Time Machine Trip to July 1945

Kaukauna Times

By Lyle Hansen

July 6, 1945

Verhagen’s Keenway market located on Depot Street has been sold to Irving Van Zummeren. Larry Verhagen has accepted a position with General Foods. The ownership transfer will take place July 9.

 

Staff Sergeant Paul Kauth arrived home having received an honorable discharge from the army. Kauth entered the army in April 1941 and served 40 months in the south Pacific area. His brother Lieutenant Stanley Kauth arrived home on Sunday. The two brothers had not seen each other in 3 ½ years.

 

Martin Maulick pitched a no-hit ball game as the Kaukauna American Legion Juniors defeated the Menasha Juniors by a score of 5-1 at the Kaukauna ball park.  

Private James S. Wilson has been awarded the Combat Infantry Badge for exemplary performance with the 38^th Division in action against the Japanese Shimbu line Manila.

 

Seaman William J. Landreman is now stationed at Navel Air Technical Training, Memphis, Tenn.  

 

Turret Gunner, Donald H. Keil has returned to the United States on leave after a tour of duty in the Caribbean. He is attached to the Navy’s Patrol Bombing Squadron taking part in 62 combat missions.

 

The Dundas canning company began full capacity operation Thursday of this year's crop of peas which will be canned at the Dundas plant, according to Ray Driessen, manager. In order to start full operation, it was necessary to bring in 65 German prisoners of war to help in the fields and at the plant to harvest the 1945 crop, which is expected to be 25% larger than the crop last year. The Dundas plant brought in the German war prisoners only as a last resort after they were unable to secure enough help to operate. They would still like about 15 more women workers.

Private First Class Leroy Balza, who graduated from gunnery school, is spending furlough with his family on Fifth Street. 

  

M/Sgt. J. J. Martens arrived home Tuesday from Fort Benning, Georgia, to spend his 10 day furlough here with his wife and his mother.

Walter Schmidt, supervisor of the baseball program conducted by the recreation Department, announced at a team composed of the boys from Kaukauna hardball league will meet a team from Erb Park playground, Appleton, in a two-game series. The Kaukauna lineup includes Dave Derus catcher, Pat Lehman and John Ives, pitchers, Tom Gustman, first base, Joe Birkenmeyer, second base, Don Lemke, third base, Dave Kilgas, short, Lloyd Kloehn, Gene Ploetz and Joe Stager in the outfield. Other players are Junior Broehm, Roy Vandenberg, Lee Gast and Jim Swedberg.             

 

Staff Sergeant Carl J. Swedberg, Kaukauna, with the 33^rd division on Luzon helped stop a Japanese night counterattack. His company had occupied the position late in the afternoon after two days of bitter fighting with the fanatical Japanese. Shortly after midnight about 50 Japanese stormed the American positions where Sgt. Swedberg and his rifle squad were. After countless mortar, machine gun and rifle duels, the enemy was driven off. He directed his squad's fire and defense while the engagement was taking place. Swedberg has been in service for nearly three years, two of them which have been spent in the Pacific theater.  

  

 Tech Sgt. Herbert Weber arrived home Monday to spend a 30-day furlough with his mother Mrs. Matt Weber, Taylor Street. He has been stationed in the European theater for the last 10 months with headquarters company 3/77 infantry, 95th division.

Staff Sgt. Clarence M. Perry, Jr., has been visiting for the past few days with his grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Louis Perry Seventh Street. He recently returned from the Philippines and the Southwest Pacific area, where he spent the last 40 months. Although possessing 114 discharge points, he has been declared possessed of an essential skill and will not be discharged at this time. He wears three battle stars on his Asiatic – Pacific theater ribbon and two campaign stars on the Philippine liberation ribbon.

Mr. and Mrs. Otto Doering, Sixth Street, received the package Monday from their son, Cpl. Ralph Doering, who is stationed in Germany. Package consisted of a wooden box containing a Nazi officer’s dress hat. Its condition is very good and apparently its owner had little opportunity to use it. Included with the hat was a large red armband with the black and red swastika insignia and a black and silver iron cross inscribed with the dates 1813 and 1939. Cpl. Doering has been overseas for two years and participated in the African, Italian and southern France campaigns before moving to Germany where he is an anti-aircraft gunner. He has been in service since November 1942. He wears five battle stars on his service ribbons and was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received.

 

Kaukauna got its first taste of County league baseball in nearly 4 years, and a good-sized crowd went home well pleased with the exhibition in which Freedom topped Little Chute by a score of 6 to 4 at the Kaukauna ballpark last Thursday evening in a twilight game both the Chuters and Freedom were well matched with Johnny Rowe’s pitching for freedom. Johnson, the starting Chuters hurler, was somewhat wild at times and was touched for 11 hits. Dago Schuler relieved Johnson and gave up two hits while fanning 4 two frames.

 

July 11, 1945

Lieut. Marv Miller, former Kaukauna High School athlete and coach at Central Catholic High School at Green Bay, spent last Wednesday and Thursday at the home of his parents in Kaukauna enroute to Kansas where he will visit with his wife and children while on the 30-day leave from duty as a gunnery officer on a liberty ship. He has been in service since February 1944 and has made three trips to Europe on convoy duty.

 

How does a 21-month diet of cabbage soup, black bread, water, barley and occasionally a bit of horse meat appeal to you? Such was on the table of staff Sgt. Milford Roehrborn, recently liberated German prisoner, who experienced imprisonment for the length of time without a single day of illness or hospitalization. Sgt. Roehrborn, now enjoying a 60-day furlough with his parents on Harrison Street is a member of the Army Air Force. During his second aerial mission over Europe, the B-17 flying Fortress, in which Roehrborn was a radio gunner, met with disaster when two of its engines were knocked out by ground fire and intercepting fighter planes. Out of our crew of 10 men 8 were captured and two died in the crash into the sea. The 22-year-old airman says he was lucky to be placed in a camp were the treatment wasn’t too bad. 

  

Pfc. Robert W. Blank, Florence Street, Kaukauna, was promoted to the rank of corporal. Blank participated in action against the Japanese with the 25th division. He has been in the army since December 1942.

First Sgt. George M. Spierings of rural Kaukauna wears the bronze Star awarded him for meritorious service on January 8 in the vicinity of Brux, Belgium, heavily mined area. Sgt. Spierings has been overseas for 20 months and has five battle stars on his service ribbon along with the unit citation. He has been in service since June 17, 1941.

 Sgt. William E. Knapp, Spring Street, Kaukauna, was recently awarded the Bronze Star for heroic achievement in connection with military operations against the enemy April 7, 1945, in Germany. Intense enemy machine gun fire held up the advance of a rifle unit on the night attack on Castrop. Realizing the situation, Sgt. Knapp made his way alone in this city in search of our machine guns and soon found them. He returned with the men through intense firing. He then cleared the building across from the enemy with his carbine and set up his machine gun section. Supporting fire quickly silenced the enemy automatic weapons and the remaining German soldiers were captured. Sgt. Knapp's leadership and courage were particularly outstanding.

Technical Sgt. Monroe A. Romenesko, Blackwell Street, Kaukauna, is returning home under the Army demobilization plan. Romenesko entered the service in April, 1941, as a member of the 32nd Red Arrow Infantry Division. In the last year, Romenesko saw action in three major campaigns including the bitter fighting in Lorenz, where the Red Arrowmen drove the enemy back inch by inch. Awards held by Romenesko include the Distinguished Unit Badge, the Asian-Pacific ribbon with four battle stars, the Combat Infantry Badge, Good Conduct Medal and the Philippine liberation ribbon.

 

Sgt. Robert L. Jirikowic, Black Street, Kaukauna, recently completed six months overseas with the 43rd bombardment group of the Fifth Air Force. He is a munitions worker with the B-24 Liberator unit that has spearheaded the aerial war against the Japs for more than three years. 

 Capt. Robert G. Mayer of the medical corps, of the United States Army has received the following Army citation. Robert G. Meyer, Capt., medical corpse, United States Army. For meritorious service in connection with military operations against the enemy in the Philippine Islands on February 20 and 21, 1945. During an attempted assault landing 37 men were wounded and throughout intense enemy fire, Capt. Meyer attended the wounded with speed and calmness, saving the lives of many. He continued giving treatment to the wounded, disregarding his own safety. Capt. Myers calmness under fire treating the wounded and his efficiency in caring for the wounded were highly inspirational to the men of his detachment and resulted in the savings of many life's - Major General C. H. Gruold U.S. Army.

 

Glenn Wilpolt, catcher for the Kaukauna Legion Junior baseball club, is leading the team in batting with an average of .318 in seven games played so far this season. Jack Lettau is second with an average of .286 and Phil Haas is third with a .273 mark.

 

July 13, 1945

Word has been received by R. H. McCarthy postmaster, from the postal department in Washington that the local post office has advanced from a second to first class office effective July 1, 1945. The office will now account directly to Washington and not to the district office in Milwaukee as it had been doing.

 

Cpl. Ves Hanby, Quinney Avenue, Kaukauna, is spending a 30-day furlough with his wife and parents. He served 60 months overseas where he was stationed at an airfield near a division bomb group attached to Norwich, England, with an ordinance eighth Air Force. Hanby served as a bomb loader on B-17 and B-24 planes. He entered the Army in February 1943.

 

Arthur C. Look was installed as president of the Rotary club Wednesday noon at the weekly meeting at the Ritz.

First Lieut. James D. Helf, Klein Street arrived home Saturday from Europe to spend a 30-day furlough. Lieut. Helf, bombardier of a heavy bomber crew with the 15th Army Air Force in Italy, made the trip back by transport plane. Following his leave he will be leaving for overseas again this time to the Pacific. Lieut. Helf was inducted into the Army in January 1943 and went overseas in September 1944. He is credited with 53 bombing missions and was awarded the Distinguish Flying Cross. He also wears a distinguished unit badge, air medal with three Oak leaf clusters and four bronze stars on his European theater ribbon.

 

Pfc. Nick Leick, Klein Street, has returned home for 30 days after serving 22 months overseas. Private Leick had been in service for three years and left for overseas duty September 1943. He was stationed in England, France, Belgium and Germany with an engineer water supply company.

 Sgt. Erwin Verhagen, West Seventh Street, has received an honorable discharge from the Army. He has a total of 106 points and served in the Army since August 1941. He spent three years in the South Pacific area. Verhagen was wounded in the Philippines returned to the states in January after he recovered from his wounds.

 

July 18, 1945

Pfc. Herbert J. De Bruin, George Street, is now being processed at Camp Atlanta in North Eastern France, as a member of the first ETO armored division to be ordered to the Pacific. Pfc. De Bruin is a member of Company A, 16th armored Infantry Battalion and served with the 13th armored division. He holds the combat Infantry badge and a bronze service star. His unit known as the Black Cat division captured more than 20,000 German prisoners in the fighting and took an additional 19,000 in Bavaria. In the closing days of the war in Europe the 13th captured Hitler's birthplace city of Braunau, Austria, and liberated 14,000 Allied prisoners of war. He will be given the furlough before the division begins its training for action and the Pacific.

 

George Greenwood is giving Len Van Zeeland assistance in starting the plane. Both men are enthusiastic aviators and never miss an opportunity to get into the air.

Without a doubt the two most air-minded citizens in this community are George Greenwood and Len Van Zeeland. It would take only about five minutes to have a conversation with either one and he would have sold you on the idea that flying is one of the greatest things there is today and will be the coming thing at the end of the war. Greenwood is a student pilot at the present time, while Van Zeeland has been holding a private pilot's license since September 1942. Both Greenwood and Van Zeeland now fly out of Appleton airport.  Greenwood believes the citizens and city fathers of Kaukauna should look forward to a postwar project that would give the city an airfield of two ordinary landing strips of about 2500 feet long. Van Zeeland hardly agrees with George on starting out with a small field to keep costs down.   Van Zeeland says anyone can learn how to fly and that in the future air travel will be commonplace.

 

Cadet Nurse Jane Verfurth arrived home from Milwaukee to spend a two-week vacation with her parents on 6^th Street.

 

 Private Martin J. Kilawee, Kaukauna, was recently awarded to combat infantryman’s badge. He is with the 100^th division, seventh army in Germany.  The men of the seventh captured more than 650,000 prisoners. This includes only prisoners taken in combat and does not include thousands who surrendered in mass when the German 19th Army and the German army group G capitulated to the seventh.

 
 

First Lieut. Jerome Meinert is home on a 30-day furlough. He was wounded November 14, 1944, and was a patient at hospitals in France and England during his convalescence. He entered the service in July of 1942 and was commissioned a second Lieut. at Fort Benning Georgia after graduating from officer’s candidate school. His division, the 95th infantry division, is the organization that captured Mets there for 945 days of the most rugged combat in Europe. During this time in combat the division was opposed by 12 German divisions.

   

 The Kaukauna American Legion Junior baseball team with Martin Maulick again pitching fine ball scored a 12–3 win over the Appleton Legion juniors Sunday afternoon at the ballpark. One of the largest crowds of the past five years saw the Kaukauna juniors outplay, outsmart and outscore the visiting Appleton nine, to hand them their first defeat of the year.

 

July 20, 1945

Clarence A. Pennings route 1, Kaukauna, has recently been promoted to the grade of staff sergeant. He is stationed somewhere in Greenland where as an AAC radio maintenance technician, he helps to keep airway radio equipment on the air 24 hours day in and day out..  

   

Pfc. Martin Trettin arrived home to   spend a 30-day furlough with his parents on Diedrich Street. Private Trettin suffered injury in both legs when he was wounded in France August 8, 1944. He is with an engineer combat unit and entered the service in June 1943.

 

One of the largest crowds of the season is expected to witness Sunday's game at Little Chute between Freedom and the Chuters nine in an Outagamie County league game. The veteran Johnny Rowe will be on the mound for Freedom with the Chuters having Jerry Davis, Dago Schuler or Johnson ready for mound duty.  The probable lineup for Little Chute Sunday will be manager Harvey Hartjes coaching, Davis pitching, D. Schuler at first, C. Schuler at second, and Grishaber at third and Verstegen at short, with Kurt, Lambie and Hermans in the outfield.

 

July 25, 1945

Sgt. Neil, Staff Sgt. Maurice, Mr. Peter Biersteker, Major Nick, Cpl. John and First Lieut. Joseph is not at home.

Lt. Joseph Biersteker

Having five sons in service is somewhat unusual but when four of the sons are home on furlough at the same time, that is even more extraordinary. The four servicemen are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Biersteker Main Street, Little Chute. Major Nick Biersteker was commander of the 757th Tank Battalion with the fifth Army and participated in Africa and the Italian campaigns. He was awarded the French declaration, Croix de Guerre with Silver Star. Other decorations include the bronze star for heroic achievement in action, the Silver Star, European theater ribbon and four battle stars and the American defense service ribbon. He will report to the armored center at Fort Knox Kentucky in August. Staff Sgt. Maurice was home on a five-day pass from Lockbourne Army air base, Columbus Ohio where he is an aviator engineer. Sgt. Neil left Tuesday to return to the Army base at Hunter Field Georgia, after spending a two-week furlough with his parents. He is a laboratory technician with the medical corps. The youngest member of the Biersteker family representing his service is Cpl. John. He is home on a 60-day furlough after six months overseas, during which time he was reported missing in action and later returned to his unit by escaping from Austria with the help of partisans. He served as a ball turret operator on B-24 bomber. First Lieut. Joseph Biersteker, a navigator on a B-29 is stationed in the Marianas and has completed 29 missions over Japan. He has been awarded the air medal.

 

Nearly two-thirds of the 12,500 German prisoners of war working at 41 branch camps under Fort Sheridan are now engaged in harvesting and processing the pea crop in Wisconsin. To help provide additional labor required for the crop in Wisconsin 700 prisoners of war were transferred from five branch camps in upper Michigan, where they were cutting pulpwood.

 

Ron Hammen and John Martin won prizes in the boy’s division in the sand building contest at La Follette Park Friday and Joan Carnot and Audrey Hopfensperger won honors and the girls division in the same contest. The four winners were named by the judges in the contest and will be awarded war stamps. Twenty-five boys and girls participated in the contest and all the participants presented a great variety of well-constructed sand models.

 

Pfc. Marvin P. Kempen of the United States Marine Corps, who is stationed on an island in the West Pacific, wrote a letter home to the Kaukauna Times. “I have been receiving your biweekly additions. To me they are the link between me and Kaukauna. I enjoy reading the news about our town and vicinity and also the editorials of high school students. Many happy memories come to mind as I read the newspaper. Out here in the West Pacific a fellow will always read and perhaps reread his hometown newspaper.

 

Norbert I. De Coster of Little Chute, now with the fifth Army in Italy, recently was promoted from corporal to Sergeant. De Coster is a clerk typist at Headquarters Company. His mother Mrs. Anna De Coster lives on Depot Street in Little Chute.

 

Herbert Fassbender

The Kaukauna Club cheese, manufactured by the South Kaukauna dairy company, is one of the finest cheese products on the market today and is given the city of Kaukauna national as well as international publicity since its introduction 12 years ago by Herbert Fassbender it's a originator. The cheese product manufactured locally since 1933 has been spirited to every state in the union, Canada, and London, England in large amounts and since World War II friends of servicemen have been sent small packages to the boys in the Pacific and European war theaters.

 

Paul M. Jansen W. 3rd St. was commissioned a second Lieut. July 21. He was a member of the graduating class of the 78th armored officer’s candidate school. 

 

Marine Pvt. Roger J. Voet, 19, Metoxen Ave., Kaukauna, recently received the Purple Heart medal for mortar shell wounds suffered during the battle of Iwo Jima. A member of the fourth Marine division, Voet was among 75 wounded veterans of the Regiment who were honored in a ceremony following their return to duty. Before enlisting in May 1944, he was employed at Kaukauna Hardware Company.

 

Flight officer Donald Rohlinger arrived home Wednesday to spend a 35-day leave with his parents on E. 4th St. Lieut. Rohlinger served as a navigator air force, located in England with the 487th bomb group. He has been overseas since March. In speaking of German ruins, the young navigators said in some towns there were not two houses left standing. Rohlinger entered service in August 1943.

 

The Kaukauna mid-channel pool will be open to swimmers starting today, July 25. Donald Crowell will be the head lifeguard for the swimming season. The swimming schedule announced by Paul E. Little, recreation director, will be 12 noon to 8 PM every day accept Sunday's when the pool will be open 12 noon to 6 PM. The mid-channel pool has been put in good condition by a city crew of six men under the direction of Tom Reardon, street superintendent. The raft has been put out with a springboard and a diving tower. An area has been roped off for little tots and markers set up indicating danger zones.

July 27, 1945

Sgt. R. J. Gerrits, who is stationed in southern Germany, writes he enjoys Kaukauna Times.  “Tonight at 5 o'clock the mail clerk yelled, Mail call and I tore out to get the mail for our tent. After about five minutes of name-calling, mine came, Gertz, the rags hear! He handed me four issues of the Times. There were no letters tonight, but that's okay because the Times lets a guy in on plenty of dope from the hometown.”

   

After 11 months of overseas duty, First Lieut. Clifford Kalista arrived on July 3 at Stratton Island, New York, to begin a month’s leave with his family and parents. Kalista served with the 104^th Infantry division in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. On October 25, Lieut. Kalista was wounded in action and after some time in Paris hospitals was transferred to England where he was hospitalized until the end of July. He wears the bronze star, awarded for heroic achievement in action, the combat infantry badge, Purple Heart and the ETO ribbon with three battle stars for campaigns in northern France, the Rhineland and central Europe. He was promoted to first Lieutenant in March. 

 

Five members of the McMahon family are currently in the Armed Forces. Lieut. Mary McMahon, daughter of Lawrence McMahon, Kenneth Avenue, is attached to the 192nd General Hospital in England as an Army nurse. She has been serving in England for about one year. Private John McMahon is somewhere in the South Pacific at present. Private Francis is currently in South Carolina after serving 26 months in the European – African theater of operations. Seaman second class Lawrence Jr. is a member of the Coast Guard somewhere in the Pacific Ocean area. James, Seaman first class, is the youngest member of the family. He is in Michigan City, Michigan.

 

Over 500 swimmers used the mid-channel pool on the opening day Wednesday, according to Paul E. Little, City recreational director. Donald Kuehl and Pat Flanagan pool lifeguards were on hand to supervise the watch over the swimmers.

 

Holy Cross church rectory, Sister’s house and parish school are pictured.

The need for a new school building for Holy Cross in Kaukauna has become very evident in recent years. Overcrowded classrooms make the teaching of hundreds of children who attend school very difficult. The building of a new school, whether it is public or parochial, should be of interest to every citizen.