Christmas 1945

 

Coming Home...

In 1945, after peace was made, our weary soldiers headed home, after waiting here and there to be discharged.  It's hard to imagine the elation felt by the folks back home as they welcomed sons, brothers, and husbands to their tables. The society columns were full of the excitement.  

The Crescent-News, November 23, 1945:

"Honor Return Soldier

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Notestine, south of Ney, entertained at a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day in honor of their son, Delmar, who was discharged February at Indian Gap, Pa, after 38 months with the 5th Air Force, 25 months of which he was in New Guinea, the Philippines, Australia, East India, Okinawa and Japan.

Others present were: Helen N. Byers, Mariana Notestine, Herbert Sudholtz, Defiance; Jack Notestine and sons, Fort Wayne: Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Notestine; Jesse Notestine; Mr. and Mrs. Harley Notestine and sons; Tom and Bell and Mrs. Donley Rilla, Ney."

On the other side, think of the empty chairs at some tables and the grief-filled Christmases.  It's difficult to be joyful at the holidays if some beloved family member or friend is not present.

This type of meditation appeared often in the papers to help people deal with the times.

WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL - PFC Ralph C. Linenstruth

 

Private Ralph C. Linenstruth (Linn)

Fred and Irma (Carr) Linenstruth lived in Cleveland when they welcomed their son, Ralph into the world on November 20, 1912.  Fred died in 1918, leaving Irma with two young boys to raise; Ralph and a brother, Floyd.

Ralph registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, when he was about 28. On December 24, 1943, he enlisted into the Army in Cleveland. He had gone to high school and then was employed full time as a machinist.

His assignment was to the 175th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division. It wasn't long before he found himself in the Battle of Normandy and then to northwest France.

On August 11, 1944, the day of his death, his unit crossed the Loire River in France. The Germans were in what they called, Operation Luttrich, a code name for their counterattacks and attempts at taking back areas they had lost earlier.

The Allies were closing in on them, and Hitler's military leaders wanted to leave. 

Hitler, however, would not hear of it and ordered the German troops to stay and fight till death, if necessary. The fighting was severe, and the Allies were able to circle around the Germans. (Hitler did not know that some of his officers had defied him and evacuated across the Seine where they would meet the Canadian troops.)

It was in this battle in France that Private Linenstruth lost his life. His hospital admission card noted that he was hit in the back with a bullet, killed in action.

Ralph C. Linenstruth was a challenge to research in many ways. First, we found that he and some of his family used the last name, Linn, only discovered by finally locating his obituary.  

His obituary appeared with the photo above in The Cleveland Press, December 7, 1944:

"PVT. RALPH C. LINN

Pvt. Ralph C. Linn (Linenstruth) was killed in France on Aug. 11. He was the son of Mrs. Irma Linenstruth and the husband of Helen, Chardon. 

In service since Jan. 13,1944, Pvt. Linn, 32, was trained at Camp Blanding, Fla. and sent overseas in July. He last wrote home on August 6 and told of participating in action on the drive to Paris.

A graduate of Shaw High School, Pvt. Linn worked at the Cleveland Tractor Company before entering service. He is survived by his mother, his wife, and his brother, Pvt. Floyd W. Linn, stationed at Fort Dix, N.J."

He was temporarily buried in France and returned home to be permanently interred. The Cleveland Press announced on December 10, 1948, that 23 war dead were being returned from Europe on the Army transport, James E. Robinson, among them,Ralph C. Linenstruth.

In the Plain Dealer (Cleveland) on January 12, 1949, his funeral was announced:

"LINENSTRUTH, (LYNN) PVT. RALPH C., son of Mrs. Irma Linenstruth; brother of Floyd of Columbus, O.; on August 12, 1944 at St. Lo, France. Friends may call at Charles Melbourne & Sons Colonial Home, 12777 Euclid Ave. after 7 p.m. Wednesday. Services Thursday Jan. 13 at 1 p.m."

His burial took place in Bedford Cemetery, Cuyahoga County, and his name appears on a monument at the Lake View Cemetery called "Geauga County Servicemen."

The last big mystery was his connection to Defiance County and the reason his name was on the memorial here. He appeared regularly on the Defiance County Casualty Lists.

On honorstates. org, his Purple Heart was noted as a soldier from Defiance County.

This Profile ID	513870
Service ID	35924875
Name	Ralph C Linenstruth
From	Defiance County, Ohio
War	World War II
Service Branch	Army
Rank	Private
Casualty Type	KIA - Killed in Action
Notable Awards	★ Purple Heart

If anyone can help with this question, we would appreciate a solution! Please comment!

Dianne Kline, Researcher

WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL - PFC Walter L. Brown

 

PFC Walter Leroy Brown

HMT Rohna, (Her Majesty's Transport) 
Requistioned for the U.S. from the British India Steamship Company
 for troop transport

Born March 29, 1921, Walter Leroy Brown, son of William Russell and Emma Viola (Byers)Brown lived in Oakwood for much of his life with his siblings, Robert, Marion, Marjorie, and Beverly.  

On January 2, 1943, he enlisted into the Army in Toledo. He attended many training camps, but most importantly, he married Willadeen Stover, 21, on June 19, 1943, a native of Defiance, before leaving on assignment. She lived in Tiffin Township with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Stover, seven miles north of the city on Route 66.

Walter was assigned to the 853rd Aviation Engineer Battalion that embarked overseas on October 3, 1943. His group was headed for India to build runways, maintain 

airports and complete any aviation projects necessary there. The Battalion loaded onto the Rohta on November 24, 1943, at Oran, a port on the coast of Algeria, North Africa. It was a ship meant for about 100 people, a coal burning steamer, but almost 2000 men were boarded. On the 25th, they joined a British convoy.

From the internet story: www.WW2:TheBigOne

"Since the departure was on Thanksgiving Day, the crew provided a holiday repast that didn't stay down very long, as the ship rolled through the swells. 

'We had Thanksgiving dinner, and everybody went and vomited, Holiiman said.

Seasickness, however, would be the least of their problems. 

At 4:30 p.m. the next day, German bombers based in occupied France attacked the convoy."

Hitler was able to use his "secret weapon" on the Rohna - a radio-controlled guided missile, and the Rohna took a direct hit very near the 853rd's berths. The 725 pound bomb pierced the lightly plated port side of the Rohna. It had a delayed fuse, but when it exploded it blew big holes on either side of the ship right at the waterline near the engine room.

The engine room flooded and caught fire, meaning all electrical power went out. Ladders were shattered, hatch covers blew off, and the one lifeboat that could be lowered was swarmed with men and capsized. Life vests were not on the ship - just inflatable life rings which proved insufficient. The ship capsized and the men were left in the cold, rough seas.

PFC Walter L. Brown died on November 26, 1943. The 853rd had 30 officers and 793 enlisted men when the Rohna left port. Now 495 were gone, and 147 were injured.

British and Australian officers and Indian crew members also died, totaling 1,149 people.

The strange thing about this incident was that the survivors were ordered not to talk about it and it wasn't in the news. One officer stated it was "hush-hush. It was hard on parents and other friends and relatives back home who were only informed by telegram that their soldier was MIA.

An example of the telegram sent home:

The government did not want to give the enemy any clue to their successful hit with their new weapon, so both the British and American troops were ordered to stay silent. 

"The secrecy prevailed after the war, causing many families a long delay to learn 

what happened to their loved ones. For many years, hardly anyone who wasn't in the convoy or part of the rescue effort knew what happened." www.WW2:TheBigOne

PFC Brown's obituary appeared in the Crescent-News on June 13, 1944, on page one, with a vague description of what happened to him. The ship was not named and "It was believed" give a less than detailed description of his fate

PFC Brown died at sea and his body was not recovered. His name appears on a Memorial Plaque in the North Africa American Cemetery in Tunisia.

We were not able to locate a photo of PFC Walter L. Brown; if you have one, we would love to have one to add to this memorial.  Send to defiancegenealogy2002.yahoo.com

Dianne Kline, Researxher

Sidenote: Walter had a brother, Marion Francis Brown, an Army  Infantryman, who

also died in 1944.

THE WOMEN "CODE BREAKERS" (CRYPTOLOGISTS) IN WORLD WAR II

 

The most written about women cryptologists in the war worked in Betchley Park, Buckinghamshire, England. When tensions grew between Europe and Asia in 1937, a Government Code and Cypher School was developed here with mostly male professors from Oxford and Cambridge teaching. As it grew, more staff was needed, so they began to look for women mathematicians, linquists, physicists, and even crossword puzzle experts who were thought to have good lateral thinking skills. Women were largely recruited from the WRENS, the Women's Royal Naval Service. This group, which was 75% women of about 10,000 employees were highly successful and, according to several websites, their work "is credited with shortening WW II by between two and four years." (warhistoryonline.com)

But did you realize that we had several top secret places in the U.S. that were also working to  break enemy codes. One was in Dayton, Ohio at the NCR - National Cash Register Company - who began receiving federal contracts in 1942  There, WAVES were building and operating the Navy Cryptanalytic Bombe, an electromagnetic device used to break four rotor messages being sent from German U-boats. Six hundred WAVES on three shifts worked this project 24-7, building the machines and reading electric diagrams. One source said that at the time, they really didn't understand what they were building, yet they built 121 machines.

At that time Germany and the other Axis countries were constantly changing codes with their machine, Enigma. The Bombe machine we built could eventually crash that code, thanks to the work in England, saving thousands of U.S. soldiers from enemy ship and plane attacks. It was a very high security job, and even after the war, many women kept the secret.

The Bombe Machine

The "Code Girls" of Arlington Hill, Virginia were the other group put to work deciphering enemy messages and breaking new codes. Again, the WACs and the WAVEs were highly involved and recruited. This job required an oath of secrecy and a penalty of death for leaking information. High scores on a Civil Service Exam were a priority, especially in mathematical and engineering areas, and then schooling was needed in geography and history, Morse code, and radio and cryptology. Their personal lives were also highly investigated with references checked. They wore no uniforms as they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. 

The Japanese code was broken easily, although the Japanese thought it foolproof, so they never changed it much during the war. Once the Bombe was built and the German codes rotation mastered, the U.S. had a very strong upper hand.  The women worked 24-7 with no days off and no attention to their accomplishments during or even after the war. They were proud citizens, devoted to saving lives.

Ada Stempler, a successful cryptologist, once stated: " We had been taught that no secret is kept for long and no code was so difficult that it wouldn't eventually be broken."

Dianne Kline, Researcher

WORLD WAR MEMORIAL - Ensign Walter Clemens Speiser

 

Ensign Walter Clemens Speiser

Walter C. Speiser was a 1930 graduate of Defiance High School and a 1935 graduate of Ohio State University. The son of Walter Albert and Margaret (Clement) Speiser, he married to Hollis Lindemuth in Fort Wayne on April 12, 1936.

His father died in 1939, and his mother moved from Defiance, where he was born, to Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was employed there by the Prudential Life Insurance Company, and he may have thought his life was settled and secure, but it wasn't.

On May 24, 1942, he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserve. His first close call was reported in the Crescent-News on October 17, 1942, on the front page:

"FORMER DEFIANCE BOY, NAVY OFFICER IS RESCUED AT SEA

Adrift in an open lifeboat for 60 hours after his ship was torpedoed in the north Atlantic, Ensign Walter C. Speiser of Fort Wayne, former Defiance resident, is visiting in Fort Wayne on a two-week furlough.

Ensign Speiser graduated from Defiance high school in 1930 and from Ohio State in 1935, then taking a selling position with the Prudential Life Insurance Co. of Fort Wayne.

He was commanding officer of guards attached to a merchant marine ship which was torpedoed while on convoy duty. Speiser and others were adrift in a lifeboat about 60 hours before being rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard vessel. They were taken to the nearest point of land and then flown back to the United States.

Ensign Speiser was commissioned June 15 and sent to the Navy's armed guard schools at Boston and Chicago.

In Fort Wayne, he is visiting his wife, the former Hollis Lindemuth, and his aunt, Mrs. Anna B. Wells. His step-mother, Mrs. Stella Speiser, lives at 1045 Jefferson avenue here.  Ensign Speiser has several other relatives here, including three uncles, Charles Shondel, and John and Andrew Clemens, and an aunt, Mrs. Francis Mangas."

The James McKay

On December 6, 1942, he was on the James McKay, a steam merchant ship travelling in the North Atlantic enroute from New York to Belfast, Northern Ireland. For some unknown reason, the ship had fallen back from the rest of the convoy.

On December 8, "the vessel was hit by three torpedoes, the first amidships under the stack and the others behind. Distress signals were sent as the freighter immediately stopped and the crew abandoned ship in two lifeboats. At 2.02 hours, a coup de grace was fired from the opposite side. The explosion threw smoke and water 300 feet high, but the ship remained afloat. Another coup de grace fired seven minutes later missed, but at 2.19 hours, two heavy explosions occurred on the ship and she sank. None of the ten officers, 38 crewmen, and 14 armed guards was ever found."

(James McKay (American Steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net)

They were hit by the German U-boat 600, Berthard Zurmuhler.

It took about a year for Ensign Speiser to officially be declared dead. His body was not recovered and he was buried at sea. A monument in Battery Park, New York City, lists the names of the 62 men lost in this attack.

His wife, Hollis, received a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, which appeared in the Crescent-News on January 18, 1944.  In part, it said:

"In view of the time that has passed, the fact that the route was known to be threatened with enemy submarines, and because no personnel have been reported as prisoners of war, I am reluctantly forced to the conclusion that your husband is deceased."

Walter Speiser, had one surviving brother, Robert T. Speiser, chief pharmacist mate on active duty. 

Robert Carpenter, Researcher

WORLD WAR II MEMORIALS - Private Russel G. Garber

 

Private Russel Glen Garber

Born in Pulaski, Williams County, Ohio, on October 8, 1924, Russel Garber eventually moved to Tiffin Township in Defiance County. His parents, Wilson O. and Eunice G. (VanWagner) Garber moved from Pulaski to Michigan, where Eunice ran a restaurant and then back to Defiance County where their children, Beulah, Dorothy, Richard, Virginia and Russel were raised.

Russel had most of his schooling in Tiffin Township, but he quit school in his high school junior year because of illness. He was an active member of the Rural Chapel Church.

Russel was drafted from Defiance County in April 1943, along with 98 other selectees. Only 45 of these passed the physical in Toledo for the Army, but others went into the other branches of the armed services. After the draft, they were given a seven day furlough with their families. The group then met at the Armory in Defiance on April 9, 1943, where Marion K. Nest, former city patrolman, was named Acting Corporal of the group. Then they all boarded a Greyhound bus for Camp Perry.

Insignia of the Red Bulls

Garber was assigned as a private in the 109th Engineer Combat Battalion, 34th Division, attached to Company C and sent to Camp Reynolds, PA. His group embarked after December 19, 1943 to be stationed in Italy. Their job was to do whatever was needed which included building bridges under fire, constructing roads, setting mine fields and clearing them, patrolling and, if necessary, they fought with the infantry.

The 34th Division was known as the "Red Bulls"

The 109th Engineer Combat Battalion had a more historical crest which referenced a castle, signifying their building of military works, a cactus for past fighting in arid regions, and a fleur-de-lis for their fighting in France in both WW I and II. 

The 109th had more combat time - over 500 days -than any other U.S. division. The Unit was honored many times with Medals of Honor, Silver and Bronze stars and over 15,000 Purple Hearts.

By the time Private Garber arrived either at the end of December or first of January, 1944, the unit had spent a long time in Tunisia where their numbers were decimated. They were sent to Oran to train for an invasion of Italy. They went to Salerno and found that beachhead secured so they moved inland in the Italian boot.

At Cassino, the 34th had to cross the Rapido River, which was flooding. It was a tough crossing and many were lost due to mines and artillery. It was mud and snow and cold...the elements were against them, but they did get a bridge built for the infantry to cross, and then destroyed after the bridge was used.

In mid-February, they got relief and went back for replacement needs and to get their equipment cleaned and ready. Then it was on to Anzio Beach where the Germans had settled in. The 34th Infantry was brought in to strengthen the troops, as they were troubled by Germans intercepting communications. The battle continued in that area until mid-May.

On April 25, 1944, Army hospital admission records note that Private Russel Garber, 19, was killed in action by a shot through the thorax by artillery shells and fragments in Italy.

He was buried in the Sicily -Rome American Cemetery. His obituary did not appear in the Defiance Crescent-News until June 15, 1944:

"OBITUARY

Russel Glen Garber, youngest child of Wilson O. and Eunice O. Garber, was born in Williams County near Bryan, Ohio on Oct. the 8th in the year of 1924, and departed from this life on the battlefields of Italy on April 25, 1944. He was 19 years, 7 months and seventeen days of age.

Russel entered the armed services on April 9th, 1943. H was home on a five day furlough over Thanksgiving from Ft.Belvoir, Va. where he was stationed at that time. On his return to the camp, he was then sent to Camp Reynolds' Pennsylvania. From here he was sent across some time after Dec. 19th. He served as a private in Co.C. 109 Engineer Bn. 

He received most of his schooling in Tiffin township. He attended Tiffin township high school but was forced to quit because of illness. He attended the Rural Chapel Church.

He leaves to mourn this loss, a father, mother, 3 sisters: Mrs. Beulah Hannah, Tecumseh, Mich.; Mrs. Wilard Rowan, Evansport, O.; Miss Virginia Garber, Fort Wayne, Ind., and one brother, Richard L. Garber, who is also stationed in Italy; a grandmother, Mrs. Phoebe Elliott, 8 nieces and 4 nephews; many relatives and friends.

A MOTHER'S THOUGHTS

We gave him his body, 

God gave him his life.

Men took him far from us,

Men destroyed his life;

But men can never destroy his soul.

CARD OF THANKS

We wish to thank friends for kind words, sympathy cards and letters, and neighbors who helped us through the bereavement of our son and brother, Russel, and thank Rev. Ralph Miller for his service, Mrs. Newton Peterson, Mrs. Olen Mansfield for their singing and also thank you for the beautiful flowers.

Mr. and Mrs. W.O. Garber and Family"

Pvt. Russel G. Garber received a Purple Heart posthumously, presented to his father.

Scott  Lantow, Researcher

WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL - 2ND Lieutenant George Lenz, Jr.

 

Second Lieutenant George Lenz, Jr.

Born on October 6, 1922, in Hicksville, Ohio, George Lenz, Jr. lost his mother, Nettie Blanche Lenz, when he was a small child in 1925. He had siblings who were much older, and it could be that the youngest of those helped raise him. His sister, Zola, was 43 and a teacher in the 1940 census when George was but 17.

His father, George Lenz, Sr., lived on Antwerp Drive and farmed. He was 50 when George was born. When George Jr. graduated from Hicksville High School in 1940, he went to Detroit, Michigan, for a few years into his brother, John's, business. However, in 1943, the draft came calling; he registered in Michigan.

 George entered the Army Air Corp in January of 1943, and he trained in New Jersey, Texas, Arizona, and Missouri.  He trained as a navigator and bombadier on the B-24 Liberator bombers and was assigned to the 720th Bomb Squadron, 450th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force.

He married Sue (Margie) Crockett of Stephens, Arkansas, on May 27, 1943. She was a sergeant in the Women's Army Auxillary Corps. They were, however, married in Kansas City, Missouri. After their marriage and a brief honeymoon, she returned to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where she was stationed, and he went back to his Kansas City camp.

B-24 Liberator

His group was known as The Cottontail Group, as they had some vertical stabilizers on their plane painted white like rabbit ears. These planes were meant for heavy bombing and they worked throughout Germany, Romania, and France, bombing strategically certain aircraft factories, assembly plants, airfields and storage areas.

According to a report from the headquarters of the 450th

Bombardment Group, AAF, the mission that Lt. Lenz entered on December 29, 1944, was a very specific one. By now the group was hitting Italy and its supply chain. The Brenner Pass in Italy was the supply line between Austria and Italy. 

"Twenty-seven B-24 type aircraft took off at 0900-0918 hours to bomb the railroad loop in the Brenner Pass (Italy)... Sixteen aircraft dropped 48 tons of 1000 lb. bombs on the target at 1328 hours from 21,000-22,000 feet." 

Seven bombs dropped short of the target, and the Group Leader rapidly lost altitude after being severely damaged from flak. One aircraft dropped 3 tons of bombs to keep their altitude after losing two engines. One aircraft let a full load of 3 tons of bombs in the Adriatic Sea when their bombs failed to release over the target, and this aircraft has not been heard from. 

"One aircraft turned back before the target at 1248 hours, and this aircraft has not been heard from. Seventeen aircraft returned to base at 1645 hours. Two aircraft lost. Two aircraft missing. Six aircraft at friendly fields.

Photo coverage shows a good concentration on the tracks with 3 - 4 direct hits on the tracks...Flak moderate to intense, accurate and heavy at target.

Losses - 2 B-24 to flak, missing

Damage - 4 B-24 major damage, 2 minor damage

Casualties - one officer killed, one officer wounded, caused by flak"

From a group photo of his crew,
George Lenz Jr.

Second Lieutenant George Lenz, Jr. , the bombardier, with his crew was shot down, setting his plane on fire.  Six of the crew did not survive.

The Crescent-News, June 29, 1945

"Hicksville Bombardier Had Been Missing in Italy Since Dec. 28

Hicksville, June 29 -

Family of 2nd Lt. George Lenz Jr. have been notified by telegram that he is officially listed as dead.

He was a bombardier and had been missing in action in Italy since Dec. 28, 1944.

His wife, who resides in Stephens, Ark., notified relatives here after receiving a telegram from the was department.

Besides the wife, Lt. Lenz leaves a five week old

son, George Lenz III; his father, George Lenz Sr.;

two sisters, Mrs. Lavon Miller and Miss Zola Lenz;

and two brothers, Dale and John Lenz. The latter

lives in Detroit.

George's body was returned to the United States on July 8, 1949, and his wife oversaw his burial in the Little Rock National Cemetery in Arkansas.  Religious and military graveside services were held for George Jr, killed in action in Italy Dec. 28, 1944.

Little Rock National Cemetery, Little Rock, Arkansas, Section 12

Side Note: Sister Zola, born in 1897, married Harry Metz, and she was a teacher for many, many years. Mrs. Metz retired from Mark Center School in 1967.

Dianne Kline, Researcher