World War II Chronicle

World War II Chronicle: June 13, 1943

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Last week we mentioned that Archibald Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt’s third son, was serving in the Pacific Theater. Today he is pictured on page four. Archibald accompanied his older brother Theodore Jr. on the first American patrol into “No Man’s Land” during the First World War and is wounded severely enough to merit a full medical retirement. He comes back into service and is now a battalion commander in the 162nd Infantry…

Page four also mentions the new cruiser USS Houston, which has a fascinating story. This is the third so-named vessel, and the second Houston served as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet and hosted Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt on numerous occasions. When Texans learned their ship was sunk during the Battle of Sunda Strait last year, they put together enough money in war bonds to pay for fund the new cruiser with enough left over to pay for the light aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto.

USS Houston (CA-30) with Pres. Roosevelt aboard in 1935

While they were raising the money, 1,000 Texans volunteered to serve on Houston’s crew — enough men to form a complete crew. A crowd of 200,000 watched the men swear in during a Memorial Day parade and boarded trains for San Diego for induction. Among them was 16-year-old Robert E. Bradley, whose older brother Leonard Earl Bradley was aboard Houston when she was sunk and is listed as Missing in Action. Robert is allowed to board the train and swears in three days later on his 17th birthday. He survives the war and joins the Houston Fire Department. The new Houston (CL-81) is about to launch at Newport News, Va. and will take several months to finish, so only one of the “Houston Volunteers” will actually serve aboard the ship they signed up for…

Page 20: a Liberty ship has been named after Eddie Grant, a baseball player who was killed in action during World War I. SS Edward L. Grant is the 151st Liberty ship constructed by the Bethlehem-Fairfield shipyards in Baltimore… 197th week of the war is summarized on page 25… The following page discusses war veterans in Congress and how many of their family members are in the Armed Forces… Sports begins on page 31… Service page on 59…

Capt. Thomas J. Lynch, commanding officer of the 39th Fighter Squadron, is pictured on page 95. Lynch has 10 victories.

39th Fighter Squadron aces at Schwimmer Airfield (Formerly 14-Mile Aerodrome), New Guinea. Front row, left to right: Capt. Charles P. O’Sullivan1Finished the war with five kills. Shot down on Sept. 20, 1943 and evaded capture for a month before returning to his squadron, Lynch, 1st Lt. Kenneth C. Sparks.211 kills. Killed in a mid-air collision over California on Sept. 5, 1944 Standing, left to right: Capt. Richard C. Suehr,3Five victories, also flies during the Vietnam War 1st Lt. John H. Lane,4Six victories 1st Lt. Stanley O. Andrews.5Six victories

Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 13 June 1943. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1943-06-13/ed-1/

  • 1
    Finished the war with five kills. Shot down on Sept. 20, 1943 and evaded capture for a month before returning to his squadron
  • 2
    11 kills. Killed in a mid-air collision over California on Sept. 5, 1944
  • 3
    Five victories, also flies during the Vietnam War
  • 4
    Six victories
  • 5
    Six victories

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