Kaukauna Times
By Lyle Hansen
December 1, 1944
Barney Hietpas was the only one of his party to
get a buck. It was a 135-pound buck.
Staff Sergeant Edward H. Vanderwyst, who is
serving with the 11th infantry division in the European theater, has
received a citation for distinctive heroism in connection with military
operations against the enemy on August 8, 1944. Sergeant Vanderwyst, with utter
disregard for his own safety, exposed himself to violent enemy fire that he
might cover the withdrawal of his unit.
A disastrous fire struck the business section
of the city completely destroying the Anderson Service Hardware and Schell’s
alleys on West Wisconsin Avenue Thursday morning. The fire started near the
furnace in the Anderson’s store. The
fire was confined to two buildings, and it is believed the loss will be more
than $80,000.
Don Hudson seems a cinch for scoring and
passing receipt titles as he the ends his 10 professional seasons this year.
The 31-year-old Hudson has collected 85 points on nine touchdowns and 31 extra
points. The closest contender is Fireball Frankie Sinkwich of the Detroit Lions
who, with one game to play, has 58 points.
Lieut. Jerome Meinert was wounded in action on
November 15 while serving with the 95th division at Metz, according to latest
word received by his parents. Meinert is now confined to a hospital in Paris
and expects to be moved to England soon.
A fourth-quarter rally gave the St. John
Dutchmen the 22-20 cage victory over Pulaski high school five at Little Chute
Tuesday evening. Harry Hermsen tied the score 20-all for the Dutchmen and then
Jim Hartjes potted the winning bucket.
December 6, 1944
First Lieut. Wilbur A. Jansen has been awarded
the Silver Star and Purple Heart. Jansen was wounded in action in France,
having been in the Army for about two years. The war Department's version of
the action for which Jansen was decorated is as follows: A patrol of about 40
Germans infiltrated the main line of the third Battalion and attacked an
ammunition dump about 400 yards behind the battalion command post. Lieut.
Jansen, leader of the platoon and six men promptly deployed and directed a fire
fight in which eight of the enemy were killed and three others wounded. Jansen
mounted the cab of a truck and manned the 50-caliber machine gun until his
ammunition was exhausted. His gallant action and resourceful leadership stopped
the larger enemy patrol and held it off until reinforcements arrived.
Kaukauna will have a new eight-line bowling
emporium as soon as it is possible to rebuild the Schell building destroyed by
fire last week. Once the insurance work is completed the rooms will be torn
down and a new one-story structure will be built. Mrs. Alice Schell and Joseph
Bayorgeon, who has been engaged as manager for the past several years, have
completed a partnership agreement.
“Drive carefully,” is the warning issued by
Chief of Police James McFadden to all motorists. Streets are, slippery, and
hazardous and to avoid mishaps to motorists, and pedestrians drive slow and
safely.
Seven boys have already left high school this
year to enter service of their country. The Navy has claimed the majority of
them by taking three, one being a sophomore, one Junior and one senior. Two
boys, both seniors answered the Army's call, and two juniors answered the
merchant Marine call.
A plucky Brillion five put up a good fight for
the first half but went down before the Kaws commanding height advantage giving
Kaukauna its fourth straight win by a score of 30 to 20. Jim Lehman led the
Kaws with four buckets and three gift shots.
December 8, 1944
The city’s post war public works program as
drawn up by F. M. Charlesworth city engineer. The proposed plan calls for a
swimming pool amounting to $70,000 as well as water main extensions.
December 13, 1944
Many Kaukauna citizens will be listening
Thursday evening to the radio when a record made in Paris by Lieut. Louis J. Vanderloop
will be broadcast on WTAQ. Lieut. Vanderloop is a bombardier and navigator on a
Havoc A-20 fighter bomber operating in the European theater of war.
Julius J. Martens, 73, pioneer businessman and
banker, passed away suddenly Monday when he suffered a heart attack while
sitting at the desk at the Farmers and Merchants bank. With the passing of Mr.
Martin's Kaukauna loses one of its oldest businessmen. In the years of 1880’s
he was employed by the August Mill's store as a delivery boy and clerk in the
grocery department. In the 1890s he built a building and, started in the
grocery business.
Robert La Plante, senior and forward on a
basketball team, may not be the tallest man on the squad, but he makes up for
it in aggressiveness and hitting the hoop when it counts. Bob, who is better known to his friends as
Lester, is 6 feet tall and tips the scales at 145 pounds.
Santa Claus is coming to town! Yes, he will be
here at the high school auditorium on Saturday, December 16 at 2 o'clock. At
least 2000 kids are expected to be on hand to meet Santa when he makes his
appearance.
December 15, 1944
The communication received here from
headquarters zone of the European theater of operation reports that three
Kaukauna boys Sgt. Lloyd Siebers, Sgt. Robert Klister and Cpl. Norbert Demerath
are amongst the seven medical soldiers from within a 15-mile radius of Appleton
who joined the Army on the same day and are now still working together at the
312th station hospital in England.
Rev. Michael Dexter, assistant pastor of St.
Mary's Catholic Church, left Wednesday to join the United States Army as a
chaplain. He is the first clergyman from Kaukauna to become a chaplain in the
Armed Forces.
The Marine Corps has notified the family of
Cpl. Martin Siebers that he received shrapnel wound in the arm in action on
Peleliu Island in the South Pacific on October 3.
The
ceiling limit in the total number of main station telephones that may be
connected to the local telephone center office under the restrictions of the
war Department has been reached here.
Second Lieut. Elroy J. Peters, 22, who is
stationed at the eighth air force bomber station in England has been decorated
with the first oak leaf cluster to his air medal, it was announced recently by
the commanding general of the eighth Air Force. Lieut. Peters is a bombardier
on a B–17 flying fortress in the 8th air force. He has participated in many
huge daylight precision bombing assaults on industrial and military objectives
in Germany and Nazi occupied Europe.
December 20, 1944
Private Francis Alears is missing in action in
the European area. He entered the military service February 17 of this year and
went overseas July 21. He was with the
army infantry.
The local Boy Scouts collected 2500 pounds of
scrap metal and paper before their truck broke down last Saturday. They were
unable to cover the north side, but Scoutmaster Wallace Mooney announced that
they will be pleased to make a special pickup on Friday if residence will call
him.
The Kaws really poured it on a hapless London
team on Friday night to the tune of 42-22 and left many wondering how the
Bulldogs ever held Shawano to a 10-point margin of victory and defeated Waupaca
last week.
December 22, 1944
Appearing on the Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy
broadcast on Christmas Eve will be two Kaukauna men, Richard E. Watson and
Richard J. Brown members of the famous Great Lakes naval training center choir.
The choir numbering 1000 voices is made up of recruits in training.
December 27, 1944
Sgt. Clarence J. De Bruin, son of Mr. and Mrs.
John De Bruin of Kimberly, is stationed with the crack Mustang fighter group
overseas and is on duty as a mechanic to help keep the powerful P-51s of his
squadron in the air over Germany.
The Boy Scouts of the city have been given
recognition awards for their part in the scrap and paper drives according to
Wallace Mooney, scoutmaster. The war production Board has issued a word to 29
boys and three troops for helping collect essential scrap metal during August
and September.
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The commanding general of the eighth Air Force
service command recently announced the promotion from major to Lieut. Col.
Leroy E. Everett of Kaukauna. Col. Everett was foundry superintendent at
Kaukauna Machine Corporation when he accepted a commission as a major in the
Army Air Force in July 1942.
A former grocery store clerk in Kaukauna, John
C. DeGoey, was promoted to Second Lieut. on the field of battle and also
decorated with the Bronze Star medal for heroic action against the enemy. He
was a technical Sgt. and acting platoon leader in company B of the 84th armored
infantry Battalion of the seventh armored division. Lt. DeGoey had previously
been awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action at Metz. He received the
Bronze Star for having led his platoon at Meljal, Holland. The platoon was trapped
and faced with an overwhelming enemy force for three days in late October
before reaching friendly lines.
Dr. and Mrs. G. J. Flanagan received a
cablegram last week from their son John station in Belgium. It said, “Best
wishes for Christmas and the New Year and more than ever you’re in my thoughts
at this time.” At the present he is stationed with a field hospital unit in
Belgium.
Holding St. John High School of Little Chute
two points until the fourth quarter the Kaukauna High School cagers won an easy
non-conference game here Thursday night by a 30 to 12 count.
Bernard Van Zeeland had the high game and high
series for the Knights of Columbus bowling Thursday evening with 230 game and a
606 series.
Notes from the Armed Forces
Sgt. Theodore Weber is a maintenance man on the
B–24 Liberator bomber squadron which recently completed one year in Italy.
Three 18-year-old Kaukauna men received their
initial Navel induction training at the US Naval Training Center at Great
Lakes, Illinois. They are Wilfred J. Brown, John H. Helein and Robert Geurts.
Myron Belongea was commissioned second Lieut.
and was awarded the silver wings of a pilot in the Army Air Corps at a
graduation exercise at Spence Field, Moultrie, Ga.
Robert E. Golden, 17, Kaukauna received his
initial training at the US naval training center at Great Lakes, Illinois.
Seaman second class Arthur Meinert is spending
a seven-day leave with his parents. He will then return to his station at
Crane, Ind.
Motor machinist mate second class James Hopfensperger
is spending a 30-day leave with his parents. He has recently returned from
overseas where he took part in the invasion of Normandy.
James D. Helf has been promoted to first Lieut.
The promotion from second Lieut. was made November 15 in Italy. He is with the
Army Air Corps. He was sent overseas in September.
James Weigman, Seaman second class, on his
return to duty from the Pacific area, had the pleasure of meeting his brother
Wilford in the Hawaiian Islands. Wilford is with an air tank company and was
working high up on a tank when he heard someone call him. The boys have not
seen each other for two years.
Staff Sgt. Edwin J. Dougherty of Kaukauna is
one of 55 returned veterans awarded the combat infantry badge at the
redistribution station, Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Private Roger Voet has arrived safely from
overseas according to word received by his family. He is currently in a hospital in Oceanside
California where he was confined for several weeks.
F/O Kenneth L. Roloff, Kaukauna, is assigned to
Ardmore Army airfield, Oklahoma where he is completing final phase training at
the navigator.
AOM 2/c Donald H. Keil left
for Miami Florida after spending a 17-day furlough with his parents. While home
he went on a hunting trip to Eagle River.
Petty Officer John Grafmeier arrived home to
spend the holidays with his family. He is stationed on a destroyer in the
Pacific.
Leroy Balza arrived here last week from Ft.
Sheridan, Illinois. He left for Mississippi where he will complete his
training.
Pfc. Emil Koglin, Jr. arrived here to spend a
23-day furlough with his parents. He had spent 27 months in Iceland in the
signal corps. At the end of his furlough, he will return to California for
reassignment.
Corporal Remy Picard is spending a furlough
with his mother after spending 47 months in Hawaii. He will then leave for
Santa Ana, Calif., for reassignment.
Cpl. Vearle G. Foxgrover has been promoted from
Pfc. He is stationed at Longview, Texas.
MM third class Kenneth Balgie has arrived
safely in New Guinea.
Sgt. Henry Vanderwyst
is spending a furlough here. He is currently stationed at Camp Joseph P
Robinson, Little Rock, Arkansas. Sgt. Vanderwyst was wounded in New Guinea and
is believed he will be kept in the states to instruct infantry recruits in
warfare methods he learned in action in the South Pacific.
Kaukauna
High School 1944
Volleyball claims the attention of Elaine Maile
and June Bishop during the noon hour.
Jean Pickens and Mary Lou Maule wait for the other side to serve.
Mary
Lou Maule, Jean Pickens, Fordyce Wagnitz and S. Lambie.
Elaine Maile and Virgina Smith discuss the rules of badminton.
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