Twelve Desperate Miles (47 page)

  
1
“
Contessa
flying Honduran flag”:
“The Voyage of the Steamship ‘Contessa’ from American to African Shores,” p. 6; Historical Records, 1942–1944, Folder 2, November 1–December 31, 1942; Records of the Office of the Chief of Transportation, 1917–1966, Record Group 336 51-1. National Archives Building, Philadelphia, PA.

  
2
Ambrose Schaffer:
All ships whose crews included non-American citizens were required to present port authorities with complete rosters of crews upon entry into American ports. Lists of armed guard members were found in Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 1875–1989, Record Group 38, Armed Guard Reports:145:
Contessa
, Lt. William Cato commanding, October 23, 1942, National Archives Building, College Park, MD. Follow-up information was obtained through author interviews with descendants, spouses, and relatives, including Clara Schaffer,
Ralph Mason, Rose Mangaro, and Betty McLaughlin. The author could find no living members of the
Contessa
crew, the armed guard, or the merchant crew.

  
3
An up-and-coming young:
“Ex-Pro boxer Ambrose Schaffer dies,”
Newark, (OH) Reflector
, April 4, 1973.

  
4
nicknamed “The Unsinkable”:
Bertram Fowler, “Twelve Desperate Miles,”
Saturday Evening Post
, August 28, 1943.

  
5
Bill Sigsworth, John’s brother-in-law:
William Sigsworth Jr. (son of Bill Sigsworth), interview with the author, September 2, 2010.

  
6
Despite his twenty-some years:
Tim Koerner, interview with the author, March 4, 2010.

  
7
Leslie soon became concerned:
“Voyage of the Steamship,” p. 9.

  
1
about forty U-boats were hunting:
“General Eisenhower’s Report on Operation Torch,” declassified, June 21, 1965; available at
http://www.american-divisions.com/doc.asp?documentid=138&pagenumber=1
, p. 12.

  
2
tossed candy bars:
George Coyle (yeoman second class), “Beyond the Usual Call,” an unpublished account of the
Dallas
journey sent to the author by a shipmate of Coyle, Ralph Jennings, p. 3.

  
3
sailors were told that facial hair:
Ibid., p. 5.

  
4
letter writing increased dramatically:
Ibid.

  
5
“As if 100,000 men”:
Martin Blumenson, ed.,
The Patton Papers
(New York: Da Capo Press 1996–1998), p. 98.

  
6
“are bound to get better”:
Ibid., p. 99.

  
7
“Every once in a while”:
Ibid., pp. 97–98.

  
8
On November 4, Dwight David Eisenhower:
Details of Eisenhower’s trip to Gibraltar are from Rick Atkinson,
An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa
(New York: Henry Holt, 2003), p. 46.

  
9
“If a man permitted himself”:
Stephen E. Ambrose,
Eisenhower
, vol. 1,
Soldier, General of the Army, President-Elect, 1890–1952
, (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983–1984), p. 200.

  
1
most disconcerting evening of the trip:
“The Voyage of the Steamship ‘Contessa’ from American to African Shores,” p. 9; Historical Records, 1942–1944, Folder 2, November 1–December 31, 1942; Records of the Office of the Chief of Transportation, 1917–1966, Record Group 336 51-1.5, National Archives Building, Philadelphia, PA.

  
2
a satisfying thrill:
“The fleet—a ‘Great thrill’ ”:
New Orleans Times-Picayune
, January 19, 1943.

  
3
was simply “strange”:
U.S.S.
Cowie
war diary, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Transportation, 1875–1989, Record Group 38:765:war diaries, U.S.S.
Cowie
. National Archives building, College Park, MD.

  
4
“might reinforce these radio appeals”:
Lucian Truscott,
Command Mission, a Personal Story
(New York: Dutton, 1954), p. 93.

  
5
Mehdia was an ancient village:
Harry Semmes,
Portrait of Patton
(New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1955), p. 118. Mehdia is also spelled “Mehedia” and called “Mehdia” or “Mehedia Plage” in other sources.

  
6
The designation was used:
Ibid., p. 97.

  
7
In all, the defense at Port Lyautey:
Annexes to final report to commander Western Task Force, Sub-taskforce Goalpost plans and reports, p. 3; Records of the War Department Special and General Staffs, Record Group RG 165, Entry 418, Box 1292, National Archives Building, College Park, MD.

  
8
He was hoping for little opposition:
Truscott,
Command Mission
, p. 93.

  
9
The assignments given to the three:
Ibid., p. 95.

10
“I should like to call your attention”:
Martin Blumenson, ed.,
The Patton Papers
(New York: Da Capo Press, 1996–1998), p. 100.

11
Patton’s own central attack group:
Samuel Eliot Morison,
History of United States Naval Operations in World War II
, vol. 2,
Operations in North African Waters October 1942–June 1943
(Boston: Atlantic Little, Brown, 1954), pp. 50–51.

12
“Soldiers: We are to be congratulated”:
Blumenson, ed.,
Patton Papers
, p. 102.

13
When the guns opened fire:
René Malevergne,
The Exfiltration of René Malevergne
(unpublished diary), p. 184.

  
1
With zigzagging and evasive maneuvers:
Samuel Eliot Morison,
History of United States Naval Operations in World War II
, vol. 2,
Operations in North African Waters October 1942–June 1943
(Boston: Atlantic Little, Brown, 1954), p. 51. The actual distance, as the crow flies, was substantially less.

  
2
Megaphones from the craft:
Brigadier General Arthur R. Wilson to Chief of Staff, memorandum, December 12, 1942, p. 4, available at
http://www.60thinfantry.com/North%20Africa%20Report%20of%20Operations.swf
.

  
3
“I believe that navy personnel”:
Annexes to final report to commander Western Task Force, Sub-taskforce Goalpost plans and reports; 60th Combat team report, p. 1. Records of the War Department Special and General Staffs, Record Group RG 165, Entry 418, Box 1292, National Archives Building, College Park, MD.

  
4
“We found ships everywhere”:
Lucian Truscott,
Command Mission, a Personal Story
(New York: Dutton, 1954), p. 96.

  
5
“My heart sank”:
Ibid., p. 96. According to Morison (
History of United States Naval Operations
, vol. 2, p. 71), the decision to broadcast at 0200 Algiers time (an hour ahead of the time in Casablanca) had been made a couple of weeks earlier. George Patton knew about it but apparently hadn’t informed Truscott. It was the contention of Eisenhower and the president that this foreknowledge would have no impact on the invasion in Morocco.

  
6
“I am Viktor Prechak”:
René Malevergne,
The Exfiltration of René Malevergne
(unpublished diary), p. 185.

  
7
“Be forewarned”:
Truscott,
Command Mission
, p. 96.

  
8
“dry clacking of machine guns”:
Ibid., p. 186.

  
9
“sad and without brilliance”:
Malevergne,
Exfiltration of René Malevergne
, p. 186.

10
“You’re a writer, Mr. Cronkite”:
Walter Cronkite,
A Reporter’s Life
(New York: Ballantine Books, 1996), pp. 84–85.

11
“The great belch of yellow flame”:
Ibid., p. 84.

12
“If they had asked”:
Ibid., p. 84.

13
“Great chains of red balls”:
Truscott,
Command Mission
, p. 97.

14
“At mouth of river”:
Ibid., p. 97.

15
They were told either:
“Craw grave no. 1 at Port Lyautey,”
New York Times
, March 25, 1943.

16
“exhaust all the French profanity”:
Lewis Wood, “Hamilton tells of African Exploit,”
New York Times
, April 29, 1942.

17
Afterward, as the French paused:
Harry Semmes,
Portrait of Patton
(New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1955), p. 122.

18
Here they stayed:
Sub–task force Goalpost plans and reports, p. 8.

19
“large numbers of French troops”:
Sub-taskforce Goalpost plans and report, 3rd battalion report, p. 2.

20
“I answered that it was possible”:
Malevergne,
Exfiltration of René Malevergne
, p. 189.

21
“before indicating our intention”:
Ibid., p. 189.

22
“tinkered ineffectively”:
Truscott,
Command Mission
, p. 110.

23
Truscott headed back to headquarters:
Ibid., p. 113.

24
God is with us:
Martin Blumenson, ed.,
The Patton Papers
(New York: Da Capo Press, 1996–1998), p. 103.

25
a searchlight appeared in the skies:
Morison,
History of United States Naval Operations
, vol. 2, p. 73.

26
The only items saved:
Blumenson, ed.,
Patton Papers
, p. 105.

27
A destroyer in the American group:
Morison,
History of United States Naval Operations
, vol. 2, pp. 74–76. On board the
Brooklyn
was Lieutenant Commander Samuel Eliot Morison, a Harvard historian, who was already beginning to collect notes for his monumental history of U.S. naval operations in World War II.

28
“naval war is nice”:
Blumenson, ed.,
Patton Papers
, p. 106.

29
“God was very good”:
Ibid., p. 106.

  
1
booted him “with all [his] might”:
Martin Blumenson, ed.,
The Patton Papers
(New York: Da Capo Press, 1996–1998), p. 108.

  
2
“The men were poor”:
Ibid., p. 108

  
3
Of the nearly twenty thousand troops:
David H. Lippman, “World War II Plus 55,”
http://worldwar2plus55.com/
, November 9, 1942.

  
4
“the ground near this pestilential lagoon”:
Harry Semmes,
Portrait of Patton
(New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1955), p. 121.

  
5
Semmes had other concerns:
Ibid., p. 118.

  
6
“We will always have a warm spot”:
Ibid., p. 125.

  
7
At the same time:
Annexes to final report to commander Western Task Force: Sub-taskforce Goalpost plans and reports; 60th Combat team report, p. 1. Records of the War Department Special and General Staffs, Record Group 165, Entry 418, Box 1292, National Archives Building, College Park, MD.

  
8
As K Company came within 1,200 yards:
Ibid., p. 3.

  
9
“Algiers has been ours”:
Blumenson, ed.,
Patton Papers
, p. 109.

  
1
“It’s okay,” Malevergne said:
René Malevergne,
The Exfiltration of René Malevergne
(unpublished diary), p. 190.

  
2
“a familiar growl”:
Ibid., p. 191.

  
3
eyeing the progress:
Lucian Truscott,
Command Mission, a Personal Story
(New York: Dutton, 1954), p. 119.

  
4
“A glance over the side”:
U.S.S.
Dallas
war diary, p. 2. Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Transportation, 1875–1989, Record Group 38:765 war diaries, U.S.S.
Dallas
. National Archives building, College Park, MD.

  
5
“Captain, there is no depth there”:
Malevergne,
Exfiltration of René Malevergne
, p. 192.

  
6
the
Dallas
opened her own:
Samuel Eliot Morison,
History of United States Naval Operations in World War II
, vol. 2,
Operations in North African Waters October 1942–June 1943
(Boston: Atlantic Little, Brown, 1954), p. 130.

  
7
They waved at one another:
Malevergne,
Exfiltration of René Malevergne
, p. 194.

  
8
“like a Dutch canal boat”:
Morison,
History of United States Naval Operations
, vol. 2, p. 131.

  
9
Reconnoitering on the ridge:
George F. Howe,
United States Army in World War II: The Mediterranean Theater of Operations; Northwest Africa: Seizing the Initiative in the West
(Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1991), p. 167.

10
From the ancient crenellated walls:
Truscott,
Command Mission
, p. 115.

11
“great clouds of smoke”:
Ibid., p. 120.

12
Late in the morning:
Daniel Rathbun,
http://www.portlyautey.com/Rathbun.htm
.