Christmas 1944 was the last World
War ll Christmas, though the loss and sadness of the war years didn’t fully go
away until so much of the war generation faded away. Babies born after their
dads were drafted and killed in action were never held by their dads. Those
born into families where their dads were POWs know the years of terror in the
dreams. Bodies of many MIAs were never found and thus never buried. Others were
buried in the Philippines, Netherlands or some other foreign cemetery. Families
wanted their husbands and sons brought home to the family plot, but it didn’t
always happen.
Algoma saw dark days. The war
ravaged on. Light restrictions meant that home shades were pulled at dusk and
cheery Christmas store lights were only memories. Who knew if enemy bombers
would make it into the U.S. and use city lights as a guide?
While the elves packed the sleigh
with gifts of necessity, somehow Santa stumbled upon the sleds, doll beds and
so on that the grandpas were surreptitiously building and hiding in their
workshops. Santa seemed to find little girls’ homemade dresses with a matching
doll’s dress, next to the knit sweaters, mittens and socks and more.
It was happening on the home
front while most adults looked for the news of what was called the Battle of
the Bulge in Europe or the battle for Leyte in the Philippine Islands. John
Blahnik, Robert Knapmiller, Carl Rupp, Henry Tremble, Earl Wery, Anton Albrecht
and so many more were there. It was later when folks learned Reuben Baganz died
in that battle. His dad had been the Lutheran pastor in Kewaunee.
Gerald Holtz Michael Mraz, and
Joe Graan were among the county men at Leyte. Col. Haney Ilenfeld was there and
wrote an epic poem about the battle. Esther Braun, Grace Busse, Irmgard Topel
and Marie Knaapen were among the nurses caring for those in the Pacific.
The battle for the Philippines
continued as Admiral "Bull" Halsey felt the enemy was weakening during the summer of
1944. Kewaunee County men were in the Pacfic and when Halsey targeted Leyte in
October, residents turned anxiously turned their ears east.
In early December, Euren’s Orville
Hucek wrote to his brother Melvin, vividly describing the Philippine invasion.
Orville was in the Navy and ok. He said when they arrived before dawn, all hell
broke loose and kept up for several days. He said his ship had not slowed
before they got shots at an enemy plane which hit the water. He told about
another plane that came out of the clouds and smoke, strafing a Merchant Marine
ship behind them. The Merchant Marine ship sent that plane into the water!
After that, the ship’s bombs began hitting the beach.
Orville said they could see for
miles as they watched planes dive-bomb into the beach. The following day his
ship tried unloading cargo in “a shooting gallery.” He continued saying they
kept on shooting at the low-flying planes that were trying to bomb ships in the
harbor. Within 15 minutes, he saw 7 planes on fire near his ship while 3 burned
in the air at one time. Orville had never seen so many tracer bullets and said
it was lucky the ships were not hit as the planes just dropped out of the
clouds.
The night the Japanese fleet
tried to come in, Orville wondered if he’d live to tell about it. Sleep was out
of the question and eating was on the fly as each time somebody tried to eat,
the enemy would come “raising hell.” Orville said although the boys were
waiting for action, they “were done for a while” because after a week of
sitting in a corner or standing up to sleep, the novelty wore off. He didn’t
know everything that had happened, but it scared him to death. He was glad to
be out of there where they could all eat and sleep in peace, have ice cream, watch
movies, and get mail
R.M. 3c Ernest J. “Inky” Bero wrote
to tell his parents about his ship’s participation in the Philippine Invasion.
He said since restrictions were lifted, he could tell them he was in several
invasions and the biggest was in the Philippines.
Inky said the Japanese had
the Philippines under their grip more than any other islands so far, but “we”
took it away from them. His first experience under gunfire was when they tried
to land. Although the enemy was using mortar and anti-tank guns, the Navy took
care of them fast. Inky wondered what would have happened if a shell landed
amidship? He said the enemy used about 11 planes as clay pigeons and seeing
them “busted” was the thing to see. Inky was on a gun, right there helping to
bring the planes down. He said he was scared for a second or so but then things
went so fast that he was too busy to notice. After it was all over, he said it
was a queer feeling and felt it was just like a movie although it was a great
feeling “when your old ship and the other lads knock them out of the sky.” He
said LSTs were fighting ships and the Coasties were a seagoing and fighting
outfit like any branch of service.
Cpl. Lloyd E. Blahnik saw the
horrors of war as a surgical technician with the 15th Air Force
Service Command Headquarters Squadron in Italy. He was awarded the Good Conduct
Medal for exemplary behavior, efficiency and fidelity.
RM 1c Donald E. Gordon was in
Australia when he sent a clipping about an American style football game between
two Australian teams. The woman reporter wrote that she went to the Exhibition
Grounds to witness a game with “hefty-looking boys dressed like Frankenstein
trying to step on each other’s faces when they were not going off into a corner
to gossip while they had their arms around each other’s neck.”
She went on to say that in the
middle of what appeared exciting, the men ceased activities to lie down on
their backs in the middle of the field. She called it was a pretty sight and
went on to write about a man who came from the grandstand with water bottles
that were handed to the recumbent players who continued on their backs while
spouting water like a frolicking whale.
S1c Victor Laskowski said
since the censorship law was gone, he could report that he was in New Guinea
for a few months and already had three invasions, two in the Philippines.
During the last invasion, they got a Japanese plane in a lot of action, but
they didn’t stay long.
Victor said it was hot near the
Equator which he had crossed a few times while knowing he would do so many more
times. Lloyd Jilot was in the Navy when he wrote from
the South Pacific. He agreed with Laskowski’s assessment of the Equator.
WAC Pfc. Mary Ann Shimek was not
fond of the heat either. She was stationed in New Guinea when she wrote before
Christmas to say she wished she was in the cold of Wisconsin for Aunt Tina’s
turkey, dressing and all the trimmings while seeing the relatives. Wisconsin’s
cold would feel wonderful after the hot, stifling weather of the South Pacific.
Mary Ann shared the hope that the war would end so they could celebrate at home
next year and although she was 15,000 miles from home, her heart was always
there.
Cpl. Eugene Kipp and Cpl. Lyman
E. DeWane were the subject of a Green Bay Press Gazette article.
The men lived 6 miles apart in Kewaunee County but never met until being
stationed in neighboring airfields in 1943. When Kipp was injured in a
motorcycle accident, it was the start of a close friendship when he was taken
to DeWane’s x-ray department.
Stationed at nearby islands in
the Dutch East Netherlands, their picture was taken the day before DeWane went
to the Philippine invasion as a medical man with a tactical reconnaissance
squadron and Kipp was a member of a bomb squadron.
Christmas 1944 saw Pvt. Henry
Tenor and Pvt. Glen W. Jirtle, both of Algoma, fighting with the 363rd Infantry
Regiment in the Florence-Bologna offensive in Italy. The regiment was part of
the 91st “Powder River” Division with Lt. General Mark Clark’s
5th Army.
The 363rd went
into combat in Italy north of the Cecina River on the right flank of the 34th before
rejoining the 91st Infantry south of Chainani in one of its
roughest battles. They captured Hill 634 southwest of Chainani, repelling
savage counterattacks in hand-to-hand fighting where terrain was nearly
impossible to dig in while withstanding artillery and mortar.
Pfc. J.L. Allan Koss was
wounded in the hip and elbow but was back on duty when he wrote home on
December 4. Koss who said he received a Purple Heart and a sharpshooter’s medal
thanked his family for the Christmas box which caught up to him in good
condition. In another letter, he told his folks about a unit advance when they
killed a cow and prepared the meat in the field in Northern France – far
“better than other field rations.”
There was good news that year.
Pvt. Clarence Defnet had his first real Christmas in three years when he
arrived home for a 30-day furlough from the 5th Army in Italy.
Other good news was that Algoma Plywood manufactured the plywood used in the PT boat that took
General MacArthur, his wife, their son and his nurse, and others from Bataan
before it was captured by the enemy.
Somehow, life went on. Kids sang
in the Sunday school programs, the school plays and families put up Christmas
trees wishing for peace on earth, praying that their sons and daughters came home
soon.
Sources: Algoma Record Herald. The GI painting hangs in VFW Post 3088 and is used with permission of the painter.
