(A) ORGANIZATION
1. Mission
of Organization.
Missions of the 461st Bombardment Group during March were two in number:
a. Training of combat crews in the Theatre of Operations for combat missions.
b. The organization of the ground program in such a way as to facilitate the carrying out of the combat program.
2. Strength
of Organization, 1 March 1944.
a. Personnel: The morning report of the Group for 1 March 1944 shows a total of 376 officers and 1620 enlisted men. Of these, approximately 745 are flying officers and men.
b. Airplanes: The Group started the month with fifty-one B-24H planes.
c. Facilities: One large airdrome with over 100 soft hard stands; ample but unusable taxi strips; and gravel landing strips with a long stretch of mud holes at either end and a big hump in the middle.
3. Relations
with other Organizations.
a. Responsibility
to Higher Command.
The Group was originally assigned to the 55th Bombardment Wing of the Fifteenth Air Force. Headquarters of the Wing are located at Spinazzola. When this Group was moved from Venosa to Torretta, it remained under the command of that Wing. Due to the fact, however, that Torretta is located a considerable distance from Spinazzola; that the Air Force was about to set up another Wing; and that the Group might be moved to Pantanella, there was considerable speculation as to the Wing to which the Group would finally be assigned for operations. This question was definitely settled on March 14th, when orders were cut by the Fifteenth Air Force relieving the Group from assignment to the 55th Wing and assigning it to the 49th Wing.(1)
The 49th Bombardment Wing was still in a somewhat nebulous state when the Group was assigned to it. Colonel William L. Lee, the Commanding Officer of this new Wing, had but recently arrived in Italy from the United States. He and two of his staff members, Lt. Colonel Leroy L. Stefonowicz, his A-3; and Major Arthur J. Lund, his A-2, were busy visiting Headquarters of the Fifteenth Air Force, observing procedures in other Wings of the Air Force, and selecting a headquarters site for their own Wing. The headquarters site finally selected consists of several building south of Foggia that once housed a college of agriculture. It was not until the last week in March that Colonel Lee made his first visit to the 461st Bombardment Group. Under these conditions Colonel Glantzberg had both a free hand and full responsibility in orienting the Group at Torretta and in training the combat crews for operations.
b. Relations
with Auxiliary Organizations.
By virtue of his position and rank Colonel Glantzberg automatically became Commanding Officer of the Army Air Base at Torretta in addition to his other duties as Group Commander. Each of his senior staff members consequently, also functioned as Group and Base Officers.
Organizations assigned to the Base to assist in carrying on the operations of the Group were as follows:
563rd Service Squadron of the 37th Service Group.
1434th Service and Maintenance Company (Ordnance) of the 563rd Service Squadron.
2239th Quartermaster Trucking Company of the 563rd Service Squadron.
1249th Quartermaster Detachment of the 37th Service Group.
Detachment from the 1153rd Signal Service Company.
Company “C” of the 21st Regiment, 2nd Battalion, United States Army Engineers.
85th Battalion of the 47th Regiment (British Eight Army, Light Anti-Aircraft Unit).
“C” Troop of the 62nd Regiment (British Eight Army, Heavy Anti-Aircraft Unit).
3rd Company Airport Interior Guard (Italian).
The Group also had many dealings with the Town Major of Cerignola, Major L.G. Heller; Captain J.H. Sotham, who is the 43rd Service Group S-2 stationed in Cerignola; and the manager of the Torretta farms, Count De Vera d’Aragone, who is the son-in-law of Baron L. Zezza, the owner.
(B) MAJOR
ACTIVITIES
1.
Governing Policies.
The campsite of the Headquarters Detachment and of each of the four Squadrons was located around farm buildings that had been selected and requisitioned by Colonel Glantzberg when he, Captain Burke, and Lieutenant Foster first visited the Base at Torretta on February 20th. The offices of each unit were housed in farm buildings. Most of the officers and all the men were housed in tents. Colonel Glantzberg and the senior members of his staff made some suggestions concerning the set-up in each of the Squadrons, but on the whole, each Squadron Commander and his staff was given a great deal of freedom in establishing the physical layout for his camp. With the exception of the 767th Squadron, which was located on the same site as the Headquarters Detachment, each Squadron had its own camp area. Three of the four-squadron campsites were from 1 ¾ to 3 ½ miles distant from the headquarters detachment campsite. Roads which had originally been built to connect the farm building were laid out in such a manner as to make it necessary for one to pass through the headquarters camp area in going from any one squadron area to another.
For a period of approximately three weeks after the arrival of the Group at Torretta, the Colonel followed the policy of having a meeting each evening of all members of his Staff. To these evening meetings representatives of the various auxiliary organizations on the Base were frequently invited. At these meetings the head of each department made a report on his accomplishments, plans, needs, and handicaps. As a result of the free discussion and constructive suggestions which marked these meetings, the Group found itself rapidly overcoming the many difficulties of establishing a smooth working military organization in a theatre of operations.
About the middle of March, the Commanding Officer frequently substituted command staff meetings for general staff meetings. With the unit commanders, he discussed problems of housing, administration, supply, equipment, and training.
Insofar as was possible verbal orders replaced written orders, memoranda, and directives. This was accomplished through meetings conducted by each headquarters department head with the officers of the respective departments in the squadrons.
Under the set-up of the Fifteenth Air Force, the Group Operations Officer is charged with the responsibility of conducting ground school. Captain Burke, in complying with this directive, delegated the operations officer in each squadron to be responsible for the ground school training program in his respective squadron. Classes were well organized and attendance was, of course, compulsory. Subjects covered included standard operating procedures, gunnery, navigation, bombing, combat intelligence, sanitation and first aid.
2.
Organizations Established.
a. Provost Marshal.
One of the most complicated problems was that of dealing with the natives. On the 2nd of March, Captain Mitten was made Provost Marshal. He was told at that time his principle duty would be that of supervising and regulating the activities of the Italian soldiers and civilians who were assigned to the Base, lived near the Base, were employed on the Base, or who crossed the Base every day on the way to work. Colonel Glantzberg, Lt. Colonel Grogan, and Major Lott each spent considerable time in assisting Captain Mitten with this problem.
b. Base Utilities Officer.
On the same day that Captain Mitten was made Provost Marshal, Lieutenant Maxson was made Base Utilities Officer. In this capacity he became the custodian of materials and equipment salvaged by the Group as well as the supervisor of the Italian carpenters employed for and by the Group. Jobs assigned to him included the making of mess tables, cots for the enlisted men, and latrines.
3.
Difficulties Encountered.
a. Personnel.
All of the departments in each unit were handicapped during the month by the non-arrival of the 130 enlisted men who had been off loaded from the Air Echelon at Morrison Field in February. In this group were gunners, crew chiefs, and clerks.
b. Transportation.
In view of the distance from each Squadron to Headquarters and to the Line, considerable transportation was needed for the sake of efficiency. The motor vehicles provided for the Group were both few in number and poor in condition. Instead of having a Group Motor Pool, it was decided to turn over an equal number of the various types of motor vehicles to each Squadron. Both in Headquarters and in the various Squadrons a multiplicity of plans was tried during the month in an effort to solve the transportation problem. By the end of the month many officers were convinced there was no satisfactory answer to this important problem except the acquisition of more and better vehicles.
c. Materiel.
Materiel shortages included gasoline trucks, gasoline, oxygen, heated flying suits, airplane parts and tools, and O.E.L. equipment. In view of the fact that the Group was not operational it had no priorities on materiel. Many of the shortages listed above were never acquired until after the Group did become operational.
d. Communications.
The problems of the Communications Section were many and complicated. They sprang from the failure of the O.E.L. equipment to arrive promptly, the distances between squadron areas, the lack of properly trained personnel, and except for airborne radio equipment the lack of assistance from the Service Squadron or from any higher echelon. Telephone communication problems included an inadequate switchboard, lack of familiarity of the operators with the manually operated switchboard, insufficient telephone wire to reach to and cover squadron areas, and continued “night requisitioning” of telephone wires for the wiring of tents. Captain Wagener lacked trained personnel and equipment for operating a base tower. He lacked equipment for his point-to-point radio system. Although not an electrical engineer, he was called on to provide light and power facilities. In doing this he proved himself a jack-of-all-trades in setting up systems which were made from a slowly accumulated conglomeration of both Italian and American current, all types of wire, and Italian, English and American sockets and bulbs.
e. Natives.
The Italian soldiers assigned to the Base came under the immediate command of the Service Squadron. At first they were put on work details but later they were made an interior guard unit and assigned to the policing of the field. They never proved to be very satisfactory in either capacity.
Through the assistance of Captain Sotham a system was soon worked out by Captain Mitten whereby all Italians who were employed on the Base in any capacity were investigated before being put to work. A pass or recognition system for the laborers was also put into effect. But despite all the precautions taken, the presence of so many Italians on the Base resulted in a certain amount of uneasiness on the part of most staff members.
The farm buildings selected for camp sites were located on fertile farms that were situated on a broad plateau well south of Foggia and Corignola. On the farms had lived the local farm managers and literally hundreds of farm laborers. These natives, who were socially and economically dependent upon Baron Zezza, the owner of the farms, lived in hovels, in barns, and in all types of poor excuses for houses. Their low standard of living, their lack of personal cleanliness, their disregard for sanitation, and their absolute poverty presented to the officers and men of the Group a new picture of civilization. To the Group Commander and his Staff, however, they presented a real problem in terms of security and health. By means of tactful suggestion, cajolery, and threats, Colonel Glantzberg, fully supported by the Town Major Heller, was eventually able to remove practically all of the natives and their buildings from each campsite. Only a few were permitted to remain in some buildings remote from the campsites proper.
The natives apparently were slow to realize fully that the Baron’s property, which included their homes and their places of employment, had been taken over by the United States Army Air Corps. The members of the Group, newly arrived from the United States where every Army Air Forces Base was protected by a high barbed wire fence and an exterior guard, were shocked by the lack of security presented by wandering natives and unfenced rolling farmland.
f. Training.
The Base at Torretta had previously been used by the Royal Air Force as a base for Wellingtons. Apparently the field had been hurriedly constructed with the result that not enough attention had been given to proper drainage and an adequate base for the gravel with which the hard stands, taxi strips, and landing strips were covered. Even when the ground dried out the soft spots remained. Near the end of the month, steel planking was laid on many of the hard stands. This planking was also laid at the south end of the landing strip, but it buckled there because of the poor base. This difficulty was finally overcome by tearing up approximately 1500 feet at the end of the landing strip, removing the mud, regravelling the surface, and then laying steel planking.
The single biggest handicap to the training program was the excessive snow and rain that turned the campsite into a quagmire and made the field unserviceable for flying. There was little or no flying between the time the Air Echelon arrived on the 22nd – 23rd of February until the last day of February when a formation of planes took off for San Pancrazio only to be caught in a severe storm. On 3 March, a practice mission was cancelled because of the continued muddy condition of the field.
On 12 March, Colonel Acheson visited the Base and told Colonel Glantzberg the Group would probably be moved to Pantanella because of the poor condition of the Base at Torretta. Later that day an airplane was lost in a taxi accident when it slid off the taxi strip into a ditch. When that happened, Colonel Glantzberg notified higher echelons he would not move another airplane until the field was dry.
On 16 March, Colonel Cassidy and Colonel Colona of the 21st Regiment of the United States Army Engineers spent some time looking over the field. Lt. Colonel R.U. John, Assistant S-4 of the Fifteenth Air Force, also visited the field that day.
On March 18, 19, and 20, practice formation missions were flown despite the fact that six planes slid into the ditches on the 19th in taxi accidents. From March 20th to March 26th inclusive, there was no flying. On March 27th, a Group practice mission led to the loss of another airplane, this time on the landing strip. Another Group mission was flown on March 29th, followed by still another on March 30th.
The practice missions flown by the Group during the month of March closely resembled those flown in the training program at Hammer Field. Then emphasis was still placed on proper positions for take-off; quick take-offs; fast assembly; close formation flying by flights, sections, and groups; peel offs over the field; short final approaches; and quick landings.
4.
Morale and Outstanding Achievements.
During the many days of March on which the condition of the field kept combat crews on the ground, they, and many of the ground personnel, spent much of their time in improving their living conditions. The occupants of each tent equipped it with an oil-burning stove which was made from a German gasoline drum that had been cut in half. These stoves, together with metal tubing and values, had been brought from Oudna by the Air Echelon. Cliché brick and tile were secured for flooring. Scavenger trips carried officers and men to practically every dump and salvage pile in Southern Italy. “Night requisitioning” and “ingenuity” played a prominent part in the establishment of the camp of the 461st.
Officers and men moved into the granaries, stables, and barns on the farm sites. They cleaned out the horse manure, whitewashed the walls, laid cliché brick or tile floors, built fireplaces, and in doing so transformed farm buildings into large clubrooms. In each squadron an Officers’ Club and an Enlisted Men’s Service Club were established. The size, shape, and facilities of these clubs vary with the potentialities of the original structure in which each is located, but generally speaking each club has a game room, a reading room, a dining room or mess hall, and a bar.
The newness of the whole situation, together with the handicaps under which the officers and men had to learn to work and live, served as a challenge to the best that was in them. The aggressiveness with which they met this challenge kept them in excellent spirits. Ground officers and men as well as flying officers and men were ready at the end of the month for the arrival of the first field order.
5.
Promotions.
Due to a change in command of the Group in late October of 1943; the movement of the Group from the Second Air Force to the Fourth Air Force in late October of 1943; and the policy of the IVth Bomber Command concerning the non-promotion of officers presently to leave the country; there had been very few promotions for officers in the Group during the whole training period. Colonel Glantzberg was anxious to have many of his officers promoted as soon as possible in the Fifteenth Air Force, but soon after his arrival in Italy he learned that no officers were being promoted to field grade rank because of an overage of field grade officers in the Air Force. On March 4th the Colonel made a special trip to Headquarters of the 55th Wing concerning this matter. Colonel Acheson assured him our officers would be promoted as soon as possible. Promotions that became effective during the month of March were as follows:
23 March 1944 – William Burke, Group Operations Officer, from Captain to Major,
23 March 1944 – Charles J. Deishley, Group Surgeon, from Captain to Major.
6.
Combat Missions for Key Flying Personnel.
As recorded in Chapter V,(2) Colonel Glantzberg was the first member of the Group to fly a combat mission. While at San Pancrazio in February, he made arrangements with the Commanding Officer of the 376th Bombardment Group to fly a combat mission with that Group. In accordance with that arrangement missions were flown as follows:
|
Date |
Target |
Personnel |
|
2 March 1944 |
Anzio Beachhead, Italy |
Major James B. Knapp |
|
2 March 1944 |
Anzio Beachhead, Italy |
Captain William Burke |
|
7 March 1944 |
Prato, Italy |
Maj. Robert E. Applegate |
|
7 March 1944 |
Prato, Italy |
Captain Edwin T. Goree |
|
11 March 1944 |
Toulon, France |
Lt. Col. Philip R. Hawes |
|
11 March 1944 |
Toulon, France |
Captain James C. Dooley |
7.
Personnel Changes.
March 1. Lt. Colonel Edwin W. Grogan designated Summary Court in addition to his other duties.(3)
Captain Edwin T. Goree, Operations Officer of the 764th Squadron designated on vocal orders of the Group Commander to be Commanding Officer of the 764th Squadron.
1st Lt. William H. Tallant relieved from assignment as Assistant Operations Officer of the 765th Squadron and reassigned to the 764th Squadron to be the Operations Officer of that Squadron.(4)
2nd Lt. Lester C. Hume on temporary duty with Headquarters from the 765th Squadron as Cryptographic Officer.(5)
March
7. CWO Fred C. Medau named
Personnel Equipment Officer.(6)
1st Lt. Winston J. Lawrence on temporary duty to Headquarters from 764th Squadron.(7)
1st Lt. Abraham Levine relieved of assignment with 766th Squadron and reassigned to Headquarters.(8)
1st Lt. Raymond V. Gombossy relieved from assignment to Headquarters and reassigned to 766th Squadron.(9)
2nd Lt. Philip J. Caroselli relieved from assignment to 766th Squadron and reassigned to Headquarters.(10)
1st Lt. S.S. Spivack designated Group Public Relations Officer.(11)
March 14. 1st Lt. S.S. Spivack placed on detached service to Headquarters, MAAF, and will return to proper station upon completion of temporary duty.(12)
March 28. Lt. Colonel Edwin W. Grogan designated Investigating Officer for the Base in addition to his other duties.(13)
1st Lt. Jack R. Cody relieved from assignment to the 765th Squadron and reassigned to Headquarters.(14)
1st Lt. Winston J. Lawrence relieved from assignment to the 764th Squadron and from temporary duty to Headquarters, and reassigned to the 767th Squadron.(15)
8.
Biographical Sketches.
Lt. Colonel Edwin W. Grogan, 0-274185.
Edwin W. Grogan, born 4 February 1902, at Dawsonville, Georgia, is one of several children born to his parents, Mr. And Mrs. George W. Grogan. While he was still a small boy, the Grogan family moved to Funston, Georgia, where Edwin attended high school.
In August 1923, young Grogan enlisted in the United States Coast Artillery. He was assigned to a detachment scheduled for foreign duty in Hawaii, but was relieved of that assignment to attend the Coast Artillery School of Administration at the Presidio in San Francisco. For five years after completion of his army schooling, he was stationed at the Presidio in the office of the Adjutant General of the Ninth Corps.
In 1928 he was assigned to Portland, Oregon, for duty with civilian components in the Organized Reserve. He remained there until December 31 of 1940 when he was discharged from the army to accept active duty as a Captain. During most of his twelve years of duty at Portland, he was the Headquarters Sergeant Major.
Upon entering active duty Grogan became the Adjutant for the Washington-Alaskan Military District. He held that position until January 1942, when he was assigned to Headquarters of the West Coast Army Air Forces Training Center at Moffett Field, California, where he became Assistant Adjutant General. He retained his position with the Training Center when the outfit was moved to the Army Air Base at Santa Ana, California.
On 31 July 1943, he was assigned to the Fifteenth Bombardment Operational Training Wing, Second Air Force, which was stationed at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. There he awaited assignment to a heavy bombardment group scheduled for foreign service. This assignment came on 11 August 1943, when he was made the Executive Officer of the 461st Bombardment Group.
As the Executive Officer of the Group, Lt. Colonel Grogan has, in a sense, been the Commanding Officer of the ground forces of the Group. Much of his time has been spent as an administrative inspector. Having been for many years a high ranking enlisted man in the Adjutant General’s Office and having been schooled in the high standards and efficiency of the old peace time army, Colonel Grogan brought to the Group exceptional ability as an administrative officer. He is probably better versed in army procedures and administrative matters than any other officer in this Group. His military background makes him invaluable in dealing with enlisted men and officers.
Grogan was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry Reserve in 1930. He was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant in 1933 and to the rank of Captain in 1937. His dates of rank as Major are May 11, 1942, Air Corps; and December 15, 1942, AUS. His date of present rank in AUS – AC is 17 April 1843.
In 1935 he married Miss Grace Maes of Vancouver, Washington. Mrs Grogan is now making her home in Portland, Oregon.
Extracts
from the Daily Diary
March 1. Captain Witte, Lt. Blanchard, Lt. Maxfield, and S/Sgt. Lamartina were buried in the United States Military Cemetery, 4 miles south of Bari. Colonel Glantzberg, senior members of his Staff, and a large detail from the 764th Squadron attended the funeral. Group Chaplain Lieutenant Rasmussen conducted the military service.
March 7. All civilians and animals now housed in two buildings at the edge of headquarters campsite.
March 10. Today an American flag flies from a flagpole situated on top of the headquarters building. Lt. Colonel Grogan who also supervised the erection of the flagpole secured this flag. Those who attended the flag raising were Colonel Glantzberg, Lt. Colonel Grogan, Major Scott, Major Lott, Captain Burke, Captain Hudson, and 1st Lt. Spivack.
March 15. By eight o’clock in the morning a driving rainstorm turned to snow. Before noon more than two inches of snow covered the ground. It ground into the mud, blew through the tents, and transformed B-24 airplanes into grotesque figures more weird than Whittier ever saw in New England.
March 17. The 764th Squadron celebrated the opening of its Officer’s Club. This was the first club for officers or men officially opened in the Group.
March 20. Colonel George Kraigher, Colonel K.K. Compton, and Lt. Colonel R.U. St. John, all Fifteenth Air Force representatives, visited the field. They informed Colonel Glantzberg that another Group, the 484th Bombardment Group, would presently be stationed at Torretta and that it would be necessary for the 461st to share the field with this new Group.
March 29. Brigadier General Samuel M. Connell, Commanding Officer of the IV Bomber Command, under whose supervision this Group had completed its training in the United States, visited the Headquarters and had lunch in the Group mess hall. He returned to the Base the following day to talk with Colonel Glantzberg who had been flying at the time the General visited the Group the previous day.
March 31. The training program ended for the 461st Bombardment Group. During the day Colonel Lee personally brought a field order for the first combat mission for 1 April 1944. A feeling of expectancy filled the air and quipped the officers and men of the Group. This was it!
Chapter V, Page 1
APPENDAGE No. 1
RESTRICTED
|
SO ) No
324) |
HQ,
AAB, HAMMER FIELD FRESNO,
CALIFORNIA 27 December 1943 |
EXTRACT
1.
The
following units of 461st Bombardment Group (H), now at AAB, Hammer Fld, Fresno,
Calif (last permanent station – Wendover Fld, (Utah), consisting of all
personnel designated in this order*****, will proceed at the proper time fr
this sta by rail to Camp Patrick Henry, Va., so as to arrive thereat during
daylight hours on 6 Jan 44, * * * * * *.
This is a permanent change of station. (Auth: * * * * * * * ).
|
|
|
APPROX STRENGTH |
|
|||
|
UNIT |
SHIPMENT
NUMBER |
OFF |
WO |
EM |
##CIV |
T/O
& E |
|
Hq
461st Bomb Gp (H) (Less Flt Ech) |
|
|
|
|
|
**
1-112 26
Mar 43 |
|
764th
Bomb Sq (H) (Less Flt Ech) |
|
|
|
|
(C-1,
C-2, |
**
1-117 26
Mar 43 C-3
& C-4) |
|
765th
Bomb Sq (H) (Less Flt Ech) |
|
|
|
|
|
“ “ |
|
766th
Bomb Sq (H) (Less Flt Ech) |
|
|
|
|
|
“ “ |
|
767th
Bomb Sq (H) (Less Flt Ech) |
|
|
|
|
|
“ “ |
(The movement of Flt Ech personnel will be issued under a separate order.)
* * * * * *
By O of Col Kirksey:
LELAND F. JOHNSON,
MAJOR, Air Corps,
Adjutant.
OFFICIAL:
/s/ Leland F. Johnson
LELAND F. JOHNSON
MAJOR, Air Corps,
Adjutant
* * * * * *
CERTIFIED TRUE EXTRACT COPY:
LEIGH M. LOTT
Major, Air Corps.
Chapter V, Page 2
APPENDAGE No. 2
RESTRICTED
HEADQUARTERS
461st
Bombardment Group (H) AAF
|
SPECIAL
ORDERS ) : NUMBER 3 ) |
APO
520, c/o Postmaster, New
York, New York, 7 March 1944 |
EXTRACT
* * * * * *
7.
Pursuant
to VOCO Hq CPH Va., PFC (237) CLAYTON (NMI) HOLMES, 38468483, 765th
Bomb Sq, is reld fr asgd and trfd to Sta Hosp CPH Va., eff 12 Jan 44.
* * * * * *
11. 12. 15. 18. 19. 22.
23. 25. 26. 27. 30.
* * * * * *
By order of Colonel GLANTZBERG:
R. FOSTER SCOTT,
Major, Air Corps,
Adjutant.
OFFICIAL:
/s/ R. FOSTER SCOTT
/t/ R. FOSTER SCOTT
Major, Air Corps,
Adjutant.
DISTRIBUTION:
4 – 15th AF
4 – PO 15th AF
4 – 55th Wing
6 – ea Sq
1 – ea O & EM concerned
5 - file
CERTIFIED TRUE EXTRACT COPY:
LEIGH M. LOTT
Major, Air Corps.
Chapter
V, Page 3.
|
|
ARMY SERVICE FORCES CAMP PATRICK HENRY NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA |
JFG/peh |
|
||
|
SP TAK/CPH 370.5 (93) |
|
10 January 1944 |
|
||
|
SUBJECT: Movement Orders. TO: All concerned. |
|
SECRET AUTH:
CO, CPH INIT: DATE:
10 Jan 44 |
|||
1.
MOVEMENT
OF PERSONNEL:
a.
Personnel
of the shipments shown on the attached Entraining Schedules will move by rail
transportation on 12th and 13th January 1944, at times
indicated, from Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia to designated piers at the Hampton
Roads Port of Embarkation, Newport News, Virginia.
b.
Area
Commanders will be responsible that all units arrive at the Initial Point AT
THE TIME STATED IN ATTACHED ENTRAINING SCHEDULES.
2.
CLOTHING
AND EQUIPMENT
a.
Woolen
OD uniform, overcoat and leggings.
b.
Individual
full field equipment with pack or musette bag, with gas mask and helmet.
c.
Individual
weapons if issued.
3.
BAGGAGE:
Personnel will carry authorized baggage (Compliance with Baggage Order,
SPTAK/CPH 428 (1-8-44); Staging Division, Troop Movement Officer, Camp Patrick
Henry; Staging Division Form No. 506).
4.
MESSING:
Special Mess Schedule for departing troops as follows:
|
TRAIN NO |
DATE |
BREAKFAST |
DINNER |
SUPPER |
|
4 |
12 Jan |
0700 hours |
1100 hours |
Package Meal |
5.
SECRECY:
All persons directly or indirectly connected with this movement are enjoined to
comply with provisions on Secrecy as contained in Section IV, POM, dated 1
August 1944.
6.
AUTHORITY:
Movement Orders, SPTAK 370.5, OPD, ASF, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation,
Newport News, Virginia, dated 10 January 1944.
7.
TDN
TOT 1-5409 P 433-02-03 A 0424-24.
By order of Lt. Colonel MATHEWS:
JOHN F. GLENN
1st Lt., T.C.
Asst. Adjutant
OFFICIAL:
/s/ John F. Glenn
JOHN F. GLENN
1st Lt., T.C.
Asst. Adjutant.
CERTIFIED TRUE EXTRACT COPY:
LEIGH M. LOTT
Major, Air Corps.
Chapter V, Page 4
APPENDAGE No. 4
RESTRICTED
|
SO ) No
12) |
HQ,
AAB, HAMMER FIELD FRESNO,
CALIFORNIA 14 January 1944 |
EXTRACT
3.
The
following unit of 461st Bombardment Group (H), now at AAB, Manner
Fld, Fresno, Calif (last permanent station – Wendover Fld, Utah), comprising
the movement of the Flt Echelon for shipment number 4889-OZ, WP at current
strength o/a this date via air to IVBC Processing Unit, AAB, Hamilton Fld,
Calif so as to arrive thereat on 14 January 1944 or as soon thereafter as
practicable for processing, and subsequent movement to final destination on
orders to be issued by the CG, IV Bomber Comd. (Auth: WD Ltr file WD 370.5 (10
Dec 43) OB-S-E-AFROO-M, sub: Movement Orders, Flt Echelons, Shipment 4889. dtd
13 Dec 43; 1st Ind thereto fr CG Fourth AF, file 370.5/288 (13 Dec
43) dtd 17 Dec 43, and Restricted TWX fr CG, IVBC 4BCAT 381 dtd 14 Jan 44).
|
UNIT |
T/O & E & DATE |
|
766th Bomb Sq (H) – (Flt Ech) |
**1-117 (26 Mar 43) – (With 4 Changes) |
This is a TEMPORARY Change of Station
Movement will be made with individual equip
and all currently asgd airplanes and equip.