Amazing that both of you have lived so close form each other. I heard there quite a few Dutchmen settled in the Dakotas because the flat landscape reminded them of Holland. It's great that both of you still know how you came to the U.S. even after several generations.
Jack you mentionned Japs waiting for you near the water streams. Ddi you have the sma idea to trap them? Were there other similar tricks to booby trap the ennemy or surprise him?

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Jack,
I thought of a few more questions.
Did you ever get to Sydney, Australia? Dad commented it was one of the prettiest cities and would've liked to get back there.
Did you ever see McArthur in person?
Did the US Army have mortar companies or platoons? I know dad spoke of firing those things. What was their objective?
Thanks!
Lefty

I'll answer the mortar part of the question for you Mr Jack, since that is not necessarily tied to personal experience and your fingers get tired.

Mortars supplied mobile, close artillery support at the Platoon, Company or Battalion level, and were an integral part of the Infantry Company or Battalion.

Each Rifle Company had 3x60mm M19 Mortars as part of a Heavy Weapons Platoon that also included M1919 .30cal machine guns.

In addition to the mortars in the Rifle Companies, each Battalion had a seperate Heavy Weapons Company that included 6x81mm M1 Mortars, in addition to M1919 and/or M1917 .30 caliber and M2HB .50 caliber machine guns.

There were also independent Chemical Mortar Battalions, usually attached at Corps level and issued to Divisions as needed. They fired 4.2in (107mm) Mortars M2 and their original intended role was to lay smoke (and gas, had the war turned that way) but since their HE round was about as effective as a 105mm howitzer, they were greatly prized by lower level leaders for their mobility, accuracy and because the "man on the ground" could directly control them (like their own organic mortars) instead of having to go through upper level artillery fire control. They were more or less "hip pocket" heavy artillery. Only 6 of the 32 battalions of this type were in the PTO. Each Chemical Mortar Battalion had 36 tubes, 12 per company and 4 per platoon.

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Best Regards,
JW

Lefty,

Sydney is where I met my wife. If you get a moment read this thread from page 1 forward, and my introduction post "Hello to all!". I'll be back soon.

Take care,

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All the Best
Jack

I dug out my dad's Separation Qualification Record, a document I hadn't looked at for a long time. It gives Nov. 7, 1941 as a date of entry into active service and Oct. 4, 1945 as date of separation. Under summary of military occupations it says:
Heavy Weapons Noncommissioned Officer
Supervised and coordinated the activities of a 81mm mortar crew of sixteen men in combat in New Guinea. Was directly responsible for the safety and welfare of his crew. Selected positions for weapons, taking advantage of cover and concealment, and furnished firing data, such as range to enemy targets and deflection, to weapons crewmen. Served as a heavy weapons observer with af forward unit engaged in combat during which time he fired every weapon in action against the enemy, that is used by an infantry regiment.
Have a good night.
Lefty

Lefty,
The TO&E calls for a Staff Sergeant for that position. Is that what he was?

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Best Regards,
JW

They list his rank as Tech. Sergeant.
??
lefty

A Tech-3 Sergeant would be the same as a Staff Sergeant. Their chevrons were different.
Technician Third Grade

Staff Sergeant

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Best Regards,
JW

Interesting. I didn't know about the T with the chevron for the Technician rank.

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From the pictures you post, the one for the staff sergeant is the one on the sleeves of his shirts and dress uniform. Paperwork says Tech. and he told me himself that he was a Tech. Sergeant, so I don't know. ?
Thanks!
lefty

I just got the book "The Jungleers, the History of the 41st Division" yesterday and it is really interesting, although very fine print.
I have a question: How did companies and battalions make up a regiment such as the 186th? How many companies and battalions were in the 186th? I only read of a few of either. Thanks for your help!
lefty

All US infantry divisions were identical, at least on paper. They also had non-divisional units attached, such as tank, AAA and additional arty battalions.

Each infantry division was consisted of 3 infantry battalions plus medical, arty, qm battalions and companies, etc. Battalions were numbered 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each divisions. Independent battalions had larger numbers, such as the 100th Infantry Battalion (Nesei)

Each infantry battalion consisted of 3 infantry companies and 1 heavy weapons company, plus HQ platoon.

Each infantry company consisted of 3 platoons and a heavy weapons platoon.

If you have any more questions along these lines that concern the general makeup of a US unit or is you want to discuss your father's service, let me know and I will split the this section of the thread off into another thread so we can get this one back on topic.

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Best Regards,
JW

Hello Mr. Jack
I enjoy reading your tales and am glad you take the time too answer our collective questions. What was it like for you when you returned to civilian life? After such time on crowded transports and sitting in the mud of S. Pacific jungles, did you find it "troubling" too be alone fo extended time frames? Was it strange to sleep in such a soft bed and things of that sort? What did you find the most difficult in adjusting back to civilian life?
Mike

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"When war does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." -General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
"The conqueror is always a lover of peace; he would prefer to take over our country unopposed."-Karl von Clausewitz

Hey Jack!
Just caught up with all your posts! Again, thanks for sharing all this with us! Very interesting! Keep it up Lefty, I want to hear more about your father as well!

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Members of the Dutch Resistance with 101st AB, Eindhoven. Operation Market Garden.

Scott

Slipdigit, I posted a question for you under the Research Forum on this site. Looking for all the info you have on the 186th.
Thanks!
lefty

Hello,

I'm back from spending the last week getting poked, prodded, and flirting with the nurses.

Mike, it was hardest for me to relax, and not react unnecessarily, to this day I cannot be touched while I sleep, or I come out swinging, my hospital room had a note on the door which read do not touch patient if sleeping.

My second day home in '45, my mother touched me while I was half asleep in a chair in the living room to tell me dinner was ready, when my eyes opened I was holding her by the wrist and throat on the floor, looking back at that now, my mother always kept her distance from me after that.

In school, I was Captain of the boxing team, I was very good at football, I never horse played after the war. There were a few times over the years some loud mouth or another would try and call me out for a fist fight, and I would stop myself to keep my demeanor in check from the instant rage that would that would come over me, and walk away knowing I would most likely be the only survivor in what would quickly become a fight to the death.

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All the Best
Jack

Jack this must be hard to live with because this is how you were trained . The same behaviour that would have saved your life a few days before would scare your loved ones after the war. It takes a long time to recover, if ever. You must have been a good boxer too because self control is a great quality. I'm certain your opponents knew who they were dealing with. I have befriended a German veteran who has told me more or less the same story. He would fall asleep in the trenches. The next moring he would find his best friend with his throat cut, but not him. the Siberian killer had left him alive deliberatley because he knew this would be devastating for the morale and affect far more men than killing one more. This drives me to another quastion . Did the Japanese use such psychological warfare tricks to try to get to your morale?

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Skip,

Yes, there were throats cut, and worse. The earliest memory of psychological warfare tricks by the japs was at Buna, in New Guinea.

Some would creep in to your lines in the dark, in one encounter at night a jap was reaching in my hole and touched my knee, I took his forearm off at the elbow with a machete and he wouldn't stop screaming, I can still hear that.

At Buna, the japs played a phonograph record which had been hooked up to loud speakers, a popular song at the time in '42 by Bing Crosby was White Christmas, they played it over and over, it brought a few men to the breaking point, yelling out, or opening fire and getting return fire. I grew to despise that song, I still do.

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All the Best
Jack

The most simple tricks are the most devastating. The Soviets did the same "surrender soldier, you will get warm soup and a hot blanket. You will be able to get some sleep, you will have a warm room and bread every day, we have intercepted mail from your family it is waiting for you, surrender, surrender..." some did ... God knows what happened to the poor souls.

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Good to have you back answering our questions, Mr Jack.

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Best Regards,
JW

Jack,
Good to have you back and glad to see you're not tormenting those nurses anymore. I wonder about communications on New Guinea? How did battallions communicate with eachother and with other regiments, etc. in the jungle? Seems like when you could only see a short ways you would get confused as to who was where and flanking whom, etc. ??
Take care,
lefty
PS: 4" snow here today. I bet you remember that stuff too, huh?