Description

The Tracer

Vol. I / No. 1 / 6th Armored Infantry Battalion, Langen, Germany / Friday, September 14, 1945

6 pages scanned

Names

• Anderson (author — byline for ‘G.I. Joe Thinks It Over’ opinion column)
• Angiolillo, Paul (Pfc., Special Service — interviewed by ‘Roving Fotog’ column about army vs. civilian life)
• Ashby, Edward (Pvt., Charley Company — assistant to I&E officer Sgt. Rippner; will continue as I&E non-com)
• Bacon, Charles (Sgt., Charley Co. — interviewed; learned leadership qualities in 5 years of service)
• Bell, Elizabeth (Roesch Little Symphony ensemble member — seated musician)
• Blackwell, Lt. (umpired softball contest between 2nd and 3rd platoons of Able Company)
• Bloom, Lt. (obtained ‘Whistle and Laugh’ USO show for 573rd Special Service)
• Bonestell (cartoonist — illustrated ‘Krieg Scrapbook’ comic strip)
• Cohen, Alan (Pfc. — reporter for The Tracer; sister presented to USO performers by Major Wood)
• Dempsey, Pvt. (B Co. — accompanied Miss Lucille Rich at ‘Whistle and Laugh’ show)
• Dowd, Herbert (Lt. — battalion I&E officer; announced The Tracer as official I&E organ)
• Elsa’s (German female performer — performed in two dances at German show in Langen)
• Eric and Son (acrobat act — performed at German show in Langen Wallop Theater)
• Fiore, Frank (Pfc., Baker Co. — interviewed; was student when drafted; army harder for resuming studies)
• Fountain, Margaret (Roesch Little Symphony — concertmaster; seated left to right)
• Ganulin, Hy (Pfc. — reporter for The Tracer)
• Gilbert, Janee (Roesch Little Symphony ensemble member — seated musician)
• Gilpin, Roy (T/4, Service Co. — interviewed; present job as welder is civilian occupation; on line during combat was valueless)
• Goodwin, Sally (USO performer from Utica, N.Y. — gave vocal renditions at ‘Whistle and Laugh’ show)
• Grieg, Edvard (composer — works performed by Roesch Little Symphony; mentioned in program listing)
• Hilda (German female accordion performer — at German show in Langen; played Hilda’s accordion)
• Hilkowitz, Norman J. (Pfc. — editor of The Tracer)
• Hollman, Orville W. (T/4, Service Co. — attending 8-week course at Warton School of Technology in England)
• Jacobi, Vera (soprano soloist — featured soloist with Roesch Little Symphony; married to PW camp private first class; sister to Miss Roesch)
• Kantner, Karla (Roesch Little Symphony ensemble member — seated musician)
• Lamour, Frank (Pfc. — reporter for The Tracer)
• Messerli, Victoria (Roesch Little Symphony ensemble member — seated musician)
• Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (composer — works performed by Roesch Little Symphony)
• Muehling, Sylvia (Roesch Little Symphony — pianist)
• Murray, S/Sgt. (S.So. — Charley Special Service; club at Eberstadt; company SSO inspiring to successors Scharbach and Pavich)
• Newman, Capt. (battalion gift shop officer — stated shop would move with the Battalion)
• Nolan, Charlie (dancer from Philadelphia — performed with ‘Whistle and Laugh’ USO troupe)
• Nolte, June (Roesch Little Symphony ensemble member — seated musician)
• Novak, Luba (Roesch Little Symphony ensemble member — seated musician)
• Pavich (successor S.So. at Charley Special Service club)
• Pietro, Dick (Service company club director — arranged Blackhawks division dance band for EM club; arranged hilarious show for girls)
• Potter, Cornelia (Roesch Little Symphony ensemble member — seated musician)
• Prunty, Wilson (Pvt., Charley Co. — interviewed by ‘Roving Fotog’; rifleman; army made him better hunter not civilian)
• Rich, Lucille (dancer with ‘Whistle and Laugh’ USO troupe from Philadelphia)
• Rippner, Robert (Technical Sergeant — returned from Military Intelligence School in Dreux, France; resumed battalion I&E duties)
• Robinson, Shirley (vivacious red-headed accordion player with ‘Whistle and Laugh’ USO show)
• Roesch, Clara Burling (Miss — conductor of Roesch Little Symphony; sister to Vera Jacobi)
• Roig, Frank N. (1st Lt. — assumed duties as C.O. of Service Company)
• Ross, Milton (Pfc., Baker Co. — interviewed; army gave him good deal; had year of college; ASTP; plans to study Engineering)
• Scharbach (successor S.So. at Charley Special Service club)
• Schubert, Franz (composer — works performed by Roesch Little Symphony)
• Schwartz, Roland (Pfc. — reporter for The Tracer)
• Sher, Abe (M.C. from New Bedford, Mass. — heart of ‘Whistle and Laugh’ show; whistling, cigar eating, gags)
• Sola, Lt. (Headquarters Company — provided transportation for Tracer editor on September 13)
• Strauss, Johann (composer — works performed by Roesch Little Symphony)
• Terri (Italian female performer — Si Signor Terri of Rome; performed at German show in Langen)
• Voigtlander, Virginia (Roesch Little Symphony ensemble member — seated musician)
• Wood, E. C. (Major — battalion commander; announced 62-point soldiers eligible to go home; had 129 points on V-E Day; witnessed German show revelry)
• Woolley, Cpl. (11th Infantry — formed troupe of five for Wallop Theater German show in Langen; M.C. job contributed to show’s success)
• Woolley, T/5 (efficient M.C. — contributed equally to German show success in Langen)
• Yohn, Lt. (battalion Special Service office — SSO seeking musicians, singers, dancers for EM clubs)

Locations

• Anzio, Italy (Anzio — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor)
• Berlin, Germany (Berlin — German show performers previously entertained in Berlin cabarets and night clubs)
• Bunker Hill (Bunker Hill — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor)
• Cassino, Italy (Cassino — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor)
• Chapultepec, Mexico (Chapultepec — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor)
• Coney Island, New York (Coney Island — mentioned as home of bathing beauty Pfc. Al Cohen’s sister)
• Darmstadt, Germany (Darmstadt — Division headquarters; I-E building location; Red Cross German classes location; 25 miles from battalion area)
• Dreux, France (Dreux — location of Military Intelligence School attended by Technical Sergeant Rippner)
• Eberstadt, Germany (Eberstadt — town where Charley Company Special Service club was operating)
• England (England — 14 battalion members attending schools in England and France; Shrivenham University Center; Warton School of Technology)
• France (France — 14 battalion members attending schools in France and England; Military Intelligence School Dreux)
• Geisenheim, Germany (Geisenheim — Headquarters Company future home in school building; Service Company schoolhouse billets)
• Germany (Germany — general occupation duty; Rhine towns being assigned; German language classes offered by Red Cross)
• Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (Gettysburg — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor)
• Hamburg, Germany (Hamburg — German show performers previously entertained in Hamburg cabarets)
• Langen, Germany (Langen — battalion headquarters and location of newspaper; Wallop Theater; gift shop; base of operations)
• Leipzig, Germany (Leipzig — German show performers previously entertained in Leipzig cabarets)
• Lorch, Germany (Lorch — mentioned as Rhine boundary for battalion billeting area)
• Mainz-Wiesbaden area, Germany (Mainz-Wiesbaden area — new billeting area along Rhine; battalion relocating)
• Marne, France (Marne — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor)
• Michelbach, Germany (Michelbach — town where Able Company stationed; approximately 25 miles from Battalion HQ)
• New Bedford, Massachusetts (New Bedford — hometown of USO M.C. Abe Sher)
• New York, New York (New York — home city of soprano Vera Jacobi; Roesch troupe from New York area)
• Oran, Algeria (Oran — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor)
• Ostrich, Germany (Ostrich — mentioned as Rhine boundary for battalion billeting area)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia — home of dancer Charlie Nolan and dancer Lucille Rich from USO troupe)
• Po Valley, Italy (Po Valley — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor)
• Rhineland, Germany (Rhineland — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor; occupation zone)
• Rome, Italy (Rome — home city of German show performer Si Signor Terri)
• Rudesheim, Germany (Rudesheim — town where Charley Company will occupy three hotels)
• Mehil / St. Mihiel, France (St. Mihiel — listed on masthead as 6th AIB battle honor)
• Utica, New York (Utica — home of USO performer Sally Goodwin)

Units

• 11th Infantry (11th Infantry — Cpl. Woolley formed German entertainment troupe from this unit)
• 13th Tank (13th Tank — occupying new billets in the Wiesbaden area alongside 6th AIB)
• 573rd Signal Corps (573rd Signal Corps — men from this unit made up most of audience for ‘Whistle and Laugh’ USO show)
• 573rd Special Service (573rd Special Service — Lt. Bloom obtained ‘Whistle and Laugh’ USO show through this unit)
• 6th Armored Infantry Battalion (6th AIB — home unit of the newspaper; headquartered in Langen, Germany; occupation duties on the Rhine)
• 7th Armored Division (7th Armored — division to which 58 men with 80+ points were transferred to ‘sweat it out’)
• Army of Occupation, U.S. (Army of Occupation — referenced in points system discussion; Major Wood discussed permanent occupation force)
• ASTP — Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP — referenced by Pfc. Ross as educational program he had participated in)
• Blackhawks (division dance band — arranged by Dick Pietro for EM club entertainment)
• CCB (Combat Command B — German show troupe toured CCB’s area several weeks prior)
• Red Cross (Red Cross — offering free German language classes nightly in Darmstadt for battalion members)
• Roesch Little Symphony (all-girl string ensemble from New York — performed at Wallop Theater Langen; 13 musicians; USO performers)
• USAFI — United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI — subjects being offered; school enrollments in France and UK mentioned alongside)
• USFET Enclave (USFET Enclave — part of new billeting area and landkreise assigned to 6th Infantry)
• USO (United Service Organizations — sponsor of Roesch Little Symphony tour and ‘Whistle and Laugh’ show)