World War II Chronicle: November 15, 1942
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More on the rescue of the B-17 crew that was ferrying famed World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker beginning on the front page. Six of the seven crewmembers are now recovering, but Sgt. Alexander T. Kaczmarczyk died of exposure 13 days after ditching and was buried at sea. Photos of crew on page four…
Page two features a chart explaining the different draft classifications… Army Ground Forces commander Lt. Gen. Leslie McNair’s Armistice Day address, entitled “Kill–or Be Killed,” is published on page 28… War’s 167th week summarized on page 30… who have spent the last three weeks adrift in the South Pacific (story on page two)… The “Philippine Escape” series continues on page eight…
Sports section begins on page 36, and on the following page we see that Manhattan College had their hands full against the Jim Crowley’s North Carolina Pre-Flight Cloudbusters. Of the players mentioned in the column, at least two have already played in the NFL: Len Eshmont played for Crowley at Fordham before spending a season with the New York Giants and Mort Landsberg (Cornell) played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Both will resume their professional careers after the war.
Meanwhile, the Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers shut out Tulane in New Orleans thanks in part to their former pros, two-time Pro-Bowler Flingin’ Frank Filchock (Washington Redskins) and Darrell Tully (Detroit Lions). Skycracker head coach Ray “Bear” Wolf played pro ball too, but it was on the diamond and not the gridiron. Wolf played one game for the Cincinnati Reds in 1927. He only got one at-bat before a knee injury wrecked his career…
Also mentioned is Jacksonville Naval Air Station, who handed Clemson a defeat. Lining up in Jacksonville’s backfield is George McAfee, Number Two pick of the 1940 draft and star of the NFL champion Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, the Washington Huskies are held to a 0-0 tie with St. Mary’s Pre-Flight Air Devils, led by Vic Bottari and Frankie Albert. Bottari starred for the California Golden Bears and was picked in the fourth round of the 1939 draft, but did not want to make football his career. Albert is discussed in a previous Chronicle post.
The Naval football programs were so good that Colliers gave them their own All-America selection in 1942:
ALL-NAVY ALL-AMERICA FOOTBALL TEAM–1942
- Left End: Jim Poole, Georgia Preflight (Mississippi)
- Left Tackle: Steve Hudacek, N.C. Preflight (Fordham)
- Left Guard: Buddy Jungmichel, San Diego Naval Training Station (Texas)
- Center: George Svendsen, Iowa Preflight (Minnesota)
- Right Guard: Joe Ruetz, St. Mary’s Preflight (Notre Dame)
- Right Tackle: Bill Davis, Georgia Preflight (Texas Tech)
- Right End: Ed Frutig, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station (Michigan)
- Quarterback: Frank Albert, St. Mary’s Preflight (Stanford)
- Right Halfback: George McAfee, Jacksonville Naval Air Station (Duke)
- Left Halfback: Dick Fisher, Iowa Preflight (Ohio State)
- Fullback: Bruce Smith, Great Lakes Naval Training Station (Minnesota)
ALL-NAVY PREFLIGHT CADET ALL-AMERICAN TEAM–1942
- Left End: Gordon English, Georgia (Tulane)
- Left Tackle: Steve Hudacek, North Carolina (Fordham)
- Left Guard: Francis Crimmins, Georgia (Auburn)
- Center: Joe Kovach, North Carolina (Fordham)
- Right Guard: Tom Smith, St. Mary’s (Iowa State)
- Right Tackle: Bill Kolens, Iowa (Illinois)
- Right End: Judd Ringer, Iowa (Minnesota)
- Quarterback: George Benson, Iowa (Northwestern)
- Right Halfback: Bob Koch, St. Mary’s (Oregon)
- Left Halfback: Bill Schatzer, Iowa (North Central)
- Fullback: Joe Martin, North Carolina (Cornell)
While we are on the subject of football players, it is worth noting that Capt. Eddie Doyle was one of the first Americans killed in action during the Operation TORCH landings. The West Point graduate played two seasons in the NFL: the Frankford Yellow Jackets (Philadelphia’s team before the Eagles existed) in 1924 and the Pottsville (Pa.) Maroons in 1925.
One of Doyle’s teammates at Pottsville was Walter French, who was an All-American in 1920 and 21 while at West Point. French became a standout back for Pottsville and also played six seasons of baseball for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics — the first-ever Army big-leaguer. He returns to West Point to coach baseball, then serves as a reserve officer through the war. He transfers to the Air Force and retires a colonel. Nemo Gaines pitched for Navy when French was a Cadet. Gaines becomes the first Midshipman to play big-league ball, pitching four games for the Washington Senators in 1921. He serves as a captain during World War II.
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 15 November 1942. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1942-11-15/ed-1/