The Lobo Tank Busters and Cabin 21 at Valley Forge
The Lobo Tank Busters
By: Stan Jordan
We took off this morning with a full load of everything, even extra fuel tanks. We went pretty much straight east into Germany into the state of Lichtenstein, to an area named Balzers. This is a mountain resort town, but I hear it has large railway yards and is busy all the time. It is in southern Germany close to Austria. We saw a double railroad tracks and figure it is leading us into Balzers, we dropped down to 250 mph and arm our weapons. My wing man and I were on the right side and we swung out a little to the right when we approached the rail yards. We had the element of surprise as the anti- aircraft didn’t see us coming. There were cars and engines all over the rail yard.
I took the farthest rails on the right, it had an engine and about twenty cars loaded with trucks, tanks and field pieces. I fired a rocket right into the back of a King Tiger Tank. I fired a second rocket into a tanker truck, what an explosion! By now, I was up to the locomotive and one rocket took care of it. I was at the end of the grade and I had to pull up as a mountain came into view. I had to go up to about 400 feet to miss the mountain top.
We formed up and discussed speeding up to 350 mph as now the anti-aircraft guns would be looking for us, and they were for sure. I went right down the middle of the yard and that train had not been targeted. I fired a rocket into that engine and it just blew to pieces. I went right down the train with all of my 50 caliber guns, round after round into the trucks and starting fires. The air was full of their tracer bullets, but they were behind me.
At the end of the rail yard was a huge crane used to load and unload rail cars and to pick up rail cars after they had been damaged. Lt . Barnes fired off a rocket and put that rocket right in the housing of the crane and the parts just fell to the ground. Those four inch rockets do a good job.
By now I was out of the valley and the rail yard. Some how, I don’t think I picked up any of the German bullets. I went up to about 6000 feet altitude and got straightened out on the course to take us back to the air base.
We discussed the days action and we figured we had done a good job. It was a good day.
See Ya!
Antwerp in the 1800’s
By: Stan Jordan
From what I can find out, the first settler in Carryall Twp. was David Applegate.
He settled on a farm on the north side of the Maumee at the very end of County Road 31, Mrs. Carl Heckleman lives there now.
I think at that time you could ford the river and you came out to where Sharold Jailor lives now. That was in 1827, and the following year, 1828, there was about seven new families that arrived, and a couple more in 1830.
I know one was a Robert Murphy, and he had a rest home for the travelers on the River Road west of Bruce Putman’s farm. It was rated the best place to stop along the Maumee.
Carryall Twp. was organized in 1829, it consisted of 36 sq. miles. The first twp. election was held in 1830. The next ten years, a few more families moved into the area, and there was talk of a canal to be dug from Ft. Wayne to Toledo called the Wabash and Erie Canal.
In the year 1840, Gen. Curtis heard there would be a canal being dug through here and he built another trading post at the southeast corner of Canal St. and Erie Ave. It was also one of the first post offices for Antwerp.
That same year Isaac Woodcox built and operated a tavern and hotel at the south end of Main St., where the Burt Major Jr. family lived.
The following year Horatio Curtis, Isaac Woodcox, Sam Rice and two surveyors made the survey and plotted the original plat of Antwerp. Each lot is one stone wide and two stones long, which is 66 feet wide and 132 feet in length.
That same year, 1841, three gentlemen were sitting on a log, where Dan Fowler lives now, and with the help of a postal guide, they settled on the name of Antwerp for this village. While the plotting was being done, a large force of men were digging the canal. It was complete two years later in 1843. It was in operation in 1844, but not much traffic in the canal yet. In that same year, a Dr. John Lincoln came to Antwerp and built a log cabin in the middle of the first block on W. Canal St. west of Main St. He lived there, and that was his office. Their son Tom Lincoln was born there, the first child born in Antwerp.
At that time, what is now Canal St. was Main St. and what is now Main St. was Hick St.
More on this next week.
See Ya!
Cabin 21 at Valley Forge
By: Stan Jordan
This is the first of February here at Valley Forge and we are getting along pretty good considering everything. Everyone has a job to do and they are doing it.
Gen. Washington and a couple of officers came on a sort of an inspection trip. He made some complimentary remarks on how the army had helped us get along here at Cabin 21. Sgt Baker said, “General, sir, we done all of this work by ourselves. The army didn’t help us at all. When we got here, we had the building and that’s all. We had not cots, no mattresses, no blankets, no food, no lights, no heat. The boys, being good troopers, pitched in and we were getting along by ourselves. We borrowed some things from the neighbors, but we worked for them. The Woodruff’s, the Mill, the Sawmill and we even volunteered for the fire department. Our standing in the community was top–shelf. Yes sir, General, we soldiers were proud of what we had done so far.”
The three officers agreed that we had done a lot of work and they complimented Sgt. Baker on being in charge and doing everything in a military manner. Then Gen. Washington said, “I’ve got to tell you boys that Ben Franklin has gone to Paris to see if the United States can get a good size loan. If Ben is successful, we will be able to give you some new clothes and boots and the men and officers will be given three months pay. It will make alot of things possible. But that might be a few weeks yet.”
The cooks made a pot of sassafras tea and Trooper #6 put a little hooker of corn squeezings into it. Then Sgt. Baker told the officers that #6 worked at the saw mill and the owner would take a little jug for some boards of lumber. Then the officers saluted all around and went on down to the next cabin.
Things are a lot better here at the camp now. We have learned to cope with everything now. You would be surprised at the things you can do without when you have to.
The days are a little longer now and we eat breakfast around 7 and go to work at 8, of course, there is the time for group exercise before breakfast. The big talk around the cabin now is the fact that maybe we will soon draw three months wages if Ben Franklin can get us a loan from the French people. How much will the pay be? What can I do when I do get it? Yes, having a little money will cause some problems.
See Ya!
