About a dozen pigeon units were activated during World War II. The 278th Signal Pigeon Company (originally designated as the 1308th) was deployed to Europe along with the 277th (1307th), the 282nd, the 284th (1309th), the 285th (1311th), and the 280th 2nd Platoon. This is the story of the 278th.
Timeline: 278th Signal Company and 1308th Signal Pigeon Company
~ February 12, 1943: Constituted in the Army of the United States as the 1308th Signal Pigeon Company.
~ March 20, 1943: Activated at Jacksonville, Florida.
~ February 29, 1944: Disbanded at Gulfport, Mississippi.
~ April 14, 1944: Reconstituted in the Army of the United States as the 1308th Signal Pigeon Company.
~ April 28, 1944 Activated at Gulfport, Mississippi.
~ October 26, 1944: Redesignated as the 278th Signal Pigeon Company.
~ October 30, 1945: Inactivated in Germany.
Log August 10, 1944 to January 20, 1946
[Some of Frank Hauck's notes about his carrier pigeon activities in the U.S. Army were kept in his E.T.O. Log of 278th Signal Pigeon Company Overseas 1st Platoon which was written in a 1942 Bayer pocket-size notebook that had German page headings. He probably acquired it in Germany, and reconstructed the events from memory. Other notes were written contemporaneously in the back of an address book.]
April 17, 1943 - Off for the U.S. Army
Left home for the army on April 17, 1943. Went to draft board with Abe and was sent to Penn Station from where we went to Ft. Dix, was here a week and then shipped to B.T.C. #10 Greensboro, N.C. was here about 10 weeks taking basic.
Norman [Hauck, Frank's brother] came to see me one weekend and we sure consumed a lot of beer together. Rose [Hauck, the sister] and Ed [McCarty] are only about 100 miles away but I can't get a pass to see them.
July 1943
Was transferred to Gulfport Field, Mississippi to start mrchanics school. Field to crowded so they sent us to Kussler where we started school. Was transferred once again to Gulfport Field and once again started school. One morning I was told I was transferred to a pigeon camp on the same field. Met a lot of Brooklyn boys here and am starting to like the army a little more. We train our birds every day and it's pretty interesting.
Frank Hauck, Gulfport, Mississippi
Frank Hauck, photo by Trailer Studio
1407 25th Avenue, Gulfport, Mississippi
January 14, 1944
Had our hardest day January 14, 1944 when they put us through an infiltration course in teaming rain.
August 1, 1944
Left Gulfport, Miss. on Aug. 1st. Boarded buses that took us to Kussler Field to troop train. Had nice cars that made the trip very comfortable up to Kilmer on Aug. 3. Had one pass to go home for 8 hrs.
1st Platoon, Signal Pigeon Company. Frank Hauck is third from left in the back row. Louis Lee Sapienza, sitting front row, first on left.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment