World War II's Battle of the St. Lawrence-- Part 1

Definitely a little-known battle between the Allies and Germany during the war, and one that occurred in North America. It was a series of confrontations between German U-boats and anti-submarine units on the lower St. Lawrence River in Canada.

From the September 21st Huffington Post Travel Blog "Diving Newfoundland's World War II Shipwrecks" by Margie Goldsmith.

She had the U-513 sinking the four ships featured, although I found that elsewhere, there were two U-boats involved.

All fours sunken ships are in just 60 feet of water and sitting upright.

The SS Sayanaga wreck has a torpedo hole you can swim into. At 11:07 am, Sept. 5, 1942, the U-513 slipped into the bay and found the Sayanaga on its way out headed for North Sydney with a load of iron ore. It fired two torpedoes, but a battery switch on each was not set and the torpedoes sank to the bottom. Two more were fired and struck, sinking the vessel in less than 30 seconds.

of the 48 crewmembers (including three naval gunners), 30 were reported missing.

The four sunked ships today are considered to be some of the best cold water diving in the world.

Newfoundland has at least 10,000 shipwrecks.

I Had No idea Newfoundland Had That Many Shipwrecks. --Cooter

Dead Page: Developed Radar in World War II

LEE DAVENPORT, 95

Physicist who developed radar that helped the United States and Allies win key battles during World War II.

Mr. Davenport was among hundreds of scientists working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Radiation Laboratory, even before the entrance of the country into the war.

developed the SCR-584 system, letters standing for Signal Corps Radio, a microwave radar built into a semitrailer with a parabola on top that tracked enemy planes and helped direct anti-aircraft batteries.

Used with great effectiveness against the German Air Force and at Anzio, Italy in 1944.

In 1944, Mr. Davenport went to England to waterproof the trailers which were floated ashore at Normandy during the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion. Later, he was sent to France to continue developing applications for the radar. He was classified as a captain in the Signal Corps, otherwise, had he been captured by the Germans as a civilian, he would have been considered a spy.

Born in 1915.

One of the Greatest Generation.

World War II Bombing Raids Affected British Weather

From the July 8th I-G Daily by Emma Woolacott.

Contrails from World War II bombers changed English weather, making it colder where the planes were operating.

Research by Professor Rob Mackenzie at the University of Birmingham examined levels of Aircraft Induced Cloudiness (AIC) caused by massive Allied bombing missions.

From 1943 to 1945, the US Army Air Force had huge numbers of aircraft based in East Anglia, the Midlands and West Country. When they took off, the skies would turn white from the contrails of the huge formations. Over the long term, the weather was warmer, but short term, colder as the clouds prevented the sunlight from reaching earth.

Something You Don't Think About. But Makes Sense This Would Happen. --DaCoot

World War II Shipwrecks Could Threaten US Coast-- Part 1

Fuel, Cargo Tanks Corroding

From the July 8th Baltimore Sun, by Frank D. Roylance.

On February 2, 1942, the unarmed tanker W.L. Steed was cruising in the Atlantic Ocean, about 90 miles off Ocean City, Maryland with 66,000 barrels of crude oil, when a torpedo from a German U-boat struck the ship. Only a few of the 38 crew members escaped death.

After the US entered World War II, the German U-boats moved operations to off the American coast and stayed there until July 1942 when they shifted main operations to intercept North Atlantic convoys. Even them, enough of their submarines remained off the shores to claim 397 ships.

Now, some of those ships have reached the point where hull integrity is breaking down, releasing the dangerous contents of their cargoes.

More to Come. --Cooter

A Short History of Bombers-- Part 3

From the June 16th Chicago Tribune.

1940s and WORLD WAR II

EARLY 1940s:

Two medium bombers, the North American B-25 and the Martin B-26 are produced. The B-25 is used primarily throughout the Pacific Theater,including Doolittle's Raid). The B-26 is used in the European Theater.

1942:

The Boeing XB-29 Superfortress makes its initial flight. This long-range bomber is capable of carrying bomb loads as much as 20,000 pounds against targets as far away as 1,500 miles.


MID-1940s:

Jet engines are incorporated into the design of new bombers. The dual-jet engine Douglas XB-42A reaches a top speed of almost 500 mph.


1945:

The B-29s Enola Gay and Bochscar drop the first atomic bombs used as weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively.

Ended the War. --DaCoot

Beautiful Normandy Still Bears Scars-- Part 2

Ten miles west of Arromaches is the Longue-sur-Mer Gun Battery which is four German casemates and the only original coastal artillery still in place. Here was a place where Germans kept watch on the English Channel.

In the nearby American Cemetery at St. Laurent, just above Omaha Beach, are nearly 10,000 graves of US soldiers who gave their lives to free Europe. The cemetery's visitors center has a database with the story of every US serviceman who died in Normandy.

There is a path from the center down to the beach where the highest casualty rates of the invasion occurred. During good weather, the beach is filled with people on holiday, but other times it is tranquil.

The most-heavily fortified German position on the coast was at Pointe du Hoc where the place was bombed heavily before 300 hand-picked US Army Rangers scaled the cliffs. Today, visitors can see smashed German bunkers and bomb craters. Picknicking is forbidden here as it is considered a gravesite.

Steves also recommends a trip to the Memorial Museum at Caen, the first large city liberated by the Allies.

A Definite Stop for Me If I Ever Can Afford to Go Back to Europe. --Cooter

Beautiful Normandy Still Bears Scars-- Part 1

From the June 5th Chicago Tribune by Rick Steves.

Earlier this month we observed the 67th anniversary of D-Day. Two years ago there was a huge observance held in Normandy, France. It is unlikely that too many of the veterans will be able to mark the 70th anniversary.

The region of Normandy remains particularly fond of Americans. Steves remarked that while there, an elderly French man approached him and sang a few bars of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The Normandy sites are spread along 75 miles of coastline and it takes a full day to explore them. Steves suggest a rental car or a minivan tour. "As you travel the narrow lanes of this still-rural area, you get a taste of the boldness, complexity and hardships of the Allied undertaking."

A good place to start the tour is at the town of Arromache. Here, the Allies built a make-shift harbor and in just 12 days, positioned massive concrete platforms and built roads nearly a mile long that floated on pontoons. It was here that more than 300,000 more troops and equipment came ashore after the initial fighting. There is a small D-Day Landing museum in the town.

The sheer magnitude of this supply effort is amazing. Without new supplies, amminition and troops, the tenuous Allied toe-hold in Normandy could not have been sustained.

More to Come. --DaCoot

D-Day Anniversary: 67 Years Ago

"Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark on the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you..."

The beginning of US General Dwight D. Eisenhower's order of the day for June 6, 1944. The invasion of Normandy would be the largest military operation the world had yet seen.

As he met with the men of the 101st Airborne Division before they boarded their planes, Eisenhower reminded them that the allies would accept "nothing less than full victory."

But, I have seen his announcement that he had had prepared to make had the invasion failed. Glad he didn't have to make THAT announcement.

The Longest Day. --DaCoot

One Thousand Children-- Part 2

In 1990, a book by Judith Baumel, "Unfulfilled Promise" was published about OTC.

In 2000, Leonore Moskowitz and Iris Posner found the names of virtually all the children brought over and located about 500 who were still alive.

A three-day reunion was held in Chicago, Illinois, in 2002 with about 200 attendees

Britain had a similar operation called Kindertransport which is better-known, From 1938-1939, 10,000 Jewish children were removed from harm's way. VIVO, the Center for Jewish History in New York City is now the repository for the entire OTC archival collection.

Besides Wikipedia, you can find out more at www.onethousandchildren.org.

Quite a Heartwarming Attempt. --Cooter

One Thousand Children-- Part 1

Earlier this week, I wrote about the teenagers who got two ladies together who came to the US under this little-known program before and during World War II.

I had never heard of it and did some quick research on good old Wikipedia.

Approximately 1400, mostly Jewish, children were rescued from Nazi Germany and Nazi-occupied or threatened countries. This was done by entities and individuals in the US. All came without their parents.

There is a One Thousand Children (OTC) organization whose primary goal is to explain and document this little-known part of World War II.

Some facts:

** Children came from Europe to US 1934-1945
** Aged 14 months to age 16
** Arrived unaccompanied by parents
** Placed with foster families, schools and facilities across the US

The first small group came arrived in New York City in November 1934. After that, about 100 annually came in small groups. Before 1941, small groups were the norm because of US hostility to foreigners during the Great Depression.

More to Come. --DaCoot

Teens Link 1938 Friends-- Part 3

The students then found another important clue, a 60th wedding announcement dated from last year.. The Madison teens then felt they were confidant enough to find Gerda Frumkin's phone number.

A call was left. Frumkin's husband Perry responded via email and then found Chapman's blogpost about her mother's search

The long-lost friends have since spoken several times by phone and plan to reunite in Seattle this June. O'Boyle says her students will be watching via Skype.

Hopefully, there will be newspaper coverage of the reunion.

That is amazing when you think that the students at Madison are about the same age as Gerda and Edith back in 1938. Who knows how many historians we are going to get out of this class of eighth graders?

Now, That IS Some REAL History, Not Just from Books. --Cooter

Teens Link 1938 Friends-- Part 2

I had never heard of this One Thousand Children Program so definitely will be doing some more research on it. On the cruise ship was where Edith Westerfield (then Edith Schumer) met Gerda Frumkin (then Gerta Katz) met. They quickly became inseparable. For ten days on the ship and three days in New York, the two formed a bond to fill the void of their families left behind.

In New York, they saw the Rockettes and Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" at Radio City Music Hall.

They parted ways when Gerta headed to Seattle and Edith to Chicago, both to stay with family. They never met again, until now.

For 73 years, Edith Westerfield kept a photo of her friend she nicknamed Gertie. "21 Marz 1938. Zur Erinnerung Deine Freudin, Gertie Katz," theback of the photo read. "March 21, 1938. For remembrance. Your friend, Gertie Katx."

After Chapman's visit, Madison social sciences teacher Catie O'Boyle told her students that teaching the Holocaust always made her wish there was something she could do. Her students suggested they try to find Gerda.

Chapman had tried to do that as well but had been unsuccessful.

The students spent four days in the school's Learning Rsources Center using Google, Facebook and newspaper databases.

A clipping from a Seattle newspaper in the late 40s revealed that Gerda Katz was now Gerda Frumkin. An important find.

More to Come. --DaCoot

Teens Link 1938 Friends-- Part 1

From the May 14th Chicago Tribune by Mick Swasko.

"Two who fled Nazi Germany as girls are reconnected by Naperville students' efforts.

Here is a group of teens who are getting a great history lesson.

"It was a brief email that rekindled an equally short childhood friendship 73 years ago." Gerta "Gertie" Frumkin is living in Seattle and the email made it to Edith Westerfield, 86, in Skokie, Illinois.

Determination and technical knowledge enable eighth grade students at Naperville, Illinois' Madison Junior High School, got the two together for the first time since they spent about two weeks together escaping Nazi Germany in 1938.

Edith Westerfield's daughter, Fern Schumer Chapman, had visited the students earlier this year to discuss books she had written about the 1930s, based primarily on the experiences of her mother who traveled to America as a twelve-year-old without her family.

Westerfield was part of a small and little-known American effort called One Thousand Children to remove Jewish children from Germany.

"This was a very quiet program," she said. They took ten kids out (at a time) on cruise ships."

70th Anniversary of Avro Lancaster Bomber

From May 8th Calgary (Canada) Herald.

This past weekend, the 70th anniversary of the first flight of one of World War II's most successful bombers, the Avro Lancaster in January 1941 was marked with a ceremony held at Nanton, south of Calgary.

It also commemorated the anniversary of VE-Day when the Allies accepted Germany's unconditional surrender May 7, 1945.

Lancasters were operational by 1942 and were the workhorses of the Canadian and British air forces.

The museum at Nanton restored one and fired up the two working engines of the four on the plane.

It also honored World War I Alberta pilot Captain Wilfrid (Wop) May who fought in the same battle Germany's Red Baron was killed. Check out Wikipedia for a very interesting article on May.

A Famous Plane. --DaCoot

Hull Was Second Heaviest Bombed English City

From the May 2nd BBC.

Hull ranks as the second-most bombed English city, after London. Nearly 90% of its buildings were damaged. Survivor Denis Grout recalls seeing Hull ablaze from one end to the other after one attack.

Between May 7th and May 9th, German raids killed 420.

The city was targeted because of its large industrial area and port.

More than 86,000 homes were damaged and 152,000 were left homeless during the 82 raids during the Battle of Britain. There were a total of 1,200 deaths as well.

Today, the city is looking to turn a building that survived into a memorial for those who died.

You Always Hear About London. --Cooter

Jewish World War II Veterans Recall Fight-- Part 2

Howard Haas, 90, of Glencoe, says that one of his bombing missions took him directly over Auschwitz, but at the time he didn't know about the extent of the atrocities taking place below him. "We flew over Auschwitz, but we didn't know Auschwitz was a death camp. We just thought it was a concentration camp." Mr. Haas is the former president and CEO of Sealy Mattress Company.

Even had they had the knowledge, they still wouldn't have attacked, "We couldn't have bombed Auschwitz from 22,000 feet. We would have killed more Jews than the Germans did."

Courtney Shanken, 89, of Highland Park was also at the University of Chicago and enlisted in the Army Air Corps with his twin brother Earl. He became a navigator and had 50 combat missions over Europe and was part of the Normandy diversionary force.

The Shankens bombed airplane factories, railroads and oil fields. Whenever the mission took them over German, Shanken removed his dog tags that identified him as a Jew, knowing that the Nazis would probably give him major mistreatment.

More to Come. --Cooter

Jewish World War II Veterans Recall Fight-- Part 1

From the Nov. 10, 2010 Chicago Tribune "Jewish WWII vets recall fight against Nazis, Axis" by Robert Channick.

Four who had "H" for Hebrew-- on their dog tags.

"As Americans, they joined the Allied forces in defeating the Axis Powers. As Jews they fought to defeat Hitler, rescuing their European brethren from the atrocities of Nazi persecution."

An estimated 500,000 American Jews fought in American forces during the war. Four of these: Courtney Shanken, Howard Haas, Jack Heiman and Marshall Domash, spoke at Congregation Solel in Highland Park, Illinois, November 12th.

Author of the book "GI Jews," Deborah Dash Moore, says that when people think of Jews during the war, they think of victims of the Holocaust, not those who served.

Howard Haas left his freshman year at the University of Chicago in 1942 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He became a bombardier and in 1944 was a part of a B-24 crew stationed in Italy and bombing enemy positions throughout southern Europe, completing his required 50 missions from June to December of that year.

More to Come. --Cooter

Talking About D-Day-- Part 2

Continued from Oct. 28th entry from Time Magazine Nov. 2, 2009.

This was the Lev Grossman review of a new book at the time ""D-Day" by Antony Beevor. It must be quite a book just looking at the information in the review.

Allied commanders knew that Omaha Beach was going to be the hardest to take because of its curve (great for crossfire) and imposing cliffs. Bombers were supposed to soften the defenses, but attacked too late and, for fear of hitting attackers, missed the bunkers altogether. "All it's done is wake them up!" remarked one officer.

The attack on Omaha Beach succeeded partly to the bombardment by destroyers and the courage and determination of the soldiers. But, as Beevor says, the purpose of valor is usually to make up for someone else's stupidity. (This would seem to hold true for all wars.

The crossing of the English Channel, alone involved the assemblage of the largest fleet of shops ever assembled, almost 5,000.

This large book, 592 pages, which would mean it would take me forever to read it, is the first comprehensive account in twenty years. Beevor had access to a lot of new material though there are no major revelations, though many surprises in his account.

More to Come, Hopefully Not in Two Months. --Cooter

Coast Guard Cutter Frederick Lee

Back on November 18th, I had a blog entry about Warren F. Kaplan who served during World War II aboard the Frederick Lee. I also had a liberty pass from him.

Surprisingly, there is no article in Wikipedia about the ship.

The USCGC Frederick Lee WSC-139, was a 125 foot-long Active Class Patrol Boat commissioned in 1927 and manned by a crew of twenty.

In 1941, its armament consisted of 1X3 inch gun and 2X depth charge racks. It was named after revenue Captain Frederick Lee who commanded the cutter Eagle in the War of 1812.

During World War II, the ship was stationed in Boston on weather and escort duty as well as Greenland Patrol.

From 1945 to 1951, it was at Chicago. From 1951 to 1963 at New Bedford, Massachusetts and in Freeport, Texas from 1963 to 1964.

The US Coast Guard in World War II. --Cooter

Sinking of the HMT Rohna in World War II

In the Today in History in the November 26th Goldsboro News-Argus there was a tragic entry: "In 1943, during World War II, the HMT Rohna, a British transport ship carrying American soldiers, was hit by a German missile off Algeria; 1,138 men were killed."

I did not know missiles were used in such a manner during the war, nor had I ever heard of it.

I just typed HMT Rohna into the label and I saw that I had written about it before on June 29 and July 9, 2009. Those posts were related to the death of John Lynwood Smith who was a survivor of the Rohna.

A Sad Day. --Cooter