Captain Frank D Centanni, KIA on Corregidor, February 17, 1945, HQ Co, 34th IR, 24th ID

Captain Frank D. Centanni, HQ Co, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, KIA at the foot of Malinta Hill, Corregidor, 2/17/1945
He is buried in Manila, Plot A Row 8 Grave 17




He was the middle child of 7 Centanni siblings (3 brothers, 3 sisters- he was the only siblings to die during WWII)
1915-1945
(photos courtesy of L. Bogart)

'Plaque found in the trunk of junked auto': 

"To the memory of Frank D. Centanni, First Grade Fireman of Engine 28, with the rank of Captain, Headquarters Company, 34th Infantry, Killed in Action, Leading his troops at the foot of Malinta Hill, Corregidor, February 17, 1945."

"This 1945 aerial view of Malinta Hill shows its north (photo’s left side) and western slopes (photo’s mid to right side). Much of the south western part of the hill has been pulverized into rubble. Japanese guns on Bataan had a clear view of this part of Malinta Hill."--http://corregidor.org/fieldnotes/htm/fots2-121224-2.htm

American Cemetery Manila

Source: http://lost-at-sea-memorials.com/?p=1986

Recently, I've had several conversations where the American Cemetery in Manila has come up. I have only met former servicemen who have visited the cemetery as it is not a huge tourist site the way the Normandy American Cemetery or other ETO cemeteries are. (It is very expensive to get to the Philippines and that is one reason the American Cemetery in Manila is not as often visited as other more easily accessed cemeteries.)

 

It is in fact the largest American WWII Cemetery of troopers buried outside of the US in the world. There are 17,201 buried, and the large monument with the "tablets of the missing" have 36,285 names inscribed in marble, (on 152 acres) .

Source: http://www.inkedlens.com/2012/12/manila-american-cemetery-taguig.html

To put it in perspective, the Normandy cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach has 9,387 buried, and 1,557 on the wall of the missing (on 172.5 acres).

The American cemetery in Holland has 8,301 buried, and 1,722 as listed as MIA (on 65.5 acres).

Here you can see the pathway that leads through the tablets of the missing. 

A walkway like this runs through each half of the memorial; 

listing more than 36k names in all.

Source: http://lost-at-sea-memorials.com/?p=1986

I added up all the MIA inscribed names in the 12 WWII cemeteries in Europe and there are 17,647 missing in action names listed. This is less than half of the 36,285 names of the missing in action chiseled into the walls in Manila.

Of course there are many other American cemeteries of WWII dead in Europe which Collectively outnumber the war dead buried in Manila. I am only trying to show perspective to those who've visited the European cemeteries, and have not been able to visit the Manila cemetery.

Panorama of the tablets of the missing in action
SOURCE: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jovijovijovi/3378582590

Suffice to say; it's the largest concentration of WWII dead outside the US on a relatively small geographical plot comparatively.

I was so fortunate to visit this cemetery numerous times throughout my life growing up in the Philippines. It was always very peaceful when we were there, and sometimes we were one of a couple visitors, sometimes the only ones. We would purchase food and picnic at the cemetery, and spend a few hours each time; sitting in the shade of the many trees, laying in the grass, walking the thousands of graves and reading the inscriptions, and reading the tens of thousands of names inscribed among the tablets of the missing. I specifically remember from the time I was young until I was an adult laying in the grass among the tightly concentrated graves, just letting the weight of all that it represented sink in. I remember seeing the undersides of the crosses and Stars of David as from the ground the white marbled gravestones were as far as the eye could see in any direction. I also remember being there during heavy rainstorms and finding shelter in the tablets of the missing memorials.. the wind blew the rains in to make it slippery, but it was a heck of a shelter from the storm-- surrounded by the names of the missing in action. 
I really appreciate that my parents thought it so valuable to make the trip from where we lived in Antipolo to the cemetery to spend time there on so many different occasions.

I would lay on the inclines like this at an angle growing up. This shows the perspective and trees well.
Source: http://snapshots.casaveneracion.com/a-visit-to-the-manila-american-cemetery-and-memorial/

Most of my friends have not have the chance to visit this cemetery, so I found some of my favorite photos online (thanks Internet- sources on the photos) to show what it looks like. The graves are arranged in a circle pattern around the two halves of the pillars of the missing which come together to form another "circle" in the center of the cemetery. The aerial photo shows the layout best. 
It's beautiful, and easily one of my favorite places on Earth.

(Statistics of War dead taken from the American Battle Monuments Commission website: abmc.gov)

~~K.Mishler, WWII FILES, February 9, 2016

David Lloyd Owen describes the unique make-up of his LRDG units

David Lloyd Owen with 'Y' Patrol vehicle "Aramis" (sometime WWII)
--Courtesy lrdg.org

"This was to be the basic material from which the patrols were manned throughout the war in the desert.  New Zealanders, Guardsmen, Yeomen, and Rhodesians. 
     
     The New Zealanders were tough, self-reliant individuals with an earthy sense of humour and an indomitable spirit.  They could bear almost any hardship with a shrug of the shoulders and a determination to take more if it was necessary.  I found them slightly aloof and a little suspicious of me at first for they did not know what kind of man I might turn out to be.  They were wary of British Officers whom they sometimes suspected of being ignorant fops.  But once they realized that you were prepared to muck in with them and did not wish to stand apart they were not only most entertaining company, but they became wonderful friends.

New Zealand members of the LRDG pause for tea in the Western Desert, 27 March 1941.
Photo Courtesy IWM- E2307

New Zealand R Patrol troopers with 'Rotowaro',
 30cwt Chevy- photo courtesy lrdg.de

     
     There is hardly any need to describe the Guardsmen.  Their characteristics as soldiers are so well known and written in the immortal pages of three hundred years of military history.  Even the worst of them are good, and let it suffice to say that we were fortunate in that we had the best.

David Stirling with two members of the SAS together with personnel of 'G' Patrol of the Long Range Desert Group: the man at the top back is probably Guardsman G T Blaney ('Ginger') LRDG. The rest, from left to right: Guardsman Archie Gibson (LRDG), Reg Seekings (SAS), Guardsman Jack Crossley (LRDG), Johnny Cooper (SAS), David Stirling (SAS), Craftsman R N Scott (LRDG), Rose (LRDG), Guardsman Archie Murray (LRDG). Photograph taken in May 1942 at Bir Hacheim after the raid on Benghazi harbour-- Courtesty IWM-HU69650

Vehicles of 'G' Patrol preparing to leave Siwa. 'G' Patrol was formed in 1940 from volunteers from the Coldstream and Scots Guards. 'G' and 'Y' Patrols routinely operated from Siwa.
--Courtesy IWM HU 16614

     
     The men of the Yeomanry units were those with whom I lived and fought when I took command of them in 1941, and I have never known such comradeship before of since.  They were mostly countrymen, and thus knew how to move silently and how to outwit their enemy, for they had done it often enough as poachers. They were the salt of the English earth and I never doubted their worth. 

'Y' Patrol resting in front of one of their trucks at Air Ghetmir during the evacuation of Jalo. David Lloyd Owen is standing on the extreme left. Having moved their forward base to Jalo, the Long Range Desert Group was forced to withdraw back to Siwa and Kufra when Rommel mounted a counter-offensive and pushed the 8th Army back to the Gazala Line, 30 miles west of Tobruk.--Courtesy IWM-HU16454

     

     The Rhodesians served with me throughout the war and I saw a lot of them.  It took me most of that time to know them well and then I knew how very friendly they were.  They are naturally reticent and use few words.  Quiet and unassuming they seldom spark, but behind this rather forbidding facade there lies a loyalty, a kindness and a spirit which is unconquerable.  As soldiers they were unique in that one knew that they would never get into bad trouble for their emotions were not subject to excessive changes of temperature and they were, therefore, preeminently reliable."  

S Patrol (Rhodesians) Captain Ken Lazarus is standing in the center, on the right Corporal George Howard (Lazaus' driver). The trooper on the left is unidentified, but not altogether dissimilar to a known photo of Bill Johnson. (The two on the bonnet are both SAAF 15 Sqn.)
--Courtesy fjexpeditions.com

Close up view of (Rhodesian) S-Patrol's Pilot Truck. Note camouflage pattern and the mesh covering over the large holes cut in the engine's bonnet. Also of interest is the way the headlights have been painted.  --Courtesy lrdg.hegewisch.org

~~Major General (Ret) DAVID LLOYD OWEN, 

"The Desert, My Dwelling Place", 1957, pgs 58-59

DAVID LLOYD OWEN (left), sometime during WWII
"A man of normally immaculate appearance, he began to blend in with his informal and decidedly scruffy comrades. Lloyd Owen’s relaxed and friendly style of leadership relied on persuasion, personal example and the recognition of shared hardships. He won the loyalty and respect of his men by his daring, sheer stamina and first rate tactical skills."
--Courtesy of LRDG.ORG

Purchase "The Desert, My Dwelling Place" Here

PRINSES IRENE BRIGADE- In Memoriam, Cornelis Johannes Picokrie, 12.16.1926 - 4.25.1945

WWII Prinses Irene Brigade Patch-
Courtesy of Tim Sloots

I've recently become acquainted with a gentleman whose Grandfather's brother fought with the Prinses Irene Brigade in WWII.  

This unusual Dutch brigade (formed in England in 1940), deserves notoriety and a wider recognition among history buffs worldwide. 

There is more to come in regards to the story of my friend's family member who was a surviving member of the Prinses Irene Brigade.

Cornelis Johannes Picokrie
KIA April 25, 1945

But for today, I am posting a of a young warrior who did not make it home.  

Cornelis Johannes

PICOKRIE

Born December 16, 1924

KIA April 25, 1945

He was 20.

With permission from the webmaster at www.prinsesirenebrigade.nl here is a translated detail of his death: 

"Of Combat Group III, there were two KIA's the morning of April 25, 1945; Sprenkeling and Picokrie.  The latter, a Tilburg boy of 20, died during a heroic action as a shooter/rifleman."

This is the battle the Brigade was involved with during the last week of April 1945.  

According to the Prinses Irene Brigade unit history, 

"The Brigade was assigned to the British 116th Mariners Brigade and captured a bridgehead in Hedel on April 23 for the advance in the Bommelerwaard. It managed to hold the bridgehead in spite of heavy German attacks; however, when ..orders were received the Brigade withdrew to the south of the Maas because the advance could not be effected."

C.J.Picokrie's grave, 

Tilburg, Netherlands

Cornelis Picokrie's grave (at right) is located at the Roman Catholic Cemetery at St. Joseph Hil in Tilburg, Netherlands; 

Section B-1, #55.

May we always remember. 

~~~WWIIFILES

January 20, 2016

Follow WWIIFILES on Facebook here: Cornelus Picokrie 

Special thanks to the webmaster at: www.prinsesirenebrigade.nl for his permission to use the photos on his website and the death, action, and unit history details published on his website. 

British Paras WWII

     I received this beautiful British Parachute badge and pin from a friend who retired from a Para Airlanding Regiment in England. His grandfathers fought in Dunkirk, North Africa, Normandy, Arnhem/Market Garden, The Blitz n Coventry, and the advance into Germany in 1945. 
     These British Airborne wings and hatpin were courtesy of his Airlanding Regiment. 
     As a tribute to them and the honorable warrior Paras who came before them, I put together this small album of British Paras from several campaigns.

UTRINIQUE PARATUS! (Ready For Anything)

Modern British Parachute wings and badge

The British Army in Tunisia 1943: Sgt M Lewis of the 2nd Parachute Battalion examines a memorial to the 1st Parachute Brigade on the Nefza-Sedjenane road in the Tamara Valley, 14 October 1943.

1st Para Brigade; Churchill barracks, ITALY, 1943
~Photo courtesy of Brian Hope

4th Parachute Battalion mortar team in action, Italy 1944.

Paratroopers pose with Dutch civilians after landing near Arnhem, Sept 1944

An officer of the 1st Airborne Division loses his trousers after escaping Arnhem, and crossing the Rhine; Market Garden Campaign

British paratroopers march into captivity after being captured at Arnhem. (Airborne Assault, Imperial War Museum, Duxford)

Melton Helton 1911-1994, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion 2nd Infantry Division in WWII

I've recently been put in contact with a friend's Dad; WWII Veteran Jesse 'Brown'.  

We were able to catch up on the phone and he told me several stories.  

Quick overview (more on him later): 

Jesse was in the 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion; 2nd Infantry Division in WWII- his combat started at the onset of the Battle of the Bulge at St. Vith, Belgium.   

~Discharged July 1946; reenlisted for Airborne, then OCS, commissioned 1949

~187th Regimental Combat Team in Korea 

~5th special forces Vietnam

MELTON HELTON Post-WWII

Of the MANY questions I asked him (WHAT A CAREER!!! WHERE DOES ONE START!?)  I asked if he recalled
 any of his WWII buddies that he was especially fond of.  

He said there was a name by the name of Melton Helton of Crossville, TN.  Just a Private when Jesse first met him, but he was "more level-headed, practical, and competent than most of the officers!" 
I recently found a post-War of Melton Helton later in life on his farm in Crossville, TN.  

Today, Jesse emailed me a short story he wrote about his buddy Melton Helton: 

"During the Battle of the Bulge, January 1944, we were for a time in Hurtgen Forest.  Any competent commander would wish to provide security for his soldiers so we all took turns at guard duty which meant two of us were armed and keeping our eyes peeled.  

If you stood the watch with Slim (we assigned the name to Melton Helton), you got to hear how much he missed his wife and son.  Slim walked with a sort of rolling gait, not unlike someone with one leg shorter than the other.  We invented the story that Slim kept his garden above his root cellar so that when he wanted to harvest, he could simply cut a vegetable from its vine and it would roll down into the cellar.  He didn't have to carry it.  

That was also how he came to have a short leg, from having to walk around the mountain.

It was said that he learned to read and write after entering the Army.  Whether that is true, Slim always knew how to accomplish whatever we were assigned to do and many of us felt that it was better to be under his supervision than that of our non-commissioned officers.  Not surprisingly, Slim was one of the first of us to promoted."

Jesse 'Brown', August 11, 2015

(Jesse's surname has been changed to protect his privacy)

"Fairness in this Merciless War" by 'Panzer Commander' Colonel Hans Von Luck; Tunisia '43

Hans Von Luck
(Photo colorized by Doug Banks)

"The Hurricanes must have seen my armored reconnaissance vehicles.  I figured we were in for a second attack.  Again, I sent off a radio message. 

          'Have been attacked by Hurricanes, flak and artillery platoon largely out of action.  Anticipate fresh attack, send Messerschmidts.''

The British bases must have been close behind the front.  After barely an hour, they were back again.  This time, is was the turn of our armored vehicles.  With dismay, I saw only a few yards away, how Hurricanes fired rockets, which went straight through our armor.  That was new to us.  

Panzer battalion; Spring '43, Tunisia

     The only one to remain in his vehicle, was my radio operator, who was sending off my messages.  Next to the vehicle, stood my intelligence officer, who passed on to the operator what I shouted across to him. 

     Then a machine-- I thought I recognized the Canadian emblem--approached for a low-flying attack on the armored radio station.  At 20 yards, I could clearly see the pilot's face under his flight helmet.  But instead of shooting, he signaled with his hand for the radio officer to clear off, and pulled his machine up into a great curve.
     'Get the operator out of the vehicle,' I shouted, 'and take cover, the pair of you.'

A pilot of No 417 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force climbing into the cockpit of his Supermarine Spitfire fighter at Goubrine, Tunisia '42-'43

     The machine had turned and now came at us out of the sun for the second time.  This time, he fired his rockets and hit the radio car, fortunately, without doing too much damage. 

     This attitude of the pilot, whether he was Canadian or British, became for me, the example of fairness in this merciless war.  I shall never forget the pilot's face or the gesture of his hand."

~~Colonel Hans Von Luck recounting a battle in Tunisia '43 in his memoir

PANZER COMMADER,

pages 138-139

Purchase Panzer Commander HERE

#WWIIPOD U.S.M.C. on Guadalcanal

"Guadalcanal U.S.M.C. Photo"

#WWIIPOD Maori 28th Battalion January '45; Italy

"Men of 28th (Māori) Battalion marching north of Faenza, Italy, in January 1945. They are moving out of the line approximately 2 km from the enemy-held Castel Bolognese.

Having spent several years in the deserts of North Africa, many members of the 'Div' were not prepared for the cooler climate that greeted them when they arrived in Italy in late 1943."

'Māori Battalion in Italy, winter 1945', 

URL: Ministry for Culture and Heritage, updated 15-May-2014 

#WWIIPOD : Arnhem Survivors, September 1944

British paratroopers after successful evacuation from Oosterbeek Cauldron, Holland, September 26,1944

 Members of the 1st Airborne Division, mostly 1st Border, safe in the grounds of the Missionary College in Nijmegen, on Tuesday 26th September, after being successfully evacuated across the Rhine. 

Left to right, 

Back row: Privates Jack Cohen (Divisional HQ's Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry Defence Platoon), Poule (from Sheffield, unit unknown), Johnny Peters (No.14 Platoon, B Company, 1st Border, from Liverpool). 

Middle row: Lance-Corporal C. McInnes (23 Mortar Platoon, 1st Border), Private D. Doran (1st Border), unknown. 

Front row: Corporal Jim McDowell (23 Mortar Platoon, 1st Border), unknown, Private Danny Shaw (9th Field Company, RE), Lance-Corporal Thomas McKewan (No.18 Platoon, 10th Battalion), Private Patrick John (1st Border, KIA 11th October 1944), Private A. R. Morgan-Lewis (Royal Signals, 1st Airlanding Brigade), Trooper Jim Cooke (Recce Squadron), Lance-Corporal Ronny Lord (23 Mortar Platoon, 1st Border), WO Terry Armstrong, Lance-Corporal S. "Judy" Wright (Divisional HQ's Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry Defence Platoon). 

Copyright: IWM HU3722.