PLEASE SUPPORT THE 15AF.ORG PROJECT! [MORE]
HEADQUARTERS & HEAD-QUARTERS SQUADRON
FORTY FIRST AIR DEPOT GROUP, AAF
APO 520
314.81 31 March 1944
SUBJECT: War Diary for Period, 1 March through 31 March 1944.
TO : Commanding General, Fifteenth Air Force, APO 520, U S ARMY.
(ATTENTION: Historian) (THRU: Channels)
1 March 1944 Personnel of Group Supply returned from Advance Depot #31 to-day. While there, they activated the depot and did an excellent job. The local Red Cross Club was officially opened and Mrs. Kelly Hunter was assigned as assistant Club Director. Notice was received of the promotion of Captain Boers to Major, and 2d Lt Pratt to 1st Lt. Both officers have been working it out for some time and we all feel that the promotions were well deserved.
2 March 1944 In response to a call for blood donors, nearly four dozen officers and Enlisted Men of this organization each donated a pint of blood during the day.
4 March 1944 Two years ago today the 41st ADG was activated at Duncan Field, Texas and an anniversary dance had been planned for this evening. The young ladies of the town were invited to attend, the mess hall was decorated and sandwiches and cake were prepared for the gala occasion. Altogether, twenty local girls attended the dance. The band, however, was very good with several numbers by Sgt Patterson, vocalist from Cincinnati, Ohio.
5 March 1944 The Purple Heart was presented to the following named EM of this organization for wounds received as a result of the raid on Bari, Italy, 2 December 1943: Sgt George P. Drach, Cpl Ray F. Halbleb, and Pvt Robert D. Hill. Cpl Warren W. Bronson received the same award for wounds received while demonstrating the M5A1 Bomb on 7 December 1943. 14 more patients, Group Reporting Office, were transferred to the Detachment of Patients, 26th General Hospital. 16 enlisted men were assigned to HQ, 41st ADG from the 26th Replacement Center.
6 March 1944 This evening we all attended a lecture on Military Security, after which a physical inspection was held. During the inspection seven men were found to have slight cases of influenza and were sent to quarters.
11 March 1944 Nine additional men were assigned from the 22d Replacement Center. This increase in men has resulted in crowding of quarters and also an overrage in authorized strength. Approximately twenty of our boys were dinner guests of the WAC unit in Bari.
13 March 1944 The WAC Special Service representative visited us for several hours today to make arrangements for a dinner scheduled for the very near future.
14 March 1944 Another officer was sailing today - 2d Lt Schlemmer, Engineering, received notice of his promotion to 1st Lt.
15 March 1944 This evening a few of us went to Bari to see the opera "Rigoletto".
16 March 1944 Cpl Larson, one of our auto mechanics, returned to the organization after spending several months in the hospital.
17 March 1944 Lt Col Pool departed for TD to Foggia and Naples and Major Bullen assumed temporary command during his absence. This morning the streets and roofs of the buildings were covered with black, lava dust from Mt Vesuvius.
20 March 1944 Approximately twenty WAC's were our dinner guests this evening. After the dinner entertainment was furnished by our band. Cpl Vaughan, piano player, gave out with a one man show which was greatly enjoyed by all present.
21 March 1944 Capt Ruble, S Sgt Simpson and Cpl Hirsch were assigned from the AAFSC to form our QM section under the provisions of the new T/O.
22 March 1944 Lt Col Pool returned to duty and Maj Bullen was relieved of temporary command. Four of our men were transferred to several service groups this morning. They were old members of the Squadron and left many friends when they departed.
23 March 1944 This evening some of us journeyed to Bari to see the opera, "Il-Groffio".
25 March 1944 Lt Col Pool, OC of the 41st ADG, was transferred today and Lt Col Green, GP, Asst from XV AFSC, assumed command. Miss Lynn Miller, ARC, arrived and assumed duties as Assistant Club Director of our local Red Cross Club.
26 March 1944 1st Lt Smith was assigned as Group Finance Officer to fill the vacancy in our forthcoming T/O.
27 March 1944 Sgt Johnson, one of our cooks, was transferred to the 25th Service Group. Sgt Johnson has been with us for some time and is hard to lose. This afternoon marked the opening of the New Cross Snack Bar which will furnish coffee and sandwiches. S Sgt Rock chipped the bones in both of his heels while playing volleyball and was sent to the hospital this evening.
28 March 1944 Tickets were received for the opera "Tosca" which is playing at the Special Service Theatre in Bari.
29 March 1944 A USO show was presented in the local theatre this afternoon and a large percentage of us attended. The second performance of "Tosca" was given this evening in Bari.
30 March 1944 "Madame Butterfly" was presented this evening in Bari and some members of this organization attended with WAC's as their guests.
[Signature]
Ray Abrams
RAY ABRAMS,
Captain, Air Corps,
Unit Historian.
Do you have WWII memorabilia that you are not sure what to do with it? The children don't want it? Then let us help you preserve this history by donating these items to the Army Air Corps Library and Museum. We are accepting donations in the form of uniforms, medals, ribbons, patches, photos, memorabilia, papers, gear and equipment. We also accept monetary donations to support our operations and long term plans. This website is part of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, and as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit, your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
Read about how we need your support and use donations
Historical Artifacts: We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms and gear of the 15th Air Force in World War II as well as other units and commands. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material.
Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks. Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one.
