Hardy’s Heroes: Their History of WWII - The War Before June 6, 1944, D-Day

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HARDY’S HEROES

All across this magnificent land, Americans have paid great respect and immense honor to our nation’s war dead. Hardy County, West Virginia, is no exception. At the Moorfield WV county courthouse, a large memorial wall pays respect and is dedicated to its citizens who were killed in battle or died during World War I (14), the Korean War (3), and Vietnam (6). All of the men were from Hardy County, WV. The greatest number of names are those listed in the World War II section. Thirty-three men were killed between 1940 and 1945 in the most ghastly war that was ever fought on our planet. World War II was a conflict of immense global proportions that not only took the lives of so many soldiers, airmen, and sailors but also claimed the lives of so many innocent civilians.

Hardy’s Heroes is about those thirty-three brave men whose lives were sacrificed for our freedom. The author’s in-depth research keeps these brave soldiers alive in our hearts and minds now and for future generations.

HARDY’S HEROES THEIR HISTORY OF WWII: THE WAR BEFORE JUNE 6, 1944, D-DAY

“This book is overwhelming, but in a good way. The historical research is comprehensive, the narrative is engaging and the voice is heroically captivating.”

—Mary Jo Keller, Author

Rick A. Shockey

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rick Shockey is a historian and a graduate of Moorefield High School in Hardy County, WV. Mr. Shockey served honorably in the United States Coast Guard as a member of a HH-3F helicopter search and rescue squadron. He graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and was Vice President of Phi Alpha Theta History Honorary. He also graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History. Rick lives with his family in Atlanta, Georgia. He currently works for the Cobb County School District.

Rick A. Shockey

Hardy’s Heroes Their History of WWII: The War Before June 6, 1944, D-Day Part 1

Rick A. Shockey

Headline Books Terra Alta, WV

Hardy’s Heroes Part 1 Their History of WWII: The War Before June 6, 1944, D-Day

by Rick A. Shockey copyright ©2025 Rick A. Shockey All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any other form or for any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage system, without written permission from Headline Books, Inc. To order additional copies of this book or for book publishing information, or to contact the author: Headline Books, Inc. P.O. Box 52 Terra Alta, WV 26764 www.HeadlineBooks.com mybook@headlinebooks.com ISBN 9781958914533 Library of Congress Control Number: 2024944515

P R I N T E D I N T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S O F A M E R I C A

Hardy’s Heroes is dedicated to the men from a small West Virginia county whose lives were sacrificed for freedom during World War II. It is also in honor of all the men and women who fought in the war from every county and state in the United States of America. Finally, the book is dedicated to all men and women who have served in our Armed Forces since the dawn of the Republic.

I would like to thank so many people who helped make this dream a reality. First, I would like to thank my family for their support. Next, a special thanks to Malcolm for his photography, dinners, room and board, and for still being alive to read the book now that it has been published. Thank you, Youri, for your computer skills and for bailing me out when I needed it, which was quite often. Thank you, Kerry Trahan, Marion County librarian extraordinaire, for your help and to Carol Koontz and the staff at the Hardy County Library. Thank you, Ms. Joyce, for your endless supply of red ink as you corrected my numerous mistakes. Thank you, Ethan, for all your advice and critiquing.

Finally, I would like to thank four very special individuals and their families who, without their help, I could have never accomplished such a large undertaking. Those special individuals are Warden Hott, Jake Wratchford, Carlton Saville, and Elnora Hawse. I will never forget all four of you for all your guidance and dedication to your community and to making Hardy’s Heroes a reality.

Table Of Contents The War Before June 6, 1944, D-Day

Preface................................................................................................. 5 1. The World at War; Setting the Stage....................................... 10 2. Boyd Godlove, First on the Wall; War in North Africa....... 31 3. Darrel Malcolm and Dallas Miller, Friends to the End; War in Sicily and Italy......................... 49 4. Ernest McCorkle, Flight Instructor; Pilot Training during World War II.................................... 70 5. Cletus Tusing, Daredevil in the Clouds; Missions over Western Europe............................................ 87 6. Kingsley Spitzer, the Coin Toss; Life of a World War II Bomber Crew................................ 108 7. James Wratchford, Victim of Friendly Fire; Bomber and Navigator Training........................................ 128 8. Elwood Washington, African American; Segregated World of the 1940s........................................... 145 9. Carl Bean, Extraordinary Athlete; Exercise Tiger.............. 160 Endnotes......................................................................................... 177

Preface All across this magnificent land of ours, Americans have paid great respect and immense honor to our nation’s war dead. In every state, county, and town, monuments and memorials have been erected to pay homage to those brave men and women who freely gave their lives for democracy and freedom and to rid the world of tyranny and oppression. They fought and died for the future of America. Therefore, it is only appropriate that these Americans be honored in as many ways as possible. The walls of honor, plaques, and statues are there to remind us every day of the great heroes who represented our country in battle. The memorials are there to honor our fallen troops so that we never forget their great sacrifice.

Hardy County, West Virginia, is no exception to this way of paying respect and dedication to its citizens who were killed in battle or died during war. At the county courthouse, located in the town of Moorefield, a rather large memorial wall was built for that very purpose. The wall is very respectful and has great distinction. On the face of the wall, the names of fourteen men who died in battle during World War I are listed. Also listed on the wall are the names of three men killed during the Korean War and six who died during the Vietnam War. All of the men were from Hardy County.

However, the greatest number of names on that memorial wall are those listed in the World War II section. That section contains the names of the thirty-three men who were killed between 1940 and 1945 in the most ghastly war that was ever 5

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fought on our planet. The number of war dead from World War II surpasses the total of the other three wars combined. World War II was a conflict of immense global proportions that not only took the lives of so many soldiers, airmen, and sailors but also claimed the lives of so many innocent civilians.

As a young boy growing up in Hardy County, West Virginia, I never realized just what the wall meant to my fellow citizens.

I often walked by the memorial and glanced at it but never really paid close attention to the wall or the names carved on the concrete face. My friends and I often hid behind the wall and jumped out to frighten unsuspecting kids who happened to be walking by, who obviously were not paying any attention to the wall either. It was a boring assignment to be stationed by the memorial wall as a school patrol boy. None of the pretty girls I knew came past me on that route to school. Therefore, I never got the chance to escort anyone across the street or show off my uniform and badge. However, I fondly remember being in the fourth grade and getting my first kiss behind that wall of names.

Other than that, I basically took the memorial for granted, as it really did not mean that much to me.

Eventually, that changed as I got older and became a military veteran myself. My outlook toward the memorial wall changed during college when I studied the history of the Second World War in depth and learned about the great sacrifices made by all of America’s citizens during the first years of the 1940s. I learned about the evil in the world during the war and how not only did our county suffer but also how the whole world suffered. Finally, I learned how the entire world turned to America for help and how our nation stepped up with might and courage to put an end to the world’s suffering. It was at that point in my life that I realized that our memorial meant more to me than ever before. I also realized that I had been a fool for not noticing it and for not looking at those men listed on it in more detail.

Throughout the years, as I returned home to visit family and 6

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friends, I found myself walking through the town that I grew up in, and I often found myself pausing at the wall. I looked at each name and tried to imagine what that soldier, sailor, or airman looked like as a youth. I thought about each man as a young boy playing baseball, attending church, or learning to be a Boy Scout.

I saw each of them as an athlete and a high school graduate with their whole lives ahead of them. I saw them as relatives of mine and also relatives of my friends that I grew up with. I saw them as men just like me. Because of war, they were never able to return home, as I have been able to do on numerous occasions. With all these thoughts in mind, I began to be interested in the memorial wall more than ever. I wondered how each one of Hardy’s Heroes had died.

It was not long before curiosity subsided and reality began to take hold and I began to act. I often read articles in the local newspaper dedicated to those World War II soldiers who were fortunate enough to serve and then return home. Many of them lived long and prosperous lives and gained the right to be honored by the community as heroes. However, all veterans everywhere will admit that the real heroes are the ones who didn’t come back home. I often thought, what about those true heroes of the war from the county? What about the ones who died during the war?

When will their story be told? That was when I stopped asking questions and decided to do my part to tell their story. At first, I thought I would find out all I could about as many of the soldiers as possible and write my own article for the newspaper.

After the first two years of research, I discovered that many of those men memorialized on that wall accomplished many notable exploits while serving our country. It was no longer sufficient to write an article for a newspaper. I realized that their individual contributions and sacrifices needed to be shared. It was a story about the greatest war in history, the greatest generation, and how the two came together. It was a story about a generation who was born during or shortly after one global war and then 7

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grew up during the worst economic period in American history, the Great Depression. Then, they were asked to fight and die in the next global war.

Finally, I realized it was a book about thirty-three brave men from a small American county who took center stage in a world conflict. From the beginning of World War II in North Africa to the end of the war in Okinawa, Hardy County blood was spilled in every major battle that was fought for the liberation of the world. Therefore, it was a book that needed to be written not just for our county or state but for our country as it is a history of the entire Second World War. So, I will tell you the story of the men who fought and died in World War II from Hardy County, West Virginia. Permit me to tell you about Hardy’s Heroes and their History of World War II.

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So nigh, is grandeur to our dust, So near is God to man When duty whispers low, “Thou must,” The youth whispers, “I can.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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1 The World at War Setting the Stage Over the years, there has been much debate about the exact cause or causes of World War II. When debating a cause, some historians argued that the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, failed to settle that first world conflict completely and adequately. Therefore, World War II was just a continuation of the first war, and the treaty only postponed the inevitable return to hostilities. Others blame the war on the rise of dictators who trampled down the ideas of democracy. Those dictators included Adolf Hitler, who developed Nazism in Germany, and Benito Mussolini, who established Fascism in Italy. Some scholars cited the Great Depression as a contributing factor to the war since it created dire economic problems in many countries throughout the world. Another cause cited by many was the aggressive military actions of countries such as Japan, who attempted to expand their empire throughout Asia and across the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Most likely, a combination of all these factors started a war that claimed the lives of over 70 million people, most of which were innocent civilians.

The exact date on which the war began has also been open to much debate. An argument can be made that the war started on September 18, 1931. On this date, the Empire of Japan attacked the Chinese province of Manchuria. Another date that led to the world conflict was October 5, 1935. On that day, Italy attacked the 10

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small African country of Abyssinia. The official starting date of the war, and the one recognized by most historians, was September 1, 1939. On that Friday in September, Germany invaded Poland.

The German attack on Poland prompted the declaration of war by countries such as Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. As far as America was concerned, the war started on December 7, 1941. That was the day when the Empire of Japan attacked our naval forces anchored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This was ultimately the event and the date that propelled America into the war. No matter the agreed-upon date, the debated dates, or the suspected cause or causes, the time leading up to the great world conflict has often been referred to as….

The Gathering Storm

After World War I, which ended in 1918, several European countries emerged from the long years of fighting in dire economic depressions. Two of the nations most affected by the war were Germany and Italy. Germany was on the losing side of hostilities. The country received very harsh repercussions from the Treaty of Versailles, such as having to admit its guilt for starting the war and having to pay high amounts of reparations to other countries involved in the first world conflict. Germany was also forced to surrender territory and comply with a massive disarmament program, which left the country with no means militarily to protect its borders. World War I left Germany in debt and its citizens in deep poverty. Conversely, Italy was on the winning side of the war, but poverty, high unemployment, and total discontent among its people caused great unrest within its borders. Due to these deplorable conditions within both countries, respectable citizens were vulnerable to anyone who could promise them a more prosperous future. In 1922, the first of those opportunistic leaders appeared on the world stage.

The leader of Italy, who that year took advantage of the unrest in his native land, was Fascist Party leader Benito Mussolini.

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Mussolini became the voice of the depressed and, ultimately, dictator of the Italian government. He promised to return Italy to its grandeur prior to World War I and to a brighter future.

Just over ten years later, in 1933, the next ambitious leader to emerge belonged to the National Socialist Party or the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party backed Adolf Hitler, who became dictator of Germany. Hitler, like Mussolini, promised Germany hope for a brighter future and a renewed nation more powerful than ever.

Hitler and Nazi Party leaders not only saw Germany as a future world power but also as a nation that should dominate the entire world. In Asia, another empire began to emerge that had similar ideas of world conquest. That was the nation of Japan. Japan was led by Emperor Hirohito, who came into power in 1926.

However, it was the leaders of the Japanese military, like Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who ultimately ruled over the country of Japan and dictated its political future.

It was actually Japan, out of these three nations, who made the first military move toward making their expansionist ideas a reality. In 1931, the Imperial Japanese Army marched into northeastern China and invaded the region of Manchuria.

Manchuria was known for its vast resources, which Japan desperately needed to make war. Japan ultimately gained complete control of the 400,000-square-mile region. Once Japan controlled Manchuria, they were positioned for a proposed future invasion of the entire country of China.

The next military aggression was initiated by Italy and took place just four years after the Japanese attack on Manchuria. In 1935, Italian dictator Mussolini launched his plan for territorial conquest as he turned to Africa and the nation of Abyssinia. At the time, Abyssinia was one of only two North African countries that was not a colony of Great Britain or France; therefore, Mussolini felt obligated to invade this small independent nation.

The Italian Army incorporated innovative weapons such as 12

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airplanes with bombs and massive tanks to invade the small African country. The defenders responded with swords, spears, and horses to combat the invaders. Naturally, these crude and ancient weapons were no match for the powerful forces of the Italian Army. Consequently, Abyssinia was forced to surrender in just seven months, even after appealing to the League of Nations for assistance.

Two years after World War I, on January 10, 1920, the League of Nations was organized to protect countries like Abyssinia.

The aim of the League of Nations was to maintain world peace through diplomacy and negotiations in order to prevent largescale conflicts such as the one the world had just witnessed from 1914 through 1918. Members of the league represented practically every nation in the world, including Italy, Japan, and Germany. Ironically, the United States did not join the League of Nations even though it was proposed by President Woodrow Wilson. Without U.S. backing, the league was a weak organization that did not have its own military or any strategic policies for handling military aggressions like those that were currently taking place in Africa and Asia.

When Japan attacked Manchuria in 1931, the League of Nations did nothing to uphold its overall mission. The only response of the league was an issued report to the Empire of Japan, which insisted that Manchuria be returned to China.

Japanese leaders ignored the report. In 1933, Japan resigned from the organization to avoid any possible sanctions from the league. Comparatively, when Italy invaded Abyssinia, the league once again did nothing. Many members of the League of Nations, including France and Great Britain, favored a policy of appeasement to avoid another war. Many historians cited this lack of effort or appeasement by the League of Nations as a major contributing factor that led to World War II.

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In 1933, Hitler also resigned Germany from the League of Nations as he prepared for his first military move. That move took place three years later, in 1936, when Hitler deployed the German Army into the Rhineland. This region was land taken from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles to form a thirty-mile protective buffer zone for France along its border with Germany.

In 1936, Adolf Hitler wanted to reclaim this territory for two specific reasons. First, Hitler believed the area of the Rhineland should offer protection for Germany and not for France. Second, he wanted the Rhineland to be returned to Germany so that the area could be used as a launching point for future military operations. Hitler also disregarded the policies of the League of Nations because he knew it did nothing to Italy or Japan for their military actions. His assumption was correct, and the league did nothing about Germany’s conquest of the Rhineland. Once again, the members of the league continued to appease another world aggressor in order to avoid war at all costs.

It was not long before these three unchecked world powers, bent on conquest and world domination, formed alliances. In October 1936, Hitler and Mussolini signed a pact that led to the Rome-Berlin Axis. One month later, in November, Germany signed a similar agreement with Japan. The agreement was known as the Anti-Comintern Pact, which reflected both countries’ opposition to communism. Thus, the stage was set for the preliminary formation of what would later be known as the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis or the Axis Powers. These political and military alliances pitted the rule of dictators and militants against the countries of democracies. It was …

The Prelude to War

With the Japanese firmly in the Chinese province of Manchuria, it was not long before they attacked China itself, as was expected. That onslaught began in 1937. The attack was launched against the Chinese government, led by Chaing Kai14

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Shek, who came into power in 1928. At the outset of hostilities, China was a much larger country than Japan, and its military was much larger as well. However, the Japanese Army was much stronger and more modern than the Chinese Army. Japanese forces began military operations by bombing many of China’s largest cities, including Peking and the capital city, Nanking.

Even among immense devastation and high death totals, the Chinese people refused to surrender. To counter the Japanese invasion and even the odds, the Chinese military turned to guerilla warfare to resist the invading Japanese. These covert military tactics ultimately saved the country from being totally overrun.

In that same year, Hitler decided that Germany should acquire the countries of Austria and Czechoslovakia to form what he referred to as Greater Germany. His decision was based on the fact that thousands of Austrians welcomed the idea of consolidating with Germany. Therefore, in 1938, Hitler simply annexed the country of Austria by sending Nazi representatives into its government. He also sent in a small group of troops as a show of military force. With Austria under Nazi rule, Hitler next turned his attention to Czechoslovakia and the area known as the Sudetenland. The Sudetenland, located in the western section of the country, was occupied by people of German origin. After World War I, once again in the Treaty of Versailles, the area was given to Czechoslovakia for its protection. Hitler saw this area, as he had the Rhineland, as belonging to Germany. The Sudetenland also figured in his plans for consolidating all Germanic people and for future military operations.

To launch his conquest of this small European country, Hitler boldly ordered Czechoslovakia to surrender the Sudetenland or face invasion. In response, Czechoslovakian leaders refused Hitler’s demands to give up their acquired territory. In a diplomatic and political move, Hilter summoned the leaders of Great Britain, France, and Italy to a conference on September 29, 15

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1938, to discuss his demands for the Sudetenland. He assured the world leaders that he would not seek any future territorial demands if the Sudetenland was conceded to Germany. As expected, Great Britain and France continued their appeasement policy and agreed to Hitler’s demands. To honor Hitler’s request, the League of Nations simply gave the Sudetenland to Germany even though it was not theirs to relinquish. Six months later, in March 1939, Hitler and his army broke their territorial promise and attacked the rest of Czechoslovakia.

The next military move that led up to World War II was staged by the Italians and Mussolini in April 1939. The Italian dictator next focused his attention on the rich oil fields of Albania. During the war, Albania was a small country in southern Europe. Italy easily defeated the Albanian military forces in just five days and took control of the country’s oil fields. The remaining weeks of 1939 saw a rapid deployment of military forces as well as important alliance formations and declarations of war. It began on May 22, when Germany and Italy officially joined forces by signing the Pact of Steel. On August 23, to the total shock and dismay of the world, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a tenyear nonaggression pact. Germany declared it would not fight a war on two fronts, thus assuring the Soviets and their leader, Joseph Stalin, that they would be free from a German invasion.

The country of Poland feared that it would be the next nation to be conquered, since it was located between Germany and the Soviet Union. In response to the threat of a potential invasion, on August 25, Poland signed a mutual assistance agreement with Great Britain. This agreement was immediately challenged on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland.

On September 3, 1939, two days into the Nazi invasion of Poland, Great Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand all declared war on Germany. One week later, Canada followed suit and also declared war on Germany. This aligned group of countries formed the foundation of the Allied Nations. The United 16

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States proclaimed a policy of neutrality brought on by Congress, which wished to stay out of European affairs and ultimately stay out of war. Reluctant, United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was forced to go along with his country’s decision. On September 17, 1939, the Soviets also invaded Poland. After the Polish government surrendered, Germany and the Soviet Union divided the country. Then, hostilities quieted for a brief period through the rest of 1939 and into 1940. This period of time was known as the “Phony War” because little military action was ordered by either side. However, just before the end of 1939, the Soviets attacked the Scandinavian country of Finland. In response to its military action, the Soviet Union was immediately expelled from the League of Nations. At this point, it was evident that…

The World was at War

The break in military action did not last long. It was Hitler and the Nazi military that interrupted the pause in hostilities. On April 9, 1940, German forces attacked the peaceful and neutral countries of Norway and Denmark. As a backing member of the League of Nations, Great Britain sent a small military force to assist the Norwegians and the Danish. However, it was an insignificant effort, and both countries quickly surrendered.

One month later, Hitler ordered his army to invade Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France, all on the same day: May 10, 1940. By the end of May, three of those four nations were forced to surrender. Only France remained to stand against the invading Germans.

The French government felt that their country had been well protected from a German invasion since the construction of the Maginot Line, which began in the early 1930s. This formidable defense was a system of concrete bunkers and gun emplacements that stretched along the border of Germany and France. The French military manned the Maginot Line with hundreds of welltrained troops. Just miles northeast of the French defenses, the 17

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British stationed a regiment of troops to give further protection to the French population in case their country was attacked.

Unfortunately, there was one problem with the Maginot Line. It stopped at the Belgium border. Now that Hitler and his army had captured Belgium, their military strategy was simple. They would launch a lightning war across Belgium, bypass the Maginot Line entirely, and then before the armies of the French or the British could react, they would drive deep into France. The plan worked perfectly. On June 14, 1940, the German Army reached the French capital of Paris. Three days later, the French government surrendered.

By the summer of 1940, the world situation looked grim for the forces of democracy, especially for Great Britain. At this point, the British were the only group of Europeans remaining to stand against any further German aggression. It was obvious to the British population that they were next in line to be invaded.

On July 10, 1940, the German air force, known as the Luftwaffe, began its bombing campaign against British cities in preparation for an invasion. The bombardment was known as the Battle of Britain. The Germans began military operations by bombing British airfields, factories, and other important infrastructure.

That was followed by daylight and nighttime bombing raids over British cities, including London. The intense German bombardment left the British capital in ruins.

However, during these darkest days, the British people stayed vigilant and refused to surrender despite the German onslaught. Fortunately, one month earlier, in 1940, the British people had elected a man who would successfully lead them through World War II. That man was Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Churchill began his military career as the Lord of the Admiralty of the British Navy during World War I. He began his political career as a member of the British Conservative Party and the British Parliament. Churchill had the ability to rally the citizenry of his native country and the resolve to stand against 18

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the future military actions of Adolf Hitler and his German war machine.

Then, the situation became worse for Prime Minister Churchill and the British. On September 27, 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, which officially formed the Axis Powers. Shortly after the agreement was signed, the Italians invaded the British colony of Egypt in North Africa, and they attacked the Mediterranean country of Greece. However, the Italian Army struggled in its military attempts, forcing Hitler to send German troops to North Africa and Greece to aid the Italians. Germany also sent troops into Romania, a neighbor of Greece. In response, the nearby country of Hungary joined the Axis Powers for fear they would be attacked next. Romania joined since they were already being attacked. Greece surrendered to the Germans and the Italians in June 1941.

Eventually, all of this military action at the same time was starting to take its toll on the German Army and its military leaders. The German military suffered great losses in aircraft and pilots during the bombing raids over Great Britain. As a result, the plan to invade England was canceled by the end of October 1940. Hitler then focused his attention completely on the war in North Africa. Hitler’s change in strategy couldn’t have come at a better time for the British. By the end of 1940, British troops had started a successful offensive military operation in North Africa, and more importantly, they were beginning to make progress.

Meanwhile, in the United States in 1940, Americans were gearing up for another presidential election. President Franklin Roosevelt was a proven leader who had already served two terms as President. However, traditionally, no president had ever served more than two terms, including the great George Washington.

At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the party once again called on FDR to be their candidate of choice, and he respectfully accepted the nomination. In the general election, American voters agreed that Roosevelt was the right choice 19

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for president based on his proven political record. After all, it was Roosevelt who had led the country through the Great Depression. More importantly, many Americans felt that if war was inevitable, then Roosevelt was the only candidate capable of leading the United States to victory. Roosevelt easily won a third term by carrying thirty-eight of the forty-eight states. He also received 85% of the electoral vote.

In 1940, opinions were changing in America concerning our role in the world and our policy of remaining isolated from the world’s problems. British Prime Minister Churchill had long urged and requested that America get involved in the War in Europe. Eventually, the majority of Americans wanted to indirectly provide some kind of assistance to the Allies in their time of need. However, most Americans still didn’t want to get directly involved in the war. In 1940, the Congress of the United States responded by passing the Lend-Lease Act, which shipped supplies across the Atlantic to Great Britain for the war effort.

The act provided a way for America to get involved, but not to the extent of sending American men to war. Soon, even that sentiment was beginning to change when Congress passed the Selective Service and Training Act on September 16, 1940. The call to arms and training American youth for war led to the first peacetime draft in the history of the United States. By the end of 1940 and into 1941, Americans were slowly preparing for the very real possibility of going to war.

In the spring of 1941, Hitler continued his reign of terror by attacking Yugoslavia in southeastern Europe. His armies also conquered the Mediterranean Island of Crete. By the end of April, Yugoslavia surrendered. Then, in June, Germany did something that stunned the entire world. Hitler opened a war on the Eastern Front by attacking the Soviet Union, even though two years earlier, he assured the Soviets that they were protected from a German invasion. Hitler and his military leaders were now totally out of control. At first, the German military campaign 20

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in the Soviet Union was successful. However, the harsh winter slowed the German Army and gave the Soviet Army ample time to regroup. In response to the German attack, Soviet leader Stalin signed a mutual assistance agreement with the British. The Soviet Union was now fighting on the Allied side. The United States, by late 1941, was still not officially in the war, but that was about to change since Japan was planning…

The Attack on America

While watching the Germans and the Italians expand their empires, the Japanese were preparing their next move. They first invaded Indo-China in southeastern Asia and then attempted to invade the Dutch East Indies. The United States viewed this encroachment as endangering the west coast of America.

President Roosevelt sent a stern warning to the approaching Japanese that if any further military action was conducted, it would mean war between the two countries. In response to Japan’s aggression, Congress placed a partial embargo on exports to Japan and a freeze on Japanese assets in the United States.

The embargo prevented oil and metals from being shipped from America to Japan, thus hindering the empire’s ability to make war. This retaliatory action was significant since Japan bought almost all of its imported scrap metal and two-thirds of its imported oil from the United States. Japanese officials were infuriated by the actions of the United States and immediately discussed retribution.

Long before the embargo, the military leaders of the Empire of Japan believed that if they could keep America from entering the war, they would be unopposed in their projected conquest of the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The collaboration of conquered territory in the Pacific would make the Empire of Japan a dominant world power. Japanese military leaders agreed on a massive strike to eliminate the American Navy from the Pacific.

That strike plan was put into action on November 26, 1941, when 21

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a Japanese task force consisting of six large aircraft carriers with a total of 423 aircraft, along with two battleships, two cruisers, and eleven destroyers, sailed toward the United States by way of the Pacific Ocean. Their target was Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands, where the U.S. Pacific Fleet was now stationed. Pearl Harbor was an inlet on the southern coast of the Island of Oahu, just six miles from the city of Honolulu. The large naval base had been in operation since 1908, but the United States Pacific Fleet had only recently been transferred from San Diego to the United States by order of President Roosevelt. The surprise attack was planned for the early morning hours of Sunday, December 7.

At 6:00 A.M. on that peaceful Sunday morning, about 250 miles from Pearl Harbor, the first wave of 183 Japanese torpedo bombers was launched from their aircraft carriers. Just over one hour later, at 7:15 A.M., a second wave of 167 dive bombers began their flight to Hawaii. The first wave of aircraft began their attack from the north and split into three groups, concentrating on the American airfields and the battleships moored at the docks. At 7:53 A.M., the first bombs began their assault. The next wave of planes soon followed, and they attacked from the east, concentrating on other naval vessels in the harbor and on important shipyard facilities. A third attack wave was planned but was later canceled. The bombings continued for two full hours, and the devastation was beyond measure.

On that dreadful morning, the bombers of the Japanese air assault destroyed or badly damaged a total of 349 American aircraft. The vast majority of these planes didn’t even get off the ground. The Japanese attacked and damaged a total of eight U.S. battleships. Five of which were sunk. United States naval battleships during World War II were named after the fortyeight states of America. As a result of the surprise attack, the USS Oklahoma was totally destroyed and eventually capsized.

The battleships USS Tennessee, USS California, and USS West Virginia all rested on the bottom of the harbor. The USS Nevada 22

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got underway and tried to escape the Japanese assault. However, it, too, was hit and badly damaged by Japanese bombs. It purposely ran aground to keep from blocking the harbor entrance. Two other battleships, the USS Maryland and the USS Pennsylvania, were also severely damaged, but both remained afloat.

The USS Arizona suffered the worst fate of all. The mighty ship was torpedoed several times, causing it to explode with a tremendous blast and erupt into flames. Thirty minutes later, she rested on the bottom of the harbor. The loss of life on the USS Arizona was staggering. The ship lost over 1,100 of its crew. The majority of those victims were never removed from the ship. The numeric losses from the Japanese surprise attack were tremendous. Besides the damage to the eight battleships, there were a total of three cruisers, three destroyers, and several smaller ships damaged in the attack. The U.S. Navy lost 2,000 sailors, the U.S. Army lost 233 soldiers, and there were 109 U.S. Marines killed that day. There were also 68 civilians killed and over 1,000 military personnel wounded as a result of the attack.

The Japanese lost just 29 aircraft and 50 airmen.

The proud state of West Virginia lost a total of thirteen sailors during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. All thirteen were stationed on those eight damaged battleships. Six of those men lost their lives while serving aboard the USS Oklahoma. The six men represented various counties throughout the Mountain State. The list of the dead included Joseph William Carroll from Marion County, Stanislaw Frank Drwall from Tucker County, Donald Robert McCloud from Logan County, Carl Nichols from Mingo County, Eugene Mitchell Skaggs from Fayette County, and Bernard Ramon Wimmer from Mercer County. There were two West Virginia sailors killed aboard the USS California: Howard Lucas Adkins from Mercer County and George Vincent McGrew from Marion County. The USS Utah was home to another West Virginia sailor who died that Sunday. That brave sailor was Frank Edward Reed from Kanawha County. The USS Arizona, the 23

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most damaged battleship in the attack, was home to four sailors from the Thirty-Fifth State. The four men killed that morning were nineteen-year-old Earnest Hersea Angle from Greenbrier County, Tilmon David Browning from Logan County, Robert Paul Laderach from Randolph County, and Randall James Thomas from Webster County.

The successful Japanese attack on America on December 7, 1941, did not totally destroy America’s Pacific Fleet as the Japanese had hoped. Fortunately, the three aircraft carriers, usually moored at the naval base in Hawaii, were out at sea conducting naval operations when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The USS Saratoga, named for the famous Revolutionary War battle, was in San Diego. It had sailed there from Washington after being overhauled. The USS Lexington, also named for a Revolutionary War battle, was on a mission to ferry aircraft to Midway Island.

The USS Enterprise, named for the American Revolutionary War ship of the same name, was underway on a mission to ferry aircraft to Wake Island. Obviously, if all three carriers had been in port during the Japanese assault, not only would America’s losses have been greater, but our future ability to respond to the Japanese attack would have been nearly impossible. Aircraft carriers and their aircraft were the latest innovations in military warfare at the time, and later in the war, they proved crucial in winning back control of the Pacific.

In the early afternoon of December 8, 1941, the day after the attack, President Roosevelt addressed the nation. He also ordered a special joint session of the United States Congress in order to discuss the possibility of going to war. Around 1:00 P.M., the Senate adopted a resolution by a vote of 82 to 0 that declared a state of war existing with the Empire of Japan. Just minutes later, the House of Representatives voted 388 to 1 to adopt the resolution. The only representative who opposed the declaration was Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin from Montana, who 24

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was a staunch isolationist. Also, on December 8, Great Britain declared war on Japan. On December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy responded by declaring war on the United States. Now, America was officially propelled into World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor was just one of the Empire of Japan’s military operations conducted on that December day.

Also, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombarded the Britishheld Island of Hong Kong on the southeastern coast of China.

The British eventually were forced to surrender the island’s large naval base to the invading Japanese Army. The Japanese also attacked the country of Malaysia and targeted another important British naval base on the accompanying Island of Singapore. The island would also eventually fall to the Japanese. Japan attacked three American-held islands in the Pacific that same day. First, Japanese warships attacked Midway Island in the Central Pacific.

Then they attacked Wake Island, which was about one thousand miles from Midway. Third, they attacked the Island of Guam and forced the Americans stationed there to surrender two days later. On December 10, 1941, the Japanese invaded the Philippine Islands. Two weeks later, they forced the American military stationed there to surrender. By the end of December 1941, the Empire of Japan had gained control of a large portion of the Pacific Ocean.

After the victorious attack on Pearl Harbor, most Japanese war planners were very jubilant with the results, with one exception.

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who commanded the raid, was more concerned about reprisal. He voiced a regrettable fear and offered an omen by stating, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”

Yamamoto could never have been more correct. Immediately after the Japanese surprise attack, American industries halted the production of peacetime items such as automobiles and household appliances. Instead, American factories launched the 25

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production of wartime items such as aircraft, ships, and tanks.

The United States had the technology, factories, and resources to out-produce any other nation in the war, especially Japan.

The military buildup of personnel and implements of war that followed were staggering. The United States entered World War II with a vengeance, and the call to “Avenge Pearl Harbor” rang throughout the country. The call to arms came from every county and every state in the union, including…

Hardy County, West Virginia

Hardy County, Virginia, was formed in 1786 from neighboring Hampshire County. The first known settler in the area was John Van Meter. Van Meter, a fur trader from New York, led a group of Delaware Indians to scout the area along the South Branch of the Potomac River. His two sons, Isaac and John, settled in the Indian village of Old Fields in 1744. The settlers constructed a fort on land acquired by Isaac and named it Fort Pleasant. The construction of the fort was ordered by Virginia Regimental Commander Colonel George Washington in order to offer future settlers protection from Indian uprisings. In 1757, during the French and Indian War, Isaac Van Meter was killed

by Indians who were led by the Shawnee Chief Killbuck during the Battle of the Trough. So, beginning from the early settlers and going throughout American history, including the Civil War and World War I, the people of the area became acquainted with fighting as they contributed to all of America’s conflicts. World War II would be no exception.

By the start of World War II, the census of 1940 established the population of Hardy County, now in West Virginia, at 10,813.

Moorefield, which was chartered in 1777, making it the fourth oldest town in West Virginia, was the county seat of Hardy County. Moorefield was named in honor of Conrad Moore, who once owned the land along the South Branch of the Potomac 26

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River where the town was built. In 1940, Moorefield had a population of just fewer than 1,300. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the entire population of the town and the county organized for war.

Immediately after war was declared by the Congress of the United States, the town of Moorefield organized a defense council to oversee the war effort. In 1942, ration boards began to limit the use of gas, sugar, tires, and other items essential for the war effort. The local Boy Scouts conducted scrap metal drives.

Movies at McCoy’s Grand Theater in Moorefield promoted the sale of war bonds. The war bond drive was so successful that it helped the state lead the nation in war bond purchases for the month of July 1944. Churches throughout the county held prayer meetings at 6:00 P.M. daily to honor and pray for local soldiers in the fighting. Flags with blue stars appeared in windows at homes throughout the county to signify that a soldier who once lived there was in the war. Flags with a gold star informed everyone when a soldier had been killed during the world conflict. There were nursing classes, clothing drives, and meetings with farmers to promote gardening, as well as tips on canning and rationing to limit food use. An air command was set up that conducted blackout drills to warn against air attacks, complete with fire brigades and medical personnel. The citizens of Hardy County came together as never before as they led in the call to action.

In the book entitled The History of Hardy County 1786-1986

by Richard MacMaster, a section was dedicated to the war years and to the men of Hardy County in their response to the defense of America. The author stated, “On registration day, 1,053 Hardy County men signed up for the draft, when Quentin Evans, principal of Mathias High School, drew the first number. Hardy County had almost enough volunteers to meet the county quota without drafting anybody.” It was obvious that the citizens of Hardy County were more than ready to do their part in the fight for freedom.

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One would not need to look long to discover the contribution of the youth of Hardy County to the war effort. The greatest example of patriotism was the 1938 Moorefield High School Football Team. The MHS Yellow Jackets football team was made up of twenty-four players. Twenty-three of those men of the gridiron traded their sports helmets for war helmets. The one player who was dismissed from service contributed to the war effort by working at a defense plant in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Three members of that special team ultimately lost their lives serving in World War II. Those brave young men were Carl Bean, Charles Bean, and Walter Schell. All three heroes, and thirty others, were honored on the memorial wall outside the Hardy County courthouse in Moorefield after the war concluded.

By January 1944, there were over 700 Hardy County citizens serving in the war. It was not just the men of the county who made up that number. There were nine brave women who joined the military. The list was made up of women like Winfield Love and Elizabeth and Lee McNeil, who joined the Navy Waves (Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and served 28

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alongside the men of Hardy County. Also on that list were Edith Funkhouser, Elva May, and Margret Halterman, who were in the Army WACS (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps). Finally, three Hardy County women joined the United States Army as nurses and served their country with devotion during the war. Those three ladies who sacrificed so much were Ina Compton, Tabitha Van Meter, and Ruth Barney, whose brother John lost his life fighting during the War in the Pacific.

Hardy County sent many men to the war, and all of them were heroes. Numerous men landed on the shores of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and the days that followed. They aided in the liberation of Europe from the Nazi regime and freed the Pacific from the Japanese military. The majority of the men from the county who served were able to return home after the war to live long and prosperous lives. However, the true heroes were the thirty-three who were listed on the memorial outside the courthouse. These men gave the ultimate sacrifice to allow freedom to continue and to stop tyranny in the world. Those men did not come home, at least not alive, to see the world become a better place. Those Hardy County men served their country in so many extraordinary ways.

Their examples of courage and ultimate sacrificial contribution compose an endless list. One Hardy County pilot flew an incredible thirty-two missions. Nineteen of those were combat. Another air crewman flew twenty-one combat missions in a famous World War II bomber. In one day, he single-handedly shot down two enemy aircraft. The men served aboard submarines and ships during some of the most horrific military engagements the world had ever witnessed. They landed on Pacific Islands like Saipan, Guam, and Okinawa to face the fanatical Japanese military. One soldier served with a tank battalion during the famous Battle of the Bulge, while another was a bazooka man in that same battle. Another soldier served in 29

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both the Pacific War during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and then fought the Germans in Europe. All in all, they were the prime example of what has become known as the “Greatest Generation,” as they experienced their “Finest Hour.” Simply put, they were and still are Hardy’s Heroes.

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2 Boyd Godlove, First on the Wall War in North Africa The majority of battles fought during World War II took place either in Europe against the Germans or on islands in the Pacific Ocean against the Japanese. If that was the case, how did a Hardy County soldier get stationed way over in North Africa? The answer to that question is both simple and complex. In the 1940s, North Africa consisted of countries from west to east: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Before the war began, Algeria was a colony of France. Libya was a colony of Italy. Egypt was greatly influenced by Great Britain. All three European countries had an extensive presence in North Africa. At the beginning of the war, Italy had a large army of approximately one million men in Libya. The British had about forty thousand troops in Egypt, whose mission was to guard the Suez Canal.

The complex answer to Americans fighting in North Africa was that on August 3, 1940, Italian leader Benito Mussolini launched a military campaign against British-held Somaliland in East Africa to continue his plan for building a huge Mediterranean empire. Obviously, the British responded by attacking the Italian Army. On September 13, 1940, the Italians launched a second and separate attack from their bases in Libya on the British in Egypt. Once again, the British struck back at the invading Italians. It wasn’t long before the British Army began to gain the upper hand in the fighting. Within just three months, the British 31

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defeated the Italians in the east. However, the main fighting in North Africa was concentrated in the west and continued after the Italian defeat in the east.

At first, the attack in the west by the Italians was successful.

However, by February 1941, the British Army had driven the Italian Army back into Libya. Hitler responded to a request for military assistance from Mussolini by sending a German army to North Africa to avoid a total Axis defeat. The German Army in North Africa was commanded by one of the Wehrmacht’s top military leaders, General Erwin Rommel. General Rommel was a highly decorated veteran of World War I. During World War II, Rommel was the commander of the Afrika Korps, which was a well-trained motorized armored tank division in the German Army. By the middle of April, the Afrika Korps had chased the British back across North Africa and regained all the territory that the Italians had previously lost. For the remainder of the year and into 1942, both armies conducted a back-and-forth campaign as each side lost and regained ground in the fighting.

That was the complex answer.

The simple answer to the North Africa question was that in order to fight the Germans, American soldiers had to go where the Germans were. By September 1942, German armies were fighting in the Soviet Union and in Egypt. So when America was thrust into the war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it was either fight in the Soviet Union or in North Africa. The choice was easy for America’s military leaders since Great Britain was our closest ally and desperately needed our assistance. In addition, it would be much easier to land troops in Africa than in the Soviet Union. So that was how a soldier from Hardy County ended up way over on the continent of Africa. That young man fighting for freedom and for his life was Hardy’s Hero Boyd Godlove.

Boyd Lee Godlove Jr. was born on February 3, 1924, in Hardy County, West Virginia. He grew up in the community of South 32

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Fork, which was not far from the town of Moorefield. He was the only son of Boyd Lee and Edna Virginia (Halterman) Godlove.

The couple had two daughters named Janet and Ella Lynn. Janet was the oldest child and Boyd was in the middle, while Ella was the youngest. Most of Boyd’s friends and relatives simply called him Junior. During the 1920s, Mr. Godlove was the registrar of Hardy County. Before enlisting in the Army, Junior worked as a farm hand, as did many young men of that era, on the family farm. He attended grammar school and finished the eighth grade. However, he did not get the chance to attend high school or college. When Boyd Jr. was barely a teenager, his mother and father moved to separate locations.

Mrs. Godlove and her two daughters moved in with her sister, who still lived in Hardy County. Boyd Jr. temporarily moved in with his grandmother, Ursula Halterman, who was Edna’s mother, who also lived in Hardy County. In 1937, Junior went on a vacation with members of his family to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The historic town was an exciting destination for a thirteen-year-old boy. Gettysburg, a small town in the Keystone State, was famous for the important and bloody American Civil War engagement, the Battle of Gettysburg, in 1863. It was also the location for President Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address. The town offered so much interesting and historical information, especially for Boyd Jr., who was very patriotic and a student of American history.

In 1940, Mrs. Godlove moved with her two daughters to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, where she had family. Mr. Godlove had already left Hardy County and had moved to Arlington, Virginia, where he found employment as a mail clerk with the railroad. Just before the war and immediately after his mother and sisters moved to Pennsylvania, Boyd Jr. moved in with his father. Junior was now in a new city that was much larger than Moorefield. He knew no one at this new location. However, he soon settled into Arlington and eventually sought employment.

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Finding it hard to completely adjust to the new surroundings and to his parents’ further separation, he eventually enlisted in the United States Army before being drafted.

Boyd knew that sooner or later he would have to fight for his country since war was on the horizon. Therefore, he joined the military to become better trained and to begin his personal contribution to the war effort. He enlisted on September 9, 1940, in Washington D.C., not far from his home in Arlington. After he enlisted in the army, he was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for basic training. The fighting in North Africa had, up until that point in the war, been the responsibility of the British Army. However, by the end of 1942, the armies of the United States and Canada would be there to aid the British. So, too, would be a young Boyd Godlove as he entered military service in the United States Army.

The United States Army that was engaged in combat during World War II can trace its origins back to colonial America.

With the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, the first American army was known as the Continental Army. It was created on June 14, 1775, to battle the forces of the British and ultimately win independence from the mother country. After the War of Independence, the Continental Army was dissolved. Leaders of the new republic soon realized that the nation would need a permanent standing army to protect its borders and its citizens.

Therefore, on June 3, 1784, the United States Army was officially created. During World War II, the army was the largest branch of the United States military. The largest component of the army was the infantry.

The term infantry conjured a meaning of relating to an infant or “babes in arms.” The expression was perfect in describing soldiers of World War II since most of the men in the ranks of the foot soldier were young and inexperienced. They were the enlisted men who mostly came through the draft and often times were thought of as expendable. They were men like Boyd 34

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Godlove. However, their role in battle was just as important to victory as any other unit of the military and, to some degree, was even more important. One such believer in the infantry was World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, who covered the movements of the infantry throughout the war until his death on the battlefield in 1945. Pyle stated, “I love the infantry because they are the underdogs. They are the mud, rain, frost, and wind boys. They have no comforts, and they even learn to live without the necessities; and, in the end, they are the guys that war can’t be won without.” Infantryman Boyd Godlove Jr. was just one of thousands of young soldiers who were counted on to win the war for America.

After completing basic training at Fort Bragg, Boyd Godlove was promoted to Private, which was the first step in the ranks of enlisted personnel in the Army’s chain of command. In late 1941, Private Godlove was sent to Fort Lee, Virginia, to the Quartermaster Training School. Fort Lee was first known as Camp Lee and was built in 1917 for training troops during World War I. After the war, Camp Lee was no longer needed by the military and was closed. However, in 1940, construction began anew to expand the facility in preparation for World War II. Fort Lee was named in honor of American Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee from Virginia. The Army base was located near the city of Petersburg, Virginia, about two hundred miles north of Fort Bragg. Private Godlove did not have too far to travel to study his trade. He was a member of one of the first classes to graduate from the Quartermaster School at Fort Lee. During the war, the Quartermaster Corps (QM) basically furnished the Army with all general types of supplies, and it had done so since its formation in 1775. The men of the QM Corps provided such necessities as food and water. They furnished uniforms, other clothing, and shoes for the troops.

The organization also supplied the Army with gasoline and oil and other maintenance necessities such as tools and tires 35

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for vehicles. Basically, the Quartermaster Corps provided the United States Army with all the supplies needed to outfit an army except medical supplies and ammunition. Medical supplies were furnished by medical battalions and ammunition was furnished by ordnance companies. There was one other task that was performed by the QM Corps during World War II, and it may have been their toughest assignment of all. The Quartermaster Corps was responsible for grave registration. They were responsible for making sure that every soldier who was killed during battle or died in other ways was properly identified and honorably buried.

After he finished training at the Quartermaster School, Boyd was sent back to Fort Bragg to the Ninth Infantry Division. He was also promoted to Private First Class. Here, he would stay for more than a year assigned to the Ninth Infantry as the unit trained and prepared for overseas deployment. In order to make infantry troops successful in battle, organized formations were essential. The United States Army organized its troops in groups based on the number of men within the ranks. The most common grouping of troops for identification and for combat was known as a regiment which was part of a division, such as the Ninth. A division was made up of ten thousand to fifteen thousand troops. A regiment was made up of one thousand to two thousand men, and usually, three regiments made up a division. On most occasions, the men of the U.S. Army were identified by what regiment they were assigned and as part of a specific division. During World War II, the United States Army organized more than ninety divisions.

The Ninth Infantry Division, to which PFC Boyd Godlove was assigned in 1941, was activated during World War I on July 18, 1918. The division was formed at Camp Sheridan, Alabama, which was established in July 1917. The 4,000-acre camp was located just three miles from downtown Montgomery, the capital of Alabama. However, the newly formed division was activated and organized so late in the war that the men within its ranks 36

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were never sent overseas. After the war ended on November 11, 1918, the 9th Infantry Division was deactivated. In March 1919, the U.S. Army permanently closed Camp Sheridan.

With the inevitable possibility of the United States getting involved in World War II, the Ninth Infantry was reactivated on August 1, 1940, at Camp Bragg, North Carolina. Camp Bragg was established on September 4, 1918, as an artillery training ground for World War I soldiers. In 1922, because the camp grew, the post became a permanent army base. Also that year, the facility became known as Fort Bragg in honor of American Civil War Confederate General Braxton Bragg. General Bragg was born in Warrenton, North Carolina, about 130 miles from the fort. Various combat units, besides the Ninth Infantry Division, trained at Fort Bragg, including the 2nd Armored Division, the 82nd Airborne Division and the 100th Infantry Division, known as the “Century Division.”

The Ninth Infantry Division, during World War II, was made up of three infantry regiments. The three regiments were the 39th Infantry Regiment, the 40th Infantry Regiment, and the 60th Infantry Regiment. Other components of the 9th were four artillery units: the 26th, 34th, 60th, and the 84th Field Artillery Battalions. A battalion contained between 300 and 800 troops.

The division was supported by the 15th Engineering Combat Battalion, the 9th Medical Battalion, and the 709th Ordnance Company. The division was also assisted by the 9th Signal Company and the 9th Quartermaster Company, of which Boyd Godlove was a member. All the men of the division were trained to fight regardless of which unit they were assigned.

The first major training mission for the troops of the 9th Infantry Division was the Carolina Maneuvers. The Carolina Maneuvers were United States Army military training exercises that took place in northern South Carolina and southern North Carolina in 1941. After the conclusion of the maneuvers, Private First Class Boyd Godlove came home for a brief furlough, the 37

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Army word for vacation. Junior enjoyed his time with his family and especially his longtime friends in Moorefield. His mother and sisters traveled to Hardy County to spend time with him.

Boyd Sr. did not make the trip. Little did the family know at the time, but this would be the last time that they would see their soldier alive. After his furlough ended, he was back at Fort Bragg to continue his preparation for overseas duty. After returning to the Ninth, he was again promoted. He now reached the rank of Corporal, the next step in the enlisted chain of command. His return to Fort Bragg was brief. In November 1942, the men of the Ninth Infantry Division sailed from America overseas to the fighting in North Africa.

United States President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill realized that the Allies needed a ready and well-trained fighting force to send to North Africa.

Unfortunately, the United States Army really did not hArmy divisions that were somewhat prepared for combat. The 9th Division had trained in amphibious landings along the Atlantic Ocean and in other field maneuvers. Amphibious operations involved the coordinated mission of the United States Navy to dispatch infantry troops of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps on hostile shores. The Ninth Infantry Division was known by several nicknames, such as the “Old Reliables,” the “Notorious Ninth,” and “Hitler’s Nemeses.” All the men in the outfit hoped they would live up to all these accolades as they prepared for war.

The Ninth Infantry Division proudly displayed the Octofoil as their sleeve insignia. This choice for an insignia was very unique and dated back to the 15th century when a coat of arms denoted the family unit. Octo meant eight; therefore, there were eight foils or positions in the heraldic family rules that gave the Octofoil to the ninth son. This symbolized that the last son, or the youngest son, was surrounded and protected by the other eight brothers. This belief in brotherhood was prevalent in the Ninth Infantry. The insignia had a red upper foil representing 38

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the artillery and a blue lower foil signifying the infantry of each regiment. In the middle was placed a white circle representing the ninth son or the men of the division. The entire emblem was encircled with the U.S. Army’s most popular color, olive drab.

War in North Africa

In North Africa, in the fall of 1942, the British Army, under a new commander, General Bernard Montgomery, and the German Army, under General Erwin Rommel, were still in a back-and-forth attack and retreat campaign for control of Libya and Egypt. General Montgomery served in World War I as a junior officer in the famous British unit known as the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He was seriously wounded during the First World War when he was shot in the chest by a German sniper. Eventually, the British got the upper hand in North Africa at El Alamein and forced the Germans back to Tunisia. It was during this time in the campaign that American forces were on their way to the battlefront.

For the Americans, the Ninth Infantry Division, and Corporal Boyd Godlove, the North Africa Campaign began on November 8, 1942. The battle plan of the Allies was to not only push the Germans and the Italians out of North Africa but also to control the Mediterranean Sea. In so doing, they would secure a launching point for the eventual invasion of Europe from the south. Operation Torch, as the American battle plan was titled, called for a three-separate-attack initiative in North Africa.

The three attacking forces were known as the Western Task Force, the Central Task Force, and the Eastern Task Force. The identifications of the three were based on the location in which each unit would launch its attack. All three forces were under the overall command of American General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

General Eisenhower was born in 1890 in Dennison, Texas, and was only one of a few World War II officers who did not serve in Europe during World War I. 39

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The Western Task Force was under the direct command of American Major General George S. Patton from California.

General Patton was a career military man who graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1909 and was a veteran of World War I. He was a very outspoken leader during both world wars and was quoted numerous times. Perhaps his most notable quote was his definition of war itself. He said, “War is very simple, direct, and ruthless. It takes a simple, direct, and ruthless man to wage war.” The Western Force was made up of 35,000 troops from the United States Second Armored Division, the Third Infantry Division, and the Ninth Infantry Division. Their main objective was to capture the important city of Casablanca.

The Central Task Force was composed of 18,000 troops, men of the 1st Infantry Division known as the “Big Red One.” The 1st Infantry was assisted by the 1rst Armored Division and the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion. The Central Task Force was under the command of American Major General Lloyd Fredendall from Wyoming. General Fredendall, unlike Patton, did not graduate from West Point. He attended the United States Military Academy but was dismissed after just one semester. However, he attended and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1907. That same year, he received his commission and later served in World War I. The aim of the Central Task Force was to capture the city of Oran.

The Eastern Task Force was made up of both British and American troops, which included 20,000 soldiers. The main American unit of the task force was the 34th Infantry Division, known as the “Red Bull Division.” The main British unit was the 78th Infantry Division, known as the “Battleaxe Division.” The Eastern Task Force was under the command of British Lieutenant General Kenneth Anderson, who was a capable leader. General Anderson served with distinction in World War I and was 40

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wounded at the Battle of the Somme. The main objective of the Eastern Task Force was the capture of Algiers, the capital city of Algeria. All three infantry ground forces were supported by both Allied naval and aerial forces.

The 9th Infantry, part of the Western Task Force, landed on November 8, 1942, at daybreak. This large group launched its attack in Morocco and concentrated on three locations, Safi, Port Lyautey, and Fedala to engage the Germans and Italians.

The three Allied landings at those locations were met with mixed results. At Safi, the landings by the 47th Infantry Regiment were very successful, and enemy troops in the city surrendered that very day. At Port Lyautey, the invading force was the 60th Infantry Regiment. The 60th ran into delays and encountered stronger enemy positions, which led to intense combat action.

After the landings and the bitter fighting, Port Lyautey was captured by Allied forces. At Fedala, bad weather disrupted the landings. General Patton landed at Fedala with the 39th Infantry Regiment at 8:00 A.M. Even though the fighting here was heavier than at the other two landing zones, and the weather was less than perfect, the beach area was quickly secured. Casablanca was captured on November 10, 1942.

The Central Task Force, with airborne landings, experienced the strongest opposition of the three forces. With the aid of a naval bombardment, the objective of Oran was reached on November 9. The men of the Eastern Task Force experienced moderate resistance after their landings, as the troops were assisted by French freedom fighters. After the successful landings, all three forces moved inland and prepared to fight the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Boyd Godlove had experienced his first taste of war and, fortunately, had survived. During the winter months, a stalemate occurred in the fighting, which gave both armies ample time to strengthen their forces and continue training for future engagements. Corporal Godlove was once 41

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again promoted. He was now a Sergeant and one of the leaders of the 9th Quartermaster Company.

When the fighting resumed in 1943, the back-and-forth attack and counterattack of both armies continued. In January, the Allied forces again attacked the Axis forces. The initial result of the attack was successful, with one British force almost reaching the City of Tunis. But, the German Army under General Rommel drove the advancing British back. In late January, the British Eighth Army under General Montgomery pushed back and reached the city of Tripoli. Also, in January in the west, Allied forces came under heavy enemy fire at Kasserine Pass and were forced to retreat. However, the retreating army was soon reinforced by other Allied units. With added troop strength, the Allies halted the German and Italian advance. Axis troops counterattacked on March 6, 1943, at Medenine. But, this advance was halted by the British Eighth Army.

At this stage of the campaign, Rommel wanted to retreat in order to regroup and set up a defensive line further east. However, Hitler refused his request, and on March 9, 1943, he replaced General Rommel with General Jurgen Von Arnim. General Arnim entered the German Army in 1907 and fought in World War I. During the early years of World War II, he commanded the German 52nd Infantry Division during the attack on Poland and France. Arnim immediately spread his forces over a onehundred-mile area and launched a counterattack on the Allied Army in northern Tunisia. These attacks inflicted heavy losses on the American forces, causing them to give up their front-line positions. After command of the Africa Korps was given to Von Arnim, General Rommel was transferred to northern France to become General Inspector of Western Defenses along the Atlantic Wall.

During a brief reprieve in the fighting, Sergeant Godlove took the time to write a letter home to his mother. Mrs. Godlove forwarded a section of the letter to the local newspaper, the 42

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Moorefield Examiner, who printed it for the entire county to read. At the time, Boyd was in French Morocco, and the local paper apologized for not being able to give out his address. The article stated that his aunt, Mrs. Wade Bean, had his address and that his friends should contact her and take the time to write Boyd. The letter home that the Examiner printed may have very well been his last correspondence to his family. The letter showed that Sergeant Godlove still kept a sense of humor even during such a difficult period in his life. The letter read, “We got paid yesterday in French money and a small amount of American money. The only thing we can do with it here is finance it, we can’t even send any home now…I am getting used to this country now but if living conditions were more pleasant, I would enjoy it much more. I expect to see a lot of places before this is over…I boosted the morale of the army fifty percent today. I took a bath and that’s how it happened… I bought a lantern today for my pup tent from an Arab, cost me 200 francs.” A franc in 1940 was worth two cents, so the lantern cost Boyd $4.00.

In early March, Major General George S. Patton assumed command of the Second Corps. A corps was made up of two to five divisions and included between 20,000 and 45,000 troops.

This Second Corps was made up of elements of the 34th Infantry Division and the 9th Infantry Division. Their first immediate objective was to break out into the southern Tunisian coastal plain through El Guettar Pass. By taking the pass, the Allies could cut off the German Army from the rear. On March 22, 1943, the nearby railway town of Maknassy was attacked by the American forces. The Americans were able to clear enemy strongholds in the mountain ranges around Maknassy, but they were unable to penetrate the pass itself. The enemy was well entrenched around the city and also possessed air superiority. The presence of steep, rugged hills and eroded gorges also provided a natural fortress for the Germans. A 9th Infantry soldier later commented about the German position by declaring, “The Germans were looking 43

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down our throats all the time.” Then, on Thursday, March 25, the order was given to the 9th Infantry Division to attack and regain its earlier positions.

The very next day, the Germans unleashed a heavy artillery barrage upon the advancing American troops. In heavy and intense fighting, Sergeant Boyd Godlove was wounded in the struggle at El Guettar Pass. The Germans sent over a ferocious amount of heavy artillery fire, which sent shrapnel flying in every direction. The wounds to Boyd were mortal as he was struck numerous times by flying metal. He was quickly rushed to the nearby 48th Surgeon Hospital in Feriana, Tunisia. A telegram was immediately sent to his parents telling them that Boyd had been wounded in battle. His grandmother passed the news to the citizens of Hardy County via the local newspaper.

There was nothing the medical staff could do to save the life of Sergeant Godlove. All the medical staff could do was give him as much comfort as possible. Later that same day, Hardy’s Hero Boyd Godlove, died from the wounds he received at the hands of the Germans. He was buried at 5:00 P.M. in the temporary military cemetery at Tebessa, Algeria. His body was laid to rest in Plot A, Row 9, Grave number 11. A final telegram was sent to the family informing them that their loved one had died from the wounds that he had received in battle.

Eventually, the Americans took control of this vital area but with heavy losses as the enemy eventually withdrew. By May 7, 1943, the 9th Infantry Division reached the city of Bizerte without Boyd Godlove. On May 13, the Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered. The fighting inflicted a total of 18,221 casualties on the American forces since the campaign began on November 8, 1942. A total casualty count during battle consisted of the number of troops killed, the number wounded, the number missing, and the number captured by the enemy. The American casualty count from the North Africa Campaign was 2,715 Killed in Action (KIA), 8,978 Wounded in Action (WIA), and 6,528 Missing 44

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in Action (MIA), for a total of 18,221 casualties. British losses were much higher because they had been fighting the Germans for almost two years before America’s involvement. The losses to the Axis forces of Germany and Italy were staggering, with Germany alone suffering 12,508 killed from 1940 to 1943. The Allied forces also captured 238,000 Axis prisoners and destroyed 8,000 aircraft, 6,200 guns, and 2,500 tanks. The battle for North Africa was the first victory of the Allied Nations during World War II and the first major defeat of the Axis Powers.

The 9th Infantry Division went on to fight in other sectors of the war. They fought in Sicily and aided in the liberation of the cities of Palermo and Messina. After the Sicilian Campaign, they returned to England for advanced training before being sent to Normandy to land on Utah Beach on June 10, 1944, D-Day + 4.

They drove to Cherbourg, France, and into Germany, crossing at the Remagan Bridge. Eventually, they penetrated deep into Germany and reached the Mulde River near the town of Dessau.

They were at Dessau when V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, was announced. The 9th fought in a total of 264 days of combat, in six major campaigns beginning in North Africa and ending in Central Europe. After the war on January 15, 1947, the 9th Infantry Division was deactivated.

The Notorious Ninth was highly decorated for its military accomplishments. The division earned a total of twenty-four unit citations. Individual honors included eighty-six soldiers who were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and six who earned the Legion of Merit. There were 1,789 Silver Stars, 5,518 Bronze Stars, and 55 Soldiers Medals awarded for valor to the men of the 9th Infantry. Five men were awarded the Medal of Honor, which was established in 1863, the United States’ highest military honor. It was awarded to a soldier who, by classification, “Distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”

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There were 464 soldiers from the United States who were awarded the Medal of Honor (MOH) during World War II. Out of that number, eleven men were either born or were from the state of West Virginia. Five of those West Virginians were awarded the medal posthumously. That list included Second Lieutenant Robert E. Femoyer, who was from Huntington in Cabell County.

Lt. Femoyer was a B-17 Bombardier with the 711th Bomber Squadron. Added to that list was Sergeant Clinton M. Hedrick, who was from Riverton in Pendleton County. He was with the 17th Airborne Division and was killed in Germany. He was followed by Staff Sergeant Jonah E. Kelly, who was from Mineral County and had attended Potomac State College. Kelly was with the 78th Infantry Division and was also killed in Germany. Next was Sergeant Herbert J. Thomas Jr., who was from Kanawha County. Thomas was with the 3rd Marine Division and received the MOH for his heroics during the fighting on Bougainville in the Pacific War. Finally, Private First Class Walter C. Wetzel, who was also from Cabell County, earned the MOH. He fought with the 8th Infantry Division and was killed in Germany as he sacrificed his body by diving on launched German grenades to save his entire platoon.

In January 1947, the War Department sent the letter and the information to Mrs. Godlove informing her of the final burial rites of her son. The military gave the next of kin of each family who had lost a family member in the war the opportunity to decide the hero’s final burial location. The family could have the deceased soldier reburied in the United States at any cemetery designated by the next of kin. Another option for the family was for the soldier to be buried in a military cemetery overseas in the theater of operations where the soldier was killed or in a military cemetery in the United States.

During the month of January, Boyd Sr. wrote a letter to the War Department asking about his son. The letter was dated January 25, 1947, and read as follows, “I would like as much 46

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information as is possible on the death of my son Tech Five Boyd L. Godlove Jr., who died of wounds received in the North African Theater of war, March 26, 1943. He received training at Fort Bragg, NC.-9th QM. Bn.” The War Department sent the same letter and package to Mr. Godlove as was sent to Mrs. Godlove.

However, the military recognized the mother as the next of kin over the father. The only exception to this rule was if the mother was deceased at the time of the inquiry. Then, the father made the decision. If the soldier was married, the widow would be the next of kin and had the final say. Sergeant Godlove was not married, so the final decision concerning Boyd Jr.’sfinal resting site was solely up to his mother.

Mrs. Godlove returned the proper forms and chose the option to have Boyd’s body buried in the North Africa American Military Cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia. In 1948, the body of Hardy’s Hero Sergeant Boyd Godlove, was exhumed from the temporary gravesite in Tebessa. The body was sent to Carthage and reburied in Plot C Row 15 Grave 11 under an honorary white cross. The cross was labeled BOYD L. GODLOVE JR., written in large letters across the top. Following his name on the second line was written his rank TEC 5, and the organization in which he served, the 9 QM CO 9 DIV. On the bottom line was printed his home state of WEST VIRGINIA and, finally, the date of his death, MAR 26, 1943.

The North Africa American Cemetery was one of fourteen established to provide permanent interment for our nation’s war dead who were killed in World War II. It was only one of two such gravesites built outside the European Continent; the other was the Manila American Cemetery in the Pacific Theater. The magnificent twenty-seven-acre graveyard in North Africa was constructed near actual land that once inhabited the ancient city of Carthage. There were 2,841 American heroes buried on these hallowed grounds under headstones set in straight lines covering nine separate plots. Of that number, thirty-seven were from West 47

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Virginia. There were 3,724 names of soldiers inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing, with sixty-one being from the Mountain State. The cemetery’s chapel was designed with polished marble and contained several eloquent sculptures. The memorial court was constructed with large ceramic maps detailing the operations of the American Army in North Africa.

Boyd Godlove, serial number 13000210, from Hardy County, West Virginia, died while fighting in North Africa on Friday, March 26, 1943. He was a member of the prestigious and highly decorated 9th Infantry Division and served in the 9th Quartermaster Company. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, which was sent to his mother. Sergeant Godlove was the first of Hardy’s Heroes to die during World War II but with some discrepancy. Private Oden Dove, born in Hardy County in the town of Mathias, died on October 25, 1942, at the age of twenty-eight. However, when he was drafted, he was living in Mineral County and was listed among the war dead from that county.

Boyd Godlove volunteered for military duty to make a difference in the world that, at the time, was engulfed in a terrible war. He was only nineteen years old when he was killed, making him the second youngest of all Hardy’s Heroes killed in the war. In fact, he was just a month and a half from celebrating his twentieth birthday. After the death of his son, Mr. Godlove moved to be with his wife and two daughters in Pennsylvania.

Maybe the tragic death of their son in battle reunited the family.

Mr. Godlove died in 1959. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Godlove moved back to Moorefield and lived there for almost twenty years. She died in 1975 and was buried next to her husband in the Mount Rose Cemetery in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.

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3 Darrel Malcolm and Dallas Miller, Friends to the End War in Sicily and Italy In January 1943, the leaders of the Allied Nations met in Casablanca, Morocco, to discuss future plans for the war effort.

The Casablanca Conference was attended by United States President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and two generals of the Free French Army, Charles De Gaulle and Henri Giraud. With the Germans bringing war to the Soviet Union as the conference convened, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was unable to attend. The meetings began on January 14 and continued for ten days until January 24. At this stage of the war, the Allies were still fighting the Germans and the Italians in North Africa. However, the odds of victory favored the Allies as the North Africa Campaign was coming to an end. The War in North Africa officially ended in May 1943.

The Allied world leaders discussed two main issues regarding current and future military operations and ultimate peace. The first topic of deliberation was the terms of surrender of the Axis Powers once they were defeated. President Roosevelt insisted on nothing less than an unconditional surrender of Germany, Italy, and Japan. Prime Minister Churchill, based on his past knowledge of the way in which World War I had ended, somewhat disagreed with this requirement. However, after much debate, 49

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Churchill agreed with President Roosevelt’s demands. Therefore, all Allied nations agreed that an unconditional surrender of the Axis nations would be the only political term for ending the war.

Another topic of discussion was the invasion of Europe in order to liberate the continent from Nazi rule. Again, the leaders of the United States and Great Britain disagreed. President Roosevelt favored an attack in northern Europe from across the English Channel directly into France. Prime Minister Churchill favored a campaign through southern Italy into Germany.

Roosevelt’s plan was futuristic and was based on the advice of his military commanders, who argued that American armies were not prepared to take on the Germans in northern Europe at the present time. They knew that the Germans were well fortified in this area with the construction of the Atlantic Wall. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill suggested they should launch attacks in southern Europe, in what he called the continents’ “soft underbelly.” His idea had merit since the Allies were presently in North Africa and would only have to cross the Mediterranean Sea in order to land on the Island of Sicily. From there, they could move into Italy and eventually approach the German border from the south through France. Churchill further noted that if the attacks in the south were successful, then the Allies would be more experienced and better trained to attempt a large-scale invasion on German-controlled Europe from the north. The British Prime Minister won the argument, and all the Allied delegates agreed to the attack plan on southern Europe.

As it was agreed at the conference in 1943, the Allies set in motion the plan to first invade Sicily and then launch a military campaign into Italy. The Allied military intended to accomplish two goals with the campaigns in Sicily and Italy. First, if the attacks were successful, it would knock the Italian Army completely out of the war, thus leaving the German Army alone to face the armies of the Allied Nations. Second, while the attacks were in motion, it would give the Allied armies ample time to 50

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train and prepare for that cross-channel invasion that President Roosevelt felt a necessity. Two of Hardy’s Heroes were involved in the attack plan that was launched in southern Europe. They were friends before the war and during the war. Those two men were Darrel Malcolm and Dallas Miller.

Darrel Norwood Malcolm was the oldest of the two boys, but only by a little more than a week. He was born on December 12, 1921, in Hardy County, West Virginia. He was the son of Boyd W. Malcolm and Carrie (Funkhouser) Malcolm. Mr. Malcolm was an army veteran who served during World War I and saw combat action in France. Darrel had one sister, Hilda, and two brothers, Ward Alston and Boyd Jr. Alston was a Gunner’s Mate and served in the United States Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Boyd Jr. was a Private First Class and served in the Army during the Korean War. The Malcolm family lived in the community of Fort Run, just two miles east of Moorefield on Powder Springs Road. Darrel completed the eighth grade at Powder Springs Grammar School, but he never attended high school. Instead, he worked on the family farm.

Darrel was a fairly big man who worked very hard, without pay, on the family farm at Fort Run. The family affectionately called him “Pepsi.” His father gave him this nickname because Darrel would rather drink the soft drink Pepsi Cola than anything else.

In fact, the family lovingly suggested he should work for the soft drink company and be the company’s spokesman but certainly not their taste tester. They encouraged Darrel to purchase stock in the company since he was by far its biggest consumer. Besides drinking his favorite brand of pop, Darrel loved to fish in the streams and rivers of Hardy County. Everyone reported that he was a very good fisherman. After fishing season, Darrel enjoyed hunting in the wooded areas of the county for recreation as well as a way to provide food for the family. However, his brother claimed he was a better fisherman than he was a hunter. As a teenager, Darrel worked at his father’s general store in Fort Run, 51

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and, yes, the business sold Pepsi. Maybe that was how he was paid.

Dallas Watson Miller was born on December 20, 1921, in Hardy County, West Virginia, in the small community of Baker. He was the son of George Philip Miller and Hazel Hamilton (Renner) Miller. Just as Darrel’s father had served in the First World War, Dallas’s father did so as well. Mr. Miller was a private in the 33rd Field Artillery, which served with distinction during the war. Dallas had just one brother, Philip. As the only children of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, the two boys were very close. Dallas attended Wardensville High School for two years but did not graduate. Before joining the military, he was employed by the West Virginia State Road Commission as a truck driver. Dallas and Darrel probably met when Dallas dropped by Malcolm’s Grocery Store. Regardless of how the two men first met, it was certain that they became good friends.

The two different communities in which the two men lived, Fort Run and Baker, were separated by only a few miles. With such a short distance, the two young men didn’t have much trouble getting together as friends, especially in 1940, when Darrel bought his first automobile. Both men received their draft notices the same year, which was not too unusual since their ages and birthdays were so close together. Both men went to the local selection board in Moorefield together, and both were sent to the Army Induction Center in Clarksburg on the same day, November 2, 1942. After both men passed their physical examinations, they were sent by bus to the Army 52

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Reception Center at Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio. Both men were officially inducted into the United States Army on November 16, 1942. Fort Hayes was established in 1877 and named after the nineteenth President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, who was from Ohio. At Fort Hayes, both men were given their Army serial numbers. Darrel’s was 35742360, and Dallas’s was 35742370. Dallas was just ten men behind in line from Darrel during the processing phase. After enlisting, the two friends traveled south to Camp Wheeler, Georgia, which was located about six miles south of Macon.

Camp Wheeler was really two camps on two different occasions. The first Camp Wheeler was a tent city Army facility that was established on July 18, 1917. The camp was used as a staging area for World War I soldiers as well as a training facility for National Guard units. When the war was over, the military no longer needed the camp; therefore, it closed on April 10, 1919.

The second Camp Wheeler was established on October 8, 1940, and this time, the camp had actual constructed buildings. During World War II, the Army base covered 14,394 acres and was used for basic and advanced military training. At first, the United States Army trained entire divisions at Camp Wheeler. Later in the war, the camp was used to train recruits as replacement soldiers who would be dispersed to all American divisions in order to replace combat casualties. Both camps were named for American Civil War Confederate General Joseph Wheeler, who was born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1836, about 230 miles east of Macon.

At Camp Wheeler, both Malcolm and Miller were assigned to the Third Infantry Division. Even more ironic, they were assigned to the Fifteenth Infantry Regiment. Unfortunately, the two friends were not assigned to the same company. A company in the Army contained between 80 and 150 men and was designated by a letter of the alphabet. Darrel was assigned to Company D, and Dallas was assigned to Company K. So the two 53

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friends would now fight together and march close to one another, but maybe not side by side. The 3rd Infantry Division, at the time of the war, had one of the most honored combat war records of any United States Army unit in American history. The Division was made up of three regiments: the 7th Infantry Regiment, the 15th Infantry Regiment, and the 30th Infantry Regiment. All of them had been fighting in America’s wars since the early days of the republic. However, the honor that was bestowed on all three regiments had come at a high price.

The Third Infantry Division was first activated on November 21, 1917, during World War I, at Camp Green, North Carolina.

The division was under the command of Major General Joseph Dickman from Ohio. General Dickman graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1888 and had previously served on the Army General Staff and as an instructor at the Army War College until 1912. Less than a year after activation, the division was sent to the war in France in 1918. In July, the men of the 3rd participated in the Second Battle of the Marne.

During the German offensive, the Allied forces were being driven back across France. During the attack, the men of the 3rd were held up along the Marne River near the city of Paris and were taking the brunt of the attack. While other units retreated, the division stood its ground. When General Dickman was asked if he could continue to hold the line, he simply responded, “We shall remain here!” Paris was protected and ultimately saved because of America’s heroic stand against the enemy. For their brave action in France, the Third Infantry received the honorable nickname, “Rock of the Marne.” The men of the division also adopted General Dickman’s reply, “We Shall Remain,” as their motto.

During World War I, the men of the 3rd Infantry also designed their sleeve insignia. The design was a square with a blue background and three white stripes that ran diagonally across the patch. The blue represented the loyalty and steadfastness 54

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of the division as the men fought in the First World War. The blue also signified the devotion of the men within the division toward the United States. The white stripes were in honor of the three major operations of the 3rd during the war and also for the number of regiments attached to the division. When World War I was over, the Third Infantry Division came back to the United States, but unlike most divisions, it was not deactivated.

In 1922, the division moved its headquarters to Fort Lewis. Fort Lewis was located in the state of Washington, about ten miles from Tacoma. The camp was originally known as the National Army Camp at Lake Washington. The 70,000-acre facility was named Camp Lewis in honor of Meriwether Lewis of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition on July 18, 1917, by General Order Number 95.

The 3rd Infantry Division was stationed at Fort Lewis on December 7, 1941, when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Immediately upon hearing the news of the attack, the division prepared for war. To begin their preparation, the men of the 3rd Infantry trained with a tank battalion to study heavy armor tactics and maneuvers.

Then, the men of the unit were sent to San Diego to train with the United States Navy in amphibious landings. They also practiced amphibious landings back in the Evergreen State along the northern Pacific coastline. A camp was set up at Henderson Inlet in upstate Washington for these advanced military maneuvers as the men of the 3rd Infantry trained alongside the 7th Infantry Division. The 7th Infantry was sent to the Pacific Theater of Operations, and not long after, the 3rd was sent to the war in North Africa.

The commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, during the training for World War II, was Brigadier General Charles P. Hall. General Hall was from Mississippi and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1911. He fought in World War I as a member of the 2nd Infantry Division. General Hall 55

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trained the troops for one year, and then he was assigned to command troops in the War in the Pacific. Hall was replaced

by Major General John P. Lucas, who was from Kearneysville, West Virginia. Kearneysville was located in Jefferson County, not far from the historic town of Harpers Ferry. General Lucas also graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1911 and fought in World War I as a member of the 33rd Infantry Division. Lucas commanded the 3rd Infantry Division during the North African Campaign.

The 15th Infantry Regiment, which was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, and the unit to which Private Miller and Private Malcolm were assigned, had a long history of military service.

The regiment was organized on July 16, 1798, for the Quasi-War which was fought against France. However, the regiment saw no combat action during the war. The 15th was then reorganized for service in Canada during the War of 1812. During the war, the regiment was credited for capturing the cities of Toronto and Fort George, located in Lake Niagara, Ontario. Then forty years later, on May 3, 1861, the 15th was again activated. This time, the unit was called to fight in the American Civil War. The regiment’s first headquarters was located in Wheeling, West Virginia. During the War Between the States, they fought in twenty-two major battles, including four engagements in the South. The Fifteenth was one of the regiments that accompanied General William Tecumseh Sherman through Georgia on his infamous march to the sea.

After the Civil War, the 15th Infantry Regiment was sent to China to aid that country in the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. During the rebellion, foreign powers which had interests in China sent an international army to stop the conflict. America sent the 15th Infantry Regiment. During World War I, the 15th stayed in China so long that they became known as the “Old China Regiment.” The men totally missed the fighting in Europe and ended up spending a total of twenty-six years in China. During their stay in China, they were once commanded by General 56

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George C. Marshall from Pennsylvania, who later, during World War II, was the United States Army Chief of Staff. While serving in China, the men of the regiment referred to themselves as the “Can-do Regiment.”

The regiment left China in 1938 and was again stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. Just before the start of World War II, on January 12, 1940, the 15th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. From March to November 1940, Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower served in both units before becoming Supreme Allied Commander. Besides the three honored regiments, the 3rd Infantry Division that fought in World War II was supported by four artillery units: the 9th, 10th, 39th, and the 41st Field Artillery Battalions. The division was supported by the 10th Engineer Combat Battalion, 3rd Medical Battalion, and the 703rd Ordnance Battalion. The 3rd Infantry Division was also assisted by the 3rd Quartermaster Company and the 3rd Signal Company.

On October 24, 1942, elements of the 3rd Infantry Division sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, to the War in North Africa. The division landed as part of the Western Task Force at Fedala on November 8, 1942, and had a hand in securing the city of Casablanca. The 15th Infantry Regiment, with Darrel Malcolm and Dallas Miller, sailed for North Africa on March 21, 1943.

The men of the 15th participated in the North Africa Campaign but only in a limited way. The fighting against the Axis forces was practically over by the time the regiment landed. However, the men of the regiment cleared small pockets of enemy resistance to prevent counterattacks. Both Darrel and Dallas followed in the footsteps of Sgt. Boyd Godlove. By the time they landed in April 1943, Godlove had already died from wounds he received in combat. After performing mop-up duties in North Africa, the men of the 15th Infantry Regiment prepared for the push north into Europe, beginning on the Island of Sicily. At the outset of the invasion of Sicily, Malcolm was still a Private, but Miller was now 57

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a Private First Class; therefore, he outranked his friend. He could now tell his older friend what to do, and he could get away with it—at least the U.S. Army said he could.

Invasion of Sicily

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, covered more than 10,000 square miles and was the next stop in the Allied military plan. Before the D-Day invasion in northern Europe, this area was targeted by military planners for a continuance in the fighting against the Germans and Italians. The combat plan was to attack Sicily first, then Italy. If successful ,this would give the Allies more time to prepare for the invasion of northern France, which was already being planned and scheduled. The overall strategy of the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns was to force the Germans to split their forces and ultimately fight a war on two separate fronts: one in the north and one in the south. The code name for the invasion of Sicily was Operation Husky.

The Allied invasion force ordered to land on the Island of Sicily was a combined effort by the American Seventh Army commanded by General George Patton and the British Eighth Army commanded by General Bernard Montgomery. Both commanders had distinguished themselves during the fighting in North Africa. To begin the battle for Sicily, Allied aircraft and more than 1,000 Allied ships bombarded the island to prepare for the invasion. The actual infantry assault took place on July 10, 1943, with the British Eighth Army landing in the eastern part of the island and the American Seventh Army landing in the west.

A total of eight Allied divisions, four from each side, participated in the landings and the assault on the island. The infantry troops were assisted in the assault by tank units and heavy artillery companies. The objective of both Allied armies was the city of Messina, located in the northeastern section of the island. The campaign became a race to see which army would reach the city first, the Americans or the British.

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General Patton split up his four divisions in order to form a broader attack plan. The American Third Infantry Division, with the 15th Infantry Regiment and soldiers Malcolm and Miller, was ordered to travel northwest to the capital city of Palermo.

The city was of strategic importance to the Allies because it was the chief seaport of Sicily. The 3rd wasted no time in capturing Palermo. The British encountered stiffer resistance in the fighting in the east, and their progress was slowed. Eventually, the British broke through the German defenses and pushed forward. Both Allied armies arrived at the target city of Messina on the same day, August 17, 1943. However, elements of the American Seventh Army arrived just hours before the British Eighth Army.

The Americans had won the race. The Germans and Italians evacuated some 100,000 troops off the island to avoid capture and then retreated north into Italy. The enemies’ retreat brought an end to the campaign for Sicily.

After the fighting in Sicily, Private Malcolm wrote a letter home to his family in Hardy County. He was glad to have made it through the fighting in North Africa and had experienced his first combat action. He was even happier to still be alive. He was also glad that his friend was alive, too. He wrote, “I came through the invasion of Sicily without a scratch and that I consider lucky.”

He also told his parents, “Dallas is doing OK.” The family did not receive the letter until November. It was the last letter that Darrel ever wrote.

Invasion of Italy

When the armies of the Allied Nations landed in the “toe of the boot” in Italy, popular support for the war was at an all-time low among the vast majority of Italians. In fact, the Italian citizenry was just as demoralized as it was at the end of World War I when Mussolini promised them a brighter tomorrow. At this point in the war, the Italian military was in a diminished situation, and the government was in turmoil. The previous conquests in the early 59

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stages of the war had taken their toll on the Italian Army which was not that strong of a force from the beginning. After all, it took the Italian Army nearly eight months to conquer an inferior Abyssinian Army. The heavy losses of soldiers killed during the North Africa Campaign left the Italian Army depleted. The ranks of the army were even more depreciated when it lost 160,000 soldiers killed or captured in the Battle of Sicily. The Allied plan to knock Italy out of the war was working.

After the Allies entered Italy, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini was arrested and sent to prison by the Italian government. On September 3, 1943, Italy agreed to a secret surrender to Allied forces. The surrender of the Italians left Germany all alone in Europe to go up against the invading Allied Nations. Italy became the first member of the Axis Powers to surrender during World War II. Even with Italy out of the war, the German Army was still a well-organized and strong fighting force. After the incarceration of Mussolini, Hitler ordered a commando raid on the prison facility where the Italian dictator was kept. The operation was successful, and Mussolini was released from prison. He was then flown to Germany to be next to his friend, Adolf Hitler. However, this was a political friendship as opposed to a true friendship like that of Malcolm and Miller, which was a deep-rooted hometown friendship. The aim of the two dictators was that after the Germans destroyed the American Army in Italy, Mussolini would again be head of the Italian government.

The German Army in Italy was commanded by Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, who was one of the Wehrmacht’s most capable and decorated leaders. Field Marshal Kesselring entered the Bavarian Army in 1904 and served on the Eastern Front and on the Western Front during World War I. In anticipation of the Allied landings in Italy, Kesselring moved his main force to the capital city of Rome. The Italian Campaign began with the first Allied landings on September 3, 1943 at Reggio, which was four hundred miles from Rome. The second landing took place on 60

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September 9, 1943, at Salerno, which was about two hundred miles from Rome. The second landing was spearheaded by the 3rd Infantry Division with Private Darrel Malcolm and newly promoted Corporal Dallas Miller. The Allies were optimistic when they began the attack and planned to reach the capital city

by Christmas. However, that would not happen.

The landings at Reggio went well as the Americans experienced minimal resistance from the German Army.

However, the landings at Salerno were nothing like that at Reggio.

The men of the 15th Infantry Regiment, including men of K and D Companies, experienced a much tougher fight. To make matters worse, the landing area and the surrounding terrain was more challenging, especially around the town of Salerno. Salerno was a large city about thirty miles east of Naples in the rugged hills of the Apennine Mountains. In the foothills, a series of very narrow valleys were located. The Germans used these natural fortifications, especially the hills, to entrench their soldiers. Then they inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing Americans as they moved through the valleys. The 3rd Infantry attacked these strongholds three times before making any advancement. It was only with the help of Allied aircraft bombings that forward progression was possible.

On September 12, 1943, German infantry troops mounted several counterattacks. These assaults cost the American military a rather high number of casualties. As a result, the Germans temporarily halted the American drive toward the city. With the aid of Allied bombers and fighter aircraft, by September 14, Salerno was virtually secured and in the hands of the Allies. The Allies continued the drive and finally pushed the German Army to the Volturno River, just north of Naples, but it had not been easy. The 3rd Infantry paid a high price for their success, and the division’s blood was shed every step of the way.

As the 3rd Infantry continued its assault northward, it eventually approached the town of Cassino less than ninety 61

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miles southwest of Rome. The fighting in the days to come would be brutal as America’s losses were tremendous. Before the actual attack on the city was launched, Private Malcolm was killed. He was wounded during the skirmishes that led up to the fighting at Cassino on November 21, 1943, near the city of Mignano, Italy. He suffered a severe skull fracture, and his body received numerous shrapnel wounds when a tremendous enemy artillery barrage fell upon Company D. Dallas emerged from the attack unscathed as his old friend lay dying on the battlefield. Darrel died a short time later from his wounds before he could receive medical attention. His wounds were so severe that even with immediate medical aid, Darrel would not have survived. He was first buried at the United States Military Cemetery at Marzanello Nuovo, Italy, in Plot D, Row 7, Grave 81.

The office of the Adjutant General (AG) sent a letter confirming his death to his parents in early January . In the letter, the AG sent a comforting message to the Malcolm family that read in part, “I know the sorrow this message has brought you, and it is my hope that in time, the knowledge of his heroic service in defense of his country, even unto death may be of sustaining comfort to you.” The family received the news just one week after their second son Alston left for the Navy and eventually joined the fighting in the Pacific. The close-knit community of Fort Run sent condolences to the family, and many neighbors gathered at the Malcolm home to show their support. The Malcolm family hung the gold star flag in their window, letting the community know of their son’s great sacrifice.

Shortly after the first letter was sent to the Malcolm family, a second letter followed from the War Department. This letter concerned the exact burial place Darrel’s body in a European graveyard. In the message, the government reassured the family of the careful handling and the security of the burial place. The letter read, “You may be assured that the identification and interment have been accomplished with fitting dignity and solemnity.” It 62

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went on to say, “This cemetery is located approximately nineteen miles southeast of Cassino, Italy, and is under the constant care and supervision of United States military personnel.” The letter also assured the family that, eventually, they would have the opportunity to decide on the final burial site of their fallen hero.

On March 15, 1944, Mrs. Malcolm sent a letter to the War Department. She was interested in the retrieval of any personal property of her son. She wrote, “I would like to know were any personal effects recovered belonging to Darrel N. Malcolm, A.S.N. 35742360. He was killed in action in Italy on November 21, 1943. I will be glad to receive any article regardless of size or what little value it may be. Please let me know whether or not anything was recovered.” Later, in the late spring of 1944, all of Darrel’s personal belongings were sent home to the family.

At this point in the war, Corporal Miller would have to push forward without his friend. Also, D Company would be less one very brave and strong combat soldier within its ranks. Shortly after Darrel’s death, Dallas became very ill and extremely weak from the intense fighting in Italy. He was sent to a local U.S. Army field hospital in Italy for medical tests. Fortunately, it was nothing too serious. He just needed some rest as he suffered from battle fatigue. Perhaps he was feeling a little distraught from the loss of his comrade and dear friend. Perhaps he was feeling lonely without the comfort of a buddy from home nearby. Dallas was not in the hospital long, and soon, he was back on the battlefield.

The German Army in northern Italy, although retreating, was still a powerful military force. They were not going to go quietly as they prepared for their next defensive stand. The Germans set up their next line of defense in the city of Cassino at the foot of the Apennine Mountains. Cassino was an ancient city situated at the confluence of the Liri and Rapido Rivers, which formed the Garigliano Valley. The valley was set below the ridges of the mountain range, which had several high peaks. The intentional flooding of the nearby Rapido River by German engineers made 63

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it impossible for Allied infantry troops to be supported by tanks and other heavy artillery. Therefore, American forces had to move forward and fight the Germans without artillery support.

On top of one of the mountains was the Benedictine Monastery at Monte Cassino. The facility was built in 529 AD and now blocked the road to Rome. The monastery was a well-built and large fortress. The Americans believed that the Germans were held up in the monastery and, therefore, the facility had to be destroyed.

With that belief, the Allied military ordered air strikes on the abbey. After a day of bombing, the facility was demolished.

However, the American reports of a German presence at the holy religious site were false. The United States Army Air Force destroyed the ancient and beautiful worship complex for nothing, which led to a great deal of controversy. Monte Cassino was dear to the hearts of the Italian population and was a center for Catholic worship that represented peace. Inside the monastery was a library containing ancient manuscripts and sacred religious texts. Now, because of war and inaccurate information, all were destroyed forever.

The Germans that were nearby quickly took advantage of the American mistake. The bombings created a lot of debris that the Germans used for gun emplacements and for concealing their troops. In order to advance, the Allied forces had no choice but to attack the German Army which was now hidden among the rubble of the destroyed monastery. The Germans called this line of defense the Gustav Line. The Americans launched attack after attack on the enemy but were unsuccessful in penetrating the German line of defense. With the stall in forward movement at the Monte Cassino, the Allies decided to open a second front.

The Allied military decided to land troops about sixty miles behind the German line in order to attack from both sides.

The site chosen for the landings was the city of Anzio, a small port on the west coast of Italy just twenty miles from Rome. The 64

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troops chosen to spearhead the landings were, of course, the 3rd Infantry Division under the command of General Lucas.

The division was supported from the sea by ships of the U.S. Navy and from the air by planes of the U.S. Army Air Force. The troops hit the beaches at Anzio on January 22, 1944, and quickly ran into a strong German army with heavy artillery weaponry and numerous Panzer tanks. The fighting was fierce, with both sides gaining ground and then losing that same ground. For the American infantry, the movement was measured in yards as the 3rd fought off numerous enemy counterattacks, including an attack on February 29, 1944, when the 3rd was assaulted by three German divisions.

The battle for survival was fierce, and in one day alone, the Americans suffered almost one thousand casualties. It was the largest amount of casualties suffered by any division in one day of fighting during the entire war. General Lucas was criticized for his lack of progress during the second assault and was replaced

by General Lucian Truscott. General Truscott, from Oklahoma, was a tough-minded leader who served in World War I and received his commission in 1917. The 3rd Division fought in this area until the end of May 1944 before breaking out. Eventually, the Allied armies met up with each other to continue the drive toward the German border. The 3rd Infantry was given a brief rest and enjoyed a happy Easter Sunday. Dallas wrote a letter home during this time to his family. In the letter, he stated, “We had a very good Easter. What made it good was that I had a dry fox hole and a good dinner.” Other than peace, what more could a soldier ask?

The holiday celebration did not last long, and shortly afterward, it was back to the fighting. On May 25, 1944, Corporal Dallas Miller was wounded in the knee and had to spend a few days in the Forty-Third Field Hospital. He also suffered from an infected heel from abrasions incurred from the long marches and from the mountainous fighting in Italy. Miller was released 65

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from the hospital and returned to full duty on June 2, 1944. Later in June, he was promoted to Sergeant. It was an honor for Dallas to be promoted to such a high enlisted rank. He just wished his old friend, Darrel, was around to watch him add another stripe to his uniform.

At this point in the Italian Campaign, the 3rd Infantry began to move forward and prepared for the upcoming invasion of France. They did so with an impeccable war record. The division had been successful in its assignment in North Africa. The unit had marched into Sicily and captured the cities of Palermo and Messina. Next, the division had driven into Italy and captured Salerno and other important Italian cities. The men of the 3rd Infantry Division were making a name for themselves and were definitely earning their military pay. On August 15, 1944, the Third Division landed at St. Tropez and proceeded north. The men marched through the Vogues Mountains as they continued to face stiff German resistance and traveled over hostile terrain.

In mid-September, while he was still in France, Dallas wrote one of his last letters home to his parents. Part of the letter was printed in the Moorefield Examiner dated September 27, 1944.

He wrote, “I guess you would like to know something about France. There isn’t much I can write but some things I can. The people here are very nice and kind-hearted. The girls are pretty nice, but one trouble I have is trying to talk to them. Things are clean-looking compared to other countries I have been in. There is a lot of pretty scenery, but none of it can compare with the good old USA.” As with most soldiers during the war, a young Dallas Miller had his thoughts on girls and home.

On October 25, 1944, the 15th Infantry Regiment was ordered to attack an element of the German Army that was held up in the city of Nice in southern France. As the infantry companies of the 15th moved forward against the well-fortified Germans, they were greeted with a tremendous barrage of artillery fire. One such artillery attack fell among K Company. This time, Sergeant 66

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Miller was not as lucky as he had been before. One shell landed among the troops and sent shrapnel flying everywhere. A large amount struck Dallas on the right side of his head, killing him instantly.

A letter was sent home to his parents in January 1945 from the Commanding Officer of the 15th Infantry Regiment telling them about their son’s death and of his bravery. The letter stated, “Your son was a brave and valiant soldier. During the time he was associated with this regiment, his devotion to duty and his adherence to the right were an inspiration to all with whom he came in contact.” The letter continued to say, “His death will make those of his comrades, with whom he notably served, fight a little harder in order that the end for which we are all striving will soon be achieved.”

The 3rd Infantry Division continued fighting in order to reach that end. The division crossed the Rhine River into Germany on March 26, 1945. It captured the cities of Nuremberg, Augsburg, and Munich. The men of the 3rd were about to enter the city of Salzburg when they received word of the German surrender.

The 3rd Infantry Division suffered more combat deaths in World War II than any other United States division. They suffered 13,101 battle casualties and 15,299 non-battle casualties for a total causality count of 28,400. The 15th Infantry Regiment suffered 1,633 soldiers Killed in Action during the war and over 5,800 Wounded in Action. However, one of the members of the regiment would go on to become the most decorated soldier in United States Military history. That soldier was Audie Murphy.

Murphy was a member of Company B, and during the fighting in Italy, he was a Private First Class. He later became a commissioned officer. Both Private Malcolm and Sergeant Miller, who were with D Company and K Company, respectively, fought with him and witnessed his tremendous bravery.

Sergeant Dallas Watson Miller spent almost two full years in the Army and was highly decorated for his service. He spent 67

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most of that time overseas fighting the Italians and the Germans.

Dallas received the Good Conduct Ribbon and the Combat Infantry Medal, and he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster for being wounded more than once in battle. He was wounded twice in the war, and the final wound proved fatal. He was only twenty-two years old when he was killed, just two months from his next birthday. Dallas participated in four military campaigns: North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and briefly in France. He was initially buried in France, but the family requested his body be brought back home. His final resting place was at the Baker United Methodist Church Cemetery, in the Miller family’s section. He was laid to rest there on May 23, 1948.

Private Darrel Norwood Malcolm spent just a little more than one year in the Army. He was highly decorated as well for his service. He received the Good Conduct Ribbon and the Combat Infantry Medal, and he was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. He was only twenty-one years old when he was killed, just one month from his next birthday. Darrel participated in three military campaigns during his short stint in the Army: North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. The family requested his body be sent back home for burial in the Malcolm family cemetery. On June 11, 1948, the body was removed and placed in a morgue in Port Naples. From there, it was placed on the ship the USAT Carroll Victory. Then, the large Liberty Ship sailed to the United States. The final journey was the train ride on a Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) rail to Keyser, West Virginia. From there, the undertaker transported the body to Moorefield. Darrel was reburied on October 1, 1948, in the graveyard located on the family farm on Powder Springs Road. Now, the two friends rest in the communities in which they grew up and became friends, only a few miles apart.

Both Hardy County soldiers were highly decorated for their contributions to the war, and so were many others in the Third 68

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Infantry Division. Seventy-one men received the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). The DSC, the second-highest military award given to a soldier in the United States Army, was first awarded during World War I in 1918. It is only preceded by the Medal of Honor. The award was for soldiers who showed extreme gallantry with disregard for one’s own life in combat action, but not to the degree of the criteria for the Medal of Honor. The bronze medal was in the shape of a cross and was suspended by a dark blue ribbon with red and white edges. The men of the 3rd earned a total of 1,438 Silver Stars, 2,385 Bronze Stars, and 21 Soldiers Medals for their bravery in World War II. The Third Infantry Division definitely made its mark throughout the history of the United States, and World War II was no exception. Both Malcolm and Miller made their impact as well. The Division was feared by the German Army. They referred to 3rd as the Sturm Division, or Storm Division, which was a name that the Germans honorably called their own welltrained and heroic fighting units. Even the propagandist radio broadcaster known as Berlin Sally honored the unit as she once said of the Marne Boys, “As long as there is blue and white paint, there will be the Third Infantry Division.”

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4 Ernest McCorkle, Flight Instructor Pilot Training during World War II In 1903, two brothers from Ohio traveled to the beach of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and, in front of five observers, made aviation history. The Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, on that cool and windy December day, launched the first successful controlled and powered air flight in world history. The Wright Brothers had been diligent in their pursuit of flight for many years.

They studied all the prior pioneers of flight, their publications, books and sketches. They tested all the theories of flight using balloons, kites, and gliders. They studied how wind played its role in flying, and they experimented with many different wing designs with the aid of their own constructed wind tunnel. Once they had the perfect winged glider design, they went to work on a propulsion system that would power the craft in order to create the speed necessary for sustained flight. The first engine they designed cranked out a mere twelve horsepower. That engine was attached to their chosen glider, which increased the craft’s entire weight to just over six hundred pounds. Orville, with the win of a coin toss, strapped himself onto the craft and flew a distance of one hundred and twenty feet, remaining airborne for twelve seconds.

After that historic first flight by the Wright brothers, the following years, from 1903 to 1916, can best be described as the experimental years of aviation. During these pioneering years, 70

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military leaders were convinced that this new invention could be used as a weapon of war. With that theory in mind, in 1908, the United States Army ordered its first airplane from the Wright Brothers. In 1911, the United States Congress appropriated $125,000 to the U.S. Army for aeronautical development. The money was used to purchase five airplanes. At the time of the bill’s passage, the Army had just one airplane and only one pilot. Immediately, after the allocation of increased funds, the Army experimented with numerous aspects of military flight, including two-way radio transmissions, aerial photography, and night flying techniques, bombing, and machine gun assaults from the air.

In the years leading up to World War I, the military continued its contribution to aviation as Congress invested more and more money in aeronautical development. In 1907, the Army opened the military’s first aviation school which was located in College Park, Maryland. Five years later the school was moved to San Diego, California, because of more favorable weather, which allowed it to fly and train pilots year-round. In 1912, the U.S. Army officially opened the school in San Diego at Rockwell Field on North Island. By 1913, the Army had increased its number of qualified pilots to twenty-four. Also that same year, the Aviation Division of the Signal Corps established the military’s first organized squadron of nine aircraft to work with the Second Infantry Division in a combined effort to protect America’s southern border.

During World War I, the Germans, British and French had an air force. At that time, America had only about 250 combat aircraft and no formally organized air force. The Army had many capable aviators and many more volunteers who wanted to become pilots. In order to learn to fly in combat and to fight in the war, many of those pilots joined the ranks of the British and the French in their attempts to battle the Germans. Many young American pilots were part of the famous French squadron 71

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known as the Lafayette Escadrille. The training and combat experience that these men acquired overseas were valuable in the formation of the Army’s two aviation units organized in the last year of the war. Those first flying organizations were the 94th and 103rd Aero Squadrons.

In those early years of aviation, there were no stringent qualifications for becoming a military pilot, and the training curriculum was somewhat facile. At first, a candidate from the Army simply applied for the opportunity to enroll in an aviation school regardless of military rank. After acceptance, the cadet was enrolled in a ground school course that lasted for eight weeks.

After ground school was completed, the soldier was placed in a program that consisted of a three-phase course and was trained on just one aircraft. That aircraft was the JN4, also known as the “Jenny.” The JN4 was built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company in two assembly plants in upstate New York. The company was founded by aviation pioneer Glenn Hammond Curtiss, who in 1909 won the world’s first air meet, which was held in Reims, France. The first phase of pilot training included dual instruction with a qualified pilot. The second phase gave the cadet the opportunity to practice solo flying, while phase three was an introduction to cross-country flying. After completing the course, the graduating pilot was given a commission in the United States Army and a set of pilot wings.

During World War II, pilot training was also divided into three phases. However, the training was much more rigorous and required familiarity with more than one aircraft. The curriculum was more detailed and longer in duration, at least at first. In the later years of the war, with the need for replacement pilots, the training was dangerously shortened. Regardless of the need for qualified pilots or the duration of pilot certification, potential aviators still needed to be trained. They needed to be trained by experienced and qualified pilots like Hardy’s Hero Carter McCorkle. McCorkle became an aviator and an officer in the 72

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United States Army. He was a descendant of a family who had a distinguished and honored history of military service.

The McCorkle family was of Scots-Irish descent and can trace their American roots as far back as 1720 with the patriarch Samuel McCorkle. The first family members of the McCorkles landed in Philadelphia and followed the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road to the area of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Before the American Revolution, members of the family moved from Pennsylvania into the Shenandoah Valley. Three of Samuel’s sons played a key role in the settlement of Augusta County near Staunton, Virginia. Robert McCorkle fought in the Revolutionary War and was with the Continental Army at Valley Forge. His two brothers, Samuel Jr. and John, also fought during the war.

John was present at Yorktown when the British surrendered to General George Washington on October 19, 1791. Other family members of the McCorkle clan soon moved west during the years of expansion into Kentucky and West Virginia.

Ernest Carter McCorkle was born on November 18, 1919, in Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the community of Mill Creek. Hampshire County, named for Hampshire, England, was chartered in 1754, making it the oldest county in presentday West Virginia. Carter, as he preferred to be called, was the son of Ernest Lamar McCorkle and Nan Hutcheson (Ludwick) McCorkle. The family moved from Hampshire County to neighboring Hardy County in the community of Old Fields after Mr. McCorkle passed away at the age of 52. Mr. McCorkle died on November 21, 1928, after the couple had been married for only twelve years. Carter was only nine years old when his father died, and his youngest brother was only one year old. Mr. McCorkle was buried in the Woodbine Cemetery in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he grew up.

Nan’s father, James Ludwick, owned a general store in Hampshire County in the community known as the Junction.

Ernest and Nan operated and managed the general store up until 73

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the year that Ernest died. After her husband’s death, Nan, with the help of her father, purchased another store, which was in the Old Fields area of Hardy County. Mrs. McCorkle managed the new location and served as Postmistress for the area for many years before selling the business.

Carter had three younger brothers, Andrew, William, and Dwight. He had one older brother, Tazewell. Four of those young men carried on the military traditions of family members of years past. Tazewell served as an officer in the United States Army during World War II. William served in the United States Merchant Marines, and Dwight graduated from the Augusta Military Academy in Virginia and served in the Navy during World War II. It was not an easy life for Mrs. McCorkle, having to raise five boys on her own, but the family managed with the help of Nan’s sister, who moved in with the family. The McCorkles were members of the Moorefield Presbyterian Church, which was built in 1837. The church celebrated its 100-hundred-year anniversary the year Carter graduated from high school. The family attended the celebration, which included an official dedication complete with gospel singing and a very large picnic.

Carter attended grammar school in the community of Old Fields, where he was an exceptional student. After grammar school, he attended Moorefield High School. In high school, he played football, basketball, golf, and tennis. Carter earned the silver basketball award for his play on the hardwood and for his high academic accomplishments. Carter graduated from Moorefield High School in 1937 along with Hardy’s Hero Hilton Kessel, who would also contribute to the war effort by becoming an aviator. After graduating high school, Carter applied and was accepted to Potomac State College. Potomac State was a two-year college located in Keyser in Mineral County, West Virginia. The school was founded in 1901 and was first known as the Keyser Preparatory Branch of West Virginia.

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After completing his first year of college, Carter returned home to Old Fields. However, his stay at home was brief. In just days, he left for Morgantown to study engineering at West Virginia University (WVU) during both summer sessions. In the fall, he returned to Potomac State College to finish his undergraduate studies. According to the Potomac State yearbook, known as the Catamount, which was a breed of cougar, Carter was a very active student. He was a member of Theta Sigma Chi Fraternity, a member of the Engineer’s Club, and in 1939 he served as the club’s president. He was active in intramural sports and was a member of the Sports Club. The yearbook described him as “Tall….West Point….Likable....Studious”. Carter earned his associate’s degree and graduated in 1939.

Carter McCorkle was the first Potomac State student to be killed during World War II. Another student of the 1939 graduating class was killed in the war before Carter. However, at the time of Carter’s death, that student was reported as Missing in Action and was not confirmed to have been killed.

Later, it was confirmed and officially announced that the soldier had been killed in the War in the Pacific. Since Carter’s death was officially confirmed first, he was validated as the first soldier from Potomac State College to be killed during World War II. Interestingly, out of that graduating class of 1939, a total of three young men lost their lives in the war. All three boys were members of Theta Sigma Chi. Carter was inducted into the United States Army and was a member of the Army Air Force. He was not drafted into the armed forces and was one of many men from Hardy County who enlisted or volunteered for military service. Early in his military career, Carter had visions of becoming a pilot. In September 1940, he began working toward making that dream a reality. To 75

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launch his flying career, he was stationed and trained at Hickam Field in Hawaii, where he was accepted as a flying cadet. Hickam Field was constructed in 1934 and covered 2,225 acres. The following year, on May 31, the field was dedicated and named for Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam, who was from Indiana. Colonel Hickam was an aviation pioneer and a graduate of the United States Military Academy in 1908. He was killed in a plane crash in Texas in 1934 while participating in nighttime practice landings. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hickam Field was bombed and suffered extensive damage. A total of 139 men were killed during the attack while stationed at Hickam Field. Out of the fifty planes on the ground that day at the airfield, most were destroyed during the attack.

During the first part of 1941, Carter was ordered to California and consequently served the remainder of his military career in the Thirty-First State. While stationed in California, he was assigned to the Allen Hancock College of Aeronautics in Santa Maria. Hancock College was a civilian flying school that provided a ten-week course in primary aircraft flying and handling. Although a civilian school, Hancock College worked in connection with the United States Army to provide pilot training. McCorkle was stationed at the school to study the first phase of pilot training, the primary phase. Carter enjoyed his time at the school and performed exceptionally.

After completing phase one of his training at Allen Hancock, Carter was then stationed at Moffett Field, which was located about thirty-five miles south of San Francisco. Moffett Field was built in the 1930s by the United States Navy. The airfield included a large hangar which was built to house the USS Macon, a 784foot airship. In 1935, the airship crashed, and the facility was taken over by the government and given to the United States Army. The airfield and the flight school became part of the Western Flying Training Command (WFTC) in 1939 as headquarters for the training of army pilots and aircrew. McCorkle arrived at Moffett 76

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Field on March 18, 1941, for a twenty-week instructional course in basic aviation.

On June 15, 1941, Carter graduated from the flight school at Moffett Field among a class of 180 students. He was then sent to his final phase of training at the United States Army Advance School of Aviation, which was located in Stockton, California.

He completed that ten-week course in late 1941, just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and was promoted to Second Lieutenant. By this time in his career, Carter had become a very good pilot and was chosen by the United States Army to be an aviation instructor. He had no problem accepting the challenge of being a flight instructor. Lt. McCorkle began training pilots in 1942, and later in the year, he was promoted to First Lieutenant.

However, before reporting to his new duty station, he came back home to Moorefield to visit with his family and friends. While at home in December, Carter, as did all people in America, received the devastating news of the Japanese attack on the United States.

As would any military officer, Carter cut his visit short and returned to California to join his unit.

Upon returning to California, Carter was stationed at Lemoore Army’s Flying School, also part of the Western Flying Training Command. The training facility and its airfield were actually located nine miles southwest of the city of Lemoore.

Construction of the facility began in 1941 and was completed in 1942. The Federal Government acquired 1,466 acres of land in Kings County in order to construct the training field. The airfield was used throughout the war by the Fourth Army Air Force for pilot training. After the war, the military no longer needed the facility, so it closed in 1945. Lt. McCorkle was a flight instructor at Huron Auxiliary Field, which was one of the first airfields completed at Lemoore’s training facility.

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Pilot Training during World War II

To begin the process of becoming a pilot during World War II, a soldier petitioned the military for permission to enter a flight training program. Once the potential pilot was selected, he was given a thorough physical examination by military physicians.

After passing the physical, the soldier was sent to a Classification Center. During this step in the process, the cadet spent between two and four weeks participating in both mental and physical assessment tests. The physical exams were designed to determine if the candidate was physically capable of handling the intensity of pilot training. The mental exams were designed to determine if the candidate had the intelligence level needed to understand the complexities involved in operating a military aircraft.

At the conclusion of the testing phase, each cadet was given a rating from one through nine to determine the aircrew position that best suited that candidate. The initial assessment, first, determined if the cadet was qualified to continue pilot training. If the cadet did not qualify for pilot training continuance, he could become a navigator or a bombardier. Both aircraft positions, the bombardier and the navigator, were important to the overall success of a bombing mission. The suggested aircrew position was solely based on the performance of the individual during assessment training.

The next step in pilot training was the assignment to a PreFlight School, which was divided into two separate curricula: military training and aerodynamics training. Military training was a six-week program that was similar to boot camp. The cadet received rigorous training in military discipline, Army drills, and indoctrination in military code of conduct and the U.S. Army’s chain of command. The cadet also received small arms marksmanship training, usually with a .45 caliber pistol. The military training phase also consisted of sixty hours of physical training that determined the endurance of the candidate.

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The aerodynamics phase of pilot training was a four-week program that presented the soldier with basic aviation skills and general knowledge. It was during this phase that the cadet actually flew in an aircraft. The program consisted of navigation training through mathematical applications and the study of maps and charts. The cadet experienced the effects of oxygen deprivation in a pressure chamber at high altitudes. He studied the laws of physics, meteorology, and aerodynamics. He was also taught aircraft recognition and the Army’s aircraft designation system.

During World War II, military aircraft designations were denoted by a series of numbers and letters reflecting the plane’s mission or purpose as well as the plane’s chronological number in service and its many modifications. The first character in a plane’s designation was a letter or letters of the alphabet beginning with A, which noted the function of the aircraft. For instance, the letter B stood for Bomber. The letter T stood for Trainer. The letter P stood for Pursuit. The letter in the airplane’s designation was followed by a number, which simply was the number of that type of plane ordered or purchased by the military. The number was followed by a second letter, which denoted modifications or variations in the design of the aircraft. For example, the B-17A, the B was for Bomber, it was the 17th bomber used by the Army, and A was the first B-17 model that was manufactured. The B-17B was next in production but was slightly different in design from the A model because the length of the airplane was extended.

It was during the Pre-Flight phase of training when the majority of candidates failed the course, which was known as being “washed out.” The cadet usually failed to pass the physical training test or failed the exams in physics or mathematics.

Others failed the ten hours of simulator training or simply did not do well on the actual dual flight with an instructor due to air sickness. After the grueling days of military and aerodynamic training were completed and if the candidate passed the 79

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qualifications to become a pilot, he entered flight school and began the three phases of aviator training.

Phase one was known as the Primary Phase. This phase required 200 hours of classroom activities and less time in the cockpit. The course presented the cadet with basic aircraft familiarization, including cockpit instrument identification and other aircraft systems. Instruction was given on mission planning, preflight inspections, and basic weather classes. Also, during the first phase, the cadet was instructed in the correct way to put on and deploy a parachute. After aerodynamic introduction and aircraft familiarization, it was time to get aboard an airplane.

The actual flying segment of phase one required the cadet to log at least 70 flight hours. The majority of those hours consisted of dual instruction with a qualified pilot. The pilot demonstrated to the cadet the correct way to pilot an aircraft during takeoff, how to fly straight and level in an approach pattern, and then how to safely land the aircraft. After the dual flight, the cadet was to repeat those same functions alone on a solo flight. The U.S. Army used several aircraft in pilot training during phase one, including the Steadman PT-17 and the Fairchild PT-19 (Primary Trainers).

Phase two was known as the Basic Phase. This phase required 90 hours of flight training and less time in the classroom. The course presented the cadet with more detailed aircraft training and solo flights, including nighttime and instrument flying.

During phase two, the cadet was taught to fly in military formations and to perform critical maneuvers such as barrel rolls and tight turns. Most importantly, the student was given the task of flying an aircraft that could reach a maximum speed of 180 mph. The two main aircraft for basic flight training were the BT13 and the BT-15 (Basic Trainers).

The final test given to the cadet during phase two was the check ride. During this flight, the student was evaluated and scored on his ability to fly the plane in the basic phase before 80

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certification to move to the advanced phase. Upon completion of phase two, the cadet was classified as a fighter pilot or a bomber pilot. The classification was solely based on the student’s performance and the instructor’s recommendation rather than the personal preference of the cadet. If a candidate was chosen as a pursuit or fighter pilot, then he would go to a Single Engine Advanced School. If he was chosen to fly bigger aircraft, the trainee would go to a Twin Engine Advanced School.

Phase three was known as the Advanced Phase. This phase required 120 hours of single-engine flight training and very little time in the classroom. The course presented the cadet with the vast range of flying at high speeds at ground level to flying at cruising speeds at maximum altitude. While flying at high altitude, the pilot learned how to use an oxygen mask.

During this phase of training, the cadet used weapons for the first time. He learned how to fire the aircraft’s mounted machine guns at both stationary and moving targets. With the help of cameras, the trainee could examine his shooting skills. Finally, the pilot trainee learned to fly a more powerful plane at a high rate of speed, like the North American AT-6, which had a 600 horsepower engine that could propel the aircraft to a maximum speed of 208 mph and could reach altitudes of 24,000 feet.

For the candidate that was assigned to a twin-engine school, the training had some very distinct differences from the training at the single-engine school. Since the twin-engine plane was much larger, it was more difficult to fly and could travel further distances. Therefore, more emphasis was placed on instrumentation and navigation. With these longer flights, a pilot’s overall endurance and stamina were critical, and only the most physically fit qualified. Finally, the cadet had to be familiar with flight maps and navigational charts for the many theaters of war, including the European and the Pacific Theater of Operations. The twin-engine aircraft used for phase three 81

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training was the Curtiss Wright AT-9 and the Beechcraft AT-10 (Advanced Trainers), known as the “Wichita.”

After graduation, a single-engine pilot was assigned to a pursuit squadron in the States for further training and eventually sent to the war. The twin-engine pilot had one more school to attend: the Transition Flying School. The Transition Phase was a nine-week course where the pilot learned to fly a large bomber.

He would spend a lot of time flying and an equal amount of time in the classroom. He flew long cross-country flights and practiced bombing runs. He also practiced emergency drills such as responding to an engine failure or an onboard fire.

Finally, he learned how to fly in all types of weather conditions.

The main aircraft for this transition phase was the Beechcraft AT-11, known as the “Kansan.” Upon completion, the pilot was assigned to a bomber squadron in the States for further training and eventually sent to the war.

In April 1943, Lieutenant McCorkle was promoted to the rank of Captain after successfully making a required cross-country flight. With the promotion, he was the highest-ranking soldier of Hardy’s Heroes to be killed in the war. Capt. McCorkle trained cadets in phase two of pilot training. It was a huge honor for Carter to go from aviation training directly to training military personnel to become pilots. It was also a noble distinction to train potential pilots not in the Primary Phase of training but during the more technical phase of pilot training, the Basic Phase.

Capt. McCorkle trained cadets to fly the BT-13 and BT-15 basic trainer aircraft. The BT-13 and the BT-15 were known as the “Valiant.” They were built by the Vultee Aircraft Corporation.

The Vultee Aircraft Corporation began in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, by Jerry Vultee and Vance Breese. In 1939, the company merged with the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation and became the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, which built the two aircraft. The two basic trainers saw their first flights later that year. Pilots who flew the Valiant affectionately 82

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nicknamed the plane the “Vultee Vibrator” because of the plane’s distinctive sound that was made by the rapidly turning propeller.

The BT-13 crew consisted of a student and an instructor.

The plane was over twenty-eight feet long and stood over eleven feet high with a wing span of forty-two feet. The engine was a Pratt and Whitney radial power plant design that produced 450 horsepower. The plane had a maximum speed of 155 mph with a range of 880 miles and could fly as high as 19,400 feet. During World War II, over 11,000 Valiants were produced between the years of 1940-1944. The only difference between the BT-13 and the BT-15 was that the later plane was powered by an engine built by the Wright Company. The BT-13 and BT-15 were both used in the second phase of military pilot training at the Western Flight Training Command.

While serving with the WFTC, Captain McCorkle was promoted to Squad Commander. The promotion was not an increase in military rank or pay but in title and responsibility. This position gave Carter an administrative duty and a high position of authority and made actual pilot training his secondary duty.

His new primary duties while at Lemoore Airfield consisted of organizing flight training for all pilots and initiating safety policies for airmen in the air and for aircrews on the ground.

After construction was finally completed at Lemoore Airfield, the facility not only grew in size but also in complexity.

The runways were approximately 3,000 feet long, and the airstrips were initially not paved. They were made of dirt, which made landing in rainy weather virtually impossible. When the final stages of construction were complete, all the airstrips were paved, making takeoff and landings much easier and safer. The training facility had six school squadrons for pilot training, numbered from 527 through 532. Each training school incorporated six satellite airfields around the training facility.

Those fields were named Huron, Indian, Murray, West, Summit Lake, and Helm Auxiliary Fields. When all six fields were being 83

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used simultaneously, the area was highly congested with training aircraft. That was especially evident in 1943 when pilot training was at its peak.

On May 25, 1943, Army Air Force Pilot Second Lieutenant Eliot Barber and his student Aviation Cadet Clifford Pilcher took off from Indian Auxiliary Field around 9:35 A.M. Lt. Barber had been a certified pilot since June 1942. McCorkle and Barber had once been classmates during pilot training. Carter McCorkle had graduated before Eliot Barber and, by this time, was a captain and outranked his fellow aviator. The purpose of Barber’s and Pilcher’s mission that day was a local instructional training flight.

During the flight, Cadet Pilcher was directed to practice flying on cockpit instruments only and not visual flying. The men were aboard a BT-15 with the aircraft designation number 42-4134 and identification number S-133.

On that same morning, Army Air Force pilot Capt. Carter McCorkle decided that he would personally take on the mission of training one of the students in his command. He did so to keep planned flight schedules from getting behind. His cadet was ready for that training phase, and the captain did not want to make him wait for an available instructor. Carter wanted to train the cadet personally to get him urgently promoted. He and his student, Aviation Cadet Jack Young, took off from Huron Auxiliary Field around 9:40 A.M. McCorkle had been a certified pilot since August 1941 and had been training pilots for a year. The purpose of their mission that day was also a local instructional training flight to teach Cadet Young instrument-only flying. The men were aboard a BT-15 with the aircraft designation number 41-10198 and identification number R-332.

The official military Aircraft Accident Report, in the Description of Accident Section, which was written by Director of Flying Lt. Colonel Roland H. Leisy, states what happened at 9:50 A.M. Leisy wrote, “Captain Ernest C. McCorkle with A/C J. W. Young, student, in airplane BT-15A, R-332 and 2nd LT. 84

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Eliot R. Barber with A/C C. A. Pilcher, student, in airplane BT15A, R-133, were involved in a mid-air collision approximately one mile southeast of Huron Auxiliary Field. Evidence indicates that this collision happened approximately 2,000 feet in the air outside the traffic pattern. The purpose of the flight was a student instrument ride and from all testimony, the rated pilots were in the front seat. While no witnesses saw the actual contact of the two planes, they stated that R-332 (McCorkle’s plane) split from an altitude of approximately 2,000 to 1,500 feet and assumed a vertical altitude, striking the ground with full throttle and bursting into flames. R-133 (Barber’s plane) apparently lost its tail surface and part of a wing and flew into the ground. Evidence indicated that there was no apparent effort on the part of either pilot to recover from the ensuing dive after the collision.”

Based on the fact that Barber’s plane lost its tail section on initial impact, McCorkle’s plane may have flown into the other aircraft no matter which pilot was at fault. There was no eyewitness that actually saw the two planes collide. The few witnesses who were interviewed by the military only saw the two planes plummeting to earth after the mid-air collision. Both pilots would have been busy monitoring their trainees and the plane’s instruments and very likely never saw the other plane.

The accident report continued to advise pilots of new changes in this type of instrument flying and training. The report concluded, “Cause instructors to follow the new directive and inform students of corrections in terms of the airplane’s attitude of instrument readings. This will require instructors to look around more outside the airplane.” Good advice and a good change in policy for future aircrews, but a bit too late for these four brave aviators on May 25, 1943.

The contribution of Captain Ernest Carter McCorkle, serial number 0424414, cannot be measured in the number of battles fought or in the number of medals or ribbons earned and not by the number of enemies he killed. Instead, it can be measured by 85

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the number of aviation cadets who went on to have successful air combat flights or bombing missions based on his expertise and his flying instructions. Captain McCorkle gave his life so that others might not have to give theirs over the skies of Europe or above the waters of the Pacific. When he died, he was just 24 years old and had a long, promising military career ahead. The fatal crash on that day in May led to important changes in pilot training so that such a collision could be avoided in the future.

After the crash, Capt. McCorkle’s body was brought home for burial at Olivet Cemetery in Moorefield, West Virginia, where he was buried with full military honors. His body was accompanied by his close friend, Commander of Lemoore Field Captain Blanton J. Clark. The funeral for Captain McCorkle was on a grand scale never before witnessed in Hardy County. It was attended by many of its local citizens and many citizens from other parts of the country. A total of twenty-five servicemen and ex-servicemen participated in the memorial and funeral services. The entourage included a military rifle squad who fired a twenty-one-gun salute. A color guard escorted the body to the grave site, where a bugler played taps. Just two months after burying her oldest son, Mrs. McCorkle passed away after surgery at the Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser. She was only 59 years old. Mrs. McCorkle was laid to rest in Olivet Cemetery next to her beloved son and fallen hero.

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5 Cletus Tusing, Daredevil in the Clouds Missions over Western Europe During the 1930s, many world nations began spending massive amounts of money on aircraft production. The old biplane with an open cockpit and stationary landing gear was being replaced by the monoplane with a closed cockpit and retractable landing gear. The advent of new and costly materials used in aircraft construction made planes lighter yet stronger. Powerful aircraft engines were being developed that made airplanes fly faster, farther, and higher than ever before. Almost on a daily basis, records in speed, distance, and altitude were being set and broken. In the late 1930s, Great Britain was working on a new technology that would ultimately aid in winning the war for the Allies. That innovation was radar. With all these technological advancements, it was apparent that aviation would play a decisive role in the outcome of World War II. It was obvious to each warring nation that they needed to manufacture as many airplanes with all the latest technologies as possible in order to ensure victory in the skies.

When World War II began, the United States had only 14,000 military aircraft. Also, production levels in the U.S. of newly built aircraft were at a minimum. For instance, in 1940, America manufactured only 6,000 new planes as compared to 11,000 each by Germany and the Soviet Union. Great Britain led the world in aircraft production in 1940 by constructing nearly 87

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16,000 new planes. After the United States entered the war in 1942, Congress appropriated more money for the construction of military aircraft, and aircraft production levels soon increased.

In 1943, American workers turned out 85,000 planes, and the following year, they built 96,000. The aircraft plants in the States manufactured a staggering 300,000 new planes from 1940 to 1945, doubling the amount of any other nation involved in the war. Also, by 1940, most of the industrialized nations around the world had some version of an organized air force.

At the outset of the war, the United States lagged behind other nations in the formation of an independent air force. The first attempt of America’s military to organize an air force came shortly after World War I. The organization was known as the United States Army Air Service and was established in 1920.

However, the service lasted only seven years due to budget cuts, poor structuring, and differences among military leaders as to the role of aircraft in the Air Service. Some military leaders believed the airplane should be used as a weapon in support of infantry troops and other ground forces and, therefore, assigned to the United States Army. Other aviation opponents, led by General Billy Mitchell, felt it should be assigned its own separate branch and operate independently. General Mitchell was a World War I aviator and was the Army Air Service’s first Deputy Director.

Eventually, the Army Air Service was declared insufficient for military combat and was replaced in 1926.

On July 2, 1926, Congress created the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). The Air Corps was still assigned to the Army but was much more structured in its chain of command than the Air Service. The Army Air Corps was commanded by General Henry “Hap” Arnold. General Arnold, from Pennsylvania, was an American aviation pioneer who had received flight training from the Wright Brothers. Higher in the Air Corps chain of command, military planners created the office of Assistant Secretary of War, whose job was to oversee all aspects of military aeronautics.

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Leaders of the new air organization created numerous offices to supervise other duties of aviation, such as aircraft maintenance, aviation supplies, and the training of aircrew and ground support personnel. With all these new policies and offices and with its structured command in place, the Air Corps began to grow in both personnel and in aircraft. In 1932, the USAAC had 14,650 men and 1,646 aircraft. By 1941, the USAAC had grown to 152,215 men and 6,777 aircraft. On June 20, 1941, the Army Air Corps became known as the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). This air organization would lead American airmen into World War II. In the Army Air Force, the basic component of aircraft organization was the squadron, which consisted of twelve to twenty-four aircraft. Three or four squadrons made up the group, and the many groups made up the numbered Air Force.

A group can somewhat be compared to the Army’s infantry division and the squadron to the Army’s infantry regiment. The United States Army Air Force at the outset of the war consisted of four numbered Air Forces, 1 through 4. By the end of the war, that number had grown to sixteen. One of the most important, effective, and honored numbered Air Forces of World War II was the Eighth Air Force. Hardy County had two airmen who fought in that storied Air Force. One was a flight engineer with a bomber group, and the other was a pilot with a fighter group.

The Hardy’s Hero who was assigned to a USAAF fighter group was Cletus Tusing.

Cletus Wellington Tusing was born on March 23, 1922, in Hardy County, West Virginia, in the small community of Fabius.

The community was named for Fabius Hall, who fought gallantly in the American Civil War as part of the Twelfth West Virginia Infantry. Cletus was the son of Russell N. Tusing and Clara (Orndorff) Tusing. The Tusing family lived in the community of Rock Oak, which was located a few miles from Moorefield.

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Cletus had one brother whose name was Clifton. Mr. and Mrs. Tusing also raised two of Clara’s nieces, Uma and Thelma.

Cletus was a young man who was full of fun and mischief. This was exemplified in 1937 while he and seven other boys attended a Future Farmers of America (FFA) field trip to Washington, D.C. The Moorefield Examiner covered the trip and reported that the boys visited the United States Capitol Building to see Congress in session and visited the Smithsonian Institution. The boys also went to the Glen Echo Amusement Park, where they rode the thrilling roller-coasters and walked along the shores of Chesapeake Beach. More fun continued back at the hotel, according to the local newspaper, which stated, “Some way Cletus ended up wound tight in his sheets and tied to a bunk and his roommate found his bunk secured to the wall.” Even though he had a tendency to misbehave, Cletus was also a dedicated student because that same year he had perfect attendance at school and the following year as well.

Cletus graduated from Moorefield High School in 1939.

During his high school years, he was very active in academics and sports. He was president of the local chapter of the Future Farmers of America and vice president of both his junior and senior class. Cletus also performed with seven other classmates in the senior class play entitled, “The Jade Ring.” He played baseball and tennis and was a member of the Tennis Club. According to the 1939 Moorefield High School yearbook, his classmates predicted, “He would be a New York Times Correspondent and while on war assignments would have to dodge bombs in three countries.” That prophecy would partially come to fruition.

Although he was never a war correspondent, he did have to dodge enemy bombs and bullets in several countries.

After graduation from high school, Cletus moved to the Washington, D.C., area. In the nation’s capital, he worked as a general clerk for the Cherrydale Cement Block Company in Arlington, Virginia. After working in Virginia for two years, 90

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Cletus decided to join the Army rather than wait to be drafted. On January 3, 1942, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to enlist. After he was sworn into the military, he was ordered to Fort Meade, Maryland, for basic training. When boot camp concluded, Private Tusing, serial number 13044127, volunteered to join the Army Air Force. He was given the qualification physical and aptitude tests, and upon passing, he was accepted to train in aviation. He was then sent to the Pine Bluff School of Aviation in Arkansas to become a military pilot.

The airport at Pine Bluff was established in 1940 and was built by the city. The site and surrounding area was chosen by the Army Air Corps as a possible site for an aviation training school for pilots. The city agreed to the U.S. Army’s proposal and, in October 1940, leased the area to the Army. The Army began the construction of fourteen buildings, including an administration building, hangars, barracks, a mess hall (the Army term for a cafeteria,) and a control tower. The 750-acre field was called Grider Field. It was named in honor of Lt. John MacGavock Grider, who was from Osceola, a city in Mississippi County, Arkansas. Lt. Grider was a World War I pilot who was killed during the war while flying a pursuit mission over France on May 22, 1918. The instructional school used five auxiliary fields in the area for pilot training. Private and aviation cadet Tusing arrived in the late summer of 1942 and began the primary phase of pilot training. The curriculum was a ten-week course on the basics of aviation and aircraft familiarization.

After the primary phase of pilot training, Cletus was sent to Randolph Field in Universal City, Texas, near San Antonio.

The field was named for Captain William Randolph, a native of Austin, Texas and a graduate of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, later known as Texas A&M. Capt. Randolph was killed while flying a Curtiss AT-4 on a routine mission in severe weather. Randolph Field opened in 1931 and began training aviation cadets during the basic phase of pilot training. Later, 91

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the Army Air Force used Randolph Field as a training base for all three phases of pilot training: primary, basic, and advanced phases. When Cletus reported aboard, he was beginning the twelve-week basic phase. He finished the course in December 1942.

When he finished phase two of pilot training, he immediately began training in the final phase. Cletus began advanced training in December 1942 at Foster Field in Victoria, Texas. Foster Field was established in the spring of 1941 as an advanced training phase flying school for pilots. The base began as a 1,000-acre site, on which construction of facilities began in April 1941. The base was activated on May 15, 1941, when the first set of cadets arrived. The base was named in honor of Lieutenant Arthur Lee Foster from Georgetown, Texas. Lt. Foster was a United States Army Air Corps flight instructor who was killed in a plane crash on February 10, 1925, at Brooks Field in San Antonio, Texas.

During the final stage of pilot training, in early 1943, Cletus was given the chance to fly advanced trainers, fighters, or bombers. Cletus and the U.S. Army decided that he was best suited to be a fighter pilot. Upon graduation from the advanced phase, he was sent to group combat training and transitional training. The top finishers in the class were commissioned and promoted to Second Lieutenant. Cletus finished in the top half of his class, received his pilot wings, and was promoted to Second Lieutenant. He was given the new serial number O-675809, the O standing for officer. In March, he was sent to Richmond, Virginia, to the 325th Fighter Squadron Army Air Base.

Shortly after arriving in Richmond, Tusing took the time to write a letter to the Moorefield Examiner back in Hardy County.

The letter was for the benefit of the entire county, but specifically to the men who would soon be going to serve in the military.

The letter appeared in the March 31, 1943, edition of the local paper. Cletus wrote, “I am doing my best to fly P-40’s and P-17’s.

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make this job as short as possible. I know that we are all good Americans, and no matter how heavy the load, we will come through to Victory.”

The P-17 Cletus referred to in the letter was actually the PT-17 and was a pilot trainer. The plane was still used at Army Airfield Richmond to transition a new pilot from a training aircraft to a more advanced aircraft. The Boeing Stearman PT-17 was first used by the United States Navy for pilot training. The Army Air Corps realized that the plane was conducive to their needs and eventually decided to use the aircraft to train their pilots as well. The Stearman was built in 1934 and cost just over $8,500 to manufacture. It was a rugged and solidly constructed two-seat open-cockpit aircraft that had a fixed tail wheel and fixed main landing gear. To Cletus, it was still a training aircraft until he was qualified to fly the P-40.

The P-40, known as the “War Hawk,” was an American single-engine and single-seat fighter plane built by the Curtiss Wright Corporation at its main plant in Buffalo, New York. The all-metal fighter and ground attack plane first flew in 1938. It was the first mass-produced World War II aircraft as over 14,000 were constructed. Many Allied nations, at least twenty-eight, flew the P-40 in combat in the three theaters of war. They flew in North Africa, in Europe, and in the Pacific. The versatile plane was used throughout the entire war. The British Air Force called the plane the “Tomahawk” and first used it in combat on June 11, 1941, in North Africa. The plane was made available to the British through the United States Congress’s Lend-Lease policy.

The War Hawk was a well-built aircraft that had good agility.

Pilots liked the fact that it was also one of the tightest turning monoplane fighters of the war. They also liked the heavy armor that surrounded the cockpit and the engine. This enabled the P-40 to withstand considerable enemy fire and structural damage and still bring both pilot and aircraft back home safely. The early models of the P-40 had armaments that consisted of two .50 93

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caliber front machine guns and two smaller Browning machine guns mounted in each wing, which lasted for a total of four. Later models carried a total of six machine guns with the addition of two more in each wing. The plane was thirty-two feet long, had a wing span of thirty-seven feet, and could reach an altitude of 30,000 feet.

The P-40 was equipped with a single Allison V-1710 engine, which produced 1,150 horsepower and allowed the plane to reach a speed of 235 mph. Later versions of the engine produced 1,360 horsepower and flew the fighter aircraft to a speed of 362 mph. The P-40 was made famous by the 99th Fighter Squadron which was known as the “Retails.” The 99th was the only African American flying fighter squadron during the war. The P-40 was also made famous by the “Flying Tigers,” which was the first American volunteer group to fly with the Chinese Air Force during the early years of the war from 1941 to 1942. Although the P-40 was used extensively in the war, its performance was no match for later fighter aircraft such as the P-47 “Thunderbolt” or the P-51 “Mustang,” which was possibly the greatest American fighter plane of World War II. When the plane was delivered to the Army, the Mustang would make the 8th Air Force insuperable.

The Eighth Air Force, to which Lt. Tusing was assigned, was activated on January 2, 1942, at Savannah Air Base in Savannah, Georgia. The command of the force was placed in the hands of Major General Carl Spaatz from Pennsylvania. General Spaatz graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1914 and served in World War I. He was one of the first American aviators to fly combat missions in battle. During the war, he was credited with downing three enemy aircraft. In May 1942, members of the 8th were sent to England for advanced training and to provide aerial protection for the island nation. The Eighth Army Air Force established their headquarters at Bushy Park in London, England, and was assigned to the European Theater of Operations. During the war, the Eighth Army Air Force grew to 94

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be the largest organization of all American Air Forces. The force was known as “The Mighty Eighth,” and its pilots flew by the motto of “Peace through Strength.”

In late April 1943, Cletus was given a brief furlough before being sent to his next duty station as a member of the Eighth.

With transfer orders in hand, the young pilot came home to Hardy County to visit with his parents. He also took the opportunity to visit other relatives and friends. Before he left, his parents held a family get-together at their home to honor their son’s military accomplishments. Cletus reported to Richmond Army Airfield in early March to join the 358th Fighter Group. The 358th Fighter Group was established on December 20, 1942. The group flew to the motto of “With Sword and Wings,” and its aviators were known as the “Orange Tails.” The organization had recently made Richmond its home base and was officially formed there on January 1, 1943. At this point in his career, Second Lieutenant Tusing was beginning to learn to fly the P-47 Thunderbolt. The P-47 was the latest plane built for the Army Air Force and was known to its pilots as the “Jug” because of its shape.

While Lt. Tusing was stationed at Richmond, he flew home to Moorefield to see his parents in his new P-47. He was only in for one day and landed at the small airstrip outside of town, which had recently been constructed for the war effort. He soon returned to his plane to fly back to Richmond. After takeoff, he decided to have a little fun with the citizens of Hardy County.

He initially flew over the town on a normal pass at a proper altitude. His next approach was more noticeable as he flew over the town at tree-top level to purposely “buzz” his hometown.

As he flew over, the plane made a tremendous roar that scared the townspeople. He then waved goodbye, dipped his wings, and headed back to Richmond. In the days following the event, Mr. Tusing was in town on business, and he told his friends, “If Cletus throws the fear of the Lord into the Germans as he did 95

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into the citizens of Moorefield on that bright, sunny day, he will be doing his share, all right.”

Shortly after Tusing returned to Richmond, the 358th Fighter Group was transferred to Municipal Airport in Baltimore, Maryland. The group arrived there in late April 1943. At Baltimore, Cletus was assigned to the 365th Fighter Squadron, which had been organized on December 29, 1942, at Richmond

by General Order No. 32. The squadron’s first commanding officer was Lieutenant Frank M. Ross from Pennsylvania. During the war, Ross would be killed while trying to land his crippled plane on the group’s fifty-first combat mission on April 11, 1944.

Lt. Ross was replaced by Captain Burton D. Yarian, who would eventually fly eighty-eight missions during the war in his P-47 named “Big Dog.” During the assignment at Baltimore, the 358th Fighter Group inherited two new squadrons: the 366th Fighter Squadron and the 367th Fighter Squadron. Besides training missions that included ground and aerial gunnery, instrument flying, and navigation, the men of the group were also assigned the duty of providing air defense for the city of Baltimore and the surrounding area.

During a training mission at Baltimore Municipal Airport, Cletus experienced a minor setback in his aviation career. The mission was his first flight since moving to Baltimore and his first brush with death. On April 28, 1943, around 7:00 A.M. on a beautiful morning with only a few thin scattered clouds, he took off on a routine training and surveillance mission. By this time, the lieutenant had already logged over 250 flight hours in his military career. He had previously learned to fly the P-40 and had flown that plane for many hours and was becoming rather proficient at its controls. However, that day, he was flying the new P-47, in which he had logged only 40 hours of flight time.

Lt. Tusing’s actual account from the official Aircraft Accident Report explained what happened that day. He stated, “I, Second Lieutenant Cletus W. Tusing, certify that on April 28, 1943, at 96

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approximately 0700, I was on a local alert flight in a P-47C. Upon reaching 2000 feet, I encountered a gradual power failure.

All engine instruments were normal. Attempting to reach the field, I crashed a few yards short of the runway. The exact cause of the engine failure has not been determined. The airplane was a complete wreck. No injury was sustained to myself and no property damage.” After the near-fatal crash, the Army Air Force conducted an investigation. Lt. Tusing was grounded from flying until the investigation was completed. After the military’s inquiry of the accident, the Lieutenant was cleared of any fault in the crash and was once again flying with his squadron.

While stationed at Baltimore Municipal Airport, not only was Cletus growing as a pilot but also as a man. In the spring of 1943, he proposed and became engaged to Miss Pauline Hedrick.

Pauline was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hedrick of Moorefield. Mr. Hedrick was a World War I veteran who served with the 154 Depot Brigade. Like Cletus, Pauline was a graduate of Moorefield High School. After graduation, she was employed in the Baltimore area. The two had known each other for some time while at school and had recently been dating. On May 14, 1943, at Elton, Maryland, the couple was married. During the war years, Elton was known as the place to go when young couples wanted to elope due to its less restrictive marriage laws. Later in August, Pauline gave birth to a lovely daughter that the young couple named Cleta Joyce. The official announcement of their marriage was not made public to the citizens of Hardy County until September.

On May 26 and May 27, the 358th Fighter Group was briefly transferred to New Jersey. The men were stationed at Millville Army Air Base to provide coastal protection along the Atlantic Ocean. On May 28, 1943, the 358th Fighter Group was next transferred to Camp Springs Army Air Force Base in Washington D.C. Camp Springs later became known as Andrews Air Force Base and home to Air Force One, the personal aircraft of the 97

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President of the United States. During the month of June, the group was temporarily stationed at the Philadelphia Airport to provide air defense for the city and the surrounding area. Later, in the summer, the men of the squadron returned to fly missions out of Washington, D.C. One particular mission launched from our nation’s capital was very special to Lt. Tusing and was flown on Independence Day weekend in 1943. On Saturday, July 3, 1943, the entire squadron was flying in formation as they practiced combat maneuvers. The flight led the team of fifteen P-47 aircraft over Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. On their return flight to Camp Springs, the entire squadron with Lieutenant Tusing out in front flew in perfect formation over the town of Moorefield. It was a sight to behold, and townspeople came out to see the magnificent event. Later, in July, Cletus again wrote to the Moorefield Examiner and talked about the flight. He wrote, “I hope you don’t mind me flying over there occasionally, for I get a thrill out of it. It is home, and I like to see it as often as possible.

I’ll not fly quite as low as I did the first few times.” I’m sure that pleased the citizens of Moorefield based on his first thunderous pass over the town.

On August 16, the men of the group were sent back to Richmond for final training and preparations for deployment overseas. One month later, the 358th Fighter Group’s maintenance equipment and other supplies were shipped to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, and to the New York Port of Embarkation. On September 26, 1943, the pilots and ground personnel boarded trains and were sent to Camp Kilmer for staging before going to the European Theater of War. Before he left Richmond, Cletus said goodbye to his young bride and his little daughter. The goodbyes were final, as he would never see Pauline or his baby girl again.

The men of the 358th Fighter Group with the 365th Fighter Squadron and Lt. Cletus Tusing boarded the SS Monterey on 98

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October 7, 1943. The SS Monterey was a 632-foot luxury liner built in 1932. For the war effort, the liner was converted to a troop transport vessel. In 1941, the ship carried 800 casualties from the Pearl Harbor attack back to the United States for burial.

The large ship left the United States on October 8, 1943, and sailed for England. The boat arrived at Liverpool on October 18.

The next day, the men were sent to Station F-345 in the town of Goxhill in Lincolnshire County. The group was officially assigned to the Eighth Air Force, which had been there for over a year. The 358th Fighter Group would be the tenth group assigned to the mighty Air Force. The first P-47 arrived in November, and the pilots immediately began training for combat. Later in December, the group was transferred to Station F-373, located in Leiston in Suffolk County. On December 20, 1943, the men of the 365th Fighter Squadron flew their first combat mission.

Second Lieutenant Cletus Tusing was part of that historical first mission.

Missions of the 358th Fighter Group over Europe

Mission one of the 358th Fighter Group consisted of fifty-one P-47 aircraft. They were assigned to fly escort for a large group of B-17 bombers. The 365th Squadron contributed eighteen planes, one of which was flown by Lt. Tusing. The flight began around 10:30 A.M., and the fighters flew escort for about one hour until they had to return home. The flight was a success even though six planes had to abort immediately after takeoff due to mechanical problems. Enemy planes were sighted during the mission, but there were no combat engagements. Cletus was not on the group’s second mission, which was flown on December 21. However, he was on the third and fourth missions. Both of those missions were also bomber escorts.

The group’s sixth mission was on December 31, 1943, and again, it was to provide escort for a group of bombers. On the 99

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return flight, several pilots experienced mechanical difficulties with their aircraft. As a result, four of the fighters were forced to crash land. Fortunately, all four of the pilots survived. Ten other planes had to land at three separate airfields throughout southern England instead of their home base. Lieutenant Tusing was flying one of those ten planes, and he, too, managed to land safely. Cletus flew on the seventh mission of the group, which was another escort flight to protect Army Air Force bombers.

In early January, Lieutenant Tusing was given a brief rest from combat and escort flying. His next flight was on January 21, 1944, as part of the 358th Group’s twelfth mission. The mission of the group that day was to bomb and machine gun attack enemy ground targets, like railroads and bridges. The next missions on January 24, 25, and 29 were to fly bomber escort again. The flight on January 29 gave Lieutenant Tusing a total of nine combat missions. By this time in the war, he was beginning to become a very good and well-trained United States Army Air Force pilot.

On January 31, 1944, the 358th Fighter Group, along with all three of its squadrons, was transferred from the Eighth Air Force to the Ninth Air Force. The main reason for the transfer was to replace the group with the 357th Fighter Group, who was now flying the new P-51 fighter. The Eighth needed the new aircraft to provide better bomber escort protection since it could travel farther and faster than the P-47. By now, American bombers were penetrating deeper into Nazi-held territory. The bombers needed a plane that could follow them into central Germany.

The P-51 Mustang fulfilled that need. Since training pilots of the 358th on the new aircraft would require a lot of flight time, the Army Air Force replaced them with pilots who were already trained on the new aircraft.

Also during January, the 358th Fighter Group relocated to a new air base in England. The new location for the group was Station F-157, in Raydon in Suffolk County. At Station F-157, the combat role of the 358th also changed. The pilots and their 100

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aircraft would continue to provide bomber escort protection, but in addition, they would be used to bomb and strafe enemy ground targets in support of infantry forces. By this time in the war, the record of the 365th Fighter Squadron while in the Eighth Air Force was impeccable. They had flown seventeen combat missions and had lost only one pilot. Second Lieutenant Tusing also had a respectable flying record. In nine combat missions, he never once aborted a flight.

After a few days to relocate and reorganize, the men of the 358th Fighter Group resumed flight operations. Their first flight, at their new home base, was on February 3, 1944, at 9:45 A.M. During this mission, Second Lieutenant Tusing and the rest of the men escorted one group of bombers on their bomb run and then returned to escort another bomber group on their mission. The flights lasted until almost 1:00 P.M., with several planes being hit by enemy flak. Fortunately, none of the fighter planes were lost due to enemy combat action. On February 4, the 358th escorted a group of B-24 bombers, and on February 5, they escorted a group of B-17 bombers as they bombed German infrastructure.

Then, on February 6, they once again escorted another group of B-24 bombers. These four missions gave the 358th Fighter Group twenty-one missions and Lieutenant Tusing a total of fourteen combat missions.

Second Lieutenant Tusing flew his fifteenth mission on February 11, 1944, which was another bomber escort mission. A few German fighters were spotted on this flight, but there were no attacks. Next, he flew three missions on consecutive days beginning on February 20. All three were escorting groups of B-17s. During the mission on February 20, 1944, which was the group’s 24th mission, tragedy struck the 365th Fighter Squadron.

During the flight, Lieutenant Arnold Farbstein broke from formation to aid a disabled bomber to safety. After the bomber landed, the Lieutenant left the scene without landing and headed 101

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back to England. The P-47 and Lieutenant Farbstein never returned to base.

The next flights of the 365th Fighter Squadron were on February 21 and 22 and both went without incident, giving the group a total of twenty-six missions. Second Lieutenant Tusing now had a total of eighteen combat missions. Cletus flew his nineteenth mission on February 25, 1944, which was the 358th Fighter Group’s 28th mission. On this run, a pilot from the 367th Squadron was killed when he crashed in the English Channel.

Another incident occurred when a plane from the 366th Squadron and a plane from the 365th Squadron clipped wings on landing. Luckily, both pilots were not injured in the incident, and damage to both planes was minimal.

1944 was a leap year, and on February 29, the 358th Fighter Group was flying their twenty-ninth mission. The planes took off from Raydon at 10:45 A.M. Lt. Cletus Tusing was part of that mission and was flying aboard a P-47 with aircraft number 4275169 on his twentieth combat mission. The mission targeted the city of Brunswick, Germany, to destroy enemy ground targets.

Around noon, the men in the squadron noticed that the plane Lieutenant Tusing was flying had begun to go into a vertical dive. Then, the men noticed that Cletus had immediately made corrections and returned to the formation.

Seconds later, the plane again dropped out of formation.

The Aircraft Accident Report and a statement from Captain Burton D. Yartan, who was the Operation Officer in charge of that mission, summarized the account of that flight and its outcome. Capt. Yartan reported the following: “On February 29, 1944, I was leading Barnshoe yellow flight. The squadron took off, formed, and climbed to altitude normally. We were on course at 27,000 feet about to make rendezvous with the bombers at Lingen, Germany. At this time, I noticed Lt. Tusing, my number four man, flying a rather erratic formation. His ship went into a slide glide, dropping down a couple hundred feet. However, 102

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he came right back up into formation, so I surmised he had just used the dive to avoid overshooting.”

His report stated that “Two or three minutes later, at approximately 1150 hours, I noticed Lt. Tusing’s ship starting down again. He made a 90-degree diving turn to the left and passed under me, where I lost sight of him. I called him and asked him what the trouble was, but I received no answer. Shortly after I had lost sight of Lt. Tusing, Lt. Fletcher, my number three man, made a diving turn to the left, attempting to locate Lt. Tusing.

As soon as Lt. Fletcher had passed under me, I peeled off to the left also. Lt. Fletcher had not been able to locate Lt. Tusing, so he joined formation with me, and we circled several times in the vicinity, losing altitude and searching. In this vicinity, the horizontal visibility was good, but the air-to-ground visibility was very poor, restricted by thick haze, and the ground obscured by an 8/10 cloud layer at 6,000 feet.” Captain Yartan continued his account by reporting, “I called Lt. Tusing again and again, but received no answer. We were at approximately 18,000 feet at this time when I saw a lone ship, low, going away from us in a southwesterly direction. I immediately started down there, and I noticed that instead of one plane, there were five in a wide search formation. I eased to get into position for a bounce, informed the other two men in the flight and went down. We came up on them from the rear at 7,000 feet and identified them as being P-51s, broke away and, picked up a heading of 270 degrees, and returned to base.”

Second Lieutenant Cletus Tusing, serial number O-675809, was first listed as Missing in Action (MIA) since he could not be located. On April 24, 1944, a telegram from the War Department was sent to Pauline informing her that the status of her husband had been updated. The telegram read, “REPORT RECEIVED FROM THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS STATES YOUR HUSBAND SECOND LIEUTENANT CLETUS W TUSING WHO WAS 103

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PREVIOUSLY REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION WAS KILLED IN ACTION TWENTY NINE FEBRUARY IN EUROPEAN AREA THE SECRETARY OF WAR EXTENDS HIS DEEP SYMPATHY.” Pauline relayed the sad news to Mr. and Mrs. Tusing. Mrs. Tusing informed the Moorefield Examiner, which printed the story for the residents of the county to read.

After the War in Europe concluded, American Quartermaster units traveled to the continent to attempt to gather information concerning the fate of missing airmen. An investigation into the possible whereabouts of Second Lieutenant Cletus Tusing was launched in late March 1952. During their search for eyewitnesses, a lady who was a resident of Wietmarschen, Germany, gave her account of the events that took place on February 29, 1944, and the P-47 aircraft 42-75169. Ms. Theresia Lockhorn’s translated statement was published on April 18, 1952, and read as follows: I Theresia Lockhorn, born 2 December 1915 in Wietmarschen state, herewith that a U.S. fighter aircraft crashed around noon on 29 February 1944 approximately 300 meters from my home.

Upon the impact with the ground, an explosion occurred which tore the pilot into many parts, which were then partly found in the surrounding area of the plane, which was likewise torn apart.

The torso of the pilot was found burning. Extremities of the pilot were found scattered over a wide area. The policeman FRITZ WITTE has removed the partial remains and, as I heard, the remains were taken to the New Cemetery at LINGEN for burial.”

Policeman Fritz Witte confirmed the statement of Ms. Lockhorn in his interview with members of the Quartermaster search party. Mr. Fritz stated, “The aforementioned data correspond to facts. The partial remains were handed to a Luftwaffe team stationed in PLANTLUENE and were probably buried in LINGEN as usual.” Continued research was conducted by the US ARMY 7770th EUCOM QM MORTUARY SERVICE DETATCHMENT APO 757, who confirmed the eyewitness accounts of both Ms. Lockhorn and Mr. Witte. The German 104

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military also reported that aircraft 42-75169 was struck with anti-aircraft fire, which caused the plane to crash.

On April 21, 1952, the 7770th issued its final findings concerning the death of Second Lieutenant Cletus Tusing to the War Department. In the NARRATIVE OF INVESTIGATION section of the report the investigators concluded, “Pursuant to instructions set forth in basic document, ID 948, Case # K-53/7084, dated 8 April 1952, an investigation was conducted to recover the remains of 2/LT Cletus W. Tusing, 0-675809, pilot and sole occupant of A/C P-47 # 42-75169 which crashed at WIETMARSCHEN, district of LINGEN-EMS at 11:55 Hours on 29 February 1944”.

The report further stated, “According to German Records on file, this office, 2/LT Tusing was buried in the New Cemetery at Lingen-Ems, at 1500 hours in Row 12, Grave Y, on 2 March 1944. A thorough search was made in the Field by the Search and Recovery Team. Investigation in the New Cemetery at LINGEN revealed that Row 12 was re-designated Row 1 and Grave Y was now numbered 86. Upon opening, said grave proved to be vacant with evidence of a previous disinterment. In view of the negative findings of this investigation, it is reasonable to assume that the only recoverable remains of 2/LT TUSING were previously disinterred and evacuated by a U.S. disinterring team as an unknown.”

Lt. Tusing was a member of the highly decorated 358th Fighter Group. Men of the group were awarded three Unit Citations for their immense contribution to the war. The first was for operations between December 24, 1944, and January 2, 1945, for their aerial assault on German infrastructure in support of the United States Seventh Army. The second was for the destruction of German targets west of the Rhine River on March 19 and 20, 1945. The final citation was for the attacks on German airfields and the destruction of numerous enemy aircraft from April 8 to April 25, 1945. The Group also received the prestigious French 105

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Croix de Guerre for its role in the liberation of France. The 365th Fighter Squadron flew 661 combat missions from December 1943 to May 1945. Practically every pilot in the squadron was awarded the Air Medal for completing five missions. The 365th Fighter Squadron lost fifty-one pilots during World War II, including Second Lieutenant Cletus Tusing from Hardy County, West Virginia.

During his short military career, Lieutenant Cletus Tusing was awarded the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters. The Air Medal was given to any person who “While serving in any capacity in or with the Armed Forces of the United States having distinguished themselves by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.” The Air Medal, which was authorized on May 11, 1942,

by President Roosevelt, was awarded to a pilot for completing twenty-five combat missions. The Oak Leaf Cluster was awarded for completing each additional five missions. In just a few short months of flying, Cletus completed thirty-two missions, which began in the United States. He also completed nineteen combat missions over Europe and was killed while trying to complete the twentieth. He was just one mission away from earning another Oak Leaf Cluster for his Air Medal. He was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal.

Lt. Tusing was memorialized and honored at the Netherland American Cemetery at Margraten, Netherlands. He was also honored with a grave marker at Olivet Cemetery in his hometown of Moorefield. Cletus Tusing was only twenty-one years old when he was killed. When he died, he left behind a young wife 106

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and a seven-month-old daughter. After the death of her beloved husband, Pauline remarried. She died on February 8, 2013, at the age of 88.

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6 Kingsley Spitzer, The Coin Toss Life of a World War II Bomber Crew Lieutenant William Overstreet, co-pilot of the B-17 bomber and nicknamed “Situation Normal,” recalled his account of the bombing of Munster, Germany, on Sunday, October 10, 1943, in the book The Münster Raid; Bloody Skies over Germany by Ian Hawkins. On that historic mission, Lt. Overstreet flew alongside pilot Lieutenant Alden Witt with the rest of the crew on aircraft number 42-29943. The crew was part of the Eighth Army Air Force assigned to the 95th Bomber Group as part of the 334th Bomber Squadron. On that day, the fighting was fierce, and all combatants were in a life-and-death struggle as the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) defended their homeland from attack.

Lt. Overstreet’s published account began by saying, “Münster was our crew’s thirteenth mission, and it was, by far, the roughest.

The Germans hit us with everything they had. The whole sky was a fantastic panorama of dogfights, black flak bursts, burning and exploding B-17s, spinning and tumbling crazily…German fighters blowing up and going down, streaming flames and long plumes of grey and black smoke…Intense flak was over the target.”

He continued to describe the fight by adding, “During the battle, Lieutenant Harry Meintz, our navigator, was seriously injured. His left arm was blown off and shredded by a 20 mm cannon shell from a German fighter. One FW 190 (Focke-Wulf 108

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190 German fighter plane) with a black and checkered cowling came within a few feet of colliding with our B-17. The enemy pilot was slumped over in his shattered cockpit, apparently dead.”

Besides the pilot Lieutenant Witt, co-pilot Lieutenant Overstreet, and navigator Lieutenant Meintz, the other officer of the original crew of the Situation Normal was bombardier Lieutenant Richard Holmes. After the Münster Raid, Meintz, who was severely wounded, was replaced by Lieutenant William Pratt. The remaining six original crew members were the enlisted men. They were radio operator Sergeant Roy Baughman, ball turret gunner Staff Sergeant Wendell Verbulecz, waist gunners Staff Sergeant Charles Schrack and Staff Sergeant Everett Lewis, and tail gunner Staff Sergeant William Jackson. On September 16, 1943, shortly after the crew began flying combat missions together, Jackson was replaced by Staff Sergeant Sandy Sanchez.

There was one other original crew member of the Situation Normal who was on that historic mission over Germany. He was credited for downing two enemy aircraft single-handedly during the bombing of the city of Münster. That sharp-shooting, top turret gunner and engineer was Hardy’s Hero Sergeant Kingsley F. Spitzer.

Kingsley Funk Spitzer was born on November 2, 1919, in Hardy County, West Virginia, in the small town of Mathias. He was the son of Reverend Benjamin F. Spitzer and Emma Susan Spitzer. Reverend Spitzer was a pastor in the Brethren Church and the Methodist Church. He preached throughout the county at numerous small congregations. Often, Mr. Spitzer preached four or five sermons each Sunday.

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The Spitzer family consisted of fifteen children, although two of the children died shortly after birth from whooping cough.

The Spitzer children were Roy, John, Sam, Homer, Marshall, Grace, Max, Kingsley, Mary, Benjamin Jr., William, Patty, Robert, Danny, and the youngest, Dixie. Marshall and Grace were the two children who died as infants. Roy died when he was only twenty-six years old, and Dixie died of cancer when she was only thirty. Thirteen kids were a lot of mouths to feed on a minister’s proposed yearly salary of $900.00. Even then, that annual salary was sometimes much less.

Kingsley grew up in the Mathias area and attended the small grammar school in that community. He never got the chance to go to high school to continue his education; instead, he had to seek work. As a young man, he worked on the nearby 150-acre Garrett Farm to help his parents support their family. Kingsley worked hard on the farm that raised cattle, sheep, and turkeys.

He was a good-looking young man and had many friends. Some family members said he had many girlfriends, too. One of those girlfriends was Helen Dove, with whom he later became engaged.

When he was twenty years old, he worked in Washington, D.C., at Thompson’s Milk Producers Dairy. In early 1942, he was drafted into the United States Army. Kingsley was one of the first men to be inducted into military service from Hardy County. He and sixty draftees were called to duty on May 27, 1942. He officially entered military service on June 10 of that year.

The Spitzers were a close family who worked together to survive, especially during the years of the Great Depression. The closeness of the family was evident in 1942 when Kingsley was drafted. His older brother Max heard the news about his brother, and instead of waiting to be drafted, he volunteered for the Army. His main reason for joining was that Kingsley would not have to go alone. When the two young men entered the service, Kingsley volunteered for the Army Air Force, and Max chose to 110

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be an infantry soldier in the United States Army as a member of an armored division.

Three other Spitzer boys were also in World War II. Two volunteered for military service, and one was drafted. John was drafted into the U.S. Army and was assigned to an engineer company that fought in the European Theater. William was also drafted and served in the Army as a member of the Ninety Sixth Infantry Division that fought in the South Pacific. After the war, William was elected Sheriff of Jefferson County, West Virginia.

The third brother who fought in the war, Benjamin Jr., enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was a medic with the Fifth Marine Division. Ben saw action in the Pacific and fought in the famous World War II battle known as the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Kingsley was assigned to the Eighth Army Air Force along with Cletus Tusing. Kingsley was assigned to the 95th Bomber Group, unlike Tusing, who was assigned to the 358th Fighter Group. The 95th Bomber Group was activated on June 15, 1942, at Barksdale Field in Louisiana. As the 95th was being activated, Kingsley was just entering basic training at Fort Meade. After basic training in August, Private Kingsley Spitzer was temporarily assigned to the Second Air Force. The Secnd was activated on October 19, 1940, at McChord Field in Tacoma, Washington. The role of the Second Air Force during World War II was to provide basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted personnel and non-flying officers.

To begin his aviation training, Kingsley was stationed at Ephrata Army Airfield, which was established in 1939. The airfield was located in the Columbian Basin area, just four miles from Ephrata, Washington. During the war, the base contained an aircraft maintenance supply depot. At the nearby basin, a large gunnery and bombing range were constructed to train air crewmen, like Private Spitzer, in the skills of weapons deployment and to practice simulated combat. The field consisted 111

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of two runways that were two miles long, which were perfect for allowing heavy bombers to take off and land.

Ephrata, Washington, was less than a perfect place to be stationed during the war. The weather was usually uncooperative, thereby canceling many of the training flights. Also, the base was small, with minimal amenities for military personnel, and the town of Ephrata offered even less. Kingsley and many of the men stationed there couldn’t wait to be relocated. In fact, one airman expressed his thoughts about Ephrata Army Airfield by lamenting, “One wonders, whether a German agent had infiltrated the Army Air Corps…, for if ever there was a jumping off place to nowhere in 1942, Ephrata was it.” Fortunately for Kingsley, he only trained there for two months before being transferred.

However, before leaving the glamorous city of Ephrata, he was promoted to Private First Class.

In October 1942, PFC Spitzer was stationed at Geiger Field in Spokane, Washington, less than one hundred miles from Ephrata.

At Geiger Field, living conditions were much more comfortable for the men of the bomber group. The city of Spokane offered more to do for a serviceman far away from home than their previous billet. Unfortunately, the weather was much the same as in Ephrata, and flight training was once again limited. The airbase was named in honor of Major Harold Geiger from New Jersey. Major Geiger was a pioneer of aviation and was killed in a plane crash in 1927 while trying to land at Olmsted Field in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Kingsley trained at Geiger for only two months before being transferred.

Due to the lack of flight time brought on by bad weather in Washington, military leaders of the Army decided to transfer the men of the 95th to South Dakota for further training.

Based on this decision to transfer the unit in December, one would have to question the level of meteorological intelligence of the United States Army. At the Rapid City Army Air Base, the winter weather on a daily basis was so frigid that the cold 112

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oil in the airplanes prevented their engines from starting. For this reason, many training missions were canceled. The base at Rapid City was new, having just been established in January 1942 and completed in October. The field had three runways and five large hangars to accommodate the large bombers. The training at Rapid City lasted until March 11, 1943. Before leaving Rapid City, Kingsley was again promoted. He was now a Corporal and a qualified Flight Engineer.

Before leaving the States for England, the men of the 95th made three more stops in the U.S. First, they flew B-17 bombers to Kearney Field in Nebraska. While at Kearney, the aircrews that would fly together during the war took formation. The men came from all parts of the United States and from diverse backgrounds. In early March, the crews flew to Gulfport Army Airfield in Mississippi for further outfitting. Finally, it was on to Palm Beach, Florida. This was the last stop before going overseas.

At the end of March, the 95th Bombardment Group left the States and headed for England. With stops in Trinidad, Brazil, Senegal, and Morocco for refueling, the group landed at Royal Air Force Field Alconbury in mid-April. In May, they were transferred to Framlingham Field and the next month to Horham Field, which would be their permanent base of operations throughout the war.

Shortly after arriving in England, Kingsley wrote a letter to his mom and dad to assure them that he was safe and in good company. He wrote, “The weather is nice and everything is green.

I met up with some of the boys here, which I met in the States and some of them are from Keesler Field.” Keesler Field was an Army Air Force Base in Mississippi. Apparently, Kingsley made some friends during his short stay in Gulfport. He concluded his letter by letting his mother know how much he missed her home-cooked meals. He wrote, “The food here is very good but not nearly as good as yours.”

In August 1943, the 95th Bomber Group was officially assigned to the Eighth Army Air Force. The 95th Bomber Group 113

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consisted of four bomber squadrons: the 334th, 335th, 336th, and the 412th. The squadrons adopted the slogan “Justice and Victory.” In August, the crew was given a new B-17 numbered 229943 and they nicknamed it the Situation Normal. The name was taken from the Army acronym SNAFU, which was lightly invoked when things were going wrong, such as “Situation Normal All Fouled Up.” The word fouled was interchanged quite frequently with another F word, especially when things were really going bad. The crew of 229943 shortened the phrase to put a more positive spin on the term to name their beloved aircraft.

Lastly, the Situation Normal and her crew were assigned to the 336th Bomber Squadron. From their base in England, the men and their new B-17 would embark on an historic journey flying bombing runs over Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. Without a doubt, the B-17 was the most popular and most recognized aircraft of World War II. The B-17, nicknamed the “Flying Fortress,” was a heavy bomber built by Boeing in the 1930s. The bomber saw its first flight on July 28, 1935, and was officially introduced into the military in April 1938. The B-17 bomber was powered by four Wright R-1820-97, nine-cylinder air-cooled single-row radial turbocharged engines. The engines were nicknamed “Cyclones,” and individually, they produced 1,200 horsepower. This amount of power propelled the large plane to a maximum speed of 300 mph and a cruising speed of 170 mph. The power plants could fly the plane to an altitude of 35,000 feet and to a range of just under 2,000 miles. The B-17 had an overall length of just over seventy feet and a height of nineteen feet and a wing span of nearly one hundred and four feet. The B-17 bomber could carry three tons of bombs.

The armament of the B-17 consisted of thirteen .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns. This large amount of armament led to the plane’s nickname because it was a well-fortified plane.

The guns were located in four positions: one in the tail, one in the nose, one under the plane, known as the ball turret, and 114

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one on top of the plane, known as the top turret. The waist guns were located on each side of the plane’s mid-section. The crew complement that operated the plane consisted of ten men. The plane carried a pilot, a co-pilot, a navigator, and a bombardier, who were officers. The remainder of the crew was enlisted men.

One was the flight engineer, who usually manned the top turret gun since it was close to the cockpit. This location allowed the flight engineer to be able to monitor all engine gauges during takeoff and landings and to be able to man his gun position.

Other crewmembers consisted of the radio operator, the tail gunner, the ball turret gunner, and two waist gunners. The crew of the Situation Normal would need all the protection it could get from their fortress since bombing missions over Germanoccupied Europe had been dangerous and, up to that point, somewhat ineffective.

The life expectancy of a bomber crew during the early bombing runs over Germany was only eight missions. In 1942, the Army Air Force put into place a policy that would encourage men to become crew members of bombers and to reward those already risking their lives. The policy declared that whenever any bomber crewman flew a total of twenty-five missions, that person’s tour of duty would be complete, and he was given the option to go home. However, the crewman could be recalled if America really needed his service. If a crewman stayed on to fly thirty missions, he could be sent home and could never be called back into service. The first Army Air Force plane and crew to successfully complete twenty-five missions was a B-24. It was known as “Hot Stuff ” and flew its final mission on February 7, 1943. The first B-17 to fly twenty-five missions was known as “Hells Angels.” It flew its final mission on May 3, 1943. During the war, Kingsley Spitzer flew a total of twenty-one combat missions.

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Front Row L to R: William Pratt, Richard Holmes, William Overstreet, Alden Witt & Kingsley Spitzer Back Row L to R: Wendell Verbulecz, Sandy Sanchez, Roy Baughman, Charles Schrack & Everett Lewis

Career of the Situation Normal

Kingsley Spitzer’s first mission was on August 31, 1943, just over one month after arriving in England, as a crewmember of the B-17 numbered 42-30178, known as “Darlin Dolly.” Kingsley was the flight engineer and also the top turret gunner on the Dolly that bombed enemy factories in Lille Meulan, France. The next flight and many subsequent flights would be with the crew of the Situation Normal, either on that plane or on some other B-17, beginning on September 3.

September 3, 1943: The Eighth Army Air Force bombed the Renault Motor Works in Billancourt, which was a suburb of Paris.

The factory was located next to the Seine River. The facility was important to the German war effort because it produced trucks, tanks, and aircraft engines for their military. The plant covered over 300 acres and employed 12,000 workers. The crew of the 116

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Normal encountered some flak from the ground and enemy fire from fighters during the attack. The crew confirmed the downing of one fighter and that another fighter was damaged.

September 6, 1943: On the next mission of the Normal, the men targeted the industrial area of the city of Stuttgart, which was located in southern Germany. However, the skies were too overcast to successfully identify the target, so the group bombed an enemy airfield in France. During the mission, the crew was officially credited with destroying another German fighter.

September 7, 1943: The 95th Bomber Group bombed the German V-2 rocket building site and plant at Watten on the northern coast of France in the early morning hours around 3:30 A.M. The site contained a storage bunker, a facility that produced liquid oxygen, and two rocket launching pads. This was the fourth time the site was attacked in just ten days by Allied bombers. The men of the Normal actually flew aboard another B-17 known as “Roger the Lodger III.” This plane was chosen for the mission because the Situation Normal was grounded for minor repairs.

September 9, 1943: Once again, the Eighth Army Air Force declared Paris as the target mission. Again, the crew of the Normal was aboard another aircraft. They flew aboard the B-17 known as “Heavenly Haze.” On this mission, the group was escorted by P-47 fighters. It was a good thing that the bombers had fighter protection since they encountered numerous enemy aircraft. On that day, there were many air-to-air dogfights as American fighters sparred with German fighters. Unfortunately, the mission was eventually called off over Belgium, and the bombers returned to Horham Field.

September 16, 1943: The target on this day was La Pallice, a port city in western France next to the Bay of Biscayne. The men were back in the Situation Normal and glad of it. Located at La Pallice was a German submarine base whose U-boats had wreaked havoc on Allied shipping since 1942. Only one bomber was lost during the attack on the eleven-hour flight. However, on 117

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the return flight to England, darkness fell, and a weather front covered the airfield with massive amounts of clouds. Because of poor visibility, one B-17 bomber collided with another bomber.

One of the bombers survived the mid-air collision and made it safely home. The other crashed, killing all on board. The Normal was forced to land at a British Royal Air Force base in southern England. The next morning, with much-improved weather conditions, the crew flew their beloved B-17 back to Horham Field.

September 23, 1943: The mission on that fall day was to bomb the Vannes Airfield in northwest France, where German bombers were stationed. The flying formation that day was less than perfect, but their P-47 “Little Friends” kept the bombers intact and ultimately saved the day. The crew of the Normal was aboard the B-17 numbered 42-30182, nicknamed “Blondie II,” and flew in the lower formation of the group as the lead plane.

September 27, 1943: Back in the Normal again, the target on this mission was to bomb the industrial area of Emden, a seaport city in northwest Germany. This was the fortieth combat mission of the 95th Bomber Group. It was Kingsley’s eighth combat mission. The weather was very cold as temperatures at flying altitude reached minus 42 degrees. The skies were heavy with cloud cover, and flying was treacherous. Regardless of weather conditions and the strain on the crew, the Normal dropped all its bombs on target.

October 2, 1943: On this fall day, the 95th Bomber Group returned to Emden, Germany, to again bomb the industrial area of the city. The skies were overcast, and the temperature was cold.

The mission was a success, and the Normal was confirmed to have damaged another enemy fighter. With this second strike, the factories of Emden suffered extensive damage, which ultimately diminished the city’s ability to produce war materials.

October 4, 1943: The group was scheduled to bomb the industrial area of Hanau, Germany, just east of Frankfurt, at 118

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8:30 A.M. on this mission. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with the group’s plans. The bombers faced winds over 100 mph, which blew them severely off course. The Normal was diverted from the original target and delivered its bombs on the Saar industrial area around Saarbrucken. On the return flight home, the plane’s oxygen tanks ran dry since the original supply was for a five-hour flight to Hanau. Therefore, over Paris, France, pilot Alden Witt was forced to leave the high-altitude formation and descend to an altitude where oxygen would not be needed. This placed the large bomber in a dangerous position, making it an easy target for enemy planes and for anti-aircraft gun emplacements on the ground. The Normal avoided much enemy fire and made it back home to Horham Field once again.

October 8, 1943: The target of this mission was the Nazi shipyard at Bremen in northern Germany. The target was completely destroyed, but the Normal faced heavy enemy resistance from the German Luftwaffe. The crew of the Situation Normal was credited for destroying five enemy aircraft and damaging two others in the fight over Bremen. At least one of those enemy planes was shot down by Kingsley from his top turret gunner position.

October 9, 1943: On the following day, the Eighth Army Air Force attacked the well-defended Focke-Wulf aircraft assembly factory at Marienburg, located in East Prussia. Once again, the Normal was the group’s lead plane. The bombing run was almost perfect. It was estimated that during the nine-minute bomb run almost 85% of the bombs fell within 2,000 feet of the target. The Mighty Eighth called it the “Bombing of the Year.”

October 10, 1943: The group participated in the Münster Raid, which was one of the most famous and toughest bomb runs in the history of the Eighth Army Air Force. The city of Münster, located in northern Germany, was home to at least three Panzer tank divisions as well as numerous infantry divisions. The 95th sent out its B-17 bombers unescorted for the five-hour flight at 119

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24,000 feet. The bombers reached the target at 7:00 A.M., and the attack began. The German resistance was well supported by at least 250 fighter planes. The Normal destroyed eight enemy planes; two others were confirmed probable, while two more were heavily damaged. Two of the planes that were confirmed destroyed were credited to tail gunner Sandy Sanchez. Two other planes that were destroyed that day were credited to Kingsley Spitzer. The two planes were a Messerschmitt 109 and a Junkers 88. For their heroic action over Münster, the 95th Bomber Group received their second Presidential Unit Citation.

October 14, 1943: The target of this mission was the ball bearing factory at Schweinfurt, located in central Germany.

The factory produced bearings for German tanks and aircraft.

However, the Eighth Army Air Force suffered tremendous losses on that day. The United States Army Air Force lost sixty aircraft and numerous air crewmen. The crew of the Normal was credited for destroying two more Nazi fighters and was flying aboard the B-17 known as “Taint a Bird II.” October 20, 1943: At 6:10 A.M., the Eighth bombed the industrial area of Duren, located near the Ruhr River. The bombing took place from 29,000 feet because of heavy overcast skies. After the target was destroyed, the Normal lost its number two engine.

To make the Situation worse, the dead engine’s propeller would not feather itself. Therefore, the static prop increased drag and added stress on the bomber. Eventually, the propeller began to “wind mill” as it was being driven by the wind, which also made flying difficult. These dangerous conditions forced the pilot to once again leave the formation as the bomber crew had to fend for themselves. Fortunately, on that day, they were not alone.

With the help of an escort P-47 who followed the disabled B-17, it was able to limp into France and made a successful landing at an emergency airfield on the English coast.

November 3, 1943: The Situation Normal was once again being repaired and was not ready for combat action. So, her 120

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crew flew the B-17 bomber “Taint a Bird II” on the next assigned mission. The target on that day was the seaport shipbuilding area of Wilhelmshaven in north Germany along the North Sea. The weather that day was picture-perfect; the sun was out, and the skies were clear. The bombing mission was very successful, and the group did not lose a single aircraft.

November 5, 1943: The crew was glad to be back in the Normal again as their next mission was Gelsenkirchen, a city in Germany along the Little Wurm River. This flight was the fortyninth combat mission of the 95th Bomber Group. It was ten in a row for the crew of the Normal. By this time, the crew was exhausted. After the mission, the men were given a week-long rest before their next bombing mission.

November 16, 1943: After the brief rest, the next mission was to bomb a large water facility. The facility was the largest waterworks plant in the world. The plant was located in the city of Rjukan, Norway, and was operated by the Germans. To make sure this important target was destroyed, the Eighth Army Air Force sent out a total of 338 aircraft consisting of both B-17 and B-24 bombers. After leaving the target, the Normal had problems transferring fuel and was forced to once again leave formation and fend for itself. She flew a direct route to the English coast to avoid ditching in the North Sea. The crew made an emergency landing at an airfield at Bassingbourn, England. This important bomb run on the water facility ended any hopes the Germans had for building an atomic bomb. This was the last mission the crew would fly in the Situation Normal as they completed their seventeenth mission together. It was Kingsley’s eighteenth mission.

November 29, 1943: Kingsley flew aboard the B-17 known as “Devil’s Daughter 2” on this mission. For only the second time in his career, he flew with a pilot other than Lt. Alden Witt. Captain Louis Reno piloted Devil’s Daughter 2 that day. The mission was to bomb the industrial area of Bremen again. The bombing run 121

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was very successful, as many German factories were destroyed.

December 11, 1943: The mission of this flight was the city of Emden, Germany. It was the third time the crew bombed this German city. On that day, the United States Air Force launched 583 bombers to totally destroy the city and its war plants. The crew of the Normal flew this mission and the next mission aboard the B-17 numbered 42-31329. The bomber was a new plane and had not yet been given a nickname. In fact, it was the plane’s first combat mission during the war. Due to previous heavy losses, on that day there were a lot of new personnel aboard many of the aircraft that the 95th put into service. The formations were less than perfect, but the bombing mission was a success despite the lack of experience of many of the crews.

December 13, 1943: This mission targeted the city of Kiel in northern Germany on a very overcast and cloudy day. Kiel was one of Germany’s major naval bases and ship-building facilities.

The naval port was known for the construction of German submarines. The German anti-aircraft defenses filled the sky with artillery shells and flak. Fortunately, the crew aboard the new and unnamed B-17 made it back to England safely. This flight was the sixtieth combat mission of the 95th Bomber Group and Kingsley’s twenty-first.

After this flight, many B-17 crews were sent by plane to southern England for some much-needed rest and relaxation. The men checked into the Palace Hotel, which was an Eighth Army Air Force place of luxury for its aircrews. The hotel was located in the town of Southport in Lancashire County. While in Southport, several men were given their Air Medals and Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFS). Kingsley was given another Oak Leaf Cluster to add to his DFS for finishing fifteen missions. He was also entitled to wear another cluster for completing another five missions, giving him a total of twenty, but that addition would come later. Kingsley knew at the time that if he could fly just four more combat missions, he would be eligible to return home to 122

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his family. However, he was not sure if that happened, whether he would return home or stay until the end of the war. After the week’s vacation in Southport, the men returned to Horham Field on December 22, 1943, in time to enjoy the Christmas holidays.

After he arrived back at the airfield, Kingsley got a huge surprise. When he returned to the barracks, his brother Max was sitting in his favorite chair, anxiously waiting for his brother to return. Earlier in the year, Max, who was stationed in Italy, had contacted Kingsley and informed him that he might be in England soon. If that happened, Max said he would like to meet up with his brother. Kingsley was very glad to see his older brother as the two men spent Christmas together. Little did Max know that this would be the last time he would see his younger brother alive. Years later, after the war, he was always thankful that he had taken that trip to England. This was as close to coming home as Max Spitzer had been since he enlisted in the military. When he left home in June 1942, along with Kingsley, Max had never returned home on any furloughs. In fact, Max never came home until 1946, when the war was over and he was officially discharged.

On December 29, 1943, after the Christmas celebration, it was back to business as usual for the Eighth Air Force and the B-17 bomber crews. Before the bombing raids were to commence, a final troop transport flight was scheduled in order to fly another group of men to Southport, England, for their turn at some well-deserved rest and relaxation. In fact, the twelve men who were passengers on the plane were being transferred back to the United States since they had completed their twentyfive missions. They were waiting on their replacements. The crew assigned to ferry the men to southern England consisted of a sixman crew rather than the usual crew of ten. The pilot aboard the plane was Situation Normal original crewmember 1st Lieutenant Alden Witt who was from Texas. Another original crewmember of the Situation Normal was also on that flight and was an old 123

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friend of Witt and Spitzer’s, Staff Sergeant Wendell Verbulecz, who, like Witt, was from the Lone Star State. Verbulecz was the ball turret gunner. After the raid on Kiel, Verbulecz was assigned to another aircrew. The co-pilot was 2nd Lieutenant Bill Gaffney from Missouri, the bombardier was 2nd Lieutenant Alan Grant from Illinois, and the navigator was 2nd Lieutenant Howard Leddy from New York.

The flight engineer assigned to the flight to Southport was not a member of the Situation Normal but was a friend of most of the crew. On the day of the scheduled flight, he overslept and did not make the briefing. Kingsley and Normal waist gunner Everett Lewis decided to allow their friend to continue sleeping.

Instead of waking him, the two men decided that one of them would take the flight. After all, they both had just returned from furlough and had not flown on a mission since December 13. In order to determine who would take the flight, the two airmen decided to flip a coin. Kingsley lost the coin toss and agreed to go.

He said goodbye to his old friend and proceeded to the aircraft.

The aircraft chosen for that day’s flight was a new bird that had flown only five missions. It was a B-17 Fortress numbered 425791 and was known as “Ruthless.” Neither Witt, Verbulecz, nor Spitzer had flown aboard this new plane. Since it was no different than any other B-17, flying it should be no problem for the experienced crew.

The twelve passengers onboard the Ruthless, who were scheduled to return to the United States, were led by Captain Louis Reno who was from California. Capt. Reno was the pilot that Kingsley flew with on his nineteenth mission over the skies of Bremen. There were three other officers on that flight who had finished their tours of duty. The officers were Captain Arvid S. Dahl from North Dakota, 1st Lieutenant Louis Green from Chicago, and 1st Lieutenant Robert Moon from Tennessee.

The other eight were enlisted men, including another former Situation Normal Crewmember Sergeant Roy Baughman, who 124

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was from Nevada. The other enlisted airmen were Sergeant Raymond Loija from Massachusetts, Sergeant Dewey Cox from Ohio, Sergeant Harry Shade and Staff Sergeant Eugene Downey, both from Pennsylvania, Staff Sergeant Linus Thomas from Texas, and Staff Sergeant James Leithhead from Minnesota.

The last passenger on that special flight was Corporal Andrew Mullavey from Wheeling, West Virginia. As the plane was being loaded, Sandy Sanchez, a member of the Situation Normal, was there to say goodbye to his comrades. He watched the plane taxi out to the runway. He smiled and waved farewell as he watched the plane rise above the low-hanging clouds, not knowing what fate awaited the men on board.

As the plane full of eighteen American airmen flew closer to southern England, the weather began to deteriorate. The plane soon approached the mountain region of Wales and was just minutes away from their destination. By this time in the flight, visibility was less than 100 yards. Exactly what happened next was never fully determined. According to the official Aircraft Accident Report, investigators stated, “flying in heavy cloud cover and in freezing fog, the navigator relied on dead reckoning and maps, and when he thought they had reached the coast, the pilot descended out of the clouds but were off course by four miles and was still over the mountainous terrain.” Regardless, at 2:45 P.M., the plane violently crashed into an area between two mountains near Buckley, Flintshire, North Wales. The impact created two loud explosions, and the outcome was quite instant.

The new B-17 bomber was a complete wreck with no survivors.

It was a horrific loss for the Eighth Army Air Force as it lost so many great men. They were men who, by this time, had flown many dangerous bombing missions over Europe. They were men who had completed the required number of bombing missions and deserved to return home to their loved ones. All eighteen men were members of the 95th Bomber Group and the 334th Bomber Squadron.

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The plane known as Situation Normal continued to fly bombing missions over Western Europe during the remainder of the war. It flew a total of forty-four missions. Unfortunately, it, too, crashed during a bombing run over Berlin on March 6, 1944. Five of her crew perished in the crash and the other five were taken prisoner by the Germans. The Situation Normal was a true fortress and served the Eighth Army Air Force and her crews well.

As for the rest of the original crew of the Situation Normal, navigator Lt. Harry Meintz came home after he lost his arm in the mission over Münster, Germany. On February 20, 1944, copilot William Overstreet flew his twenty-fifth and final mission and safely returned home to the United States. William was killed when he was struck by an automobile in 1998. Everett Lewis flew his twenty-fifth mission on March 8, 1944. After returning home to the United States, he always felt guilty for winning that coin toss, which cost Kingsley his life. Everett died in 1993.

Waist gunner Charles Schrack flew his twenty-fifth mission on February 10, 1944, and returned home to Pennsylvania. He died in 2011 at the age of 90. Bombardier Richard Holmes flew his last mission on January 29, 1944, which gave him a total of twentysix missions.

Tail gunner William Jackson flew only one mission with the men of the Situation Normal. He flew a total of eleven missions and was killed on February 10, 1944, in the mission to bomb Brunswick, Germany. That was the entire list of the ten original members of the “Fortress called the Situation Normal.” Jackson’s replacement was Sandy Sanchez, who completed his twenty-fifth mission on February 3, 1944. Sanchez stayed on to fly eighteen more missions for an incredible total of forty-three. Unfortunately, he was killed on his forty-fourth mission on March 15, 1945. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, our country’s thirdhighest military award. To further honor Sanchez, a B-17 was named for his illustrious career. The plane was referred to as 126

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the “Smiling Sandy Sanchez” and was numbered 42-97290. The plane flew a total of twenty-three missions from March 26, 1944, to when it crash-landed in Sweden on May 19, 1944.

The original members of the Situation Normal who were killed on that dreadful day on December 29, 1944, had flown a total of eighty missions. Pilot Alden Witt flew a total of nineteen missions. Radio Operator Roy Baughman and Ball Turret Gunner Wendell Verbulecz flew twenty missions. Kingsley Spitzer, serial number 35383061, flew twenty-one missions before he was killed and was only twenty-five years old at the time of his death.

His body was brought back to the United States shortly after the crash. He was buried in the cemetery at Singers Glenn near Broadway, Virginia. Singers Glen was where Kingsley’s parents were living when he was killed. His father was still preaching in the area.

The 95th Bomber Group consisted of over 8,000 servicemen, and by the end of the war these men completed a total of 334 missions. The 95th was the only bomber group of the Eighth Air Force to receive three Presidential Unit Citations. The first citation awarded to the group was for the mission to bomb an aircraft factory at Regensburg, Germany, on August 17, 1943. The second was for the heroic mission over Münster on October 10, 1943, when the crew of the Situation Normal played such a vital role. The third and final citation was for bombing the German capital city of Berlin on March 4, 1944. The action over Berlin gave the group the distinction of being the first unit to attack the German capital from the air. The 95th had an impeccable record during the war but also experienced heavy losses. The group lost nearly 200 B-17s in action during the War in Europe.

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7 James Wratchford, Victim of Friendly Fire Bombardier and Navigator Training What image does the average person conjure when they picture a marauder? Usually, it is the image of a bloodthirsty barbarian hell-bent on wanton destruction. Perhaps it is the image of a horde of like-minded savages of a 12th-century Hunnish army laying waste to all civilization unfortunate enough to be in their path. A dictionary would define a marauder as a person who roams and raids in search of plunder. Obviously, such a brutal descriptive nickname would be appropriate for a military aircraft, particularly a bomber aircraft. One can easily imagine such a plane roaming through the clouds as it unleashes a bombing raid on military targets. An airplane called the marauder should, in name alone, create fear in any enemy unfortunate enough to detect its presence in the skies overhead.

What if you were told that instead of invoking a sense of unease in the enemy, the American World War II bomber, the B-26 Marauder, would instead routinely set unease in the minds of its very crew?

That sense of unease and fear was brought about by various other nicknames given to the B-26 Marauder that reflected little barbaric strength. The plane was referred to as the “Widowmaker” and the “Flying Coffin” by many in aviation due to the fact that several early models had a high accident rate, including fifteen crashes in just one thirty-day period. Critics of 128

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the plane also referred to it as the “Flying Prostitute” and the “Baltimore Whore” claiming that it was fast but had no means of support. These derogatory titles reflected the fact that the bombers were manufactured in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Middle River facility, coupled with the numerous times many of them sustained broken and collapsed nose gear during landings.

Finally, the Marauder was called the “One a day in Tampa Bay.” This colorful nickname was based on the fact that out of fourteen months of military flying, at least thirteen B-26 bombers were forced to ditch in the Gulf of Mexico near MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida. It was no wonder many pilots and air crewmen were somewhat apprehensive about flying on the B-26 Murderer, sorry, Marauder.

However, to be fair to the “B dash crash,” even though the B-26 Marauder endured a rocky introduction into the United States Army Air Force, it ultimately became one of the most dependable bombers flown during the war. The B-26 was an allmetal medium-range shoulder winged monoplane bomber that was built for pure speed. The Marauder was built by the Glenn L. Martin Company, which was founded in 1912 by aviation pioneer Glenn Luther Martin. Martin personally built his first plane by hand and used it to set an over-water distance flight record. The Glenn L. Martin Company manufactured bombers for both World War I and World War II. Besides the B-26 Marauder, the Martin Company also built the B-29 “Superfortress,” which dropped the first atomic bombs on Japan during the war. The B-29 brought an end to the War in the Pacific and, ultimately, World War II. The B-26 was a twin-engine airplane that was equipped with two Pratt and Whitney R-2800 engines, each of which cranked out an impressive 2,000 horsepower. The maximum speed of the Marauder was 285 mph, and its maximum altitude was 19,800 feet. The aircraft was fifty-eight feet long and twenty feet high with a short wing span of seventy-one feet. Early design models 129

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had a much shorter wingspan of sixty-five feet, which contributed to many hard landings and reinforced the negative references to the plane. The B-26 carried an armament of twelve .50 caliber Browning machine guns. One gun port was located in the nose, and another was located in the tail. A third gunner port, known as the waist gunner, was located near the cargo door. The B-26, unlike the B-17, had only one waist gunner and, therefore, could only protect one side of the aircraft during aerial attacks. The bomber could carry a total of 5,000 pounds of bombs. It required a complement of seven crew members to fly the medium-range bomber. The minimum crew of the B-26 was made up of a pilot and a co-pilot, a bombardier, a navigator, and three gunners.

However, with the long list of initial problems that the B-26 Marauder experienced, the plane did have a long, successful, and distinguished military career. The Glenn L. Martin Company built over 5,000 B-26 bombers during the war. The plane was used extensively in both the European Theater and the Pacific Theater, including the famous Battle of Midway. The plane was credited with flying more than 130,000 missions and dropping almost 170,000 tons of bombs on the enemies of the Allied Nations. To be totally fair to the B-26, most of the early accidents can be attributed to human error because of the Army Air Force’s rush to get pilots trained and to get the Marauder into the war. In fact, the plane went from the drawing board into production and then directly into military service. Numerous early crashes were the fault of overloading the plane, which led to the collapsing of the main landing gear on landings. When the overall wingspan was increased, the B-26 became a plane that was much easier for the pilot to fly. Despite all of the warranted apprehensions, there were actually a few brave airmen willing to risk their safety aboard the B-26 Marauder. One such brave airman was Hardy’s Hero James Wratchford Jr. James Roosevelt Wratchford was born on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1918, in Hardy County, West Virginia, in the town 130

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of Moorefield. He was the son of James Russell and Retha Wratchford, who were married in 1915. Mr. Wratchford served as postmaster for the town of Moorefield and later was a school teacher. In 1917, the Wratchford family moved from the town into the country. James Sr. purchased the Hickory Bottom Farm in Old Fields, and the young couple started their family there.

Once in the country, besides being a farmer, Mr. Wratchford taught school in Old Fields in the one-room school known as Thrasher Springs. Mrs. Wratchford wrote a weekly column in the local newspaper about the social happenings in the community.

Both James and Retha were very active in their church and in the community.

It was not long before the Wratchford family began to grow in size. The family consisted of nine children: four girls and five boys. Unfortunately, only six of those children reached adulthood. Tragedy struck early when the couple’s firstborn child, a daughter named Hazel, died when she was just seven years old from complications following surgery for an emergency appendectomy. Another girl, Betty, died when she was just four years old from an accidental burn. A little baby named Foster died just a few days after being born. After the tragic loss of three children, all at young ages, the Wratchford family also experienced joy and famed accomplishments from other children. Besides little Hazel and Betty, James and Retha had two other daughters. The girls were named Bonnie and Polly.

Both girls grew to adulthood and had illustrious careers. Polly was a nurse and an officer in World War II. She tended to a great many wounded soldiers. Bonnie was also a nurse, but she served outside the war.

The men of the Wratchford family served in the military and contributed to helping America in World War II and during the war that followed. Herman served in World War II in the United States Navy aboard the USS Henry T. Allen. The Henry T. Allen was a 535 feet Navy troop transport vessel named for Alaskan 131

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explorer Henry Truman Allen. Major General Allen was also the commander of the 90th Infantry Division during World War I. The ship saw action in the North African Campaign but spent most of her time in the Pacific Theater. Herman and the crew of the Allen saw action at Bougainville, New Guinea, and at Leyte Gulf, which was some of the bloodiest fighting in the Pacific War. Ruben also served in World War II, but he served in the United States Army. He was assigned to the Quartermaster Corps as an Army paymaster. The youngest brother, Dwight, served during the Korean War. James Jr., or Roosevelt, as a lot of his friends and family called him, worked on the family farm in Hickory Bottom. He attended the small school where his father taught. After grammar school, he attended Moorefield High School and completed two years of higher education, reaching the tenth grade. Roosevelt was a good student, but like a lot of young men in that day, he was somewhat restless when it came to book learning. He was a very smart young man but preferred working with his hands and learning on his own. He ordered correspondence courses to learn vocational skills. He studied refrigeration, mechanics, welding, and other technical skills. After mastering several trades, he still continued to be restless and undecided as to what he wanted to do with his life. Roosevelt often contemplated joining the military and even making the military a career. Eventually, he decided to join the United States Army.

When Roosevelt finally decided to join the military, he did so without much warning. He had been thinking about going into the U.S. Army instead of other branches of the service since he figured he would probably be drafted. By the summer of 1940, he still had not made any career commitments. On one particular hot day that summer, Roosevelt and his brothers were working on the farm. He was driving a tractor and cutting wheat in one of his father’s fields. After he had made several rounds through the field, he suddenly stopped the tractor and jumped off. He 132

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then turned to his younger brother, Herman, who was standing nearby with a pitchfork in his hand, and said, “Take over for me because I am going to join the Army.” Then, he went inside the house, packed a few things, and said goodbye to his parents. He then traveled into town and caught the bus to Washington, D.C. At the Army Induction Center, he met up with Hardy’s Hero Boyd Godlove from Moorefield. The two boys were inducted on the same day. After Roosevelt was given a physical examination, he was found to be fit for service and was officially sworn into the United States Army on September 10, 1940. Private James Wratchford was given the serial number 13000208 and was sent to basic training at Fort Meade, Maryland. After boot camp, James was transferred to Fort Lee, Virginia, where he trained to be a member of the Quartermaster Corps. After QM School, he once again caught up with Boyd Godlove at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

He was stationed there throughout 1942. While at Fort Bragg, Roosevelt was assigned to the Ninth Infantry Division. He was also assigned to the 9th Quartermaster Company along with Godlove. However, eventually, the two boys chose different military career paths. Boyd continued serving with the 9th Infantry Division and was sent to the War in North Africa. Roosevelt was promoted to Private First Class, but he really wanted to get into aviation and ultimately become a pilot.

In late 1942, he committed to transferring into aviation. To begin airborne training, PFC Wratchford was assigned to bombardier school in New Mexico.

In early 1943, Wratchford was transferred to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Kirtland Field. Kirtland Field was named for pioneer aviator Colonel Roy Kirtland, who first learned to fly in 1911. Col. Kirtland graduated from the United States Army War 133

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College and flew during World War I. During the war, he was commander of the First Aero Squadron. Kirtland retired from the military in 1938 after 40 years of service. When World War II broke out, he was reactivated from retirement at the age of 65 to once again serve his country. Unfortunately, he died of a heart attack just weeks after his return to active duty. An airfield in Albuquerque dated back to 1928, when two railroad executives decided to build a small airstrip in the area. The private venture led to the construction of two runways. One airstrip was just over 5,000 feet in length, and the other strip measured 4,000 feet in length. Eventually, the airfield was expanded and later was renamed the Albuquerque Airport.

In 1939, the Army Air Corps leased land in the area and began the construction of a military airfield. The construction started in January 1941. The airfield was completed in August of the year.

The Albuquerque Army Air Field taught the advanced training phase of pilot training. The facility also provided transitional training for pilots in military aircraft, primarily the B-17 and the B-24. In 1941, the Army Air Force moved its bombardier school from Louisiana to Albuquerque. The move further west was because New Mexico provided a perfect location for yearround flying, and the state offered a vast open terrain in which to practice precision bombing. PFC Wratchford was a member of one of the first bombardier classes to train at the school.

The training for bombardiers during the war was quite intense and lasted from twelve to eighteen weeks. During the curriculum, students spent many hours in the classroom and in the air. However, the classroom work held a five-hour to onehour ratio to air training. The classes were usually held at night, and the flying was done during the day. The students practiced bombing runs over a large area of land that included ranches and Indian reservations. There were twenty-four targets set up throughout the state of New Mexico designed to teach students how to deploy bombs from a moving aircraft. The Army Air 134

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Force constructed practice models to resemble cities, enemy ships, and other mock military targets for bombardier training.

During training, each student dropped over 150 practice bombs.

Out of that number, each cadet was responsible for scoring a success rate of 22% of those bombs to be on target in order to pass the course and to graduate.

The bombardier school at Kirtland used the AT-11 Kansan bomber for its practice runs. The AT-11 was really an AT-7 known as the “Navigator,” with all its navigation equipment removed.

The Kansan was built by the Beechcraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas, in 1937. It was a twin-engine low-winged aircraft that was also used for gunnery training for the United States Army Air Force. The bombardier’s position was located in the nose of the aircraft, which provided a bird’s eye view of the intended target. The AT-11 had the famous Norden Bombsight on board to help the bombardier calculate the exact point at which a bomb should be dropped in order to hit the target.

The Norden Bombsight was the invention of engineer Carl Norden. Norden was a Dutch immigrant who fled to the United States in 1904. The top secret bombsight was a fifty-pound device that used an analog computer along with gyros, gears and motors, a telescope, and mirrors to calculate the drop point.

The bombardier constantly fed the bombsight with necessary information such as the plane’s air speed, the wind speed and direction, and the plane’s altitude. The Norden Bombsight also had a direct linkage to the plane’s auto pilot system. On a bombing run, the bombardier would input all the necessary information into the device. When the bomber was close to the target, the pilot would turn the plane over to the bombardier.

Then, the Norden would direct the plane to the target. Once over the target, the bombardier would release his payload of bombs and hopefully hit the desired target if all the information was entered correctly.

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The bombardier school at Albuquerque graduated almost 5,800 airmen by the time World War II ended. Roosevelt finished the program and graduated on April 14, 1943. His drop success rate was well above the required percentage needed to graduate.

He was then a commissioned officer in the United States Army Air Force with the rank of Second Lieutenant and was given his silver aviation wings. His expert performance was so impressive that the U.S. Army immediately sent him to navigator school in nearby Carlsbad, New Mexico. The purpose of cross-training officers aboard aircraft was in the event a man in one of those critical positions became injured or killed, any other officer could assume his role.

To continue his military training, Second Lieutenant Wratchford immediately reported to Carlsbad Navigators School. The airport at Carlsbad was constructed in August 1941 and was used extensively for commercial flights by Continental Airlines. In March 1942, the United States War Department chose Carlsbad Municipal Airport as an Army Air Force training center. The base was expanded from one runway to include a total of four runways and numerous taxiways. The airfield also included eight large aircraft hangars. The training center had a communications building, a weather station, and numerous classrooms. The base had all the facilities of other military bases, including a fire station, a movie theater, a motor pool, a mess hall, and many other accommodations for the soldier away from home.

The program at the Carlsbad Navigator School encompassed a fifteen- to twenty-week training curriculum. The course involved many hours of classroom work and study. However, there was also a lot of flying for cadets to practice navigating the area around New Mexico. The role of the navigator aboard an aircraft was simply to direct the scheduled flight from takeoff to the destination and then back to the point of origin. The navigator had to always know where the plane was during the mission. The 136

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training for this position was intense, and the cadets had to have the aptitude to read charts and plot courses. The cadets had to be aware of all the changing conditions outside the airplane that affected precise navigation.

During World War II, the school trained potential navigators in several techniques or methods in order for them to perform such an important job. The two most popular methods were Pilotage and Dead Reckoning. The first method of navigation was Pilotage, which used maps and charts to spot ground features such as rivers, mountain ranges, roads, or cities to determine a plane’s location during flight. This method also could be done visually without any map or chart. The navigator simply looked out his window to spot landmarks on the ground. The problem with a visual method of navigating was that it would have to be a clear day when visibility was perfect. Also, visual sighting was obviously much harder at night.

The second basic navigational skill was known as Dead Reckoning. This method was used when flying at night or when ground features could not be seen and was much more challenging for navigators. The navigator set a fixed point, such as the destination of the flight or a point during the flight. He then determined the calculated flight time to complete the destination or to reach the determined point. This method required calculations based on many outside factors to arrive at the proper location during the flight. Those factors included the wind speed, its direction, and the plane’s altitude and airspeed.

Other methods were taught to navigators during the war.

One method was to use two or three radio stations to determine a fixed point of connection during a flight. This method was hampered by weather, which affected the signal received by the radio on board the aircraft. Another method was to use heavenly bodies such as the moon or stars to determine a fixed point. Once again, this was based on the ability to see visually. These other methods were not used as primary navigation sources because 137

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of inaccuracy. They were only used in extreme situations or as secondary methods.

The bombardier and the navigator were both officers and, therefore, leaders aboard the aircraft. They had obvious primary duties. The main duty of the bombardier was to bomb enemy targets. The navigator’s main duty was to get the plane to the target. Both positions had numerous secondary duties as well.

Men stationed at both had to know their equipment well and how it functioned. More importantly, they had to know how to repair their equipment if needed during a flight. Both had to know how to man any of the airplane’s guns in case either was called on to assume any of those positions. The bombardier and the navigator had to have a general knowledge of all the aircraft’s systems, such as radios, flight controls, and oxygen equipment. Finally, both positions needed to know how to react to all emergency situations, such as crash landings or water ditching, in order to lead the crew to safety and to ensure everyone’s survival.

During navigator training, 2nd Lt. Wratchford was among the leaders of his graduating class. He graduated on June 25, 1943. After graduation, he came home to Hardy County on a fifteen-day furlough to visit his family and friends. By this time, his brother, Reuben, was already in the Army. His sister, Polly, was on her way to becoming an Army nurse. His younger brother, Herman, was headed to the Navy’s basic training station at Great Lakes. After two weeks of being home, he returned to New Mexico for assignment. Shortly after returning to New Mexico, Lt. Wratchford was transferred to Lake Charles Army Airfield in Louisiana for further training and to await orders to be sent overseas to the war.

At Lake Charles, he was assigned to the Third Army Air Force as part of the 336th Bombardment Group. The 336th Bombardment Group was made up of four squadrons: the 478th, 479th, 480th, and 481st Bomber Squadrons. Lt. Wratchford was assigned to the 480th Bomber Squadron, which was activated 138

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on July 15, 1942. The new squadron was under the command of Captain Alfred D. Belsma from Waupun, Wisconsin. Captain Belsma served in a bomber squadron in North Africa and was later shot down behind enemy lines over Italy. After he was rescued, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroics and retired, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

The Third Air Force was created on March 26, 1941, and was one of the original four numbered Army Air Forces. It was first activated to provide coastal defense and submarine patrol for the Gulf of Mexico from 1940 to 1941. Later, the Third provided air defense for nine southeastern states, which included Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Arkansas. In 1942, the United States Coast Guard was given the task of providing submarine patrol for the Gulf. After being relieved from submarine patrol, the Third Air Force was given the new mission of training replacement aircrews for medium bombers such as the B-25 Mitchell and the B-26 Marauder. The command of the 3rd was given to Major General Barton K. Yount from Ohio.

General Yount was a veteran of World War I and a graduate of the United States Military Academy in 1907.

The United States Army established the Third Air Force’s headquarters at Southeast Airfield in Tampa, Florida.

Construction at Southeast Airfield began on September 6, 1939, and was completed in the spring of 1941. The airfield was officially dedicated on April 16, 1941. Shortly after the base was activated, it was renamed MacDill Air Base in honor of Colonel Leslie MacDill. Col. MacDill was a World War I aviation pioneer killed in 1938 in a plane crash in Washington, D.C. During the war, nine of twelve Bombardment Groups who flew the B-26 Marauder in the European Theater trained at MacDill. The base was also used to provide transitional training for B-17 pilots and crew. Conversely, the base at Lake Charles was established to train B-26 crews exclusively in combat.

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The Lake Charles airfield began in 1940 when Louisiana leased the Lake Charles Municipal Airport to the United States Army. After the acquisition, the Army renamed the base the Lake Charles Army Airfield. In 1941, the United States government built the Lake Charles Training School on the base. At first, the school was specifically used for training fighter pilots in singleengine aircraft. Later, the Third Air Force established the Tactical Bomber Group Training School at Lake Charles.

Lake Charles Army Airfield was a very busy and active place, with numerous air crews training for combat in the later years of World War II. On January 19, 1944, one particular training mission was launched as a gunnery formation over the Gulf of Mexico. Simply, it was a practice run designed to fire live ammunition from the guns of aircraft while in flight at an airborne target. The target was towed by a separate and unarmed aircraft. As the target flew past the participating airplane in the formation, airmen on each aircraft would direct fire upon the target. Lt. Wratchford was ordered to participate in the training exercise.

The flight formation for that training mission consisted of four B-26 Marauder aircraft. The aircraft were numbered 41-31858, 41-35352, 41-35196, and 41-3082. James Wratchford was part of the six-man crew aboard plane 41-3082. The pilot of the aircraft was Second Lieutenant Charles J. Eades Jr. from Shelby County, Indiana. At the time of the training mission, Lt. Eades had logged over 316 flight hours as a pilot. He was assisted by co-pilot and Second Lieutenant Lawrence J. Quackenbush from Montgomery County, New York. Lt. Quackenbush had logged over 400 flight hours as a pilot. Also on board 41-3082 were radioman Staff Sergeant Malcolm F. Woodlaver from Massachusetts, engineer Sergeant William Wien from Pennsylvania, waist gunner Sergeant James W. Swint from Georgia, and, of course, bombardier James R. Wratchford from Hardy County, West Virginia.

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According to the official Aircraft Accident Report, the weather during the training exercises was described as “high thin scattered clouds, visibility unlimited, winds aloft 340-350 degrees, 20-24 mph at 5,000 feet.” In other words, it was basically a clear and beautiful day with a slight wind over Lake Charles, Louisiana, and in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a perfect day to be flying straight and level for any type of mission, including a training mission.

The four Marauders left the airfield at Lake Charles on that January day at 8:30 A.M. The planes flew about eighty-five miles out into the Gulf of Mexico to begin their formation. Around 9:00, they made contact with the aircraft towing the large target.

Immediately, the planes in the formation prepared for the mission of gunnery practice. The lead aircraft was 31858, piloted

by Lieutenant Robert Baxter, who had logged 460 flight hours.

Lt. Eades and his crew, including Lt. Wratchford, in plane 3082, were flying in the number three position in the formation. The group began their mission at an altitude of 2,500 feet at an air speed of 270 mph. Each plane began firing live ammunition at the target behind the tow plane.

After approximately one hour and a half of training, the crew members traded positions within each plane. The position tradeoff was to give each crew member the experience of gunnery practice. By this time, each plane had fired about 150 to 175 rounds of ammunition, which was half the allotted amount. The tow plane had flown over fifty passes and the target had been hit by many rounds of ammunition. After the adjustments in crew positions, the mission continued.

After the break in action, the tow aircraft made its first pass under the formation, and the crewmen opened up with a tremendous amount of gunfire. Immediately after the first pass, plane 3082, still flying in the number three position, began to drop out of formation. The aircraft dropped to 2,200 feet and decreased its speed to 220 mph. The lead plane was ordered by 141

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the pilot of the tow aircraft to follow the descending plane to find out its status. When 31858 caught up with 3082, the pilot, Robert Baxter, could see that the right propeller had stopped turning and was feathered. Feathering occurs when an aircraft engine shuts down during flight, and the propeller blades automatically flatten to decrease drag on the aircraft and to prevent the propellers from windmilling. Baxter also noticed flames were shooting from the right engine housing.

By this time, the two planes were flying at 195 mph. Then, the pilot of aircraft 3082 made his first contact with Baxter in aircraft 31858. Pilot Eades asked Baxter if he could check and see if his right engine was on fire. Baxter confirmed to the other pilot that, indeed, his plane’s engine was on fire. Then Baxter heard a crewmember of the damaged plane shout and say, “The engine is burning like hell.” The crew members of the disabled aircraft could also see that the right aileron had been shot away, which was now causing the damaged plane to experience control issues. Members of aircraft 3082 could also see that there were at least eight bullet holes in the engine compartment, which had caused the fire. The men on board aircraft 3082 knew that they had been hit by “friendly fire” or, in other words, their plane had been shot up by fellow soldiers in one of the other planes during the training mission.

The commander of the tow aircraft radioed the pilot of 3082 and ordered the crew to bail out of the plane. Baxter stated in his report that he heard the pilot of the disabled aircraft tell his crew to “prepare for ditching.” It was believed that either the crew did not hear the order to bail out because of the commotion onboard the damaged plane or that the pilot felt it would be safer to ditch the bomber into the Gulf of Mexico. Another factor in the outside received communication by the other aircraft was because the crew of aircraft 3082 was not using the intercom system to communicate with each other within their own plane.

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which explained why the other aircraft in the formation could hear all their emergency communications. This mistake in communication may have led to more confusion on the doomed aircraft and the crew not hearing the order to bail out.

The damaged B-26 proceeded down toward the surface of the water, and according to the eyewitnesses in the other aircraft within the formation, the pilot made a textbook water landing.

In the Aircraft Accident Report, it was noted that “The tail of the 3082 touched down into the water first. Then, the plane left the water momentarily and veered three to five degrees to the right. The B-26 then settled back again in the water and skidded for approximately one hundred and fifty feet. Next, the bomber nosed into the water, which caused the tail section to rise into the air before hitting the water a second time. Finally, the entire plane immediately disappeared from sight in as little as fifteen seconds.” There were no signs of survivors and no sight of any of the crew trying to egress out of the downed airplane. Eventually, one survivor did manage to exit the plane and surface. He was last spotted clinging to an inverted life raft. The lone survivor was never able to flip the raft over to climb aboard, most likely due to injuries.

The lead plane continued to stay in the area, buzzing the water and looking for any signs of life. The crew also dropped life rafts at the crash site. Baxter radioed for assistance and a distress call went out. Shortly thereafter, a United States Coast Guard cutter launched and immediately headed to the area where the plane went down. The tow aircraft returned to base, released the practice target, and headed back toward the crash site. After less than an hour, the lone survivor lost his grip on the life raft and slipped below the surface. He died just minutes before the Coast Guard boat arrived on the scene. Aircraft 31858, which was piloted by Robert Baxter, was low on fuel and had to return to base. The search continued for survivors until February 1, 1944, but only oil and debris remained of the lost aircraft.

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Later in February, the Army Air Force conducted a memorial service for the crew of the lost bomber at the base at Lake Charles.

Mrs. Wratchford, along with her two daughters, attended the ceremony. Preliminarily, the family was told that perhaps an enemy submarine may have shot the bomber out of the sky.

However, after further investigation, it was concluded that the actual cause of the crash was indeed friendly fire. One of the other planes during the gunnery practice mission had accidentally shot down the plane. Even after World War II concluded, the families were never told the truth about just how their sons died on that routine training mission.

James Roosevelt Wratchford was listed on the casualty report as DNB (Death Non-Battle) and died on that January day in 1944 in the Gulf of Mexico. The bodies of the crew were never recovered. The war was over for Lt. Wratchford and the crew of aircraft 41-3082 before it started. At Bethel Cemetery in Old Fields, West Virginia, the family erected a grave marker that honorably bears the name of James Wratchford and his military information. The cemetery was established next to the Bethel Brethren Church, which was just a few miles from where James grew up. Another one of Hardy’s Heroes is buried in the small cemetery. That soldier is Thomas Lewis. Lewis was killed in the Pacific War and was a close friend of the Wratchford boys. James was killed just eighteen days after his twenty-sixth birthday by members of his own team.

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8 Elwood Washington, African American Segregated World of the 1940s In 1941, immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy began construction on a military magazine facility near the town of Port Chicago, California. Port Chicago was a small town of only 1,500 inhabitants, but its logistical location was essential for naval shipping. The town was located in Suisun Bay along two major rivers that flowed into the Bay of San Francisco. After completion, the naval base was commissioned to supply munitions to our armed forces that would be fighting in the Pacific Theater of Operations. The facility was supervised by white enlisted men and white officers, but the actual manual labor of loading the munitions onto ships was performed by over 1,400 black enlisted men. The men worked shifts around the clock in order to provide the Navy with the munitions needed to sustain the war effort.

Freight trains transported the munitions from East Coast factories to the supply depot at Port Chicago. After arriving, each loaded train parked between two large protective concrete barriers as they waited to be unloaded. When ordered to move forward, the train then entered the pier and parked next to the designated ship that would carry the cargo to the War in the Pacific. At that point, the shipyard workers performed the dangerous task of moving the munitions from the train onto the ship.

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On the evening of July 17, 1944, two large cargo ships, the USS Quinault Victory and the USS E.A. Bryan, were moored into position in preparation for loading. Tons of munitions, from as many as sixteen rail cars, were parked and ready for unloading.

Around 10:00 P.M., as the men were transferring the munitions, a terrible explosion occurred on the pier. The blast was tremendous as fire lit up the night sky, and huge pieces of metal rained down relentlessly on dock personnel. The explosion was so intense that every building in Port Chicago suffered damage. Both of the large ships were completely destroyed. The USS E.A. Bryan was reduced to pieces no larger than briefcases. Three hundred and twenty sailors were killed that night, and of that number, the majority was African American. A total of nearly four hundred other workers were injured in the explosion, and the majority of that total was also African American.

No sooner had the smoke from the blast settled when many in the military laid the blame for the explosion at the feet of the black sailors. Many contended that blacks were incapable of performing the highly skilled tasks of loading such dangerous cargo. They insisted that their views on black servicemen were concrete facts as a result of this incident. That belief was further reaffirmed when many of the surviving workers of the blast refused to go back to work. In the eyes of the military, they were fleeing from their assigned duties, just as they would on the battlefield. A total of 258 black workers disobeyed military orders and refused to continue to load the munitions. Out of that number, 208 sailors received court martials and were dishonorably discharged from the military. Fifty of those African Americans, known as the “Port Chicago Fifty,” were sentenced to between eight and fifteen years of hard labor for their refusal to obey orders. These stiff punishments were handed out to these men even though the cause of the blast was never actually determined. No one was ever formally cited as having any fault in the Port Chicago Disaster.

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Jim Crow mentality was alive and well in the military before and after the Port Chicago Disaster. After the First World War, the United States Navy tried to totally exclude blacks from serving aboard ships or in naval ports. However, in 1932, the Navy, because of public pressure, was forced by Congress to actively recruit African Americans. Their recruiting totals were limited, and the men who enlisted were given menial jobs, such as galley detail or as orderlies. Ten years later, in 1942, the Navy once again was pushed by the populace to include more blacks in their ranks, and again, the department reluctantly agreed. However, in 1940, there were still no black commissioned officers in the United States Navy.

The United States Army was no different from the Navy when it came to African American enlistment. In 1940, there were only two black commissioned officers and only three regiments of black soldiers in the Army. Black soldiers were assigned to quartermaster duties or engineer companies and were also members of segregated units. At that time, the U.S. Army felt that blacks were unreliable and also lacked the mental capacity to understand direct orders, follow specific instructions, or handle weapons. Most military leaders felt that the black man, when faced with direct enemy fire, would turn and flee from battle.

This was the world of the African American soldier and sailor during World War II. This was the world of Hardy’s Hero Elwood Washington, an African American in a white man’s military.

Elwood Washington was born on January 24, 1924, in Grant County. His parents were John and Rose Washington.

The family lived on Turkey Knob, not far from the town of Petersburg near Johnsons Run. Immediately after the birth of their son, the Washington family experienced racial hatred at its worst. In December 1924, when Elwood was less than one year old, members of the local Klu Klux Klan (KKK) staged a rally near the Washingtons’ home. That night, about fifty members of the hate organization met in Petersburg. When the meeting 147

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concluded, the hooded cowards marched with lit torches to Turkey Knob. The knob was chosen to provide a view of their protest to the entire town. During the demonstration, the mob burned a cross in order to intimidate the local black community.

To conclude the rally, the KKK marched back into town as their leader addressed the problems of racial equality and the call for continued segregation.

Elwood grew up with his two brothers, Clifton and Hamilton, and with one sister. Her name was Genevieve, but the family just called her Ginny. The Washington family was a very religious group who attended the small segregated Methodist Church in town. As Elwood grew in stature and in spirituality, he became one of the church’s ushers and often read scripture to the congregation. However, he was still a boy and often got into trouble, even when it involved the church and its functions. One such occasion occurred when he was nine years old at a social gathering with many of his fellow church members.

The episode took place on a hot summer day when a group of family and friends from the church gathered for a picnic on Turkey Knob near the peaceful waters of Johnsons Run. At the picnic, Elwood and his cousin were playing along the banks of the water. Eventually, the two boys began to wrestle playfully.

Soon, that playful fun led to an all-out fight. No one was sure what caused the disagreement that led to the confrontation, but we do know the end result. After the bell rang, ending the bout, Elwood had a nice shiner under his left eye. Also, the clothes that the boys were wearing were muddy and torn. In fact, the new white shirt that Elwood was sporting was ripped down the front and was missing several buttons. That was the least of his problems because when he got home, his father gave him a “good licking” for fighting and for ruining his “Sunday-go-to-meeting” clothes. New clothes for poor black children were hard to come by in those days.

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Fortunately for Elwood, unlike many African American children, he did get the opportunity to go to school. He attended the all-black grammar school known as Town Hill. Also, unlike many young black children, he managed to complete grammar school and finish the eighth grade. However, that would be as far as Elwood could go since there was no black high school in the area. He certainly would not be permitted to go to an all-white high school. After he finished grammar school, the Washington family moved to Hardy County in the community of Kessel.

Elwood worked on one of the farms in the area.

In the fall of 1942, Elwood received his draft notice and was called before the local draft board in Moorefield. After his initial examination, he was categorized as being fit for duty.

He was then sent to Clarksburg to the Army Induction Center and officially enlisted on April 23, 1943, with the serial number 35753454. Next, he was sent by bus to the Army Reception Center at Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio. In early May, Elwood was transferred to his first duty station, Camp Atterbury, near the town of Edinburg, Indiana. Shortly after Elwood left for Indiana, his parents returned to Grant County and moved into a home in the community of Cabins.

Camp Atterbury was a very important Army facility during World War II. The base was approved by the United States Congress in February 1941. Construction on the camp began the following year in February 1942 and lasted for six months. Camp Atterbury covered an area of over 40,000 acres within three Indiana counties with a construction cost of over $85,000,000.

The military base was named after Brigadier General William Wallace Atterbury, who served in the United States Army during World War I. Later, as a civilian, Atterbury became president of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Army post was home to the Wakeman General Hospital, which was the largest hospital of its kind in the United States during the war years. The large fortyfive-building complex contained 9,000 beds and trained medical 149

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personnel to care for wounded soldiers returning from overseas battles.

Camp Atterbury was also the training ground for many specialized units such as engineering, service, and chemical companies. Many African American soldiers trained at Camp Atterbury. Private Washington trained at the camp as a member of the Army’s Fifth Service Command. He received training in mechanics and operating trucks and other vehicles used during the war. He would be a member of the units that would carry supplies to combat areas in Europe. In June 1943, following mechanics and driver training, Private Washington was sent to Camp Swift in Texas for advanced training. At Camp Swift, Elwood was assigned to the 961st Service Company as he awaited orders for overseas deployment to the European Theater of Operations. During his brief stay in Texas, he experienced the segregation of Army troops and the hardships of being black in the United States military. He and other black soldiers were housed in separate barracks from the white troops and ate in separate mess halls. During this time, racial unrest was rearing its ugly head all around America, especially in the state of Texas.

The nation witnessed two horrible race riots in June 1943. One of those riots took place not far from Camp Swift and affected every black soldier who was in training in the Lone Star State, including Private Elwood Washington.

The first major racial confrontation occurred in 1943 in Beaumont, Texas, a city located in the southeast section of the state along the Gulf of Mexico. In 1941, white and black Americans began pouring into the area to work at the shipyards.

The shipyards were in tremendous demand for workers to aid in the war effort. Unfortunately, Beaumont was not ready for such a rapid population increase. There was not enough housing for the tremendous influx of people, so the town was forced to integrate its residents. That meant that both races of workers would not only have to work together and at the same time 150

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compete for skilled jobs but also have to live together in the same neighborhoods. The number of people moving into the area created food shortages while other tensions festered, stemming from the war itself. To make matters worse, it was an extremely hot summer. A clash between the two races was inevitable and only needed a spark to ignite the fuel of hatred. That spark came in June 1943.

On June 5, 1943, a white woman, who was the daughter of a shipyard worker, accused a black male worker of raping her.

This brought about tensions among the white population toward black workers, but nothing stemmed from this allegation. Ten days later, another white woman, who was a mother of three children, came forward and claimed that a black man had raped her as well. By this time, blacks were tired of being accused of crimes, and whites were tired of hiding behind their accusations.

On June 15, 2,000 black shipyard workers at the Pennsylvania Shipyard left their jobs and marched on Beaumont City Hall.

The marchers consisted of around 1,000 citizens. As they marched into town, the group was met by angry white citizens, and the two factions clashed. The shipyard shut down, as did many other offices and shops in town, as the violence escalated.

Business establishments were destroyed and looted while fighting occurred in the streets for fifteen hours. On June 16, Texas Rangers, as well as state and local police, finally calmed the situation and arrested over 200 participants. During the two days of violence, one black man and one white man were killed.

At least fifty people were injured. Eleven of those citizens were seriously injured.

The next racial outbreak in America occurred just five days after the Beaumont Riot. But this time, the rioting took place in the north. The unrest now was centered in the city of Detroit, Michigan. By the end of the violence, thirty-four people would be killed. The same conditions that led to unrest in Beaumont were also present in Detroit. The city experienced rapid growth 151

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from people moving to the area to work in factories that were building war implements. Also, like in Beaumont, inadequate housing and food shortages were an issue. However, there were other forces at work in the Motor City. For one, blacks lived in horrible conditions and were often charged more for rent than white citizens. There was discrimination in public buildings, which was an issue that black Americans had faced in the South.

Also, it was reported that the local police departments were often accused of persecuting the black population. Once again, all the powder keg needed was the spark to ignite the explosion, and that spark came in June 1943.

In early June, the Packard Motor Car Company promoted three black employees to positions on the assembly line. The assembly line positions were viewed as a step up among the workers, and many white employees desired those promotions.

The promotion of the three African American employees meant that white workers and black workers would be working side by side on the assembly line. So, in protest of this equality, on June 20, 25,000 white employees walked off the job. That action in itself did not start the riot, but it played a part in the racial divide. The trouble started just days later on a very hot and muggy Saturday night at Belle Isle, a very popular amusement park, located within the city and enjoyed by both races.

At the park, hundreds of citizens, both white and black, were enjoying themselves throughout the day. Later in the evening, small fights began to break out among black teens and white teens. As people were leaving the park, a major traffic jam soon stalled travelers. As people exited their cars to assess the situation, tensions began to erupt. The rioting began when two rumors were circulated among the crowds. The first rumor claimed that a white woman, who was the girlfriend of a local United States Navy sailor, was assaulted by a black man. This angered the white crowd. Another rumor claimed that a group of white men had thrown a black woman and her infant child over the Belle Island 152

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Bridge. Naturally, this angered the black crowd. Both accusations led to violence and destruction.

During the night, blacks looted and demolished white-owned businesses and randomly attacked any white citizens who were available. Whites moved into the downtown area and looted and demolished black-owned businesses. The white mob waited outside a popular black movie house, and as patrons exited the theater, brutally attacked and beat them. The mob also stopped streetcars, which were carrying black factory workers home from work, pulled the workers from the cars, and beat them as well. The violence continued into the next morning. The city’s police force, which was mostly made up of white officers, was overwhelmed. It was reported that some officers even helped and encouraged the white mobs during the riot.

Finally, the mayor of Detroit asked for federal help. President Franklin Roosevelt responded to the request and sent 6,000 United States Army troops to the city to bring an end to the violence. In the aftermath, Detroit looked like a war zone. Schools had to be shut down, and many streets had to be closed. Small pockets of violence continued throughout the day, but by 11:00 P.M., the city was relatively quiet. However, the death toll was staggering, and the loss of property was tremendous. A total of thirty-four people were killed, and of that total, twenty-five were black. Seventeen of the black deaths occurred at the hands of the police. The total of injured people, including police, reached over 700. The total value of the destruction of businesses was estimated to be over two million dollars. After the riot, Japanese and German leaders used this disturbance as a propaganda tool to convince their citizens that America was a weak and divided nation and, therefore, could easily be defeated.

Four months after the riots, in late October, members of the 961st Service Company, including Private Elwood Washington, set sail from Texas to the War in Europe. In early November, the unit arrived in northwest England and was stationed at the town 153

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of Huyton, in Merseyside County. Huyton had been hit very hard by the constant bombing by the German Luftwaffe during the past several years. Upon arriving, Elwood saw firsthand the results of a war that had raged in Europe for four long years. He could also see the utter despair on the faces of the citizens of Huyton and the surrounding countryside. Living conditions in Huyton were somewhat deplorable for the English citizens and for black members of the American military.

Camp Huyton was a large facility that had two main functions. First, it was the largest internment camp in England.

Huyton was a prisoner-of-war camp where many German and Italian POWs were housed. Second, Camp Huyton was a United States Army base established to train American servicemen. At the Army base, the training for the 961st continued as they were given the important task of transporting much-needed fuel and water to the combat units of the U.S. Army fighting in Europe.

The 961st was scheduled to be one of the service companies that would land in Normandy immediately after the initial D-Day landings in order to transport fuel and water to the troops in the field. While in England, Private Washington learned how to drive large transport tankers and trucks as he practiced on the roads in northwest England.

Unfortunately, racial unrest followed Elwood and the many African American soldiers stationed in Huyton, England. As the men continued their training, tensions began to grow among white and black soldiers. During the workday, any confrontations between the two groups were immediately squashed by the leaders of the Army. However, once the daily training was over and the men entered the city on evenings and weekends to seek entertainment, they were less supervised, and the tensions escalated.

One evening in early 1944, the violence reached a pinnacle in the town and centered around two pubs, the Blue Bell and the Eagle & Child. Both establishments were frequently visited 154

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by American GIs, both white and black. Small skirmishes and fights had broken out in the past, but Military Police (MPs) had been able to subdue the violence. One particular night, things got out of hand in a way not seen before, and the event became known as the “Shoot out at the Eagle and Child.” White soldiers appeared to have objected to black soldiers being invited to the homes of local women living in the area. Some white soldiers attacked black soldiers, and soon, there was massive fighting in both pubs. As shots rang out during the fighting, many people were injured. Eventually, MPs gained control of the volatile situation and ordered the combatants back to their barracks as both clubs were closed for the night. Later in the evening, a group of white soldiers returned to the Eagle & Child and set fire to the establishment, which totally destroyed the pub.

While stationed in Huyton, England, Elwood began to experience sharp abdominal pains. At first, the pain did not seem to be a big problem. Elwood was able to bear the discomfort as he continued to serve his country. Eventually, the pain became excruciating and more than he was able to bear as he fell unconscious. He was admitted to an Army field hospital unit, where doctors determined his condition beyond their expertise.

So, in early April, Private Washington was evacuated from England and placed on a transport ship back to the United States for further diagnosis.

In the middle of April 1944, Elwood was admitted to a hospital in New York. It was at this facility that he was diagnosed with an intestinal obstruction that was potentially carcinoma or stomach cancer. Without delay, he was sent by train to a more specialized hospital, as surgery was his only hope of survival.

That facility was the Woodrow Wilson General Hospital in Staunton, Virginia. While at Woodrow Wilson General, he was given the sad news that, indeed, he had cancer. Surgeons at the hospital performed a long and serious operation on Elwood in an attempt to remove the tumor. The Washington family back in 155

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Grant County was given the news about the condition of their son. After the message arrived, John and Rose made the 130-mile trip to Virginia to see Elwood. After the surgery, things began to look good for his recovery. However, complications set in, and three weeks after surgery, Private Elwood Washington died at age twenty. His contribution to the war effort was cut short, and his unit would have to continue without him.

The 961st Service Company, Elwood’s unit, was sent to Normandy shortly after the D-Day landings, and their efforts to aid the Allied victory were monumental. The men carried millions of gallons of petroleum to the front lines. They kept the Allied motorized forces moving as divisions of troops marched across Europe in the defeat of the German Army. They also carried millions of gallons of water to the war zone to camp kitchens to keep troops fed and to field hospitals to keep the wounded alive.

In other words, the black soldiers of the 961st Service Company heroically did their part to help the Allies win the War in Europe.

The men in the service companies did not get to engage the enemy in combat because of the segregation that engulfed the military during World War II. However, there were notable African American units that did see combat and ultimately cleared the way for blacks to fight for their country in the future.

One such unit was the 761st Tank Battalion, activated on April 1, 1942, at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. They trained in England and landed on Omaha Beach on October 10, 1944. The all-black tank battalion was known as the “Black Panthers,” The men of the tank unit fought to the motto of “Come Out Fighting,” “Come out fighting” was just what the Black Panthers did as they fought in France, Belgium, and Germany during over 180 days of continuous combat, including the Battle of the Bulge.

Before the Battle of the Bulge, the battalion was placed in the Third Army, commanded by General Patton, who requested them personally. He addressed the troops after they arrived by saying, “Men, you are the first Negro tankers to ever fight in the 156

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American Army. I would never have asked for you if you weren’t good. I have nothing but the best in my Army…Everyone has their eyes on you and is expecting great things from you. Most of all, your race is looking forward to your success…” In 1978, the all-black tank battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for their contribution to the D-Day landings and the fighting in Europe.

One of the most famous all-black units assembled during World War II was the Tuskegee Airmen. They were the first African American group of pilots to fly during the war, despite the 1940 U.S. Census Bureau listing a total of only 124 qualified black pilots in the entire country at the time. The cadets trained in Alabama, and at the beginning of the curriculum, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who championed the program, made an appearance at the training base and volunteered to fly with the chief instructor, C. Alfred Anderson, on a half-hour flight. At the conclusion of the flight, she turned to the black pilot and responded, “Well, you can fly alright.” This affirmation by the first lady greatly encouraged the military leadership to continue with the controversial idea of training black pilots for combat during the war and for the future.

The flyers from Tuskegee formed the 477th Bombardment Group and the 332nd Fighter Group. The main Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group was the 99th Fighter Squadron. The men were known as the “Red Tails” because the tails of their planes were painted a bright red. The squadron first saw action in the invasion of Sicily, where they cleared the Mediterranean Sea lanes of enemy vessels. Later in the war, the 99th flew escort missions to protect American heavy bombers as they destroyed German military facilities. Altogether, 996 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1941 to 1945, and half of those pilots experienced combat in Europe. They flew over 1,500 missions and were credited for destroying 112 German aircraft in the air and another 150 on the ground, as well as one enemy destroyer.

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There were two other units that served with distinction during World War II: the 92nd Infantry Division and the 93rd Infantry Division. The 92nd was known as the “Buffalo Soldiers Division.” They were assigned to the Fifth United States Army and were the only African American Division to see combat action in the European Theater. The 93rd Infantry Division, known as the “Blue Helmets,” served heroically in the Pacific Theater.

Private Elwood Washington did not get the opportunity to serve with a tank battalion or with an aviation squadron.

He was not even assigned to a segregated infantry division.

Instead, he was assigned to a service company, a military unit whose troops drove trucks, washed laundry, cooked meals, and cleaned military facilities. However, from the efforts of men like Private Washington and many others who withstood so much racial segregation in the military, future generations of African Americans would be permitted to serve their country in more honorable roles. With so much popular demand and with so many examples of African American patriotism, President Harry S. Truman desegregated the United States Armed Forces

by Order 9981 on July 26, 1948. Six years later, in 1954, the last all-black unit was disbanded, and black and white soldiers, from that point on, would fight together shoulder to shoulder for the freedoms that truly represent America.

Private Washington made a valuable contribution to the war in honor of his race, but he died before he could aid his unit after the D-Day landings. He was not given a hero’s burial with a gun salute or a color guard. He was buried in a very small cemetery on the outskirts of the town of Petersburg in Grant County, not far from his parents’ home. There was no gravestone or even a marker erected to signify that a United States soldier was laid to rest there. At present, the gravesite has a broken and nameless marker and a small American flag lying on its side. However, the name Elwood Washington is etched on the memorial wall 158

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outside the Hardy County Courthouse in Moorefield, West Virginia. It was written there for his honor and as a testament to the unbiased loyalty to our war dead by the citizens of Hardy County, an American county that chose to include every local hero who died during World War II regardless of skin color.

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9 Carl Bean, Extraordinary Athlete Exercise Tiger Before the war began, the citizens of Hardy County were abuzz with excitement during the summer of 1938. Many social events were happening throughout the county, which took the problems of the world away, even if it was only for a short time.

For one, the rodeo was coming to town, promising to be bigger and better than ever. The annual event kicked off in mid-June and lived up to its billing. At about the same time, young Hardy County boys were standing in line at McCoy’s Grand Theater to see the movie, “Kidnapped,” which starred child actor Freddie Bartholomew and leading man Warner Baxter. There was even praise for the Moorefield midget baseball team as it won the last game of the season. That was very exciting news since the team finished dead last in their division with a dismal 11-19 record.

Finally, because of budget cuts, Hardy County was contemplating a shorter school year for 1938. A shorter school year was exciting news for any student.

During that summer, Carl Bean was a senior at Moorefield High School. He enjoyed the excitement of the summer, but he was looking past summer and more toward the fall. The fall meant football season and his final year of high school. Bean was the star fullback for the Moorefield High School Yellow Jackets team. Carl was born on October 28, 1918, in Hardy County, West Virginia.

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Bean. Friends and family called Mrs. Bean Emma. Mr. Bean was born at the end of the American Civil War and was thirty years older than Emma when the couple married. The Beans were a very prominent family in Hardy County who could trace their lineage back to the early 1700s. The patriarch was Robert Bean.

He and his wife Margret immigrated to Hagerstown, Maryland.

The pioneer couple had four sons who eventually moved from Maryland to Virginia. They established the Bean Settlement in Hardy County, not far from Moorefield.

Carl’s father was a businessman who operated a mill in the South Fork area of Hardy County, where the family resided. In 1929, Mr. Bean died at age sixty-five, leaving behind a wife and five children. Besides Carl, who was the second oldest child, the other children were Marcellus Jr., who was the oldest, Raymond Lee, Ellis Elwood, and Mary Susan. Mr. and Mrs. Bean had an infant son named Paul Grant in 1924. Little Paul was born premature and died shortly after birth. The death of his father was very hard on Carl since he was only eleven years old. After Mr. Bean died, Mrs. Bean moved the family into the town of Moorefield to be closer to family members. Just before the war, Carl’s brother, Raymond, moved to California, where he graduated from the Curtiss Wright Aircraft School. Raymond served in World War II with the United States Army Air Force. Ellis also served in World War II and reached the rank of Sergeant in the United States Army.

While in high school, from 1935 to 1938, Carl was on the varsity football team. He was the captain of that very important and honorable 1938 team, which contributed so much to the war effort. He was an exceptional athlete and was one of the best football players to ever wear the blue and gold colors of his school. In Moorefield High School’s first annual yearbook, which came out in 1939, Carl willed his athletic ability to a fellow student in the junior class. Also, in the class prophecy section of that inaugural yearbook, Carl was predicted by his classmates to 161

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“Be a football star in his college days and later to become a coach at West Virginia University.” Carl was also a dedicated student at MHS and a member of the Astronomy Club during his senior year.

One day during that exciting summer of 1938, Carl decided to walk through town. He left his house on Main Street and headed north. As he walked, he began to whistle as his thoughts turned to football and the upcoming season. He passed by the office of the Moorefield Examiner, the local newspaper, whose editions had covered his accomplishments on the football field over the past three years. As he continued down the street past Friddle’s Pharmacy, he lamented the disappointing year his team had experienced in 1937. That year, MHS finished dead last out of the eight teams in the Potomac Valley Conference (PVC).

As he continued through town, he pondered over the 1-4-2 record of last year’s team as he stopped for a moment to look into the Busy Bee Restaurant, home of the world’s greatest chili dog, to see if any of his teammates were in the establishment playing pool. During the past season, Carl had made the All PVC second team at fullback. As he moved past the hotel, he thought about the final game of last year. During that game, he returned an interception for an eighty-yard touchdown. Carl could not wait for football to begin in 1938. He could not wait for the opportunity to avenge the failures of his team the previous year.

He knew that the upcoming season was going to be different. He would make sure of that, he said to himself, as he walked into Shanholtz Soda Shop for some ice cream.

The summer of 1938 turned into the fall as football began to take center stage. Moorefield won their first two games against Romney High School and Thomas High School. Both were shutouts, 6-0 and 12-0, respectively. In the Thomas contest, it was Carl’s long run from scrimmage that set up the team’s first score. He then scored the team’s second touchdown to seal the victory. The next two games were at home against Ridgeley and 162

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Piedmont. Unfortunately, for Carl and the Yellow Jackets, both games ended in 0-0 ties. In the Ridgeley game, both teams were marred by turnovers and penalties. In fact, the only touchdown scored by either team was by the Yellow Jackets. However, it was called back due to an offensive holding penalty. According to the Moorefield Examiner, it was obvious that Carl had done his part to get his team the victory. The newspaper stated, “Carl Bean, ace Moorefield backfield man, continued his fine work in tearing through the opposition.” Regardless of his stellar performance in both games, the Yellow Jackets did not come away with the win, and no one felt the disappointment more than Carl Bean.

Four games into the 1938 season, the Yellow Jackets were undefeated at 2-0, with two ties. The team’s defense, which Carl also played on, had yet to give up a score of any kind. The fifth game of the season saw Moorefield traveling to Franklin to play the Panthers. The only victory for MHS the previous year had come at home against Franklin. In that game, Carl scored one touchdown and one extra point in the 19-0 win. In the 1938 contest, the Panthers scored first, putting an end to Moorefield’s defensive four-game scoreless streak. After the opposition scored, the second half belonged to Moorefield and to Carl Bean.

First, he threw a forty-yard strike on an option play to teammate Marshal Combs, who was wide open in the end zone. Carl also threw a perfect pass to another receiver, Carlton Lewis, for the extra point. The extra point put Moorefield up 7-6. In the final quarter, Carl hit Combs again for a score and threw to Pete Friddle for the extra point. Moorefield left Franklin with a 14-6 win and was still undefeated thanks to the exceptional play of its star fullback.

In the next game of the season, Moorefield faced the firstplace and defending conference champions, the Keyser Golden Tornadoes. Just like the Yellow Jackets, Keyser was undefeated in 1938. They had a powerful team and were strong both defensively and offensively. The game was played in Mineral County, home 163

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to Keyser High School. The series history of the two schools dated back to 1927. 1927 was the first year that Moorefield High School fielded a football team. Since that first game, Keyser had dominated the series against the Yellow Jackets. In fact, Keyser had shut out Moorefield in five of eleven contests, including a 56-0 blowout in 1928. The 1937 contest was a high-scoring affair on a Thursday afternoon in Moorefield in which the teams combined to score 45 points. Even though Keyser won 33-12, Carl had a great game in which he scored one of his team’s touchdowns.

The first half of the 1938 contest was a hard-fought defensive struggle in which neither team scored. In the second half, Keyser scored twice, finishing the game with the win by a score of 12-0.

MHS had a poor performance. The Yellow Jackets racked up only 55 total yards for the entire game, while the Tornadoes amassed 242 total yards. Moorefield had lost its first game of the season and was again winded by the Golden Tornadoes.

The final game of the season for Moorefield was against their bitter rivals, the Petersburg High School Vikings. The two schools were separated by a mere twelve miles. The series between the two rival schools began in 1933, and the past games had been intense.

In 1938, Petersburg scored first and held Moorefield scoreless until the fourth quarter. Then it became the Carl Bean show yet again. First, he scored on a two-yard plunge to tie the score. Then he kicked the extra point to give Moorefield the lead. Later in the fourth quarter, the Vikings offense turned the ball over on a fumble. Moorefield took advantage of their opponent’s miscue.

On the first offensive play from scrimmage, Carl Bean shook off several would-be tacklers and galloped twenty-five yards for the score. He also kicked the extra point to bring the final score to 14-6. On that cool fall night, Carl Bean had accounted for all his team’s scoring. The headline in the local newspaper read, “Carl Bean Paces Moorefield Team in 14-6 Victory.”

After the end of the 1938 season, Moorefield finished in second place in the PVC with a conference record of 4-1-1.

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Carl was honored by finishing second in the conference in total scoring with twenty-six points. He scored four touchdowns and two extra points. For his performance, he was named to the First Team Potomac Valley Conference squad at the fullback position. More importantly, he had avenged the horrible season of the previous year and put Moorefield High School back in the winner’s circle.

Carl graduated high school in 1939. After graduation, he was accepted to Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Shepherd College was established in 1871 and began with just forty-two students. The small college eventually became Shepherd University, offering both undergraduate and graduate studies.

In the fall of 1939, Carl played for the Shepherd College Rams football team. His first season playing college ball was successful.

He lettered and was the team’s starting tackle. The next season, Carl was switched to fullback. He could not have been happier since that was his favorite position. Unfortunately, he was able to complete only twenty-nine credit hours during his two-year stay at Shepherd. In 1941, he was drafted into the military.

On December 19, 1942, Carl was inducted into the United States Army. He enlisted in Clarksburg, West Virginia, at the Army Induction Center. He entered military service at the Army Reception Center in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Carl was then sent to Camp Maxey for basic training.

Camp Maxey was located near the city of Paris, Texas. The camp opened in July 1942 and was designed to train infantry soldiers. The base was also used to detain Nazi prisoners of war. The first division that trained at Camp Maxey was the 102nd Infantry Division, known as “The Ozarks.” The 102nd Infantry would see early combat action in the European Theater against the Germans in the 165

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Rhineland area. At Camp Maxey, Carl became a Private in the United States Army.

After finishing basic training at Camp Maxey in early 1943, Carl received a visit from his high school sweetheart, June Dolan.

During the visit, Carl proposed to Miss. Dolan, and she readily accepted. The young couple married on March 17, 1943, in Texas. June was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Harry Dolan. Mr. Dolan was the mayor of Moorefield during the war years. June was a teacher in the local school system, having attended both Shepherd College and Potomac State College. The reacquainting and honeymoon period was short-lived. In August 1943, the young couple traveled home as Carl was given a brief furlough.

He returned to Camp Maxey to continue training, and June stayed in Hardy County to continue teaching. In December 1943, Carl was sent to England in preparation for the War in Europe.

Private Bean was assigned to the 625th Ordnance Ammunition Company, which was attached to the 191st Ordnance Battalion.

While training in England, Private Carl Bean was promoted to Private First Class.

One month before Carl arrived in England, on November 28, 1943, the leaders of the Allied Nations met a second time to discuss the progress of the war. The three-day meeting was held at the Soviet Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Those in attendance were United States President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. At this stage of World War II, the Allied forces had completed the War in North Africa and the invasion of Sicily. Also, by this time, the Allied armies were conducting operations in the invasion of Italy, which started on September 3, 1943, and were now poised to enter Nazi-held France. Churchill’s plan to attack the soft underbelly of Europe had been a success. However, it had been controversial and costly.

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from the south. He felt that with continued success, the Allies could be ready to attack Germany in the very near future. Soviet leader Stalin favored an invasion in the north immediately. He argued that the invasion would take the pressure off his forces approaching Germany from the east by forcing Hitler to turn his attention to the Allies attacking from the north. President Roosevelt and his military leaders still favored an attack in the north and had been talking about the possibility of such a campaign as early as 1942. Finally, the “Big Three” agreed that an invasion would come from England across the English Channel and begin in Northern France. A tentative date for the invasion was set for the first week of May 1944. The decided-upon landing zones were in the area known as Normandy. The planned invasion was codenamed Operation Overlord.

Exercise Tiger

Preparation and training for Operation Overlord began immediately after the conference. To prepare for the crosschannel invasion, the British government ordered the evacuation of the three thousand citizens living in Devon County, southern England, to establish a massive training field. The citizens of Devon were ordered to relocate all their worldly possessions within six weeks of the mandate. The people were also ordered to keep the evacuation and the relocation process a secret. One elderly gentleman who had lived in the area his whole life refused the order and took his life rather than leave his home. After the coastal areas were cleared, the first phase of amphibious training began on December 15, 1943.

All winter and into the spring of 1944, Allied troops trained for the upcoming invasion. Each infantry division practiced loading troops and equipment upon large transport ships. Then, the transports ferried the soldiers to a beach area known as Slapton Sands. Slapton Sands was chosen since its beaches were similar to the beaches in Normandy, where the actual invasion 167

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would take place. The troops disembarked from the transports and hit the beaches in simulated combat amphibious landings. In order to prepare the men for the actual combat that they would face on the beaches of Normandy, France, the military ordered ships to fire live ammunition over the heads of the advancing troops. The training was designed to be as realistic as possible. In late April 1944, the training phase came to an end, and an actual practice run or rehearsal was scheduled to ensure the success of the overall mission. The practice run was codenamed Exercise Tiger.

Exercise Tiger was scheduled to take place between April 22 and April 30, 1944. The first five days of the exercise were spent organizing all infantry units, known in the military as marshalling, and relocating troops to Plymouth, England. The final two days were the actual dress rehearsal. The units set to participate in the practice run were members of the First Infantry Division, the Fourth Infantry Division, the TwentyNinth Infantry Division, and the 82nd Airborne Division. All of these units, a total of 30,000 troops, were scheduled to spearhead the Normandy invasion. The infantry troops were the first units to go ashore during the exercise since they would be the first to disembark during the actual invasion. The infantry would be followed by all the support groups, such as the 120 men of the 625th Ammunition Ordnance Company, which included PFC Carl Bean.

After the troops were successfully marshaled, they were loaded on eight large transport ships. The ships were known as LSTs or Landing Ship Tanks. The LST was a 382-foot-long flatbottomed assault and cargo boat that weighed 4.5 thousand tons.

These large transport vessels could carry hundreds of troops and their equipment. They could transport heavy vehicles such as tanks and Jeeps and land them directly on shore. However, these large, heavy vessels were very slow when traveling through the water. They were also hard to maneuver and took a large area of 168

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ocean to execute a turn. Because of their size and slow speed, the troops affectionately referred to the LSTs as “Large Slow Targets.”

The ships were also not heavily armed, with just 1x40 mm and 6x20 mm guns and three vintage World War I light machine guns known as Lewis guns.

In order to protect the troop transports, the British Royal Navy was assigned the task of providing escort for the practice mission. The British Navy planned to use two destroyers, the HMS Azalea and the HMS Scimitar, three torpedo boats, and two gunboats in the rehearsal. The flotilla was ordered to protect the landing forces from enemy attacks from the sea and air. The Allies knew that the German Navy, known as the Kriegsmarine, had E-boats (enemy boats) stationed at Cherbourg, France.

The ports of Cherbourg, at the time of training for Operation Overlord, were under Nazi control and had been since the fall of France in 1940. Cherbourg was just a short sail across the English Channel from the Slapton Sands training area.

On April 27, 1944, the first troop landings were successful and were executed without any major incidents. However, the second mission on April 28 did not go as planned. Before the mission got underway, a problem in the naval escort occurred.

The HMS Scimitar developed mechanical issues and would not be present to provide protection to the convoy. The ship was a relic from World War I and was forced to return to shore for repairs. The HMS Azalea would have to go alone. Also unknown to the Allies, the night before, around 10:00 P.M., nine German E-boats were launched from Cherbourg to begin their nightly routine patrol of the English Channel. The German E-boat was a motor torpedo boat that was very fast and could travel at a top speed of forty knots (46 mph). The German Navy called the boats Schnellboot (S-boot), which, when translated, meant fast boat.

With only one escort ship, the convoy set out in the dark of night around the same time the Germans launched their boats.

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The convoy carried infantry troops and their support troops, such as engineers, artillery battalions, and communication companies. Also present were the men of the 625th Ammunition Ordnance Company, which included Carl Bean. The convoy was led by the HMS Azalea, followed by the eight LSTs, in order beginning with LST 515, 496, 511, 531, 58, 499, 289, and the last ship in the line was LST 507. The convoy traveled single file, with each vessel following the other at a four-hundred-yard interval.

The last transports in the line were without protection since the HMS Scimitar was dry-docked for repairs. The convoy traveled at a very slow pace of five knots (6 mph) as they traversed the thirty miles from Plymouth to the beaches of Slapton Sands.

After midnight on April 28, the Germans detected the convoy. One LST reported that it had spotted what appeared to be two vessels approaching the group. Unfortunately, the sighting was dismissed when the British Navy believed these boats were part of the actual mission. As the LSTs moved on toward the shore around Lyme Bay, the Germans attacked. They hit the unsuspecting and much-slower-moving force with torpedoes.

At the time of the attack, the HMS Azalea was fifteen miles in front of the nearest LST boat. The crew of the Azalea had failed to adjust its speed with that of the convoy and should have been closer to the main body of transports.

Around 2:00 A.M., LST 507, the last vessel in the convoy, was the first boat hit. A German torpedo struck the engine room, causing the boat to become engulfed in flames. The blast knocked out all electrical power aboard the vessel. After battling the fire on board for about forty-five minutes, the crew was ordered to abandon the ship. The servicemen jumped into the icy water of the English Channel. Many soldiers drowned from the sheer weight of their personal cargo. Other men were killed by machine gun fire from the German E-boats. Many others were burned from the onboard fires, and others drowned from 170

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having improperly secured their life vests. The total losses of LST 507 were 202 lives.

LST 531 was the next boat hit by enemy fire. It was struck by two torpedoes and immediately went up in flames. The vessel capsized and sank in just six minutes. Many of the troops were trapped below decks and went down with the ship. Out of the 496 servicemen on the 531, 424 were killed. Over 200 of these brave lads were from the state of Missouri. Also on LST 531 were Carl Bean and the men of the 625th Ammunition Ordnance Company.

LST 289 tried to escape the attack but obviously was no match for the much-faster E-boats. The big ship was quickly chased down and was struck in the stern by an enemy torpedo.

The vessel 289 continued to evade the German E-boats and managed to avoid repeated attacks. Eventually, LST 289 made it to shore without further damage and without being destroyed.

Before docking, the crew discovered that thirteen servicemen on board had lost their lives in the attack.

The undamaged LSTs 496, 515, and 511 returned fire on the German E-boats. LST 511 was struck by two enemy torpedoes, but luckily, both failed to explode. Due to the speed of the E-boats and the camouflage of a large smoke screen they laid down, the Nazi vessels slipped away without suffering any damage. The remaining undamaged landing crafts were ordered to continue moving toward land. They were also ordered not to stop for survivors since no one was sure of the overall strength of the German attack force. LST 515, under the command of Captain John Doyle, disobeyed the order to proceed out of the area. Capt. Doyle turned his ship arrears and rescued 130 men from the destroyed LST 507. The German E-boat attack was not the only contributing factor to the loss of American lives on that long day in late April. More casualties from the training mission were later discovered, which had occurred earlier on land.

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Military planners decided to simulate the feel of actual combat on the landing infantry forces. This was accomplished by a British cruiser firing live ammunition at the beaches while the landing crafts were being unloaded. This friendly fire killed another 308 servicemen that day. The mix-up occurred when troops crossed a white line drawn in the sand that was supposed to be the stopping point. However, this stopping point was not communicated successfully to the troops who were coming ashore. As a result, the troops continued past the stop line and were attacked by shells fired from the British ship. After the day’s events, a total of 946 servicemen were killed during Exercise Tiger. Nine West Virginia soldiers died during the training exercise. Two of the men were members of Carl Bean’s support group, the 625th Ammunition Ordnance Company.

In order to continue to keep Exercise Tiger and the planned D-Day invasion a secret, all survivors of the attack were ordered, by threats of court-martial, to keep the episode quiet. After the exercise, the troops were quickly sent to France, which gave them little time to discuss the drill. The casualties of Exercise Tiger were not identified until the official numbers of the D-Day landings were released. Even after the war was over, the military made no mention of Exercise Tiger. Was it a cover-up, or was it just forgotten over time? The United States Army in 1954 presented the people of Slapton Sands with a monument and a plaque thanking them for their support and for their sacrifice of being forced from their homes so that the training for D-Day could be completed. However, nothing was mentioned about the D-Day rehearsal or the brave men who sacrificed their lives on that night in April. That was, until British writer and historian Kenneth Small entered the picture 25 years later.

During the early 1970s, Small conducted historical research in the Slapton Sands area. He believed that some form of military maneuver had taken place along the coast. In 1972, while combing the beach area, he discovered small artifacts that verified his 172

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suspicions. He found buttons from U.S. Army uniforms and belt buckles that had washed up on shore. He contacted the United States War Department after his discoveries, but their response was that “No records exist” to confirm his belief that a military maneuver took place in that area of southern England. Regardless of the U.S. denial, Kenneth Small did not give up his search or belief. Later, Small, along with divers, discovered artillery pieces, a vehicle, and then finally, an American World War II Sherman tank. Now, with this much evidence, since it was very hard to hide or deny the presence of a large tank, the War Department had no choice but to admit to the exercise.

Kenneth Small and his fellow divers had the tank brought to the surface and then towed to shore. Upon further investigation, he discovered that the tank belonged to the 743rd Tank Battalion.

Military reports confirmed that the battalion practiced there and was also present during the Normandy landings. He again contacted the War Department and purchased the tank for fifty dollars. He placed the Sherman tank on display to honor the fallen soldiers. In 1987, the United States Government erected another monument along the shores of Slapton Sands. This time, it was a memorial to honor all the casualties of Exercise Tiger.

Many of the men who were killed during Exercise Tiger, including PFC Carl Bean, were first listed as Missing in Acton (MIA). Later, he and the others were officially listed as Killed in Action (KIA). Bean was listed on the Tablets of the Missing or Buried at Sea at the Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridge, England. He was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. Carl Bean, serial number 35746594, died during a dress rehearsal for the Normandy landings. He was never able to be a part of the monumental landings that began the liberation of Europe. Instead, he died in the cold waters off the coast of England during training.

It is important to note that Exercise Tiger, even though the loss of life was tremendous, was not a total failed mission. An 173

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insurmountable amount of knowledge came from this practice run. First, the exercise gave the soldiers a chance to experience just what combat was going to be like when they actually landed on the shores of Normandy, France. Secondly, the mission prompted the military to standardize radio frequencies so there would be no errors in communication, which could result in the deaths of troops from friendly fire. This standardization also ensured that communicated orders would reach the soldiers on the ground where it was needed. Thirdly, the practice run led to more in-depth training and the correct placement of the life vests, which cost the lives of so many men during Exercise Tiger.

Lastly, the military learned that it was a good idea to deploy plenty of small boats to patrol the landing sites in order to pick up survivors from the attacks that the invasion force would most likely experience. All of these changes ultimately led to the success of the Normandy landings on D-Day. Besides Hardy’s Hero Private First Class Carl Bean, age twenty-six, there were two other Army soldiers from West Virginia attached to the 625th Ammunition Ordnance Company who perished in the training exercise. One was Private First Class Tracy Rohbaugh, age twenty-one, who was from nearby Grant County and lived in the community of Martin. Tracy entered the military two days before Christmas on December 23, 1943. The second was Private First Class Denver Walker, who was from Raleigh County and lived in the small community known as Pine Knob. Walker was married, had one son, and was the same age as Carl Bean. PFC Walker entered the military on December 28, 1942.

Other West Virginia casualties from Exercise Tiger included Sergeant Shirley Godsey, who was from Fayette County and lived in the community of Carlisle. Sergeant Godsey had been a coal miner before he entered the service on September 8, 1942. He was attached to the 557th Quartermaster Company. Sergeant Godsey was buried in the American Military Cemetery in Cambridge, 174

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England, at age twenty-three. Private First Class Isaac Pritt was also with the 557th Quartermaster Company and was from Nicholas County. He lived in the Lockwood community and entered military service on September 3, 1942. PFC Pritt’s body was returned to the United States after the war and was buried in the Morris Family Cemetery in Nicholas County. He was twenty-three years old. Sergeant Robert Leishman was born in Logan County but lived St. Albans in Kanawha County. Sergeant Leishman was assigned to the 462nd Amphibious Tractor Company and entered the service on May 3, 1943. He had just turned nineteen years of age.

Other West Virginia soldiers killed in Exercise Tiger included Private First Class James Music. PFC Music was from Honaker in Logan County. He was twenty-five years old when he was killed during the exercise and was with the 306th Quartermaster Company. Sergeant Kenneth Wilson was born in Lincoln County but lived in Spencer in Roane County. He was assigned to the 35th Signal Company. He was buried in the American Military Cemetery in Cambridge, England, at the age of twenty-two.

The only United States Navy sailor killed during Exercise Tiger from the Mountain State was Seaman First Class James Waugh.

Seaman Waugh was born in Logan County, but lived in Sutton in Braxton County. James was stationed on LST 507, the first ship attacked by the German E-boats. He was also nineteen years of age when he was killed.

On December 7, 1946, Mrs. Bean sent a letter to the Quartermaster General Memorial Division. She was inquiring about the possibility of having the body of her son sent back to Hardy County. The letter read in part, “Dear Sirs, I would like to have my son’s body brought and buried in town cemetery….Carl was killed in action in European Theater April 28, 1944….So please communicate with me, His mother Mrs. Ethel Bean.” The Memorial Division responded to Mrs. Bean’s request three years later, in 1949. It was a letter that many parents received after the 175

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deaths of their sons who were killed during Exercise Tiger. It was a very difficult letter to write and a very difficult letter to receive.

The letter read, “Almost four years have elapsed since the cessation of hostilities of World War II, which cost the life of your son, the late Private First Class Carl M. Bean. The unfortunate circumstances surrounding his death have been thoroughly reviewed and, based upon information presently available, the Department of the Army has been forced to determine that his remains are not recoverable. I wish to assure you that, should any additional evidence come to our attention indicating that his remains are in our possession, you will be informed immediately. Realizing the extent of your grief and anxiety, it is not easy to express condolence to you who gave your loved one under circumstances so difficult that there is no grave at which to pay homage. May the knowledge of his honorable service to his country be a source of sustaining comfort to you.” The family honored Carl with a grave marker at the Olivet Cemetery in Moorefield, West Virginia. With the conclusion of the training mission known as Exercise Tiger, the actual invasion of Europe, known as the D-Day Invasion, took place on June 6, 1944.

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Endnotes Chapter One: The World at War 70 million deaths of World War II, World at War, Cawthorne, The Story of World War II, “The Cost of the War,” page 298.

Statistics attack Pearl Harbor, Concise History of the American Republic since 1865 page 630.

Statistics attack Pearl Harbor, Forster, The World at War page 159.

Statistics attack Pearl Harbor, World War II United States Navy at War, United States Navy Causalities-1941 Hardy County statistics, census records 1920-1940.

Hardy County during the war, MacMaster, The History of Hardy County 1786-1986, “Hardy County during World War II, pages 312-315.

Total serving from Hardy County, Moorefield Examiner January 12, 1944, “Honor Roll Here bears 709 Names.”

Chapter Two: Boyd Godlove Personal information Godlove and family, 1930 US Census.

Family trip to Gettysburg, Moorefield Examiner, November 10, 1937, “Local Items.”

Military Career of Godlove, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

Ernie Pyle Quote,” Ernie’s War, the best of Ernie Pyle’s World War II dispatches.”

Units of the 9th, The US Army Center of Military History.

Patton quote, Encyclopedia of World War II, page 483.

General Eddy quote, Brooks, 9th Infantry Division, “Old Reliables” page 10.

Letter home from Boyd, Moorefield Examiner March 3, 1943, “Our Boys in the Service.”

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Statistics from North Africa, The Mediterranean and Middle East, “The Destruction of the Axis Forces in Africa,” page 460.

Medal of Honor totals and biographies, US Army Center of Military History.

West Virginia Medal of Honor list, from memorial wall in Charleston, WV. Letter to War Department from Mrs. Godlove, IDPF. Ninth Infantry statistics and awards, The US Army Center of Military History.

North Africa American Cemetery information, AMBC. Burial location from Headstone Inscription and Internment Record, IDPF. Chapter Three: Darrel Malcolm and Dallas Miller Personal information Malcolm, Information provided by Alma Malcolm June 2, 2014.

Letter home from Darrel, Moorefield Examiner January 12, 1944, “Our Boys in the Service.”

Military Career of Malcolm, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

Military Career of Miller, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

Units of the 3rd, The US Army Center of Military History.

Third Infantry history, Lone Sentry, Blue and White Devils Letter from War Department to Malcolm family, IDPF. Miller illness, IDPF. Letter home from Dallas, Moorefield Examiner May 3, 1944, “Our Boys in the Service.”

Miller wounded in action, IDPF. Letter home from Dallas, Moorefield Examiner September 27, 1944, “Our Boys in the Service.”

Letter from War Department Miller family, IDPF. 178

Third Infantry awards, The US Army Center of Military History.

Statistics 3rd Infantry, The US Army Center of Military History, 3rd Infantry Division pages 26-37.

Axis Sally quote, Blue and White Devils booklet, “Anzio and the Race to Rome Begins.”

Chapter Four: Carter McCorkle College facts of McCorkle, Potomac State yearbook “The Catamount,” 1939.

Military Career of McCorkle, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

Pilot training, Craven, The Army Air Force in World War II, Chapter 17, “Individual Training of Flying Personnel.

BT-13 aircraft facts, National Museum of the US Air Force fact sheet.

Accident details, War Department US Army Air Force Report of Accident 061, May 25, 1945.

McCorkle’s death, Mineral Daily News Tribune October 15, 1943, “Earl McCorkle is Potomac’s First Casualty.”

Personal and career information McCorkle, Moorefield Examiner June 2, 1943, “Funeral Rites Yesterday for Capt.

M’Corkle.”

Chapter Five: Cletus Tusing FFA field trip, Moorefield Examiner September 1, 1937, “FFA Boys Pay Visit to National Capital.”

High school facts of Tusing, Moorefield High School yearbook 1939.

Military Career of Tusing, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

Letter home from Cletus, Moorefield Examiner March 31, 1943, “Our boys in the Service.”

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P-40 aircraft facts, National Museum of the US Air Force fact sheet.

Quote from Mr. Tusing, Moorefield Examiner October 13, 1943, “Our boys in the Service.”

Accident details at Baltimore, War Department US Army Air Force Report of Accident 068, April 28, 1943.

Marriage announcement, Moorefield Examiner September 8, 1943, “Lieut. Cletus Tusing, Miss Hedrick Marry.

A letter home from Cletus about the flyover appeared in the Moorefield Examiner on July 14, 1943, titled “Our boys in the Service.”

Missions of Tusing, Miller, The 365th Fighter Squadron in World War II pages 8-15.

Statistics of 358th and 365th, Miller, The 365th Squadron in World War II pages 99-116.

Details of final flight Tusing, Missing Air Crew Report Ninth Air Force, APO 696 United States Army Details of the death of Tusing, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

Chapter Six: Kingsley Spitzer Munster Raid account, Hawkins, The Munster Raid Bloody Skies over Germany page 155.

Personal information Spitzer and family, information provided

by William Spitzer May 15, 2014.

Military career of Spitzer, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

Letter home from Kingsley, Moorefield Examiner September 15, 1943, “Our Boys in the Service.”

B-17 aircraft facts, National Museum of the US Air Force fact sheet.

Combat missions of Situation Normal, Hawkins, B-17s over Berlin, “A Fort Called “Situation Normal” pages 137-140.

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21 Missions of Spitzer, 95th Bomber Group Flight Crew Detail, United States Army Air Force.

Visit from Max at Christmas, information provided by William Spitzer.

Coin toss event, information provided by William Spitzer and letter from Situation Normal Crewmember Everett Lewis after the war.

Accident details, War Department US Army Air Force Report of Accident 179, December 29, 1943.

“Situation Normal” war record, 95th Bomber Group Flight Crew Detail, United States Army Air Force.

Chapter Seven: James Wratchford B-26 aircraft facts, National Museum of the US Air Force fact sheet.

Personal information Wratchford family, 1930 US Census.

Personal information James and family, information provided

by Herman Wratchford July 19, 2013.

“Take over for me,” information provided by Herman Wratchford.

Military Career Wratchford, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

Accident details, War Department US Army Air Force Report of Accident 090, January 19, 1944.

Family trip to Lake Charles, Moorefield Examiner, February 9, 1944, “Local Items.”

Chapter Eight: Elwood Washington 5,000 black revolutionary soldiers, Black Heroes of the American Revolution, page 1.

Black soldiers in Revolution, Quarles, Black Heroes of the American Revolution and The Negro in the American Revolution.

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Carney Quote, Davis, Three Months around Charleston Bar, page 282.

Civil War estimates, National Archives, The Fight for Equal Rights, black soldiers in the Civil War, page 1.

Personal information Washington and family, information provided by Leroy and Nellie Redman, July 18, 2013.

Military Career Washington, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

KKK in Grant County, Moorefield Examiner, December 4, 1924, “Grant County News.”

Port Charles disaster totals, Buchanan, Black Americans in World War II, pages 86-87.

Beaumont race riot, Texas State Historical Society, Beaumont Riot of 1943.

Detroit race riot, Sitkoff, Toward Freedom Land, The Long Struggle for Racial Equality in America, Chapter “The Detroit Race Riot of 1943.

General Patton Quote, The 761st “Black Panther” Tank Battalion in World War II, page 53.

Camp Atterbury, Indiana Military org. “The History of Camp Atterbury.”

Hospital results Washington, Official Military Personnel (OMPF) Record United States Army Third Service Command.

Death notice, Grant County Press, October 12, 1944, Funeral Tuesday Colored Soldier, “Pvt. Elwood Washington was Overseas Six Months.”

Chapter Nine: Carl Bean High school career Bean, Moorefield High School Yearbook, 1939.

1938 MHS football season and all time series records Moorefield Examiner beginning September 14, 1938, “Jacket Girders open Season.”

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Carl Bean ace.., Moorefield Examiner, October 26, 1938.

Carl Bean paces Moorefield…. Moorefield Examiner, November 16, 1938.

Personal information Bean family, 1930 US Census.

Bean family information, MacBean, Bean Family Newsletters, “The clan MacBean Register.

Military Career Bean, Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), United States Army.

Marriage announcement, Moorefield Examiner, March 17, 1943, Miss June Dolan and PVT. Bean Married, “Goes to Texas for Ceremony.”

Exercise Tiger, History of the 30th Infantry Division, Exercise Tiger, “The Army’s Best Kept Secret.”

Exercise Tiger, Small, The Forgotten Dead, “Why 946 American Servicemen Died off the Coast of Devon, and the Men who discovered their True Story.”

LST 531 Troops, The Forgotten Dead page, 230.

MIA Bean, Moorefield Examiner, May 24, 1944, Report Carl Bean Missing in Action in European Area, “Last Heard from on April 28, Says War Department.”

List of West Virginia men killed in Exercise Tiger, West Virginia Veterans Memorial, “West Virginians in Exercise Tiger.”

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List of Photos Section One 1938 MHS team photo.................1939 Moorefield High School Yearbook Malcolm photo............................................Moorefield Examiner Miller photo.................................................Moorefield Examiner McCorkle photo..................................... Potomac State Yearbook Tusing photo..................................................... Authors collection Situation Normal crew photo......................... Authors collection Wratchford photo........................................Moorefield Examiner Bean photo...................................................Moorefield Examiner

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1

HARDY’S HEROES

All across this magnificent land, Americans have paid great respect and immense honor to our nation’s war dead. Hardy County, West Virginia, is no exception. At the Moorfield WV county courthouse, a large memorial wall pays respect and is dedicated to its citizens who were killed in battle or died during World War I (14), the Korean War (3), and Vietnam (6). All of the men were from Hardy County, WV. The greatest number of names are those listed in the World War II section. Thirty-three men were killed between 1940 and 1945 in the most ghastly war that was ever fought on our planet. World War II was a conflict of immense global proportions that not only took the lives of so many soldiers, airmen, and sailors but also claimed the lives of so many innocent civilians.

Hardy’s Heroes is about those thirty-three brave men whose lives were sacrificed for our freedom. The author’s in-depth research keeps these brave soldiers alive in our hearts and minds now and for future generations.

HARDY’S HEROES THEIR HISTORY OF WWII: THE WAR BEFORE JUNE 6, 1944, D-DAY

“This book is overwhelming, but in a good way. The historical research is comprehensive, the narrative is engaging and the voice is heroically captivating.”

—Mary Jo Keller, Author

Rick A. Shockey

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rick Shockey is a historian and a graduate of Moorefield High School in Hardy County, WV. Mr. Shockey served honorably in the United States Coast Guard as a member of a HH-3F helicopter search and rescue squadron. He graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and was Vice President of Phi Alpha Theta History Honorary. He also graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History. Rick lives with his family in Atlanta, Georgia. He currently works for the Cobb County School District.

Rick A. Shockey