Picture of the day

����Sergeant John Parks of the 4th Armored Division gave his all during the Battle of the Bulge

Sgt. John H. Parks, a tank commander of the 3rd Platoon, B Co. 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Div, was originally listed as missing in action at Flatzbourhof, Luxembourg on December 23, 1944 (13 days after this photo was taken).

John was killed instantly as he stood in his turret. Only two members of Parks' crew survived. After the battle, Jimmie Leach searched John’s destroyed vehicle. A formal report later described the investigation: “Captain James H. Leach, commanding officer of Company B, inspected inside of the tank by flashlight but could see no bodies, but the tank was completely burned. Nothing but ashes remained inside the hull.”

Unable to locate bodies, Leach followed procedure and reported John and Ed Clark missing, though he knew both men had almost certainly perished. Coffy and Holland had verbally reported the fatalities. As for Coffy and Holland themselves, aid men evacuated the pair from Flatzbourhof for medical attention.

Sgt. Parks enlisted at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana on January 31,1942. John is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. He was 25 years old.


Original description and photo sourced by: honorstates.org, US National Archives and warfarehistorynetwork.com

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I think it behooves us to spend a little more time on this fellow instead of streaking past him:

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One of the most awarded stretcher bearers of WW1 was Lance Corporal William Harold Coltman, VC, DCM & Bar, MM & Bar (17 November 1891 – 29 June 1974). He volunteered for the British Army in January 1915, during the opening months of WW1. He served in The North Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's), in the 1/6th Battalion.
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Coltman, VC was this highest decorated "Other Rank" of the First World War. Here he is at his investiture:

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Lived until 1974!

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His medals:

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From Wikipedia:

Bill Coltman was born at Rangemore, a village on the outskirts of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, and baptised at All Saints, Rangemore on 27 December 1891. He worked as a market gardener. He became a member of the Plymouth Brethren, and taught in the Sunday School in the village of Winshill. He volunteered for the British Army in January 1915, during the opening months of the First World War. He served in The North Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's), in the 1/6th Battalion.

Victoria Cross
Lance Corporal Coltman was 26 years old and a stretcher bearer, when the following deed took place in France, for which he was awarded the VC.

For most conspicuous bravery, initiative and devotion to duty. During the operations at Mannequin Hill, north-east of Sequehart, on the 3rd and 4th of Oct. 1918, L.-Corp. Coltman, a stretcher bearer, hearing that wounded had been left behind during a retirement, went forward alone in the face of fierce enfilade fire, found the casualties, dressed them and on three successive occasions, carried comrades on his back to safety, thus saving their lives. This very gallant NCO tended the wounded unceasingly for 48 hours.

Coltman was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 22 May 1919.

Distinguished Conduct Medal
The first award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) was made for gallantry over a period of days in July 1917. The London Gazette citation reads:

Conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in evacuating wounded from the front line at great personal risk under shell fire. His gallant conduct undoubtedly saved many lives, and he continued throughout the night to search for wounded under shell and machine gun fire, and brought several in. His absolute indifference to danger had a most inspiring effect upon the rest of his men.

Bar to the DCM
The second award of the DCM was made for conduct in September 1918, only a week before his actions that earned him the VC. The citation read:

On the 28th September, 1918, near the St. Quentin Canal, near Bellenglise, he dressed and carried many wounded men under heavy artillery fire. During the advance on the following day he still remained at his work without rest or sleep, attending the wounded, taking no heed of either shell or machine-gun fire, and never resting until he was positive that our sector was clear of wounded. He set the highest example of fearlessness and devotion to duty to those with him.

Military Medal
The Military Medal (MM) is gazetted when awarded but no citation is given. Coltman was still a private at the time of this award. The award was made for rescuing a wounded officer from no mans land in February 1917. The officer had been commanding a wiring party during a misty night. The mist cleared and the party found themselves under fire, the officer was wounded in the thigh and Coltman immediately went out to bring the man in.

Bar to the MM
The second award of the MM was gazetted in August 1917. This award was for conduct behind the front lines in June 1917 and covered three separate instances of gallantry in a short period in June 1917. On 6 June an ammunition dump was hit by mortar fire causing several casualties, Coltman took responsibility for removing Verey lights from the dump. The following day he took a leading role in tending men injured when the company headquarters was mortared. A little over a week later, a trench tunnel collapsed trapping a number of men. Coltman organised a rescue party to dig the trapped men out.
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LCpl. Coltman was an amazingly brave man.
 
Private John "Barney" Hines surrounded by German equipment he had looted during the Battle of Polygon Wood in September 1917. Also known as "Wild eyes" he "was a man whose skills in fighting were needed and whose knack for souveniring was admired, but he had few gifts that a peaceful society valued."

The photograph of Hines at the Battle of Polygon Wood was published in late 1917 under the title Wild Eye, the souvenir king and became one of the best-known Australian photographs of the war. Many soldiers identified with Hines and were amused by his collection of souvenirs. The photograph was used as propaganda.

Hines was known as one of the bravest soldiers at the front and would have been decorated many times had it not been for his lack of military discipline.

He earned his nickname because of his incurable habit of hijacking medals, badges, rifles, helmets and watches from the bodies of the German dead - and, in some cases, of those he captured

He generally disdained conventional weapons such as his .303 rifle, preferring to go into action with two sandbags packed with Mills bombs. His commanding officer had a brain wave and gave him a Lewis gun, which was an immediate success. Hines was entranced by its spraying effect and announced in his broad Liverpudlian accent: "This thing'll do me. You can hose the bastards down." .

Another nickname he earned was Wild Eyes and at a later date the commanding officer was heard to say: "I always felt secure when Wild Eyes was about. He was a tower of strength in the line, I don't think he knew what fear was and he naturally inspired confidence in officers and men."

One of Hines' pastimes was prowling around collecting prisoners and loot with enthusiasm. His haul grew far too big for one man to haul around, and he opted at times to trade it for alcohol from other men in his unit. He dragged around his "military surplus" collection with him throughout the entire war.

He is also unofficially recognized as perhaps Australia's deadliest soldier of the Great War, having killed more Germans than anyone else in the Australian Imperial Force through his unorthodox, and near-suicidal tactics. On one occasion, annoyed at the sniper fire from a German pill-box, he ran straight at it, leapt on it's roof and preformed a war dance while taunting the Germans to come out. When they failed to comply, Hines lobbed a couple of Mills bombs through the gun port. A few minutes later the 63 Germans who had survived staggered out with their hands above their heads. Hines collected his "souvenirs" before herding his prisoners back to the Australian lines.

There were some near misses, too. At Passchendale he was the only survivor of a direct hit on the Lewis gun nest. Blasted 20ms. and with the soles of his boots blown off, he crawled back, got the gun working and continued firing until he fainted from wounds in his legs.

When the AIF reached Amiens they found the beautiful cathedral city deserted. It was too much for Hines. He disappeared and was finally sprung by British military police in the vaults of the Bank of France where he had already squirrelled away millions of francs, packed neatly in suitcases.

He was hauled off for questioning by the British who, nonplussed on what to do with the reprobate, returned him to his unit. Later he was to boast that the escapade had cost him no more than 14 days' pay and that he had been allowed to keep the banknotes he had stuffed into his pockets.

Hines was also renowned for the party he held at Villers-Bretonneux after he found a cache of 1870 champagne and tinned delicacies. His mates were all decked out in top hats and dress suits which he had also acquired. It was to be his last party for some time. Just after it ended he scored a bullet wound over his eye, another in his leg and a whiff of gas. Despite protests, he was hospitalised at Etaples, being almost blinded.

A few nights later the Germans bombed the hospital, causing 3000 casualties. Hines hauled himself out of bed, found a broom which he used as a crutch and spent all night carrying the wounded and dying to safety.

After that he was invalided home thus ending his career at the rank of Private. His nine court martials ranging from drunkenness to impeding the military police negated his many acts of bravery, and he was demoted on numerous occasions.

On 28 January 1958 Hines died at Concord Repatriation Hospital in his mid 80's. He was buried in Rookwood Cemetery in a grave which was unmarked until 1971, when the Mount Druitt sub-branch of the Returned Services League of Australia paid for a headstone. The Blacktown City Council also renamed the street on which he lived in the suburb of Minchinbury to John Hines Avenue, and a monument
commemorating him was built at the nearby Mount Druitt Waterholes Remembrance Garden in 2002.

For more info on this amazing character,please use link below,full of info.

Credit
https://bushlifenz.com/blogs/bushlife-blog/private-john-barney-hines-the-souvenir-king

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����A Salute to Private Allan Clifford Chick Survivor of Nagasaki

Private Allan Clifford Chick, 2/40th Battalion. enlisted on June 17, 1940. He embarked at Darwin for Timor on December 7, 1941. Pte. Chick was captured and taken prisoner by the Japanese in Timor. Allan was taken to Java before being transported to Japan in 1944.

While en route to Japan, the Tamahoko Maru
was torpedoed and sunk, as it was not marked as a POW transport ship. Allan Chick was one of the 212 survivors. The trip involved being sunk on two different occasions the first rendered the ship non operational whereas he was transferred to another vessel and then later this ship was sunk. He was put on a third ship for the remainder of the trip. Allan was transported to Nagasaki & held Fukuoka Camp RTA. He worked in the Mitsubishi foundry as a Prisoner of War. He was released from the Fukuoka POW Camp, Nagasaki, Japan, after the atomic bomb in August 1945. Allan was one of the 24 Australian POWs that survived the bombing.

Allan returned to Japan only a few months after the end of the war to be part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces. He also went on to serve with the United Nations forces in Korea until March 1953. He was repatriated to Australia and discharged in May 1953.

Cpl Allan Chick married a Japanese nurse that he met while on duty. They both lived in Heyfield Victoria until his death. Allan at age 93 in 2013 is believed to be the last living A-bomb survivor among former Australian POWs. Lest We Forget.


Description and photo sourced by David Tynan in memory of his friend Allan Chick www.awm.gov.au/collection/C332171

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Heyfield, I have been there many times.
Buckmastr said:
����A Salute to Private Allan Clifford Chick Survivor of Nagasaki

Private Allan Clifford Chick, 2/40th Battalion. enlisted on June 17, 1940. He embarked at Darwin for Timor on December 7, 1941. Pte. Chick was captured and taken prisoner by the Japanese in Timor. Allan was taken to Java before being transported to Japan in 1944.

While en route to Japan, the Tamahoko Maru
was torpedoed and sunk, as it was not marked as a POW transport ship. Allan Chick was one of the 212 survivors. The trip involved being sunk on two different occasions the first rendered the ship non operational whereas he was transferred to another vessel and then later this ship was sunk. He was put on a third ship for the remainder of the trip. Allan was transported to Nagasaki & held Fukuoka Camp RTA. He worked in the Mitsubishi foundry as a Prisoner of War. He was released from the Fukuoka POW Camp, Nagasaki, Japan, after the atomic bomb in August 1945. Allan was one of the 24 Australian POWs that survived the bombing.

Allan returned to Japan only a few months after the end of the war to be part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces. He also went on to serve with the United Nations forces in Korea until March 1953. He was repatriated to Australia and discharged in May 1953.

Cpl Allan Chick married a Japanese nurse that he met while on duty. They both lived in Heyfield Victoria until his death. Allan at age 93 in 2013 is believed to be the last living A-bomb survivor among former Australian POWs. Lest We Forget.


Description and photo sourced by David Tynan in memory of his friend Allan Chick www.awm.gov.au/collection/C332171

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U.S. soldier: Sgt. Ronald Payne, 21, of Atlanta, Georgia, emerges from a Viet Cong tunnel while holding a silencer-equipped revolver (January 21, 1967)
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Buckmastr said:
TBD Devastators of the VT-6 Torpedo bomber squadron off USS Enterprise 1941.

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Cant help but wonder which ones of these planes, if any, returned to land on Enterprise during Midway. Only 4 planes from VT-6 returned to deck so safe to say at least 2 of the 6 in the photo are in the water off Midway. Midway was the last time Devastators were used in battle.
 
One of the most morbid WW1 photos, taken in 1916.

Parents holding the head of their son who died battling on Cer in 1914. You can see the flowers still being around his head, which symbolized good fortune when soldiers were sent off to war.

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