When I first apprenticed to a steamship agent most of the men had been in WWII but they rarely talked about their experiences. Hank the Traffic manager had been a captain in the Air Force flying B25s over the Hump in Burma 1941-1945. He told me that when there was a lull between missions he would take the plane up to a suitable altitude to chill the beer and then land - forget about fuel consumption. Young Ed at the Maritime Exchange had graduated from high school in June 1944 and by December he was in the Battle of the Bulge in the snow. This was Hitler's last ditch attempt to cut the allies lines in two. Ed told me the Germans were using women in their ranks. Of course we were drafting 38 year olds with flat feet at the end of the war. Lastly, there was Big Mike, a charming Irishman with a quick mind and a tongue to match. He was to be my mentor and I his gofer for several years - he was our Operations Manager. One day he casually mentioned being torpedoed off Cape Town - adrift in a raft for X days - rescued to Argentina to await repatriation. At first we were skeptical but then he came in with news clippings from a Buenos Aires newspaper showing Mike in his Purser's dress blues being treated like some hero. We will hear more from him as we go.
tjs
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Another great post! Both of my grandfathers served in WWII. My mom's father Charlie was in Europe and my dad's father Orell Sr. was in the Pacific. Both were injured but made it home. I'm sure glad they did!
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