Subject: WWII-L Digest - 5 Jul 1993 to 6 Jul 1993

From: Automatic digest processor <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1993 00:00:48 -0400

There are 6 messages totalling 528 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. PARA WINGS
  2. REF: goums? (3)
  3. USAAF 3-6 JUL 43
  4. Lost solders

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Date:    Tue, 6 Jul 1993 06:07:47 EDT
From:    Lowe Barrett MAJ <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: PARA WINGS

Reply to Max about the USAF wings:

The US Air Force wears the same jump wings as the Army does.

What you are seeing may be some type of "unofficial" USAF wings for their
skydiving team at the Air Force Academy (???).

I have never heard nor seen anything like you describe here.

There are some old type USAF jump wings that differ from the Army (50's era),
you can look them up in World Parachute Badges and Insignia.

Hope this helps some.

Bear

(I am an Army master parachutist).

Max wrote earlier this week:

>>From <@MAINE.maine.edu:[email-masked]> Fri Jul  2 17:31:1
8 1
>993
>Received: from MAINE.CAPS.MAINE.EDU by MAINE.maine.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2)
>   with BSMTP id 6818; Fri, 02 Jul 93 17:32:21 EDT
>Received: from MAINE.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@MAINE) by MAINE.CAPS.MAINE.EDU
> (LMail V1.1d/1.7f) with BSMTP id 5608; Fri, 2 Jul 1993 17:32:21 -0400
>Date:         Fri, 2 Jul 1993 16:41:43 -0400
>Reply-To: Military History <[email-masked]>
>Sender: Military History <[email-masked]>
>From: MAX HARE <[email-masked]>
>Subject:      PARA WINGS
>To: Multiple recipients of list MILHST-L <[email-masked]
du
>>
>
>Folks,
>
>I recently learned that the U.S. Air Force Academy offered both
>parachuting and glider flying (I was really shocked to see a Sweizer
>2-33 training glider in USAF markings!) to its students.  My question is
>...do the cadets earn any special rating badge for either activity?
>
>Also, a prominent insignia dealer is offering "USAF Parachute Wings".
>These are identical to the regualr USAF pilots wings except the shield
>in the center has been replaced by an open parachute (much like the
>Navy/Marine jump wings) and the entire affair is colored silver.  All
>jump-rated USAF personnel that I have seen have earned their jump wings
>through the US Army jump school and wear the classic chute with
>turned-up wings "airborne" badge.  Is this badge spurious?  Would it be
>related to the USAF Academy programs?  What / where / how is the USAF
>running its own parachute school?
>
>Sorry for all the ??? but this has me stumped.
>
>Max C. Calderwood
>University of Southern Maine
>Gorham, ME
>[email-masked]
>

Barrett F. Lowe                    RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!
MAJ, IN
Dept of Physics, US Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996

------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 6 Jul 1993 06:13:03 EDT
From:    Lowe Barrett MAJ <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: REF: goums?

To Larry J:  Reference French Army Goumiers:

The Goumiers were mountain troops recruited from the hill tribesmen in
Morocco, ALgeria, Western Sahara.  They were extremely hardy and tough
soldiers.  They inflicted fear on the Germans similar to the Gurkhas on the
Japanese by running night patrols that only used their long knives and/or
bayonets as weapons.

They were lightly armed.  Most of their heavy weapons were carried by mule.
In the fighting in Italy in the mountains, they were very valuable, less so
in more mobile combat.

Hope this helps.

Bear

>>From: UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II, Special Studies:
>>CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945, compiled by Mary H. Williams, Office of
>>the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army,
>>Washington, D.C., 1960
>
>>14 July
>
>>SICILY-...
>
>>15th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army area, 82d A/B Div, in army
>>reserve, is being assembled and reinf in Gela area for
>>operations on W flank of U.S. sector. 4th Tabor of goums of Fr N
>>African Army lands at Licata and is attached to 3d Div. ...
>
>Anyone have more information on the "goums"?  What kind of unit,
>how armed, history?
>
>Larry (just wondering) J
>

Barrett F. Lowe                    RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!
MAJ, IN
Dept of Physics, US Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996

------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 6 Jul 1993 07:27:40 -0400
From:    [email-masked]
Subject: USAAF 3-6 JUL 43

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
SATURDAY, 3 JULY 1943
FTP SITES
  1. ftp.rutgers.edu in directory pub/wwii/usaf
  2. byrd.mu.wvnet.edu (129.71.32.152) in pub/history/military/airforce/
     wwii_chronology

AIRCRAFT MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT:
  A-20, Douglas Havoc
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  B-26, Martin Marauder
  P-40, Curtiss
  Spitfire, Vickers Supermarine
  Wellington, Vickers (RAF)

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force)
    6 B-24's bomb Main Camp on Kiska Island and take photos of Segula
Island.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force)
    B-25's hit the oft-bombed bridge at Myitnge, Burma, knocking the S
end span into the river.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force)
  Lieutenant General Jacob L Devers, Commanding General European Theater
of Operations, US Army (ETOUSA), in a report to General Henry H "Hap"
Arnold, praises the proficiency of the VIII Bomber Command bombardiers
but stresses a dire need for high-altitude gunnery training.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Ninth Air Force)
    B-25's hit airfield at Comiso, Sicily. P-40's fly escort over Sicily
and over Pantelleria Island in the Mediterranean, claiming destruction
of 1 fighter.
    The 564th, 565th, 566th and 567th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy),
389th Bombardment Group (Heavy) based at Hethel, England begin operating
with B-24's from Bengasi, Libya.

  WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Northwest African Air Force)
    During the night of 2/3 Jul, Northwest African Strategic Air Force
(NASAF) Wellingtons attack Olbia, Sardinia and Trapani, Sicily. The
following day, B-17's and B-25's hit Chilivani, Italy, and the airfields
at Monserrato and Alghero, Sardinia. In Sardinia, fighters hit radar
stations at Pula and Alghero, while B-26's bomb the airfields at Milis
and Capoterra. In Sicily, Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF)
A-20's hit the area around Marsala and airfields at Sciaccay and
Trapani.
    The ground echelon of the 111th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter),
68th Reconnaissance Group transfers from Nouvion, Algeria to Tunis,
Tunisia. The air echelon is at Korba, Tunisia.
    The 309th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group transfers with
Spitfires transfers from Korba, Tunisia to Gozo Island, Malta.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force)
  In the Solomon Islands, B-25's bomb the airfield and AA positions at
Munda on New Georgia Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force)
  B-24's bomb airfields in the Rabaul, New Britain Island area and hit
Kendari Airfield on Celebes Island. Koepang on Timor Island is attacked
by 2 B-25's. A lone B-17 bombs landing strip at Cape Gloucester on New
Britain Island.

SUNDAY, 4 JULY 1943 (INDEPENDENCE DAY)

AIRCRAFT MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT:
  A-20, Douglas Havoc
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  B-26, Martin Marauder
  Bf 109, Messerschmitt
  Halifax, Handley Page (RAF)
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-40, Curtiss
  Wellington, Vickers (RAF)

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force)
    B-24's attack the Shweli, Burma road bridge but fail to cause
appreciable damage.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force)
  VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 71: 192 B-17's are dispatched
against aircraft factories at Le Mans and Nanes, France; 166 make a very
effective attack; we claim 52-14-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 7 with 1
damaged beyond repair and 53 others damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 9 WIA
and 70 MIA. 83 other B-17's are dispatched against submarine yards at La
Pallice, France; 71 hit the target between 1201 and 1204 local; we claim
0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 1 and 1 is damaged; casualties are 10
MIA. Bombing is extremely accurate.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Ninth Air Force)
    Royal Air Force (RAF) Halifax aircraft bomb the Catania, Sicily.
railroad yards during the night of 3/4 Jul. B-25's hit the airfield at
Comiso, Sicily. P-40's escort bombers and convoy and fly sea-search for
a missing pilot. Fighters claim 3 Bf 109's shot down. 4 P-40's are lost.
    The 86th and 87th Fighter Squadrons, 79th Fighter Group transfer
with P-40's from Tunisia to Malta.

  WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Northwest African Air Force)
    During the night of 3/4 Jul, Wellingtons hit Trapani, Sicily and Lido
di Roma, Italy. Leaflets are dropped in the Rome, Italy area. In Sicily,
B-17's and B-26's hit the airfields at Catania and Gerbini; B-25's bomb 2
satellite airfields near Gerbini; and Northwest African Tactical Air Force
(NATAF) A-20 and medium bombers hit airfields at Comiso, Trapani, Sciacca,
and Castelvetrano.
    The 37th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group transfers with P-38's
from Telergma, Algeria to El Bathan, Tunisia.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force)
  B-17's pound Bairoko, New Georgia Island.

MONDAY, 5 JULY 1943

AIRCRAFT MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT:
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  P-40, Curtiss
  Wellington, Vickers (RAF)

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Ninth Air Force)
    In Sicily, B-24's attack the harbor, harbor installations, railway
yards, and oil storage at Messina while B-25's hit the airfields at
Sciacca and Biscari. P-40's fly uneventful sea patrol. Royal Air Force
(RAF) heavy bombers strike railroad yards at Catania, Sicily.

  WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Northwest African Air Force)
    Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bomb the
airfields at Villacidro, Sardinia and Catania, Sicily during the night
of 4/5 Jul. In Sicily, NASAF fighters, medium and heavy bombers hit main
and satellite airfields at Gerbini and radar stations at Marsala and
Licata; Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) light and medium
bombers hit Sciacca and airfields at Trapani, Comiso and Biscari.
Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF) airplanes maintain sea
patrol, reconnaissance, and convoy escort.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force)
  In the Solomon Islands, 9 B-24's over Buin, Bougainville Island fail to
find shipping and bomb Munda, New Georgia Island, and Ballale Island
instead.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force)
  In New Guinea, B-25's bomb and strafe the airfield at Salamaua, Komiatum
Track, and HQ areas at Kela and Salamaua.

TUESDAY, 6 JULY 1943

AIRCRAFT MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT:
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  P-40, Curtiss
  PV, Lockheed Ventura (USN)
  Wellington, Vickers (RAF)

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force)
    In the Aleutian Islands, 2 B-24's and 2 P-40's on 3 weather
reconnaissance missions report Kiska Island overcast, and take photos of
Segula Island. 6 B-24's bomb Main Camp on Kiska. 8 B-25's abort a radar
run over Kiska Island when 1 has engine trouble and the others fail to
locate a PV Pathfinder. They sight a submarine which crash-dives
immediately.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force)
    In China, 5 B-25's and 8 P-40's hit runway and revetment area at
Pailochi Airfield.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force)
  HQ 385th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and it's 549th, 550th, and 551st
Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) with B-17's arrive at Great Ashfield,
England from the US joining the 548th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) which
arrived on 29 Jun 43. The group will fly it's first combat mission on 17
Jul 43.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Ninth Air Force)
    In Sicily, B-24's strike satellite airfields at Gerbini; B-25's hit
the airfields at Biscari and Gerbini while P-40's escort bombers, patrol,
and carry out dive-bombing operations.
    The 85th Fighter Squadron, 79th Fighter Group transfers with P-40's
from Tunisia to Malta.

  WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Northwest African Air Force)
    In Sicily, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons
hit Gerbini Airfield and 2 satellites during the night of 5/6 Jul; during
predawn hours and throughout the day, light and medium bombers of Northwest
African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) bomb airfields at Biscari, Sciacca,
Trapani, and Comiso; NASAF B-17's again hit Gerbini Airfield and 3
satellite fields; B-25's bomb Biscari Airfield. Northwest African Coastal
Air Force (NACAF) maintains sea patrol and convoy protection.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force)
  In the Solomon Islands, B-17's and B-24's pound airfields at Kahili,
on Bougainville Island, on Ballale Island and on Buka Island. B-25's hit
a beached destroyer at Bamberi, New Georgia Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force)
  B-25's attack the airfield at Penfoei on Timor Island and hit Labu
Lagoon area in New Guinea.

SOURCES:
AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force History,
  Headquarters USAF, 1961, ISBN 0-912799-02-1
COMBAT SQUADRONS OF THE AIR FORCE, WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force
  History, Headquarters USAF 1982
THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by the
  Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1973
THE MIGHTY EIGHTH WAR DIARY by Roger A. Freeman, ISBN 1-85409-071-2

Jack McKillop
USAF (Airways and Air Communications Service)
1955-59

------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 6 Jul 1993 07:23:25 EST
From:    Larry Jewell <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: REF: goums?

>
> To Larry J:  Reference French Army Goumiers:
>
> The Goumiers were mountain troops recruited from the hill tribesmen in
> Morocco, ALgeria, Western Sahara.  They were extremely hardy and tough
> soldiers.  They inflicted fear on the Germans similar to the Gurkhas on the
> Japanese by running night patrols that only used their long knives and/or
> bayonets as weapons.

  Ah, more psyc-war types :-).
>
> They were lightly armed.  Most of their heavy weapons were carried by mule.
> In the fighting in Italy in the mountains, they were very valuable, less so
> in more mobile combat.

  I'll track Guenther down and see if he ever worked with them.  Sounds like
my kind of unit :-).

> Hope this helps.

  Thanks, I go slowly nuts when I hit a puzzle like that one.  On this thread,
is anyone having trouble with the abbreviations in the Army Chronology?  I
can post the list of abbreviations if so, or email it directly if requested.
I've caught myself scratching my head over a few of them ;-).

> Bear

Larry J

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 1 Jul 1993 03:43:54 EST
From:    Mark Spadafore <[email-masked]>
Subject: Lost solders

I'm looking for some people who were in the 793 MP division in WW II.
Specifically, looking for a man who used to live on the Seneca Indian
Reservation named Paul Jones.  I also have more people to try to find.
Another person's name in Tommy Doyle who used to live in Rochester on Webster
Ave.  How could I know if these people are even alive?  Any listings I might
be able to contact?  I do have some old addresses (that are about fifty years
old).
--
 Views expressed in this posting are those of the individual author only.
==========================================================================
Liverpool Public Library     |                      voice - 315.457.0310
310 Tulip Street             |                        fax - 315.453.7867
Liverpool, NY 13088-4997     |    (return email address found in header)

------------------------------

Date:    Tue, 6 Jul 1993 13:08:43 -0400
From:    "Mr. Scott Hannon" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: REF: goums?

>>From: UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II, Special Studies:
>>CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945, compiled by Mary H. Williams

>>15th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army area, 82d A/B Div, in army
>>reserve, is being assembled and reinf in Gela area for
>>operations on W flank of U.S. sector. 4th Tabor of goums of Fr N
>>African Army lands at Licata and is attached to 3d Div. ...
>
>Anyone have more information on the "goums"?  What kind of unit,
>how armed, history?
>
>Larry (just wondering) J

Some info on these can be found in the _Rearming the French_ volume of
the US Army in WW2 "green series" book. From memory...

The (free) French had four Moroccan Tabor Groups (GTM's), 1 thru 4. Each
group was approximately a small regiment in size (I think the book said
13000 men in a total for all four groups...but I think that includes the
pack mule companies attached to each group and other support troops).
There was no direct US equivalent to these Tabors (unlike most free French
troops who reorganized using basically US TOEs). The closest US equivalent
was a Ranger regiment.

The troops were mountain men (Berbers?) from the Altas mountains in north
Africa. They were tough and very mobile across rough terrain (as in Italy).
In practice, the French somtimes treated them as "foot cavalry" and tasked
them with cavalry-ish missions in rough terrain.

I forget the TOE...I think basically three battalions of four companies
each, plus a mule company for the group. I'm very unsure of this.

These units were very useful in Italy...especially the mule companies that
operated with them. While rather lightly armed, their mobility and toughness
more than made up for it. On the down side, these troops (as well as many
other French units, such as 4 DMM) were feared by Allied command to be a bit
hard on the Italian civilians, and so care was used in their deployment.

The groups were successful, and so remained much the same until the end of
the war (hmmm...I think parts of 3 GTM may have been absorbed by 10 DI and
27 Alpine div). The 4 GTM stayed in Italy, while the other three fought in
Alsace and then southern Germany.

As I said, this is all from memory...the details may be wrong.

Unfortunately, there is no good source on the French military in WW2 (in
english) that I am aware of (good thing I have a friend in France!). The
_Rearming the French_ book offers little in the way of OoB and TOE info
(the OoB/map at the end has lots of omissions and very little detail).
Rather surprising when you consider that by the end of 1944 the French
army was a bit larger than the British!

One OK book (about minor Allid units in general, not just France) is a
now out of print 2 volume set by J. Lee Ready called _Forgotten Allies_
(from mid-1980s?). It is OK, but has holes and the occasional unit name
typo/error. In the mid-1950s Lattre's book on the operations of French 1st
Army was published in english, but it is very hard to find (I've yet to see
it!). It apparently is fairly well detailed (based on Arnaud's comments on
a French copy he saw), but the OoB is scattered, incomplete and rather hard
to make sense of (many units are introduced without saying they are part of
this div/regiment/whatever or they are independent...quite annoying!).
De Gaulle's multi-volume Memoirs offers little in the way of operational
details. Hmmm...a book called _The Cross of Lorraine_ was supposed to be
about the French army in WW2, but I found it nearly worthless for Alsace.
I think that's about it for english sources.

Sources do exist in France, so the truely interrested will need to visit
the French archives if they desire detailed info.

In a later message, Larry writes:
>On this thread,
>is anyone having trouble with the abbreviations in the Army Chronology?  I
>can post the list of abbreviations if so, or email it directly if requested.
>I've caught myself scratching my head over a few of them ;-).

A word of caution on using this fine book...some of the info is suspect or
wrong. I'm doing research on the operations of 6th Army Group in Jan-Feb
of 1945, and have found lots of typos/errors. Sometimes when the abbrev's
are explained, they are done wrongly

examples:
The 12e Division Blindee (French 12th Armored Division): there was no such
thing...they probably saw a reference to a 12e DB in a French source and
didn't realize it was a US unit (12th Armored Div of XXI Corps). BTW, this
error leaked into _the Times Altas of WW2_ put out in 1989. I think it also
leaked into Shelby Stanton's US Army in WW2 Order of Battle book, which also
seems to have made heavy use of the Chronology. (France had three armored
divs: 1ere, 2e, and 5e DB. Note: a French armored "regiment" was battalion
size...holds for tanks, TDs, and armored cavalry. Hmmm, armored infantry
[mech] too I think).

The 1ere DMI (ex 1ere DFL) is interpreted as the 1st Moroccan Infantry
Division....wrong. It was 1ere Division "Marche" de Infantrie, and was not
Moroccan (nor strictly infantry...sort of semi-motorized infantry
I think). This division included the French Foreign legion's 13e DBLE (two
battalions in 13th Demi-Brigade Legion Estrange). Most of the other
battalions in the division were north African? (France had one Moroccan
Infantry Division, 2e DIM, and one Moroccan Mountain inf Div, 4e DMM).

Another problem I've found with the Chronology is that it sometimes lacks
perspective, as it seems to be based on daily/weekly reports sent by the
units to HQ. The amount of info supplied is not necessarily directly related
to the amount/importance of activity taking place. And non-US Army units
get very little coverage.

Still, its basically a very good book.

Scott.

------------------------------

End of WWII-L Digest - 5 Jul 1993 to 6 Jul 1993
***********************************************