Fold3 Spotlights

USS Constitution vs. HMS Guerriere

The USS Constitution fighting the HMS Guerriere (artwork by Anton Otto Fischer)

On August 2, 1812, the USS Constitution set out north from Boston in search of British merchant ships to raid. Instead they found the HMS Guerriere, a frigate in the British Navy, on its way to Nova Scotia for repairs. The ships spotted each other at about 5 p.m. on the 19th. The Guerriere, firing broadsides, shot first, and the Constitution, shooting from its forward guns, soon followed, although both ships were relatively ineffective. By an hour later, the Constitution had closed the distance, and both ships began firing broadsides. The Guerriere sustained much heavier damage, due to the Constitution’s superior guns and thicker hull and to the fact that the Guerriere was already in poor condition and needed repairs.

As a result of these broadsides, the Guerriere’s mizzenmast fell overboard, dragging in the water and preventing the ship from maneuvering. This allowed the Constitution to fire a raking broadside that did even more damage. But as the Constitution came around to rake again, the rigging of its mizzenmast got tangled with the Guerriere’s bowsprit. Both ships prepared boarding parties, but the sea was too rough for either to cross, so they began firing muskets at each other.

Account of the musket fight, from a 1912 article in the Washington Post celebrating the centennial of the battle (click image to read the full article)

Eventually, the two ships broke apart, but the Guerriere’s foremast and mainmast snapped off; not long after, its bowsprit broke too, rendering the ship completely useless. The Guerriere fired a shot in the opposite direction from the Constitution, signaling its surrender. The captain of the Constitution brought the survivors of the Guerriere onto his ship then sank the Guerriere, as it was too destroyed to bring back.

From the fight, the Constitution suffered 7 killed and 7 wounded, compared to the Guerriere’s 15 killed and 78 wounded. As the British Navy was unrivaled at that point, the Constitution’s victory proved to be an important morale booster for the Americans. In fact, the Constitution later became the inspiration for Oliver Wendell Holmes’s famous 1830 poem “Old Ironsides.”

Read more about the battle between the Constitution and the Guerriere here or here, or view the Constitution‘s casualty report on Fold3. You can also find other stories from the war in Fold3′s War of 1812 collection.

“They were killing my friends.”

Conflict: World War II

by Kayla

Audie Murphy being awarded for his heroism

Audie Murphy is one of the most famous soldiers of American history due to his amazing skill and courage that earned him more honors in WWII than any other soldier; his accomplishments include the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, and three Purple Hearts. All in all, he earned nearly forty decorations and medals for his service.

Murphy was born on 20 June 1924 to a poor farming family in Kingston, Texas. His father abandoned them when he was in elementary school, so Murphy dropped out to help earn money for his family. Murphy’s mother died when he was 16, leaving behind ten children. It was at this trying time that Murphy wanted to join the military. After lying about his age and enrolling his younger siblings in an orphanage, Murphy tried to enlist in the Marines, then the Army paratroopers, and then the Navy. He was rejected by all three for being too small but was finally accepted by the Army.

Murphy wasn’t an immediate star in basic training though. He passed out during a drill and was almost sent to be a cook, but Murphy fought against the recommendation and went on to become a combat soldier. Each mission provided Murphy a chance to prove himself, which he did continually. One of his most known contributions, however, was the deed performed that earned him the Medal of Honor.

On 26 January 1945, Murphy and his company were located near Holtzwihr, France where they were being heavily attacked by the Germans. Murphy ordered his men to retreat into the “woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone.” After successfully guiding artillery fire, Murphy climbed upon a U.S. tank that had recently been hit and abandoned. At the danger of the tank exploding at any moment, Murphy used the machine gun aboard the tank and held his company’s position for more than an hour. “He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued his single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way back to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack, which forced the Germans to withdraw.” (Read the full Medal of Honor citation here.) When Murphy was asked what compelled him to commit such a dangerous act, he replied, “They were killing my friends.”

Murphy in uniform with his many medals

When Murphy returned from the war in 1945, he reclaimed his orphaned siblings. He also headed out to Hollywood by invitation from famous actor James Cagney. Murphy’s cover photo on Life magazine was quite a seller, and Cagney thought he could be great on the big screen. Murphy did do well, but not at first. He struggled for a few years to get attention, and his finances dwindled. But westerns and other films such as The Kid from Texas, The Red Badge of Courage, and To Hell and Back, kept him afloat and launched him to fame. To Hell and Back was based on Murphy’s autobiography and was very popular when released. Murphy was hesitant to play himself in the role, feeling that it would seem that he wanted to make money off his experience and dead comrades.

Murphy was able to keep a calm and collected appearance after the war, but like many other returned soldiers, he deeply suffered from PTSD.

Record of Audie Murhpy’s post-war life

Murphy spoke out about his mental condition, something not many did at the time. He did what he could to make others aware of it, particularly the government, which could offer assistance to veterans. In talking about the war, Murphy said, “The combat soldier always paid the price one way or another, either on the battlefield or later.” Murphy may have been one to live, but that didn’t mean he was free of suffering.

Murphy died in a private plane crash in 1971 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was survived by his second wife, Pamela, and their two sons.

Read more about Audie Murphy here and find more documents regarding him and his comrades in the war in Fold3′s 63rd Infantry Division Records.

He Hated His Uncle

Conflict: World War II

by Kayla

Article on William Patrick Henry from the <em>Victoria Advocate</em>

Article on William Patrick Henry from the Victoria Advocate

In 1939, a young German man fled from Britain to New York and within a year tried to join the ranks of the United States. He was denied, but not because he was German. It was because the young man wasn’t just any German—he was Adolf Hitler’s nephew, and his name was William.

William Patrick Hitler lived in Britain with his parents, his father being Adolf’s half-brother. The family was never wealthy, and his father, Alois, eventually abandoned him and his mother. As the famous uncle rose to power, it became difficult for William to succeed in Britain. Once people learned of his name, they didn’t want much to do with him. So William went to Germany for help from his uncle.

It was easier for William to find a job in Germany, but they were never very good ones. Adolf didn’t reach out to help his nephew much. He said, “I didn’t become Chancellor for the benefit of my family…No one is going to climb on my back.” Despite not getting special treatment from his uncle, William seemed to get it from everyone else and was often invited to parties and dinners. But he wasn’t satisfied living for only lavish social gatherings.

William moved back to Britain and offered to do interviews on the subject of his uncle. Adolf didn’t take kindly to that and offered William a job in the regime if he renounced his British citizenship. William didn’t want to be involved, and instead threatened to reveal Adolf’s Jewish ancestry (a pretty strong rumor that had recently been circling). That certainly didn’t go over well, and William fled to the United States, where he gave lectures about his uncle.

But shortly afterward he wrote a letter to the president of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, requesting a position in the armed forces (since he was already rejected).

“More than anything else I would like to see active combat as soon as possible and thereby be accepted by my friends and comrades as one of them in this great struggle for liberty.”

William was investigated and then cleared for service in the US Navy in 1944. After the war, however, William disappeared. He moved to Long Island, changed his last name to Stuart-Houston, and had four sons with his wife, Phyllis Jean-Jacques, who was also German. They were married in 1947 soon after William was discharged.

William and his family lived the rest of their lives in privacy, keeping to themselves but always friendly. William died in 1987 and his wife in 2004. Three of his four sons are still living.

Read more about William’s life here and here.

Have a Coke

Conflict: World War II

by Karen

Sailors enjoying bottles of Coca-Cola in a newspaper ad

On 21 June 1945, Virginia’s Halifax Gazette reported on how the sugar rationing would affect production of many people’s favorite beverage:

Halifax Gazette, 21 June 1945

Because Coca-Cola didn’t want to compromise the integrity of their drink by using other sweeteners, they decided to decrease production instead. But while the company’s stateside plants had to deal with rationing, their overseas plants that made Coca-Cola for the soldiers were allowed bigger sugar rations because the beverage was considered important for the morale of the troops. In fact, in June 1943, General Eisenhower requested that Coca-Cola send over 3 million bottles of the soda, as well as the necessary supplies to refill and reuse the millions of bottles twice a month.

About 150 Coca-Cola employees, called “Technical Observers,” were given the rank of Army officer and sent overseas to develop bottling plants to satisfy the troops’ craving for the soda. The “64 complete bottling plants […] distributed over 5 billion bottles of Coca-Cola to servicemen and women.” In places where it was too hard to get bottles of Coca-Cola to the troops, portable soda fountains were sent instead.

Coca-Cola was well aware of the marketing power that came with being a favorite drink of the military and capitalized on it in their advertising. Their wartime ads showed soldiers abroad using Coke to bond with residents of other countries, and returning soldiers back in the states being welcomed home with a refreshing soda. Below are a few examples of such ads from the Halifax Gazette:

31 August 1944

28 September 1944

20 July 1944

Find many more WWII Coca-Cola ads in Fold3’s Newspapers collection. Or read more about Coca-Cola during the war here, here, or here.

Women Airforce Service Pilots

Conflict: World War II

by Taraya

Women Airforce Service Pilots Frances Green, Margaret R. Kirchner, Ann Currier, and Blanche V. Osborn walking away from their aircraft, “Pistol Packin’ Mama.”

Before 1941, two famous female pilots named Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran and Nancy Harkness Love had individually proposed plans to the U.S. Army Air Forces. The proposals asked that women be allowed to fly planes in non-combat missions, such as ferrying aircraft or towing drones and aerial targets, in order to free male pilots for combat. Though both proposals were initially turned down, minds began to change after the U.S. became more directly involved in the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor and it became clear that more pilots were needed.

In September 1942, while Jackie Cochran was in Britain flying for the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) program—which had been using female pilots since 1920—General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, commander of the Army Air Forces, approved a plan for a Womens Auxilliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) under the Direction of Nancy Love. Cochran returned to the U.S., insisting that women could do more for the USAAF than just ferrying. So another program was instituted—the Women’s Flying Training Detachment (WFTD), headed by Cochran herself. In the Summer of 1943, the WAFS and WFTD were combined into one single women pilot group, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs).

Elizabeth L. Gardner of Rockford, Illinois, WASP

More than 25,000 women applied for the WASP program, but fewer than 1,900 were accepted. After four months of military flight training, 1,074 of them became the first women to fly American military aircraft. Though not trained in combat, the women were given much the same instruction as aviation cadets, learning how to recover from any position. They flew newly manufactured planes to military bases, towed targets, and transported cargo. By December 1944, the WASP had delivered 12,650 aircraft to their destinations.

Since the WASP program was considered a civil service, the WASPs were not given military benefits. The 38 women who perished in accidents during training and on active duty were sent home at the family’s expense and weren’t allowed to have an American flag over their coffin. In September 1943, the first bill for militarization of the WASP was introduced in the House of Representatives. Cochran and Arnold both wanted a seperate corps headed by a female colonel. But the bill was defeated, as were the subsequent attempts to give the WASPs military status. In the end, Cochran essentially asked that the question be resolved by either granting military status or by disbanding the program. So it was announced that the program was to be disbanded by December 20, 1944.

In 1977, the previously classified, sealed documents explaining the WASPs services to the country were unsealed, following the incorrect statement that the Air Force was then training the first women pilots ever to fly American military aircraft. With the support of Senator Barry Goldwater, the WASPs lobbied again for recognition, which was granted to them in legislation signed by President Jimmy Carter in the form of a World War II Victory Medal for each WASP. An American Theater Ribbon/American Campaign Medal was also granted to those WASPs who had served for more than one year. Then on May 10, 2010, President Barack Obama and the United States Congress granted the WASP program the Congressional Medal of Honor for its service to the nation, and the 300 surviving WASPs came to the U.S. Capitol to receive the medal.

For more on how the WASP was started, their wartime efforts, and a list of members, check out this Wikipedia page. You can also check out this page on Fold3 for facts and photos of Elizabeth M Magid, a WASP. And there is more to see on Fold3 regarding the WASPs; you can use this search to find more photos and stories. This page on pbs.org is also a great resource for first-hand accounts of the WASP.