Joy Neal Kidney's Blog, page 80
October 19, 2020
A Declaration about a Dead American Flying-Lieutenant
When I asked for the 293 (Casualty) File for Daniel S. Wilson, this is one of the documents in it. A Graves Registration Team interviewed townspeople who were involved in deciding what would happen to this “dead American Flying-Lieutenant.” No one in the family had seen any of them before.
Schwanberg, July 25th 1946
DECLARATION
On the American Airman crashed on February 19th 1945 at the community of SCHWANBERG.
I Four air planes attacked the railroad station of SCHWANBERG. Approaching the station it touched slightly a telegraph pole. The plane was damaged and crashed approx two kilometers south of the railway station on a forest. The plane was completely demolished.
II. The removal of the plane was accomplished by a special recovery team of the former German Wehrmacht. A dead American Flying-Lieutenant was found in the plane. This team searched thoroughly him, found the identification tag and identified him. I am not able to give any details on the other personal effects. Probably they were taken away by German Military.
III. The plane in question was a two engine one.
Stamp: Markt SCHWANBERG Bezirk DEUTCHLANDSBERG
Signature: Franz HERMANN
Schwanberg, July 25th 1946
DECLARATION
On the burial of the crashed American Flying-Lieutenant Daniel S. WILSON, which took place on February 20, 1945.
I The a/m was buried with his uniform in a wooden casket in the community cemetery of SCHWANBERG.
II At the burial were present: Franz MULLER, Inspector Franz KOCH, Grave-Digger Franz HERMAN [sic], Secretary of Town.
III The grave was provided with a wooden cross with the following inscription:
Daniel S. Wilson 12. 2. 1945 [sic]
IV The burial ceremony was made secretly by the Roman Catholic Priest of SCHWANBERG.
Stamp: Markt SCHWANBERG Bezirk DEUTSCHLANDSBERG
Signature: Franz HERMANN
The burial had been made secretly. . . . You bet I cried.
Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II is available from Amazon in paperback and ebook, also as an audiobook, narrated by Paul Berge.
It’s also the story behind the Wilson brothers featured on the Dallas County Freedom Rock at Minburn, Iowa. All five served. Only two came home.
October 16, 2020
Clabe Wilson: Mid 1946
Some poignant glimpses of Clabe Wilson after the loss of all three younger sons:
He had nightmares. One was of backing into Joy with the car in the driveway, and gravel getting all through her sweater. He was reliving an accident that had actually happened. The toddler had heard the car start up and escaped from the porch to get a ride with her grandpa. Clabe stopped as soon as he heard the thud at the back of the car. His little granddaughter was okay, but the episode still haunted him.
Many times when Clabe sat down at a meal, he could not eat. And when he tried to rest, it only brought him memories and tears. “Oh, those dear boys. Why did God take them?” So Clabe kept busy. It sure helped to have Delbert’s little family there with them, but he was still depressed.
And one day, both of the dogs that Clabe had bought to keep him company when he hunted were killed by the train that ran not far from their home.
Mother’s Day Omaha
[image error]Standing: Friend of Collis Jordan, Merl Goff, Clabe Wilson, Laura (Jordan) Goff, Collis Jordan (younger brother of Laura’s), Clarence Goff, Jennings Goff. Seated: Maxine (Goff) Allgood with Donna Allgood, Greta Goff (Merl’s wife) with Phyllis Goff, Leora (Goff) Wilson) Jean Goff (Merrill’s wife) with Michael Goff, Mrs. Foss (Jean’s mother) with Gail Allgood, Bernadine Goff (Jennings’ wife) with Ronnie Goff. Laura Goff is wearing a parka from Newfoundland and a grass skirt from Hawaii, both gifts from her son Clarence Goff.
Mothers Day was the first time Clabe and Leora had gotten a break from farming, to drive as far as Omaha. Three of Leora’s brothers were there: Merl, Clarence, and Jennings. She got to meet her niece Maxine’s husband and her little girls. To meet her nephew’s wife and son. She had never met Merl’s wife and daughter.
Leora grew some large dahlias, with blooms as large as saucers. Clabe remarked that “only God can make something like this.” He took her hands. “And these little hands helped.”
Such telling episodes that give me a small understanding for a grandfather I never got a chance to know.
Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II is available from Amazon in paperback and ebook, also as an audiobook, narrated by Paul Berge.
It’s also the story behind the Wilson brothers featured on the Dallas County Freedom Rock at Minburn, Iowa. All five served. Only two came home.
October 14, 2020
Letter from General Headquarters, US Army Forces, Pacific, Office of the Commander-in-Chief
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American five-star general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army.
He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s.
In 1942, MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific. He spent two and a half years commanding an island-hopping campaign before famously returning to liberate the Philippines in October 1944. Wading ashore at Leyte, he announced, “I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil.”
Promoted to the rank of General of the Army in late 1944, he was soon given command of all Army forces in the Pacific. MacArthur officially accepted Japan’s surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945. He awarded the Medal of Honor for his defense of the Philippines.
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A letter of condolence was sent from his office to Mr. Clabe O. Wilson from A.P.O. 500, General Headquarters, United States Army Forces, Pacific, Office of the Commander-in-Chief.
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October 12, 2020
Danny Wilson: Medals Posthumously Awarded
A month after Clabe Wilson got the devastating news about their son Danny, he received more official mail:
The Secretary of War, Washington, 4 February 1946
My dear Mr. Wilson:
At the request of the President, I write to inform you that the Purple Heart has been awarded posthumously to your son, Second Lieutenant Daniel S. Wilson, Air Corps, who sacrificed his life in defense of his country.
Little that we can do or say will console you for the death of your loved one. We profoundly appreciate the greatness of your loss, for in a very real sense the loss suffered by any of us in the battle for our country, is a loss shared by all of us. When the medal, which you will shortly receive, reaches you, I want you to know that with it goes my sincerest sympathy, and the hope that time and the victory of our cause will finally lighten the burden of your grief.
[Signed Robert P. Patterson]
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War Department, The Adjutant General’s Office,
Washington, 25 D.C.
4 February 1946
Dear Mr. Wilson:
Records on file in the office indicate that, prior to his death, the following decorations were awarded to your son, Second Lieutenant Daniel S. Wilson, Air Corps:
Air Medal
One Oak Leaf Cluster to the Air Medal
If any of these awards were not received by you with his personal effects, they may be obtained by notifying me regarding those missing.
[Signed: Edward F. Witsell, Major General, The Adjutant General]
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Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II is available from Amazon in paperback and ebook, also as an audiobook, narrated by Paul Berge.
It’s also the story behind the Wilson brothers featured on the Dallas County Freedom Rock at Minburn, Iowa. All five served. Only two came home.
October 9, 2020
Danny Wilson: January 1946
The US War Department filled out an official Report of Death for Lt. Daniel S. Wilson on January 23, 1946: “The individual named in this report of death is held by the War Department to have been in a missing in action status from 19 Feb 1945 until such absence was terminated on 17 Jan 1946, when evidence considered sufficient to establish the fact of death was received by the Secretary of War.”
A telegram was sent to Clabe D. Wilson:
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Then they received a letter with more information:
War Department, The Adjutant General’s Office, Washington, 25 D.C.
23 January 1946
Dear Mr. Wilson:
It is with deep regret that I am writing to confirm the recent telegram informing you of the death of your son, Second Lieutenant Daniel S. Wilson, Air Corps.
Your son was reported missing in action since 19 February 1945 over Austria. It has now been officially established from reports received in the War Department that he was killed in action on 19 February 1945 in an airplane crash in Schwanberg, Deutschlandsberg County, Austria.
I know the sorrow this message has brought you and it is my hope that in time the knowledge of his heroic sacrifice in the service of his country may be of sustaining comfort to you.
I extend to you my deepest sympathy.
[Signed: Edward F. Witsell, Major General, Acting The Adjutant General of the Army]
Just the week before, Clabe and Leora had received a letter saying that a Presumptive DOD (Date of Death) had been made for Dale Wilson, set for January 15, 1946.
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Leora pasted Gold Stars over two more of the blue ones on the family’s service flag.
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293 Records (Casualty) from the Mortuary Affairs and Casualty Support Division
Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II is available from Amazon in paperback and ebook, also as an audiobook, narrated by Paul Berge.
It’s also the story behind the Wilson brothers featured on the Dallas County Freedom Rock at Minburn, Iowa. All five served. Only two came home.
October 7, 2020
The 13th Mission: Prisoner of the Notorious Omori Prison in Tokyo
The Book
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January 20, 1943, was the fateful day of that 13th mission of Robert Martindale, whose B-24 bomber was shot down over New Guinea and the Bismarck Sea. He survived a crash at sea and along with crewmen was picked up. Ten months later, he was sent to the notorious Omori prison in Tokyo.
As a prisoner of war, the author became “barracks commander and camp work officer.” This position gave him a broad view of both the Japanese guards and the international community of prisoners.
After the war, he enhanced this knowledge by research at the National Archives and more than 125 interviews with former POWs. A former Japanese pay sergeant at the Omori camp provided additional materials. The author describes his introduction to the Japanese prime minister, General Tojo, and how he was the first person to greet the second American commodore to land in Japan as the war ended.
The Author
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Robert R. Martindale was born at Ft. Brown in Brownville, Texas, in 1919. He joined the service as an aviation cadet in May 1941, and saw combat in the South Pacific with the 90th Bomb Group as copilot of a B-24, until the plane was shot down. Nearly three years were spent as a POW in New Guinea, Rabaul, and in Tokyo, Japan. After a year of hospitalization and medication he was released from active duty, but stayed in the Air Force Reserves until his retirement as a Lt. Colonel. After working for a few years, he returned to college, earning a BA degree from Texas A & I [sic] University and an MA in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin. He taught at a junior college before joining the staff of the Texas Commission on Higher Education, making his home in Austin, Texas.
My Thoughts
This is an incredible story of a survivor of Japanese POW camps, including Omori. Well remembered and researched, it includes a great sketch of the layout of Omori and the office buildings, several photos and an index, plus several Appendixes.
Principal Diseases Responsible for POW Deaths in Tokyo Area Camps 1942-1945
Operations Performed at the Attached Infirmary (Shinagawa Hospital Camp).
POWs, Internees and Civilians Evacuated by the Third Fleet in Honshu
War Crimes Sentences
Nominal Roll of Headquarters Camp Omori, 1945–pages of names, all nationalities
Imperial Rescript on Japans Surrender
Additional Reading: Publications by Former POWs
A valuable resource for anyone studying how Japanese POWs were treated, especially at Omori.
October 5, 2020
Dale Wilson: Official Declaration of Death
War Department, The Adjutant General’s Office, Washington 25, D.C.
15 January 1946
Dear Mrs. Wilson: [Identical letter sent to Mr. Wilson]
Since your son, Second Lieutenant Dale R. Wilson, Air Corps, was reported missing in action 27 November 1943, the War Department has entertained the hope that he survived and that information would be revealed dispelling the uncertainty surrounding his absence. However, as in many cases, the conditions of warfare deny us such information
Public Law 490, 77th Congress, as amended, provided for a review and determination of the status of each person who has been missing in action for twelve months. Accordingly, your son’s case was reviewed and he was continued in the status of missing in action as of November 1944. The law further provides that a subsequent review shall be made whenever warranted. Upon such subsequent review the making of a finding of death is authorized.
All available records and reports concerning the absence of your son have been carefully investigated and are deemed to warrant a subsequent review of his case. Information in the hands of the War Department indicates that your son was a crew member of a B-25 (Mitchell) bomber which participated in a “strike” mission to Wewak, New Guinea on 27 November 1943. The plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and was seen to crash in the water one and a half miles off the shore of Cape Boram, New Guinea. After crashing into the water the plane disintegrated and the wreckage remained afloat but a short time before sinking. Observers from other planes flailed to see any survivors emerge from the wreckage.
Since no information has been received which would support a presumption of his continued survival the Ware Department must now terminate your son’s absence by a presumptive finding of death. Accordingly, an official finding of death has been recorded. The finding does not establish an actual or probable date of death; however, as required by law, it includes a presumptive date of death for the purpose of termination of pay and allowances, settlement of accounts and payment of death gratuities. In the case of your son this date has been set as 15 January 1946.
I regret the necessity for this message but trust that the ending of a long period of uncertainty may give at least some small measure of consolation. An appraisal of the sacrifice made by your son in the service of his country compels in us feelings of humility and respect. May Providence grant a measure of relief from the anguish and anxiety you have experienced during these many months.
[Signed: Edward F. Witsell, Major General, Acting The Adjutant General of the Army]
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That same day, in Europe, a British report of the location of burials of American deceased was sent from the First Field Headquarters to the Commanding General. Two days later, Danny’s MIA status was changed to KIA.
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[image error]The original service flag of the Clabe and Leora Wilson family has been donated to the Dexter Museum. The family lived at Dexter for several years before moving to Minburn to manage a farm there. The blue stars symbolize a family member in active service. The gold ones mean family members who were lost.
Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II, available from Amazon in paperback and ebook, also as an audiobook, narrated by Paul Berge.
It’s the story behind the Wilson brothers featured on the Dallas County Freedom Rock at Minburn, Iowa. All five served. Only two came home.
October 2, 2020
Danny Wilson: November 1945 Document
This month, I’ll be sharing some of the letters and documents from after the war.
Clabe and Leora Wilson never learned about any of these.
A British Graves Registration Team at Klagenfurt, Austria, first learned about where Lt. Daniel S. Wilson was buried in late November, 1945, from captured Dulag-Luft (German) Reports.
The British reported it to Headquarters, Graves Registration Service, Germany zone, along with other American losses. “Cemetery SCHWANBERG, the uppermost line; entrance on the left side. The grave is adorned.”
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That week in Iowa, Leora churned four pounds of butter, and sold butter, eggs, and twenty hens in Perry.
And Evelyn, Delbert Wilson’s wife, went home from the hospital with baby Donna. After Junior Wilson’s death, they (along with toddler Leora Darlene) had moved in with Delbert’s parents at the Perry acreage.
[image error]Donald had also been back on a furlough that fall. Warren Neal is holding Joy, Donald Wilson, Clabe Wilson, Delbert Wilson holding Leora. Perry acreage. Fall 1945.
Brothers Dale and Danny Wilson were still listed as Missing in Action.
December 4 was Leora’s 55th birthday. She got her annual “kerchief” from her mother, a plant, nightgowns, and a box of Drews Chocolates.
That month several relatives and friends from the Dexter area came to see the new baby.
One day Leora churned four pounds of butter. Clabe helped Delbert begin to wire the house for electricity.
Clabe and Leora both had toothaches. He had a tooth pulled the next day. Leora waited until her jaw swelled, then had two teeth pulled the same day they got a Guernsey bull, and Leora churned two more pounds of butter.
Even with two sons still missing, life moved on, day after day.
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293 Records (Casualty) from the Mortuary Affairs and Casualty Support Division
Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II is available from Amazon in paperback and ebook, also as an audiobook, narrated by Paul Berge.
It’s also the story behind the Wilson brothers featured on the Dallas County Freedom Rock at Minburn, Iowa. All five served. Only two came home.
September 30, 2020
Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap
Fels-Naptha heavy duty laundry bar soap has been around since 1893, so there’s a good chance that our grandmothers and great grandmothers used it for “the wash.”
My bar of Fels-Naptha is still in its paper wrapper, but I can get a whiff of the scent. It smells clean and fresh, and remarkably familiar. My own mother may have used it when I was little.
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Originally created around 1893 by Fels and Company, about the time my grandmother Leora was born, it was the first soap to include naphtha. Naphtha made the soap effective for cleaning laundry and removing the allergen urushiol (also known as benzene solvent), the oil in poison ivy and poison oak, but it was also a cancer risk, so was removed from the soap.
They shaved the yellow bar and added the flakes to the hot water. It was also used as a home remedy to treat poison ivy and other skin irritants.
Now Fels-Naptha is manufactured by and is a trademark of the Dial Corporation.
You can still buy it. It features the old-fashioned paper wrapper and logo.
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September 28, 2020
Clabe Wilson’s Vehicles
Horse and Buggy
When Clabe Wilson dated Leora Goff, he drove a horse and carriage. Their first date was to a Chautauqua in 1913 at Panora, Iowa.
[image error]Clabe and Leora Wilson, newlyweds in 1914, Panora, Iowa
Clabe picked up Leora from Grandmother Jordan’s at Monteith to spend the day at Dexfield Park near Dexter. They took the horse and buggy, but while it commenced to sprinkle while they were there. The roads were mud so they had to leave in a hurry.
Model T Ford
Clabe bought his first car in 1917, when they lived near Glendon, Iowa, where he worked at the brick and tile plant. They bought it second-hand from a neighbor for some $400.
Clabe had a Model T when they lived SE of Dexter, late 1920s, but I don’t know if it was the same one. Twins Dale and Darlene are on it here.
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The family, with all seven children, drove to Dexfield Park to enjoy Independence Day 1927.
Driving from Dexter, people encountered Dexfield Hill, the steepest hill in Dallas County. A Model-T filled with people, with its gravity fed gas tank in the back, motored downhill to the park easily. But returning uphill at night was tricky. Sometimes they’d have to back up the hill in reverse, with the headlights shining down the road. It was a wonderful day to get away from the farm and chores and the landlord.
Model T Truck
At some point he got a Model T truck, built about 1923-25. These photos are both from 1929. The first one (oh, how I wish it were plainer), taken in January, shows Donald and Delbert about to go to Des Moines to join the Navy. The brought home a sled for their three younger brothers.
That September, one of the boys thought the truck looked too high, so Clabe took a whack at it with a hammer, stunning them at first. Then they all laughed. He cut down the back of the seat seat and half the windshield. Sports roadster!
Clabe brought home load of coal with it, $3.25/ ton, cheaper than wood that fall. He earned “government wood” instead, a load for a day’s work.
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1937 Buick
When they moved to a farm near Minburn, Iowa, the Wilsons didn’t have a vehicle. when they were paid as tenant farmers, he and two older sons pooled their money and bought this 1937 Buick.
Germany invaded the USSR the same day the Wilson brothers drove the “smoking” wine-colored Buick to the Des Moines airport for the Air Olympics–Danny, Junior, Delbert, and
[image error]Ready to go to the Air Olympics in Des Moines, June, 1941. Minburn, Iowa.
1942 Plymouth
While Donald Wilson was home in November 1941, AWOL, his family traded off their “old smoking Buick” for a brand-new gray, 1942 Plymouth four-door, 95-horsepower, Special Deluxe sedan with concealed running boards.
[image error]Clabe and Leora Wilson with their Plymouth. Perry, Iowa, spring 1945. There are three wings on Leora’s coat, so Junior had earned his wings. This was when they took Junior to the train the last time, so Clabe drove it home from Des Moines for the first time.
Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II is available from Amazon in paperback and ebook, also as an audiobook, narrated by Paul Berge.
It’s also the story behind the Wilson brothers featured on the Dallas County Freedom Rock at Minburn, Iowa. All five served. Only two came home.
