Malaria in the ETO

[Walt's Daughter]

Received a question from a gentleman today and thought I would post this and my response, so all can benefit and join in too, if they wish:

 

================

 

I thank one of our KW vets for leading me to this excellent

resource on malaria in the Korean War era:

http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/KO...ecad2/ch6-2.htm

It was very helpful.

 

I wonder... any of you who were fighting in Europe in WW2 (or

researching that war) ever hear of malaria there? I doubt it,

as in all the 15 years I've been going to Europe each summer, I

think I've seen only one or two mosquitoes. I know it was a problem in the Pacific theater.

 

=================

 

Malaria was quite prevalent in WWII and not just in the Pacific. This is well-documented and I've many personal stories from my VI Corps vets. Malaria was particularly virulent in North Africa as well as Sicily and Italy.

 

Here are some instances from my forum, that discuss both theaters and personal accounts.

 

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/eng...ighlite=malaria

 

Here a just a FEW links that discuss malaria in the ETO:

 

http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/VV/Views/Exhib...ive/typhus.html

 

http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/orgadmin/

 

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-3395...%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C

 

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/index.html

 

http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytex...hona/index.html

 

http://history.amedd.army.mil/ANCWebsite/A...ntroduction.htm

 

Marion Chard

[pjo]

My father served in both WW2 and Korea - he suffered severe bouts with malaria for the rest of his life. I say severe because it sure looked that way to me. Not sure where he picked it up. In fact, shortly before he passed away he was ill with malaria. I don't know if the malaria was a contributing factor with his MI.

tk

[Mr.GSD]

I'm the "gent" asking Marion. I can imagine malaria being a problem in North Africa, Sicily, coastal Mediterranean France, etc. but what about Benelux and Germany? Did you vets have to take daily or weekly pills? Those with answers can e-mail me direct, too: mr.gsd(at)netscape.com, if you'd rather. (I have a terrible time logging on to forums like this... takes me half a day to figure out how). For example, where is the "SEND" icon to click on now??? (I'll try "add reply") Fred

 

Received a question from a gentleman today and thought I would post this and my response, so all can benefit and join in too, if they wish:

================

I thank one of our KW vets for leading me to this excellent resource on malaria in the Korean War era:

http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/KO...ecad2/ch6-2.htm

It was very helpful.

I wonder... any of you who were fighting in Europe in WW2 (or researching that war) ever hear of malaria there? I doubt it,

as in all the 15 years I've been going to Europe each summer, I think I've seen only one or two mosquitoes. I know it was a problem in the Pacific theater.

=================

Malaria was quite prevalent in WWII and not just in the Pacific. This is well-documented and I've many personal stories from my VI Corps vets. Malaria was particularly virulent in North Africa as well as Sicily and Italy.

Here are some instances from my forum, that discuss both theaters and personal accounts.

http://208.109.212.45/forum/index.php?act=...ighlite=malaria

 

Here a just a FEW links that discuss malaria in the ETO:

http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/VV/Views/Exhib...ive/typhus.html

http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/orgadmin/

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-3395...%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/index.html

http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytex...hona/index.html

http://history.amedd.army.mil/ANCWebsite/A...ntroduction.htm

 

Marion Chard

[Mr.GSD]

pjo (or tk) and others: I don't know what MI is (other than Military Intelligence). Can you tell me what those "bouts" were like? When did he start getting it (after/during WW2 or during KW?) Wouldn't malarial illness keep a man from eligibility to serve in the armed forces? Did he serve in Northern France-Belgium-Germany? Take pills? Fred mr.gsd(at)netscape.com

 

 

My father served in both WW2 and Korea - he suffered severe bouts with malaria for the rest of his life. I say severe because it sure looked that way to me. Not sure where he picked it up. In fact, shortly before he passed away he was ill with malaria. I don't know if the malaria was a contributing factor with his MI.

tk

[roque_riojas]

Had malaria twice in Southern Italy. Laid on a strecher for three days and the nurse

piled blankets on me and all they had to give was atebrine and quinine tablets. When I was released I went back UP to my unit following a mule train. Mosquitoes in Italy were like dive

bombers and I swear they carried bayonets. There is a story on my page how my buddy from

Oklahoma controled them. RJR

[206thmpco]

This is interesting. It'd make sense that there'd be mosquitoes especially

around the landing areas in Italy. There are the Pontine marshes which were

well known for malaria. The Anzio-Nettuno area was nothing but waterlogged.

My Dad's letters don't mention malaria, but he wouldn't tell his mother or sister

anything negative anyway.

 

My father was in the hospital for two weeks in North Africa, but I have no clue why.

The only reason I even know about it is that it's noted in his 1943 pocket diary:

"in the hospital" and two weeks later: "out of the hospital".

Two weeks is a long time to be in the hospital, isn't it? I'd really like to know why he was there.

 

His 1942 diary has him getting "injections" almost every week. Seriously, he was constantly receiving

shots/ injections at Camp Edwards and Fort Devens. Does anyone know what injections

the GIs were getting? I'd imagine Cholera, Typhus, and tetanus, but what else?

 

mary ann

[roque_riojas]

What outfit was your father in ? All I remember of North Africa were Krauts,

Arabs and camels. All we got was aterbrine and salt tablets. One for water the other for

heat. I don't remember getting injections, In Italy only when I got Malaria then only tablets.

As far as Anzio,Nettuno, where I was at, it was dry. we were dug in in the walls of dry creeks.

There are some pics of those creeks on my page. Mosquitoes !! yes<yes<. ROCKY OF THE

34th........

[206thmpco]

Hi Rocky! My Dad was drafted 3/1941 into the 26th ID 181st IR in MA

and after war was declared, he was 5th army 6 Corps 206th MP Co. The "injections"

he got were while he was still in the States. He shipped out to North Africa

3/1943 and was in & around Rabat and Sidi Bel Abbes and then to Oran to

prepare for the Salerno invasion. All I could get out of my father about his

experience in N. Africa was that it was a terrible hot dirty place and he

didn't care for the inhabitants at all (to put it mildly) because they were always stealing

everything.

 

I'll have to chk out the pictures on your page. I think they filled in some of the areas

like the pontine marshes near anzio sometime in the 1930s, so there must've been dry areas.

For my Dad, I believe Anzio was THE worst. Salerno was bad, the breakout & advance

to Rome was certainly no picnic, and the bitter winter in the Vosges etc had to be terrible -

but I think Anzio was with my father all his life. I've got a picture of him in front of

"Anzio Annie" (I think all the fellows had one taken they must've hated that gun it killed

so many on the beachhead).

 

34th ID - the big red bull, right? In my Dad's kit box there were three division patches

besides his 6th patch. There was the 34th Id's, the 3rd IDs, and the 45th ID.

 

THANK YOU for your service, Rocky!

 

here's a photo of my Dad in Anzio (maybe Aprilia).

 

Mary Ann

[roque_riojas]

He was exactly right on what he said about No. Africa. Those Ayirabs

would steal anything they could get their hands on. We were near

Sidi Bel Abez for a short while. My worst was MONTE CASSINO, then

Anzio. 3 crossings of the Volturno River. All that is just a memory and

now at my age it gets a little distorted. Went in as abuck private and

after three years came out as a pfc. by act of Congress. Long story on that.

Hope you don't laugh when you see the Pics. Last one is of my wife and me.

She passed away Oct. 9,2006 Roque-(Rocky)

[206thmpco]

I was briefly in Morocco many yrs ago as part of a trip to Spain.

It was AWFUL! I couldn't get out of ther fast enough and finally understood

Dad's low opinion of that country. You had an immediate sense that human lives were cheap,

especially women.

 

I took out my Dad's pocket diary for '43 where he'd write notations in his small

handwriting. Here's some of his info:

 

2/22 left Ft Devens 5am arrived FT Dix 5pm - worked till 5am

3/5 left US

3/19 North Africa

3/24 went to Oran

3/25 company split up 25th went to sidi bel abbes

4/4 church sidi bel abbes

4/14 our 1st PX opened

5/16 moved to ???can't make this out - looks like A or C nt Temouchut for night

5/18 rabat

5/27-6/8 he was in the hospital

7/4 Rabat 1st armored and 36ID have big parade

7/7 casablanca

8/2 getting ready to move

8/3 part of company went by train

8/4 left Rabat

8/5 bivouac at La Senica(?)

8/6 arrive Port Aux Poules

8/23 ready to move again

8/26 Oran

8/29-8/31 staging area ? "ASSI-Ben OKBA" (don't know what that is)

9/5 left port at 1600 hours

9/7-9/8 at sea

9/9 boarded LST arrived on beach (looks like 0830hours). air attacks

9/10 moved to bivouac area Paestum. air attacks.

9/11 air attacks night & day

9/12 bivouac area same place

9/22 moved to Battipaglia. able to write home again.

9/27 Rain! first rain we've seen since last April

9/30 moved to Montello. Sleeping in a bldg

10/6 moving again to Avellino

10/12 moving to Maddaloni

10/21 1300 hrs moving out to ? Carrizzia?

10/27 1st PX opened up in Italy

10/29 Recd letters from home, 1st since I've been in Italy

11/1 moving out to Dragoni(?)

11/13 one killed 8 wounded from enemy shells (I assume this is in his MP Co)

11/19 moved to Caprilia(?)

11/25 Thanksgiving Day. Donuts! 2 boxes! (love this notation!)

12/20 Took 1st shower since I've been in Africa & Italy

12/25 Christmas Day. Good day here in Capriati

 

Then of course, like you, it was on to Anzio,the Volturno, Rome, DDAy

Southern France, the Vosges, the Rhine and home alive (thank God!) in March '45.

 

So very sorry to hear about your wife, Rocky. My brother was killed in a car accident

when he was 17 and I was 18 (we were "irish twins" 13 months apart), and

my Dad died in '82 when he was just 70. I was blessed to have my mother until 2004,

but now I'm the only one left. It's not like I've lost them & don't know where they are.

I know EXACTLY where they are, but I keep telling them: "Ok you guys, if I have to get

left behind, the least you can do is send extra love". They do & I'm sure it's the same for you.

We must have some other "missions" to perform & like the Army, we gotta take it whether

we like it or not.

 

Hey Rocky! I feel like a dope, but I can't figure out how to get to your page.

I need instruction.

 

all the very best!

 

Mary Ann (Frank Howard's proud daughter)