USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Wenham > Wenham in World War II : war service of Wenham men and women and civilian services of Wenham people > Part 15
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Thorndike Sargent returned to the United States in November and was honorably discharged at Ft. Devens, Mass. on November 15, 1945.
Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with stars for Naples-Foggia and Rome-Arno Campaigns.
World War II Victory Medal
OLIVER DOWNIE SAWYER entered on active duty as an Apprentice Seaman in the U. S. Navy on April 11, 1939. He went to boot camp at the U. S. Naval Training Station at Newport, R. I. and from there to the USS Texas (BB 35) where he was assigned to the Communications Division. The Texas was at that time at- tached to the Patrol Force, U. S. Fleet. Sawyer made Radioman 3/c on September 13, 1940 and three months later the Patrol Force was renamed the Atlantic Fleet, with Admiral Ernest King com- manding. During June and July 1941, the Texas was on Neutrality
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Patrol, spotting German subs and reporting them. She was then overhauled and modernized for the African Invasion.
Sawyer made Radioman 2/c on November 1, 1942, and a week later they hit Mehdia, Port Lyautey in French Morocco, with the Texas providing the heavy fire support.
The "Mighty T's" next major action occurred during the 20 days June 5 to 25 of the Normandy landings in 1944. At Bayfleur, north of Cherbourg, the Army was held up by heavy guns, and mines prevented additional landings and close-in fire support. The Texas with other ships was ordered to knock out the guns and also to cover the minesweepers sent in to clear the beaches. RAF Spitfires flew air-support and spotted for them. Shortly after they opened fire, a German battery of heavy railroad guns began ranging on them from hidden positions. The lighter ships, outmatched, were ordered to retire, except for the American destroyers ordered to make smoke to conceal the Texas and the British minesweepers; and the Texas took on the battery alone. Her orders were to clear the channel, pro- tect the destroyers and minesweepers and in doing so draw enemy fire, and bring the destroyers and minesweepers home. In spite of the smokescreen and the fact that their radar was blocked, the Ger- mans straddled her time after time, hitting her twice, setting her afire aft, and spraying the topsides with shrapnel. As her guns got hot and her range shortened, she went in to 14,000 yards. When the minesweepers had completed their job. the force withdrew, after 3 hours of a land versus water battle that by all previous naval ex- perience should have resulted in the sinking of the battleship. "After the action was over, the commander of the Royal Naval Minesweepers sent us a message thanking us for the support we gave his ships."
Sawyer's job during this operation was operating communica- tions with RAF spotting planes. The radiomen's job as a whole, consisted of maintaining communications within the ship, with the RAF Spitfires and with the shore fire control parties.
With the damage temporarily repaired, the Texas a month later supported the landing at St. Tropez in the invasion of southern France. Sawyer was advanced to RM 1/c and the Texas steamed home for overhaul. Still with the Texas, he was sent to the Pacific. The ship arrived in time to provide fire support and anti-aircraft protection at Iwo Jima, and at Okinawa during the Kamikaze raids.
Sawyer was transferred to shore duty after Iwo Jima and was
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honorably discharged August 9, 1946. He reenlisted in the Navy November 5, 1946.
American Defense Service Medal with bronze A for North At- lantic Operations, 1941.
American Campaign Medal with 2 stars for Neutrality Patrols.
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with stars
for Algeria-Morocco Landings, Invasions of Normandy, Southern France.
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with star for Iwo Jima.
World War II Victory Medal
PAUL ALDRICH SEARS entered on active duty as a Private in the Army of the U. S. on October 8, 1942. He was sent as a Casual Unassigned to Co. B, 57th Medical Replacement Training Center, 20th Battalion, Camp Barkely, Tex. for indoctrination and then to Co. B, 1st Battalion, Casual, Jackson Barracks, New Or- leans, La. for further training awaiting embarkation.
On April 10, 1943 he embarked for overseas and was assigned to the Medical Detachment of Headquarters and Service Co., Trinidad Sector and Base Command at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, B. W. I. where he remained until April 1944. His duty was in the Sector Surgeon's Office where he served as File Clerk, Statistical Clerk and Assistant Chief Clerk all in Medical Administrative work. He was promoted to T/5 in July and T/4 in December (Technician 5th and 4th grade).
"The patients were almost entirely local personnel. Some were taken from ships and airplanes. A few were battle casualties being flown back, who had to stop for emergency treatment."
He was transferred to Atkinson Field, British Guiana, South America, where he arrived April 13, 1944. He was assigned to Hq. and Service Co., British Guiana Base Command. This was a change from medical work. Paul Sears was promoted to Technical Sergeant in May 1944 and to Master Sergeant in December 1944.
Atkinson Field is 27 miles from Georgetown in the jungle border- ing the Demerara River. "All the patients were local with the ex- ceptions of personnel from ships or airplanes stopping there.
"The airfield was one of the chain of fields on the 'Southern Route' (Miami, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, British Guiana, Brazil, Ascension, Accra and up to Europe or across to India).
"Lack of roads and transportation necessitated a hospital of some
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sort at every Army post or base. A small installation would have a ten-bed dispensary, and a large installation, a station hospital."
As Sergeant Major in the Adjutant's Office, Sears' work was still administrative and covered the operation and policy of the Army Post. He supervised the administration section and prepared cor- respondence, records, forms, reports and orders for the entire base. Like many others he says : "Most of us would have liked to have been in a combat area but our job was where we were sent and there was no way to get transferred because of the shortage of personnel and ships.
"My most enjoyable experience was flying back to the United States taking only 10 hours compared to 16 days by convoy."
Paul Sears was honorably discharged into the Enlisted Reserve Corps on November 22, 1945.
Good Conduct Medal
World War II Victory Medal
PHILIP T. SHACKELFORD entered on active duty as an Apprentice Seaman in the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve on February 25, 1942. He was sent for training to Manhattan Beach, N. Y. His first assignment was to the Salem Air Base at Salem, Mass. and from there to Gloucester, Mass. Next he went to Searsport, Me., where he assisted in loading ammunition on European-bound ships.
In November, 1944 Shackelford left for the Pacific area on the USS Joseph T. Dickman, and in that same month was promoted to Seaman 1/c. He took part in the initial landing on Okinawa, in which his ship was one of those carrying in the Marines. "Kamikaze planes were most numerous at this time and a serious menace to all shipping. About 2000 of them were shot down in 6 days off Okina- wa, though many more were able to inflict severe damage."
Shackelford returned to the States in December, 1945, after his ship had touched at almost every island outpost of the Pacific. "The Dickman stopped at the Philippines on its way home to bring back British prisoners of the Japanese who had been flown from Japan to Manila. They were starved and in pitiable condition."
Philip Shackelford was honorably discharged from the service on January 25, 1946 at Boston, Mass.
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with star for Okinawa.
Expert Rifleman's Medal
World War II Victory Medal
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ROBERT WINFORD SMITH entered on active duty as a Pri- vate in the Army of the United States on July 29, 1943. He was assigned to the Army Air Forces and sent to Miami Beach, Fla. for basic training and to Lowry Field, Colo. for training as an Air Force photographer.
On February 2, 1944 he went overseas and on arrival in England he was stationed at the American Air Force Base at Denton where he was promoted to Private First Class and served as materiel checker at the railhead.
On February 4, 1945 he was re-assigned at his own request, and transferred to the 79th Infantry Division. He crossed to the con- tinent in April 1945 where he joined his outfit, and fought as a rifleman through the Battle of Central Germany. Later he was transferred to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, 1st Division, also as a rifleman.
At the end of the war Smith remained in the Army of Occupa- tion. He was stationed at Nuremburg and as a member of the Security Guard he was assigned to Guard duty in the Palace of Justice and witnessed some of the war trials of the German leaders, including Goering.
Regarding this unusual experience, Smith says, "The court ses- sions opened at the Palace of Justice at 9.30 A. M. The prisoners were seated opposite the judges' bench with interpreters' booths on the right of the bench and spectators' seats on the left. The ob- servers' seats were each fitted with headphones with dials attached to bring in the French, Russian, German and English translations. The judges' bench was occupied by representatives of the major powers, United States, Britain, Russia and France. Justice Robert Jackson presided for the United States. He made a very impressive appearance in his judicial robes.
"The attitude of the Tribunal was one of determination that right should triumph over the multiple wrongs done the people of Europe.
"The prisoners were a study in themselves. The once mighty Goering sat slumped in his seat reduced from his pompous station as well as in avoirdupois. Two-faced Von Ribbentrop, looking very sad for someone who had vowed to beat us to our knees, sat with the rest, eying the Tribunal with impassive, crestfallen countenance.
"The trials were opened by the clerk. The French complainant was given the floor which he held till adjournment. He brought be- fore the Tribunal evidence to the fact that the defendant, Goering,
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had, with force, taken a great number of men from France as slave laborers and had murdered a great many of those abducted."
After his return to the States, Robert Smith was honorably dis- charged at Ft. Devens on March 21, 1946.
Good Conduct Medal
French Fourragère awarded to 1st Division for Central Germany. Belgian Fourragère awarded to 1st Division for Central Germany. American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with star for Central Germany.
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
RAY JAMES STECKER, a graduate of West Point, reentered the service as a 1st Lieutenant in the Army of the U. S. on July 5, 1941. He was an experienced flyer and was assigned to the Army Air Forces and sent as Pursuit Instructor to Air Corps' Advanced Flying School at Craig Field, Selma, Ala. In November 1941 he was transferred to SEACTC (South East Air Corps Training Cen- ter), ACS, A-3 (Training and Operations) where his duty was mainly supervision of flying training.
In March 1943 he went overseas as Combat Operations Officer with the Ninth Fighter Command. The Unit was sent to the Mid- dle-East and worked with the British 8th Army through the desert, Tunisia and Sicily.
In June 1943 Stecker was ordered to the headquarters of the British 8th Army at Malta to prepare and plan for the Sicilian in- vasion during which the Ninth Fighter Command supported the Eighth Army in its landings at Pachino in Sicily.
He was promoted to Colonel in January 1944 and ordered to Lon- don where as Combat Operations Officer for the European Con- tinent he worked on plans for the invasion of Europe.
Immediately after the invasion he was given command of a P-47 fighter group and moved this group to an air strip on the beachhead. "From there missions were flown supporting the ground forces, form- ing cover for the beaches and escorting the bombers.
"During the advance through France, Belgium and Germany, the group moved fourteen times to keep up with the Army" and per- formed the same type of missions with Stecker flying sixty-five mis- sions himself.
"On the morning of December 17, 1944, the 387th Squadron of
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the 365th Fighter Group was on a routine mission covering the front of the First Army in the Monschau sector. After checking in with the forward liaison officer by radio, the Squadron started a patrol forward of the bomb-line. The weather was bad with low ceilings and cloud cover. Soon the battle area would not be suitable for air operations.
"As we headed into the enemy area, a long line of motor vehicles, armor and troop carriers was sighted on a twisty road cut through rough terrain. It did not seem possible that these could be enemy troops, but a quick check verified that they were, and close to the front lines of the division. The Squadron leader of the 387th was the first to sight the penetration of the panzer army that Rundstedt was sending through the Ardennes. Word was radioed back to the forward control and an attack made by the Squadron. Within half an hour the weather had closed down to the tree tops and air attacks could not be made. The Battle of the Bulge was on.
"For a week the penetration continued with advance units of the panzers reaching the Meuse river. Fighter bombers, medium and heavy bombers were powerless to help, due to the zero-zero weather. When advance units threatened our forward airfields, arrangements were made for the field personnel to defend them. Spare airplanes were set up at cross roads and covering points, with the tails ele- vated to enable the wing guns to be depressed on the areas. Pilots were kept in readiness to fire the eight cal. . 50 machine guns in the event of attack.
"A week later, the group was called upon to attempt a low-level attack. In flights of four planes they were sent out at 20-minute intervals, 'flying on the deck,' as the weather still covered the area with complete cloud cover down to the ground. Late in the after- noon, a hole opened to allow full squadron attacks and when the next day brought good weather, the Air Squadron struck with all its weight and continued to pour it on until the last enemy unit had been wiped out. During this period the number of trucks, armor and auxiliary vehicles destroyed, was the highest of the war.
"When it appeared that the enemy advance had been stopped at the Meuse, the 365th Group was ordered to Metz to aid General Patton's Third Army attack against the southern flank of the enemy. On Christmas Day the group moved with its ground echelon travel- ing day and night to make the trip around the bulge. With icy roads and snow storms impeding the way, the move was hard. The only runway, a mesh strip laid by the engineers, was covered by
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Personal Records of Those in the Armed Forces
snow, but no snow removal equipment was available. War-weary airplanes that could not be used in combat were started up and the blast from their propellers was used to blow off the snow. Pilots who had flown their planes to the new field were without rations or tents until the ground echelon arrived. They flew the missions, do- ing their own servicing and maintenance.
"On January 1, 1945, at 9.15 A. M., two squadrons had taken off to harass the retreating Germans; the pilots of the third squad- ron were walking out to their planes, when without warning, a force of thirty ME 109's came over to strafe the field. All the planes of the squadron were destroyed in this attack. Enemy losses were 17 planes from the ack-ack defenses of the field. This was the last effort of the Luftwaffe and never again was an attack made against an allied airfield."
Ray Stecker returned to the States in May 1945. He was released to inactive duty on January 12, 1946.
Distinguished Flying Cross awarded by Ninth Air Force for attacking superior number of German aircraft, resulting in 21 enemy aircraft shot down for only a loss of two.
Air Medal with ten clusters for missions flown over Europe.
Bronze Star
Commendation Ribbon
Distinguished Unit Badge with cluster awarded to his group.
French Croix de Guerre avec Palme awarded by General DeGaulle.
Belgian Croix de Guèrre avec Palme
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with stars for Middle East, Libya, Tunis, Sicily, Italy, Air Offensive Ger- many, Normandy, France, Ardennes, Germany.
World War II Victory Medal
PHILIP WINFIELD STEVENS entered on active duty as a Pri- vate in the Army of the U. S., Air Forces, October 7, 1942. He was sent for basic training to Maxwell Field, Ala. and then to Bucking- ham Field, Ft. Myers, Fla. where he became a high altitude flying instructor and remained for three years and four months.
High altitude flyers were given an oxygen course. This consisted of a lecture on the effects of lack of oxygen on the mind and body of the flyer; precautions to be taken, signs of lack of oxygen to be
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watched for, etc. It was followed by a demonstration on the use of oxygen equipment and then by the first chamber run where the pressure was lowered to simulate high altitudes. Twenty candidates were run through at a time, accompanied by two instructors to in- struct and look after them. Stevens says, "We all wore oxygen masks. The first run consisted of an 'ascent' to 30,000 ft. Usually three men from the 20 were picked or volunteered to ascend with- out the use of oxygen masks. Each was given simple problems to do, such as 1 +1=2 or putting dowels in holes. The effect of lack of oxygen was visible to the others in their slow movements, hestitation and inability to think. This was continued until 'sub- ject' passed out, usually within two or three minutes. Oxygen was then administered which usually revived the man immediately. If oxygen did not revive subject, he was carried by instructors into an adjoining air-lock where oxygen 'lowered' the altitude and the man revived. Some were unable to continue."
The next day the students were given another lecture on the effect of lack of oxygen and a second chamber run. This time "they as- cended to 30,000 ft. for one hour, then up to 38,000 ft. for 10 min- utes. If subject was unable to continue chamber run because of symptoms (mentioned on master sheet) he was put in lock and brought down to ground level.
"While in the chamber the students were shown by the instructors what symptoms of lack of oxygen to watch for, as failure of oxygen tank to operate is often not noticed by user. Loss of color (quickly restored when oxygen was given), pain, etc. were pointed out. Sub- jects who blacked out never had any recollection of these unconscious moments and always insisted to the others in the class that they had been conscious all the time, an excellent and obvious lesson to the rest on the need for care. While the students were in the chamber they were given review on oxygen equipment and lectures by en- listed men sitting outside chamber talking through a radio hookup."
Promotions were frozen for a while in Stevens' branch of the service, but he was promoted to Corporal, May 1945; Sergeant, October 1945, and Staff Sergeant, January 1946. He was honor- ably discharged February 11, 1946 at Ft. Devens, Mass.
Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
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Personal Records of Those in the Armed Forces
WARREN STEVENS entered on active duty in the U. S. Naval Reserve June 24, 1943. He was sent to boot camp at the U. S. Naval Training Station at Newport, R. I. joining the USS Niobrara (AO-72) as Seaman 2/c in August 1943.
The Niobrara, an auxiliary oiler, was operating in the North Atlantic. She traveled with the convoys and task forces for the pur- pose of "freeing the fighting fleets from dependence on land bases, enabling them to stay at sea for months at a time and strike at will anywhere in the oceans. Methods of mid-ocean refueling were used while the ships were on the move. This gave the fleet unheard-of freedom and endurance which, as much as its size and firepower, made the U. S. Navy a new kind of sea weapon."
After the African landings the ship had the same duty in the Mediterranean but, for a while Stevens was stationed at Oran (Sep- tember 1943) where the Niobrara was assigned as Station Tanker. This was at the time of the Anzio landing, and convoys of troops and materials were leaving the African ports for Italy.
Stevens made S 1/c at Aruba, an island off the coast of Vene- zuela, where the ship was reloading for a trip back to Africa.
The ship was ordered to the Pacific on April 24, 1944 where she operated with TF-58 in the invasion of Peleliu, Saipan and Leyte. In these invasions the Niobrara stood by to refuel ships and at Sai- pan drums of oil for the Marines' use were landed in the first days of the invasion. As Storekeeper, Warren Stevens' duty was to go ashore with the drums and turn them over to the Marines.
Stevens was assigned to Navy #3256, the Naval Supply Depot at Okinawa in September 1945, where he worked in the Radio Supply Building as an Electronic Storekeeper 2/c. His last duty as SK 2/c was aboard the USS Columbus (CA-74) which patrolled the China Sea after V-J Day; and on April 1, 1946 in Yokosuka Harbor he was "one of the few who had the pleasure of watching the remain- ing part of the Japanese fleet go to the bottom of the sea, from the bridge of the Columbus. This operation was known as the 'Deep Six' in which twenty-four cherry blossom be-decked submarines were to be destroyed by gunfire or demolition. Eighth sub to be destroyed was the famous I-58 which sank the USS Indianapolis. The last submarine to be destroyed, the most impressive of all the Japanese underwater fleet, was the mammoth I-402. She carried four sea- planes, had a large streamlined hangar, and topside catapult. The I-402 was sunk by accurate and spectacular destroyer gunfire to end an interesting and gala day."
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American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with stars for Marianas, Western Carolines, Luzon, and Okinawa Operations.
Philippine Liberation Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
FLORENCE LILLIAN STOBBART was commissioned as 2d Lieutenant and entered on active duty in the U. S. Army Nurse Corps on September 22, 1941. Her first assignment was to the Station Hospital at Ft. Devens, Mass. where she did two months' general duty as charge nurse, four months' duty in the prison ward and was then assigned to 208th General Hospital at Ft. Devens for preparation for overseas duty with this unit.
On February 19, 1942 the 208th General Hospital was sent to Iceland. "We sailed from Brooklyn, N. Y. on the USS Boringuen and endured a rough, cold crossing. Very high seas and storms were encountered. Huge waves broke down a large partition where the enlisted men were in bunks, washing overboard a great deal of equipment. The menace of submarines was with us both crossing and returning. The ship finally landed at Reykjavik harbor March 3, 1942 and the 208th was installed in Nissen huts joined by tun- nels. This hospital was taken over from the British and accom- modated 1000 to 1500 patients. There were no actual battle casu- alties here, most of the cases being survivors from ships that were sunk, to be treated for injuries and exposure, accident cases, psy- chiatric cases, orthopedic and the usual medical and surgical cases."
Florence Stobbart spent 13 months in Iceland acting as charge nurse in the orthopedic, surgical and officers' wards and was her- self hospitalized because she became allergic to the lava dust and had to be returned to the U. S. for further treatment. She returned on a hospital ship scheduled to leave on March 4, sailing date being cancelled because of lack of escort. They stayed on board ship in a fjord for 19 days before returning to Reykjavik harbor and then starting again for the U. S. They had another exciting crossing as they witnessed the sinking of an enemy submarine by the escort of destroyers.
After 15 months in this country during which she was assigned to the Fletcher General Hospital in Cambridge, Ohio as charge nurse of the outpatient and dispensary, also charge nurse of the officers' ward, she was again assigned to overseas duty, this time
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with the 196th General Hospital unit. "We sailed on the Queen Mary October 12, 1944 to the Clyde River, Scotland and traveled by troop train to Southhampton, England, where we boarded the English troop ship HMS Javelin, which took us across the English channel. Because of the channel being mined and because of rough seas, it was three days before we were loaded in landing barges and taken on to Omaha Beach, France. We traveled by truck to a cow pasture next to the Red Ball Highway, the nearest town called Carentan being 20 miles distant, and arrived at the bivouac area October 22, 1944. After a month of rain and mud in this area we took over our tent hospital. After several months there we moved back to within three miles of Cherbourg, taking over another tent hospital. These accommodated 1500 to 2000 patients and were filled, with the exception of a week, to capacity at all times. For several months we had all German patients, POW's all critically wounded and then we had our own boys who were also battle casual- ties."
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