What did your city do in the war?

[Suave]

Provided Montanans

"On December 8, 1941, the Army activated its first mountain unit, the 87th Mountain Infantry Battalion (Later became an entire Regiment) at Fort Lewis, Washington. The unit was dubbed "Minnie?s Ski Troops" in honor of Dole. The 87th trained on Mount Ranier?s 14,408 foot peak. The National Ski Patrol took on the unique role of recruiting for the 87th Infantry Regiment and later the Division. After returning from the Kiska Campaign in the Aleutian Islands near Alaska the 87th formed the core of the new Division and its staff. The division entered combat on January 28, 1945 in the North Apennine Mountains of Italy. The division faced German positions arrayed along the 5 mile long Monte Belvedere-Monte della Torraccia ridge. Other divisions had attempted to assault Mount Belvedere three times, even holding it temporarily, but none had succeeded. The assault on Riva Ridge was the task of the 1st Battalion and F Company, 2d Battalion, 86th Mountain Infantry. After much scouting, it was decided the assault would be at night, a 1,500-vertical-assent. The Germans considered the ridge to be impossible to scale and manned it with only one battalion of mountain troops. The attack by the 86th on February 18, 1945, was a complete success and an unwelcome surprise to the Germans. Mount Belvedere was assaulted next. Belvedere was heavily manned and protected with minefields. Shortly after the 86th assault on the Riva Ridge, the 85th and 87th Regiments made a bayonet attack without covering artillery fire on Belvedere beginning on February 19th. Again the surprise of the assault was successful and after a hard fight, the peak was captured. Realizing the importance of the peak, the Germans made seven counterattacks over two days. After the first three days of intense combat, the division lost 850 casualties to include 195 dead. The 10th captured over 1,000 prisoners.

“I hear a lot of rhetoric about the famous 10th Mountain Division. In World War II it was unquestionably America’s finest unit - trained for three years, made up with men from Colorado, Montana, Idaho, really tough men, experts in mountain fighting. What we have now in the 10th Mountain Division is a bunch of kids that are better qualified to play computer games than they are to fight in that kind of terrain.”

[RAIDER14]

Originally posted by rpm
Nearest large city, Fort Worth, Texas. I hear they made a few of these...

[Bluedog]

Toowoomba was the home town of the men who fought and won the battle of Milne Bay, New Guinea.
The first time that a Japanese invasion force had been checked, pushed back, and finally utterly defeated and forced to evacuate by sea.
They were hastily trained militia, affectionately known as 'chockoes', chocolate soldiers.
They looked the part, but were expected to melt when the heat was turned up, Milne Bay proved that particular theory to be far from correct.

[storch]

training,  miami beach was all but taken over by the armed forces and many training facilities were spread out over dade county. nas opa-locka now OPA was were VF17 originated.  we still dig up .50 cal projectiles when ever we do even moderated excavation work.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

[Seraphim]

My city wasn't a real city yet, but near hear in burbank was lockheed, where they built the P38's, my grandfather worked there after the war.

[Debonair]

bomber versions of the Lockheed Lodestar & Electra did a lot of important ASW work as well for the RAF, USAAF & USN - maybe the commies got some too?  fairly overlooked, IMO...i dont know about how it worked out in combat, but on paper the PV-2 is a monster for a twin engine plane, 6000lbs of ordinance, 9 0.50cal guns, 280 MPH, 2200 mile range

[Obie303]

In the little town I was born in, Southbridge, Massachusetts, the American Optical Co. provided goggles and aviation sunglasses to the aviation units.  Also, the local airport was a training site.  I can't find out what the unit was...but there were three (3) documented crashes in the surrounding towns.  In fact, my father has a drop tank from one of the crashes still on his property.  I think they were P-47s but I'm in the process of tracking down an old timer to get the facts.  

Good post!  It got me hooked on finding out some local info.  Wish I listened to my grandmother tell me the stories from the area.

Obie

[Ball]

got bombed

[Gunthr]

Willow Run Airport, in Ypsilanti, Michagan near Detroit, where I was born and grew up, had a bomber plant run by Henry Ford.  They built B-24 Liberators, and employed over 42,000 people, including the famous "Rosie the Riveter" and the less famous, Grandma Gunthr.  This is also where I got my pilot's license.

Gross Isle, in the Detroit river, was the home of a basic airman training facility.   They used the wonderful Stearman for primary training.  You can see a lot of history in the old field and hangers there today.  

Near Ft. Lauderdale, where I live now, there is a shallow water wreck called the Copenhagen.  It was used for straffing practise in WWII.    .50 cal rounds are commonly found there.

[Hajo]

During WWII the Youngstown Ohio area was the largest steel producing area in the US.  Companies making Steel during WWII in Youngstown Ohio were J&L, The Youngstown Sheet and Tube, USSteel and Republic Steel.  In the Youngstown  area alone there were 17 Blast Furnaces smelting Iron Ore not to mention a greater number of Open Hearth furnaces and a Bessemer Converter still in operation. Also in the nearby Cities of Sharon and Farrell Pa. and Lowellville Ohio (within 10 miles) there were an additional number of Iron and Steelmaking facilities (Blast Furnaces and Open Hearths).

[Debonair]

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/MI/Airfields_MI_Detroit_S.html

[Overlag]

http://www.microlightsport.co.uk/News/julyeventwebpages/hornchurchhistory.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornchurch_Airfield

It was renamed RAF Hornchurch in 1928 and during World War 2 was a Sector Airfield of Fighter Command's 11 Group, covering London and the south east of England during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

Situated 14 miles (22.5 km) east north-east of Charing Cross, the air base was in a key location (in bomb alley), being able to cover both London and the Thames corridor from German air attacks. With this strategic location in mind, the RAF increased the defences and fortifications of the base. Hornchurch was home to Flying Training Command's Aircrew Selection Centre for 10 years before it moved to RAF Biggin Hill and the RAF station at Hornchurch closed in April 1962.

Its also A3 on the BOB AH map lol (well it was)


plus:
a german V1 landed about 400 yards from my house...

[Gunthr]

Debonair, thanks for those photos.  My dad flew out of the Stinson apt for a short while, and I flew in and out of Mettatal apt many times.  Stinson apt is long gone.  I was wondering how you found those photos.  I never heard of Smith or Hartsell, so they must be long gone too.  Anyway,

[cav58d]

We didnt do much in here Connecticut besides built the brunt of the corsairs, and post WWII engines ranging from the AGT powering the A-1 Abrams, to aircraft engines for attack helicopters!  go connecticut!