Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary – March 18, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (03/17/09).
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.
Thursday, March 18, 1943
Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho
Brrrrr! Boy did I hate to climb out of those blankets this morning. The top blanket was frosted and so was my nose which was about the only thing showing. The old thermometer had really gone down last night and every thing was frozen solid. The big fire was roaring as the guards had been given instructions to keep wood piled high on it. It sure felt good. For breakfast we had hot cakes and the tasted like angelfood. Why does food taste so god-awful good when you are camping out? This outfit has a couple darn good cooks for which I’m darn thankful. One of the trucks had to go into the field and came back saying an inspector was in from Ogden to look us over so Sgt. Enright and I brought the “Recon” back to check our records so as to have every thing ready in case he is pretty stiff. This evening I had a date with Claire. She is the number that is engaged but forgot it for a while. Well she still forgets it. She was supposed to go east to marry the guy last Wednesday but I’ve convinced her to wait a while. Boy am I a heel. She’s worth it though and I don’t mean maybe. We went to a show then to the Boise Club then back to her place. Is she warm? You guess.
U.S. GIs examined a German tank destroyed by artillery at El Guettar on the highway from Gafsa to Gabes. El Guettar was the first time the Big Red One, fighting as a unit, had faced a battle-tested German division. Photo: U.S. National Archives
The Day That Was: March 18, 1943
• Gen. George Patton led his tanks of II Corps into Gafsa, Tunisia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1943))
• In the crucible of Operation Torch, the men of Sub-Task Force Goalpost received their baptism of fire capturing the Moroccan town of Port Lyautey. (http://timelines.ws/20thcent/1943.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; Bryan Smith – voice of Lt. Reichard
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