6th Port Headquarters: Difference between revisions
Added to "decorations" in the info box, hyperlinked to 3 important articles, added a citation. |
added citations and text to Marseille section and clean up |
||
| Line 43: | Line 43: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''6th Port of Embarkation, Headquarters Company''' was a [[combat service support]] unit of the [[United States Army]] serving the [[Transportation Corps]] and the [[Quartermaster Corps (United States Army)|Quartermaster Corps]] during [[World War II]], operating in the [[European Theatre of Operations]] under the command of |
The '''6th Port of Embarkation, Headquarters Company''' was a [[combat service support]] unit of the [[United States Army]] serving the [[Transportation Corps]] and the [[Quartermaster Corps (United States Army)|Quartermaster Corps]] during [[World War II]], operating in the [[European Theatre of Operations]] under the command of [[Robert Hunter Clarkson|Col. R. Hunter Clarkson]], Transportation Officer of the Delta Base Section.<ref>https://history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-3-1/CMH_Pub_7-3-1.pdf</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Ruppenthal|first=Roland G.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7FNRAQAAMAAJ&q=6th+Port+headquarters+(Col.+R.+Hunter+Clarkson)&pg=PA123|title=Logistical Support of the Armies: September 1944-May 1945|date=1995|publisher=Center of Military History, United States Army|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=NewspaperArchive {{!}}tags historic newspaper articles including obituaries, births, marriages, divorces and arrests.|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/tags/?pc=20391&psi=151&pci=30&pl=clarkson&ob=1/|access-date=2021-10-03|website=newspaperarchive.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|title=284th Combat Engineers|url=https://284thcombatengineers.com/documents/dbsHistory.pdf|journal=284th Combat Engineers|via=284thCombatEngineers.com}}</ref> |
||
The 6th Port worked the ports of [[French Morocco]], North Africa, Italy and France, and was responsible for the movement of troops and supplies, loading and unloading the ships, and looking after 50,000 troops.<ref>https://www.worldcat.org/title/men-on-the-job/oclc/5856635&referer=brief_results</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=United States. Army. Transportation Corps 6th Port. Contributor United States. Army. European Theatre of Operations Southern Line of Communications. Special and Information Section|title=Men on the Job, 6th port. French Morocco, North Africa, Italy France|publisher=Berthier|year=1945|location=Dijon, France}}</ref> |
The 6th Port worked the ports of [[French Morocco]], North Africa, Italy and France, and was responsible for the movement of troops and supplies, loading and unloading the ships, and looking after 50,000 troops.<ref>https://www.worldcat.org/title/men-on-the-job/oclc/5856635&referer=brief_results</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=United States. Army. Transportation Corps 6th Port. Contributor United States. Army. European Theatre of Operations Southern Line of Communications. Special and Information Section|title=Men on the Job, 6th port. French Morocco, North Africa, Italy France|publisher=Berthier|year=1945|location=Dijon, France}}</ref> |
||
In 1945, the unit was awarded the [[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Plaque]] for superior performance in control and execution of its port missions.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 22, 1945|title=Luther Warsing Promoted|work=Altoona Mirror|url=https://altoona.newspaperarchive.com/altoona-mirror/1945-03-22/page-17/|access-date=November 24, 2021}}</ref> |
In 1945, the unit was awarded the [[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Plaque]] for superior performance in control and execution of its port missions.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 22, 1945|title=Luther Warsing Promoted|work=Altoona Mirror|url=https://altoona.newspaperarchive.com/altoona-mirror/1945-03-22/page-17/|access-date=November 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=27 January 1945|title=6th Port Given Service|page=1|work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper) | The Stars And Stripes, Marseille]]|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/mediterranean-marseilles-stars-and-stripes-jan-27-1945-p-1/|access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> |
||
== Fort Hamilton and North Africa == |
== Fort Hamilton and North Africa == |
||
| Line 63: | Line 63: | ||
The unit was then divided, with a detachment arriving in [[Salerno]] on September 17 to handle the landing of troops and supplies over the beach until the [[Port of Naples]] was secured by the Allies. |
The unit was then divided, with a detachment arriving in [[Salerno]] on September 17 to handle the landing of troops and supplies over the beach until the [[Port of Naples]] was secured by the Allies. |
||
On 2 October, the [[Fifth United States Army]] under |
On 2 October, the [[Fifth United States Army]] under [[Mark W. Clark|Gen. Mark W. Clark]], along with [[Transportation Corps|Transportation Officer]] Colonel R. Hunter Clarkson<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 11, 1944|title=Hunter Clarkson in Charge of Allies' Biggest Port|work=Santa Fe New Mexican|url=https://access.newspaperarchive.com/}}</ref> and his 6th Port, arrived in Naples, where they found the harbor was filled with sunken ships, extensive damage to rail facilities, buildings that had been demolished, no electricity, obstructions blocking the roads and rails, and civilians without food.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Diehl|first=Joe|date=28 August 1945|title=4-Jeep Port group Came in Year Ago|page=4|work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper) | The Stars And Stripes, Marseille]]|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/fr/provence-alpes-cote-d%E2%80%99azur/nice/southern-france-stars-and-stripes/1945/08-28/page-4/|access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> |
||
The 6th Port took over sole command of the Port of Naples from the British on November 1, followed by nearby Salerno, [[Castellammare di Stabia]] and [[Torre Annunziata]]. Clarkson brought in cargo nets, pallets, fork-lift trucks, and cranes from Palermo. Electricity from three Italian submarines were used. The port became operational in a matter of months.<ref name=":0" /> |
The 6th Port took over sole command of the Port of Naples from the British on November 1, followed by nearby Salerno, [[Castellammare di Stabia]] and [[Torre Annunziata]]. Clarkson brought in cargo nets, pallets, fork-lift trucks, and cranes from Palermo. Electricity from three Italian submarines were used. The port became operational in a matter of months.<ref name=":0" /> |
||
March 1944, while the 6th Port was stationed in Naples, [[Mount Vesuvius]], the [[volcano]] in the [[Bay of Naples]], erupted for over a week, spewing hazardous volcanic ash over the area. US Army officer Lieutenant-Colonel |
March 1944, while the 6th Port was stationed in Naples, [[Mount Vesuvius]], the [[volcano]] in the [[Bay of Naples]], erupted for over a week, spewing hazardous volcanic ash over the area. US Army officer [[J. Leslie Kincaid|Lieutenant-Colonel J. Leslie Kincaid]] coordinated an evacuation and documented the Vesuvius Emergency Operation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Benchmarks: March 17, 1944: The most recent eruption of Mount Vesuvius|url=https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/benchmarks-march-17-1944-most-recent-eruption-mount-vesuvius/|access-date=2021-10-03|website=www.earthmagazine.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Collection|first1=US Army Military History Research|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_JtBAAAAIAAJ&q=Final+Report+of+the+Vesuvius+Emergency+Operation&pg=PA80|title=Manuscript Holdings of the Military History Research Collection|last2=Sommers|first2=Richard J.|date=1972|publisher=U.S. Army Military History Research Collection|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Kincaid|first=James L.|url=https://www.amazon.com/Final-Report-Vesuvius-Emergency-Operation/dp/B0076ENT24/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1631345093&refinements=p_27:James+L.+Kincaid+(Lt.+Col)&s=books&sr=1-1&text=James+L.+Kincaid+(Lt.+Col)#detailBullets_feature_div|title=Final Report on the Vesuvius Emergency Operation: Allied Control Commission, Headquarters, Naples Province}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Chester|first1=David K.|last2=Duncan|first2=Angus M.|last3=Wetton|first3=Philip|last4=Wetton|first4=Roswitha|title=Responses of the Anglo-American military authorities to the eruption of Vesuvius, March 1944|url=https://www.academia.edu/6636221|journal=Journal of Historical Geography|year=2007|volume=33|issue=1|pages=168–196|doi=10.1016/j.jhg.2006.02.001|issn=0305-7488}}</ref> |
||
== Marseille == |
== Marseille == |
||
In August 1944, the 6th Port embarked for the Allied invasion of Southern France. Following a visit to Port de Bouc, already liberated, Col. R Hunter Clarkson and a Sixth Port advance party arrived in Marseille. The port had not yet been demined, as recalled by Clarkson's driver, who was quoted as saying "I just followed the road and prayed". |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | September 8, [[Marseille]] and [[Toulon]] were captured. The 6th Port arrived to operate the port, along with equipment and personnel on three [[Liberty ship]]s. 6th Port brought in cranes from Naples and started operating the port at Marseille on September 9 handling 1,219 long tons the first day, which increased in 37 days to 19,000 tons a day. They operated the Port of Marseille until surrender was signed in May 1945.<ref>{{Cite web|title=HyperWar: Logistical Support of the Armies, Vol. II|url=https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Logistics2/USA-E-Logistics2-4.html|access-date=2021-10-03|website=www.ibiblio.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=September 11, 1945|title=Southern France, Army Giving Up Marseille Port|work=The Stars And Stripes|url=https://access.newspaperarchive.com/|access-date=November 24, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Diehl|first=Joe|date=28 August 1945|title=4-Jeep Port group Came in Year Ago|page=4|work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper) | The Stars And Stripes, Marseille]]|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/fr/provence-alpes-cote-d%E2%80%99azur/nice/southern-france-stars-and-stripes/1945/08-28/page-4/|access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
== 6th Port Activities == |
|||
Upon landing at Marseilles August 25, 1944, the Special Service Section of Sixth Port requisitioned the Cinema Alcazar theater, renovated and opened it for the troops 24 days later. The Sixth Port Revue in Marseilles featured the Jolly Rogers band from the 394th Port Battallion, Lenny Malocco who had appeared at Radio City Music Hall, the Port Swingsters, and soon after, a Franco-American revue starring French [[Maurice Chevalier]] and [[Django Reinhardt]] and his band. The Soviet-Yank Revue followed, featuring the Red Army band and the Sixth Port Swingsters. |
|||
The Sixth Port put on the first All-Star Jam recording session in southern France. In collaboration with French record producer and impresario [[Hugues Panassié]], the shows were recorded and broadcast.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Diehl|first=Joe|date=28 August 1945|title=4-Jeep Port group Came in Year Ago|page=4|work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper) | The Stars And Stripes, Marseille]]|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/fr/provence-alpes-cote-d%E2%80%99azur/nice/southern-france-stars-and-stripes/1945/08-28/page-4/|access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> |
|||
== Deactivation == |
|||
The unit was deactivated on May 24, 1946, in France. |
The unit was deactivated on May 24, 1946, in France. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
== 6th Port locations == |
== 6th Port locations == |
||
| Line 136: | Line 148: | ||
=== Tunisia === |
=== Tunisia === |
||
Bizerte<ref>https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1094&context=hst_etd</ref> |
Bizerte<ref>https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1094&context=hst_etd</ref> |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
== References == |
== References == |
||
Revision as of 02:58, 29 December 2021
| 6th Port | |
|---|---|
| Active | 31 July 1942 – 24 May 1946 |
| Country |  United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Lee, Virginia, U.S. |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations | Meritorous Service Medal |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel of the regiment | R. Hunter Clarkson |
The 6th Port of Embarkation, Headquarters Company was a combat service support unit of the United States Army serving the Transportation Corps and the Quartermaster Corps during World War II, operating in the European Theatre of Operations under the command of Col. R. Hunter Clarkson, Transportation Officer of the Delta Base Section.[1][2][3][4]
The 6th Port worked the ports of French Morocco, North Africa, Italy and France, and was responsible for the movement of troops and supplies, loading and unloading the ships, and looking after 50,000 troops.[5][6]
In 1945, the unit was awarded the Meritorious Service Plaque for superior performance in control and execution of its port missions.[7][8]
Fort Hamilton and North Africa
The 6th Port was activated at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, New York in 1942. On November 2, the 6th Port departed the Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York Port of Embarkation as part of Operation Torch under General Eisenhower, to support the Invasion of North Africa.[9][10]
The departure of the 6th Port, with the 382nd and 384th Port Battalions, was under the command of Col. Howard Parrish though en route they were given orders to report to Col. Walter J. Muller, General Patton's G-4 of the Western Task Force.[11] On December 2, 1942, Muller put Colonel Tank in charge of port operations with Parrish remaining until January 1943.[12]
On November 8, 1942, The Western Task Force landed in Casablanca. The 6th Port arrived in a convoy of ships carrying 32,000 service troops and thirty days' supply of Quartermaster[13] items, waiting in the harbor for the Battle of Casablanca to be over.
The 6th Port landed on November 19, 1942 and operated the ports of Casablanca, Fedala, and Safi until September 1943. In January 1943, the unit was put under the Atlantic Base Section with the 379th Port Battalion joining them that month and the 480th Port Battalion arriving in February.[4][6]
Naples
The unit was then divided, with a detachment arriving in Salerno on September 17 to handle the landing of troops and supplies over the beach until the Port of Naples was secured by the Allies.
On 2 October, the Fifth United States Army under Gen. Mark W. Clark, along with Transportation Officer Colonel R. Hunter Clarkson[14] and his 6th Port, arrived in Naples, where they found the harbor was filled with sunken ships, extensive damage to rail facilities, buildings that had been demolished, no electricity, obstructions blocking the roads and rails, and civilians without food.[15]
The 6th Port took over sole command of the Port of Naples from the British on November 1, followed by nearby Salerno, Castellammare di Stabia and Torre Annunziata. Clarkson brought in cargo nets, pallets, fork-lift trucks, and cranes from Palermo. Electricity from three Italian submarines were used. The port became operational in a matter of months.[2]
March 1944, while the 6th Port was stationed in Naples, Mount Vesuvius, the volcano in the Bay of Naples, erupted for over a week, spewing hazardous volcanic ash over the area. US Army officer Lieutenant-Colonel J. Leslie Kincaid coordinated an evacuation and documented the Vesuvius Emergency Operation.[16][17][18][19]
Marseille
In August 1944, the 6th Port embarked for the Allied invasion of Southern France. Following a visit to Port de Bouc, already liberated, Col. R Hunter Clarkson and a Sixth Port advance party arrived in Marseille. The port had not yet been demined, as recalled by Clarkson's driver, who was quoted as saying "I just followed the road and prayed".
September 8, Marseille and Toulon were captured. The 6th Port arrived to operate the port, along with equipment and personnel on three Liberty ships. 6th Port brought in cranes from Naples and started operating the port at Marseille on September 9 handling 1,219 long tons the first day, which increased in 37 days to 19,000 tons a day. They operated the Port of Marseille until surrender was signed in May 1945.[20][21][15]
December 1945, Col. Howard Parrish was named commander of the 6th Port.[22]
6th Port Activities
Upon landing at Marseilles August 25, 1944, the Special Service Section of Sixth Port requisitioned the Cinema Alcazar theater, renovated and opened it for the troops 24 days later. The Sixth Port Revue in Marseilles featured the Jolly Rogers band from the 394th Port Battallion, Lenny Malocco who had appeared at Radio City Music Hall, the Port Swingsters, and soon after, a Franco-American revue starring French Maurice Chevalier and Django Reinhardt and his band. The Soviet-Yank Revue followed, featuring the Red Army band and the Sixth Port Swingsters.
The Sixth Port put on the first All-Star Jam recording session in southern France. In collaboration with French record producer and impresario Hugues Panassié, the shows were recorded and broadcast.[15]
Deactivation
The unit was deactivated on May 24, 1946, in France.
Recognition
The 6th Port was awarded the Meritorious Service Plaque for superior performance in control and execution of its port missions on 15 January 1945.
6th Port locations
North Africa
Fedala
Safi
Italy
Paestum
Torre Annunziate
Castellammare di Stabia
Baia
Bagnoli
Nisida
Pozzouli
Anzio
Piambino
Citavecchia
Leghor
France
Beaches
Alpha
Camel
Cavaliere
Toulon
St. Raphael
Nice
Tunisia
Bizerte[23]
References
- ^ https://history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-3-1/CMH_Pub_7-3-1.pdf
- ^ a b Ruppenthal, Roland G. (1995). Logistical Support of the Armies: September 1944-May 1945. Center of Military History, United States Army.
- ^ "NewspaperArchive |tags historic newspaper articles including obituaries, births, marriages, divorces and arrests". newspaperarchive.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ a b "284th Combat Engineers" (PDF). 284th Combat Engineers – via 284thCombatEngineers.com.
- ^ https://www.worldcat.org/title/men-on-the-job/oclc/5856635&referer=brief_results
- ^ a b United States. Army. Transportation Corps 6th Port. Contributor United States. Army. European Theatre of Operations Southern Line of Communications. Special and Information Section (1945). Men on the Job, 6th port. French Morocco, North Africa, Italy France. Dijon, France: Berthier.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Luther Warsing Promoted". Altoona Mirror. March 22, 1945. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ "6th Port Given Service". The Stars And Stripes, Marseille. 27 January 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ Dworak, David (2011-01-01). "Victory's Foundation: US Logistical Support of the Allied Mediterranean Campaign, 1942-1945". History - Dissertations.
- ^ "History of the U.S. Army Transportation Corps". transportation.army.mil. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ "WALTER MULLER, RETIRED GENERAL; Postwar Military Governor Of Bavaria Dies at 72". The New York Times. 1967-11-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
- ^ "US Army TS Transportation 3: Chapter 4: North Africa".
- ^ "Army Center of Military History" (PDF). The Quartermaster Corps. 007 – via BEPDFS.COM.
- ^ "Hunter Clarkson in Charge of Allies' Biggest Port". Santa Fe New Mexican. September 11, 1944.
- ^ a b c Diehl, Joe (28 August 1945). "4-Jeep Port group Came in Year Ago". The Stars And Stripes, Marseille. p. 4. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "Benchmarks: March 17, 1944: The most recent eruption of Mount Vesuvius". www.earthmagazine.org. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Collection, US Army Military History Research; Sommers, Richard J. (1972). Manuscript Holdings of the Military History Research Collection. U.S. Army Military History Research Collection.
- ^ Kincaid, James L. Final Report on the Vesuvius Emergency Operation: Allied Control Commission, Headquarters, Naples Province.
- ^ Chester, David K.; Duncan, Angus M.; Wetton, Philip; Wetton, Roswitha (2007). "Responses of the Anglo-American military authorities to the eruption of Vesuvius, March 1944". Journal of Historical Geography. 33 (1): 168–196. doi:10.1016/j.jhg.2006.02.001. ISSN 0305-7488.
- ^ "HyperWar: Logistical Support of the Armies, Vol. II". www.ibiblio.org. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ "Southern France, Army Giving Up Marseille Port". The Stars And Stripes. September 11, 1945. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ "Parish Takes Over Marseille Duties". Stars and Stripes. December 2, 1945. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1094&context=hst_etd