Howdy! I'm not online much anymore. Just thought I'd report
in. I have said I created my last blog entry -- I know. I also have said
similar things in the past. I knew when I said it -- it would probably be a lie. Well my nephew
found something about my dad's (his grandpa) WW2 unit online. I had to
transcribe it, and have to post it somewhere in case any cousins are interested
in it. Since most of them are Trump supporters, I'd like for them to know Dad
was a VERY STRONG supporter of FDR. I remember dad saying "Roosevelt's
policies saved our lives". I remember him also saying He only voted for a
Republican once in his life (Nixon in 1972), and him saying that was the worst
mistake he ever made in his life. I also remember his being so sad after Reagan
was elected. I remember dad saying Reagan was doing away with all the programs
Roosevelt set up. He said Roosevelt made it impossible for us to have another
"Great Depression", but since Regan destroyed those programs, another
"Great Depression was certain to come". Dad was born in 1915 and went
through the Dust Bowl and WW2, and died in 1992. THAT'S one reason why I am a
Democrat and they will never make me into a Republican. I will ALWAYS consider
Trump a NAZI just as the man who killed my uncle (dad's brother), the one that
died 8 years before I as born. He's buried in the American Cemetery, in
Normandy, France. Dad also said when thinking about his brother, "No one
wanted to be buried overseas".
Dad's Pearl Harbor Story, as I recall It
When the war started, dad was in the 13th Field Artillery, stationed at Schodield Barracks, in the middle of the island of Oahu, in the Territory of Hawaii, on December 7th, 1941. One December 8th I was thinking about Dad, and wrote down his Pearl Harbor as I remembered it. Here goes.
As
I write this, it is December 8th, and I apologize for being so long
winded. But I can’t quit without telling Dad’s Pearl Harbor story. He used to
start this story by saying that on Friday, they went on some kind of an alert.
He had joined the Artillery he said, so he could get stationed close to home,
as Fort Sill near Lawton, Oklahoma was the Army’s Artillery School. He was
raised about 25 miles from Fort Sill. Well, instead of being stationed near the
fort, they shipped him to Schoefield Barracks on Oahu, Hawaii, then a
territory.
Well part of going on alert involved
moving their big Artillery guns to the beaches. To get to the beach, they had
to go over these mountains. Now the roads were muddy, and their trucks kept
getting stuck in the mud. Dad said they had Army mules and had to use them to
get their trucks out of the mud. I think he said they did this in the rain, but
maybe it was just in the mud. I am pretty sure he said it was raining. I just don’t
remember exactly. Anyhow, by the time they got their howitzers in place, they
were exhausted and muddy themselves. Now Saturday they moved those same big guns
back where they’d been before, back over the mountains, through the same mud,
with the same mules again saving the day. I think dad liked using those mules
more than the trucks. He seemed to get a kick out of telling this part of his
story. Again, he was very exhausted by the end of the day. When Sunday morning
finally came, he seriously thought about not getting up and getting in the chow
line to be served breakfast. He was so tired. But dad was a Corporal, and the
Mess Sargent was a good friend of his, so he finally decided to go down and get
a bite to eat. Well, since the Mess Sargent was his buddy, he didn’t have to
wait in line. He just started talking to him standing near him, and as they
talked he casually got his plate and filled it up.
About this time they saw many planes off in the distance.
Well some of the guys in the chow line started acting up, joking around. They
were pretending to shoot at the planes, now a little closer to them, some
pretending to be shot, themselves. Well the closer they got they noticed they
didn’t have our markings on them, and when they looked at the ground those who
were “pretending to be shot”, actually had been shot! Well, Dad said he and a
few others ran to the supply building, broke the door in (it was locked) and
started getting rifles (I suppose m-1s, although I recall him mentioning B. A.
R.’s) and ammunition, and started shooting at those planes. He said he didn’t
think they hit anything, though. Later, when it was all over, he said when he
saw his own bunk, the window over his bed was broken in, with broken glass on
his bunk. For as long as he lived, I never knew dad to sleep in – he was always
up way before dawn.
I still don’t know much about what he did between Dec 1941 and the creation of the 280th Field Artillery in May 1943. I know he stayed in Hawaii, but little else. I remember reading the troops at Schofield were in the 25th Division, and that half of them went on to Guadalcanal while the other half went stateside to become cadre. Dad used to say he became a drill sergeant in Camp Polk for a while before going on Massachusettes. He said he saw a professional baseball game just before shipping out to Eurpe, and that was a treat. I also know that before the war ended he was sent to a hospital in London, England. He said a famous English movie star took him in a wheel chair to see famous sites in London. I remember his mentioning Big Ben and the Tower of London. His discharge papers say he was discharged from a hospital in San Antonio, Tx.
This is a photo of Dad and the man he said was his best friend, some guy named "Thompson". This photo came with a story. He'd say Thompson was from San Antonio, and when he found out Dad was an Oklahoman, he'd say something, partially in jest I guess, and Dad would follow up with a not so kind comment about Texas. Well before long they were actually throwing punches at each other. Their generation was a lot tougher than modern Americans. As time passed, and they met people from all over the U. S. A., -- I remember Dad saying the first time he met some guy from Pennsylvania Dad sayiing he thought the guy was a foreigner. Well the more they were around other people from other places, Dad and Thompson became friends, and always stood up for each other. This photo was taken to remember the first time they met each other. Dad is the one throwing the punch, and Thompson is the one getting ready to do the same.
I used to think Dad had served in the 3rd Army under Patton. He talked about Patton a lot, but he clearly was in a different unit to the North of Gen. Patton's 3rd Army.
Here is the account my nephew
found online from the website mentioned below. Dad’s name appears on page 34 of the report
found on the link below, as being a member of Battery A. Dad always said his
best friend was a man named “Thompson” who was from San Antonio. If you look, a
few names after dad’s name in Battery A is a man from Texas named Thompson. He
was from a town near Austin, Tx. That
had to have been him. Dad is the man from Snyder, found in southern Kiowa County, Oklahoma, a few names above
the Texan named Thompson on page 34 in “A Battery” at the link below.
https://www.genealogycenter.info/military/wwii/search_280fieldartillery.php
An Informal History of the 280th Field Artillery
Battalion; May 1943 to May 1945 by 1st Lieutenant Stanley H. Levin
Headquarters 280th Field Artillery Battlion; WWW/gwb; APO
339 U. S. Army; 10 May 1945
Subject: Commendations
To: The officers and men of the 280th Field Artillery
Battalion. (I'll transcribe this later)
Headquarters 280th Field Artillery Battalion
The 280th Field Artillery Battalion was activated
on 10 May 1943 at Camp Cook, California under commander of Willis W. Whelchel.
The Cadre was obtained from the 63rd Field Artillery Battalion
stationed at Oahu, Territory of Hawaii and the filler personnel were mainly men
from reception centers along the west coast. Officers came from other units and
Officer Candidate Schools.
Basic Training began 7 June and continued until the middle
of September. During this period we were introduced to the weapons that were to
be our constant standbys in combat to come; the 105 howitzer, the machine gun,
the carbine, and the pistol. To some of us, this metamorphosis from civilian to
soldier was difficult, to others, perhaps more adaptable, the change was an
easy one. By the end of October though, we soldiers to be, were becoming real
soldiers. Battalion firing problems in the field at Camp Cook and Hunter Ligget
Military Reservation brought to light the fact that military lore was becoming
second nature to us.
Our training continued, spiced with the Army Ground Force
Tests, day and night infiltration courses, the 25 mile hike and the rugged
physical tests.
In February 1944 the Battalion moved to Fort Sill Oklahoma
for a three month stay at school troops firing for the Field Artillery School.
We acquired quite a bit of practical experience through the daily firing and
participation in practical problems.
The Battalions next training ground was Camp Polk, Louisiana
where we worked with other Field Artillery Battalions under Group Headquarters.
This was the final phase of our training before going overseas.
On the seventh of September, 1944 the 280th
embarked from Boston on the USS West Point bound for England. Our stay there
was very short, less that 24 hours, to be exact. After disembarking at
Liverpool, we entrained for South Hampton, and on reaching our destination
embarked for France.
NORMANDY—BELGIUM
On the evening of 18 September 1944 our ship was off shore
Utah Beach, Normandy, France. We disembarked by LCT onto the beach and huddled
there for three hours awaiting transportation to our bivouac area. It was a
dark and stormy night, one that we all will remember, and when trucks appeared
with headlights glowing brightly they were like a friendly haven in a
wilderness. The battalion remained in a bivouac area three miles north of
Valognes for two weeks and then moved to another area one mile east of
Benoistville. During our nine weeks stay we found the French people friendly
and cooperative. Our area took on the appearance of a housing development,
wooden floors and sides for pup tents and stoves and all of the comforts of
home for the interiors.
On 15 December 1944 the battalion displaced from
Benoistville, destination Belgium, arriving at Ulbeek, Belgium, after a three
day march. We remained here only six days enjoying the hospitality of the
townspeople and getting first hand information of the terror influencing force
of the buzz-bomb.
Hurtgen Forest
The 23rd of December found the battalion in
position at the edge of the Hurtgen Forest, firing its first rounds in combat
as part of the ninth army. The position was four miles west of the town of
Germeter. Our mission was the reinforcing of the fires of the 8th
infantry division artillery and in a larger sense assist in the holding of the left
flank of the counterattack of the German breakthrough in the Ardennes. The
battalion area was well dotted with log covered dugouts, whose primary purpose
was of course, was protection against shell bursts but served to good effect
against the snow and cold. Observation posts were established both in the towns
of Germeter and Hurtgen overlooking German held Schmidt.
During the month of January the battalion remained in the
same position and continued its mission. For a short period in the latter part
of January the battalion took over a second mission, that of reinforcing the
fires of the 78th Infantry Division during its attack on Schmidt.
Although this was a static position the period was well
spent. We became accustomed to combat, we learned how to make ourselves
comfortable under inclement conditions. Some of us had the opportunity to live
with the doughboys and our appreciation of their worth increased a
thousandfold. We prepared ourselves well for the big push to come.
Roer to the Rhine
On the 6th of February 1945the battalion went
into position in the town of Wurm, Germany on the west side of the Roer River
with the mission of general support of the 84th Infantry Division.
It looked as though the big drive through Germany was about to start. Due to the
destruction of the Roer Dams the crossing of the river was delayed for two and
one-half weeks. Finally on 24 February after the initial attack and the forced
crossing of the Roer, our Battalion displaced across the river to Korrenzig,
the first Artillery Battalion of the ninth Army to make the crossing. During
the drive to the Rhine we were for the most part in general support, and as a
result made its reconnaissance and went into positions as an isolated unit.
There were many times when reaching our Battalion area it was necessary for us
to clear it of enemy stragglers before going into position. The division was divided into Combat Teams of
Infantry and Artillery and Tanks, which were given more or less parallel routes
to the Rhine. We as general support Battalion would be used by either of these
Combat teams as needed. Thus for the most part the Battalion was out on its
own. By the fifth of March we were on the west bank of the Rhine in the
vicinity of the town of Asberg. The drive to the Rhine was completed; we had
experienced another phase of warfare, the combat team, and had come through
with flying colors. The battalion had captured its first prisoners, a prelude
to the mass surrenders to come.
Rhine to the Elbe
The Battalion remained in Asberg from the 5th to
the 11th of March and then displaced south to Uerdingen as a unit of
the 411th Field Artillery Group, 102nd Infantry
Division. We remained there until 21st
March firing at targets of opportunity cross the river. On the 21st
March the Battalion displaced north to Lohmule and was attached to the 79th
Infantry Division. Another river crossing was in the offing. On the 27th
March the Battalion crossed the Rhine, turned south, and went into position in
Vier Linden and then Holten and fired on targets in a portion of what was later
called the Ruhr Pocket.
The Battalion was then attached to the 84th
Infantry Division and on the 2nd of April started on the drive to the
Elbe as a member of one of the combat teams of the 84th. During this
operation the Battalion did its part in the taking of Hannover and again at
times found it necessary to clear its own position areas of enemy personnel.
Over 200 German prisoners were taken as a result. Our third river crossing,
that of the Wesser, was successfully completed. We finally reached the Elbe and
went into position in the vicinity of Beuster on the 20th of April.
Crossing the Elbe
The Battalion left Buester on 29 April and went up to the
little town of Beckede to cross the Elbe with the 82nd Airborne
Division operating under the XVIII Airborne Corps and the British Second Army.
The crossing wasn’t bad. It was the fourth time since the 23rd of
February that we had been part of a river crossing operation. There was plenty
of air cover, British Spitfires were overhead almost every hour of the day.
After we had crossed the rivers things went fast and furious. We changed
positions a couple of times a day, and by the time we reached each position the
infantry was usually so far in front of that we couldn’t even register.
It was on the 2nd of May that we saw the beginnings of the
big surrender. We had one of those long slow marches that day, and about the
time we were starting to think about supper and a place to sleep we turned
around the corner of the woods and there on the road was a German surrender
column. As far as the eye could see down the road there was a mass of German
soldiers riding on trucks, trailers, horse drawn vehicles, bicycles, civilian
cars, and walking. There were panzer troops, Luftwaffe, paratroopers.
Wehrmacht, and Volkstrum. They were of all ages, sizes and shapes. The sides of
the road were littered with rubble of all types, cast off uniforms, tanks, half
tacks, weapons of all descriptions from 150 mm howitzers to machine pistols.
Our column crawled past this spectacle for five miles and when we turned off
this road they were still coming endlessly. That evening we went into position
in the town of Glaisin and there captured 307 Hungarian and 277 German officers
and men, quite a haul. The following day some of us went over to what proved to
be the Russian-American boundary and met some Russian soldiers. They were doing
the same as American GI’s, riding around on German motorcycles and cars,
looking for lugers and waving greetings at us. Russian soldiers would come up
to our jeeps pat the hood and say, “good – good.” There was a group that filled
a large sprinkling can with liberated wine and were passing it around drinking
from the spigot. It was a day of jubilation.
The battalion remained in Glaisin through VE day 9 May. [Vance's note: Dad wasn't there at that time. I remember him saying on VE Day he was on a hospital bed in London, England.]
Campaigns
1.
Northern France; 7 September 1944 -- 22 December
1944
2.
Ardennes; 23 December 1944 – 6 February 1945
3.
Rhineland; 6 February 1945 – 27 March 1945
4. Central Europe; 27 March 1945 – 9 May 1945
Here is a map from the link above showing the location of Dad's unit during the war.
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