After the specialist training program of the MTP the laboratory received it's first real test during maneuvers in the Tennessee Maneuver Area from 26 Feb 1944 to 4 April 1944. The laboratory was located in three small rooms in the basement of Maneuver Directory Headquarters.. Combat Unit #1, which had preceded the rest of the company to the maneuver area, had already established a print room, office, and facilities for developing negatives, so with a small amount of expanding and alteration the base laboratory took over.
Three shifts operated almost around the clock service. Both identification units and two of the combat lab units were with the base lab for duty. One combat lab, under the leadership of Sgt Fenton Jones, operated in the field with the HO17 shelter housing the equipment. T/4 Carroll Wescott successfully operated the RC 120 Facsimile equipment, communicating from the combat lab in the field with Maneuver Directory Headquarters.
After maneuvers, laboratory service was furnished to all the combat units on DS in the USA from the base laboratory at Camp Crowder, Missouri. Formal classes in laboratory technique were started for the newly arrived ASTP men, namely:
Pfc George E. Ligler
Pvt Peter F. Farr
Pvt Robert J. Lindgren |
Pvt Charles M. Schaufelberger
Pvt Harland J. Olson
Pvt Adolf Jofe |
Late in June 1944, the laboratory ceased operations and packing the equipment for overseas began. Much credit for the excellent condition in which the Equipment arrived in France goes to T/4 Russell H. Larsen T/5 Cecil C. Turner, both from the lab, and S/Sgt Donald E. Hunt, from the assignment platoon. THE EMBARKATION ROSTER OF THE LABORATORY READ:
Adams, Kenneth E.
Von Oder, Eugene W.
Blaker, Lawrence W.
Doiron, Alphonse L.
Kramer, Edmund M.
Larsen, Russell H.
Baker, Stanley E.
Hiltz, Frank J.
Nottelman, Alexander H.
Ouzer, Louis
Reed, Thomas G. [or J.]
Turner, Cecil C.
Farr, Peter F.
Ligler, George E.
Olson, Harland J.
Torrez, Charles J.
Hofer, Robert J.
Jofe, Adolph
Lindgren, Robert J.
Miller, Ralph J.
Schaufelberger, Charles M.
*Lightcap, Charles W. [or A.]
*Doan, Martin H.
*McColley, Glenn [or Glen] F.
*Jones, Fenton E.
*Pryzbyla, Walter J.
*Nichols, Robert J.
*Simonds [Or Simmonds] , Bernard H.
*Hogsett, Maynard C.
*Hogsett, Warren W.
*Arrington, Charles W. Jr.
*Charles, Gilbert M.
* Tarallo, Charl [or Carl] J. |
1st Lt
M/Sgt.
T/3
T/3
T/4
T/4
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
Pfc.
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
T/5
Pfc.
T/4
T/4
T/5
Pfc.
T/4
T/4
T/5
T/5
T/5 |
0-1642383
19125983
37536307
39238341
32795545
37484750
19164460
36886004
36680080
32846446
36699099
36885916
39127600
[Past this point; Ranks added from the Roster and may not have been the same at embarkation, serial Nos. unknown] |
* Combat Lab
The laboratory platoon formed the bulk of the “marching party” Which entrained at Mobberly, Cheshire, England, while the balance of the company traveled to France with the vehicles, equipment, supplies, and baggage. Not many of the lab will forget the "forced march” from the marshalling area to the Southampton docks, the uphill climb at Omaha Beach to “Transit Area No. 2” or the long, long ride in open trucks through the rain to Versailles, France. At Versailles the laboratory was called upon to furnish laboratory facilities for the NINTH US ARMY. The following personnel left for NINTH ARMY HQ with the equipment of the two combat labs:
M/Sgt Eugene W. Von Oder, in charge
T/5 Charles W. Lightcap
T/5 Walter J. Pryzbyla
Pvt Bernard J. Simonds [Or Simmonds] |
Pvt Martin H. Doan
Pvt Glenn F. McColley
T/5 Warren W. Hogsett
T/5 Maynard C. Hogsett |
The base laboratory began to perform its company mission at Caserne Niel, Verdun, France. A mess kitchen was converted into a laboratory and under the excellent direction of T/4 Larsen in the negative room, T/4 Kramer in the print room, T/3 Doiron in the office and T/3 Blaker as lab supervisor; operations were started on 19 September 1944. During the month of October, 20,521 Prints were made and 2,750 Films handled.
During the month of November, 17,344 Prints were made and 1,877 Films handled.
During January, February, March April and May an average of 19, 000 to 20,000 prints a month were made. In December 1944, Tec 3 Laurence Blaker and Tec 5 Stanley Baker traveled to headquarters, Ninth Army to make portraits of all general officers with that command. The War Department requested the portraits for the official files. And then in January the portrait team traveled to Headquarters, First Army to make similar portraits. Both missions were very successfully completed.
When the headquarters started to move to Wiesbaden, Germany the lab platoon was again the advance party, so most of the equipment was packed and the trip made. The civilians had to be evicted from three of our five houses, the various sections had to be spotted, the billets assigned and the lab installed. The laboratory was running the third day with the best laboratory set-up so far. |
