World War II Chronicle: April 13, 1941
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Today’s front page reports that the active duty strength of the United States Armed Forces has swelled to 1.5 million men. Focusing solely on the Army, 19,327 draftees reported for duty in November and December of 1940, but fresh recruits have streamed in since the new year: 73,633 in January, 90,238 in February, 153,437 in March, and 124,982 in April. At this stage, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall plans on demobilizing some National Guard units in September and releasing draftees who will have served their year-long commitment in November.
Marshall would prefer to keep these Americans in uniform, but the FDR administration has to be careful not to appear overly belligerent to the still-largely isolationist American voters…
‘Stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door’
Page five features a few photos of the 501st Parachute Battalion, who are performing more test jumps at Fort Benning, Ga. While a lot has changed over 80 years, American paratroopers still hit the silk at 1,250 feet on static-line training jumps. In case you like math and have a morbid curiosity: a 150-lb. paratrooper that carries 150 lbs. of gear, jumping from 1,250 feet would hit the ground in 8.82 seconds. At impact, he would be traveling 193 miles per hour.
And on the subject of parachute infantry… Did you know that American paratroopers had performed nine combat jumps prior to the Normandy Invasion? Targets were North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and New Guinea during 1942 and 1943…
A map on page six gives you some perspective as to the incredible size of Ford’s River Rouge plant. Interestingly enough, the compound generates its own power and processes the raw ore it needs to build cars, jeeps, and aircraft.
If you’re wanting a little more insight into the conflict in the Balkans, Maj. George Fielding Eliot’s commentary is on page 13.
And for those of you who are disillusioned by modern-day Major League Baseball, Washington opens the 1941 season against the New York Yankees tomorrow. Pres. Roosevelt throws out the first pitch. This season also marks the first time the organ is used for baseball games, in Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
Speaking of organs, below is a clip for all the St. Louis Cardinals fans of Ernie Hays on the pipes playing “Here Comes the King” at the old Busch Stadium. You know, there was just something so poetically beautiful about that stadium. Especially at night — even though I prefer day games. There was this damp crispness to the air and a special echo to the sound that bounced around in that concrete cookie-cutter stadium that, mixed together with the smell of nachos, Budweiser, and the occasional cigar that all came together to make a truly wonderful experience. The colors of the wall, the seats, the turf (and later, grass) were just so vibrant. The umpires calling timeout so everyone can watch the VP Fair fireworks… the organ riff that played whenever a Cardinal got a hit… showing up several hours early to watch players take batting practice… the manual scoreboard… and those arches tied it all together. Truly great times.
And while I would prefer to not send any traffic to YouTube, below is another clip that reminds me of going to Busch Stadium as a kid, back when there was turf. Surely there will be baseball in Heaven, and there we baseball fans will be able to enjoy pitchers batting, the absence of traffic or politics, a real organ, and “The Wizard” (Ozzie Smith) doing an occasional backflip. And when we don’t go, there will be the sweet sound of Jack Buck and Mike Shannon calling the games on the radio.
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 13 April 1941. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1941-04-13/ed-1/