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WARREN LODHOLZ REMEMBERS HIS TIME IN AFRICA, EUROPE
Memories of his service in WWII:
"Nine months after receiving my 'Greetings: You have
been selected by your friends and neighbors..." I was aboard the U.S. Santa Paula in
a convoy of ships to North Africa. Just
outside the Straits of Gibraltar,our Navy ships sank one of the German U-Boats that had
been hounding us.
"After 11 days at sea, we landed at Oran, Algeria in
darkness, June, 1943. Slept in pup tents in
dust bowl near slit trenches and dugouts for
40 days. Lived on "C" rations - six cans per day (each about 1/2 the size of a
soup can), one meat and beans, one stew, one hash and other three cans had crackers,
powdered coffee, tea or lemonade and a few pieces of hard candy. Constantly swatting flies and mosquitoes. Took your daily bitter Arabrine tablet with the
"good" listerbat water to combat Malaria.
"Our outfit took over operation of LaSenia Airbase -
mostly fighter squadrons and some bombers - French, English, Canadian and South African. Beautiful sight to see French in our P-39's do
"Victory Roll" over field after a kill - our men in the towers (who couldn't
speak French) going crazy because French flew in against traffic.
"Survived the usual air raids, especially before the
Sicilian Invasion. Sometimes, despite the
fear, it was comical: Usually about 3 a.m.
when the 'snitcher' went off you would see 16 GI's in a room at an old French Barracks -
all bailing out from under mosquito nettings into the darkness - grabbing their helmets,
rifles and gas masks, bumping into each other, dropping a helmet (lots of cussing,
especially at the Germans who interrupted our sleep).
"Then 'run like hell' to the slit trenches and dugouts
which invariably had six inches of mud. I had
extra duty of racing to orderly room and yanking field telephone off wall and taking to
dugout. I was spurred on by noise from the
ack-ack guns, fighter planes scrambling, explosions, 20 to 30 fingers of search lights
raking the sky, the 'sausage' barrage balloons - all made for sights and sounds to
remember.
"Another beautiful sight was the three waves, of 90 to
100 each, of B-24 and B-25 Bombers from the U.S., which refueled at field, enroute to
Ploieste Oil Fields in Romania."
"President Roosevelt was put on a plane at our field
after arriving in Oran on Battleship George. He
was enroute to conference with Churchill and Stalin. First
time we discovered he was now in wheelchair.
"Other North African memories: The incessant rainy
seasons; the torrid Sirrocco season when the winds changed and blew from the Sahara Desert
to the Mediterranean; the locust plagues which darkened the sky and grounded our planes;
the Bubonic Plague epidemics when everything was off limits; how homesick we GI's were to
be away for our second and third Christmas; our friendly drinking sessions with the French
Foreign Legion, who filled your canteen cups with their sour wine; the loss of a C-47 load
of our supply squadron buddies, who went down in the Mediterranean; also, my radio
operator friend, for whom I had to file a 'Missing in Action' report."
"Flew to Rome and Island of Capri for a week of R and R. Germans just North of Rome, saw Pope Pius XII and
Vatican.
"Left North Africa early Feb. 1945 on Liberty Ship
U.S.S. Asa Gray, along with contingent of Senegalese Troops, who played their flutes and
smoked hashish. Climbed down the nets to land
at bombed-out harbor at Marseilles, France. After
20 months in warmer North Africa, nearly froze when camped in pup tents on mountain above
harbor.
"First night, was greeted with bombing raid on harbor
below. Two night later, left Marseilles at
midnight on old six-car French train - two machine gunners on top - much shooting in rail
yard from German sympathizers. Two days later,
arrived at Nancy, France rail yard at dark (hospital train, clearly marked with red
crosses, also pulled in - it was all shot up from strafing)."
"Went by truck convoy to Essey Airfield, 20 miles from
front. Just recently taken over from the
Germans. Most building were half shells from
U.S. bombing raids. Booby traps were
everywhere - shinny German helmets left on walls, ready to blow your head off; land mines
near latrines; and mines cleared only three feet from sides of road.
"We had to detonate unexploded bombs on the field before
it was operational. Our outfit was now part of
the 9th Tactical Air Force, which supported Gen. Patton's Rhine crossing and his drive
into Central Europe. A 'tank graveyard' at end
of airfield was evidence of heavy losses Patton took before making breakthrough,
especially around Metz (one burned-out tank I saw contained the stub of a GI's leg and
foot still in the shoe)."
"Weather permitting, our fighters flew around the clock
with Napalm bombs, coming back only for more fuel and ammo.
This schedule was maintained until end of war.
"Saw Paris, Luxembourg and Bastogne before leaving
Antwerp, Belguim, on U.S.S. Indian Victory for return to U.S. in July. One of greatest thrills was to see the neon lights
in New York after living in black-out areas for over two years.
"Was sent to Spokane, Washington to prepare outfit for
going to Pacific Theatre, when 'A'' Bombs caused end of war there. Three battle campaign stars helped me get
discharged in Oct. 1945.
"I was one of the lucky ones to come home all in one
piece. These memories are just the 'tip of the
iceberg' of my memories in over three years' service in W.W. II at the prime of my life.
The DAILY JOURNAL, St. Francois County., Wednesday, April 26, 1995.
