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Victory In Europe – VE Day

May 6, 2021 by denisefrisino Leave a Comment

Victory In Europe – VE Day

On September 3, 1939 the British and France declared war on Germany after the Nazi’s invaded Poland. On December 11, 1941, after the United States was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, Germany declared war on the US.

Six years of global battle for the Brits and four years for America had taken their toll when finally Germany fell to the combined forces of the Allies.

On May 7th, 1945 the first unconditional surrender of Germany ending WWII was signed. Due to some needed rewriting of the legal document, the definitive Act of Military Surrender, was signed by all parties and recorded as midnight on May 8th.

Those at the table included the Allied Expeditionary Force, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), the Supreme High Command of the Soviet Red Army, along with other French and US representatives signing as witnesses. Thus, May 8th is the day most celebrate the end of the Second World War.

The press had already been leaked the information so some headlines around the globe reflect the first signing at Reims on May 7th as the end of the war in Europe.

The events leading up to this glorious day were hard fought and deadly.

Troops under General’s Dwight D. Eisenhower and George Patton had just fought through one of the coldest winters in history on the Western Front, the Battle of the Bulge, considered the bloodiest and largest single battle fought in Europe by the US during WWII.

By April of 1945 the German Army, many of them untrained young teenagers, were spread in small pockets across Europe fighting a losing battle.

By the end of March, the combined forces of the Allies had reached the eastern shores of the Rhine River. On April 25th, Americans and Russian troops meet for the first time at the Elbe River. The East and West united against the Nazi’s.

Since mid-February the United States Air Force, along with the British RAF, had been dropping thousands of bombs demolishing Dresden. The bombing of larger German towns continued.

Allied victory was imminent.

Top-Right: Berlin. Bottom Row: Dresden, Dresden, Cologne, Nuremburg .

After May 2nd, when the Soviets took Berlin, the Associated Press claimed:

“Berlin, greatest city of the European Continent, fell yesterday afternoon to the Russians as 70,000 German troops laid down their arms in the surrender that Adolf Hitler had said never would come.”

Thousands of German soldiers surrender, with towns showing little resistance, as the Allies claimed the remaining territory held by the Nazis.

The first exchange toward surrender between the Germans and Allies happened in western Holland on April 28th, the same day Mussolini’s fascist state collapsed and the Russians furthered their attacks in Berlin. The Nazi world was crumbling. In two days’ time, Hitler would take his own life.

It is said that the Germans preferred to surrender to the Allies rather than to the Red Army as they did not believe the Russians would honor the terms of surrender for the German civilians.

World War Two Rages On

With the war in Europe over, pressure mounted to end the continuing battle with Japan, a country whose troops would rather commit suicide, than surrender. For many of the young American soldiers who had just finished battling in Europe yet did not have the required amount of time in the service to be released, their biggest fear was being sent to the Pacific Theater.

Professor Bob Harmon who taught for decades at Seattle University, and is featured in the attached video filmed in 2017, remembers the surrender of Weimar, Germany very well. It was April 12th, the day he turned 20, when his squad accepted the Germans surrender. He also told me he didn’t think he would survive if sent to Japan. He felt he had used up all of his ‘good luck’ surviving the Battle of the Bulge through to the end of the war. He was thrilled to be assigned guarding the salt mines at Altaussee, Austria, where all the valuable artwork, gold and other prizes sized by Hitlers men had been stored. Then later in life, meeting George Clooney as he made the movie, Monuments Men. (That story to follow.)

We are forever grateful to the likes of Harmon and all who fought across Europe to bring us Victory in Europe Day – V E Day. And to those who continued to fight for our freedom across the Pacific against Japan.

Thank you for Our Freedom.

Coastwatchers

April 5, 2021 by denisefrisino Leave a Comment

Coastwatchers

The Small Band of Men Who Saved Thousands of Allied Troops

In Bellingham, Washington as soon as WWII broke out, tall towers were erected close to the Canadian border. Teenagers equipped with their sleeping bags and supplies would rotate assignments, some spending the night, to listen and watch for any incoming aircraft then immediately report their observations. Along the Pacific Coast, citizens worked shifts at radio stations established in caves or small shacks ready to alert the Coast Guard and Navy of offshore enemy activity. The West Coast, the southern Gulf Shores, even up the Mississippi were manned with Americans on guard for enemy ships, submarines, or aircraft.

The Southwest Pacific Islands

Across the vast Pacific in the many islands dotting the Bismarck, Solomon, and Coral Seas the Allies depended on the existence and efficiency of the coastwatchers.

These Coastwatchers, first organized by the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board in 1922, expanded their vigilance throughout New Guinea and the nearly 1,000 islands composing the Solomon Islands during WWII. Joined by servicemen from New Zealand, who had established their own coastwatchers along their shores and region, and aided by local islanders, plus escaped Allied prisoners of war, this band of brave men observed the waterways and skies for the enemy. They were known as the Coast Watch Organisation, Combined Field Intelligence Service or Section C, Allied Intelligence Bureau.

From Queensland, the Australian coastwatchers “organisation” was led by Lieutenant Commander Eric Feldt. Feldt decided on the code name “Ferdinand,” based on the 1936 popular children’s book, “The Story of Ferdinand.” Feldt reasoned that their job as coastwatchers was to sit, observe and collect information, not engage conspicuously in battle. Feldt would use this analogy to encourage his men.

“Ferdinand … did not fight but sat under a tree and just smelled the flowers.”

Yet, of course, these dedicated coastwatchers could fight, if stung.

Their equipment, teleradios, consisted of a combination of loud speaker, transmitter and a receiver. These heavy objects required 12-16 men to move their containers and were powered by car batteries recharged by petrol – gas.

In the early stages of conflict their network played an important role in the Guadalcanal campaign, code named “Cactus”. The ability to radio enemy activity in the early warning stages of conflict, including the construction of an airfield on Guadalcanal, resulted in the first major land offensive against Emperor Hirohito’s men in the South Pacific.

The Risk Was Immense.

In an attempt to protect his men if captured, the mostly civilian group became part of the Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve, RANVR, in April of 1942. However, this rank was not always respected by the enemy, and Feldt’s best friend, Bill Kyle, whom Feldt had recruited into the coastwatchers, was captured and executed by the Japanese.

Another significant volunteer was Sergeant Major Jacob C. Vouza. After 25 years of service in the Solomon Islands Protectorate Army, Vouza rejoined the British forces. On August 7th, 1942, as the US 1st Marine Division was landing on Guadalcanal, Jacob fished a downed pilot from the USS Wasp out of Japanese held waters. Once he delivered the airman to the Americans, his abilities as a scout were quickly recognized and expanded. The retired native from Tasimboko, agreed to go behind enemy lines to scout and report.

Sergeant Major Jacob C. Vouza soon after the Allied landing on Quadacanal in 1942. (left) Vouza in retirement. (right)

Unfortunately, weeks later, on August 20, Jacob was captured by the Japanese. Finding a small American flag in his loincloth, they tied him to a tree and began to torture the Allied spy. When Jacob refused to talk, the Japanese soldiers slashed his face, throat, arms, shoulder, and stomach with their bayonets, leaving him to die. Using his teeth, he gnawed through the rope then, finding his way through miles of jungle, he was able to reach the American camps and warn the 2nd Battalion 1st Marines of the approaching Japanese soldiers. The Marines had about ten minutes to strengthen their positions at the mouth of the Ilu River, referred to as Alligator Creek. These precious minutes allowed the Americans to prepare for the approaching 250 – 500 Japanese troops planning to attack that night. The ensuing Battle of the Tenaru on Guadalcanal was a victory for the Americans who were tasked with defending the newly acquired airstrip, Henderson Field.

It is said that Jacob refused medical attention until he spoke with British Major Martin Clemens, an instrumental coastwatcher, and Lieutenant Colonel Edwin A. Pollock, commander of the 2nd Battalion. Jacob would recover to continue aiding the US Marines. For his valuable service he was awarded several medals and honored by the United States Marine Corps, and Britain. A memorial was built in his honor in Honiara, the capitol of the Solomon Islands.

Monument to Sergeant Major Jacob C. Vouza

As the Pacific Campaign continued, impacted by the constant US air patrol and the tenacity of the coastwatchers, the Imperial Japanese Navy were forced to move through the night to deliver troops and supplies in what was known as the “Tokyo Express”, originally coined the “Cactus Express.” The coastwatchers hidden radio stations buzzed with alerts and vital information during battles or as the Japanese navy or aircraft were moving soldiers and equipment to various islands in preparations for attacking American bases. Living in obscurity in the jungles and along the shores they were instrumental in the rescue of survivors from downed airplanes or sinking ships.
One group of stranded sailors rescued after their PT boat was ripped in two when rammed by a Japanese destroyer, included the captain of that fateful PT 109, the late President John F. Kennedy.
At one point the coastwatchers recovered an enemy tin filled with pages listing the names of all the Japanese officers and where they were stationed. This important information was delivered to the US and Allies at a very crucial time during the war in the Pacific.

‘Japanese coming, regards to all.’

This was the final message sent on September 25, 1942 from Maiana atoll in the Gilbert Islands (now known as Kiribati). As the Japanese swarmed across six of the small land masses, they captured twenty-two coastwatchers and civilians. All Prisoners of War were taken to Tarawa where on October 15th they were all beheaded.

Our Coastwatchers – Online Cenotaph – Auckland War Memorial Museum

It was the vigilance and sacrifice of the approximately 400 men who composed the coastwatchers, whose constant brush with the enemy can be credited with saving thousands of Allied soldiers’ lives, that we should pause to honor.

A heartfelt Thank You to all the coastwatchers of WWII, especially those who did not return to their families and enjoy the freedom their bravery helped obtain.

Victory Mail

February 11, 2021 by denisefrisino Leave a Comment

Victory Mail

Keeping Loved Ones Connected During WWII

In this modern day of instant connectivity via email, text, twitter, Tik Tok, Facebook, Facetime, etc. it is hard to envision what it would have been like to wait weeks, even months, to hear from your loved ones or to receive news from back home.

WWII had many challenges, keeping positive morale among the troops was paramount. Communication between loved ones and those fighting to protect us often provided them with the fortitude to persevere though the horrors of war. One can imagine that men and women overseas would anxiously stand in line to hear their names called out – that a letter had arrived for them – a bit of home on a small slip of paper.

“The Post Office, War and Navy departments realize fully that frequent and rapid communication with parents, associates and other loved ones strengthens fortitude, enlivens patriotism, makes loneliness endurable and inspires to even greater devotion the men and women who are carrying on our fight far from home and from friends.”
Postmaster General 1942 Annual Report

Risk of Waylaid Mail

However, receiving mail was not easy. Transferring vital information was risky. In some instances, messages – if delivered to the wrong hands – incited wars.
In November of 1940, Churchill’s British War Cabinet’s Planning Division, entrusted 6 officers aboard the SS Automedon, a passenger and cargo steamer, with a small green bag marked “Highly Confidential.” This bag was purposely punctured with holes and weighted. In the event the ship was under attack, the officers were to toss the sack into the water, confident it would quickly sink.

Unfortunately, when the German Auxiliary Cruiser, Atlantis, a merchant raider, spotted the Automedon off Sumatra on November 11th of that year, the German captain raised his colors and opened fire. All six British officers were killed on the first strike before they could fulfill their orders to destroy the top secret information. The 28 pages prepared by MI6, along with Naval Intelligence reports, Fleet orders, decoding tables and other sensitive information, was recovered by the Germans who promptly gave a copy of these reports to their Axis ally, the Japanese.

England was not aware the documents had fallen into the enemy hands until March 1, 1941, almost four months later, an astonishing amount of time during any war.
Some say the discovery of this intelligence, which claimed Britain could not afford to continue a large presence in the South Pacific, provided Admiral Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, the vital information needed to help make the decision to enter the Second World War with the United States and bomb Pearl Harbor.
In the ever changing tide of war there were many incidents when mail or transmissions were uncovered by the opposing side.

The Australian Coastwatchers positioned throughout New Guinea and the Solomon Islands during the WWII, were a band of brave men who constantly observed the waterways and skies for the enemy. They not only reported movement and helped rescue Allies, but also recovered a tin filled with pages listing the names of all the Japanese naval officers and where they were stationed. This important information was delivered to the US and Allies at a very crucial point in the war in the Pacific.

V Mail to the Rescue

For WWII US soldiers, rules were established for letter writing. When penning words to send home, servicemen could not divulge their whereabouts or movement. All letters were read and censored. Handwritten good tiding from the front often arrived with holes in the pages where the censor considered the information too descriptive if read by a spy. Also, the amount of mail filling cargo ships took up far too much space, precious space better used for ammunitions, food, or medical supplies, etc.
America quickly undertook the solution, one that Britain had been employing for years. Microphotography, microfilming, dated back to 1850 when used primarily by banks and businesses. Photographing the message then sending the film to be processed, printed, and delivered, dated back to the Franco-Prussian War when the primitive microfilm was transported by carrier pigeon.

V Mail was adopted and encouraged in May of 1942 when the US entered into a contract with Kodak. Instructed to use dark ink, you wrote on a purchased, V Mail sheet which would be photographed then the film shipped overseas. This method also prevented espionage tactics such as invisible ink to be utilized. Over 1 billion V Mail letters were processed between June of 1942 and November of 1945. This space saving venture meant that about 37 mailbags were reduced to one bag, as 1,600 letters could fit on a single 100-foot roll of 16mm film.

Sealed with a Kiss

The drawback, of course, was the one page of the V Mail did not allow for long exchanges. Also, and to some more importantly, you could not use lip stick on the V Mail to “seal it with a kiss.” That distinguishable mark of color on the envelope, an imprint of love and promise boosting moral and encouraging the men in fox holes, would gum up the printing press and was not allowed.

On this Valentines Day, when communicating in real time exchanges with friends and family, think of those who served and continue to do so. Consider sending a letter to a soldier overseas to thank them for their service.

Link to Doing Good Together’s Write Letters to a Soldier project page

https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/bhf/write-letters-to-a-soldier.

And remember how fortunate we are to be free to seal our letters with a kiss.

P.S.
The WWII letters my father, First Lieutenant Joseph Frisino, sent to my mother while in the Signal Corps, first from Alaska while building the Alcan Highway and then from the jungles of Burma when defending the Burma Road, are priceless.