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HEADQUARTERS AND HEAD-QUARTERS SQUADRON
FORTY FIRST AIR DEPOT GROUP, AAF
APO 502
334.61 1 May 1944
SUBJECT: War Diary for Period, 1 April through 30 April 1944.
TO : Commanding General, Fifteenth Air Force, APO 520, U. S. Army. (ATTENTION: Historian) (THRU: Channels)
2 April 1944 S Sgt Haddon was promoted to T Sgt and 1st Sgt Bush, on overage, was assigned to the 95th Repair Squadron.
3 April 1944 We had our weekly "Jam Session" in the Group Chapel this evening and as usual it was a great success. The band was very good and several vocals were presented by a member of the audience. Our band has shown great signs of improvement but is still desperately in need of new instruments. Our officers' volleyball team defeated the officers' team from the 41st Repair in a very close game.
4 April 1944 Fourteen more of our old men were transferred today to comply with our forthcoming T/O. A site has been chosen for our rest camp and we furnished a detail to begin work on it today. The camp is located approximately five miles from here and has space for athletic grounds and also offers saddle horses for those interested in riding. We have been waiting for our rest camp almost since the early part of January 1944 and finally received them today. Most of us have played teams on our ribbons already and are quite proud of them.
5 April 1944 An athletic unit was formed of officers from our squadron. This unit operates under the supervision of the Group Special Service Officer and will provide complete recreational programs for personnel of the group.
6 April 1944 Word was received that 1st Lt Tyrone, Group CWS Officer, was promoted to Captain on 18 Mar 44. The runway repairs have been completed and the field was tested this morning. With the expansion of the field we expect to be very busy once more.
7 April 1944 Many of us attended a very beautiful and impressive religious procession which began early this afternoon and lasted until late in the evening. Sixteen more men were transferred in preparation for our new T/O. We had Coca Cola from the PX today and for most of us it was the first since leaving the States. Each person received one bottleful as we are all looking forward to our next ration. Our Jewish personnel journeyed to Bari this evening to participate in Seder Services held there.
8 April 1944 Sunrise Services were held by Chaplain Feard on a small hill overlooking the airport. The services were devoted mostly to musical numbers and were very impressive. Today being Easter, the townspeople were out for the Easter Parade, wearing their best clothing and for a change they presented a very good appearance. We received three large shoe boxes (5'x3'x3') which when shelved will provide good reading material for our library. Members of our band played for a dinner given by the General Fearing at Bari this evening.
11 April 1944 A new site has been proposed for our rest camp. This camp is located at Colucci, on the outskirts of Taranto, and offers the same athletic facilities with boating and fishing for added attraction. It was formerly an Italian Hospital and will make a very desirable rest camp. A British ENSA troupe presented two shows today and was well received by those who attended. Shortly after eleven o'clock this evening we experienced our first alert since leaving Bari. The alert lasted for approximately thirty minutes but no planes or defense fire was heard.
12 April 1944 Major Roger Edwards was assigned as our new Group Executive Officer.
13 April 1944 Cold beer and a good supper completed today's activities. This year we took our beer to a local ice cream parlor and had it well chilled before serving.
16 April 1944 Twenty-six new men were assigned to us this afternoon and the majority of them are former Marines now classified as laborers. This evening we held a dance in our mess hall with Polish WAC's and nurses as our guests. Men were invited from all squadrons of the Group and a very enjoyable evening was had by all. Once again we were able to enjoy a USO Show with captivating girls, good music and a very talented young magician.
16 April 1944 A drive is in progress to secure driver's licenses for each member of the organization. The usual Sunday afternoon concert was given by the band in the public square. The advance unit of the 464th Bomb Group arrived at the field late this afternoon.
17 April 1944 1st Lt Shacklette, Group Finance Officer, was notified of his promotion to Captain on 3 Apr 44. A memorandum was issued today revising the present guard system. Good news for all of us was the fact that general posts have been discontinued. The regular Monday evening "Jam Session" was held this evening and a negro quartet was the main attraction for most of us. An English military band presented two performances at our Special Services Theatre with a small number of our men attending.
19 April 1944 We began turning in our American currency for Allied Military Currency today. Some of us have been keeping gold seal money as a reserve and were rather reluctant to part with it.
20 April 1944 Effective this evening we furnish only one guard per day. Prior to this time we have supplied five privates and one corporal each day. Most of our newly assigned men have volunteered for duty as Military Police. This morning nine athletic teams were chosen. Coca Cola was once again issued by the PX and ours was ice cold at that!! The remainder of the 464th Bomb Group arrived from North Africa which will mean increased work for our men.
21 April 1944 Two promotions were received today. Capt Shorb, Special Service, and 1st Lt Goldemberg, Group Ordnance Officer, to Captains. 1st Lt Freeman was relieved as Group Transportation Officer and given the primary duty of Group Special Service Officer. He has been acting as Special Service Officer in addition to his other duties and will now be able to devote more time to this work. Our band played for a dance at the Officers' Red Cross in Bari this evening. Mail call today brought a new supply of Special Service magazines which were distributed into the various rooms.
22 April 1944 Capt Bourque, our Group Adjutant, was all smiles and passed many congratulations this evening. No, it wasn't a promotion, but news of the birth of a daughter. The 315th Repair celebrated their first birthday by having a show and party this evening. Those of us who attended admitted that it was the best show we have seen.
23 April 1944 The band was quite busy by giving its regular Sunday public concert this morning and playing at the Enlisted Men's Red Cross Club in Bari all afternoon.
24 April 1944 Our softball team defeated the 65th Repair by the score of 5 to 2 in our first official game. This evening we received the first of a series of lectures on malaria control given by our Group Surgeon, Capt Stephens.
25 April 1944 The regular "Jam Session" was held this evening with s quartet furnishing several very good vocals.
26 April 1944 PX rations this week were above the average. We received our candy bars each and a large quantity of beer. The second malaria lecture was given in the mess hall this evening.
27 April 1944 For the past few days our field has been a beehive of activity especially new construction. New taxiways have been erected all our hangar and at present we are making a replacement pool for these areas. This work, with the 1760th QM men curtailed because of rain. This evening our band furnished music for a show at the New Zealand camp stationed near here.
28 April 1944 The third and final lecture on malaria control was given this evening and many of us attended an Italian stage show held immediately after completion of the lecture.
29 April 1944 Victorious again—we defeated the 1762d Ord Co by the score of 9 to 3. S Sgt Janiga and Sgt DuBois, who have been with us for more than a year, were transferred to the 1242 Bomb Squadron late this evening. The band played this evening at the 307 Service Group and returned in the early hours of the morning.
30 April 1944 The ball game scheduled with the 21st Repair was cancelled because of heavy rain. A physical inspection we held this evening and all results were negative. There have been no new cases of venereal disease during the past month. T Sgt Barrett, another old Ordnance man, was transferred to the States as cadre for a heavy bombardment group. We all wished him the best of luck for a happy reunion with his wife and family.
[Signature] RAY ABROMS, Major, Air Corps, Unit Historian.
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