Lt. Lawson Reichard’s WWII Diary – May 22, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (05/22/09).
Saturday, May 22, 1943 Casablanca, North Africa
May 22, 1943 Diary Page
This morning Ray and I got up about seven and ate our first hot meal since we pulled in here. It sure did taste good. We enjoyed the first storage eggs this area has seen in a long while. A piece of ham and bread were also included as well as coffee. All in all, from what I hear from the men, they feed better here than in most camps in the states. After breakfast we collected all the money in camp and took it in town to have it exchanged for gold seal. This is American money stamped with a seal that distinguishes it from regular. From my outfit alone I collected a thousand dollars. Cpt. Johnson drove us in town and boy did we have a time. I’m sorry now that I didn’t take my French more seriously as that is about all that’s used here outside of Arabic. Of course I got lost and had to ask directions and you should have been there. The one time you want an “M.P.” you couldn’t find one for hell or high water and the police don’t know a word of English. Me trying to speak french (sic) was bad enough but when they try English, it’s impossible. I found where I wanted to go and got the business cleaned up then came out to camp. Tonight we worked until after midnight hauling supplies from the base where they had been unloaded from the ship. Quite a bit of our equipment has arrived which is very unusual. I was tired as hell when we finished.
• The first U.S. jet fighter was tested. Lockheed Martin had picked Clarence Johnson, a Univ. of Michigan graduate (1932) to develop the nation’s first jet fighter. Having already designed the P-38 Lightning, Johnson and his staff developed a jet prototype, the Shooting Star, in 143 days. (http://timelines.ws/20thcent/1943.HTML)
• Allies begin heavy bombing of Sicily and Sardinia, both possible landing sites for the invasion of Italy. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1943))
On this day in 1943, Lockheed Martin had picked Clarence Johnson, a Univ. of Michigan graduate (1932) to develop the nation’s first jet fighter. Its first test flight would be on Jan. 8, 1944.
• The US Advanced Amphibious Training Base at Tunis, Tunisia is established. (http://www.blountweb.com/blountcountymilitary/wars/ww2/timelines/1943_ww2.htm)
• The German submarine U-569 is sunk by aircraft (VC-9) from the escort carrier USS Bogue (CVE-9) in the north Atlantic. (http://www.blountweb.com/blountcountymilitary/wars/ww2/timelines/1943_ww2.htm
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.
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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