Welcome to the WWII Forums! Log in or Sign up to interact with the community.

147th Field Artillery Letters to home from Norbert Urban

Discussion in 'War in the Pacific' started by Skipper, Sep 10, 2008.

  1. Skipper

    Skipper Kommodore

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2006
    Messages:
    24,984
    Likes Received:
    2,386
    This would be excellent, thank you for sharing this with us. You can either post it here yourself , or create an album in our galery. Of course you may also send it to Otto or any other moderator who would be happy to post it here for you.

    Moderator Edit: This thread split off from this original thread http://www.ww2f.com/war-pacific/21303-hollandia-jayapura-1944-a-20.html
     
  2. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    May 21, 2007
    Messages:
    18,043
    Likes Received:
    2,363
    Location:
    Alabama
    Thanks for your letting us know of the letters, we would love to see them.

    When you get the letters scanned, you can create your own thread for those treasures, they deserve it. If you need assistance doing this, contact Otto or one of the moderators * and we can help you in any manner you need. Either way, we can put a link in this thread pointing to that thread (and vice versa) so that people who who find one thread can read the other also.


    *me, Mussolini, Skipper, Martin Bull, Stefan, Kai-Petri or Erich.
     
  3. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    Since I am still learning how to use this posting format I think I will just try to send them to one of the moderators. They will be in Adobe PDF format if that is okay. If not I can convert them to whatever works. Any assistance in posting these would be appreciated.
     
  4. Skipper

    Skipper Kommodore

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2006
    Messages:
    24,984
    Likes Received:
    2,386
    no problem, any of us will be glad to help.
     
  5. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    Okay Here is my first attempt to upload one of these files as an attachment. Hope it makes it through. If not can one of you Moderators email me directly at KD4GQG*hotmail.com and I will send them to you directly. Yes that is a Ham Radio Call sign but not my current one.

    replace * by @
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    Here is the map with the route from Mitchel SD. That my Dad took to get to Fort Ord. I could not get the entire map scanned but you can see the total route here. This is just a sample of some of the stuff I am finding in this box of stuff. It is quite large and I do need time to get this scanned.
    The letters were written on both sides on onion skin paper and do not copy well. I will need to take the time to transcribe them for this group.
     

    Attached Files:

  7. Skipper

    Skipper Kommodore

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2006
    Messages:
    24,984
    Likes Received:
    2,386
    you did a great job! they appeared as thumbnails and when we click on them the get bigger, it's perfect that way. I however slightly edited your email and replaced the @ to avoid spam robots from getting your email .

    The docuemets are very interesting , the map is great, I'm sure Jack will like them
     
  8. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    Thanks Skipper;

    I will do my best to get at least one letter transcribed this evening so I can post it tommorow. A lot of it is just normal idle whats going on talk, I am fine, whats going on at home? Pretty simple stuff but some may find it interesting as they had a different way of writting back then.
     
  9. Skipper

    Skipper Kommodore

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2006
    Messages:
    24,984
    Likes Received:
    2,386
    this is good news, take your time, it's worth waiting.
     
  10. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    Here is a flyer from Point Lobos State park. From the hand written notes it sounds like someone fell into the rocks from the cliff. Anyone remember anything about an incident like that. There was no mention in any of the letters I have gone through yet.
     

    Attached Files:

  11. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    :) Here is My Dads first letter that was sent from Fort Ord. Hope it is readable and you all enjoy it.
     

    Attached Files:

    Slipdigit likes this.
  12. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    This is a program from the dedication of the sanctuary at Ft. Ord dated Feburary 9th, 1941. I hope the PDF Files are working for everyone. Let me know if they are not.
    Jack do you remember this?
     

    Attached Files:

  13. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    Okay gang;
    Here is the first of the Letters that was written on Onion skin. I have transcribed the letter in its entirety but have included the original after the transcription so you can see what I am working with. Some of the words are faint and hard to read. Sounds like my dad and his friends had a great Thanksgiving before they left the states. This letter was the last one that my dad sent out before getting underway with the Pensacola Convoy.
    :)
     

    Attached Files:

  14. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    The attached PDF File is copies of the ships news paper dated November 26 and 27 1941. Some interesting war news about Europe but not much about the Pacific. Sounds like we had no idea what was coming.
     

    Attached Files:

  15. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    This is a letter that my Dad wrote on the Holbrook during the transit from San Francisco to Honolulu. He gave this to his brother Charles and it was mailed from Charles' ship the USS Oglala on December 1st as were the ships news papers. This is of course a transcription from the onion skins that are the original. I have tried to not change any spelling or other errors that were there so you guys can get the idea of the letter and the times. Fortunately my dad was a better writer than I am.
     

    Attached Files:

  16. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    These are letters written by my grandparents on Dec. 7th, 1941. I have included both sides of this envelope as this as you can see never made it to my dad. It was returned from San Francisco in Feb. 1942. I know my Grandfather used to tell me they did not know where my dad was for about 3 or 4 months after Pearl. It is interesting that the letter from my grandmother has no mention of the attack however my grandfathers letter does. I guess that hers was written before the news hit. Notice the postmark on the envelope. Dec. 8th, 1941.
     

    Attached Files:

  17. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    Well guys;

    I am going to have to take a break as my carpal tunnel is acting up and I need to get off this thing. I hope that you will enjoy what I have posted so far. I have more if you would like and will be checking back for your responses. I have some other things that I will post later on. But I am tuckered out for today.
    Hope you like what I have done thus far.
     
  18. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    May 21, 2007
    Messages:
    18,043
    Likes Received:
    2,363
    Location:
    Alabama
    We have Navy. Thanks for taking the time.
     
  19. dauis2

    dauis2 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2008
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    I enjoyed reading the letters. My father was in the 147th FA, Battery E. His name was Kenneth Schulte from north of Yankton, SD. I have been trying to do some research on his time in the military as he didn't talk about it much.
     
  20. Navy CPO

    Navy CPO Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    4
    How my Dad got His nick name.
    I am not sure where or when this incident happened but my dad recounted this story to me many times.
    Being in the band and being assigned to the rear areas had its perks, but; that does not mean that the band did not see action. I believe this happened somewhere in New Guinea shortly after one of the really bloody and tough battles that were fought there. They had set up a R & R area in a football field or soccer field. This area was in kind of a bowl surrounded by hills on all sides the way he described it. At any rate they had a bunch of troops that had been in the thick of the fighting bedded down in this area and apparently some Japs snuck down out of the hills and slit a couple of our boys throats to get the "C" rations. My dad got selected to pull guard duty one night to help ensure this would not happen again. They shoved a small 5 shot carbine in his hands and told him where to walk his post and off he went. As can happen in the tropics a rainstorm came up and it just poured. He decided to take shelter underneath a coconut tree until a rain soaked coconut decided to bury itself about 3 feet deep in the mud beneath that tree. He went back to walking his post. Then suddenly in a flash of lightning he saw a man moving in the perimeter trees. He dived for cover and waited to make sure. The next flash of lightning he was sure it was a man in the trees. He hollered "Give me the Countersign". There was nothing but the sound of the rain and the thunder. He hollered again, "Give me the Countersign" but was still met with silence. He challenged the guy one more time. "Damnit, If you don’t say something I am going to shoot." Still Silence but the guy was still hiding behind those trees. The next flash of lightning he fired 5 shots as fast as he could pull the trigger.
    Well all those troops had been on the front lines and were pretty jumpy. Shots rang out throughout the camp. Search lights were turned on to light up the trees and surrounding hillsides. Basically all Hell broke loose. Well after a few minutes things got settled down and the Officer of the day and a group of others came running up to my dad’s position. The OOD asked "just what the heck is going on here?" My dad replied and said. "There is a man over there and I shot him." They all approached the offender who still remarkably seemed to be standing and found a Lister bag that had been carelessly left outside the perimeter. In my dad defense he did get at least 3 or 4 dead center hits on the thing. But after that he was know in the band as "Lister bag Urban." That story was told at every band reunion they had and I have had it confirmed by many of the band members.
    Funny Now but was quite serious back then.​
     

Share This Page