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The Fighting Hannah : a war history of the U.S.S. Hancock CV19
Get PDFNaval warfare is one of civilization\u27s oldest sciences; its axioms modified as progress in propulsion and armament dictate but fundamentally unchanged in doctrines and concepts. The successful naval strategist and tactician must be a keen student of history in order to understand the precepts under which his potential enemies, guided as they may be by geographical limitation and political aspiration, must design and deploy their fleet.
It was fortunate indeed that far-sighted naval officers salvaged from the Washington Arms Conference of 1922 the right to convert two battle-cruisers, then under construction, as aircraft carriers. These two carriers, the Saratoga and Lexington, formed the nucleus of a new naval unit, the Fast Carrier Force, which was to weave a vast network of air power over the tremendous reaches of the Pacific in World War II.
Prophetic too, the decision to name this, new-type ship for great and decisive battles in the rise of American Democracy and for famous and gallant ships which fought for American principles. Thus the new Hancock became another in the long line of vessels to bear the name of the great statesman for whom the original Hancock, one of thirteen frigates authorized by the Continental Congress on December 13, 1775, was named. Her namesake, John Hancock, was chairman of the committee which authorized our first Naval vessels in October of the same year.
On January 26, 1943, the keel was laid for the U.S.S. Hancock CV-19, eleventh in the proud line of carriers which made their debut with the commissioning of the U.S.S. Essex CV-9 on December 31, 1942.
The new Hancock was originally laid down as the U.S.S. Ticonderoga while the Ticonderoga was laid down as the Hancock. A prominent insurance company is understood to have offered to sell enough War Bonds to pay for the entire cost of the ship if it were built in Quincy, Massachusetts, instead of Newport News, Virginia. As a consequence the names of the two sister ships were exchanged while agents of the insurance company commenced a highly successful War Bond drive. As a resut of this drive the total reached was sufficient not only to cover the building costs, but to pay operation costs for the first year of service.
E.G. Hines, USNRhttps://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1154/thumbnail.jp
First anniversary, U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit no.597 : First March 1945
Get PDF... The accomplishments of the Seabees have been one of the outstanding features of the war. In the Pacific, where the distances are great and the expeditious construction of bases is frequently of vital importance, the construction accomplished by the Seabees has been of invaluable assistance. Furthermore, the Seabees have participated in practically every amphibious operation undertaken thus far, landing with the first waves of assault troops to bring equipment ashore and set up temporary bases of operation. In the Solomon Islands campaign the Seabees demonstrated their ability to outbuild the Japs and to repair airfields and build new bases, regardless of conditions of weather. There can be no doubt that the Seabees constitute an invaluable component of our Navy.
From the official report by Admiral Ernest J. King, Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, and Chief of Naval Operationshttps://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1156/thumbnail.jp
Scrapbook of Photographs from Dow Field, Bangor, Maine
Get PDFScrapbook consists primarily of photographs of the soldiers and officers of the 43rd Bombardment Group and the 1379th AAF of Dow Field circa 1945 in Bangor, Maine.
Military exercises on the base are shown, as are leisure activities on the base, and in the Maine woods. Several photographs reveal an open house event for the public on the base.
Most of the photographs are not dated. The few that are are dated 1945.
We do not have much information regarding this book and its photographs. It is presumed to have been compiled by First Lieutenant Annis G. Thompson, Historical Officer at Dow Field, who gave the library a similar scrapbook.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/dow_books/1002/thumbnail.jp
Combat history of the 84th Chemical Mortar Battalion
Get PDFThis is not an official history of the 84th Chemical Mortar Battalion-the Official History is kept in the Archives of the War Department at Washington. D. C. It is simply a narrative, written by officers and men of the battalion. telling the story of the unit\u27s activities since its activation.
The language used in this book may not be the best; but it is the language of Gls who made the battalion famous and who, through their deeds, brought fame and distinction for the Chemical Warfare Service.
This book has not been censored by any authorities; so it is essentially as the various writers submitted it to the editor.
No professional writers were used; it is entirely the work of members of the 84th Chemical Mortar Battalion.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1042/thumbnail.jp
The trail of 254 thru blood & fire
Get PDFThis is the story of one regiment; or rather, it is the story of the men of one regiment. Undoubtedly, the world took little note of the 254th Infantry. To them we were merely a number, a small unit which lost itself in a multitude of small units, a forgotten integer in headlines which screamed only of corps and armies and theaters of war.
But to those of us who fought in the regiment, it was the army, the theater, the war. When our casualties were high, the war was a tough one; when we moved rapidly and the land fell to us like wheat before a reaper, the war was going well.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1049/thumbnail.jp
40th Bombardment Group: a pictorial record of events, places, and people in India, China and Tinian from April 1944 through October 1945. Included are a few aerial views of Nippon, Singapore, Formosa and other exotic, far-off places
Get PDFForeword:
The idea for a 40th Group Photograph Album was born several months before the end of the war, but the actual execution of the book had to await the termination of hostilities. Consequently you will find that certain events or activities may not be represented here, either because no photographs were taken at the time or because the photographs that were taken were not available to the editor when the book was finally put together.
You will notice that we have tried to emphasize representative activities and scenes rather than individuals. Obviously it was impossible to include a picture of every man in the 40th Group. Therefore practically all formal group pictures have been left out. The few that are included were chosen for reasons other than that they portray certain individuals. This also applied to different photographs in which the same persons appear more than once.
The editor would like to express at this time his appreciation to the members of the 11th Photographic Laboratory, for they are responsible for practically every photograph in the album. Appreciation also is extended to Forrest C. Wood, former Historian of the 40th Group, who has aided invaluably the efforts of the editor in the preparation of the written portions of the album.
Lawrence B. Eustis, Captain, Air Corps, Group Photographic Officerhttps://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1128/thumbnail.jp
The Thirteenth armored division: a history of the Black Cats from Texas to France, Germany and Austria and back to California
Get PDFBook is divided into two parts.
From the introduction:
This is the history of the 13th Armored Division, a story of three long years in training and battle -- a story written not in the bone-dry dust of the historian, but rather with the sweat and blood and honest fear of the infantryman, the tanker, and the cannoneer. These men worked together, lived together, and some of them died together -- died in the filth and rubble of the war-ravaged Ruhr or in the rivers and forests of Bavaria. But, most of the men lived -- and fought, and captured towns, liberated prisoners of war, killed Germans -- and helped win the war. This, then, is the story of these men, living and dead.
The war was young, andnot going at all to our liking, when we descended upon Camp Beale, California in 1942 to begin the long training grind that was to lead us to the battlefields of Germany. And we were young, too, and cocky -- Get that cap on the left side of your head, soldier. You\u27re in the Armored Force now\u27 we barked. We trained and learned the arts of battle the hard way -- toughening up with basic training, and problems staged with the realism of combat. California\u27s Own they called us -- and the Governor of the state christened our tanks. That was in the summer of 1943. For two years we toughened up at Beale and Camp Bowie, Texas, and we were plenty rugged when they put us on that boat for the ETO.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1187/thumbnail.jp
Duffy\u27s tavern : a record of the officers club of the IX Tactical Air Command
Get PDFForward
This book is not intended as a History of IX T.A.C., neither is it an evaluation of the Command\u27s contribution to Victory in Europe. Such a story will be written elsewhere. Instead it is being composed because we -- the Officers of IX T.A.C. -- want to keep alive in our minds eye the fond associations and the satisfying memories of life in our Headquarters; to call to mind the genuine companionship and decent fellowship for that day when such values become good to remember. This is Duffy-s Tavern, with a 10 cent top for the best in the house, and genial Bob Straight in charge.
This book is an unpretentious attempt, sketchy and incomplete though it necessarily be, to capture here and there in this series of photographs something of the associations of this period. Many of the men who did most to create this spirit of good fellowship have passed by us on the road to war. These men we salute.
One word more; if at casual glance there appears a frivolous note, remember that these were not frivolous days. For there were days here too without mail, days full of the anxiety of separation, monotony and loneliness, and these were the associations which eased the Pressure when a Chaplains punch wouldn\u27t do the trick.
And to us it has a kind of symbolism. It taught us that no matter where Americans are placed they will make the best of the situation. Deeper than that, it taught us that while fighting a vicious enemy, those powers of darkness who would destroy our way of life, we could at the same time, forge a closer bond of unity between men of good will -- Americans of all ranks, all shades of opinion and all religious faiths. It was, if you will, Democracy in action.
Here are the scenes touching on a spirit we will never forget. Reminder of the days when, far from home and those we loved, we brought cheer to one another and carried on in the name of Justice and Peace.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1200/thumbnail.jp
19th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron: A Brief History
Get PDFSample paragraph:
The 19th, under command of Lt. Col. George W. Busbey (class of West Point, 1924), moved to Saco, Maine, with the mission of patrolling the long and irregular coast of Maine from the Canadian border to New Hampshire. Col. Busbey, former instructor at the Cavalry School, Fort Riley, Kansas, had been executive officer of the 16th Regiment. He was distinguished by a pair of waxed handlebar moustaches which gave him the nickname of Handlebar Hank on Tennessee maneuvers, but later, in the 19th, he was generally known among the men as Uncle George.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1218/thumbnail.jp
1946 Resolution That Every American Buy and Hold U.S. Savings Bonds
No full texthttps://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/wwII_posters_bdsloans/1010/thumbnail.jp