Nobilis Est Ira Leonis
This is the patch worn by the 36 squadron members of the 316 Troop Carrier Group. My uncle, Sylvan Lucier was a member of the 36th SQD, from about November 1943 in Sicily till his death in the line of duty in October 1944, in England. The three young men, Sylvan, his co-pilot and the mechanic may have had this patch on their uniform sleeve while flying their glider that fateful day.
"Invasion Stripes: The Wartime Diary
of Captain Robert Uhrig, USAAF and the
Dawn of American Military Airlift" by
Brian J. Duddy. 2012.
I have just finished reading this new book written about Sylvan's squadron, the 36th, and the proud bearers of the patch above. I have to recommend the book for providing a unique picture of the troop carrier airbase life; a view that I have not seen in any of the dozens of books I own on WWII gliders and troop carriers. The closest documents I can compare it with are the microfilmed Daily Diaries I found that were kept by a 49th Squadron officer. The book, unlike most military history, is easy to read because it is based on the personal diary of an officer in charge of the ground crew and on his letters written home to his wife. The author skillfully wove the events of various missions around the diary entries. The description of airbase concerns of the mechanics and ground crew enhances my understanding about Sylvan's experiences on the African, Sicilian, and English bases and makes the photographs Sylvan sent his mother more valuable to me.
It was fitting that the author, Brian Duddy would include the glider ferrying accident that took my uncle's life in his chapter on England on, page 193. He quotes Captain Uhrig's diary:
"Unfortunately, on October 14, (sic*)there was another fatal mishap in the 316th. We were ferrying gliders from Greenham Common on Saturday and one glider ran into the tow rope of another and it spun in, killing two pilots and a mechanic. It was a double glider tow but
only one glider crashed. The dead are F/O Krohm (sic#), F/O Lucier and Sgt Basham. They are to be buried tomorrow (Oct 17). We were told that the glider went almost straight in, mangling the bodies beyond identification. Krohm (sic#) was our new Special Service Officer. Out of the four Special Service Officers we have had in the past two years, three of them have been killed."
* According to the "Report of Aircraft Accident" my uncle died October 13. However the tow plane pilot and second glider pilot wrote their reports on October 14.
# Killed that day were F/O Irving W. Krohn, F/O Sylvan R. Lucier, and Glider Mechanic, Derwood M. Basham.
(View on this blog the glider accident death report and my 2008 visit to Tiffield, England and interview of eye witnesses to my uncle's death.)
I want to thank Nancy Ingresano, Widow of Mike Ingresano, author of the book on the 316th Troop
Carrier, Valor Without Arms, who recently
sent me the exciting news about this new book. With her permission here are excerpts from her
notice:
“I write with very good
news. Another book has been published about the 316th war years. “Invasion
Stripes” is of particular interest to the 36th Squadron, as it draws from
the writings of one of its veterans, Captain Robert Uhrig. But I do most
strongly recommend this to all interested in the 316th war years. As many
of you know more than I do, an individual Squadron had a shared history which
was mirrored by the other Squadrons and to a great extent by other Troop
Carrier Groups.
"Having a study of any aspect of the 316th history is good news. I think
this book is especially exciting, even in a wider historical sense, since it
centers on the experience of one who was not part of the air crews. It is
only natural for many books on Troop Carrier history to give most of the
coverage to air action, as that was the purpose of the unit. But you know
all aspects of ground support were vital. So it is very good to have this
part of WWII and 316th history published. I remember the debt Michael
owed, and acknowledged in his book, to the ground crews who seldom received
recognition for keeping the planes flying and missions achieved.
"The author, Brian J. Duddy who Michael and I
first met a few years ago when visiting Geneseo, NY (current home of a 37th TCS’s
C-47s), writes in a very readable and interesting style. I should also
say Brian very graciously acknowledged Michael and his “Valor
Without Arms” book; that of course warms my heart." (Nancy Ingresano)
Synopsis of the book:
"From the snows of Alaska to VE Day in Europe,
this is the biography of U.S. Army Air Forces Captain Robert Uhrig during
Second World War. Told in his own words from extensive diary entries and
hundreds of letters to his wife "Toots," the story starts in the late
1930s at Patterson Field, Ohio and follows Bob through the war as an aircraft
mechanic and then engineering officer for the 36th Troop Carrier Squadron of
the 316th Troop Carrier Group and their Douglas C-47s. As one of the
original members of the Troop Carrier units, Bob's wartime career took him from
the jump school at Ft. Benning to supplying British units in North Africa, to
the Sicily and Normandy invasions, and all the other airborne operations in
Europe. “Invasion Stripes” is also a deeply
personal story of devotion and love as Bob and Toots endure almost three years
of wartime separation - with only their photographs and letters to sustain them
across thousands of miles. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic, it is a
unique and detailed first-person story of the American airlift forces of
WWII. Paperback, 248 pages. Many black and white photos, maps and
other illustrations sprinkled through the text." (Book Jacket)
The book is available in two ways:
1. On-line from the publisher, web address www.lulu.com , and type in the title “Invasion Stripes” or the author's name, Brian Duddy, or the item number “10569751” in the search box. You can preview the book at this website, including some of the pages. You can order through Lulu with a credit card on-line. The price from Lulu is $27.95 plus shipping.
2. If you would like a personalized,
autographed copy on nicer photo quality paper, you can send a check or money
order direct to the author, Brian Duddy. His address is 42 Wolcott
Street; LeRoy, NY 14482. The cost is $28 per book plus $5 shipping via
media mail in the US. If you want more than one copy, or a different
shipping method, please contact the author at e-mail bduddy@frontiernet.net and make
special arrangements. If you want a special personalized autograph,
please include those details with your order.
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