75th Inf Div newsline No. 21
27 Oct 1998

Hello veterans and friends of the 75th Division !

This newsline is not so long than the others you used to recieve, but we have an urgent search request for the 80th birthday of a 75th Div veteran. Please check the message of the new member Pamela Lane below.

We also have to search requests from the new members Tom Condra and Christopher Blair. Please see if you have a chance to help them.

To fill the newsline, I have included some humour at the end, I hope you like it.

Stay healthy !

Greetings from Germany
Rolf G. Wilmink

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For your calendar:
Next 75th N.E.C. meeting: Nashville, Tenn., Spring 1999
Next 75th Div reunion: Houston, Texas, 1999
75th Div reunion year 2000: Peoria
(more infos as soon as we have them or contact the
75th Div Vets. Assn. President Parker, see adress below).
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List of contents:

1.) Feedback regarding newsline No. 20 ( 12 October 1998 )
2.) Where is Ronald „Gib“ Gibson ?
3.) Who has photos of Irving A. Blair ?
4.) Who has films about the battle of Rhineberg ?
5.) More Thoughts To Ponder
6.) The navy

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----------------oOOo-(_)-oOOo------------------------------75th DIVISION online
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DON'T BE A LURKER.... GET INVOLVED... YOU ARE A MEMBER... MAKE THE MOST OF IT
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(actual count: 116 members online worldwide !)

1.) Feedback regarding our newsline No. 20 ( 12 October 1998):

Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 08:41:43 +0100
From: glenn.booker@pop.net.ntl.com
subject: : 75th Inf Div newsline no.20 (12 Oct 98)

Rolf,

My address as given last time was not quite correct (my fault !!)
Instead of :

Glenn.booker@net.ntl.com
it should be
glenn.booker@net.ntl.com

Spot the difference ! Apparently it can make a difference.
Glenn Booker
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From: rmsmith1924@webtv.net (Robert M Smith)
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 09:49:34 -0400 (EDT)
To: othersumone@email.msn.com, mkw-detective@t-online.de
subject: Plettenberg Newsline

Hi Richard, I have been out-of-town and am only now reading your letter of Sep 19, on Rolf Wilmink's newsline.

I will try to answer some of your questions------

His MOS (military occupation specialty) 604 describes his principal duty as an Infantryman. Being in "G" Company, he was probably the lead gunner on a 30- caliber air -cooled machine gun. He would have been in the 4th Platoon of "G" company which was the Weapons Platoon, consisting of 4 Squads,-- 2 machine gun squads and 2 mortar squads. The other 3 Platoons in his company would be Rifle platoons and those members would have a different MOS. "G' company would be considered a Rifle Company as opposed to Companies "D', "H" and "M" which were the Heavy Weapons companies in a Regiment, having more and bigger machine guns and mortars.

Your Dad's Discharge, indicates that he qualified on:
M-1--- The Garand semi-automatic 30 cal. rifle
03--- The 1903 bolt action 30 cal. rifle, usually used by snipers.
Carbine--- A light weight semi-automatic 30cal rifle carried by personnel other than Riflemen.

SS--- Means he qualified on the above at the Sharpshooter level, --- He was a pretty good shot!!!!

Decorations and Medals -----
Combat Inf. ---- Combat Infantry Badge indicates that he was engaged in combat under fire. This award given only to Infantrymen, automatically entitles him to the Bronze Star during service in WWII.

He is also entitled to the following stated on his Discharge:
American Theatre Service Medal
European, African, Mediterranean Theatre Service Medal.--- W/3 BR Stars
means he participated in 3 major campaigns, namely,
1) The Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge)
2) Rhineland (Germany)
3) Central Europe

Good Conduct Medal,
Purple Heart-(wounded in action)
Victory Medal-(served honorably in WWII)

Although not stated on his Discharge, he is also entitled to the Army of Occupation Medal for Germany.

If you are interested in obtaing these Medals, call your local VA office and they will send you a form which you can fill out as a relative and send to the Army Personnel Records in St. Louis. This takes FOREVER...
Or you can buy them directly from an organization---
Medals of America---
Fountain Inn, S.C.,
Telephone 1-800-308-0849.

Call for a catalogue if you want, no charge.

Hope this will help you understand the remarks on your Dad's Honorable Discharge.

Best, Rob.
GREETINGS FROM FLORIDA - U.S.A.
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2.) Where is Ronald „Gib“ Gibson ?

From: "Pamela Lane" one_smart_girl@email.msn.com
subject: 75th Infantry
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 15:08:56 -0800

Hi,
I'm trying to find my father's best friend from the 75th Infantry, 897th field artillary.

My dad is:
Albert M. Lane (formerly a captain, O-413785) he served in Germany (after he had served in Italy) with the 75th Infantry as Battery B commander.

He wants very much to track down his best friend:
                                  Ronald "Gib" Gibson
                                 (formerly first lieutenant,
                                   Battery A commander, same unit)
He is from Los Angeles, where he enlisted and was born about 1914.

I tried Ben Myers, but he could not help. My father received the silver and bronze star and a purple heart with double clusters, among other comendations and is about to turn 80. This is what he wants for his birthday.

Could you please tell me how I could find him? I have been unable to locate the book, "How to locate anyone who is or has ever been in the military" which you recommend. There are dozens and dozens of R. Gibsons in LA and I have had no luck calling out of the phone books.

Any help you could offer would be very much appreciated.

Thank You,
Pamela Lane

++ Moderator´s note:++
Dear Pamela,

the name of the book is:
"How to locate anyone who is or has been in the military" ,
Armed Forces Locator Directory, by Lt. Col. Richard S. Johnson, ISBN 1-877639-11-7

As you can see, I included your search request in our email newsline, going out to a lot of veterans that are online. I hope that somebody has an idea out there.

I checked the roster of the veterans association, but could only find a
Charles Gibson (275 Eng B) and a
Stewart Gibson (C 290).
There also was a Albert Gibbons (897 FA) but it seems that this is not the same person.

In the roster, I found several names with „897 FA“. Maybe your father mentioned some other names, that I could check, and over that contact we get informations about Mr. Gibson. You can buy the roster from the veterans association, if you want to check for yourself or with your dad. Maybe the reading of a name rings a bell. Please contact the president of the veterans association (see adress far below) for more informations. They also sell hats, pins, shirts with 75th logo on it, if that would be a nice gift for your father (or maybe a membership in the association/free trip to next reunion ?)

Hope I could help you further for now, let´s see what the members of our newsline have for ideas.

Greetings from Germany
Rolf G. Wilmink
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3.) Who has photos of Irving A. Blair ?

subject: information and or photos of my dad
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 00:26:55 -0800
From: CHRISTOPHER BLAIR guinness@ntcnet.com

My Dads Name was Irving A. Blair, he served with the 75th Infantry Div. during WWII. I am trying to find pictures of my dad when he was in the Army. I have some, but am interested in additional pictures. If anyone can recommend a web site that has photos on it, please send me the address so I can see if there are any photos with my dad on them. He is deceased, but I am still very interested in his time spent in the Army with the 75th Infantry Div. because he talk very little about the War, but I know he had a great love for the Army.

----------------------
Dear Sir,

one way to maybe find some photos would be to go over the National Archives, I think thay also have a search-section in the internet (www.nara.gov)

What I will do is to include your message in my email newsline, that goes out to more than 100 veterans of the 75th division. I hope that somebody has an answer. Also you should get in contact with the 75th Veterans Association to find a buddy of your father that has made private photos. Its more likely that you find a photo on that way, but you never know. Could you please send me some more details, especially in what unit he fought (like 289th, 290th, 291st etc) and in what areas he fought. Maybe we can find some vets that have fought with your father and you can talk to them (they also have reunions each year).

I hope I could help you so far and remain

Very Sincerely Yours
Rolf G. Wilmink
Germany

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4.) Who has films about the battle of Rhineberg ?

From: Ardnoc@aol.com
Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 23:15:47 EDT
subject: film

Interested in finding out if you could possibly have film from 5-mar-1945 covering the battle at Rhineberg Germany-----particually involving the 8th armoured Div 36th Tank Bn-----I lost a Brother in that battle and would like to hear from you if you have any information------

Thanks so Much
Tom Condra
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Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 12:03:33 +0100
To: Charles De Arman mopix@nara.gov, ardnoc@aol.com
subject: film

To the Motion Picture Branch, National Archives
Dear Mr. Charles De Arman,

you could help me very much with the films of the 75th Division.
I recieved the message from Mr. Condra. Would you please check your archive if you could help Mr. Condra ?

Thanking you very much in advance, I remain

Very Sincerely Yours
Rolf G. Wilmink
Germany
75th Inf Div WWII veterans unofficial homepage
www.mknet.de/75th
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5.) More Thoughts To Ponder

Scientists at NASA developed a gun specifically to launch dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets, and the space shuttle. The idea was to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl and to test the strength of the windshields in collisions at maximum velocity.

British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains. Appropriate intergovernmental arrangements were made and the gun was shipped to England. But when the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurtled out of the barrel, crashed into the "shatterproof" shield, smashed it to smithereens, crashed through the control console, snapped the engineers backrest in two and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin.

Horrified Britons sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield, and asked the U.S. scientists for suggestions.

NASA's response was just one sentence:

"Thaw the chicken."
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6.) The navy

This is the transcript of an ACTUAL radio conversation of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October,1995. Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations 10-10-95.

Americans: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.

Canadians: Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Canadians: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.

Americans: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ATLANTIC FLEET! WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS! I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, THAT'S ONE-FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP !!!

Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call.

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And in the next newsline...............

........your feedback to this newsline !!!!

Greetings from Germany
Rolf G. Wilmink
75th Inf Div WWII Veterans Association Unofficial homepage
www.mknet.de/75th
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