Old Heidelberg Castle had silohouette done.
Pigeon coop carriers in Heidelberg.
Photos by Louis Lee Sapienza.
November 17, 1945
Went on D.S. to 2nd Sig. Nov. 17. Had a good time in Bad Neuheim and didn't want to leave.
November 26, 1945
Was called back on Nov. 26. Am now getting ready to leave for the port. All our equipment is now being turned in.
December 19, 1945
Left Bad Orb Dec. 19 with our radio truck for the 41st Infantry which we are going to travel to the part with. Spent the night at Romhultz in a castle. This was the most beautiful castle I've ever been in.
Left 5:00 A.M. in convoy to Metz. From Metz we went to Dixon to St. Raymond to Calla.
December 24, 1945 - January 19, 1946
We are now in area 88 a big mud hole. Arrived here December 24. Tomorrow is Christmas once again. Was in Marseilles on pass to look the town over. We are here a month. now and it finally looks like we are going to leave. Were given our numbers today for boat loading.
December 24, 1945 - January 19, 1946
We are now in area 88 a big mud hole. Arrived here December 24. Tomorrow is Christmas once again. Was in Marseilles on pass to look the town over. We are here a month. now and it finally looks like we are going to leave. Were given our numbers today for boat loading.
January 20, 1946
Left Calla for boat Jan. 20. Boarded Hampton Sydney in Marseilles ar 10:00 A.M. and pulled out at 2:30 P.M.
January 22, 1946
On Jan. 22 we passed the "Rock" of "Gibraltar" beautiful sight. There is a toen at the waters edge. The Rock had a red beacon light while on the African Coast, 14 miles over had a white beacon. Both shores were very clear and we could make out houses on them.
January 24, 1946
Today Jan 24 at 2:00 P.M. we passed one of the islands in the Azores. It was very nice looking place with its hilly country side. Saw a couple of our planes take off from our airfield on it. Saw a town lying in the valley atop of mt. with two windmills. There were a large amount of barracks and gas tanks visible along the shore lines also 3 freighters unloading. Sea so far has been fair with only 1 day of high seas.
January 29, 1946
Sea very rough today, Jan 29 with high winds. While boat was pitching one anchor broke loose and almost took half the ship along with it. Wench is now kaput so opposite anchor has been cabled to hull.
January 30, 1946
Had near panic in Camp "A" as everyone ran for stairway fighting to get out. I was topside at time. Arrived in N.Y. harbor Jan 30, a good sight. Docked at Bush Terminal in Brooklyn where mom was waiting on pier. Left pier by ferry to Camp Kilmer, left for Ft. Dix where...
February 4, 1946
..I finally received my discharge on Feb. 4, 1946.
The Los Angeles Times reported "Army Retires Last of War Hero Pigeons: Famous Birds Will Find Homes in Zoos in Many U.S. Cities." The article noted that the Army was down to "the last 15 pigeon heroes of the original flock of 40,000 that carried thousands of messages and saved hundreds of lives in World War II."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frank Hauck
After returning to Brooklyn, New York, Frank Hauck moved to New Jersey and went to work for Maxwell House Coffee in Hoboken where he eventually managed the decaffeinating plant. He actively flew model planes up until his death in 1985.
Louis Lee Sapienza
Louis Lee Sapienza went back to Pittsburgh to his old job at the Westinghouse Electric Plant in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania as an electrician. He remained their until until he retired. As a naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Sicily, he passed a rigorous security check and worked at Westinghouse on the control panels of the first atomic submarine. He continued to race pigeons until he became too old to take care of them.
Emil Banek
Emil Banek returned to Monroe, Michigan. On July 3, 1948 he married Josephine Colucci (10/27/1920-8/27/2007). He preceded her in death on February 20, 1997. They were survived by daughters, Mary R. (Thomas L.) Bilan and Anna M. (Mitch D.) Edwards, both of Monroe, grandchildren, Thomas J. (Leah) Bilan of Monroe, Jennifer J. (David) Fleck of Petersburg, Rachel E. (Rick) Hindbaugh of Adrian, Jeffrey N. (Jennifer) Edwards of Tulsa, OK and Julie Edwards of Monroe, and 12 great grandchildren.
Graham M. Naylor
Graham Naylor returned to Scituate and became a member of the Rhode Island Racing Pigeon Club, married and had five sons, Brian M. and Nathan G. Naylor, both of Scituate, Keith C. Naylor of Pocono Pine, Pa., Dean W. Naylor of North Smithfield, and Wayne F. Naylor of Glocester; a daughter, Diane L. Naylor of Dublin, N.H.; and nine grandchildren. He was a painting contractor for 10 years before retiring in 1987. He died March 15, 1993.
Wayne A. Colwell
Wayne Colwell returned Yonkers and wrote about the military. The Wayne A. Colwell papers include a completed World War II Veterans Survey questionnaire, photocopies of Colwell's discharge and separation papers, photocopies from Wendell Mitchell Levi's The Pigeon, and a photocopy of an article about Colwell in the Yonkers Herald Statesman dated May 8, 1945. Colwell states in the questionnaire that he was anxious to join the military and signed up for the draft before graduating from high school. He had raised homing pigeons. Colwell wrote that he was never in combat but occasionally came under artillery and small arms fire. In the newspaper article, he described finding the scene of a massacre of prisoners by the Germans.
Hi and thanks for your highly
informative 278 Signal Pigeon Co. posts. Found these to be all the more
interesting owing to my acquaintance and friendship with Wayne Cowell for the
last 10 years of his long life. He was a unique and fascinating individual of
the 'greatest generation' forever affected by his WW 2 experiences as a
Pigeoneer. Lest we forget! Enclosed is his obituary originally published in the
Ottawa Citizen in early March 2014. Regards and all the best!
- Mr. Lindsay Drummond Ottawa ON
Canada
Pigeons were also used in China before and during World War II by American Chinese pigeoneers. Lieutenant Claire Lee
Chennault, a retired United States air force pilot, who founded the Flying
Tigers with William Douglas Pawley, brought hundreds of pigeons to China in
1937 to help repel the Japanese invasion of the mainland.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment