Heimskringla - 24.07.1946, Blaðsíða 2

2. SIÐA
HEIMSKRINGLA
WINNIPEG, 24. JÚLl 1946
MY EXPERIENCES AND
OBSERVATIONS
IN THE E.T.O.
(European Thecrter oí Operations)
With the United States Army
By Kristvin Helgason
Indeed it is a pleasure to be
back home, back to America and
back among all these Chicago
Icelanders once again. I had an
old professor once tell me:
“Stay among your own people.
for they will do best by you of
anyone”. Perhaps I had that
very statement in mind when I
tried to persuade Uncle Sam to
permit me to go to Iceland
shortly after the final push in
Central Germany just a year ago
this last May. I had heard so
much about Iceland from G. I.’s
that I met here and there in my
travels throughout Germany,
who had spent time in the “land
of the rocks” as so many of them
called it. It was with keen and
pointed interest that I took note
of wihat they had to say about
Iceland for I knew full well
that there was much good to be
said for it and I wanted to hear
it said from an American G. I.
who is usually frank, honest and
conceding in his observations,
opinions and judgment.
Briefly then, I shall give you
my collection of the expressions
of the G. I. who come to Iceland.
On one side of the little pot-
bellied stove in the transienc
hut we entered, were a group of
A. T. C. men who had just ar-
rived from the States to take
over jobs at the near-by Army
Airfield. They made it clear
they were not too impressed
with Iceland’s jagged lava-cov-
ered mountains and the unend-
ing stretches of treeless country-
side.......not to mention the
weather. Across from them
squatted several serious-faced
G. I.’s each of whom boasted
seven overseas stripes and num-
erous battle awards. Members
of the Fifth Division which had
been stationed in Iceland before
going into action in Italy, they
had reiturned to visit their
stulka, wives or to get married.
But now they were sweating
out a plane to England . . . and
then home.
The men with the red diam-
ond shoulder patch nonchalantly
puffer away at their cigarettes
or pipes, silently listening to the
oonversation from the new ar-
rivals. It sounded familiar, like
what they had uttered them-
selves when they first landed
back in the summer of 1941.
“They tell me, said one of the
new-comers, that we’ll be here
a year and maybe two”. I don’t
know what the hell for, but
heard so much about”. All of
this sounded especially familiar
to red-headed Pvt. Otto Peers
of Mason city, Iowa who sat as
though asleep at the rear of the
stove. Red served for 9 months
at Murmaúsk, Russia with a
quartermaster outfit before he
got his first look >at Reykavik
in September 1941. Shortly aft-
er his arrival he was given the
job of patrolling long stretches
of the east coast, and what a
lonely job. Red would say when
he returned from his tour of
duty . . . . “It was pretty rough
today and plenty lonesome”.
And at first he hated the place.
Then one day he wondered into
a nearby sleepy little village of
Hvammstangi and shortly after
met a pretty stulka. Before long as the girls in Jersey City. The and strained and manoeuvred
Red forgot how he hated the people, overall are among the
way the wind blew and how the m0st education-conscious in the
lava rocks made his feet ache. world and every third or fourth
It was’nt long before they decid-' store is a book shöp with both
ed to get married, but rules then Icelandic and American versions
Vér vildum geta sagt öllum sem síma þarfnast, að úr
því verði bætt “mjög bráðlega”. Samt sem áður, —
vegna erfiðleika að fá þá hluti sem nauðsynlegir eru
til símalagningar, þá getum vér aðeins sagt: “Eins
fljótt og mögulegt er”.
Vér VILJUM þóknast yður
og GERUM það eins “fljótt
og mögulegt er”.
prevented á G. I. from marry-'0f the latest best sellers. Ice-
ing a stulka. But they overcame' landic bjór is the one percent
this obstacle by renting an Ice- J variety and when a G. I. has
lander,s fishing boat and hav- time off it is still a long ride
ing the skipper perform the cer-1 from camps, where most of the
emony off the coast. Since men lived, to Reykjavík. Once
leaving the rock in December' there, there is no place to stav
1943, Red has picked up a 0vernight. Enlisted men were
Purple Heart, four little stars, J not permitted to enter the city,s
and three other items worth 36 oniy big hotel and their one
points .... namely triplets, i piace to go in town was the Red
three rugged boys. | Cross. The Red Cross incidently,
But Red and his buddies did has done a marvelous job in
in the deep Atlantic this body
of men too believed in America,
believed in our way of life and
silently prayed for the day when
they could sail the Atlantic
homeward bound, joyous, vic-
torious and as conquerors over
an evil in the wasting, warring
European world. They were
carrying in their hearts and
minds a conception of freedom
which must be preserved, which
must be protected or if necessary
must be implanted into the nat-
ure of things in a worn and torn,
battle-scared old European
world. And as the Wakefield
loomed over the horizon in a
new hemisphere after the 8th
day at sea, still a strong and
notice a few changes on their .Reykjavík. It installed bowling
return, the main one being the alleys in two clubs and served
citizens seemed more friendly J coffee and doughnuts and Red virulentship with its young and
than before. And the traffic ^ Cross sponsored dances were freedom loving blood of Amer
formerly aggravated by thejwell supported by the stulkas. ica, she was met by the British
speedy Icelandic cab drivers But the moral building program navy in the English Ohannel.
who put even New York cabbies
to shame, had been heightened
somewhat by the influx of jeeps.
Uncle Sam had sold a number
of jeeps to the Icelandic Govern-
ment which were promptly
red
took on a leap when the Andr-
ews Memorial Fieldhouse was
Here she stood out in contrast to
a navy that looked worn, tired,
completed outside of Reykjavík.'unpainted and shabby as she
For more than a year crowds j moved silently, serenely and
ranging between 1000 anr 2000 . freely with the Stars and Stripes
Icelanders no longer believed in
the cowboy stuff and gangster
film overdoses that Hollywood
is prone to hatch out after hav-
ing seen the conduct and behav-
iour in person of our G. I. Joe.
And many an old-timer G. I.
jammed its walls for basketball unfurled and waving squarely in
or a games, boxing shows exhibiting an August channel breeze as she
drew near the docks in Liver-
pool England.
Here then was our first glimpse
of the England which had been
at war so long. Here then was
that old country that was putt-
painted a brilliant
glaring yellow. jlcelandic boxers and glíma ex-
„ , , , . . . . perts all of whioh added tre-
Double feature pictures at ^ , , , , . , .
Reykjavíks Gamla Bío theatre "endously fof good relationsh.p
was a weekly schedule but thel6™" 'f the a "• sf°rts a"”uf;
i er mispronounced the difficlut.
Ilcelandic names.
These were the few glimpses ing Up the big fight. Here too
I made of Iceland thru the eyes was Liverpool with its bombed
and ears and minds of my fellow buildings, strange ways, dimm-
G. I.,s who were stationed there. jed-out lights and weary loóking
But I am reminded of my own Englishmen and women. This
. . where the
here will remember too, that he joufny from America, from was England
spent many solid lonely months home and from everything that bulldog stands in the folded
with^out ever getting an invit- means so much to a homesick furls of the Union Jack to de-
ation to an Icelandic home. But G. I. It was in July 1944 that I clare in stern and concrete terms
many more were willing to adm- suddenly found myself speeding “What we have we hold.”
it, in spite of the language barr-jalong in a crowded troop train j Thus in August 1944 r found
ier and the fact that for a thous- j heading for somewherq, Some- myself soon to become a rookie
and years and more before^where into the strangeness of a recruit in the 17th Airb0rne
British and Americans moved fighting, sick and aching world r)ivision we were sOheduled
upon them, the Icelanders had ^ to add the thrust of peace, vict-' for mQre training more combat
lived undisturbed, things were ory and perhaps enlightenment jtactics jump training and glider,
not so bad. The Icelanders are' Like in every troop train there tactics These were the imnle
not the back slapping type theyjwere hundreds of G. I.,s-and ini“ of ^ ^
___found, but neither are they spite of the chatter, commotion ■ enemy behind his own lines.
that’s what they said. There j trouble-makers-To add UP their,and contentment hour, better j Jt wag nQt a yery attractive app
feelings and attitude in one known as “chow” time, there roach lt did’nt seem very glor-
single thought, they just wanted was that same and continual j ious to haye tQ glide behind the
hardships, are amazingly well
preserved. Some have stood for
hundreds of years with their old
thatched roofs and the green
growing moss. Around most
homes in the country and cities
are veritable little parks of
flowering plants and blooming
trees, huge and overspreading.
The roads throughout England
are narrow and winding like
little country romantic lanes
that weave and wind through
meadows and quiet pasturelands.
Most country roads lead right
by the door of country homes.
The homes are cozy and tidy
with blooming vines and flower-
ing plants dangling from the
small wooden, painted boxes
underneath the tightly curtain-
ed windows peeking from und-
erneath the soddy, mossy eaves
of Ann Hathaway days.
It is notable and impressive
enough how English towns and
villages are rambling in their
setting as if grown by accident
rather than by any plans or
designs. The streets are winding
and confusing with little short
lanes and curving roads, into
whioh run many more little
streets and winding lanes. To
ask an Englishman direction in
his own town is somewhat like
asking how high is up. The usual
answer is not too enlightening.
He will tell you it is about a
ten minute walk or a twenty
minute walk, and you shall walk
till you come to the first street
crössing. There you will find
four little streets branching out
from the first street crossing and
you take the little street bearing
nothing. Simply nothing. In but
a few more seconds we heard
its screaming, weird approach.
The roar grew louder and louder
and its awfulness was near. It
was upon us. We are petrified.
In a few split seconds it was
down and its demonish flare
pierced the sky as it exploded
with its thunderous peal and
blast. All of London-seemed to
quiver though it had burst three
miles away.
Next day we had an opportun-
ity to see traditional London. We
visited all the famous and re-
nowned spots and places nam-
ely: Westminster Abbey, London
Bridge, Trafalgar Square and
Big Ben, nurnber 10 Downing
Street, where Churchill lives,
and finally St James Cathederal
To me Westminster Abbey was
interesting and historical tho
somehow resembling an old
musty cellar. There in the dim
rooms with the musty odor were
the tombs and statues and
graves of ancient heroes, warr-
iors, statesmen and orators in-
cluding some American person-
alities. It seemed a glorious att-
empt to keep alive old wasted
memories of characters, past
wars, past English struggles for
an Empire and skeletons of anc-
ient fabrications. Perhaps that.
is why I felt that England was
old in her economy, staid in her
ways and slow in her move-
ments. There did’nt seem to be
the strength, youth, virility and
imagination needed to make a
nation live by greatness and
service lasting to civilization.
And as I left Westminster Abby,
was a lengthy pause and then
one of the other new men said
he would probably be ready to
blow his top if he had to be here
more than six months to which
a young private chimed in.
“This isn’t so bad, wait until we
get to town and get a look at
some of those blondes I’ve
to be left alone and be friends
with everybody.
In the city of Reykjavík, the
modern metropolis of Iceland,
there were no apparent Short-
ages in the food supply and
women were as smartly dressed
MANITOBA BIRDS
FRANKLIN'S GULL (Continued)
Franklin’s Gull nests in large colonies in the marshy sloughs
and lakes. These Gulls appear in clouds of thousands of indi-
viduals and follow the heavy gang ploughs in flocks that almost
hide the driver and team from view.
They settle on the freshly turned black earth, packing into
their eager crops the grubs, worms, and larvae that are scurrying
to new sheflter after the upheaval. Thus it goes from daylight to
dark and the destruction carried into the insect ranks on these
fields preparing for cultivation is enormous.
In summer the attraction 4s generailly grasshoppers and the
number of these insects that a few hundred Gulls can devour in
a day is an important factor in insect control.
Economic Status. On the whole, the western farmer probably
has no more efficient friend than this little Gull of tireless wing,
and the indignation of the community should be experienced by
those who disturb their nesting or interfere with their security.
This space contributed by
THE DREWRYS LIMITED
MD167
question: “Where are we going” | enemy lines or parachute into
Always throughout a soldiers his yery lap and amidst for him
career and the circumstances he tQ rjp your chute and yQU tQ
finds himself in is the element shreds or force yoUr motorless
°f uncertainty. Uncertainty glider down Qn sQme rQugh and
was always a dread. Before, stumpy ground; an 0pen target
many hours the train reaches. for shot and shell But this
Boston and we soon found the as -t............and really it And
grand receptionist, the Red Cross here we gQt the training for the
with doughnuts and coffee as a real show to come After several
sort of final shot in the arm be- weehg of training the rumors
fore going up the gang plank and began tQ fly about There is no
boarding the Wakefield. It had greater piace on earth for rum-
rows upon rows of bunks. Nice ors specuiations and taik than
Rard flat bunks as hard and flat ^ in the Army groUpS Everybody
as the gang plank itself. For a has his views> somebody heard
soldier there is nothing but solid some news and someone heard
comfort. But the Wakefield was J someone say something, is the
a newly painted and newly; way the vicious flame of rumors
decorated ship and its cargo ofjgets going stronger) bigger and
G. I.’s were new and fresh1
rookies heading into the Atlant-
ic, away from home, away
from America destined for any
strange land, any strange con-
ditions and any strange people.
The feeling was not exhilerating
nor were the prospects inviting.
Yet as the Wakefield plunged i
more able to scare you and un-
nerve you in your waiting, wait-
ing, wondering and uncertainty.
Much can be said for the Brit-
ish Isles. No none can deny they
are beautiful while studded with
old fashioned towns and quaint
little villages. The buildings and
homes, in spite of the war and
out on your left on whioh you pensively and solemnly, I linger-
take a few more paces and than; ed to hear Big Ben strike 5 o’
bear right and there you are.
You are by then so thoroughly
clock on my way ’to Trafalgar
Square, where stood the huge
confused and he so thoroughlv j and towering monument of Lord
obliging in coming to your res- Nelson. As I stood and looked
cue to confuse you more, he will and wondered about Trafalgar
add in conclusion: “You reallyjand Lord Nelson the thought of
“cawnt” miss it”. jour America came to me. I pic-
Of course everyone has heard | tured the sleek white monument
and read so much about London nieaning and greatness of these
and especially in the trying J of our George Washington and
times of war, bombs destruction j ttie statue of our Abe Lincoln
and strife. On my first visit there j Gf‘the people, by the people and
I had only been there a few min- for tfie Pe°ple rang in my ears
utes when the sirens began and the meaning and greatness
screaming. A doodle bomb, as J of those words seemed to be un-
the Englishman called the rocket | folding and unveiling itself to a
bombs the Germans were send- sich and bleeding world.
ing over, was on the way from | On my return from London
the continent. The people just J to Camp Ogbome, St George
went about their business. Somc where I was now stationed the
hurried a little toward bomb alert had been sounded. Appar-
shelters. Others just stopped and j ently now after months of wait-
waited and listened. They knew ^ ing and wondering the H. hour
from experience it would be just had struck. The zero hour could
a matter of moments till there ^ come now any moment. We had
would be a death dealing, terrif-. been warned that the alert was'
ic explosion somewhere. Some- sounded, we must .be ready
how it appeared not to matter ] packed, gear and all in 15 min-
much any more where the bomb utes. We soon learned that wo
dropped. Lloyd and I were for-Jwould fly by plane. We guessed
tunate in getting a hotel room the continent for where else
Americans got some preferences would we reasonably go but who
and rooms were at a premium. i knows, any strange thing can
We waited rather tensly in our happen in war. After a flight of
room. It was our first experience 2^2 hours over the English
with real live bombs and their Channel and the Continent, we
horrible speed and mystery. We^soon reached France and we
listened. We waited. Perhaps knew it would not be long now
the treacherous bomb was head- — the real thing and the silly
ed for the hotel. But what was cruel busine9s. After a high gear-
there for us to do by now . . ied, high pitched orientation we