RARE US Navy Original Photos German Submarine Artifacts

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This is a remarkable find - It is a collection of photos and memorabilia belonging to Glenn E. Wenger who served as a Radarman 2 nd class on the USS Destroyer Chatelain during WWII. USS Chatelain (DE-149) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II . She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys . At war's end, she returned home proudly with five battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation . She was named in honor of Hubert Paul Chatelain who was awarded a Silver Star posthumously for his valiant actions before he was killed in action 26 October 1942 during the Battle of Santa Cruz . Chatelain (DE-149) was launched 21 April 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp. of Orange, Texas ; sponsored by Mrs. L. T. Chatelain; commissioned 22 September 1943 , Lieutenant Commander J. L. Foley in command; and reported to the Atlantic Fleet. This ship has an historic history - It was involved in many of the famous German Submarine Chases. It was responsible for capturing the German Navy Soldiers who were rescued from the. The most remarkable part of this collection of ephemera and artifacts are the 2 actual pieces belonging to the life raft that was used by the German sailors escaping from U-546 - In one of the last antisubmarine actions of the Atlantic war, Chatelain took part in a 12-hour hunt for the submarine which had torpedoed USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136) 24 April 1945 . Eight other ships joined her as the group again and again attacked U-546 , sinking her finally in 43°53'N., 40°07'W . Also included is an actual portion of a life jacket used by one of the prisoners during their rescue. It was apparently cut up and pieces given to a select few members of the crew. T is a great handwritten letter written by Glenn Wenger himself to his wife. It describes the sinking of a submarine. are some exerpts from the letter - Dearest Dot - ..."today was the longest day I have spent in the Navy, It all started yesterday afternoon when a plane spotted a sub coming to the surface. He made an attack but it did no good. We were sent (11 ships) to the scene 40 miles away...at 0840 the ship next to us got a contact,....they were going to give up then a mile away we saw smoke ...the F.C Davis - DE136) got torpedoed...80 out of 200 were saved....found the sub, attacked from 1000AM to 6:00 the next evening. Other items in the collection - A discharge letter signed by James Forrestal (Secretary of the Navy) A hand signed (in blue ink) letter From James Forrestal presenting the Presidential Unit Citation for Task Force 22.3. It describes the boarding and capture of a german submarine. It includes the risks and heroism involved. An original Navy "In Service Banner from WWII", kerchief souvenir from Gibralter, Lots of newspaper articles from that period about submarine chasers. Great original photographs of captured German soldiers, submarines, (even a blimp flying over a submarine), naval soldiers, Navy ships etc. A book from the Hercules Motor Company including hundreds of "Letters Home" from soldiers serving in the service whose family or they themselves worked at Hercules Motors. History of the company - The Hercules Motors Corporation complex was added to the National Register for its association with the history of engineering, transportation, and industry in Canton from 1855 to 1955. Located about a mile south of downtown Canton , the complex is in an area long used for manufacturing due to its proximity to the Pennsylvania Railroad on the north side of the complex and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad on the east. First occupied by Ball, Aultman & Co. in 1855, the site was home to a number of other manufacturers before Hercules located in the complex of five one-to-three story brick buildings in 1915 and added their first building in 1916. By 1955, Hercules had added 30 buildings to the site. Hercules was founded in Canton in... read more

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