Lt. Lawson Reichard’s WWII Diary – June 11, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (06/11/09).
Friday, June 11, 1943 En Route to Tunisia, North Africa
June 11, 1943 Diary Page
This morning we got up at six and got ready to pull out. We had breakfast at 7 and it was good. I had a big dish of hot cereal and three good size hot cakes with syrup. The coffee was even good. After breakfast I went up to H.Q. and asked for my orders but found they had not been fixed up yet and we had an hour wait. It turned out to be nearly three. It seems impossible for us to get away from a camp when we plan. Well we finally pulled out and headed for Tunisia. The first twenty miles was a beautiful broad highway and we clipped it off at about 35. The morning passed as uneventful as a good nights sleep and we ate dinner (“C” rations) in a small town about fifty miles out. Another thing that is getting to be a pain in the neck is the way these Arab kids pile around as soon as we stop. They seem to appear from nowhere and are under foot all the time. The farther east we go the more French we find and they have as little pride as the Arab kids. In fact they are much better beggars. The greater part of these kids are suffering from bad cases of malnutrition. We give them our rations quite often. At ________________ we passed over into British control. These British seem to be pretty fine chaps and after four weeks in Africa I still can’t see the reason so many of our boys feel the way they do about them. Tonight we are bivoucing (sic) in _________________ and it ‘s not half bad. I’m listening to the radio and a Spanish orchestra is playing American swing and doing a beautiful job of it.
• The Italian garrison on the island of Pantellaria surrendered after an intensive air bombardment by Allied aircraft. This is the first time that a large defended area had been conquered by air power alone. (http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/aviation%20timeline/1943.htm)
• Heinrich Himmler ordered the liquidation of all Jewish ghettos in occupied Poland. (http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/the-holocaust/the-holocaust-index-1943.htm)
• The U.S. 8th Air Force raided the German naval base at Wilhelmshaven with 200 B-17s, while the RAF attacked Münster and Düsseldorf. (http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/war-in-europe/european-air-war/european-air-war-index-1943.htm)
• The motor torpedo boat, PT-22, was beached and abandoned near Adak in the Aleutians. (http://www.blountweb.com/blountcountymilitary/wars/ww2/timelines/1943_ww2.htm)
• Army B-24 Liberator heavy bombers, B-25 Mitchell medium bombers with an escort of P-38 Light¬ning and P-40 Warhawk fighters carried out five attacks against Japanese installations at Kiska in the Aleutians. Hits were scored in the main camp and on the runway. Barges in the harbor were bombed and strafed. (http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/comms/1943-06.html)
An Axis garrison at Pantelleria, in the central Mediterranean area, surrenders after six days and nights of heavy bombing.
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.
April 1943 Recap: Last minute furloughs come through, and Lt. Reichard returns home to Maryland for some time with his family on the farm. He and Ginnie have a chance to talk things over and hopefully save the relationship. Just before leaving Boise, the unit gets orders that a move will come at the end of April. April comes to an end with the men spending a week in Stockton, California getting ready to ship out. But where they are going remains a mystery.
May 1943 Recap: The long journey begins by train as the outfit travels cross country to Camp Shanks, New York, where they will prepare to head overseas. Lt. Reichard now knows the destination: Casablanca, Morocco in North Africa. After ensuring that all the supplies are in order, the outfit boards the “West Point”, the newest in troop carriers and heads to sea. Lt. Reichard spends many peaceful evenings enjoying the time at sea before landing in Morocco. May ends with the outfit setting up camp and adjusting to the customs of Morocco.
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.
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
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