Introduction by Will Seippel, CEO – WorthPoint.com Lt. Reichard began writing a diary on January 1, 1943. In February, he bought a camera and began taking some photos. For the next three years, he wrote almost every day. When I started reading his diary, I thought it should be shared and that perhaps WorthPoint’s community of collectors, people like me who are intrigued by the past, might find the diary as fascinating as I did. (To read Will Seippel’s entire introduction, click here)

January 30, 1943 Diary Page (click to enlarge)

Transcript of diary entry   January 30, 1943

Saturday,  January 30, 1943

Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho

This morning Ray and I gave the boys a real inspection. I had warned them so they should have been ready. They thought they were but had no idea we were going to be so rough. When we finished we had the names of 2/3′rd of the company down for something. We had a meeting afterwards and I told the men they were restricted. I think there were only two men allowed on pass. I think they will be more careful in the future. The meal of the morning was dull and the outlook for the afternoon was worse. I decided I was tired of being bored so Sgts. Eggleston, Sanders, W_________, and myself took the jeep up into the mountains. We took old dirt roads and ran them down to their ________ and I mean they were rugged. Even a sensible horse would have balked at some of the places we went. It was a warm day so the ground had thawed out to about ten inches so we had to drive most of he time in front wheel drive. We went along a couple bridges that looked bad and W________ was sitting with his feet hanging over the side ready to jump. We saw quite a few deer and picked up a lot of horns evidently shed. When we got back we told some of the boys that W________ had caught the deer and the horn had come off when he grabbed him. We even had them believing it. This evening I met Marie at her house. She sold her car (1941 Chev Coupe’) for $850.00. Whew! We used her fathers Olds which is pretty nice. I like the hydromatic drive. Got in about one.

Good Night

To view previous diary entries, click here.

The Day That Was: January 30, 1943

• With the German VI Army in its death throes at Stalingrad, Hitler did the seemingly unthinkable and allowed the 10th anniversary of the Nazi seizure of power to pass without speaking to the nation. It was the first unmistakable evidence of Hitler’s retreat from public appearances as the tide of the war turned. However, a rally held in Berlin was addressed by senior Nazi leaders including Göring and Goebbels. The rally was interrupted several times by six raiding Royal Air Force Mosquito fighter bombers of Squadrons 105 and 139. (http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/war-in-europe/western-europe/western-europe-index-1943.htm)

• In a nighttime attack on Hamburg, aircraft of the RAF Pathfinder Force used the H2S bombing radar for the first time. (http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/rafhistorytimeline1943.cfm)

• The last Japanese cleared out of Guadalcanal by an evacuation plan undetected by the Americans. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1943))

• U.S. land- and carrier-based naval aircraft engaged Japanese aircraft attacking Rear Adm. Robert Giffen’s cruiser and destroyer force. Japanese Val aircraft torpedoed the heavy cruiser USS Chicago (CA-29), which sunk, and the destroyer USS La Vallette, which was damaged. A naval station was established at Akutan Harbor, Fox Island in Alaska. (http://www.blountweb.com/blountcountymilitary/wars/ww2/timelines/1943_ww2.htm)

• Grand Adm. Karl Koenitz became chief of the German Navy. (http://www.blountweb.com/blountcountymilitary/wars/ww2/timelines/1943_ww2.htm)

• A U.S. B-17 crew attacked an unidentified submerged object in Alaskan waters and dropped four depth charges and one bomb. The unidentified object was a whale. (http://www.sfmuseum.net/war/43.html)

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; Sean McGill – voice of Lt. Reichard