HAM what?Belgium, 1944: the war rages on, the weather is lousy, and your truck's frame is bent. Who you gonna call?
The 897th, that's who! They performed difficult repairs under adverse conditions. Read on!
This site updated 2008-10-07.
Welcome!This WWII history site commemorates the 897th and 3562nd Ordnance HAM Companies and is maintained by
Gary Gocek,
son of 897th veteran Julian Gocek. I love to hear from veterans and their
families, current service people, and history buffs.
Click the
photo for a roster & enlargement.
Read the history of the 897th and 3562nd by
William E. Lake.
Sunday, November 19, 1944: Stavelot, Belgium.
November is marked by the constant recurrence of two annoyances - rain, and robot (buzz) bombs. As a result, several Welsh military from the British Army occupy the attic of the hotel and use specialized tracking equipment to determine the flight path and destination of the buzz bombs. The nature of shop work changes from 4th echelon rebuild to the processing of pool vehicles and delivery to the using units. With the coming of cold weather, and to shelter the personnel and equipment against the elements, flat tops are constructed using canvas and timber from the nearby forests. During the month, passes to Paris are made available and after a drawing, two fortunate enlisted men are the first in the company to go to town in over five months. Buzz bombs became more frequent, and, unofficially it is believed that Silas Howerton shoots down one of these V-1 robots while on guard duty one night.
Over 80 photos from veterans' private collections. Browse around!
WWII Memorial DedicationThe old man and I and other family members attended the dedication of the WWII Memorial in Washington in May, 2004.
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The companies trained for several months in the United States.
Camp Lee, VA, 1941
Camp Shelby, MS, 1941
Lake Charles, LA, 1941
Camp Murray, WA, 1942
Train Trip, 1942
Camp Young, CA, 1942
Palm Village, CA, 1943
Camp Haan, CA, 1943
The Battle of StavelotOur boys found themselves in the thick of it, in 1944.
More Stavelot and
more Europe.
The Way it WasAnecdotes from the war years.
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More...In memory of 897th vet David Lewis, passed away July 3, 2008.
Bocage, fromage, it's Greek to me...Even tanks had trouble with Normandy hedgerows, but a "scrappy" ordnance soldier found a solution.
More...Other WWII stories on the web.
More...Notes and contact info for this site.
More...The Reader's Digest wrote this sweet piece about the interactions between American GIs and British citizens during the war.
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