1945
V-E Day and
the Voyage home...
Carl wasn't immediately sent home after recovering from his wounds. The 3rd Army kept him in the rear eschelon on casual status (neither training or mission status), probably Southampton, England the embarkation point for Europe. The Diamond Dust shows a great example of keeping up the morale and disseminating information to the growning number of troops waiting to return home. The War Department was already preparing the soldiers returning from war for their transition to civilian life.
Carl was promoted to S/Sgt on March 23, 1945.
The La Crosse Tribune Feb 28, 1945 page 10
May 8, 1945 marked the defeat of the Nazi's and the Axis powers and the world rejoiced! In a few short months, the War in the Pacific would be over as well and the fighting forces from all over the world would begin flooding back into the States. The Nation would move from war to peace. It was a long, hard fight but with the dictators supressed, the nation breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Harry James' "It's Been A Long, Long Time - May 1945
SS Sea Porpoise
Carl embarked from Europe on the SS Sea Porpoise on Jul 9, 1945. The voyage before this marked an interesting time for the crew of the vessel. The most notable; Woody Guthrie, who was a hand on the Sea Porpoise. Here is his story in short:
The ship transferred its troops and the crew stayed on board, managing to get it to the harbor, where it was eventually towed back to the States and refitted. Woody was given a rail/travel pass and orders to make his way to Scotland to join another US ship. He routed via London and presented himself at the headquarters of the BBC in Portland Place. Announced himself as a folk singer wanting to sing/broadcast for the BBC. A confused BBC producer unsure of Woody's bona fides took him to a side room and asked him to play a couple of songs. He passed the impromptu audition but the BBC were still uncertain of what to do with him. The afternoon `Children's Hour' program was about to start so Woody was taken to the relevant studio and told to sing a couple of songs. When the broadcast ended, Woody bade his farewells and continued on to Scotland. Here's that broadcast.
As a member of the Merchant Marine, Woody served aboard a few different vessels during WWII. His pal Cisco Houston served with him.
It is said that the only allied vessel sunk on D Day was the SS Sea Porpoise. The Sea Porpoise made several trips from the U.S. to England, loaded with 3,000 troops at a time, including elements of the 821st and 823rd tank destroyer battalions. It also took part in the Normandy landings as a troop transport.
Houston wrote in a book about leading sing-alongs for the soldiers on the ship to calm them down during the U-Boat attacks on their convoys.
On the night of July 5, 1944, off of Utah Beach, the Sea Porpoise was torpedoed by U-320. There were no fatalities but Houston talked about how Guthrie came looking for him and hauled him from his smoke filled cabin, up to the deck through the pitch black passages.
In May 1945, the SS Sea Porpoise returned to service and continued as a troop transport.
