Dear Gentle People,
I received the following email from JPAC this evening. You are all people, whom has helped with this research to date and as I promised, the purpose of this email is to let you know, the next step has begun. I realize, they will attempt to push us all aside and I promise to do as much as I can, to insure that will not take place.
Willis S. Cole, Jr. “Sam”
Executive Director/Curator
Battery Corporal Willis S. Cole Military Museum
13444 124th Ave NE – Kirkland WA 98034-5403 USA (425)823-4445
www.ww1.org – email : ww1@ww1.org
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Feb
06
2010
Dec
31
2009
A-1 The Corps of Intelligence Police (CIC)-1 (1917-1940)
1. Purpose and Scope
The material in this manual is designed to furnish information on the historical development of the Counter Intelligence Corps. It covers the period from 1917 to 1945, with special emphasis on the war years. An attempt has been made, from the documents available, to describe the history and mission of the Counter Intelligence Corps in the various theaters of operations.
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Dec
10
2009
La suite du travail sur Verviers 1940-1945 au jour le jour et encodé bénévolement par notre petite nouvelle dans l’équipe EUCMH. Anne Catherine, qui termine une formation de secrétaire et qui, dans sa vallée perdues de la région de Trois-Ponts – Basse-Bodeux cherche désespérément un travail m’a proposé de faire un peu de bénévolat et de reprendre à sa charge la digitalisation de l’un de mes livres préférés : Verviers, 5 ans de Guerre au jour le jour. Ce travail aura le mérite de mettre sur Internet une oeuvre unique car il n’existe pas, à ma connaissance, un autre livre qui reprend cinq années de guerre et d’occupation principalement centré sur une région comme celle du grand Verviers. Donc, avec l’arrivée de Véronique (France – Normandie) qui travail déjà comme une enragée à la digitalisation d’archives, voici Anne Catherine qui rejoint l’équipe. Tout ceci ne sera finalement qu’au profit des visiteurs du site mais je pense – comme le dit la célèbre campagne de publicité – que vous le valez bien.
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Dec
03
2009
La suite du travail sur Verviers 1940-1945 au jour le jour et encodé bénévolement par notre petite nouvelle dans l’équipe EUCMH. Anne Catherine, qui termine une formation de secrétaire et qui, dans sa vallée perdues de la région de Trois-Ponts – Basse-Bodeux cherche désespérément un travail m’a proposé de faire un peu de bénévolat et de reprendre à sa charge la digitalisation de l’un de mes livres préférés : Verviers, 5 ans de Guerre au jour le jour. Ce travail aura le mérite de mettre sur Internet une oeuvre unique car il n’existe pas, à ma connaissance, un autre livre qui reprend cinq années de guerre et d’occupation principalement centré sur une région comme celle du grand Verviers. Donc, avec l’arrivée de Véronique (France – Normandie) qui travail déjà comme une enragée à la digitalisation d’archives, voici Anne Catherine qui rejoint l’équipe. Tout ceci ne sera finalement qu’au profit des visiteurs du site mais je pense – comme le dit la célèbre campagne de publicité – que vous le valez bien.
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Nov
03
2009
Avant-Propos – 2009
Avant de publier sur ce site l’ouvrage des Editions Foxmaster que je dirigeais dans les courant des années 1990-1995 et avant de me séparer de la Société en prenant soins toutefois de conserver le catalogue et les droits, je voudrais attirer l’attention du lecteur d’expression française sur le point suivant : tant Heimdall que Foxmaster et d’autres ont publié bien des ouvrages sur le sujet. A chaque fois, des lecteurs exprimèrent de nombreux commentaires, souvent positifs ou non. Je lance donc ici un appel à ceux qui d’une manière ou d’une autre seraient susceptibles d’apporter à ce travail une quantité d’anecdotes inédites, des images inconnues voir même des récites toujours inconnus à ce jour. Bien que le coût du maintient de mon site en ligne devient de plus en plus difficile à supporter seul j’aimerai faire savoir aux lecteurs, aux historiens et aux passionnées de cette période que la place n’a pas de limite sur Internet. Il ne peut donc être question d’éloigner des photos ou des récits par manque de place comme dans l’édition papier. Aussi, je vous invite tous à ma faire parvenir vos documents et images via émail avec vos désidératas, vos envies, et surtout vos coordonnées afin de pouvoir ajouter vos propos dans le texte que je publie et que j’envisage de renommer – la version corrigée – avec votre aide, vos essais, vos écrits et même vos livres qui trouveront ici la publicité qu’ils méritent.
Gunter G. Gillot Jr – Jalhay – 2009
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Oct
29
2009
Suddenly the plane shot upward, roaring away from the airfield. We all smashed back against our seats. Maybe the wheels won’t come down, someone said in a small voice. Snuffy Nixon, the navigator, stuck his head in the cabin and broke the silence. Don’t worry, folks. I just got mixed up in my figuring and picked the wrong country. Not France ! we cried. No, said Snuffy, it’s not France. But it’s not England, either. He grinned over at me. This is Kay’s home. We almost landed in southern Ireland !
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Oct
11
2009
We left our assembly area near Landerneau, France at one o’clock on the afternoon of September 27 1944, heading for that Western Front. The first two days were uneventful, as we covered around 300 miles, stopping at dusk by pulling off the main road. We slept beside our vehicles, by the side of the road, wrapped up in our blankets.
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Sep
21
2009
Category : Army Air Forces, XIX TAC
12.000 Fighter and Bomber Sorties, XIX Tactical Air Command’s First Month of Operations in Support of the US Third Army in France.
Content
- Frontispiece
- Introduction
- Notes on Organization, Tactics, and Technique
- Missions of the XIX Tactical Air Command
- The Background, In Brief
- Air Operations Day by Day
- Five Accompanying Maps
- Recapitulation
- Annex : Map Showing Location of Units
Sep
01
2009
Although D-day gave the western Allies a beachhead in northern France, it took them almost two months of bitter fighting to break out of the Normandy hedgerows. After the breakout, Allied armies raced across France, liberated Paris, and headed toward the German frontier. The rapid pace of the advance placed a severe strain on Allied logistics, which, along with bad weather and stiffening German resistance, slowed the offensive. By mid-December, American armies had reached the Roer River inside Germany and the West Wall along the Saar River in eastern France. Between these two fronts lay the Ardenne, a hilly, densely forested area of Belgium. The Germans had attacked France through this supposedly impassable region in 1940. In early December 1944, five American divisions and a cavalry group held the 85-mile-long Ardenne front. The difficult terrain of the region and the belief that the German army was near exhaustion had convinced the Allied commanders that the Ardenne sector was relatively safe. Thus, three of the divisions were new, full of green soldiers who had only recently arrived on the continent; the other two were recuperating from heavy losses suffered in the bitter fighting in the Huertgen forest farther north. In addition, the heavy demand for American troops in some sectors had forced Allied commanders to lightly man other portions of the front .
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Jul
23
2009
Category : 588th Field Arty Bn, 588th Fld Arty Bn, France (North), Germany
This copy of the History of the 558th FA Battalion was reproduced by the Military Department, State of Colorado. It was copied from the original history as prepared by Lt Gilbert Hahn upon request of the Historical Section of the Artillery School. Their request was predicated on the basis that the original cadre came from a Colorado unit – the 983rd Field Artillery Battalion. It would be amiss if we failed to mention the great contribution by the State of Utah from whence came the bulk of the fine young men that filled the ranks. The States of Tennessee, Washington, Oregon and California each sent sizeable contingents; however, most States were represented by one or two.
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May
23
2009
A tyrant’s death at patriots’ hands revealed as Operation Salmon of Czech Intelligence in exile.
ASSASSINATION REINHARD HEYDRICH (R. C. Jaggers)
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Apr
26
2009
The history of the French Regular Army is not even second in interest to that of the German. France more than any other part of Europe absorbed and retained the characteristics of Roman rule, and Rheims was a Roman capital long after the Roman Empire had begun to decline in influence and power.
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Apr
18
2009
442nd Bombardment Squadron December 1944. (SECRET)
CO Hq 442nd Bomb Sqdn
442nd Bombardment Squadron
320th Bomb Group (M)
31 December 1944
APO # 374 INITIALS
5 January 1944 / SUBJECT: Historical Records
TO : Commanding General, 1st Tactical Air Force (Through Channels). ATTENTION : HISTORIAN.
Apr
09
2009
The 2nd Armored Division was activated on July 15th 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia. It participated in the VII Corps Tennessee Maneuvers from June 2nd to June 28th 1941 and moved to Ragley, Louisiana, on August 12th 1941 to participate in the 2nd/3rd Army Louisiana Maneuvers. The Division returned to Fort Benning Georgia on September 29th 1941 and participated (November 2nd 1941), in the 1st Army Carolina Maneuvers then returned to Fort Benning on December 2 1941. Relocated to Monroe, North Carolina on July 10th 1942 for the II Armored Corps Carolina Maneuvers the 2-AD was transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina on August 15 1942; staged at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on November 3rd 1942 until departed tje New York Port of Embarkation December 11th 1942; arrived North Africa December 25th 1942 (less elements which invaded November 8th 1942).
The 2-AD assaulted Sicily on July 10th 1943 and departed November 12th 1943, arrived in England on November 25th 1943 and landed in France on June 7th, 8th and 9th. It crossed to Belgium on September 2nd 1944 and Holland on September 11th 1944, initially entered Germany on September 18th, returned to Holland then to Belgium on December 22nd. The 2nd Armored Division re-entered Germany on February 4th 1945, returned to the New York POE on January 19th 1946 then arrived at Camp Hood, Texas on February 4th 1946. The 2-AD was deactivated later in 1946.
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Mar
22
2009
A Short History of the Parachute and
the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment
(Chip Cifone USA & Gunter G. Gillot Jr BE)
Parachute and Umbrellas :
It seems that the first draw of a parachute look like things was made in China some 2000 years before JC. As the story told us, Shun, the Emperor itself trapped in his burning palace used some large umbrella (not sponsored by Coca Cola) to jump out of a window and landed relatively safely on the ground.
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Mar
04
2009
The 1st Infantry Division also nicknamed The Fighting First, is the oldest division in the United States Army, and has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917. The 1st Division started preparing for World War II by moving to Fort Benning on November 19th 1939 and ran its personnel through the Infantry School. It then moved to the Sabine Parish, Louisiana area on May 11th 1940 to participate in the Louisiana Maneuvers, returned to Fort Hamilton on June 5th 1940 then to Fort Devens, Ma., on February 4th 1941. The Division was sent to both Carolina Maneuvres of October and November 1941, moved to Samarcand, North Carolina on October 16th 1941 and on December 6th 1941, returned to Fort Devens, Ma. It was then transfered to Camp Blanding, Florida (February 21st 1942) where it was re-designated 1st Infantry Division on May 15th 1942. The 1st Infantry Division moved then back Fort Benning, on May 22nd 1942, to Indian Town Gap Mil Reservation, on June 21st 1942 and, finally, Division departed New York Port of Embarkation on August 1st 1942. The 1st ID arrived in England on August 7th 1942 and assaulted in North Africa on November 2nd 1942 (Operation Torch).
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Mar
04
2009
Activated on Apr 15 1941 at Camp Beauregard the 3rd Armored Division moved to Camp Polk, Louisiana, on June 11 1941 and was transferred to Camp Young, California, on July 26 1942 for the Desert Training Center II Armored Corps California Maneuvers. It moved then to Camp Pickett, Virginia, on November 2 1942 and arrived the Indian Town Gap Mil Reservation, Pennsylvania, on January 21 1943. The 3/AD staged at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, August 26 1943 until departed the New York Port of Embarkation on September 5 1943 and arrived England on September 18 1943. The division landed then in France on June 23 1944, crossed into Belgium on September 1944 and entered Germany September 15 1944. The 3rd Armd Div returned to Belgium on December 20 1944 and re-entered Germany on February 7 1945. The 3/AD was inactivated on November 10 1945.
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Feb
22
2009
Category : Archive Stories, Harry Truman 1915
When Harry S. Truman was born, May 8, 1884, his father, John Truman, marked the day by nailing a mule shoe above the doorway and by planting a new pine seedling to grow with his firstborn son. While the gesture to provide good luck lasted in the long run for the 33rd president, his early years were plagued with accidents, poor eyesight, and a nearly paralyzing disease. Harry, however, grew up surrounded by loving, strong-willed, and doting parents, grandparents and other relatives. These strong relationships enabled him to accept himself no matter what external problems he would face. One such relative who greatly influenced his early years was Grandfather Young. Solomon Young was openly taken with his little grandson and frankly bragged about what an amazing little fellow he was. Vivian was Harry’s younger brother by two years. He had long curls, which his mother refused to cut. Evidently, the long curls bothered Grandfather Young to the point he decided to take control of the situation.
One day, he had Harry help him haul Vivian – highchair and all – out onto the south porch where Grandfather Young quickly gave Vivian a short haircut. Harry’s mother was furious, but said nothing out of respect for her father. A few days later, Harry decided to experiment with his own hair and comb it a different way. He pulled a big chair up close to a mirror in order to see the back of his head. He kept leaning in the chair until he fell over backwards, breaking his collarbone – his first, but not his last broken bone. Harry was particularly close to his mother, a college educated and outspoken woman. She valued art, reading, and music and saw to it that Harry had the same interests. She taught Harry to read from the large print Bible before he was five, but she noticed he had a hard time reading newsprint and distinguishing objects coming down the road. Then came the Fourth of July celebration in Grandview where the climax was a series of colorful rockets bursting in the air. Harry jumped at the exploding sounds but could not see the shiny showers of the fireworks.
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Feb
20
2009
Category : Kristallnacht, Shoah & Holocaust
The term Kristallnacht [Night of Broken Glass] refers to the organized anti-Jewish riots in Germany and Austria, on Nov 9 – Nov 10, 1938. These riots marked a major transition in Nazi policy, and were, in many ways, a harbinger of the Final Solution.
Nazi antisemitic policy began with the systematic legal, economic, and social disenfranchisement of the Jews. This was accomplished in various stages (e.g. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935, which, among other things, stripped German Jews of their citizenship). One of these steps involved the deportation of Polish Jews who were residing in Germany (est. 56.500).
On the night of Oct 27, 1938, 18000 Polish Jews were deported, but were initially refused entry into Poland by the Polish authorities. Caught in between, the Jews were forced to camp out in makeshift shelters. Upon hearing that his family was so trapped, 17 year-old Herschel Grynszpan, a student in Paris, shot the third secretary of the German Embassy, Ernst vom Rath, whom he mistook for the ambassador. This assassination served as a welcome pretext for the German initiation of Kristallnacht. Reinhard Heydrich (the head of the Reich Main Security Office which oversaw the Gestapo, police and SD operations) sent a secret telegram at 0120-H, Nov 10, 1938 to all headquarters and stations of the State Police; all districts and sub-districts of the SD. He gave instructions for the immediate coordination of police and political activities in inciting the riots throughout Germany and Austria.
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Feb
15
2009
This is the wartime story of an American GI. In fact, this is the story of a GI like many other GI’ stories. It’s about friendships, cold, winter, rain, snow, mud, blood, war and dead. But this story has something else. It is the story over one of these GIs who were in Verviers and Liège during the period September 1944 to December 1944. This GI, Orville Iverson – Ivy – had built a strong friendships with the Jacquet Family from Verviers. Especially Claude and Ninette.
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Feb
15
2009
The 5th Armored Division was activated at Fort Knox Kentucky Oct 1 1941 and was moved on Feb 16 1942 to Camp Cooke in California. On Aug 14 1942, it participated in the Desert Training Center Armored Corps California Maneuvers and returned to Camp Cooke Nov 19 1942. On Mar 17 1942, the Division moved to the 2nd Army #1 Tennessee Maneuvers and arrived at Pine Camp New York Jun 24 1943. It moved then to Indian town Gap Mil Res Pennsylvania Dec 8 1943; staged at Camp Kilmer New Jersey during Feb 1944 until departed New York POE on Feb 11 1944 and arrived in England on Feb 24 1944. The 5th Armored Division landed in France Jul 25 1944, crossed into Luxembourg Sep 2 1944 and into Belgium Oct 5 1944. The Division, finally, entered Germany Dec 1 1944, returned to Belgium Dec 24, to Holland Feb 5 1945 and re-entered Germany Feb 25 1945. Sent back to USA, the 5th Armored landed in New York Oct 10 1945 and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer New Jersey Oct 11 1945.
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Feb
12
2009
Activated on Jun 1 1940 as the 4th Division at Fort Benning, Georgia the Division was reorganized as 4th Division (Motorized) on Aug 1 1940 then as 4th Motorized Division in Jul 11 1941. It moved then to Dry Prong Louisiana, on Aug 1 1941 for IV Corps Louisiana Maneuvers and returned to Fort Benning Aug 27 1941. It moved then to Fort Jackson South Carolina Oct 30 1941 for the First Army Carolina Maneuvers and arrived back to Fort Benning on Dec 3 1941. On Dec 29, the 4th Division arrived at Camp Gordon, Georgia and, finally, went to Carolina Maneuver Area on Jul 7 1942. The 4th Division returned to Camp Gordon on Aug 31 1942 and moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey on Apr 12 1943 where it was re-designated to 4th Infantry Division on Aug 4 1943. Sent, then, to Camp Gordon Johnston, Florida on Sept 19 1943 for the III Corps Carrabelle Maneuvers the 4th was sent to Fort Jackson South Carolina on Dec 1 1943 and staged at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey on Jan 4 1944 until departed New York POE on Jan 18 1944. The Division landed in England on Jan 26 1944 and was ready to start fighting
