneuvered to a favorable position to attack.
Singling out the crippled and near motionless 12,546 ton Yukon, the U-132
fired a spread of torpedoes. Alexander Hamilton had meanwhile worked
up to 15 knots and passed the Yukon as the torpedoes sped past the
storeship. One torpedo passed ahead of the Yukon and struck the Alexander
Hamilton on the starboard side between the fireroom and the engine room.
All of the other torpedoes missed.
(.A correction to the above is indicated by the logbook of U-132
mentions a 4 spread torpedo attack on the "one funnel destoyer"
whcih was the Alexander Hamilton and not an attack on the Yukon.) This
information provided by Larry Richter, QMCS, USCGR Retired...
and military resercher. Thanks Larry.

20 crewmembers were killed instantly while six other perished later due
to severe burns. She capsized and was sunk by gunfire from the Navy
destroyer USS Ericsson (DD-440) the next day. USCGC Alexander Hamilton
was the first American warship sunk by enemy action in the Atlantic
after the US officially entered the war

Spencer saw considerable action on the North Atlantic in concert with
her sister Secretary Class cutters. While escorting east-bound
Convoy HX-233, she located the submerged U-175 attempting to infiltrate
the convoy. She then blew it to the surface with depth charges and in
concert with Duane, fired upon it. The U-boat's crew abandoned their
submarine and a boarding party from Spencer actually got on board
before the U-boat sank. The Spencer and Duane then rescued
the surviving German crew

Who Were the Mariners?
Young mariners trained at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, various
state Maritime Academies, or the U.S. Maritime Service Training Stations.
The U.S. Maritime Service officially took youngsters
who were 16 years-old. Many men who were too young or
too old for the other services or who were physically unfit for the
other services joined the Maritime Service and went in the Merchant Marine.

In 1940 the Merchant Marine numbered about 55,000. A massive
recruiting effort brought in retired seafarers who were able to ship
out immediately on the newly launched Liberty ships.

Merchant mariners were on the front lines the moment their ships
left U.S. ports, and were subject to attack by bombers, kamikaze,
battleships, submarines, mines, and land-based artillery. Old time
mariners received their gunnery training at the nearest port when
gunnery training became necessary. Robert Perez of San Jose, CA
received his gunnery training in Australia. Maurice Breen, who shot
down a German bomber, received British Merchant Navy gunnery
training in Great Britain. The U.S. Maritime Service provided
gunnery training for all its recruits.

SS Byron D. Benson torpedoed on 4/4/42 off North Carolina:
10 members of the crew of 37 lost their lives.]

Countless mariners performed acts of bravery and heroism beyond
the call of duty. The Distinguished Service Medal, the Merchant
Marine's highest honor, was awarded to 140 mariners, of whom 7
were cadets from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Ten ships
were recipients of the Gallant Ship Award.

663 men and women Mariners became Prisoners of War.
Some, like Stan Willner and George Duffy were prisoners
of both the Germans and the Japanese, including the
notorious River Kwai Railroad camps. The first mariner
POW's were the crew of the SS President Harrison who
were captured by the Japanese on December 7, 1941.

"Be an example to your men, in your duty and in private life. Never spare
yourself, and let the troops see that you don't in your endurance of fatigue
and privation. always be tactful and well-mannered and teach your
subordinates to do the same. Avoid excessive sharpness or harshness of
voice, which usually indicates the man who has shortcomings of his own to
hide."
-Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

"DO NOT FORGET"

I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindler's List,
" asked myself, "Why didn't the Jews fight back?"
Now I know why.

I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor" and
asked myself, "Why weren't we prepared?"
Now I know why.

Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the
actions of evil people.

On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers
allowed themselves to be overpowered by a handful of
poorly armed terrorists because they did not comprehend
the depth of hatred that motivated their captors.

On September 11, thousands of innocent people were
murdered because too many Americans naively reject the
reality that some nations are dedicated to the dominance
of others. Many political pundits, pacifists and media
personnel want us to forget the carnage. They say we
must focus on the bravery of the rescuers and ignore the
cowardice of the killers. They implore us to understand
the motivation of the perpetrators. Major television
stations have announced they will assist the healing
process by not replaying devastating footage of the
planes crashing into the Twin Towers.

I will not be manipulated.
I will not pretend to understand.
I will not forget.
I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom
of the press to kick our country when it was vulnerable
and hurting.
I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded
President Bush's address to the nation with the snide
remark, "No matter how you feel about him, he is still
our president."
I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings
questioned President Bush's motives for not returning
immediately to Washington, DC and commented, "We're all
pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington."
And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned
if reporters weren't informed of every little detail of
this war, they aren't "likely -- nor should they be
expected -- to show deference."
I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by
pretending an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not
an attack on the United States of America.
I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped
Islamic terrorists and their supporters with the world's
most sophisticated telecommunications equipment and
encryption technology, thereby compromising America's
ability to trace terrorist radio, cell phone, land lines,
faxes and modem communications.
I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory
strikes like those perfected by the previous
administration.
I will not be comforted by "feel-good, do nothing
" regulations like the silly "Have your bags been under
your control?" question at the airport.
I will not be influenced by so called,"antiwar
demonstrators" who exploit the right of _expression to
chant anti-American obscenities.
I will not forget the moral victory handed the North
Vietnamese by American war protesters who reviled and
spat upon the returning soldiers, airmen, sailors and
Marines.
I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of
pacifists who chose reassurance over reality.

I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony
Blair who told Labor Party conference, "They have no
moral inhibition on the slaughter of the innocent. If
they could have murdered not 3,000 but 30,000, does
anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?
There is no compromise possible with such people, no
meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such
terror. Just a choice: defeat it or be defeated by it.
And defeat it we must!"

I will force myself to:
-hear the weeping
-feel the helplessness
-imagine the terror
-sense the panic
-smell the burning flesh
-experience the loss
-remember the hatred.

I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan" and
asked myself, "Where did they find the courage?"

Now I know.

We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.

-- Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.)
Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.

Interested in information on the Normandy Invasion?

Books available from Amazon.com:

Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory by Adrian R. Lewis

Beyond Valor: World War II's Ranger and Airborne Veterans
Reveal the Heart of Combat

Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne
from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest

Beyond the Beach Head: The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy

Spearheading D-Day: American Special Units of The Normandy Invasion

D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II

At the Point of No Return: Pictorial History of the American
Paratrooper in the Invasion of Normandy

D-Day Plus Fifty Years: The Normandy Beaches Revisited

Six Armies in Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris

The Longest Day: June 6, 1944

Storming Ashore: One Soldier's Adventures in the First Special
Engineer Brigade 1942-45 Including D-Day

Rudders Rangers: The True Story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion D-Day
Combat Action

Normandy: Omaha Beach

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