USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Wenham > Wenham in World War II : war service of Wenham men and women and civilian services of Wenham people > Part 7
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In June 1943, the 1st Battalion of the 18th Field Artillery, which became the 18th Field Artillery Battalion, was ordered to Camp
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Personal Records of Those in the Armed Forces
Gordon, Ga. for training prior to going overseas. In the fall of 1943 the Battalion was on maneuvers in Tennessee and sailed for England in the early part of February 1944, where it was assigned to the First Army as a separate battalion.
The Battalion landed in Normandy July 4, 1944 and served through the Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe campaigns, being attached during these campaigns to sixteen different divisions and various Field Artillery, Ranger and Cavalry groups. As the unit was equipped with 105mm. Howitzers, it was employed tactically as light division artillery, usually in close support of infantry. The greater part of its service was with the in- fantry and armored divisions of the VII Corps of the First Army.
During training and combat, Dearborn served as Battery Recon- naissance Officer, Executive and Battery Commander and as Battal- ion S-3 and Executive. He was promoted several times and after the termination of hostilities in Europe he commanded the 18th Field Artillery Battalion and the 690th Field Artillery Battalion, returning to the United States in October 1945. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel January 26, 1946 and was released to inactive duty in the same month.
Bronze Star Medal awarded in March 1945 by Commanding Gen- eral, 1st U. S. Army for meritorious services in connection with combat use of 4.5" rockets by artillery.
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with battle stars for Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe.
Unit Citations :
French Croix de Guèrre for battle of Mons.
Belgian Croix de Guerre with Fourragère for battles of Mons and the Ardennes.
World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal
ALBERT WINSLOW DODGE was Wenham's representative and co-organizer with Harold Daley of Hamilton of the local company of the Massachusetts State Guard. He resigned his commission as 1st Lieutenant in the 15th Co., Massachusetts State Guard to enter federal service and entered on active duty as a Private in the Army of the U. S. on October 12, 1942. He was sent to Camp Croft,
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S. C., Infantry Recruit Training Center for indoctrination and was assigned to the 31st Infantry for a 7-weeks' course of Commando Training.
Albert Dodge was recommended to Ft. Benning, Ga. for Officer Training but failed to pass the physical examination. This elimin- ated him for overseas duty and he was honorably discharged on February 22, 1943 at Camp Croft on medical grounds.
After discharge, Dodge did contract work for the U. S. Army Engineers on camouflage work on sea-coast batteries, radar stations and airfields. He also cleaned glide-angles on runways on several important airfields for D-E Day.
World War II Victory Medal
CARLTON TYLER DODGE entered on active duty as a Private in the Army of the U. S. on April 14, 1942 at Boston Mass. After a short stay at Ft. Devens, he was assigned to the Corps of Engineers and sent for recruit training to Co. D, 7th Battalion, Engineer Re- cruit Training Center, Fort Belvoir, Va. Upon completing his basic training he was promoted to Corporal, sent to OCS (Officer Candidate School), assigned to Company G, 2d Engineer School Regiment. He was commissioned as 2d Lieutenant on November 11, 1942 and was assigned to the 389th Engineer Separate Battalion at Camp Gordon, Ga. as Assistant Motor Officer. In May 1943 he went with the 389th to the Desert Training Center, Calif. as Motor Officer during the desert maneuvers. On September 30, 1943 he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and served as Company Administra- tive Officer with Company F, 389th Engineer General Service Regi- ment when the Battalion was activated at Camp Butner, N. C.
Carlton Dodge became acting Regimental Supply Officer when the regiment was alerted for its overseas movement. He left this coun- try on December 23, 1943, destined for the ETO. Upon completion of the movement he returned to his duties as Company Administra- tion Officer, stationed first at Flax-Bourton near Bristol, England and later moving to Brixton, near Plymouth, Devon, England. The regiment was engaged in camp construction.
Crossing the channel July 25, 1944, the regiment's mission be- came railroad rehabilitation throughout France, Belgium, Luxem- bourg and Germany and for the majority of the time Carlton Dodge served as a Railroad Reconnaissance Officer.
The 389th Engineer General Service Regiment was made up of colored enlisted men and white officers. Later, some colored officers
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were assigned to the unit and Carlton Dodge says "they were a credit to themselves, their race and the uniform, and theirs was a very difficult task.
"We ran blacked-out convoys of high priority bridge material from rear areas to the combat engineers, kept stretches of the famous Red Ball highway in repair and worked feverishly keeping the rail- roads in use as close to the front as possible. We experienced three months of buzz-bomb bombardment in Liège and when pressing hard on General Patton's racing armored columns through Germany, sur- prised sullen civilians in their underground limestone cave hide- outs.
"It was an unusual experience for me, to find that my reconnais- sance party were the first Americans to visit one small village, deep in the Rhineland. It was an unimportant village, obscure in the hills, reached by muddy roads and by the railroad that I was inspect- ing. Our fast moving combat troops had by-passed this village and so I, with my four colored soldiers, credit myself with conquering enemy territory. The fact that this was only a whistle stop of not more than ten houses is beside the point-it was German and we were the first Americans. It was an unusual experience for us and for the villagers as well, for they had never seen any colored troops."
Just previous to the end of the Pacific war, Dodge and his unit were preparing to sail for the Philippines. Their orders were changed as they left Marseille so that they docked in Boston Septem- ber 1, 1945. After a leave, Dodge returned to his outfit in Camp Claiborne, La. There, as Regimental Supply Officer, he assisted in the deactivation of the unit and was then separated from the service. He was placed on terminal leave November 6, 1945. On December 28, 1945, he was promoted to Captain. On February 3, 1945 he finished his terminal leave and entered the inactive lists. He has retained his commission in the Officer's Reserve Corps as a member of the Engineer Reserve.
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern with battle stars for Northern France, Ardennes, Central Europe and Rhineland
World War II Victory Medal
DANA GOULD DODGE entered on active duty as a Private in the Army of the U. S. on December 14, 1945. He was sent to Camp Crowder, Mo. for basic training and assigned to the Signal Corps.
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On February 28, 1946 he was ordered to Ft. Monmouth, N. J. for training as a Telephone Repeaterman.
On November 7, 1946 he sailed from San Francisco to join the Army of Occupation in Southern Korea. He was assigned to the 52nd Signal Battalion which was stationed at Ascom City. His duty was the installation, repair and maintenance of telephone switchboards. Ascom was connected by phone to Seoul, Inchon, Kempo, Quartermaster City, and other cities in Korea. These lines served to establish communication between military organizations and other cities.
"Korea had been under Japanese occupation for forty-two years before the American and Russian troops took over. The Japanese in their retreat left nothing. Mines were blown up, machinery destroyed and factories burned down.
"The American Army occupied all Korean territory south of the 38th parallel and the Russians north of it. Korea is one of the most undesirable countries the Army has had to occupy.
"The people are very poor and undernourished and lack clothing. The mountains are stripped of wood for fires as the Russians control the only coal mines north of 38 parallel and refuse to ship coal south. We sometimes saw people dying by the roadside as the Koreans had so little that they couldn't help them.
"The people were very friendly to us, although we had lots of trouble with Korean Communists believed to have been trained by the Russians. They would cut down telephone poles and clip the lines. There were a great many fires in the U. S. military estab- lishments lighted by Communist Korean workmen who it was im- possible to distinguish from the others."
Dana Dodge held the rank of T/4 (Technician 4th grade). He returned to the States in July 1947 and was honorably discharged on August 5, 1947 at Camp Stoneman, Calif.
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
ROBERT WILLIAM DODGE entered on active duty in the U. S. Naval Reserve on March 16, 1942 as Aviation Metalsmith 3/c at NTS (Naval Training Station), San Diego, Calif. From boot camp he was assigned to NTS, Patrol Squadron VP 43, North Island, San Diego where he worked in the metal shop during the
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summer of 1942. He was advanced to AM 2/c and in November 1942 he was transferred to Headquarters Squadron, Kodiak, Alaska for two months.
"In January 1943 the Hq. Squadron was sent to Whidly Island, Wash. to familiarize ourselves with the Lockheed PV 1 Bomber. We remained at Whidly Island for nine weeks and were then trans- ferred to Adak for the Attu and Kiska campaigns.
"When I arrived at Adak the Japs were well entrenched on Kiska and Attu. They were greatly outnumbered and had no equipment for the offensive and very little for the defense. Our bombers, Army and Navy, had the tremendous advantage of unopposed offen- sive with the exception of a moderate amount of anti-aircraft fire. Adak is located approximately 400 miles east of Kiska, making it a valuable base due to its being one of the large islands within prac- tical bombing range.
"Adak and all the other islands in the Aleutian chain are the most bleak, barren, wind-swept, bits of land one could imagine. The weather is so unpredictable that one minute it would be blowing a howling blizzard and 10 minutes later the sun would be out in full force. This alternating weather might last for several days.
"A large part of our work was outside which made it extremely difficult when the weather was bad, and it usually was. During the summer the air is always cool and chilly even on a clear sunny day. I can recall only one instance when it was warm enough to take off our shirts and that was behind the hangar out of the wind.
"On August 1, 1943 I was advanced to AM 1/c and soon after transferred to Amchitka for the remainder of my 16 months in Alaska."
In May 1944 Dodge was transferred to the States and sent to the Naval Air Station at Corpus Christi, Tex. and from there, to the Naval Academic Refresher Unit at Northfield, Minn. for pilot train- ing. After completing this course, he was assigned to the Naval Pre-Flight School at Iowa City, Iowa and later to the Naval Pre- Flight School at Ottumwa, Iowa.
Robert Dodge was honorably discharged from the Navy at Minn- eapolis, Minn. on March 9, 1946.
Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with star for Aleutians Operation. World War II Victory Medal
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JAMES FRANCIS DONLAN entered on active duty as Seaman 1/c in the U. S. Naval Reserve on November 11, 1942. He was sent to NTC (Naval Training Center), Newport, R. I. and to Signal School, also at Newport. From there he went to Radar School in Philadelphia.
His first sea duty was on the USS PC 452. The 452 was used for experimental purposes in the use and improvement of high press- ure steam for power on small ships. James Donlan made Signal- man 3/c aboard the 452 while doing picket duty between Charleston, S. C. and Miami, Fla. in July of 1943. In 1944 his duties on the PC took him to the coast of Maine, by way of the Cape Cod Canal, where the 452 underwent extensive shakedown runs, including es- cort duty for Army transports on preliminary shakedown exercises. In July, 1944 James Donlan made SM 2/c.
He served on the 452 for 17 months and after one week shore leave was assigned to Precommissioning School at Norfolk, Va. After completing school at Norfolk, he went to Charleston, S. C. and was assigned to the USS John Q. Roberts (APD 94), a destroyer type troop transport. In March, 1945 the Roberts underwent her shakedown at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, returning to Norfolk in April. In May his ship left Norfolk and went through the Panama Canal to San Diego. From there his duties took him to Pearl Harbor, after which his ship went to Maui in the Hawaiian Chain, where the ship was engaged in training exercises with underwater demol- ition teams.
"One of the principal duties of an APD is to transport underwater combat demolition teams to the vicinity of landing beaches for recon- naissance and demolition operations and serve as a base for such teams.
"When a division of APD's is assigned this duty, they take aboard demolition teams. These teams number usually not less than 32 men for each LCVP which is carried aboard the APD. These men are expertly trained in their work, some of their requirements being that they all be expert swimmers and have a knowledge of handling T.N.T. From a division of APD's this would give 16 teams mann- ing 16 boats. This work is carried out under cover of darkness. Their first duty is to inspect the coastline where the landings are to be carried out and to determine whether the beach is suitable for larger boats to run ashore to discharge their fighting forces. When the water along the beach is found to contain natural obstructions, such as boulders and rocks, or obstructions placed there by the enemy,
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such as underwater cement piers, etc., the teams have the duty of placing their T.N.T. in such a way as to demolish all these obstruc- tions in a given area.
"These teams are carried by small landing boats known as LCVP's. Thus if there were 16 boats in the operation the APD would travel to within a mile and a half from the shore and lower its LCVP's. These small boats would approach the shoreline in what is known as waves, containing 4 boats to a wave, each 4 boats having a desig- nated area to take care of. If by chance the shoreline is too obstructed to allow the LCVP's to go in close, each LCVP carries a small rub- ber boat, which is let off and the team operates from the rubber boat. One group of these 16 LCVP's is usually designated to land and set up a directing or signal station on the shore which in turn is used to direct the landing of the larger craft after the obstructions have been cleared. These teams would sometimes be in operation for a week or ten days before the actual invasion landings would take place. They would have the coast line of the invasion area all mined and wired and when the time for the invasion was to take place, the T.N.T. would be set off, the coast line cleared, and the invading forces would follow in immediately. After their work was completed they would return to their APD's."
James Donlan's ship went out to Eniwetok Atoll, thence to Guam via Saipan and Tinian. After leaving Guam the Roberts proceeded to Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. There they joined the Amphibi- ous Forces, Pacific Fleet, and took part in the final battle exercises for the invasion of Japan with the Third Fleet.
The John Q. Roberts transported the Tokyo Port Director and staff from Okinawa to Tokyo, arriving there the day before the sur- render terms were signed.
James Donlan returned to the United States in September 1945 on the escort carrier USS Salamaua from Tokyo Bay and was honor- ably discharged on October 14, 1945 at Fargo Building, Boston, Mass.
American Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Philippine Liberation Ribbon
World War II Victory Medal
NORMAN W. EASTWOOD entered on active duty as a Private in the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve April 9, 1944. After completing his boot training at Parris Island, S. C. he was sent to Navigation
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School at Cherry Point, N. C. and afterward to VMB (Marine Bomber Squadron) 613 at Newport, Ark. His final training was at Radio Operations School at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Calif.
He was promoted to Private First Class in May 1945 on leaving for overseas duty. He went out as Radio Operator with MASCU (Marine Air Support Control Unit) and arrived in the Pacific in June in time to take part in the Okinawa campaign. MASCU was radio contact between ground and air. "We were operating ground radio sets on the ground and spotting enemy installations for the pilots in the planes. In that way the planes were able to make more accurate runs on their targets. All communication was done in voice rather than code to speed up operations. Pilots had great re- spect for MASCU because it helped them to get bulls-eyes on their targets and we felt that we did a good job every time we reported enemy installations wiped out."
While stationed at Okinawa, Eastwood was camped next to the Marine 1st Division Cemetery. One day, as he and a friend "were looking at the names on the rows of crosses, we came across the name of a Beverly boy we knew back home. We took a snapshot of his grave and sent it to his mother."
Eastwood was sent to Manila in August, Samar in September, and Hawaii in October 1945, where he was promoted to Corporal and assigned to MP (Military Police) duty until he left for the States in April 1946. He was honorably discharged on May 29, 1946 at San Diego, Calif.
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
FORREST GOULD EATON entered on active duty as a Private in the Army of the U. S. on March 4, 1941. He was assigned to Co. F, 101st Quartermaster Regiment, 26th Division, at Camp Ed- wards, Mass. With the Yankee Division he took part in the North Carolina Maneuvers in October and November 1941.
"Early in January 1942, we learned that groups of the 26th Division were going overseas. Co. F was one of the groups so we parted company from the rest of the famous 26th and sailed from Brooklyn on January 23, 1942. No one knew where we were go- ing but our guess was somewhere in the tropics. In one week's time we reached the Panama Canal; then we knew we were headed for the Pacific. We arrived at Melbourne, Australia on February 27, 1942
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and after a rest of a few days on land, we set sail again and landed on New Caledonia, a French island off the coast of Australia.
"Our convoy out of New York was the largest in history, up to that time. We were the first sizeable expeditionary force to leave this country after war was declared. We left it as Task Force 6814 and our orders were to hold the island of New Caledonia. Manila fell in January. By March the Japs were threatening Australia. At that time they were right in our back yard.
"After nine months on New Caledonia we headed for action- Guadalcanal. The Marines were in trouble and needed help. That is where we came in."
The Marines had landed in August. Encountering no initial re- sistance they had taken Henderson Airfield and Tulagi Anchorage. Then the Japanese landed reenforcements and the Marines were subject to constant attack. They were reenforced by Infantry in October. Admiral Halsey's fleet destroyed the Japanese warships and transports which arrived in November, cutting the Japanese sea lines. More American reenforcements were landed in Decem- ber 1942 including Task Force 6814 which was formed into the "Americal" Division.
"The Japanese by this time were confined around Tunga Lagoon. They were starving owing to their sea lines being cut. American patrols were set out at night, two men to a fox-hole, as the Japs infiltrated our lines to get food. They occasionally blew up gas dumps and planes on Henderson Field. Jungle fighting was tricky as the Japs were invisible at three feet. 'Washing-Machine Charlie' came over every night between nine and twelve and we picked up his conversation in English on our radios. He'd say, 'Look out fel- lows. Here it comes. Hope no one gets hurt.'
"Japanese resistance ended on February 9, 1943 but the nightly air raids continued. That was all the action I saw.
"In March 1943 the Americal Division drew back to the Island of Fiji for rest. The Division went on from there and continued to make a name for itself but I was not with it."
Eaton was promoted to T/4 (Technician 4th Grade). In October 1943 he was hospitalized owing to a back injury. Returning to the States in November he passed through five General Hospitals before he had a spine operation.
On December 7, 1944 Forrest Eaton was honorably discharged from the Lovell General Hospital at Ft. Devens.
Good Conduct Medal
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American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with star for Guadalcanal.
HENRY EMILE ERHARD entered on active duty as a Private in the Army of the U. S., Air Forces, on January 30, 1943 and was ordered to Atlantic City, N. J. for basic training. In March he was sent to the University of Vermont for 3 months' preliminary train- ing and was appointed Aviation Cadet in June . After pre-flight training at Maxwell Field, he was assigned to primary flight training at Darr Aero Tech in Albany, Ga. and then sent to basic flight school Greenwood, Miss. By January 1944 he started his last stage of cadet training in advanced school at Napier Field, Ala. He was grad- uated as Flight Officer (March 12, 1944). His older brother, a Navy flyer, home after two years' flying in the South Pacific, was present and pinned his wings on. He was assigned to Fighter Tran- sition School with the First Air Force and spent 5 months training in Thunderbolts at Bradley Field, Conn. and Suffolk Field, Long Island. The Thunderbolt was one of the Army's fastest fighters, a single-seat plane, normally equipped with eight 50 cal. machine guns. In addition it could carry as much as 200 lbs. of bombs or rockets.
"On April 1, 1945 I left New York Port of Embarkation and arrived in London on V-E night. There was no mistaking the emo- tions of the English people that night; for them the war was over, even though the Japanese were still to be squelched. Bonfires blazed at nearly every street corner, while home-made confetti filled the air almost continuously. Crowds were so thick, and confusion so great, that it took nearly an hour for a group of us to cross Piccadil- ly Circus.
"From England I was quickly assigned to 365th Fighter Group in Germany, stationed a few miles south of Kassel. We flew training missions in preparation for operations against the Japanese. How- ever, when the Pacific War ended, our group returned to the States, leaving low pointers like myself in the Occupational Air Force.
"In October 1945 a month after receiving my commission as a 2d Lieutenant, I was sent to Erlangen, Germany for duty with a transport squadron serving the 9th Air Force Service Command. I stayed with this squadron primarily as a transport pilot, and for a short time as adjutant, until returning to the States for my dis- charge in June 1946."
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American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal
JOHN WEBER ERHARD joined the United States Naval Re- serve as Seaman 2/c, June 29, 1938. He was sent to V-5 Training at Squantum, Mass. and then as Aviation Cadet in Class 120-C, to Flight Training at NAS Pensacola, Fla. where he was graduated with the rank of Ensign, October 20,1939. He was assigned to Pa- trol Squadron 51 (later 71) and remained with the squadron as it moved from station to station until January 22, 1943.
VP 51 was sent in November 1939 to the Caribbean as part of the peace-time Neutrality Patrol in the area at that time. In May 1941 they were transferred to the North Atlantic Patrol. The Squadron was based primarily at Argentia, Newfoundland and its duty was to conduct convoy coverage and anti-submarine patrols in the vicinity.
Erhard flew as Patrol Plane Commander of a PBY which carried a crew of PPC (Patrol Plane Commander) 1st Pilot, 2d Pilot and five men. He had earned his promotion to Lieutenant (j.g.) on November 1, 1941 and two days after Pearl Harbor he was assigned with his squadron to the Hawaiian Patrol in the Pacific Theater. The planes left San Francisco on December 25, 1941 and flew to Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. This tour of duty included three months' patrol work from this base. In May, 1942 they were transferred to New Caledonia and saw action in the now famous Battle of the Coral Sea where the squadron's duty was to cover the Eastern ap- proaches to the Coral Sea and to prevent any Japanese task force from slipping in undetected through the New Hebrides Islands. After the Coral Sea Battle, a few small night bombing raids were carried out on Japanese installations in Tulagi. These were largely harassing missions, although on a few occasions large fires resulted which were presumed to have been oil or gasoline storage tanks.
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