1:54 | Roy Stout recalls a humorous incident on D-Day plus one.
Keywords : watch tank Normandy France
The USS Stephen Potter played a pivotal role in defending the American fleet from Japanese aircraft. Bill Minor was below deck helping direct fire, and the development and implementation of a proximity fuse enhanced his ability to counter the threat in the skies.
Ed Harrell describes in detail the sinking of the USS Indianapolis from Japanese torpedoes, which left nearly 900 Sailors and Marines in shark-infested Pacific waters. Part 1 of 4.
The first operation for the 4th Division was the landing on Roi-Namur. Lawrence Snowden remembers that, though it was an easy victory, valuable combat experience and important lessons were imparted on the Marines.
During his time in ROTC before the war, Bill Minor had an exercise that took him up to New York City. Being a small town guy from rural Louisiana, he was blown away by the size and scope of the city, and got to see some musical legends during his brief time there; a highlight of his youth.
Two engines were out, a third smoking, and they were were losing airspeed and altitude, but they were flying level and pointed home. Then time ran out for the B-17 and Don Scott had to slip down the hatch into the slipstream. Part 2 of 3.
It was their third mission over Berlin and they were heading home. Four German fighters pounced on the B-24 and it was engulfed in flame and going down. Clyde Burnette fought for consciousness as the other crew in the back of the plane bailed out. He woke in free fall with no idea how he had made it out, and soon he was in German custody. Everyone made it out of the plane except George "Danny" Daneau, the nose turret gunner, who went down with the aircraft.
After a nerve-wracking mission to bomb Tokyo and a typhoon, B.E. Vaughan and the destroyer O'Brien suffered a second kamikaze attack which killed all three of his hometown pals who served with him on board. Then, began the grim task of collecting the personal belongings of the dead and preparing them for burial at sea.
Navy Seamen during the war would often be at sea for months at a time, and to sustain their presence in the Pacific they would need a steady supply of fuel. During a refueling stop, Bill Minor’s fleet was hit by a devastating typhoon which claimed the lives of hundreds of seamen.
Harper Brame recalls a couple other tales from his time at sea, including seeing a blue whale and a potential close call with the on-board torpedo's.
Captain Crichton told the men to prepare for the worst, and through some miracle Bill Minor didn’t have to suffer through a direct hit from a torpedo. Sadly, the USS Intrepid wasn’t as fortunate.
Harper Brame moved around a lot during High School, but he was still involved in a multitude of sports. After WWII came to an end, Harper found himself in line to enlist in the Navy. He was slated to be a Navy Corpsman, but wound up getting a duty he never expected.
Bill Minor discusses his assignment to Task Force 58 and their initial days entering the Pacific Theater to fight the Japanese. His destroyer was responsible for defending the fleet’s air craft carriers while they provided air support for Marines landing on the islands.
War is not all gory details. Artilleryman Bob Polich remembers some other things, like the Stage Door Canteen in New York City, a much anticipated shower in Belgium and a tense encounter on guard duty.
Growing up during WWII as a young man, Harper Brame describes what he could do to support himself and his family. Young men all over the country had left home and that meant there was work to be done. As a teen he got involved in making model planes and became and honorary Ensign before even joining the service.
The LST carried Army engineers so it wasn't in the first wave of the Normandy landing. Once the beach was secure, it was time to unload men and equipment and load up with casualties to return to England. There were also paratroopers who had jumped before the landing and George Sarros listened to their tales and took a look at their souvenirs.
Transferring people across ships at sea was made simple with the implantation of a breeches buoy. Bill Minor recalls when Admiral McCain was on board ship and refused to remove his lifejacket while they were delivering him to his next destination.
It was easy to die on D-Day. Walter Victor saw his friend drown before he ever touched the beach. After the beachhead was finally secured, he pushed into the interior and eventually had some strange adventures, like being tapped to manage a factory in Belgium because he spoke four languages. He was also captured for a brief time but the Polish prisoners had a plan.
Once aboard the USS Besugo they made their way across the Pacific Ocean to visit many places that were once the fields of battle. For a few months, they performed exercises in China where massive changes were underway on the mainland. Harper Brame describes his time aboard ship, some of the submarine’s history, and some of the duties they had at sea as well as the people he saw on land.
As a B-24 mechanic and flight engineer, Russell Vaudrey was witness to some spectacular crashes, including one in which he commandeered a fire truck and rescued the entire crew from the burning wreckage. Believe it or not, command had a problem with him taking the truck.
Before the war, Bill Minor was seeking a degree in Journalism at Tulane and was a member of one of the few Naval ROTC programs in the country. When the war broke out, things became gravely serious and he and others knew they were on their way to fight as commissioned officers.
LCI-500 delivered a company of British commandos to the Normandy beachhead flawlessly. John Mahmarian was sickened, though, when he noticed bodies floating around the ship. As the ship was backing off from the beach, he had to post a man back at the propellers to perform a grim task.
Frank Stovall befriended an English telephone operator while docked in Londonderry. After his ship returned stateside, he got her some gifts, but when he went to see her on his next visit, he got a big surprise.
Bill Minor recalls the few luxuries that could be afforded at sea, and with the USS Bunker Hill nearby they were sometimes lucky enough to get some ice cream. However, the aircraft carrier would be the target of two kamikazes and the USS Stephen Potter would take as many survivors as they could.
Roy Rowland was relieved when the captain stopped sending men across the Isar River. Some had crossed already and some of them were trapped on the other side. He doesn't remember volunteering but, somehow, he ended up with two other men going across to search for wounded. For this action, he was awarded the Bronze Star.
LST-515 made 52 trips between England and Normandy after the initial one on D-Day. German prisoners were carried to England on the ship and George Sarros heard the younger ones saying that Germany was going to win the war but an older one was glad he was out of it.
While Bill Minor was operating in the Pacific, they had to worry about not only the threats from above but also the threats down below. Japanese submarines were patrolling all over, and he recalls one instance where they encountered one.
The bombing missions could be long and monotonous. Once you got to the target, though, it could be deadly. They flew at high altitude and Hugo Riva describes the measures that had to be taken against the cold.
The 92nd Infantry Division was training at Fort Huachuca but it wasn't clear that they would get into combat because of the racial policies in the Army. The War department forced the issue on sending candidates to OCS, fighting it's own commanders who wanted segregation to continue.
Not a lot of ships were lucky enough to have a mascot, but the USS Steven Potter had a beloved canine, Potts, to keep morale up.
Nollie Carpenter's platoon was assigned a Filipino guide for their patrols. One day, he took Nollie to his home for a meal and, guess what? He had sisters!
