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Post by chadhill on Jul 1, 2013 10:41:25 GMT 8
Very impressive research, tmayer. A great testimonial to your grandfather, and the 503rd!
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Post by tmayer on Jul 7, 2013 8:51:20 GMT 8
Virgil Franklin Surber (SN 19061607) 503d Company F Mortar Platoon 3rd Squad Died of wounds in Negros April 26, 1945 Photo from Ancestry.com He was known as “Bud” to his family. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in January, 1942. He was sent to Chanute Field for school and graduated as an airplane mechanic. After transferring to the paratroopers in 1943, he was then shipped overseas in 1944, and served with the 503d paratroopers. The soldier on the right appears to be Virgil Surber. Below is a close up of the photo. The Photo was taken on Corregidor. It's one of many in the series and can be found in Bless 'Em All. My grandfather has several of same images of the mortar guys in F Company. The soldier on the right, looks like it could be George Montoya. Photo by Gravely Diggens Burial: Enterprise Cemetery Enterprise Wallowa County Oregon, USA Find A Grave Memorial# 27494377
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Post by tmayer on Jul 23, 2013 2:20:30 GMT 8
Could this be Inasi Village? In late June of 1944, the 503d received its orders involving their participation in “Table Tennis”, the allied invasion of Noemfoor Island. The 503d was sent to reinforce the invasion force. The plan was to drop the 503d on Kamiri airstrip and then capture the Namber and Kornasoren air dromes and neutralize the Japanese on the island. It was during this time on Normfoor, that Sgt. Ray E. Eubanks earned his MOH, the 503d RCT was formed, the discovery of Japanese cannibalism and the troops watched the Bob Hope show. After sustaining high causality rates on the jumps by the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 503d on the Kamiri airstrip, Colonel Jones requested that the 2nd battalion be flown in to Noemfoor as soon as the kamiri airstrip was operational. Due to delays, the 2nd battalion ended up landing in Romboi Bay, near Namber drome on the southwestern coast of Noemfoor island, by LCIs. From here, they were ordered to proceed overland to Inasi, a small native village on the east side of the island. The village set on the shore of the lagoon, in Broe Bay. A command post for the second battalion was set up near the village and patrols were conducted for several weeks. In BLESS’EM All, by Calhoun and Whitman, there are two references to villages resting on wooden pilings out over the water on Noemfoor. John Lindgren of Company E, 2nd battalion states the following; “Early in the afternoon of 14 July, 1944 the 503ds attached 147th Field Artillery Battalions Piper Cub liaison plane circled low over 2d Battalion headquarters at Inasi, a small village whose houses, resting on wooden pilings extended out over the waters of Broe Bay on the eastern side of the small coral island.” Lt Calhoun of Company F, 2nd battalion states the following; “Lt McCaffery ordered me to take the 1st platoon to Cape Aikar which was a couple of miles to our west on the coast of the island. He took the rest of the company on to Menupuri. A Japanese defensive position was reported to be at Cape Aikar. We hit the coast about a mile below the village and had to locate it. After a patrol located it we moved quietly back up to it. It was a large village with the thatched huts built on stilts out over the water. A boardwalk led from the shore out to the huts. We had to climb down cliffs to reach the village. This was about 1230 hr. As we cautiously approached the village we reached a point where we were still concealed but had a good view of the village.” The above picture fits John Lindgren’s description the best (a small village and no appearance of steep cliffs). Also, the whole 2nd battalion was as Inasi village at one time or another. Whereas it appears, only 1st platoon of F Company made the hike to Cape Aikar. For further reading, please read BLESS’EM ALL by Calhoun and Whitman and Three Winds of Death by Bennett M. Guthrie.
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Post by tmayer on Aug 9, 2013 7:17:06 GMT 8
I'll let this photo speak for itself.
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Post by tmayer on Aug 20, 2013 8:15:36 GMT 8
Know as “Japanese Occupation Currency”, the Gulden was issued by the Japanese as a form of paper script currency for the various occupied areas that made up the Dutch East Indies. This type of currency also existed for other occupied areas such as the Philippines and Burma. They were printed in the local language and in various denominations. The one pictured below is a ½ Gulden and is written in Dutch. The note bears the following words “De Japansche Regeering Betaalt Aan Toonder”, which translates to “The Japanese Government Promises to Pay The Bearer On Demand”. The Gulden was probably procured while participating in operations in Western New Guinea, perhaps while the troops were active around Hollandia or on Noemfor and brought back as a small souvenir. According to Guthrie, in “Three Winds of Death”, the troops received long overdue money in Guldens while on Noemfor.
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Post by tmayer on Aug 28, 2013 1:41:39 GMT 8
This was my Grandfather’s Nadzab map. I scanned the map on my scanner in various sections, and then used a photo stitching software to piece the map back to together. Considering the condition of the map and this being my first time scanning such a large document this way, I' am very pleased with the results.
Below is an image of the back of the map.
The following entry was taken from BLESS’EM ALL by Calhoun & Whitman
BLESS’EM All The history of 2/503 Parachute Infantry Regiment The Adjutant’s Journal 2nd Lieutenant Jerry B. Riseley 5-11 September 1943
5 September 1943
0715 Hrs
The jumpmaster* issues a map to each man, tells them to memorize the azimuth from the jump field to the assembly area and the azimuth to the mountain. He has each man hold up his compass to ascertain that each has it where he can get to it when he gets on the ground. He cautions them that the grass may be over their heads.
*Lt. Bradbury
The written entries in the journal make references to the points on the map. For example;
“1700 hr Co E to proceed from AL to AM Co F AL-BX-AK-CD.”
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Post by chadhill on Sept 11, 2013 0:39:56 GMT 8
Nice stitching job combined with your always great research, tmayer...Chad
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Post by tmayer on Sept 15, 2013 23:10:26 GMT 8
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Post by tmayer on Sept 24, 2013 22:11:04 GMT 8
New Guinea Natives.
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Post by tmayer on Sept 27, 2013 7:07:03 GMT 8
New Guinea Natives.
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