Description

YANK, The Army Weekly
Continental Edition
Date / Vol. / No.: April 8, 1945 — Vol. 1, No. 37
Price: 3 francs
Publisher: Issued weekly by Branch Office, Information & Education Division, War Department, 205 East 42d Street, New York 17, N.Y.
Managing Editor: Sgt. Joe McCarthy
Pages scanned: 24. Instant PDF download.

Cover
An Army nurse, 1st Lt. Elizabeth Babarcik, in helmet and field jacket smiles skyward. Cover line: “Sailors in ODs Helped the Army Cross the Rhine River.” Cover photo credit: Sgt. Reg Kenny.

Major Articles

The Big Picture
Staff feature with a detailed campaign map — recounts the planning and execution of the Rhine River crossing, from the Remagen bridgehead to the airborne drop east of Wesel.

Sailors in ODs — by Sgt. Ed Cunningham
U.S. Navy small-boat crews, dressed as soldiers for secrecy, ferry troops and equipment across the Rhine, having trained in Belgium and Holland for months beforehand.
Sgt. Spurrier Gets a Pass — by Sgt. DeWitt Gilpin

A profile of S/Sgt. Junior J. Spurrier, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, enjoying a few hours’ leave in liberated Paris.

The Marshalling Area / The Airborne Operation — by Cpl. Bob Krell
A firsthand account of paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division preparing, briefing, and loading for a combat jump into Germany.

In the Air — by Cpl. Jack Levin
A glider ride with the 435th Troop Carrier Group across the Rhine into the airborne assault, describing flak, casualties, and the drop zones below.

On the Ground — by a YANK Staff Correspondent
Airborne troopers regroup after landing in Germany, clearing houses, scrounging parachute silk, and consolidating the drop zone under fire.

The GI Black Market in Paris — by Sgt. Allan B. Ecker
An investigation into AWOL soldiers running organized gasoline, ration, and cigarette rackets on the Paris black market, and the CID’s efforts to break them up.
Iwo: D+8 — by Sgt. Bill Reed

A tour of the Iwo Jima battlefield eight days after the invasion, from the rear-area beach logistics to the grinding foxhole-to-foxhole fighting at the front.

Flat-Top — photos by Cpl. Lon Wilson
A photo feature aboard a Navy carrier in a fast task force striking Indo-China and Tokyo, showing flight-deck operations and returning pilots.

Pittsburgh, Pa. (Home Towns in Wartime) — by Sgt. Al Hine
A wartime snapshot of Pittsburgh — booming steel and aluminum production, housing shortages, and a city busier and dirtier than ever.

Why Ain’t They in Uniform? — by Cpl. Hyman Goldberg
Street interviews in Providence, R.I., with young civilian men, each explaining his draft status — deferments, 4-F, or discharge.

News From Home
A roundup of home-front items: Easter 1945 observances, the Senate’s rejection of Aubrey Williams, the San Francisco security conference, and other briefs.

Sports: Ott Looks at His Opposition — by Cpl. Tom Shehan
Giants manager Mel Ott previews the wartime-depleted National League pennant race as spring training gets underway.

Art & Illustration
An editorial illustration for “The GI Black Market in Paris” is signed by artist David Berger.
The “Sad Sack” comic strip is by Sgt. George Baker.

Pin-Up
This issue’s YANK Pin-up Girl is Cindy Garner.

Soldier Photo
Cox’n Eugene Platoni of Amawalk, N.Y. is pictured at his Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) wheel on the Rhine, one of the first to get his boat across.