One Photo: Edward Blees in WWII

On June 30, 1942, the Blees brothers (Al and Ed) registered for the draft.¹Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Ramsey County Minnesota. Albert John Blees and Edward Jerome Blees.

Al Blees got a draft deferment working on his dad’s Wisconsin farm. Ed knew that he would be drafted in the spring. So he quit his job at Montgomery Ward on January 1, 1943 and enlisted soon after.

First, Ed was shipped to Camp Harrison. During Basic Training, Ed was put through, what he called, an “infiltration course.” There the new recruits practiced maneuvers and obstacles to test speed, endurance and agility. Ed told me that the drill sergeants shot real ammunition across the field, about 4 feet off the ground. He quickly learned to keep his butt down.

When Ed completed his rifle test, he found that he didn’t get a very good score with the M1903 Springfield bolt-action rifle. He was assigned to a Railway Transportation Corps.

To keep in shape, Ed’s company ran laps around the barracks for 3-4 minutes be­fore breakfast. Robert “Bob” Kirk, from Ohio, and Ed were the two tallest guys and so Company Commander Boyd often put them at the head of the column. Boyd would shout, “Set out!” And later, he would add, “Pick up the pace!” The Commander would place him­self at the rear of the company to watch for stragglers. Frequently, he would have to holler to Bob and Ed to slow the pace.

One morning, Commander Boyd led the group. Midway through the exercise, Ed and Bob passed him, waved and shouted, “See you back at the barracks!”

To England

Ed enjoyed a short furlough in April before traveling to Camp Shanks, in Orangeburg, New York. Camp Shanks was the largest point of embarkation for soldiers headed for the front lines in North Africa and Europe during World War II. The soldiers called it “Last Stop, U.S.A.”

On September 20, 1943, Ed boarded the Queen Mary and de­parted New York harbor at 9 am. The Queen Mary had a peace-time capacity of 2100 passengers. Efficiently, the U.S. Army squeezed 23,000 troops on the ship. All of the previously open decks were covered with plywood to make for additional bunk space. Stacked four beds high, the bunks were a tight fit in the 7-foot clearance. Ed’s bunk was in the C Deck Dining Room.

During the five-day trip, the weather was cold and rainy. To avoid submarine attack, the ship changed course every 70 seconds, zigzagging across the Atlantic Ocean toward Scotland. To reduce the possibility of being seen, all of the exterior lights were covered and there were no other ships, no convoy.

At the beginning of the voyage, the troops were fed twice a day in the ship’s auditorium/theater. Once underway, so many men got seasick, that they opened the mess hall all day and there was plenty to eat. Ed never got seasick.

After five days and six hours, the ship anchored in the harbor at Glasgow, Scotland. For one week, the company unloaded the cargo from the hold and ferried it through the Firth of Forth. During this time, the troops were fed horse meat. Ed remembers that it looked different from beef; the horse meat was stringy and remained red after cooking.

When the unloading operation was nearly complete, Ed’s company (about 100 men) left Glasgow for Hainault. Ed finished with the last details and began traveling to meet his company near London.

As Ed wandered around the crowded London train station, he could not determine which track had the train bound for his destination. Repeatedly, he asked for help, but the Londoners could not understand where he wanted to go, because they pronounced Hainault without the ‘H.’ Finally, he solved the communication trouble and found his train.

Later, in Newbury, Berkshire, England, Ed’s company lived in quonset huts, eight guys to a bar­racks. Uncle Sam purchased bunks from the British government for $115. These beds were constructed of a half dozen 6-foot 2×4’s with metal straps. Each man was issued a burlap sack and had to stuff hay into it for a mattress. The barracks were nice until some guy would come home late at night and rap on the metal exterior and wake everyone up.

The heating system in the barracks was poor; the small space heater seemed useless. It was so cold at night that Ed had to sleep with all his clothes on. Each of the men was is­sued two GI blankets that the guys called “honeymoon blankets.”

Requisitions

In England, Ed remembers having a lot of time on his hands. The guys were always on the lookout for something to requisition. Even though they were especially hungry for sweets, the men would scrounge for any type of food.

Whoever had the 9 pm Kitchen Duty would ask for a loaf of bread and then requisition some butter to go with it. Fre­quently, one of the guys would requisition a couple of potatoes. Back at the barracks, they had a decent sized stove that someone requisitioned so that they could fry potatoes or boil some coffee.

Besides food, the men requisitioned other useful items. One time, Ed was able to req­uisition a pair of paratrooper boots: they were very sturdy and laced all the way up.

Requisitioning kept their spir­its up. They looked out for themselves and for each other. Every guy in the company would share in the newest requisitions.²Much of this blog post was previously published in A Wonderful Life: Stories and History of Kitty Fleischhacker and Ed Blees. Karrie Blees (compiler). North St. Paul MN: Sewing for the Harvest, 2007. Karrie and Nathan Blees interviewed Edward Blees weekly during the 2006-2007 school-year.

Ed Blees wearing requisitioned boots³PFC Edward Blees, Transportation Corps. Greenham, England. Before crossing the English Channel, spring 1944. Digital copy made by Karrie Blees.

This week we celebrate Ed’s 100th birthday.

Next:

I requested Ed’s military file from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC).
What will we learn in that document?

SOURCES

• 1
  Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Ramsey County Minnesota. Albert John Blees and Edward Jerome Blees.
• 2
  Much of this blog post was previously published in A Wonderful Life: Stories and History of Kitty Fleischhacker and Ed Blees. Karrie Blees (compiler). North St. Paul MN: Sewing for the Harvest, 2007. Karrie and Nathan Blees interviewed Edward Blees weekly during the 2006-2007 school-year.
• 3
  PFC Edward Blees, Transportation Corps. Greenham, England. Before crossing the English Channel, spring 1944. Digital copy made by Karrie Blees.