(Editor llv: Perhaps one of the best historical pieces that we ever printed, Jack’s account to his niece, peaked an interest in one of the paper’s founders, George Gramlich, and touched the staff as well. We printed the letter unedited with all it’s grit and honesty in our last edition under George Gramlich, on August 1, 2025. God Bless America and all its soldiers who, over 250 years, have served our nation.)
Submitted by Katherine Brenchley:
The following is a letter from my uncle, Jack H. Carlson, who was born in 1922 to parents who homesteaded in Montana and later started Old Divide Coal Co. In 1988 when I was 15 years old, I asked him to tell me something about his experience during WWII for a report for my history class. The following is his response to that request:
Written by Jack Carlson, April 1988
When I was 15 years old, I asked my Uncle Jack if he would share with me his experience during WWII for a report for my World History Class. The following is his letter in response:
Hi Katey,
Good to hear from you. I have thought about your request for days. So I will try. You will have to realize that was a different time, all of the bad things you forget (most) and you remember the good people you have met, the good times, and the funny incidents.
This will have to start in July or August before Pearl Harbor. I didn’t think the war would last too much longer, so I went to Canada to enlist in the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force). By the time the papers came back the Japs had bombed Pearl Harbor. So I went to Butte, MT to take my exams for the Air Corps. I passed them all right. So I signed up, but there was no room right away, so I took a job up in the Beartooth Mountains where they were opening up a chrome mine, where I spent the rest of the summer. That fall I returned to Roundup (Montana) and took a job on the night shift on toward the end of the year. The Big Boss came down to where I was and told me my orders were in the office. This was about 9:30 at night. So I took a shower, went to the railway station and my train came in about 10:30 or 11:00. I kept my bag packed and in my car all summer.
I went to Nashville, Tennessee, from there to Montgomery, Alabama; Camden, Arkansas to Lowry Field at Denver to Buckley Field, Denver to Kingman, Arizona to Las Vegas to Dyersburg, Tennessee to a school of something we already had, so somebody burnt the school down. Then we were shipped to Biloxi, Mississippi.
From Biloxi, Miss, we were sent to Lakeland, Florida on Sub Patrol to get us some on the job training. Then we were sent to Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah then back to Tampa, Florida where we were picked to cadre a new B-17 Groupe (Swoose Groupe) and in a few days the men started to arrive. We started to train the new crews – it was flying, air to air, firing and strafing. We got our new airplane and were packing up to go to Africa. We would leave Florida and fly to Trinidad then across the Atlantic to Dakar, across Africa to wherever. But one of the other crews borrowed our plane to fly to Washington D.C. to pick up something and the pilot decided to buzz his hometown and spread our plane all over a hill. So we were out of an airplane. By this time we were in Charlotte, North Carolina and were to cross to Africa with the ground crews. We were issued all our overseas and combat equipment, pistols, rifles, carbines, machine guns (subs), etc. We were all responsible for these guns so kept them with us at all times and got on the troop train for POE at New Port News, Virginia. It took days because we were always on a sideline to let a priority train go by. One evening we pulled into a good size town and were told we had to wait for three ammunition trains to go by (a two hour wait) so we thought it a good idea to go and get some beer and booze. Off in the parking lot was about 25 taxi cabs but between the taxis and us there were 50 to 75 MPs to keep us on the train. Our entire outfit hit that line of MPs, bowled them over and got three or four guys in each cab. I guess the MPs didn’t know that our guns weren’t loaded.
The cab driver informed us that it was a dry state. So we told him to take us to a “speakeasy”. He drove us to an Ice Cream and Billiard Parlor and said the bar was in the back room. It was a very large room. The bar was about 50 feet long. It was after 5:00 so it was full and we busted in with our sub machine guns, went up the bartender, ordered (demanded) Beer, Booze and Wine. It sure got quiet in there – they thought it was a raid, but we all had money in our hands. We told them what the deal was, and the people helped us carry the stuff out to the cabs and took us back to the train. The MPs were still there. They just waved to us and looked the other way. That had to be the Biggest, Drunkest Party I was ever on.
The next day we pulled into New Port News and were told that our ship would not get in for 10 days or two weeks. On my way from Salt Lake City, I won a fortune playing poker and blackjack – my buddy, the same. All our pockets were full of money that we didn’t want to waste overseas. So we decided to go to Washington D.C. as we had never been there. We went to the orderly room and told the 1st Sergeant we each wanted two three-day passes or six days to go to our “Nation’s Capital”. We were told that our ship would not possibly get in for 10 days or two weeks and if we just sat around camp we would likely get in trouble. He said no, but he finally sent us to the Captain. Same speech, same answer, but he sent us to the Colonel who said the same thing. We pointed out the facts. But he did send us to the Camp Commander (General Something) and he told us the same thing. No one had ever got a pass from Port of Embarkation. We told him this was a different deal because it would be 10 days at the soonest that our ship could possibly get there. We would be gone only six days and after all, we had never seen our Nation’s Capital. He asked if we had enough money for this and we had plenty. So he finally said ‘Ok, Boys, but if you miss that boat for any reason, I will charge you guys with everything in the book and also will invent a few more.’
Off we went. Got outside and into a cab and told him to take us to D. D. He told us he couldn’t. So we asked him why. Well, he would have to call in – they told him to come back to the office for gas stamps and the Bigshot said we would have to pay in advance, so we did. We would stop to eat and feed our driver then hit the night clubs and the driver would sleep in the back seat. We would wake him up and hit the next place, feed him and back seat him again. After four days of this it got old and we started back; we slept in the back seat. We got to the base and stopped. Standing by the gate was the General, the Colonel, and the Captain. They waved the cab through the gate and told us the ship had gotten in that morning and was loading up. They told the cab driver to take us to our barracks, pack up our stuff and take us to the ship. We went up the gang plank with our outfit.
It was a Liberty Ship – metal not cement. We crossed in the biggest convoy of the war. We were in the third row with ships to either side as far as you could see. We traveled at the speed of the slowest ship. It took us 32 days to the Rock of Gibraltar. The U-Boats got the ship to our right. It was loaded with ammunition.
We didn’t have any gunners for the anti-aircraft guns. So us six guys got to ride in the crow’s nest. All the other guys were seasick, as we had storms all the way. We were six days out when one of our freezers went out that they had filled with frozen chicken for weekends and holidays. They roasted all of them and you could take all you wanted. We never got seasick, so we ate quite well up the crow’s nest. We also had a few bottles of Booze.
We landed in North Africa at Bone. The rest of the guys on the ship were sent on. The six of us were loaned to the Scotch Highland Rifles for the push on Helfer Pass. After that we were put on a 40 & 8 train (that is a World War I type train – the cars held 40 men or 8 horses) and we got on the HMS Leopoldville. It was a Cruise ship before the war. It had just returned from Australia, so all they had to eat was mutton. I haven’t eaten any sheep since. We landed in Naples, Italy and went to Mussolini University; got there in a big German air raid. The next morning, the ground was covered with two inches of A-A Shells that didn’t explode plus other garbage.
In a day or two we loaded up on a truck convoy and crossed the boot of Italy to Bari and joined our outfit – 463 Swoose Groupe. We didn’t like the way it was run – we had a bad feeling about it, so put in for a transfer out. The Col got mad and sent us to the 99 BG 416 Squadron. It was a good outfit. They were there to fight the war not to get headlines and make heroes out of anyone. I flew 51 missions with the 99th. A very good outfit. Our first mission was to a place called Piombino Sea Port on the west side. We were stationed at Foggia Main at that time. It was an old German Field – pretty good too. After that we hit Bihar, Yugoslavia, Viena, Bucharest, Budapest, Poleste, Brenner Pass, and others that I have forgotten the names of. Then I was flown to Poltava, Russia and loaned to them for a few weeks. We operated out of Poltava, Kiev, Krakov and Chernobyl. It was a Very Bad experience.
We then returned to Italy in time to go on the invasion of France in the south. They only gave us enough gas to go over and back but we ran into trouble and didn’t quite make it back. We came down in the water right at the beach. We waded ashore and flagged down a couple of tanks that were coming in to load on LST to go to France and they pulled us out. There was a glider field very close, so they pulled us there and onto the field after the gliders took off. We gassed up; it seemed not to be hurt too bad, just the ball turret was in bad shape, the gun barrels were bent, and the ball itself was loose. But it got us back home. We finished out our tour and were shipped out of Naples on the USS troop ship, the General Mann. It was very fast – 32 days over and 8 days back.
We landed back in New Port News in good shape to the Biggest Banquet I have ever seen. Ended my time with WiTTC Headquarters outfit in downtown Denver, and to Colorado Springs for discharge.
I hope this helps you a little but over the years, most of the bad parts you forget. The good things and the funny you remember. I guess it is good.
I did learn a lot from the Russians. The best attribute a Russian official can have is to lie convincingly. So you can’t believe anything they say in any negotiation. They will break off any talks if they don’t get the best of it. Remember they are descendant of Genghis Khan and they have not changed. They are Cruel and Sadistic. Outside of that I did like them as individuals.
Katy, I haven’t written anything for so long I can’t think and write and spell at the same time. Sorry.
Unc. Jack
Love & Kisses
