Hellcat News, (Kingman, Ariz.), Vol. 51, No. 7, Ed. 1, March 1998 Page: 8 of 20
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Page 8
HELLCAT NEWS
March 1998
nice, Norb.
Continuing down Memory Lane: March 1943: Sometime in the
winter of42/43, our M-3 General Grant tanks were replaced by M-4
General Shermans. A great improvement, plus we had more tanks
for training. There were overnight problems with tanks firing at
each other with 30 caliber machine guns. Hearing the bullets bounce
off gave us more confidence in our tanks.
Chapter 7, March 1944, Camp Barkeley, Texas. The 44th Tank
Battalion marched to the waiting train to die music of the 12th AD
band. The train traveled north night and day. There were stops at the
larger cities for a 15 minute march through town. We would show
off by doing close order drill. Those were welcome breaks to break
the monotony of the train ride. About the only excitement was
watching jack rabbits running through the sage in the moonlight.
Over the mountains and along the Columbia River, we crossed
over to Vancouver, WA. At Camp Hathaway we saw our first
WACs. There were many forays into nearby towns and they all
knew the 44th Tank Battalion had arrived. We were issued our
summer gear. At Portland, OR, the Port of Embarkation, the 44th
passed from control of the 12th Armored Division and became a
separate Tank Battalion.
22 March we boarded the Kota Baroe, a Dutch freighter
converted to a troop carrier. When the ship reached the swells of the
Pacific Ocean, the heads (bathrooms) were filled with seasick men.
Sometimes three heads over one bowl. Men lying on the floor in
polluted water. What a mess. Kota Baroe meant "Sea Wolf' so the
44th became the "Wolf Pack." The song "Buckle Down Winsockie"
was sung many times. When we crossed the equator, we "poly-
wogs" were initiated (an understatement) and became "Shellbacks."
March 1945: The 44th TB, less Company C, with the battle for
Manila over, moved south participating in heavy fighting on the
Batangas Peninsula. The climax was the capture of Mt. Macolod,
called the million-dollar hill because of the cost of taking it. By this
time many of the tanks were in very bad need of repair.
5 March 1945, Company C moved from Pasode Bias to
Novaliches. Sgt. Horton was commissioned in the field to 2nd Lt.
And became my tank commander.
In the Antipolo area, heavy fighting was required to get the Japs
out of the caves and tunnels they had dug in the mountains. 16
March, the three medium tank platoons met the rest of the company
at Markina. This was the first time the entire company had been
together since Dec. of 1944. 27 March the Company made a road
march to a camp near Manila for rest and rehabilitation. They had
been in combat for 77 consecutive days, believed to be a record for
an armored unit in the Pacific.
HEADQUARTERS: Francis and Helen Boyd were surprised to
receive a phone call from Harry and Doris Morris [C] wondering if
they were hit by the ice storm. They were not. Boyds spent a quiet
Christmas at home. As usual, they had lots of snow.
Jim Wilson wrote even with the floods in their area, their total
rainfall was below normal. Some of their crops were above and
some below normal but they did OK overall. Tobacco had record
breaking prices. Jim has started getting his tractors ready for the
next planting. He and Martine are well.
Henry Zumkeller called. His younger brother passed away from
bone cancer. Zum said it was a blessing. He will be 84 in Oct.
SERVICE: I talked to Hubert Moutrie in Jan. He and Ruth were
doing OK. Eddie and Irene Peacock had been visiting their daughter
and they were doing OK too. They planned on hosting a big family
dinner for New Years. Hope it went well.
COMPANY A: Last I heard from Claude Spargur, he and Cel
were looking forward to the 44th reunion in Nashville Sept. 10-12.
COMPANY B: Received a nice letter from George Fisher. Like
so many others he said the Nardella family couldn't have done a
better job at the last reunion. From that reunion he and Dorothy
traveled west to the Dakotas and saw lots of country. They are both
looking forward to Nashville.
COMPANY C: Ethel Bilstein passed away Jan. 13, 1998. You
have our sympathy, Bill (see obit). I received a copy of the obituary
from Howard and Dorothy Wertz, thank you. Bernie Friend called
to let me know Russ Hunt suffered a severe stroke in Jan. Harry and
Doris Morris sent a plant from Company C. We are hoping for the
best, Jane. Russ had his 82nd birthday in Jan.
So far I received the following responses from my annual
Company C letter: New address for Cliff and Mae Nell Cooper:
12265 FM 782 N, Henderson, TX 75652. Phone 903-836-2318.
Herschel and Jean Dillard: he retired after running the Galeton Post
Office for 33 years. Grover and Hazel Ferguson sold their livestock
and now keep busy with their garden and orchards. Sol and Rene
Tratten are OK and will try to make the Nashville reunion, health
permitting. Dorothy Wertz caught the flu after Christmas but both
are OK now. Howard bet me a cup of coffee on the Super Bowl. If
I won I would have to go to their house to collect.
Lt. Westphal and his wife Bertha Mae attended our first Co. C
reunion in Nashville in 1978. Bill had severe emphysema and
passed away the next year. Jim Wilson [HQ] just sent me an
obituary noting Bertha Mae passed away on Jan. 5,1998, at age 78.
Thanks, Jim.
Bernie and Bud Friend sent me a sheet, "Remember the Times,"
comparing 1945 with 1994: U.S. population, 140mm-252mm; 3
bedroom home, $4,625-$ 109,000; price of a new Ford, $882-
$13,650; gallon of gas, $.21-$1.19; gallon of milk, $.62-$2.32; and
a first class postage stamp, $.03-$.29. Compare 1994 with 1998 and
there is quite a difference already.
No news from D Company: Greetings to Ken Holderman. We are
thinking of you, Ken.
At the Mercier compound there is not much to talk about. With
a little bit of luck we will spend a few days in California and a few
days in Reno in mid-February. We hope all is well with you. Please
write or call.
How about a couple of Zum's Zingers? You don't have to be an
artist to draw a breath. It's great to enjoy laughter until your own
hereafter. When persons say they will see you later, it's true,
because they can't see you earlier. When I was a Second Grader just
learning to read, I went into a room marked Women, and sure
enough, there they were.
66TH ARMORED INFANTRY RATTAII0N
Lester Porter, 1702 Meadowdale Drive, Dublin, GA 31021
Phone (912) 272-0571
Happy St. Patrick's, 66thers.
Jim Pilgrim (A] and Doris says last year had some good and
some bad. Doris broke her ankle and Jim had a pesky infection.
Sorry they missed Columbus but may make Houston. The anniver-
sary of our baptism under fire has come and gone again. Dec. 7,
1944, was Jim's 20th birthday and we had our first casualties that
day - Comer and Lassiter.
Bob Payne [B-92], 1014 Circle Dr., Eldersburg, MD 21684, is
chairman of the committee to select the Woman of the Year 1998.
To have as many valid nominations as possible, he asks Unit Reps
to ask the membership to give some thought to the women of the
Association (as if we thought about anything else) who should be
recognized for their service to the units or the whole association.
The criteria for nominations are relatively simple. The Assn.
wishes to honor the Hellkittens who have contributed time and
effort to the success of the organization, who may always be found
lending a hand at the reception desk, the hospitality rooms, local
chapter meetings and Ladies Luncheons. Consideration may be
given to the wives of unit reps or Assn. officers as well as others
who have in numerous ways been a factor in the continued success
of the Hellcats. The committee is not limited to only one selection
for 1998 and equal attention will be given to any nomination for an
award to be given posthumously. All nominations should be sent
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Twelfth Armored Division Association (U.S.). Hellcat News, (Kingman, Ariz.), Vol. 51, No. 7, Ed. 1, March 1998, newspaper, March 1998; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth410168/m1/8/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.