While I was researching for Mettle of Granite County I collected research for World War II as I planned to add it to Book Three. Due to the amount of information I had, it was not feasible at that time to include another huge chapter so it went unwritten. Recently, conversations about WWII have surfaced and I have decided it is time to write the information that I already have and what I can add to explain to the younger population what that period of history was like and how patriotic the souls were that gave everything they could to protect our freedom.
I was born eight months before the United States entered the war on December 8th 1941, a few hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Although young, I do have memories that I will add as this dialogue continues.
Although the United States did not enter the war until after Pearl Harbor the country was not unaware of what was happening. Keeping this writing apolitical, there will not be any discussion about the reasons we had not entered sooner.
One of the major happenings in Montana was the building of Malmstrom Air Force Base in 1939 when the War broke out in Europe. The concern about the war “caused the local Chamber of Commerce to contact Montana Senators Burton K. Wheeler and James E. Murray and request they consider development of a military installation in Great Falls….Great Falls, along with ten other northern tier sparsely populated sites was considered for heavy bomber-training sites. Construction began on Great Falls Army Air Base on June 2, 1942. The base was informally known as East Base since the 7th Ferrying Group was stationed at municipal airport on Gore Hill. Its mission was to establish an air route between Great Falls and Ladd Field, Fairbanks, Alaska, as part of the United States Lend-Lease Program that supplied the Soviet Union with aircraft and supplies needed to fight the German Army.”(Malmstrom Air Force Base Museum).
Montana’s 163rd Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division, The Jungleers, was called to Active duty on September 16, 1940 for a one year training. That same day the Selective Service Training and Service Act of 1940 introduced the very first peacetime conscription in the history of the United States. This was for men from the ages of 21 to 45 years of age.
Then on March 11, 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt established the Land-Lease Act allowing Britain, China and other Allied forces to purchase military equipment and defer payment until after the war was over.
In August 1941, President Roosevelt signed an extension of service for six months that covered all the Americans who had been called up in 1940. This included the 162rd Infantry that was training at Fort Lewis in Washington state.
Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941 and President Roosevelt declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. Then on December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared War on the United States with the United States reciprocating and declaring War on Germany and Italy.
This led to over 15 million American’s serving in our military from 1941 to the end of the War in 1945. More than 75,000 of those forces were from Montana. The 163rd Infantry Regiment served on the west coast until it departed to Australia in April 1942. They served as parts of the Southwest Pacific Command fighting in the Pacific Theater of WWII. They were recognized as the first U.S. unit to defeat Imperial Japanese Forces in the Battle of Sanananda, Papua, New Guinea in January 1943. This battle was been memorialized by a painting by Irwin “shorty” Shope (April 1943).
Other noted Battles were: Gona, and Kumsi River; The New Guinea Campaign of 1944; Battles of Aitape, Wadke and “Bloody” Biak; The Southern Philippines Campaign 1945; Zamoanga, Sanga Sanga Island; Battle of Jolo and the key village of Calinan against seasoned Japanese troops. After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the Regiment became an occupation force on the Japanese mainland until it was demobilized in Japan on January 1, 1946.
The First Special Service Force was a joint US-Canadian special operations secretly formed in Helena, Montana at Fort Harrison in July 1942 to train for Operations Plough. This operation included plans to attach a hydro-electric target in German held northern Norway responsible for creating heavy water for Germany’s atomic bomb. The unit served in both the Pacific and European theaters in The Aleutians, Naples, Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, and The Rhinelands. They were inactivated December 1944 without losing a battle; with casualties equivalent to 137% of their strength.
Camp Rimini War Dog Reception and Training Center was built at Camp Rimini just west of Helena. The sign directing you is located at the base of McDonald pass on Highway 12. An article describing the goings on at the Camp was published in the Carbon County News on October 15, 1943. “Technical Sergeant Johnny Eslick kicked off the brake, yipped ‘All right, take it up’, and we were bouncing along a mountain road behind nine Siberian Huskies. Johnny is one of the dog experts training teams for army sled work at the Camp Rimini war dog reception center near Helena. Perched on the seat of a stripped down Austin automobile, used in summer training, he talked about his teams. ‘The Army buys these sled dogs up in Canada and Alaska, and ships ‘em here for training. We train them all the time, although the job is really conditioning and teaching team work more than anything else’ Johnny continued. ‘In the winter we train them with the army’s all-purpose sled, built to carry supplies or wounded men, and to travel on either soft snow or ice.’ Near the adult fog area is the puppy camp filled with fat, sprawling husky pups, born into the army. They will take their place in the harness later on.”
“Camp Rimini, commanded by Major E.J. Purfield of the quartermaster corps, has some 500 sled and pack dogs. Training the sled teams are such men as Sergeant Richard Moulton of Meredith N.H., who worked with Byrd in Anartica and the army in Baffinland; Corporals Edward Moody and Malcolm Douglas of East Orange N.J., both on Byrd’s last south pole expedition… They are selected for size, willingness and good nature. It takes about three months to train a pack dog, but when they are turned over to the army units they are qualified to carry 60 pounds of supplies or other items in rugged, cold mountain country. In the winter they pull a pulka, built on the principle of the Indian travois and fashioned so that the dogs have complete freedom of movement. Army dogs pull pulka loads equal to their own weight-an average of 150 pounds. And around sled dogs, there is one conversational taboo—nobody says “All right” unless he is starting a team! It’s the husky equivalent of “scram.’----as on sergeant who tossed off a casual “all right” to a companion, and ten pursued his team for 46 weary miles, found out”
By 1943, all of the dogs were being sent to Robinson, Nebraska as noted when the April 16, 1943 Mail stated “Dogs from Granite county continue to find their way into the armed services via the War Dog Reception and training center at Fort Robinson, Neb. Another shipment of sled dogs was made to the training center on April 15 by the Granite County Committee of Dogs for Defense of which J.C. Harrah is the chairman. The shipment included 5 dogs meeting the government requirements as to weight, age, height and type.”
Another important part Montana played in the War effort was the 7th Ferrying Command, which the Army Air Force organized, that trained bomber forces throughout Montana such as locations at Great Falls, Lewistown and Cutbank. These forces carried out the mission of providing aircraft and critical supplies to our allies over the Great Circle Route, which was a critical part of the Global War Air Operations. A number of these pilots were civilian women. By September 1942 the Army Air Force created The Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) and appointed Nancy H. Love the Commander. Eventually over 1,00 women completed flight training and after a lot of maneuvering the Air Force renamed their unit WAFS which stood for Women Air Force Service Pilots. In 1977, these women were finally recognized and achieved military active duty status for their service. Many were injured and some killed during the course of their service.
The January 17, 1941 Philipsburg Mail carried the following headline “First Volunteer to leave on 22nd.” with this article ”The local board of the Granite county selective Service System met January 12 at 2pm. present were: George Mungas Chairman, Howard B. Craig acting secretary, and Utahna Meesom Clerk. During the meeting eight notices to appear for physical examination were prepared. When these have been completed 20 percent of the total number of registrants will have been classified. A total number of seven registrants have volunteered, but only four have qualified. The first volunteer, Virgil Charles Dilts, will leave for Fort Missoula on January 22, being the first man to be called from Granite county
And so our Patriots began to serve their Country.
Photo from Philipsburg Mail August 24, 1945
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