Honoring Lt. George H. Cannon, USMC, on Medal of Honor Day
On December 7, 1941, 1st LT George H. Cannon, age 26, was assigned platoon leader of Battery H, 6th Defense Battalion on a critical power station on Sand Island near Midway. In addition to his duties as platoon leader, Cannon was on a task force to try to decode intercepted Japanese messages.
On the same night as the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, Japanese destroyers launched a ferocious attack against Sand Island, intending to cripple the island’s airfield and provide safe passage to...
Lt. Robert L. Schanen, Navigator of “Ascend Charlie”
Yesterday, I received this email from the relative of the navigator on Ascend Charlie's final mission. Ascend Charlie was a B-17 Flying Fortress (tail #42-5903) from the 390th Bomb Group, 571st Bomb Squadron. You can read my full article on "Ascend Charlie's" last mission here..
Dear Mr. Beigel,
I just want to thank you for the piece you wrote about the "Ascend Charlie'" crash. Lt. Schanen was my grandmother's cousin and she speaks so fondly of him. I had always known he was killed in...
The Murder of WAC Private Byrl Babcock
Before she was Private Byrl Babcock, she was Byrl Mitchell, part-owner of a jewelry store in Oroville, California. She worked as a buyer for a stationery shop. She ran a beauty parlor out of the Gridley Hotel. Before any of that, she'd put herself through secretarial school and graduated at twenty-nine — not because she was slow, but because she was paying her own way.
She'd also been married multiple times. None of them lasted.
If there's a pattern in Byrl's life, it's this: She never...
Five From the 464th Bomb Group
The 15th Army Air Force, based in...Wee Willie and the photo that started it all
Above is B-17 “Wee Willie”...From Panatella to Ploesti
The 15th Army Air Force, based in...Six B-24s From Baker Box Downed
The men – the boys, really...Debut for Debach
It was the very first combat mission...The World War II Dead of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
More than 260 UCLA students, faculty ...
SSGT Morris Meyers: The Man My Dad Never Stopped Waiting For
SSGT Morris Meyers | The Man My Dad...TEC5 Genaro A. Caruso — What the Records Don’t Tell Us
(Troop C, 25th Cavalry Reconnaissance...Nicasio C. Sifuentes: One Week at the Front
(Company A, 10th Armored Infantry...PFC Oscar B. Oakman: The Last Man to Die in the 94th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
(PFC Oscar B. Oakman, 4th Armored...The 4th Armored Division: The Spearhead of Patton’s Third Army
Activated in April 1941 at Pine Camp,...Talk Radio One’s Steven Spierer Interviews WW2 Researcher Bill Beigel
Steven Spierer Talk Radio One Interview...
LOST B-25 “El Aguila” (“The Eagle”) With Crew and Passengers
Hi Georgia: So sorry for this slow response. I'd love to connect with you some time. I suspect that there is information on your great-uncle that is unknown to you. Rather than write up a lengthy e-mail, I suggest that we get on the phone for a brief discussion of our research options. Please use this link: https://calendly.com/ww2research/30min to my calendar to schedule a phone meeting. There is no cost for this research consultation with me; I look forward to talking with you. Best regards, BillSix B-24s From Baker Box Downed
Hello April: Sorry for this slow response. I'd be happy to trade some history with you. You can reach me at bill.beigel@ww2research.com. I might even be able to locate some information that is new to you. Best, BillFive From the 464th Bomb Group
Hi Janice: I apologize for my late replay to your note! We can certainly re-create your father's service with the 454th Bomb Group. Rather than write up a lengthy e-mail, I suggest that we get on the phone for a brief discussion of our research options. Please use this link: https://calendly.com/ww2research/30min to my calendar to schedule a phone meeting. There is no cost for this research consultation with me; I look forward to talking with you. Best regards, BillThe Murder of WAC Private Byrl Babcock
I agree with Vanessa. This is such a compelling story and so well written. It really packed a punch to read that she didn’t return to her base after her leave ended… there was no answer at the hotel room… she and her husband both died of gunshot wounds…Lt. Ecke personally accompanied Byrl’s casket on the journey to CA, stood as honor guard during the funeral, and presented the flag to Byrl’s mother. I loved learning that her headstone did NOT have the last name of her abusive husband who murdered her! I am very curious now to look at WW2 memorials to see if I can find any women’s names listed. It never occurred to me to look before.SSGT Morris Meyers: The Man My Dad Never Stopped Waiting For
So you know how I feel about my cousin, 2Lt A.D. (Alvis Deryl) Noble, I know that he was born on my grandfather's farm in Hopkins Co. Texas, where my father and his and 5 other brothers and 4 sisters were born, then the next information I have is the casualty report after his death as his records were lost in the St. Louis fire. I was born in 1956, 12 years after his death. But I want to thank you once again for your help with what I do know about 2Lt Noble. Sincerely A .D. ( Alan Dale ) NobleSSGT Morris Meyers: The Man My Dad Never Stopped Waiting For
WOW. Great job Something like that for the crew of the B2 nine Salvo Sally that bombed Masaki yes Japan on April 28, 1945. The flight engineer Fred MacDonald was my first cousin husband. The plane went in the ocean. Most likely the gunners are got out and got in parachutes, but only one survived and I found him in St. Louis Missouri Japan held a huge memorial for the crew on April 28, 2018. The survivor was Jack B Cannon. He died. I think he was 94.
Bill’s WWII Almanac
