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Armor in the ETO
Get PDFThe 20th Armored Division cannot point to a long record of heroic slugging or dashing achievement on many of the battle fields of World War II, it made its weight felt by serving for two years as a replacement training division, properly climaxed by active participation as a unit in the final drive in the defeat of Germany.
The 20th did not write a great deal of combat history, yet it joined valiantly in the knockout punch against a desperate Nazism, throwing its infamous legions back to and breaking them at its citadel, the National Redoubt in the Alps. No, the 20th did not have a long history of battles and campaigns like so many other units; it wrote only a few paragraphs in the total book but it does know how history was written, and it was there to see the dramatic moments, causes and effects that will write the history of the future.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1067/thumbnail.jp
71st Infantry Regiment
Get PDFThe first companies of the Regiment entered combat on the twenty-third of October, 1944. They relieved elements of the 315th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Division east of Luneville, France, in the vicinity of Embermenil. The Regiment occupied dug-in positions in Le Remabois and in the eastern part of the Foret de Parroy. In the last week of October and the first weeks of November, with a series of night attacks, the First Battalion drove the Germans from their remaining strongholds in the forest. By continued and active patrolling, the Germans were kept from any effective offensive action in this part of the line.
One of the more daring patrols of this time was made on 31 October by four men from Company E: S/Sgt. R. B. Lawrence and Harold L. Hunt and Pfc. Collie R. Martin and John F. Larkin. These men volunteered to investigate a patch of woods that was suspected of concealing a mortar position. The patrol moved into the woods and, upon discovering more of the enemy than had been anticipated, withdrew and directed an artillery concentration on the area.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1070/thumbnail.jp
Can do--did!: United States Naval Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 571
Get PDFThe story of an outfit is often a story of the individual experiences of its men, but this narrative is a chronology of the collective achievements and adventures of men working in unison, primarily the men who formed the original complement of Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 571.
The charter members of this Seabee crew hailed from all walks of life and went on to carve out a bright record of attainment on lonely tropical islands unheard of and unimportant until war made their possession and exploitation necessary. The final, complete story of CBMU 571 is not over, because CBMU 571 is, at this writing, still commissioned, still doing a job, still adding to a record. But to the men who formed it, who carried the knowledge, the brawn, the guts, and the equipment into the islands of the Pacific, this chapter of their careers as Seabees is completed. These men may go on to other naval organizations or they may already be civilians again, but their first love as servicemen will be CBMU 571.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1071/thumbnail.jp
U.S.S. Lunga Point, CVE 94: a pictorial log covering the ship\u27s career in the War against the Axis, 14 May, 1944 - 14 May, 1945
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It has been regretted for some time that, because of Wartime restrictions, personally owned cameras are not allowed on board, and it has been impractical for the Photo Lab to attempt to furnish all hands with pictures of the places we have visited and of the many interesting, thrilling, exciting and even hair-raising experiences that we have had during this, our first year as an integral, fighting part of our Fleet.
Considerable thought also has been given to devising some means whereby the memories of our many experiences, and our everyday life aboard, might be preserved in a definite and concrete form, because, regardless of how anxious we are to get back to our families, and regardless of how arduous, trying, and nerve racking our experiences have been, when the time comes for us to leave the Lunga Point, it is confidently believed that our happiness in returning to our families will be mingled with a genuine feeling of regret in having to leave the many friends we have made on board, not to mention the regret we shall feel in leaving the Lunga Point, which has, after all, been our home for many months now. We feel that we can say without fear of contradiction that the Lunga Point and those who have served in her will have a very warm spot in the heart of every Officer and man who has been privileged to fight her, and that place in our hearts will ever increase as the years roll by.
.... Every officer and man should, therefore, receive due credit for the part he played, and for that reason, the name, rank or rate, and home address of every member of our Ship\u27s Company will appear in this book, except for some few who have been transferred without leaving their addresses.
In the above paragraphs, this book has its genesis. It is not a perfect book by any means. There have been many obstacles, some of which it was impossible to surmount, but it has been our earnest endeavor, as nearly as possible, to completely and faithfully chronicle our first year for you. If this book achieves its purpose of preserving those friendships and memories of the past year, we will have been well rewarded for our efforts, because, as your Editor, we will have that deep sense of personal satisfaction that can come only from the knowledge of a job well done.
It\u27s been a grand cruise, Shipmates. Au revoir ! And God Bless you all.
S. Linton Smith, Lieut., USNRhttps://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1162/thumbnail.jp
The story of the U.S.S. Hoggatt Bay
Get PDFDedication
The purpose of this book is to tel a story -- not just an ordinary story, a fictional creation of one man\u27s mind, but a living, dynamic story. It is living and dynamic because it is the story of a life. In word and picture it depicts the life of her whom we affectionately call Queen of the CVES -- the U.S.S. Hoggatt Bay, CVE 75.
It is the story of the men who transformed her from an inanimate bulk of steel into personality endowed with life and feeling and courage, of the men who guided her through perilous waters, of the men who manned her guns to ward off the enemy, of the pilots who soared from her flight deck to search out and destroy the same enemy. In short, it is the story of the officers and men of the Hoggatt Bay who have lived, and fought -- and died -- that others might live in peace.
To all of them, those still aboard, thos who have left us, and especially those pilots and aircrewmen, heroes all, who took off from her flight deck never to return again, this book is proudly and affectionately dedicated.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1203/thumbnail.jp
A pictorial record of the combat duty of Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Nine in the Western Pacific, 20 April 1945-15 August 1945
Get PDFPatrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Nine was reformed on 5 October 1944 at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Camp Kearney, San Diego, California, as a streamlined Patrol Bombing Squadron with fifteen PB4Y-2 planes (Privateers), and a normal complement of eighteen flight crews of twelve men each. On 6 December 1944 command of the squadron was assumed by Lieutenant Commander George L. Hicks, USNR, former Executive Officer of old Bombing Squadron 109, with Lieutenant Commander John F. Bundy, USN, as Executive Officer.
The squadron trained initially under Fleet Air Wing Fourteen at Camp Kearney, flying its planes to Naval Air Station, Kaneohe, T. H., in February for an advanced training period under Fleet Air Wing Two.
On 10 April 1945 the squadron moved into the combat area, and active operations against the enemy were begun on 20 April 1945 with a special reconnaissance of PAT ANI Roads, Gulf of Siam, flown from Pala Wan, Philippine Islands.
The primary mission of the squadron was long range search, patrol, and armed reconnaissance, but special patrols, strikes and assorted duties often engaged all the squadron\u27s attention.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1104/thumbnail.jp
Wild deuces: 1902 Engineer Aviation Battalion
Get PDFHere is our story -- to the everlasting memory of associations with men of courage, ability and determination in time of our greatest national emergency, a job well done.
Robert E. Fonger, Lt. Col. C.E., Commandinghttps://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1110/thumbnail.jp
History of fighting Squadron Forty-six: a log in narrative form of its participation in World War II
Get PDFPreface:
This history is dedicated to the Fighter Pilots of VF 46 with my admiration, respect and affection.
It is a narrative of the Squadron from its inception to the end of its first and last carrier combat tour of duty. Opportunities of splashing large numbers of enemy planes in Turkey Shoots , enjoyed by some of our contemporary Air Groups, simply did not present themselves to 46. Any AGC will concede there is a great deal of luck in being assigned to Strikes or CAP where the hunting was good. We were not lucky in our assignments. Every opportunity to inflict damage on the enemy, however, was capitalized, thus contributing to their ultimate defeat in some of the most important actions of the war.
To one who has participated enthusiastically in all forms of athletics for many years without ever having approached perfection in any, the expert is profoundly impressive. I can\u27t resist this opportunity, therefore, to express my feeling which borders on awe for the perfectionist in the most difficult of all physical achievements. I refer to Carrier Landings. They require more precise timing, hair-trigger thinking and faultless judgment than any form of physical accomplishment. Each move is under pressure and unless perfectly executed may result in serious injury or death.
Timing, the sine qua non of success in all forms of athletics, is concededly most allusive in the Royal and Ancient game of golf. Here the problem of timing is between a moving object, the golf club, and a stationary one, the ball. Not so difficult a problem of timing presents itself · in all kinds of racquet games where both the racquet and the ball are in motion. fn both of the above type of games the motion of the club can be controlled at all times to meet the object whose course is predictable, and therefore can be anticipated. Yet with these advantages how many participants can be classified as experts? There are few Bobby Joneses, Byron Nelsons, Bill Tildens or Donald Budges.
On the other hand, all Carrier pilots are experts in Carrier landings. Many perfect carrier landings are made with plane controls damaged by enemy flak on an itinerant base, 588 feet long by 71 feet wide, one-third of which may be covered by planes parked forward, heaving and bobbing in a rough sea. The club, in this case a six-ton Grumman Hellcat landing at a speed of 65 knots with damaged controls, must meet in perfect timing, an object, the deck, whose motion is unpredictable. All participants have to be experts. Necessity is the mother of perfection.
The pilots in Fighting 46 were always willing to do their job from dawn to dusk, were modest in their claims, bending backward to give their fellow-pilot the credit in case a doubt existed, showed no evidence of false heroics and were gentlemen. Anything one can say falls short of tP,e truth. In the words of Commander Kenneth McCracken, Navigation Officer of the U.S.S. Independence, I regret that my medium is paper instead of bronze.
Hibben Ziesing, LT. COMDR., U.S.N.R. A.C./.0., and Historical Officerhttps://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1130/thumbnail.jp
The story of a ship--USS Mobile, and the men who fought her
Get PDFThe U.S.S. Mobile, CL-63
Authorized at a time when hostilities in Europe were arousing keen concern over our own naval shortcomings, the story of the Mobile corresponds closely with the development of our naval strength in the Pacific. Only one other ship has borne the name: she was a small warship operating under the Union colors with Admiral Farragut\u27s fleet during the Civil War.
The keel of the new Mobile was laid on April 14, 1941 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and on May 15 of the following year the hull of CL 63 slid down the ways. The sponsor was Mrs. Harry T. Hartwell, wife of the president of Mobile\u27s city commission. On March 24, 1943 the commission pennant was raised with appropriate ceremony and Captain C. Julian Wheeler took command.
After a short period of training in the Chesapeake Bay and a brief visit to Casco Bay, Maine, the Mobile turned toward the Pacific, leaving the Canal a stern on the 20th of June. With eleven Battle Star operations to her credit the story of the Mighty Mo is told by the record of her achievements, by the accomplishments of the fleets in which she worked, and, in part, by the pictures which follow.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1172/thumbnail.jp
Log of the U.S.S. Richard P. Leary
Get PDFAt 1500 February 23, 1944, the U.S.S. Richard P. Leary (DD-664) was placed in commission by Captain R. C. Grady, USN (Ret.), in Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts. Commander Frederic S. Habecker, USN assumed command. This vessel was named for the late Rear Admiral Richard P. Leary, USN and was built at the Navy Yard, Boston Massachusetts, the keel having been laid on 4 July 1943. The launching took place on 6 October 1943.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1205/thumbnail.jp