Author Topic: Marine (Read 366 times)

midnight Target · « **on:** December 03, 2003, 12:44:00 PM »

Had a few wonderful conversations with my Father-in-law about the war and his experiences. He was on Guadalcanal, Bougainville and Guam (where he was wounded).

He spent some time at Henderson field moving ammo for the planes. He mentioned the regular bombing raids the Japanese would make on the Island. One night he was up while a lone P-38 returned late from a mission, and ran smack dab into 3 japanese bombers (betty's?). He said he pulled up a chair and watched the P-38 shoot down all three bombers before landing.

On another aviation note, he spoke glowingly of the New Zealand pilots and their ability to get in low and provide ground support (strafing). He said all the Amercan Marines were glad to see the New Zealanders on the job.

Sikboy · « **Reply #1 on:** December 03, 2003, 12:56:30 PM »

My Grandfather imparted some interesting wisdom on me over the thanksgiving day weekend.

"I've been happy all my life. Even during the war, people said I had 'Island Fever' because I was happy in New Guinea. You know, most of the time I didn't even know who I was shooting at. The guy next to me started shooting, so I started shooting. The last thing I wanted was for someone to come through my little area."

-Sik

ra · « **Reply #2 on:** December 03, 2003, 01:08:05 PM »

This reminds of a story an old fellow I know told me. His brother was a Hellcat pilot in the Pacific. Their squadron once flew from the carrier to Guadalcanal, which had been bombed only an hour or so earlier. Their intention was to land, but the folks on the ground told them the strip was too badly damaged to land on, and they should go back to their carrier. Either they didn't have enough fuel, or they just didn't feel like going back, but they decided to land among the craters.

So this fellow's brother winds up upside down in a crater, unable to get out of his Hellcat because the canopy was jammed against the dirt. The seebees brought a crane around to lift the plane, but by then the airraid siren was going off again. So the seebees said "good luck" and scrambled off for the shelters, leaving the guy trapped upside down in a fighter with bombs coming down.

He was unharmed, but imagine how long that air raid must have seemed to him. One of those little war stories you never hear about.

ra

Dago · « **Reply #3 on:** December 03, 2003, 01:37:38 PM »

Always amazed at the way so many gentelmen like your father-in-law could go through some incredibly difficult experiences and afterwards just return to life and move on without being haunted by the memories.

(S) to your Father-In-Law

dago

Soulyss · « **Reply #4 on:** December 03, 2003, 03:56:06 PM »

I spoke with my grandfather over thanksgiving. He was a bomber pilot during the war but he never shipped out overseas which pissed him off at the time but now he says "I was one lucky sob".

He started out in a B25 outfit and was expecting to ship out with his unit soon, he had a brother flying 25's in the Mediterrian. Anyways one day the guys got called out and were told that they needed 5 "volunteers" to help train a batch of chinese pilots that had been flown over in the art of ground attack and strafing. My granpa said to hell with that I've been trained to fly combat. Well the next morning guess who's name was on the top of the list of "volunteers"

So skip ahead a couple months or whatnot and he gets transfer orders to join a new B17 group being formed at the neighboring airfield. He reports and is telling the guys about how he and the other B25 pilots used to get kicks by climbing up above the B17's feathering an engine and diving past them and waving. When the instructor shows up and says congradulations you're going to become B17 pilots. Gramps tells him "to hell with that, I'm a B-25 pilot" On his first flight right in the middle the instructor leans over and without warning feathers 2 props once the plane has stabilized a little looks at gramps and says "can you do that in a b25?" grandpa shut up about the b25 after that.

So finally the day arrives where they are going to be shipping out soon and they need to get their vaccinations. Now apparently the way it worked was the men were lined up single file and marched through this room they'd get a shot in the right arm then step forward and get the next in the left so on and so forth. Well he steps up gets his shot and turns around to say say something to the guy behind him and zap, get's a 2nd shot in the left arm. Now they're getting poked and prodded all over in this room so he thinks nothing of it gets through and marches off to the parade ground to get breakfast makes it about halfway and wakes up in the hospital several hours later. To this day he has no idea what they stuck him with twice.

So the group ships out while he's in the hospital, eventually they release him and he goes back into the general pilot pool and they fly every couple days or so to stay sharp till one day they go out to the flight line and there's parked a B-29. And once again they need "volunteers". "To hell with that! I'm a B-17 pilot".. so you can guess who's name was on the top of the list.

The war ended before he got shipped to the pacific.

midnight Target · « **Reply #5 on:** December 03, 2003, 06:31:55 PM »

Here's another story he related.

He was in the 3rd Marine Div., and was in the 1st wave to hit Bougainville. The 2nd Marines were hitting a beach to the North simultaniously.

Well it turns out that the South beach had a big sand cliff. The 3rd Marines ran into almost no opposition while the 2nd marines ran ito a Hornet's nest. The problem was that no one could climb the dam cliff. The Japanese obviously knew this, which is why they didn't defend that beach.

Eventually a few Marines got on top of the cliff and lowered ropes and sticks to the guys below.

He was also in the 1st wave to hit Guam. (Lucky SOB). They came in on Higgins Boats to a point, then transfered to what he called "alligators" (tracked amphibious vehicles). These were needed to cross the coral reef surrounding Guam. On the way in the alligator to his right blew almost straight up. He said he saw guys flying through the air. Then to one to his immediate left did the same thing. He was told that an artillary gun was hitting them, and that the air support would take it out. He didn't believe them. He still thinks they were hitting mines, and they didn't want to let the grunts know.

davidpt40 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 03, 2003, 07:44:20 PM »

My gramps was a master sargent in the U.S. Army. He told me he was the 'sargent major' of a small island called Tongareva, located in the Pacific Ocean. What that meant was that his hut had the only telephone and radio in it.

Well on this island there was a small airstrip for planes to land, repair, and refuel. No aircraft were based there. One day a plane landed, a transport, and out of the aircraft steps Eleanor Rosevelt. My grandfather spent about 4 hours talking with her and drinking coffee while her plane was refueld and serviced. When I see gramps on christmas, I will ask him what they talked about (hes 91 years old now btw).

Island defense was a battery of 155mm cannons. Unfortunately, no ammo for these weapons was ever shipped to the island lol. A Japanese submarine once reconed the island, but no shots were fired.

Heres a pic of the strange looking island

The airstrip can be seen on the mid right.

Sandman · « **Reply #7 on:** December 03, 2003, 08:27:28 PM »

Hmmm... my grandfather was in the army during WWII. He made a few parachute drops. Other than that, I haven't a clue. He would not speak of it... ever.