Related to the 449th BG (H)
Anyone who’s known “Doc” for any period of time knows he’s quite the story teller. The only time I’ve ever seen “Doc” at a loss for words was when he did his oral history at the 20th reunion in Clarksville, Indiana. For some odd reason many of the stories he’s told relating to his experience with the 449th didn’t come to mind then. The following are some that came to mind as we worked on his book.
The stories are “Doc’s”. I’ve used the basic facts that he gave me, and sometimes his own words, to put the stories down on paper. The basic tales are the same that I’ve heard over and over again. However, as with any story teller, the words used to tell the story change each time it’s told.
Boot Camp – Kearns, Utah:
Kearns, Utah was a miserable place for basic training. The barracks were poorly built with spaces between the boards. The weather alternated between sand storms, rain and snow. Poorly insulated, the barracks gave little shelter from the cold. Those on the top bunks would where masks to sleep when the sand storms blew.
The weather was harsh at that time of the year. . It seemed like older men or those who weren’t in good physical shape had a hard time dealing with the weather and strenuous training. It wasn’t uncommon for many to become sick and for some to even die during training. Attendance at training dwindled as time went on.
According to “Doc” the camp commander went through the enlisted men’s chow line one day and found the quality of the food to be subpar. It was determined that the meat that the soldiers were being served was horse meat. The meat the army was being supplied was being sold to the people in town and replaced with the horsemeat. The cooks wound up in the brig.
Vaccinating the Group – Bruning, Nebraska:
“Doc” and Herman Ingram were assigned the task of making sure the entire 449th Group had their proper vaccinations. This included detailed record keeping on which individuals had received their shots as they were some that required multiple doses and given at separate times.
Eventually “Doc” and Herman decided the best approach was to go to the flight line and “catch” crews as they were coming and going. Herman constructed an “ice box” that they mounted to their jeep. This allowed them to complete their task before the unit left Bruning.
“Doc” remembers the vaccinations as being: Small Pox, Cholera, Typhus, Tetanus and possibly Yellow Fever along with normal booster shots.
They had to make a special effort to keep the syringes sterile and to make sure the alcohol (used to disinfect that location of the shot) dried before giving the shots. He got proficient at giving shots which carried over to his time as a veterinarian.
Flight Across Atlantic Ocean:
“Doc” doesn’t remember which crew he flew over with, but it was one of the original cadre and first wave to go to Grottaglie. On the flight across the Atlantic he was allowed to fly in the Belly Gun position. “Doc” remembers as they came near Africa both the pilot and co-pilot fell asleep that the plane went into a dive. He says it was a very scary thing watching the waves get closer and closer. Fortunately the plane was brought under control and they arrived in good shape.
Dakar Horses:
After crossing the Atlantic, they were allowed to walk through town and even go down to the beach on the shore of the Atlantic. There “Doc” saw something unusual. Trainers were walking race horses in the water. He learned that the salt water toughened the hoofs so they were less likely to split. He’s often wondered why that practice wasn’t picked up by trainers of American race horses.
Marrakesh, French Morocco:
After arriving at Marrakesh, they were told not to go into town, as it was a difficult place for American servicemen. While there he remembers seeing a C-47 land and a large black car being unloaded. He believes the car was for President Roosevelt who had recently been at the Tehran Conference in which the allies agreed to open up a second front against the Germans.
While at Marrakesh, they were eating lunch when Gen. Eisenhower entered the facility and came over and spoke to them. He remembers him looking so young and being quite nervous at the encounter.
They were delayed leaving French Morocco due to the weather. Their lead plane crashed in the Atlas Mts. killing the entire crew.
Tunis, Tunisia:
They had a short layover in Tunis before heading to Grottaglie, Italy. While in Tunis they slept in tents. They had Arabs to guard the tents, but found them attempting to steal things from the tent one day.
Grottaglie Accommodations:
“Doc” was part of the initial group to arrive at Grottaglie. The accommodations for the first few months were quite rough. There was no running water so washing was done from their helmets. There were no toilets so a trench was dug and officers and enlisted men all used the same facilities.
“Doc” did get to use one of the buildings for quarters until the remaining members of the group arrived. At that time the building became Officers quarters. One of “Doc’s” team constructed a cinder block building for them to use for the remainder of their stay in Grottaglie.
Role at Grottaglie:
“Doc” served as a Medic for the 716th Squadron and Lab Technician for the entire 449th Group.
He and Herman Ingram were sent as part of the first wave to arrive at Grottaglie as their role was to set up the four Dispensary Clinics, one for each Squadron.
“Doc” also was responsible for ordering all the medical supplies for the 716th Squadron.
In addition to dealing with illness and injuries of the servicemen, medics were also involved with dealing with remains.
A more pleasant role was dispensing a drink of whiskey to those who desired one at the completion of their mission.
Medics would spray (DDT) at night in an attempt to kill mosquitoes. They would also look for standing water and pour gasoline on it, again in an attempt to kill mosquito larva.
1943 Christmas Treat:
Col. Alkire assigned “Doc” the task of driving into town to purchase “the best ice cream available” as a special Christmas Day treat.
German Strafing:
Early on it was not uncommon for the base to be strafed by German fighters. So the Americans were careful not to have lights (from fires) give away their position during the night. However the British could be seen tending fires so as to be able to brew their tea.
Friendly Crash Sites:
When on duty, Medics were called on to go to friendly crash sites to recover remains. “Doc” recalls going to three (3) sites that were from take offs or landings from missions. He also attended two (2) sites from “practice missions”.
One “practice mission” crash he attended included the remains of a medic from the 717th Squadron. The medic had been talked into flying along with the crew. Dr. Scott also went to that site and there’s a picture of “Doc” and Dr. Scott at the scene.
Vineyards and Workers:
The airbase at Grottaglie was surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. “Doc” remembers seeing young women harvesting grapes as the men, wearing large hats, slept in the shade. In some cases the women were in late stages of pregnancy and occasionally the medics would have to take one of them to the hospital after they went into labor. He said that babies were sometimes born in the ambulances.
British Tea and Crumpets:
A pilot (from California) was found dead in his barracks. The cause of death wasn’t apparent so “Doc” was given the assignment to take the pilot’s body to the location where they could perform an autopsy. The Italian roads were narrow and had stone fences on each side. He came to the top of a rise and started down the other side. Parked alongside the road was British Lorry (truck). Several soldiers were out of the truck and they had something on the high fender. “Doc” nearly hit them as he drove by so he went back to see if any of them had been injured. When he approached one yelled out “You blooming Yank, you upset our tea and crumpets!” Other than that, they were all okay.
Leaves:
“Doc” remembered three leaves.
Two were to Rome which he described as a beautiful city with beautiful parks. They were supposed to stay at a compound at the outskirts of Rome. However they found that they could trade items they got from the PX for a place to stay in town. In “Doc’s” words, “A carton of cigarettes would get you a nice room to stay in in town.” He visited the catacombs and the Coliseum while in Rome.
In addition, they had the opportunity to go to an Italian beach resort. He remembered that there were a large number of Jewish refugees at the resort when he was there. He doesn’t remember the name or location.
Entertainment:
“Doc” didn’t take advantage of base entertainment too frequently but he did attend the Bob Hope Show when he came to Grottaglie. Some of the officers had the chance to go up on stage during the show.
Sports:
Having been a good athlete in high school, sports were an important part of his activity while in the service. He got a start when he was training in Colorado and was asked to participate with a baseball team. At Grottaglie he participated in football, softball and basketball games.
He remembers one particular softball game in which the enlisted men played and beat the officers. The officers’ first baseman, Lloyd Bentsen, wasn’t pleased at loosing.
They played a “Tangerine Bowl” football game which ended at 6-0, with “Doc” catching the winning touchdown.
“Doc” was chosen as one of the 449th’s All Star Basketball team
that played in and won the 47th Wing Tournament.
They then went on to play in the 15th Air Force Tournament, but lost to the team from the Tuskegee Airmen’s unit.
Service Pay:
Sgt.’s pay was $78 per month. He kept $7 per month and sent the rest home for savings. He supplemented his $7 with items he bartered with that he got from the PX. Cigarettes were a valued commodity for trading.
“I Was Nearly Dead”:
While “Doc” flew to Grottaglie in order to set up the dispensaries, he took a ship home along with the rest of the ground crew. They were supposed to go to the Pacific for the war against the Japanese, however part way across the Atlantic their destination was changed to Boston, Massachusetts. Soon after departing Grottaglie “Doc” became seasick. He was so sick that he wasn’t able to do daily grooming and soon became very weak. Capt. Scott (the 716th’s flight surgeon) walked by “Doc” while he was on deck. “Doc” called out to him, but Capt. Scott could hardly recognize him. He sent “Doc” to the officer’s sick bay where he was given IV’s and rehydrated. When they docked, “Doc” was still so weak it was hard for him to carry his things off the ship. They were sent to Camp Miles Standish, south of Boston in Taunton, Ma.
“Doc” went through the chow line and took three rolls. The German POW who was serving the meal was upset at this and tried to stop him. “Doc” got his three rolls.
Disability:
During his physical evaluation at Camp Atterbury, Indiana they determined that “Doc” had lost his hearing in his left ear and was given a disability.
Leave:
“Doc” and Bernard Bowers (716th Bomb Site Technician) came back to Chillicothe. While home on leave they went to Cincinnati to attend a Reds’ baseball game.
Others from Ohio:
While many of the names have been forgotten, “Doc” remembers that there were many members of the 449th BG from Ohio including ones from: Toledo, Laurelville, Columbus, McDermont, Latham, Chillicothe and others.
Two members of the 450th BG eventually came to Waverly. One of them was Dixon and the other was Tom Paridon, a Pilot, who set up a turkey processing plant in Pike County. Given Grooms was from Pike County, Ohio and was one of the nine crew members of Harvey Gann who lost his life during the Udine, Italy mission January 30th, 1944.
Visits After the War:
Herman Ingram was the crew chief for the spraying crew responsible for spraying alongside the Norfolk & Western railroad tracks from Norfolk, VA to Columbus, OH. He stopped by and visited “Doc” on one of his trips. They had been closely associated as both were medics in the 716th Squadron.
Bernard Bowers made the trip from Chillicothe to Waverly to visit with “Doc” on one occasion.
Reunion Introductions:
When “Doc” attended the first reunion in Tucson, AZ one of the attendees came over to “Doc” and said he wanted to introduce him to his wife and two daughters. The service member had been a “top Gunner/Engineer and was from Tyler, TX. He introduced “Doc” as the individual who had saved his life. He was scheduled to be part of a mission but was suffering from a fever. “Doc’ told him he couldn’t go. This was confirmed by Capt. Scott. The plane that he was scheduled to fly on was lost during that mission.
At the first Dayton reunion an individual who was part of the Headquarters Unit came over to “Doc” and apologized to him. He said he had been upset with “Doc” since “Doc” bumped him from being part of the first wave to fly to Grottaglie. He said had he not been bumped, he would have been on the plane that crashed in the Atlas Mts.
Meeting Senator Bentsen:
Teddy Wheeler (Pike County Auditor) and Ed Davis (Pike County Treasurer) were in Washington DC for a meeting. They happened to be riding in the elevator with a man the recognized to be Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. They remembered that “Doc” had told them (both good Pike County Democrats) that Lloyd Bentsen had been his last Squadron Commander while in the 716th Squadron of the 449th BG. When the three men got off the elevator they asked Sen. Bentsen if he had known a “Doc” Allen while in the service. He told them he didn’t know a “Doc” Allen, but he had served with a John Allen from Ohio. (“Doc” didn’t become known by the name “Doc” until he had returned to the states and set up a veterinary medicine practice.)
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A “Family Affair”
“Doc’s brother, Ralph, served as a forward spotter for the Army artillery. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge sustaining serious damage to his feet from the extreme cold. He recovered in a British hospital. His parents went four months without hearing from Ralph, not knowing if he had been killed or about his injuries. His injuries ended the possibility of a major league baseball career.
Both “Doc’s” mother and sister worked in the National Fireworks, Inc. ordinance plant located in Chillicothe which made shells for naval ships.
“Doc’s” future brother-in-law, Bob Cruise, served in an Army artillery unit that saw action in the Battle of the Bulge.
"Doc" Allen 