February 7 - October 14, 1945 - WASHINGTON,
DC
February 7, 1945 - Transfer to Naval Barracks
Dad was transferred to
the Naval Barracks in Washington, DC on February 7th and was assigned
as a cook to the WAVES* Quarters "D" at Nebraska and Massachusetts
Avenues.
*WAVES is short for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency
Service
WAVE Quarters "D"
Below are the only photos Dad had in his scrapbook related to the
time he spent at the WAVE Quarters. These photos are probably of the
"galley" force. Dad is sitting on the railing in the photo on the
right.
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Pete Perino and an Unidentified Sailor |
Stan is 4th from Left |
Stan with Foot Over Railing |
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Stan with Foot Over Railing |
Pete Perino |
Milton Lett
Nina, and Dick
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Photos of Galley Force-Navy Barracks
Washington, DC
February - 1945 |
Other WWII Action and Notable Events |
| February 4, 1945 |
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta. |
| February 11, 1945 |
President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Soviet leader Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement. |
| February 13, 1945 |
The Soviets captured Budapest, Hungary from the Germans.
Allied planes began bombing the German city of Dresden. |
| February 16, 1945 |
American troops landed on the island of Corregidor in the Philippines. |
| February 19, 1945 |
Some 30,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima, where they began a month long battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces. |
| February 23, 1945 |
U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised the American Flag. |
| February 24, 1945 |
American soldiers liberated the Philippine capital of Manila from Japanese control. |
| February 26, 1945 |
A midnight curfew on nightclubs, bars and other places of entertainment was set to go in effect across the U.S.. |
**LCI (G) 474 Sunk off Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 17 February 1945
March - April 1945
Weekends Home and Wife's Arrival in Washington, DC
Dad most likely visited his new wife on several weekends after he arrived
in Washington, DC in February. In a comment he made to his sister Mae in a Post
Card dated March 12, 1945, he said that he could not buy a present for his
favorite niece because he was "cleaned
out by coming home so often".
March 25, 1945 - Mel Arrives in DC
On March 25th, Dad finally got his wish for spending more time
with his new bride. Mel (Mom) finally went to DC and for the first time, they started living together
as husband and wife.
Stanley with his wife Mel
Having a Little
Fun with Friends in Washington DC
During the time that Mom and Dad spent in
DC they visited DC sites and hung out with other sailors and their
wives. Mom and Dad are in the back on the left in the photo above. Although Dad's World War II service was winding down, the war continued in both the European and Pacific Theaters. Below are the actions and other notable events that occurred between March through October 1945 which
March 1945 |
Other WW II Action and Notable Events |
| March 3, 1945 |
The Allies fully secured the Philippine capital of Manila from Japanese forces. |
| March 7, 1945 |
U.S. forces crossed the Rhine River at Remagen, Germany using the damaged but still usable Ludendorff Bridge. |
| March 9, 1945 |
U.S. B-29 bombers launched incendiary bomb attacks against Japan, resulting in an estimated 100,000 deaths. |
| March 16, 1945 |
Iwo Jima was declared secured by the Allies. |
| March 19, 1945 |
724 people were killed when a Japanese dive bomber attacked the carrier USS Franklin off Japan; the ship, however, was saved.
Adolf Hitler issued his so-called "Nero Decree" ordering the destruction of German facilities that could fall into Allied hands. |
| March 21, 1945 |
Allied bombers began four days of raids over Germany. |
| March 27, 1945 |
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower told reporters in Paris that German defenses on the Wester Front had been broken |
| March 30, 1945 |
The Soviet Union invaded Austria. |
April 1945 |
Other WW II Action and Notable Events |
| April 1, 1945 |
American forces launched the amphibious invasion of Okinawa. |
| April 4, 1945 |
U.S. troops on Okinawa encountered the first significant resistance from Japanese forces at the Machinato Line.
U.S. forces liberated the Nazi death camp Ohrdruf in Germany. |
| April 7, 1945 |
American planes intercepted and effectively destroyed a Japanese fleet that was headed to Okinawa on a suicide mission. |
| April 11, 1945 |
American soldiers liberated the notorious Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald in Germany. |
| April 12, 1945 |
President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, GA at age 63; he was succeeded by Vice President Harry S. Truman. |
| April 15, 1945 |
British and Canadian troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. |
| April 16, 1945 |
In his first speech to Congress President Truman pledged to carry out the war and peace policies of his predecessor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
U.S. troops reached Nuremberg, Germany. |
| April 18, 1945 |
Famed American war correspondent Ernie Pyle, 44, was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of le Shima, off Okinawa. |
| April 20, 1945 |
Allied forces took control of the German cities of Nuremberg and Stuttgart. |
| April 25, 1945 |
U.S. and Soviet forces linked up on the Elbe River, a meeting that dramatized the collapse of Nazi Germany's defenses.
Delegates from some 50 countries met in San Francisco to organize the United Nations. |
| April 26, 1945 |
Marshal Henri Philipe Petain, the head of France's Vichy government during World War II was arrested. |
| April 28, 1945 |
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country. |
| April 29, 1945 |
American soldiers liberated the Dachau concentration camp.
Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun and designated Adm. Karl Doenitz president. |
| April 30, 1945 |
As Russian troops approached his Berlin Bunker, Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun. |
**LCI (G) 82 Sunk by Japanese Suicide Boat off Okinawa, Ryuku Islands, 4 April 1945
May - June 1945
Taking Leave To Visit Family
Dad undoubtedly knew that the war in Europe was over as announced by President Harry S. Truman on May 8, 1945. With the war now over in Europe, Dad, on May 30, 1945, took a 7 day leave from his duties at the Navy Barracks. Most
likely he and Mel (Mom) used this time to return to the Pittsburgh area and spend as much time as possible with their families whom they haven't seen in a couple of months.
May 1945 |
Other WW II Action and Notable Events |
May 1, 1945 |
A day after Adolf Hitler committed suicide Adm. Karl Doenitz effectively became sole leader of the third Reich with the suicide of Hitler's propaganda minister, Josef Goebbles. |
May 2, 1945 |
The Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin, and the Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria. |
May 3, 1945 |
Allied forces captured Rangoon, Burma, from the Japanese. |
May 4, 1945 |
German forces in the Netherlands, Denmark and northwest Germany agreed to surrender. |
May 5, 1945 |
In the only fatal attack of its kind during World War II, a Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing the pregnant wife of a minister and five children. |
| May 7, 1945 |
Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France. |
| May 8, 1945 |
President Truman announced in a radio address that World War II had ended in Europe. |
| May 23, 1945 |
Nazi official Heinrich Himmler committed suicide while imprisoned in Luneburg, Germany. |
June 1945 |
Other WWII Action and Notable Events |
| June 18, 1945 |
William Joyce, known as "Lord Haw-Haw", was charged with high treason for his English-language wartime broadcasts on German radio. (He was hanged in January 1946) |
| June 21, 1945 |
American soldiers on Okinawa found the body of Japanese commander, Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima, who had committed suicide. |
| June 22, 1945 |
The battle for Okinawa officially ended with some 13,000 Americans and 90,000 Japanese soldiers and 130,000 civilians killed in the 81-day campaign. |
| June 26, 1945 |
The charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco. |
July - September 1945
Stanley and Mel's First Child on the Way
Dad had not written to anyone for the past several months so Mom,
who had lots of time to write, sent a letter to Dad's sister Mae on
July 2, 1945. After inquiring about Mae's children, Mom announced that
she was pregnant. She wrote:
...I had to quit work as I've been
too sick. I'm expecting my baby in February [1946]. I can't eat or drink
a darn thing...You have to go through a lot, but it sure is worth
it...I can't wait. I'm so proud and happy. I wanted to wait until
after the war, but I'm glad I didn't...We both would like to have
a boy. Of course it doesn't matter as long as its healthy...We'll
probably be home some time before "Junior" is born. At least I hope
so...
July 1945 |
Other WW II Action and Notable Events |
| July 16, 1945 |
The United States exploded its first experimental atomic bomb, in the desert of Alamogordo, NM. |
| July 17, 1945 |
President Harry Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began meeting in Potsdam in the final summit of World War II. |
| July 28, 1945 |
A U.S. Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York's Empire State Building killing 14 people. |
| July 30, 1945 |
The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine; only 316 out of 1,196 men survived the sinking and the shark infested waters. |
August 1945 |
Other WW II Action and Notable Events |
| August 2, 1945 |
President Harry Truman, British Prime Minister, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin concluded the Potsdam conference. |
| August 6, 1945 |
The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing an estimated 140,000 people in the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare. |
| August 8, 1945 |
President Harry Truman signed the United Nations Charter.
The Soviet Union declared war against Japan. |
| August 9, 1945 |
3 days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people. |
| August 14, 1945 |
President Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II. |
| August 15, 1945 |
This day was proclaimed "V-J Day" by the Allies, a day after Japan agreed to surrender unconditionally. |
| August 21, 1945 |
President Truman ended Lend-Lease Program that had shipped some $50 billion in aid to America's allies during World War II. |
| August 28, 1945 |
American troops began landing in Japan following the surrender of the Japanese government. |
| August 30, 1945 |
Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan and set up Allied occupation headquarters. |
September 1945 |
Other WWII Action and Notable Events |
| September 2, 1945 |
japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II |
| September 5, 1945 |
Iva Toguri D'Aquino, a Japaanese-American suspected of being wartime broadcaster Tokyo Rose, was arrested in Yokohama. (D'Aquino served six years in prison and was pardoned by President Gerald Ford in 1977). |
| September 10, 1945 |
Vidkun Quisling was sentenced to death in Norway for collaborating with the Nazis. |
| September 19, 1945 |
Nazi propagandist William Joyce, know as "Lord Haw-Haw" was sentenced to death by a British court. |
October 14, 1945 - Discharge from the Navy
After spending 3 years, 3 months, and 16 days in the US Navy, Dad was
given an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Navy on October 14, 1945. Dad, who enlisted in the
Navy, as a 19 year old teenager, was discharged as a mature young
married man of 22. Dad was now ready to tackle the full time responsibilities of
family life while awaiting the pending birth of his first child in February 1946..
Stan's
Honorable Discharge Papers
October 1945 |
Other WW II Action and Notable Events |
| October 8, 1945 |
President Truman announced that the secret of the atomic bomb would be shared only with Britain and Canada. |
| October 15, 1945 |
Former Premier of Vichy France, Pierre Laval, was executed. |
| October 24, 1945 |
The United Nations officially came into existence as its charter took effect. |
| October 30, 1945 |
The U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing. |
**LCI (L) 684 Sunk off Samar, Philippine Islands 12 November 1945
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