Question of the Hour

[redleafjumper]

Armchair, you were closer with your CBC guesses (whoops, that was a big clue!).

 

[Danjanou]

Ok because no one got it. Spr F.P Hutchinson RCE was one of the six Canadian soldiers captured during the brief deployment of elements 1st Cdn Div to france in June 1940 After Dunkirk. He was one of the four who managed to later escape his captors and make his way back to England. For this was awarded the Military Medal, the first Cdn Soldier to be decorated in WW2.

 

[armchair]

CBS's Edward R Murrow on his newscast (This is London)

Well I'm at a loss.Can't find an answer

 

[redleafjumper]

Okay Armchair, since you are the only one that bit, here's the answer.  CBC correspondent Peter Stursberg was the first to broadcast "Lili Marlene" or as the name was later modified in Germany " Lied eines jungen Wactpostens" (The song of the Young Guard).  He recorded the song in Ionia on the Straits of Messina, with the help of a local municipal orchestra.  He notes in his book "The Sound of War, Memoirs of a CBC Correspondent" that he paid about 1 pound sterling for the performance.  The broadcast was quite famous at the time and generated some controversy as it was regarded as an "enemy" song.

As a follow-up question, perhaps easier than the Stursberg one, who was the German composer of "Lili Marlene"?

 

[Art Johnson]

This is an interesting subject and certainly points out the difficulty of  establishing who was first. The BEM can be awarded for gallantry and in the instance of John Garvie.
there was certainly gallantry involves in his action of 12 Oct 1940.

John Gibb of the 48th performed a similar act of gallantry when he held up the floor of  a bombed out pub, “The Californian“, for three hours to allow rescuers to save a woman’s life.

Unfortunately Sapper Hutchinson’s Citation does not provide too much information to establish a date for his action.

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/cmdp/mainmenu/group01/mbe

Private John Garvie was awarded the British Empire Medal for his action in using his steel helmet as a shovel to dig out survivors of a bombing raid in London. The authorities said that without his help there would have been more deaths at the site. His citation reads in part:

ON THE NIGHT OF 12 OCTOBER, 1940, DURING AN INTENSE AIR RAID PRIVATE GARVIE, 48th HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA WHO A SHORT TIME PREVIOUSLY HAD ASSISTED IN EXTRICATING PERSONS ENTRAPPED IN A BOMBED HOUSE, WAS CALLED UPON BY THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES TO FURTHER ASSIST IN RESCUING CIVILIANS WHO WERE BURIED BENEATH THE WRECKAGE OF ANOTHER BOMBED HOUSE. NOT WITHSTANDING THE CONTINUANCE OF THE RAID, LACK OF LIGHTS, A LEAKAGE OF DOMESTIC GAS, DANGER DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF COLLAPSE OF AN ADJOINING BUILDING AND COMPLETE LACK OF TOOLS PRIVATE GARVIE WITH SOME OTHERS WORKED FOR SEVERAL HOURS SHOVELLING DEBRIS WITH HIS STEEL HELMET AND REMOVING FALLEN TIMBERS. FINALLY THEY SUCCEEDED IN RESCUING ALIVE TWO OF THE FIVE PERSONS ENTOMBED IN THE WRECKAGE.

HUTCHINSON, Fraser Peter, Sapper (F.91544) - Military Medal - Engineers (1 Field Company, a Canadian Infantry Division)- awarded as per London Gazette dated 12 February 1942; confirmed in CARO/3580 dated 2 September 1943. A plasterer before the war, he had served in the Non-Permanent Active Militia from 1933 to 1939 (88th Battery, RCA). He enlisted in the Active Force at Halifax, 17 November 1939. His wife was living in Port Wallis, Nova Scotia; awarded "in recognition of distinguished services in the field".

 

[muffin]

As a follow-up question, perhaps easier than the Stursberg one, who was the German composer of "Lili Marlene"?

Norbert Schultze -

see ref:

http://www.nazi-lauck-nsdapao.com/eng-uk-006.htm

 

[Danjanou]

Good point Art. the source I found this in is also vague, but I presume it was sometime in the summer of 1940 that he made his escape.

Ok your turn, lets see if you can stump the rest of us.

 

[armchair]

Norbert Schultze -

see ref:

http://www.nazi-lauck-nsdapao.com/eng-uk-006.htm
[/quote
Nans Leip wrote the poem The Song of a Young Sentry some time in 1915 before he went to the Russian front
Was first published in a collection of his poetry in 1937
Norbert Schultze set it to music in 1938. Lale Andersen version sold around 700 copies
Joseph Goebbels banned the song in Germany (for its portentous character)
Lt.Karl-Hieins Reintgen diretor of Radio Belgrade aired it for a friend in the Africa Corps on 18 Aug 1941
Gen. Rommel liked the song asked Radio Belgrage to incorporate the song in their Broadcast
The song played at 9:55 just before sign-off.

 

[redleafjumper]

Muffin and Armchair, good answers on the composer and history of the tune "Lili Marlene".

Who was the first African-American General in the US Army?  (Bonus - Who was the first African-American General in the USAF?)

 

[Jantor]

I'll try ;D

Gen. Benjimin O. Davis?

 

[redleafjumper]

Jantor is correct - Benjamin Oliver Davis, 1877 - 1970, was the first African - American US Army General.  He was a 1LT of volunteers in the Spanish American War.  After mustering out in 1899, he joined the regular Army as a private soldier and rose to the rank of Major in WW 1.
He became a Colonel in 1930 and served as a General from 1940 - 1948.  This information is from Chambers Biographical Dictionary.

So who was the first African-American USAF General Officer?

 

[Jantor]

Me again :

His son, Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr.

http://www.fatherryan.org/blackmilitary/davis_jr.htm

 

[redleafjumper]

Well done Jantor, I admit it was a bit of a trick question!  Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr.  was the first African American General of the USAF.

 

[Jantor]

My turn?

Born in Quebec, he moved to the U.S. with his folks at age ten, Quit school at 12 and apprenticed as a machinist eventually ending up at a Springfield Armouries. He was credited with developing a rather well known rifle.

Who is he?

 

[deh]

John Garand

http://www.memorableplaces.com/m1garand/index.html

if its my turn who was the first Canadian double recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor?

 

[Jantor]

I'm on a roll ;D

Robert Sweeney, USN. Won it twice, 1881 and 1883. He was from Montreal

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/07/01/canadians-usmedal050701.html

 

[armchair]

Who was the Canadian who sent a report to Combined Operations(WWII)  on how to penetrate harbor defenses?
Ended up being in command of a section of frogmen on what river crossing?

 

[armchair]

Who was the Canadian who sent a report to Combined Operations(WWII)  on how to penetrate harbor defenses?
Ended up being in command of a section of frogmen on what river crossing?

Sud-Lt. Bruce Wright of Frederton.Champion Swimmer at University of New Brunswick.
Wrote report on harbor penetration in 1941 it went " thought channels"
In 1941 was told report to Combined Operations to raise, train, and lead a unit of operational swimmers.
They were use by the British Fourteenth Army in Burma.Working closely with the Special Boat Section,
they mark channels and landing approaches for the 14th Army crossing of the Irrawaddy River
page 592 The Canadians at War Vol 2 C/W 1969 Published by Readers Digest

 

[armchair]

Before WWII it was considered that Canadian industry did not lend itself to tank production.
During the war Canada manufacture a number tanks and self-propelled guns.
Most famous of these was the Ram mark I+II's The Ram was never to see combat as a battle tank.
What variants of the Ram did see serve in Combat?
Name some of the others tanks manufactured in Canada?

 

[redleafjumper]

Let's see,

The Ram variants that saw combat: OP, Kangaroo, Wasp, and gun tower.
Other tanks made in Canada:
The Valentine, Sexton (SP Gun), Sherman Grizzly, (might be some other limited production ones like the Skink)


(edited to fix typo)