Hi Jack, gangene... it must be horrible to see a part of your body die while the rest is trying to survive. Having to choose between amputation or death must be horrible .

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Thanks for the names of those towns, sir. I'll look it up in the map.
As you continued in the campaign in the Philippines, were you or your unit able to capture Japanese soldiers? If so, how were you able to get them to surrender? What shape were they in when they were captured?

As for the wet feet... the general weather in the area you were on was basically divided into two: wet months and dry months. How were you guys able to take care of your feet during the monsoon season, especially when rain goes on for days. And even if the rain stops for maybe a couple of days or three, the ground is still very muddy. How does the rest of your gear do during the wet months?

Hello Falcon,

If I recall correctly, we arrived in the Philippines at the tail end of the wet season, it was a bit steamy inland, closer to the water was not that bad, it dried out very quickly. Most anywhere we went during wet weather we had wet feet, unless we were aboard a ship or aircraft. Our gear as you can imagine, was mildewed and slippery, leather boots come apart at the seams as stitching rots away.

Hello Skipper,

Wounds quickly become a serious issue in those conditions, small ones can turn into blood poisoning from infection, and lead to a field amputation. The more traumatic variety can have a very bleak outcome, on occasion the long lingering ones would end in suicide. Finding a wounded man infested with fly larva actually helped clean inflamed septic infections, that may seem hard to imagine, however that's what went on under those isolated primitive conditions on many of those islands.

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All the Best
Jack

Hello Jack,

As a new member here, I was very happy to find this WWII forum, but even more elated at finding your PTO thread here. I've spent the last few days reading your posts which patiently answered the Rogues' questions with wit, authority, and feeling. As one rogue stated, "I am soaking up everything". Me too! And I admit to sometimes laughing out loud as well as getting something in my eyes as well.

Your posts are a national treasure to say the least. As others have pointed out, you need to think about authoring a book. Perhaps that "stalking" nurse with the BMW could take dictation to give your fingers a rest?

My uncle who served in the PTO married a lady from Australia as well. Ellis was the kind of guy who had an infectious smile which lit up a room. No wonder he was so successful with the ladies. He would do anything for anyone at anytime. When my mother passed away, he drove 300 miles to attend the funeral despite the fact he was suffering with terminal cancer. it was the last time I saw him alive. I thanked him for coming, and he said "She is my sister. It's the least I could do". Another Greatest Generation fellow who did what was expected of him all his life without complaint. God bless you all!

BTW, he and his wife actually moved to back to Australian for about 10 years, but eventually returned before retirement.

As for Sydney, I used to think San Diego was the most beautiful city until I took an evening dinner cruise in Sydney. I'm hoping my wife and I can make it there next year since she has relatives still living there.

Since the home front is an interest of mine, your comments concerning your Mom and her health problems regrading your MIA reports, her staring at the photo of you while listening to the radio war news, and how you met your wife (well said btw) were just so insightful and revealing that we here in the Forum are certainly fortunate to have you and your comments and answers to our questions. Thank you so much for sharing!


I have one trivial question. As much as you hate "White Christmas" (and for good reason), is there a favorite WWII melody that instantly takes you back in time to say when you met your wife?

Best Wishes,
JR

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“The first lesson is that you can't lose a war if you have command of the air,
and you can't win a war if you haven't.” - General Jimmy Doolittle

Hello JR,

Thank you for joining us, I have an introduction thread called "Hello to all!", which has become a bit dormant these days, along with a few others which I have put in my two cents worth.

Well, to go back in time a bit, there was a Harry James tune, called "I'll get by" that comes to mind.

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All the Best
Jack

Was there something you enjoyed in the jungle like finding rare fruit, (not the usual coconut), or animal etc... like something refreshing or good tasting that would be enough to turn an ordinary day in hell into a short moment of pleasure.

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Hey Jack!
Just stopping in to say hi! You mentioned the stitching rotting out of boots, and I wondered, do you get re-supplied often? Were things hard to come by?

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Scott

Hello Skipper,

The only rare fruit that comes to mind was a gallon can of peaches that might have been unaccounted for on a Navy list of supplies.

Hello Scott,

A lot of items were hard to come by when it came to resupply, most of what was issued in those days was less than a tailored fit, a size or two too big was the rule of thumb. Boots like any other piece of equipment could be found, some of which came from the same source as did the replacement weapons when required.

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All the Best
Jack

Those peaches must have had a short taste of heaven, I can imagine. It all depends wether they were shared between two or twenty men.

Another question comes to mind, how did you manage to write letters? Was it a line here and there with a pencil in the middle of two tasks, or did you have the possibility to write a letter without being bothered?

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Hello Skip,

I think it was less than half a canteen cup each of the forbidden fruit, I made sure everyone had a portion. Most likely missing from a Navy officer's mess.

Letters were written and mailed aboard ships, in the rear, or sometimes on a scrap of paper carried in a pocket, then mailed when possible, adding a few lines each day as the situation permitted.

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All the Best
Jack

Hello bigfun,

I don't want to step into a ww2 vet's accounts but your above question made me remember something. So SouthWestPacificVet please don't feel offended.

Our Bundeswehr unit went for jungle survival training and one of our comrades thought it would be a good idea to trade in his boots for some seasoned jungle boots.

We had barely been in the jungle for about half a day, when the entire sole of his right boot came of. We could only tie some leaves and roots around, and the poor bast... was forced to carry on for another 4 days.

After that his feet looked like a BBQ. So bigfun's question just remined me about the "availability" of something in the jungle.

To you SouthWestPacificVet my deepest respects, since I have never come across anything more worse then moving through a jungle.

Regards
Kruska

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The world is grey - not black and white

Hello Kruska,

We have not yet met, my name is Jack. No offense taken at all, the forum is Otto's, I am only a guest here.

You're words ring true, few will speak of spending any length of time in a tropical rain forest, or steamy jungle, then remark as it being easy, comfortable, or relaxing.

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All the Best
Jack

Hello Jack,

thank you very much for your kind reply. I will certainly spend some time continuing to read up on your accounts.

Have you ever thought (maybe you did already) about getting your personal eperience and accounts into a book? To my knowledge there are very, very few books that come up with a down to earth account of ww2 vet's. Most of them end up being herorised by some author.

Your presentation reminds me strongly about my uncle (Luftwaffe pilot) who when I listened to, I never had a feeling of exaggeration or coloring of things.

Regards
Andy

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The world is grey - not black and white

A can of peaches! I'll bet they did taste great!
I have another question, though off topic, just wondering how you are doing, I would have sent a private message, but I think at this point we all want to know how you are!
Thanks Jack!

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Scott

Hello Scott,

I'm doing fine, feeling fit, and quite well indeed, thank you for asking. How about you? Those long haul trips still going strong?

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All the Best
Jack

Good to hear you're doing fine, sir. bigfun's question is something that lingers always in the minds of the many who long to read your posts.
Your account of obtaining hard to get stuff for your men brings to my mind the topic of scroungers. Who was the best scrounger for your group? And how did he manage to get away with what he did?
I'm sure there were other scroungers for other units. Did anybody else attempt to send a scrounger to get some items from your unit? How were such people treated if caught?

Falcon,

Sometimes there would be two or three in a unit who would trade with other units in the rear areas. I don't remember money, or script changing hands, or any motive of profit other than coming out ahead in the deal.

In the rear areas, if it was unissued, with no one's name on it, if it could be worn, or consumed, if it was left outside without a guard posted, and not nailed down, it might come up unaccounted for.

The one trick which was common, would be men working their way into off loading details, two or three working together could rat hole something after walking it right past the supply officer.

I don't remember anyone being caught in the act or in possession of missing items, loss of pay and privilege most likely would be the worst of it if all the items were not returned. None of this involved stealing possessions from another man, that sort of thing would have quickly found justice on a personal level, if found to be a common thief, he would have been eating his spam through a straw for a week or so.

Hard to explain, but with line units there was a certain playful mischief about it, no one would really come down hard on a man who was looking to get socks or boots for himself, or for someone in his outfit. We were all numbered government issue items ourselves, getting the correct supply articles where they needed to be was a measure of cutting down the red tape in requisitioning.

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All the Best
Jack

Good Morning Jack,

I am wondering how you dealt with the required paper work associated with all your military combat duties. Did you only have to be debriefing verbally after a reccon patrol and/or combat or did the brass want it in typed form with nine Carbon copies?

Did you have to do any support staff work? Like preparing intelligence reports prior to any invasions of various islands? Did you have to brief senior staff on what you found on your reccon patrols?

Thanks!,
JR

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“The first lesson is that you can't lose a war if you have command of the air,
and you can't win a war if you haven't.” - General Jimmy Doolittle

Hello JR,

The amount of paperwork the Army required outweighed the available supply of dry paper and requisition forms, as well as a suitable place for such compositions. A three sided tent, or a canvas lean to with part of an old packing crate for a table/desk would have earned a satisfactory nod in many cases. Reports were written longhand from notes scribbled down on a note pad, type written on the rare occasions one was available and working.

Debriefings would be verbal, as well as completing a written report. My senior officer during that assignment was a Major, who had recruited me from OCS. One debriefing in Fremantle I attended with the Major in '43, was comprised of RAN staff officers, which included a very stern looking rear Admiral presiding, very formal, I stood facing men in clean pressed white uniforms, having the look of a court martial about it. I was told to please be seated, then asked: "Would the Lt. care for a cup of tea?".

As far as real time goes, there were words which were used to report information on mission situation, success, or failure, if the intelligence was of an urgent nature it would go out as a coded transmission.

A good company clerk can be worth his weight in gold when it came to the bulk of the battle of the paperwork.

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All the Best
Jack