Small American towns have earned a reputation for coming together in extraordinary ways in times of war, and at no time was this clearer than when the United States offered its support to the Allies in a time of worldwide crisis. In this poignant and nostalgic book, Carl M. Becker reflects on his small town in western Ohio during World War II, presenting the Greatest Generation of Miamisburg--lest they be forgotten--and setting their contribution to the war effort in the context of local, national and international affairs. Spurred by his historian's awareness that a collection of letters printed in the town newspaper during the war years had become an unusual and striking documentary record, Dr. Becker collected the stories of hundreds of the ordinary "boys" who had been sent to serve overseas as extraordinary soldiers and sailors. From the details of daily life in foreign lands to dramatic accounts of fighting at the front, Miamisburg in World War II offers an intimate and revealing portrait of strength of a community and character of its people.
This Amish and Mennonite genealogy traces 8,757 families descended from 1703 Jacob Hertzler of Berks Co., Pa. Also provides background history and statistical information on the Hertzler-Hartzler families. (733pp. index. hardcover. reprint of 1952 edition. Higginson Book Co.) Please visit www.HigginsonBooks.com to purchase this title.
The vast majority of soldiers and sailors fighting in World War II did not engage the enemy directly. Indeed, for every infantryman actually fighting, eight others were supporting him--driving trucks laden with food and ammunition, securing captured areas, servicing the machinery of war, and manning desks.This is the story of two enlisted men who served in the Pacific war zone in a support capacity. Theirs is not a tale of blood and fighting; instead it is the story of how they adjusted to the routine of war and the relationships they formed with their comrades.
This is the Wartime story of Leo Elwood Phillips (1920-2013), one of 11 brothers and sisters that grew up during the Great Depression on a small farm near the Village Of Palestine in Darke County, Ohio. Raised by his mother Bessie after the death of his father Matthew in 1932 from pneumonia, he worked the family farm until graduating from Palestine High School in 1938. He subsequently moved to 19 South Sixth Street in the small Ohio city of Miamisburg to live with his sister Beulah and work as a paper cutter. On 14 May 1942, Leo enlisted as a Private in the Army Air Corps at Patterson Field in Fairfield (Fairborn), Ohio, “ … For The Duration Of The War Or Other Emergency, Plus Six Months, Subject To The Discretion Of The President Or Otherwise According To The Law ...” On 6 June 1942, Leo started classroom training with 12 students at the Bertram School Of Gases, Independent Engineering Company of O’Fallon, Illinois. It is here he became an oxygen and acetylene plant operator - learning to pass air through a series of units that compressed it, removed carbon dioxide, moisture, oil content, and separated liquid air into nitrogen and oxygen. Then, moving liquid oxygen or nitrogen into expansion chambers and finally, compressing oxygen into high pressure cylinders for military aviation use. He completed formal classroom instruction in O’Fallon on the 10th of July and then performed on-the-job training in the Company’s factory until the 17th of September, 1942. From the 2nd to the 16th of November Leo traveled on the troopship SS Monterey from Staten Island, New York to Casablanca, French Morocco, as part of Operation Torch. Shortly after arrival his unit started generating oxygen and filling oxygen cylinders for use on Army Air Forces aircraft such as the B-17 Flying Fortress, B- 24 Liberator and P-38 Lightning. On 30 November 1942, Leo and a number of men he trained with at O’Fallon were transferred from Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment to the 41st Service Group, within the XII Air Force Service Command - a part of Twelfth (XII) Air Force. On 12 February 1943, Leo and his unit were transferred from Detachment XII Air Force Service Command (AFSC) to the 37th Air Depot Group (ADG). On 24 August they were again transferred, this time from Air Force General Depot #3 to Depot #5 within the 37th ADG, XII AFSC. On 26 September 1943, they were transferred (without travel) from the 37th ADG to Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, 17th Air Depot Group, as part of their anticipated move to recently liberated southern Italy. By August of 1943, newly promoted Sergeant Phillips was generating and filling aviation oxygen in Tunisia and by December was doing the same in southern Italy. All but four of the next 22 months Leo was stationed in and around Bari and Foggia. By mid-1944, all oxygen plant operators in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations were now attached to the 15th Air Force Service Command (AFSC) Oxygen Detachment, or one of the many Service Groups part of the 15th Air Force. Leo and his men were part of the Oxygen Detachment. From January through October of 1944, the 15th AFSC Oxygen Detachment and Service Groups stationed in Italy collectively filled 225,119 (standard 220 cubic foot) cylinders. The Oxygen Detachment alone was responsible for filling 109,804 – almost half of the total number of cylinders in the Theatre. On 19 November 1944, Leo was promoted to his highest rank, Staff Sergeant (Temporary), while attached to the 18th Air Depot Group. From December 1944 to March 1945, Phillips was sent stateside to Patterson Field near Dayton, Ohio. During this time Leo reported on the status of oxygen generation and use in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations. While at the Field he also learned how to operate a moisture collector for testing oxygen. He had furloughs during this period from 22 to 29 December 1944 and 22 January to 5 February 1945. For much of this time Leo stayed on Oxford Avenue in Dayton, thus, was able to spend much of his free time with his mother, brothers and sisters now living nearby. Leaving for home permanently on 26 September 1945, Phillips traveled from Naples to New York on the refitted former Italian cruise liner Vulcania. This diesel-powered ship, on its maiden voyage as an allied troopship, was manned by Italian officers and crew. The ship carried 4,057 Americans, including 3,200 Army officers and enlisted men, 557 members of the WAC and 300 nurses. After arriving at Staten Island on 4 October, every soldier was transported to Camp Kilmer in New Brunswick, New Jersey - the largest processing center for troops heading overseas and returning home from World War II. Next, Leo left for Camp Atterbury, Indiana. After further processing to complete the transition from soldier to civilian, Staff Sergeant Phillips received an Honorable Discharge from the 41st Depot Replacement Squadron located at the Separation Center, on 10 October 1945. Soon after coming back home to Miamisburg Leo married Audrey Constance (Case) Phillips and had two children. Audrey was the sister of one of Leo’s closest friends during the War - Ronald A. Case. Leo worked for Burdett Oxygen Company and retired from the Dayton-headquartered bicycle manufacturer Huffy Corporation after 17 years of faithful service. Leo passed on 4 September 2013, after living a rich life which also included tenure as President of the Moose Lodge in Miamisburg, member of St. George's Episcopal Church, Centerville and the love of family, friends, golf, and traveling. CONTENTS: Copyright Independent Engineering Company During World War II Chronology Scrapbook SS Charles Henderson Explosion In Bari Harbor Coming Home On The SS Vulcania Return To The United States - Camp Kilmer, New Jersey Honorable Discharge From Separation Center, Camp Atterbury, Indiana Organizational History Of The 15th Air Force High Altitude Oxygen Cylinders Produced By Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Of Akron, Ohio Generating, Transferring And Using Oxygen Aircraft Oxygen System And Equipment Index of Army and Navy Aeronautical Equipment Volume 3 - Oxygen Equipment - Miscellaneous Equipment Technical Manual 5-351 Gas Generating
While the Gem City is better known as the birthplace of aviation, Dayton has an impressive history of working toward peace. Generations of Daytonians worked passionately to create a nonviolent and welcoming community to inspire others. Abolitionists assisted escaped slaves from one Underground checkpoint to the next. Quakers peacefully abstained from war and chartered several colleges in the Dayton area. The Wright brothers invented the airplane to end all wars, and the landmark Dayton Peace Accords famously ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Author Tammy Newsom explores the inventiveness, compassion and courage of the men and women who have made Dayton a city of peace.
Over the years many books have been written on World War II, especially about the battles overseas. This book was written, in part, to honor those that helped fight the war, not on the battlefields, but also in Dayton, Ohio. By focusing on the home front, the military aspect of the war has been somewhat diminished compared to other books about the era. Wright, Patterson and McCook Field, although of utmost importance in the United States effort to win the war, takes more of a backseat here. Instead, the changes that occurred in the everyday lives of those who were left behind are discussed. It may seem strange to compare the men and women who served in the armed forces with those who stayed behind, but the truth is that both made sacrifices for the greater good, including the supreme sacrifice of giving up their lives. During the war 292,000 American soldiers died, with another 671,000 wounded. On the home front, nearly 300,000 war workers died while on the job, with more than one million disabled and three million injured. Many "soldiers" on the home front gave freely of their time, working 48 hour a week, volunteering as civil defense wardens or making bandages for the Red Cross in the evenings and on weekends. Many types of food were rationed, as was gasoline, tires, automobiles, and even safety razors. Scrap drives were held in an effort to collect metals to make new weapons, hosiery to make parachutes and fat to make glycerin for gunpowder. Even the children got into the act, being trained as "defense messengers", earning money for the purchase of war bonds, and forming clubs like the Dayton Junior Commandos, all in an effort to help shorten the war. The citizens of Dayton who lived during the war were, and still are, extraordinary people who helped shape the way our city and our nation is today. It is to them that this book is dedicated.
