Lt. Lawson Reichard’s WWII Diary – April 17, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (04/17/09).
Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary Project : On January 1, 2009, WorthPoint began a three year project following the life of a WWII soldier through the daily pages of his diary.To read about the inception of this project, or to add your own comments, click here.
Saturday, April 17, 1943
April 17, 1943 Diary Page
Cheyenne – En route to Boise
I slept pretty good last night. I guess after a while you learn to sleep where you are regardless of any inconveniences. The whole day though has just about driven me crazy. I can’t sit still long but what else can you do on a train. There was no club car so I couldn’t go up there and every seat was taken in all of the fourteen cars of the train so I just had to sit and take it easy. Once each hour I would take a tour of the train but that didn’t do much good. I even went to the end of the train and talked with the brakeman but he was a dull chap so got very little satisfaction there. There were a couple merchant Marine men just off an eight-month cruise around the world who were getting drunk to forget what they had seen. They lost eight ships on the way over. They wouldn’t talk much so I couldn’t worm a story out of them. We pulled into Cheyenne, Wyo. about eight-thirty and I had the stop on my watch fixed where I had jarred a spring loose in that fall in Chicago. Then I went over to the Hotel. I saw a blue Buick that sure looked familiar. It was Jimmie Gomburg. He and I were drafted and spent eighteen months together. I graduated from the same class. It sure was good to see him. We talked until it was time for my train to pull out. He hasn’t heard from any of the gang. He’s married and going to have a kid.
• The German submarine, U-175, was sunk by the Coast Guard cutter, USS Spencer (PG-36), in the North Atlantic. (http://www.blountweb.com/blountcountymilitary/wars/ww2/timelines/1943_ww2.htm)
• While escorting B-17s, Capt. James Harman, commanding officer of the 94th Squadron (1st Fighter Group), downed a Junkers Ju 88, but in turn was hit and forced to parachute. His parachute was strafed and Harmon killed. (http://www.1stfighter.org/history/1943.html)
On this day in 1943, while escorting convoy HX 233, the Coast Guard cutter, USS Spencer, attacked German submarine U-175, which had located the convoy the night before, and sank her at 48°50′N, 21°20′W, rescuing 19 members of the crew.
1943 Diary Recaps
January 1943 Recap: We first met Lt. Reichard in January, stationed at McClellan Air Base in Sacramento, where he was in charge of a motor pool unit. Expecting to be sent overseas, their orders were changed and they became restless to see action. Lt. Reichard’s sweetheart, Ginnie, would write frequently, and he would go to dinner and movies with local girls – Dorothy, in Sacramento, and Marie, when the unit moved to Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. The men have spent their days in lectures, and physical demonstrations to try to keep sharp mentally and physically. But they are getting increasingly restless.
February 1943 Recap: The unit continues to be restless as they still haven’t any orders for overseas. The days are kept busy with lectures, physical demonstrations, and frequent hikes in the mountains above Boise. Lt. Reichard receives a promotion to Lieutenant First Class and continues to write to Ginnie back home, though her letters are becoming more infrequent. February 1943 comes to an end with the unit still feeling bored and discouraged.
March 1943 Recap: March brings uncertainties in weather and daily life to Gowen Field. Still no word about overseas orders, the outfit must now share quarters with another unit. There is now time to begin a photo album, collecting pictures from times with the outfit. Letters from Ginnie are becoming more infrequent but there is no shortage of dates with the local girls in Boise. March comes to an end with everyone in the outfit anxiously awaiting word of upcoming furloughs.
Production Credits:
Diary transcription: Kathleen Long
Diary photos: Claudia Forbes
Video production: Alison Harder
Narration: Mountain Vista H.S. Theater Department
Jeremy Goldson, Department Chair; Bryan Smith – voice of Lt. Reichard
