Gary Bedingfield’s BASEBALL IN WARTIME Volume 2, Issue 5 January 2008 WWW.BASEBALLINWARTIME.CO.UK Living WWII Ballplayer Veterans at 250 appy New Year, and when I am not sure what direction to go WWII Major League Veterans welcome to the first Baseball next with this mammoth task of We Lost in 2007 in Wartime Newsletter of recording everything to do with WWII 2008. baseball. Focusing on living players will Ernie Koy - January 1 H Bill LeFebvre - January 19 always give me something to fall back Over the Christmas period I spent some on when I am not sure where to go Max Lanier - January 30 time looking at numbers in relation to next. I intend to interview as many of Hank Bauer - February 9 baseball during WWII. Bear with me, all these living veterans as I can and will Buddy Hancken - February 17 will soon become clear. I have a make these biographies available as Bob Malloy - February 20 database that I have used to gather soon as possible. Clem Labine - March 2 information on major league players Bobby Sturgeon - March 10 who served with the military in WWII. Furthermore, there are a couple of book Lou Limmer - April 1 The database currently contains 1,320 proposals in the pipeline, and I will be in Ed Bahr - April 6 names and contains details of each Cooperstown, NY, in mid-January. So Charles Marshall - April 15 player’s playing career, military service, 2008 looks to be another busy year! Ralph McLeod - April 27 date of birth, date of death etc. Milt Bocek - April 29 Dick Kryhoski - May 10 It made me wonder how many players Bill Wight - May 17 with wartime military service were still Vern Hoscheit (coach) - June 11 living and with a few clicks here and Shag Crawford (umpire) - July 11 there, I was presented with the answer Carl McNabb - July 16 - 250! Scat Davis - July 23 Frank Mancuso - August 4 This equates to around 19% of all Phil Rizzuto - August 13 players with WWII military service still Ox Miller - August 13 living. Hal Jeffcoat - August 30 John Sullivan - September 20 Phil Rizzuto Further analysis revealed that Lonny Bob Marquis - November 28 Frey - who is 97 - is the oldest living 1917-2007 Tommy Byrne - December 20 player with WWII service. Hot on the heels of Lonny is Tommy Henrich, who Sponsor a Page on Baseball in Wartime for 2008 turns 94 in February! Maintaining the Baseball in Wartime website is not an easy task and The youngest living veteran appears to conducting the extensive research that’s required can be very expensive. be Cloyd Boyer, who turned 80 on That’s why I’m offering you the opportunity to help by sponsoring a player September 1, 2007, and served with page on the website. For a donation of between $5 and $50 (it’s up to you), the US Navy. you can sponsor a family member, friend or favorite player’s biography and have your own personal message appear at the top of the page. As a result, I have decided to focus on compiling biographies of living players Payment can be made securely online with PayPal and further information for next couple of months. That doesn’t can be obtained at www.baseballinwartime.co.uk/sponsor.htm mean I will ONLY focus on living or email me at [email protected] players, it’s just that there are times Thanks for your help! VOLUME 2, ISSUE 5 Page 2 Baseball and the Battle of the Bulge At 0530 on December 16, 1944, a massive artillery barrage was followed by three powerful German armies plunging into the hilly and heavily forested Ardennes region of eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. The result was the bloodiest of battles that US forces fought in Europe in WWII and soon became known as the Battle of the Bulge. Thinking the Ardennes was the least likely spot for a German offensive, American forces in the area were minimal and almost complete surprise was achieved. Within the first three days of battle, two of the US 106th Infantry Division’s three regiments were forced to surrender and the 19,000 American dead were unsurpassed by those of any other engagement. For the US Army, the battle incorporated more troops and engaged more enemy troops than any conflict before that time. However, in snow and sub-freezing temperatures the Germans failed to meet their objective - that of reaching the sprawling Meuse River on the edge of the Ardennes. All that they accomplished was to create a Bulge in the American line (hence the name “The Battle of the Bulge”). Ted Williams at War Bill Nowlin The Germans lost irreplaceable men, tanks and equipment, and on January 25, 1945, after heavy lossesRounder on both Books the $24.95 American and German sides, the Bulge ceased to exist. Less than four months later Germany unconditionally surrendered.Order your copy at www.rounderbooks.com At least 25 players from professional baseball were involved in the Battle of the Bulge - five made the ultimate sacrifice. Those Who Lost Their Lives at the Battle of the Bulge Bill Hansen 1945. It was later confirmed was with the 3rd Armored action during the Battle of the Bill was from Chicago, and he had died in combat in Division in Europe. He was Bulge on New Year's Day signed with Greenville in Belgium on December 16, killed in action during the 1945. 1941. He was with the Green 1944 – the first day of the final days of the Battle of Elmer Wachtler Bay Blue Jays of the Battle of the Bulge. the Bulge on January 14, Wisconsin State League in 1945. Ernie Hrovatic 1942 where he batted .310 Hank Nowak and his contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association, but military service beckoned before he had the opportunity to report. Sergeant Hansen served with the US Army in the Battle of the Bulge. He died from wounds received during that conflict in January 1945. Elmer was from Omaha, NE, Ernie was from and signed a minor league Erne Holbrook Highlandtown, OH, and contract with the St Louis Ernie was from Los Angeles, signed a contract with the St Hank was from Buffalo, NY, Cardinals in 1942 and played and a star athlete at the Louis Cardinals in 1942 and and signed a minor league for Decatur and Lynchburg University of Southern was assigned to the contract with the Albany the next two seasons. California. He signed a Washington Redbirds in the Travelers of the Georgia- professional contract with He was inducted into the Penn State League. He was Florida League in 1937. Charlotte in 1935, and also military in March 1944 and the rightfielder with the played for Rocky Mount in He had a sensational served in Europe with the Jamestown Falcons of the 1936. sophomore year with the 35th Infantry Division. PONY League in 1943, and team winning 20 games and The following year he led the league in hitting for On January 5, 1945, during joined the Houston Buffalos returned to California to most of the season (.336 with the breakout at Bastogne in of the Class A1 Texas coach high school baseball 96 RBIs). snow and freezing League the following year. teams and joined the temperatures, Staff Sergeant Hrovatic was expected to join Nowak was a major league coaching staff of USC in Wachtler was killed in action. the Sacramento Solons in the prospect for the St Louis 1943. Pacific Coast League the Cardinals but military You can read the full Private Holbrook served with following year but entered service beckoned in March biographies at the the 28th Infantry Division in military service in December 1942. In Memoriam© Gary Bedingfield section 2007 of Europe and was reported 1943. ww.baseballinwartime.co.ukwww.baseballinwartime.co.uk Serving with the US Army in missing in action in January [email protected] Private First Class Hrovatic Europe he was killed in VOLUME 2, ISSUE 5 Page 3 Major Leaguers at the Battle of the Bulge Andy Anderson Earl Johnson Steve Souchock Cecil Travis Anderson was captured by Johnson pitched for the Red Souchock was as tank Travis was the pre-war the Germans during the Sox before the war. He was commander with the 691st Senators’ shortstop. He Bulge and suffered a commissioned a lieutenant Tank Destroyer Battalion. served with the 76th Infantry debilitating case of frostbite. on the field for extraordinary He was awarded the Bronze Division in WWII. During the His weight dropped from 185 valor during the Bulge. Star for his heroics during Bulge, much of his time was pounds to 125 while in a the Bulge. Souchock joined spent in a frozen foxhole and POW camp. He made it to Jack Knott the Yankees in 1946. he suffered severe frostbite. the major leagues with the St Knott won 13 games with the Military doctors worked hard Louis Browns in 1948. Athletics in 1941. He saw Warren Spahn to save his feet. action in the Bulge and was Merv Connors wounded on Jan 10, 1945. Ken Trinkle Connors played briefly with the White Sox in 1937 and Jack Lohrke 1938. He served with the Minor league infielder, 517th PRCT during the Lohrke, survived two battle Bulge. experiences during the Bulge in which comrades on either Ted Williams at War Jim Delsing side of him were killed. He Bill Nowlin Rounder Books $24.95 Delsing served with the made it to the major with the Medical Corps during the Giants in 1947. Order your copy at www.rounderbooks.com Bulge.