Camp MacKall

  

The 193^rd Glider Infantry Regiment of the United States Army of America was officially created on December 16, 1942. It was assigned as an organic part of the 17^th Airborne Division and was activated on April 15, 1943 at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. At the time of activation, the commanding staff of the 193rd Glider Infantry Regiment was composed with the following officers :

  

• Colonel Maurice G Stubbs O-7520 : Commanding.
• Lieutnant colonel David P Schorr Jr O-18861 : Regimental Executive Officer.
• Captain Charles E Jarrard O-282449 : Regimental Adjudant (S1).
• First Lieutnant Fred P Guerry Jr O-377375 : Regimental Intelligence Officer (S2). 
• Major Thomas W Lee O-3085755 : Regimental Plans & Training Officer (S3).
• Major Glenn R Aytes O-324655 : Regimental Supply Officer (S4).

  

 Copy of General Orders n°1 Headquarters 193rd Glider Infantry dated April 15, 1943. It announces the activation of the Regiment and the name of the staff officers (TFH collection).

  

                                   

                        Colonel Maurice G. Stubbs (TFH collection).           Lt. Col David P. Schorr (TFH collection)

193rd GIR staff (TFH collection).

  

  

 

 

 Aerial view of Camp MacKall during WWII with special concern about the position of the 193rd GIR (see also general information about Camp MacKall).

  

  

Since the first days of April 1943, hundreds of recruits coming from different states arrived in the rail station of Hoffman, North Carolina. That station was the end of their first journey under the banner and the beginning of a great adventure. Near the station there was a sign that read “Home of the 17^th Airborne Division”. This stopped all the speculations of the GI’s that discovered at that time their assignment! Paratroopers were volunteers but not the Glider men! Being carried toward the battlefield in a glider without defense, without mean of withdrawal and without parachute was not really an exciting idea. Moreover, there was initially no extra pay. So that branch of the new airborne forces had not a lot of success but like said a propaganda poster at that time: “Join the Glider Troops! No flight pay, no jump pay but never a dull moment”.

Induction order of Donald B Canfield (ASN 33621791) - E Company. Note that several men of that list were also assigned to the 17^th Airborne Division (with courtesy of D.Canfield) :

  

193^e GIR: R. Momich, W. Lilly, G. Marish (KIA), V. Abel, and S. McCandless (DOW).

194^e GIR: L. Wohlbach, W. Vogel (MIA), F. Nastasee, Lester Wohlbach (KIA), J. Balum, H. Weaver, N. Frey, R. Mowrey (KIA), J. Cannon, W. Werkheiser (KIA), F. Lash, R. Yob (KIA), G. Schneider, G. Vasko and T.  Bold.

680 GFAB: W. Madouse and J. Rodriguez.

681 GFAB: R. Stair, S. Reiss (« Soldier Medal ») and R. Musgnung.

  

  

  

Join the glider troops ! No flight pay, no jump day but never a dull moment ... (TFH collection)

  

  

During more than fifteen months the young men versed in this new unit underwent a rigorous instruction assumed by instructors coming from the 101^st Airborne Division.

The first step was the Basic training. During that time, the physical condition of the young draftees was highly sharped. Physical training was intensive, each morning and evening they were obliged to run five miles through the Camp before the meal and each mistake was penalized by twenty-five push-ups.

     

Later, twenty-five miles marches with full field equipment were organized under the hot summer sun of North Carolina.

Concurrently they learned the use of bayonet, hand grenade throwing and hand-to-hand combat. Each man learned the use of all type of US weapons and engineers show them the manipulation of many explosives. The mental education was not forgotten and the “Airborne spirit” came slowly in all minds.

The final aim of that educational program was to obtain resourceful men able to respond to commands instantly. The training was briefly stopped on April 15, 1943 for the activation of the Division. That day and for the first time, the entire Division was assembled for a parade behind its commander. The Advance training started when the soldiers had acquired a good physical condition. During that second step they learned tactical laws and especially the specific glider tactics. The first lessons were given in some boxes firmly rooted on the ground. That boxes simulated gliders and men learned progressively how to get into them, load them and get out of them. The real gliders Waco CG-4 were discovered only after.

  

 This post card printed by W.R. THOMPSON & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA during WWII shows typical scene of Glidermen training : "Twelve men of the Airborne troops under the wing of a glider, Camp MacKall, N.C. Signal Corps" (TFH collection).

This another post card from the same publisher shows other typical scene of Glidermen training. Note the man wears the new M1 helmet but still uses an old US P17 rifle from the WWI. This kind of rifle will be never used by the US forces in the European theatre of operation (TFH collection).

 

This military education was not always easy as Leo Murray (C co) tell :

 

“On or about September 8, 1943 we went on a three day field problem. It would last three days. I don’t know if it was just the 193^rd GIR or may be the whole 17^th Airborne division, anyway we made a mock glider landing in a 2 ½ ton 6x6 truck and moved out the wrong way west, everybody else went east. Sgt. Kelly and the whole squad knew we were lost. We could not see, it was black out and we did not know we were going in the opposite direction. We would take a ten minute break each hour till about 0700.

 

This hard school will transform progressively those young boys in elite soldiers, members of a first class unit ready to fighting in a total war.

The soldiers worked hard but they never forget traditional feast ! There is no exception for Thanksgiving and on this thursday November 25, 1943 the cookers had prepare a special dinner. You can see above the Dinner Menu of the Second Battalion. Although the cookers prepared carrefully the meal, the turkey was deteriorated and all the Glidermen were poisoned. Rapidly the water closed were full of people and that night there was probably the first scattering of 17th Airborne men ... all around the hutted camp ! (with courtesy of Telesca-Robinson family)

The men of the 193^rd Glider Infantry Regiment received their Glider qualification on December 20, 1943, just before leaving Camp MacKall for the winter training in Tennessee. At that time, there was no specific insignia. The wearing of a special badge was authorized only on July 22, 1944.

 

The Tennessee maneuvers were been going on for eight weeks with nearly thirty consecutive days on the maneuver ground. During this time men discovered the condition of winter combat.

  

  

  

Camp MacKall 1943. Earl K Cavanah (ASN 37521513) - HQII Company poses nearby the sign announces the Headquarters 2nd BN, 193rd Glider Infantry (unpublished photo - with courtesy of Earl Cavanah and his family).

  

  

 

E Company - Camp MacKall 1943 (with courtesy of D. Canfield)

First row (left to right): Van de Viver P, Shartle E, Bosso D, Rembowski E, Dill C (KIA), Treadway W, White R, Myers A (WIA), Lindsey R, Turner V, Moon P, Christiansen A (WIA), Oenning F (WIA), Scourbys W, Telesca L (KIA), Widdows G, Wisler L (KIA), Faitak J, Conrad R (WIA), Higginbotham H, Hughes H (WIA), Thomas W, Stout E, Cantonwine D, Cataiano S.

Second row (left to right): Osborn H, Carman D, Lagoon M, Cochran J, Smith A, Poffinbarger J, Goodman L (KIA), Lewis H, Begley C (WIA), Shore I (WIA), Casey C (KIA), Wearne W (WIA), Freshwater C, Baburchak M, Van Horn H (WIA), Sink B, Cimperman W (KIA), DiCocco D (WIA), McIntyre C, Capozza N (WIA), Green E, Woolslayer H, Garret P, McKinley D, Lilly R, Taiani J (KIA).

Third row (left to right): Cole D, Rowe P (WIA), Tremont G, Crispin C (WIA), Horensky A, Ontiveros A, Gullo D, Momrock F (WIA), Jones J, Wiles F, Russen P (WIA), Zitch J, Lecher F, Jolliffe S (WIA), Lilly W, Pasch E (KLD), Dunn G (WIA), Abariotes H (WIA), Miller S, Marrow M, Thomas C (WIA), Nestor D, Himes S, Humlan S, Canfield D, Skapura S, Graefe P, Kolcum E, Trano J (KIA).

Fourth row: Calvert T (WIA), Canada T, Heigl A (WIA), Pearson R (WIA), Baily D, Fischer R (WIA), Knutson R, Lea A, Mongan L, Moore K (WIA), Hartman R, Frazier R (WIA), Minogue J, Field H, Fisher D, O’Neal W, Behel J, Olhava A, Rodriguez J, Ludwick O, Scott L (KIA), Mckay S, Thornton W, Hayward W, Harlow R (WIA), Casto R, Skladomowski T (WIA), Litwin W, Settlemire I.

Fifth row: Miesch K, Sowers E (WIA), Reamer J (KIA), Putman C (KIA), Weinsteiger P (WIA), Hartigan R, Lorence J, McGregor J (WIA), Bard W, Stephens G, Scott F, Koehler L, Heath M, Leeper C (KIA), Wagner J, Sutton J (WIA), Paffrath R, Lien N, Klick J, Bradbury R, Grim R, Bridges L, Saus M (KIA), Skibo E, Momich R, Reel R, Bowden A, Paliwoda W, Meiers G, Gower W (WIA).

   

From left to right: Frank Momrock (ASN 33622799), Warren E Lilly (ASN 33621796) and Jean A Klick (ASN 13158157), all members of E Company 1st Squad - 1st Platoon (unpublished photo, with courtesy of J. Klick).

 

 

 Other members of E Company, Camp McKall July 1943. Back at right is Donald T Nestor (ASN 33720321). Man in center (holding M1 rifle) is Charles Leeper (ASN 37510525). Charles was the first man of the E Company killed in action on January 7, 1945 (unpublished photo TFH collection).

  

 

 

From left to right : Charles Thomas (ASN 33591689) and  ... (ASN) - E Company - Camp MacKall 1943 (unpublished photo TFH collection).

  

This nice photo comes from the scapbook of Charles J SLAVKA (ASN 33080666) - E Company. It was realised at Camp MacKall, circa 1943 and shows 5 unknown troopers, probably from E Company. Of interest, note that the building behind the men is probably the all purpose recreational building (unpublished photo - TFH collection).

 

 "Souvenir from Camp MacKall". This Stationery Kit was bought in Camp MacKall by Private George Goida (ASN 33662719) - F Company (TFH collection).

  

Post card sent by Pvt Allan J. Isobel (ASN 32930150) - Medical Detachment on June 4, 1943 (TFH collection).

 

This card was sent by Private Eugene Frank MEGIER to his family on December 1943. At this time, Eugene served with the HQ2/193rd GIR and was stationed at Camp MacKall, North Carolina. Eugene will fought in the Bulge and will participate to Varsity where he will be seriously wounded to the head and right arm.