1943
The Secretariat is happily embarrassed this month by more news than this creaking column will hold, thanks to the hearty response to the recent postcard. Due to space limitations, we are confining this month's column solely to news of '43s overseas, not only to bring us up to date on some traveling classmates but in the hopes that through the following dope some '43s may get. together. Because the writer's own military duties impose limitations, parents, wives, and friends of '43s who contributed to this column can only be thanked collectively.
MEDITERRANEAN THEATRE
Pvt. Judd Waldron's latest letter home was dated the middle of May from the Anzio beachhead. A veteran in one of our most famous infantry divisions, Judd is a scout in an Intelligence and Reconnaissance platoon and spends some of his time on patrols behind the German lines. Judd fought in Sicily, made the landing at Salerno in September and fought up through Italy to Cassino. In January he made the Anzio landing in the heaviest German counterattack, and was wounded in two places by a mortar shell. He returned for duty with his company in March and has a record of over 200 days of actual combat.
Pfc. Drex Godfrey, now at England General Hospital in Atlantic City, was with the same division as Judd—in an infantry regiment. Drex writes: "I scouted through Sicily and as far as the outskirts of Cassino in the Italian campaign. Was wounded three times, the last one being sufficiently slow-mending to allow me a trip home Rumors reached me that Judd Waldron was in the outfit, but I never found him Ensign Art Brown writes me that he was also on the Sicilian invasion in his PC boat, whatever that may be. He is now on duty in the South "Pacific "
Don Harty has been doing some heroic work in Italy with the British Bth Army as a member of an American Field Service. In April Don and another AFS man volunteered to drive an ambulance to evacuate casualties from a regiment that was practically surrounded just across the Gargliano River. Working in the thick of battle they brought out 40 casualties at night through smoke so dense they had to take turns walking in front of the ambulance. After returning they made a second trip. This dope comes from an American correspondent. Don wrote a classmate that he had signed up for another 6 months recently and that things were pretty dull.
Sgt. Walt Powers writes he's been with the OSS in Italy for about 8 months "doing one thing and another. Have heard from Staff Sgt.Al Hardie who says he's having quite a time in Corsica." Captain Bob ("Meet Me in St. Louis, Louie") Brown is now in an infantry division with the American sth Army in Italy. .... Cpl. Derek Van Quackenbush is with a signal company in Italy with some spare time for Italian lessons, baseball, and bridge Lt. Elliot Sweet is a navigator on a B-24 in Italy Ensign "Van" Lloyd was in on the Sicilian campaign, working a supply ship.
"ETO"
Warner Bentley heard that Ensign JohnnyShaw maintained the DBS standard when he landed with an early wave on "D" day carrying a portable mike Sgt. Bob Garvie, now in a bombardment squadron in England, writes, "now that the invasion has started, we have had little time that could aptly be described as dull," and adds a few words on the Dartmouth banquet at the Savoy in London: "We were the second highest in attendance and had a rare old time hashing over the old laughs. Farmer Meade, Capt. Cy Brown, BobMcQueen, Herb Marx, Bud Johnson, and BobClark were there." Bob Clark, incidentally, is a staff sergeant in an Air Force Signal company.
Ensign Scott Tilden is a gunnery officer on one of the battleships that plastered the French coast before and after "D" day Allen Phillips is now in England PFC Walt Howe is with a Civil Affairs Regiment in England Lt. StanleyNeisloss is with a bombardment squadron in England, working as navigator on a B-24 Lt.Tracey Breed saved his burning Flying Fortress over England by ordering the crew to jump and then putting the ship into a power dive which extinguished the flames Lt. Pres Brooks had 15 missions over Germany, piloting a B-17, then got some secret training, but presumably the invasion has put him back in the air. His picture appeared in the March 27 issue of Life along with about 100 others, grouped around the B-17 "Berlin First." ....He managed to meet his roommate "Bing" Donaldson at least twice over there Ensign Jim Elleman was on an LST in England in the middle of May Sgl. Bujzz Cutting is serving with a General Hospital in England after missing a date with Tom McElwee in N. Y. because of shipping orders. (Buzz married Olga Louise Westbye of Peterborough, Ontario, on November 20, 1943). . . . . Oak Curtis is reported in England. . ... Lt. Bill Stein is piloting a B-17 and was recently stationed in North .. . EnsignC. C. Callahan is on an LST in the vicinity of England.
Lt. John Card completed 26 missions as navigator on an Bth Air Force B-19 over western Europe on November 5 of last year. His missions included the major cities of Germany, Belgium and France. John was awarded the Air Medal in June, 1943, and got three Oak Leaf clusters and the DFC in November. He was returned to the States in January of this year as an instructor in Florida but is now back in Europe again with an APO out of New York.
GENERALLY IN EUROPE AND ATLANTIC: Sgt. BobBradford is in an air corps unit with an APO out of New York. He thinks occasionally of being back in Professor Child's office with a Hanover newspaper to read Ensign JackBchringer has a mysterious FPO address out of N. Y. He is in the Navy Air Corps Shed Thornton is on a destroyer escort in the Atlantic. ...so is Tom Morgan, who has stopped at many ports and gets irregular mail. .... Lt. Peter Johnson is in a Fighter Squadron on the continent. He has been overseas since December Ensign "Gus" Gustafson was recently seen patrolling the Atlantic in a destroyer Capt. Gordon Bingham is with a Transport Command, believed in England.
GULF STREAM AND BELOW:
O/C Ray Schroth, now at Medical OCS at Camp Barkley, Texas, writes that brother Lt.Tom Schroth, AAF, is security officer in Bermuda Mel Fenichell's brother writes that Mel "left for South America some time ago and is now in jungle territory between Peru and Brazil looking for oil. As far as we can judge, he has at least found insects and peculiar animals." .... Sgt. Elliot Parker is an Air Operations Clerk in Belem, Brazil, after 16 months on Ascension Island. He was stationed in Brazil before going to Ascension.
CLEANING OF THE PACIFIC:
OPEN HOUSE: Bob Craig writes from Temple Med School that his parents are practically running a USO in Honolulu and that Dartmouth '43s are particularly invited to drop in at 2030 Kakela Drive.
Lt. (jg) Neal Tyler got some time in the states after 11 months of combat flying in the Pacific (including 8 months over Guadalcanal). He has now returned to that area
There's some island in the southwest Pacific that's packed with '43s. Corporal Mort Tuttle writes he's on it with the Air Transport Command. Lt. Chuck Longfield is there with' the Hqs. Company of a Marine Signal outfit....
and Rip Lohman and Ray Colby form the rest of the team Sandy Myers is with an Ordnance Company in the South Pacific, APO 9965 Master Tech. Sgt. Doug LaResche is in the Pacific area "in the communications field of the Marine Air Corps." He recalls fondly Prof. Benezet's Education 1.
Lt. George Hebard is with the First Marines somewhere in the Southwest Pacific. George commands an anti-tank 37-m.m. platoon. His outfit fought at Buna and later at Finchafen where. he experienced his first bombings. Then he took part in the attack at Cape Gloucester; then transferred to Borgen Bay to relieve another platoon; then to Telasea on New Britain; and finally he has moved to an undisclosed spot Christy Martin is a. Seabee near Pearl Harbor, expecting to push on to the Southwest Pacific Ensign Emil Mossbacher was in the N. Y. area on a 10 day leave recently, after leaving the Dartmouth '43 fleet at Pearl Harbor Ensign Church Leonard is on. a Naval Auxiliary ship in the South Pacific
Ensign Smed Ward is on a destroyer KentHutchinson is reported in the Pacific by Sgt. ChicWebb.....Lt. Dan Winters is assistant signal officer on a large aircraft carrier in the Pacific according to a note from wife Peggy EnsignJim French is on a large transport in the South Pacific Lt. Al Coons, out of Medical OCS in Australia, was last reported waiting there for assignment Cpl. Scotty Mitchell is in the Finance Office of an Army Air Corps force in Australia and mourning the passing of the Nugget, according to his whimsical and but undoubtedly observant sister. .... Lt. (jg) Dick Longacre was Supply Officer on a destroyer that was in action in the Pacific. He notes running into Ensigns GrahamConklin and Paul Parker in his travels.
Lt. (jg) Kelly Raff man, a fighter pilot with 50 operational flights on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, was shot down once and wouldn't have returned but for the "grace of God and my rubber life raft." He is trying to form an orchestra a la Barbary Coast Fred Stock is now somewhere in the South Pacific on an Auxiliary Passenger Destroyer Ensign Roy Watson is now on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ensign FredRichardson is on a minesweeper and is based on an island formerly occupied by the Japs. Lt. (jg) BillCoughlin is with a ground crew unit somewhere in the Southwest Pacific Lt. Harvey Daniels is in the G-2 section of an Infantry Division in the Pacific Ensign Harry Gerber is with a Fleet Headquarters Ensign Charley Swartzbaugh is on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Lt. Russell Sherburne left on an overseas assignment from Nebraska in the middle of May as copilot on a B-24. No APO has been given for him yet. ....
The next issue will carry the accumulating list of offspring, wives, and fiancees for the class, plus all letters and information we couldn't run this time. Incidentally, almost all letters received contain appreciation of Class Agent Johnny. Kosloivski's efforts. And Kos feels the same way about the class. It is a fine occasion for backslapping all around.
Secretary, 84 Wheeler Ave., Westwood, N. J. Treasurer, Shelburne, Vt.
