Two of my brothers and I had decided during the Christmas vacation after the 12-7-41 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that we would go ahead and enlist rather than wait for the Draft. Carroll was 31 and a high school teacher, Junior (“Ed”) was 18 and a freshman in college, and I was 23 and a secondary school teacher (junior/senior high) [teaching English and social studies, in Palmetto, Florida].
| The Tolle family. Lakeland, Florida. January 4, 1942, the day before Donald and Junior and Carroll enlisted. Here are their names and how they are related to Donald: Back row (L-R): Edgar Tolle, Jr. (“Junior” or “Ed” – younger brother); Sadie Lott Tolle (mother); Donald J. Tolle; Edgar Tolle, Sr. (father); Lovie Jane Tolle (“Grammer” – father’s mother); Mike Tolle (baby; Kendall’s son); Kendall Tolle (eldest brother); Martha Tolle (Kendall’s wife); Genevieve Tolle Rambo (older sister); Don Rambo (Genevieve’s husband). Front row (L-R): Jean Tolle (Carroll’s wife); Carroll Tolle (older brother); Susan Tolle (Kendall’s daughter); Bobby Rambo and David Rambo (Genevieve’s sons). —DMT |
We enlisted in Tampa, Florida, on January 5, 1942, and left that night for Camp Blanding at Starke, Florida. We were there about three days, during which time we took the oath (1-6-42), were outfitted with clothing and equipment, and did a good day’s work with shovels and wheelbarrows.
On about 1-8-42 we left by train for Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, Texas. A lieutenant who was a “good Joe” was in charge of us on this trip. (He had fought in major battles in the other war.) We had fine food on the trip (dining cars and hotels), and in Shreveport, Louisiana, he took us to the best hotel in town and had a fine dinner and floor show for us. All this gave a wonderful impression of Army life . . . Then we hit Sheppard Field! No time was wasted in putting us in our place—but definitely!!! A corporal at this field had about the authority of a master sergeant any place else. The noncoms in general seemed to be jerks who were just tasting the first delights of authority, and it must have tasted pretty good . . . Everyone here had a cold and was constipated. The dust was terrible and spread the cold germs from one person to another. We were happy to leave after 2½ weeks of poor food and misery.
On about 1-26-42 we left by train for Fresno, California—Hammer Field. Fine place! We got a taste here of living in war conditions—tin hats, gas masks, and all of that. Carroll went into Hq. & Hq. Sqdn.; Junior and I went into the 97th Bombardment Sqdn. After two weeks here (and our first pay—$20!), we left by train for destination unknown (which turned out to be Oklahoma City).
At Sayre, Oklahoma, our train was wrecked by a loose rail. Sabotage was suspected, but there was no proof. We were lucky that no one was killed, although three were injured. All our trucks and airplane tugs on the flat cars were ruined. Jr. and I had been on guard in the caboose a day or two before the wreck. Anyway, we missed the roughest part of the accident.
| Donald J. Tolle, 1988: Ampless Moore wrote to tell me that this wreck was definitely no accident—that there were enemy agents known to be in the area, Thus, my statement that there was no proof of sabotage was in error. |
We arrived at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at about 12:30 a.m. on February 15, 1942. (At the present writing—April 24, 1942, we have been here nearly 10 weeks, and the items immediately following were some miscellaneous notes made at Will Rogers Field.)
Donald, Junior, and Carroll Tolle at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma City
| Later in the war, Donald’s proud mother, Sadie Lott Tolle, wrote the following on the back of this photo: Cpl Donald is in Operations. Sgt Edgar “Jr.” is Aireal photographer. Lieut Carroll was also Com. officer of his Sqdn of 200 men. Genevieve our only daughter has two boys Bobby 7 yrs & David 4 yrs. Her husband Don is now working in defence work helping to make amphibian tanks which are made here in Lakeland. He may enlist soon in the army however. This was taken at Will Rogers Field Okla City in the summer May 1942. —DMT |
April 25, 1942—Our Supply Officer is Lt. Robert L. Campbell, an awfully nice fellow from Texas. He’s the only pilot I’ve flown with so far. I’ve been up with him twice, once in the nose and once in the gunner’s seat. He was transferred yesterday (4-24-42) to a tow-target detail in Texas, Ellington Field. I hope to see him again somewhere.
April 25, 1942—Lt. Sherman W. Long, our Assistant Supply Officer, from California, was killed in the crash of his A-20C while making a practice flight about 30 miles from Oklahoma City (4-23-42). I hated to see him go. He was a swell boy. Junior flew with him the day before he was killed. I was up with Lt. Campbell while Jr. was up with Lt. Long. I remember saluting Long and speaking to him the evening before he was killed.
| Another member of the 47th Bomb Group, Ted Kuhlman, read Dad’s Diary on the way back home from the 1987 Long Beach reunion while his wife drove the car. Ted shortly afterward wrote Dad regarding the above item and one other item (from Nov 1, 1943). Dad included Ted’s information regarding both items in the 1988 Addendum to the Diary. Here is the first one. —DMT |
| Donald J. Tolle, 1988: I learned from [Ted Kuhlman] that “Wally” Long was a close personal friend and how hard his death had hit him. Ted accompanied his body back to California, tried to comfort the parents in their grief, and then stayed in touch with them until their deaths. (Incidentally, Eddie Boyajian told me in Long Beach that he had been scheduled to fly with Lt. Long on that fateful day, but Lt. Long wouldn’t let him go because he was going to practice feathering engines that day. Another example of how seemingly-small things can have big effects upon the lives of people.) |
Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler Garrison of Oklahoma City had the three of us brothers out to Sunday dinner once, and we had a good time. He was in the last war—a sergeant. Fine people.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Tolbert of Oklahoma City had Harold Wright of Hq. & Hq. Sqdn. and Duane Morris and me of the 97th out to Sunday dinner once. He’s a lawyer; was a captain (I believe) in the last war. Nice people.
April 25, 1942—I heard today that the 47th Group has been made a part of the 3rd Air Force with headquarters at Tampa, Fla. Boy! That sounds good to me—whether we stay in Tampa permanently or just pass through there on the way across. I surely hope we go.
| In May 1942, on leave from Will Rogers Field, the Tolle brothers visited their nearly 95-year-old grandfather, Jacob Isaac Newton Lott, in McPherson, Kansas. Lott had witnessed the battle of Gettysburg in early July 1863 while on his father’s Gettysburg farm shortly before his 16th birthday; had heard Lincoln give the Gettysburg address that November; and had later served in the Union Army at Appomattox, Virginia, near the end of the Civil War. Here is what Donald’s proud mother, Sadie Lott Tolle, wrote on the back of a similar photo taken the same day: These are our three “Air Corps” sons taken last summer while visiting their grandfather Lott who is a civil war veteran, 95 years old. My father lives in Kans. The boys were stationed at Will Rogers field Okla. City at that time. They were also at Fresno Cal., Texas & N.C. before they were sent overseas. My father looks about as young as they do. He has on one of their uniforms as you notice and they are saluting him. We are very proud of my father & sons & glad they can do their part. —DMT |
May 3, 1942—Our Sqdn. Cmdr. (Lt. W. F. Duncan) told us yesterday that we are to go into desert maneuvers for three months in a few weeks, and then it will be overseas for us. That really knocks the props from under our Florida plan. I guess we’ll be in one of three countries soon: Libya, Egypt, or Australia. I’d really like to go home just once before we go across, and then I don’t care where they send me.
May 13, 1942—(I’m writing this on the 20th of May, so I’m not sure the date is correct.) Two planes collided today, and four were killed—John Pellish, S. W. Dye, and J. D. Davis (enlisted men), and Lt. Toler. Louis Killeen and Lt. Gualtiere were able to bail out safely, but Louis got a broken leg when he landed. Davis got out of the nose of his plane and got his ‘chute open, but something from the wreckage hit him and killed him. (The man in the nose of an A-20 has very little chance of getting out alive, and the gunner doesn’t have much more.) Louis was lucky—the tail of his ship was cut off about two feet behind him, so he had a relatively easy time getting out. Johnnie Pellish was a favorite of mine—a stocky, freckle-faced, pug-nosed kid of about 18 or 19 from Pennsylvania. He was really a swell boy, and it’s hard to get used to losing boys like that. I guess we’ll have to get used to it, though, because there will no doubt be many more before this thing is over. We’ve lost nine men and five planes out of our Group in about a month’s time—besides several minor crack-ups. We’d better begin saving something for the Japs and Germans. Sometimes I think we have enemies in our midst—there are too many accidents taking place.
Donald; Carroll; Edgar, Sr.; and Junior (Edgar, Jr.) in Oklahoma City. June 7, 1942.
My brother Carroll left for O.C.S. at Miami while we were still at Will Rogers Field; and he made a career of the military service, retiring as a Lt. Col.. He was a bombardier/navigator on B-29’s in the Pacific during the war. My oldest brother, Kendall, received a direct commission as a Lt.(jg) in the Navy a few months after the other three of us had enlisted. He became a Lt. Cmdr. but did not stay in the Navy after the war. Junior and I were Staff Sergeants the last two years of the war—he in the 47th Group Photo Section and I in 97th Squadron Operations.
At “P.X.”, Greensboro, N.C., Maneuvers. July 1942.
The Group left Will Rogers Field after our approximately 5½ months in training there and spent the next few weeks on maneuvers in the woods near Greensboro, N.C., to get us used to tent life—we had been in barracks previously.
| Greensboro, NC. Maneuvers, August 1942. Some of the guys who went overseas with Donald. Junior took the photo. Donald happened to be absent when the picture was made. (Captioned by Donald Tolle in about 1987?) |
| Standing (L-R): 1. Nerich, Rudy 2. Beetem, Donald 3. McMahon, 4. 5.Trobaugh, 6. McLaughlin, W.D. (“Mac”) 7. Coven, Bob 8. Ware, Luther 9. McKeon, Harry 10. 11. Pollock, John 12. Sevcik, Otto 13.Saulino,Art 14. | Middle Row (L-R): 1. Klum, Frank 2. Collins, Bill 3. 4. 5. Doehrman (?), Melvin (?) 6. 7. Ponder, Russell 8. Howard, J. Owen 9. Mallino, Tony 10. Petticoffer, 11. | Bottom Row (L-R): 1. Scherman, George 2. 3. Boudreau, 4. 5. Hale, Meredith (“P.H.”) 6. Nyquist, 7. Routhier, 8.Sharpless, Charles D. (pilot) 9. Bain, Gordon 10. 11. Middleton, J.P. |
| Notes: Hale: killed in jeep accident, Sicily, 1943. Sharpless (pilot): killed in action, Tunisia, February 1943. |
While there, my parents and Mary Alice McNeill came up from Florida to see Junior and me. They stayed with friends in High Point, N.C., a few miles from Greensboro. Mary Alice and I had met in the summer of 1937 but had seen very little of each other during the intervening years. We had several dates in High Point, decided it was “real,” and agreed to consider ourselves engaged. I couldn’t talk her into marrying me before I went overseas, which shows she was smarter than I was. I was a corporal making about $36.00 a month and even had to borrow $10.00 from her to have dates with her while she was there. (I paid her back!) She was willing to be engaged but not to stop dating other boys while I was away. So that was our agreement—and obviously it worked out well, because as of this writing (4-18-87) we have been married almost 42 years.
(From this point on, my regular diary begins, with some gaps in dates.)
Fri., Aug. 28, 1942—Arrived at Fort Dix, New Jersey, from Greensboro, North Carolina.
Tues., Sept. 1, 1942—At Fort Dix, drilling, etc., getting ready for overseas.
Wed., Sept. 2, 1942—Worked all night with Maj. Fletcher getting equipment packed and requisitioning more. (I had been assigned to the 97th Sqdn. Supply Section in the early days at Will Rogers Field and had stayed in it until leaving England in Nov., 1942, at which time I was able to transfer to the 97th Sqdn. Operations Section.)
Thurs., Sept. 3, 1942—Rifles and new equipment issued.
Fri., Sept. 4, 1942—Left Fort Dix tonight for Port of Embarkation. Hiked 3 or 4 miles to catch train for New York. Full packs.
