George Youngs Graduates
Bainbridge News & Republican, February 3, 1944
A recent graduate of the Kingman Army Air Field flexible gunnery school, situated a few miles outside Kingman, Ariz., was George W. Youngs, 20, son of Mrs. Isabelle Youngs, 20, son of Mrs. Isabelle Youngs, of 7 Newton avenue, Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY]. Cpl. Youngs entered the Army on Jan. 1, 1943. He attended Afton High School. As a student gunner at the Kingman school Youngs went through a ground school course in which he was taught the principles of ballistics, sighting, turret maintenance, range estimation and aircraft machine guns. Following a protracted course on the gunnery range, where he shot the .22 rifle, shotgun and caliber .30 and .50 machine guns, he was given two weeks air fighting before being presented with his gunnery wings.
James Riley Completes Training Course
Bainbridge News & Republican, February 3, 1944
James O. Riley, 18, son of Mrs. Anna Riley, has completed the course of training in the Aviation Ordnanceman school at the Naval Air Technical Training Center, Memphis, Tenn. "Jimmy," who graduated from Bainbridge High School last June, was active in all athletics during his four years. He enlisted in the Navy on June 27, 1943 and received his boot training at Sampson.
2nd Lt. Edwin Davidson is German Prisoner
Bainbridge News & Republican, February 10, 1944
Second Lt. Edwin D. Davidson, son of Mr. and Mrs. H Fletcher Davidson, of Bovina Center [Delaware Co., NY], is a prisoner of the German government. Pilot of a Flying Fortress which had participated in many bombing missions over France, Lt. Davidson has been missing in action over France since Jan. 5. The parents received that grim message from the War Department Jan. 18. The telegram stated that the report had just been received through the international Red Cross and that further information would follow.
T/Sgt. John N. Hill, aerial engineer, U.S. Army Air Corps, of the 13th AAF in the South Pacific, was awarded the Air Medal on Jan. 8, 1944, by Lt. General Millard E. Harmon, Commanding the U.S.Army Air Forces in the South Pacific Area, by direction of the President. Sgt. Hill, who was a dirt track automobile racer before entering the service, has a brother, Cpl. Amos Hill, who is with the U.S. Air Forces in England.
Robert F. Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fayette Smith, of Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY], graduated as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces as a pilot at Blytheville Army Air Field on Feb. 8. Thirty-eight New York State men were among those who were commissioned and given the silver wings at the graduation exercises at the Advanced Twin Engine Flying Training School, in Blytheville. Lt. Smith was a student at Mechanics Institute at Rochester before qualifying as an aviation cadet on Dec. 14, 1942. He received instruction at Penn State, Nashville, Tenn,; Maxwell Field, Ala.; Union City, Tenn; Newport, Ark., and Blytheville. He has two brothers in the service, Pvt. Edson Smith and P.F.C. Harold Smith, both stationed in England.
Five Marines, including Pvt. Richard H. Bump, age 18, son of Harvey Bump and grandson of the Rev. and Mrs. J.W. Bump, were lost nearly seven hours, hundreds of yards behind Jap lines in the Bougainville area, according to Sgt. Peter Pavone, Jr., of Bridgeport, Conn., a Marine Corps combat correspondent.
The Marines cut off from their comrades by heavy Jap installations during fighting along the Pira trail, had to travel some four miles in a semicircle before striking their front lines again. On their arduous trek, during which they ducked snipers, machine gun nests, and heavy mortar fire, they picked up two other Marines, both wounded, and carried them to safety. With Pvt. Bump were P.F.C. Charles Fazio, 23, of Brooklyn, P.F.C. Martin Haynes, 21, Sheffield, Ala., Sgt. Prince Clayton, 23, Leeds, Ala., and Pvt. Douglas Holden, 19, Union, R.F.D.2.
Sgt. Clayton, whose knowledge of the compass was responsible for the return of the group, told the following story:
"We were in a group of 14 men which attacked four machine guns and what seemed like a grove full of snipers. When they opened up, we hit the deck and began spraying the trees. Then the Jap mortars open up, knocking four of our men out almost immediately. We then decided to make an enveloping move around the Jap positions. But the more we tried to outflank them, the more Japs we found, and the further we had to go into their lines. We finally hit a river and began following it. We came on Boracz and Boyes and took them along too."
Boracz is P.F.C. Joseph Boracz, 23, Giraard, Ohio, who was shot in the leg, and Boyes is P.F.C. Robert Boyes, 22, Creston, Ohio., who had shrapnel in one leg. "I never thought we'd make it," declared Fazio later. "If it hadn't been for Clayton and his compass, we'd all been dead ducks by now."
The five were all that were left of the 14 men who had originally started the attack and flanking movement.
Pvt. Bump lived in Guilford [Chenango Co., NY] with his parents and sisters when a young boy. His home was in Otego [Otsego Co.., NY] with his uncle, Sheldon Bump, when he entered the service.
This is just one of thousands of true stories in more ways than one, our boys will tell when they come home.
Sgt. John Hill Awarded Air Medal
Bainbridge News & Republican, February 10, 1944
T/Sgt. John N. Hill, aerial engineer, U.S. Army Air Corps, of the 13th AAF in the South Pacific, was awarded the Air Medal on Jan. 8, 1944, by Lt. General Millard E. Harmon, Commanding the U.S.Army Air Forces in the South Pacific Area, by direction of the President. Sgt. Hill, who was a dirt track automobile racer before entering the service, has a brother, Cpl. Amos Hill, who is with the U.S. Air Forces in England.
Robert Smith Receives Commission in Air Corps
Bainbridge News & Republican, February 17, 1944
Robert F. Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fayette Smith, of Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY], graduated as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces as a pilot at Blytheville Army Air Field on Feb. 8. Thirty-eight New York State men were among those who were commissioned and given the silver wings at the graduation exercises at the Advanced Twin Engine Flying Training School, in Blytheville. Lt. Smith was a student at Mechanics Institute at Rochester before qualifying as an aviation cadet on Dec. 14, 1942. He received instruction at Penn State, Nashville, Tenn,; Maxwell Field, Ala.; Union City, Tenn; Newport, Ark., and Blytheville. He has two brothers in the service, Pvt. Edson Smith and P.F.C. Harold Smith, both stationed in England.
Pvt. Richard Bump Lost Seven Hours Behind Jap Lines
Bainbridge News & Republican, February 17, 1944
Five Marines, including Pvt. Richard H. Bump, age 18, son of Harvey Bump and grandson of the Rev. and Mrs. J.W. Bump, were lost nearly seven hours, hundreds of yards behind Jap lines in the Bougainville area, according to Sgt. Peter Pavone, Jr., of Bridgeport, Conn., a Marine Corps combat correspondent.
The Marines cut off from their comrades by heavy Jap installations during fighting along the Pira trail, had to travel some four miles in a semicircle before striking their front lines again. On their arduous trek, during which they ducked snipers, machine gun nests, and heavy mortar fire, they picked up two other Marines, both wounded, and carried them to safety. With Pvt. Bump were P.F.C. Charles Fazio, 23, of Brooklyn, P.F.C. Martin Haynes, 21, Sheffield, Ala., Sgt. Prince Clayton, 23, Leeds, Ala., and Pvt. Douglas Holden, 19, Union, R.F.D.2.
Sgt. Clayton, whose knowledge of the compass was responsible for the return of the group, told the following story:
"We were in a group of 14 men which attacked four machine guns and what seemed like a grove full of snipers. When they opened up, we hit the deck and began spraying the trees. Then the Jap mortars open up, knocking four of our men out almost immediately. We then decided to make an enveloping move around the Jap positions. But the more we tried to outflank them, the more Japs we found, and the further we had to go into their lines. We finally hit a river and began following it. We came on Boracz and Boyes and took them along too."
Boracz is P.F.C. Joseph Boracz, 23, Giraard, Ohio, who was shot in the leg, and Boyes is P.F.C. Robert Boyes, 22, Creston, Ohio., who had shrapnel in one leg. "I never thought we'd make it," declared Fazio later. "If it hadn't been for Clayton and his compass, we'd all been dead ducks by now."
The five were all that were left of the 14 men who had originally started the attack and flanking movement.
Pvt. Bump lived in Guilford [Chenango Co., NY] with his parents and sisters when a young boy. His home was in Otego [Otsego Co.., NY] with his uncle, Sheldon Bump, when he entered the service.
This is just one of thousands of true stories in more ways than one, our boys will tell when they come home.
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