Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary Project and Recap: 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.

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.

Saturday, March 13, 1943

March 13, 1943 Diary Page

Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho

This morning we held the inspection early because we had a training film to attend at nine thirty. It’s a cinch that the barracks doesn’t look anywhere as clean and neat as the old one did. When you crowd forty-six men on one floor plus having the offices and supply room there it is pretty hard to make things look neat. The boys did a darn good job of it though. One thing certain is that we are going to have trouble with the outfit downstairs. They just can’t bother to keep things neat and clean. The latrine looks like hell on their day to keep it and on our day it works the man assigned until by evening he’s all in. I’ve spoken to Lt. Davis about it but don’t think any thing will be done about it. I even caught one of their men washing in a bowl while he had nothing on. The way a man is built makes that a nasty and unsanitary situation. I gave him hell and told him to get a towel around him at least. We had a film on spark plugs that was darn good. In the afternoon we had a “judo” expert instruct us the whole afternoon. He knows his business. I had a date with a gorgeous no. tonight. She is engaged, but forgot it for a while. So did I, for a while.

Good Night

To view previous diary entries, click here.

The Day That Was: March 13, 1943
• Plans by German army officers to assassinate Hitler when he visited army headquarters at Smolensk failed. Hitler arrived with too many SS bodyguards. During Hitler’s return trip by air, a bomb in a package failed to explode. (http://www.fsmitha.com/time1943.htm)

• Before the House Naval Affairs Subcommittee, Gen. John L. DeWitt stated, “A Jap’s a Jap. There is no way to determine their loyalty.” (http://www.shmoop.com/events/history/us/world-war-ii-home-front.html)

• From Berlin, the German Army High Command issued the preliminary orders for Operation Zitadelle (in English meaning Citadel)—the plan to eliminate the Soviet-held salient centered on Kursk. (http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1943/mar1943/f13mar43.htm)

• In China, Chinese forces counterattacked Japanese forces in the Yangtze Valley. (http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1943/mar1943/f13mar43.htm)

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

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