Paris Goes To War

War came Paris, Texas on December 7, 1941. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declarations of war of the Axis countries of Japan, Germany and Italy against The United States brought World War II literally to the doorsteps of Paris.

The U.S. response to war hit Paris like a tidal wave and the results were everlasting.

This small East Texas town responded as hundreds of small towns across America did. Its sons, daughters and citizens joined the war effort.

But Paris began to develop its own uniqueness with the opening of Camp Maxey just a few miles north of the city limits in 1942. Two major divisions, the 102d Infantry Division and the 99th Infantry Division, trained there. It is estimated that over 200,000 troops and civilians trained and worked at Camp Maxey during its short 4 years of existance.

Camp Maxey was also selected as a site, as were many other training camp sites in Texas, to house German prisoners-of-war. More than 6,000 Germans were hosted there until well after the last shots of anger were fired in Europe in 1945.

Paris, as was the whole country, was like a stirred pot. The young men and women who came to Camp Maxey to train spent their leaves in town. Many of them met, courted, and married local men and women. Likewise, Paris sons and daughters who left were meeting their future spouses. The long historic ties that had held Paris together as a tight community were stretched around the world.

To and from Paris the letters streamed in and out from friends and families: from the battle fronts, from far-away hometowns, from Washington D.C., to Europe, to The Pacific and literally all points of the globe.

Sad news of soldiers being killed, exciting news of the birth of a new baby, common news about town gossip all swirlled around this small town of Paris. Paris was making its contribution to march the country toward victory.

In 1941 Paris Goes To War.


How To Add A Story & Pictures To Paris Goes To War

If you have stories, pictures or items of interest to contribute to these web pages, please email them to steelyfamilias@yahoo.com. You can send written articles in doc or pdf formats and pictures are preferred in jpg format. Contributions will be posted according the their relevance to Paris, Lamar County, Camp Maxey and World War II. All contributions may be used on these blog web pages as well as any future publications that may appear on the subject.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Memories of Gladys Finneren


Ssgt. Ralph Finneren and his wife Gladys pose on the J.J. Culbertson Fountain located on the Plaza of downtow Paris, Texas.
The first time I went to Paris, Texas was in February 1943. Ralph and I were married on Valentines Day 1942, nine weeks after Pearl Harbor. Ralph was 20 and I was 18 and we knew he would be called up for service as soon as he reached 21. That was the draft age in 1942, later lowered to 18 as millions more men were needed for the war.

In November 'The greetings from Uncle Sam" letter arrived and Ralph and his identical twin, Richard (Dick) were inducted two days before Thanksgiving Day, 1942. They were sent to Camp Atterbury, Illinois and from there to Camp Maxey, Texas to join the newly activated 102" Infantry Division. Dick was assigned to the 405"th Ordnance (he held a desk job at home) and Ralph who loved cars and motors was assigned to Company C, 407th Infantry.

Then followed three months of intensive basic training during which time no leaves or passes were given or visitors allowed. At the end of basic training I traveled by train to Paris for a ten day visit. I remember staying in a small hotel on the town square. There I had my first encounter with grits and as I gazed at this strange white blob on my breakfast plate the waitress said "Them's grits honey. You all eat them. Them's good for you". I learned to love them.

After a few days in the hotel, Ralph got me a room at the guest house on the base. This was an army barracks which was sectioned off into cubicles, each containing a cot, a chair and a dresser. A single light bulb hung from a cord in the center of the ceiling. There were so many cockroaches that the only way I could secure a box of chocolates was by suspending it on a string attached to the light. There was a communal lavatory with a tub in the middle of the room completely unshielded from public view. The walls of the guest house were bare wood, no rugs, curtains or any amenities. The fee was $1.50 per night and you were limited to three days per visit.

I stayed at Paris (Maxey) for ten days before Ralph's outfit was sent on an extended bivouac so I returned home. I was determined to spend as much time with him as possible, because we realized what lay ahead. I quit my job, sold his car and returned to Paris with every cent we had in the world. This was in April 1943. Ralph had found a tourist cabin for us to rent at La Mar Courts, on the highway between the town and the camp. These little cabins contained a bed, a dresser and a small table and two chairs and rented for ten dollars a week. There was a tiny bathroom with a shower but no cooking facilities.

I sent home for a hot plate and bought a few dishes at Woolworth’s. I still have the blue bowl that I purchased there. Since the men could not get overnight passes except on rare occasions, Ralph would have chow at camp and then ride the bus in for a couple of hours any evening he could. They were often on alert so we never knew when he could get away.

Since the entire population of the court was composed of families and girl friends of the soldiers, I made many friends, some of whom I kept in touch with for 50 years. Dick joined us often as his wife, Marge, had to stay home and care for their infant son. My best friend was Helen (Johnson) Born whose fiancé, Lionel, was a medic in the 405th. Helen and Lionel were not married and in those days it was unthinkable to “shack up”, so one day in May 1943, Helen and Lionel were married at the base chapel by the Catholic Chaplain. After the ceremony, the wedding couple and Ralph and I, who were best man and bridesmaid, took a bus into Paris. There we dined on hamburgers and shopped for an ironing board which we lugged back on the bus. This was the subject of much kidding and laughter by the guys on the bus, but honestly, there were no drip dry fabrics then and we had to iron everything we wore.

After the wedding we settled into a poor but happy lifestyle. Since we were ill equipped for the intense heat of summer in Texas, Helen and I decided to make some cool clothes. We bought red and white checked gingham for 25 cents a yard at Woolworth’s and used the sewing machines at the USO in Paris. Dressed in our matching sundresses we would sunbathe in the blazing Texas sun. All around La Mar Courts were huge cotton fields and we could see women and children picking cotton, dragging great burlap bags behind them.

Sometimes we would buy a watermelon from a farmer for 10 or 15 cents. Having no big knife to cut it we would drop it on the pavement and then eat huge wedges. It was the sweetest melon I ever tasted. Since meat was rationed and I had only my ration book, meals were a problem. Sometimes I could get a tough old chicken or some hot dogs which I would cook up on the hot plate. Spam was a steady diet as it could be eaten warm or cold and had a taste all its own. Once I made spaghetti as a special treat for Ralph. I made the sauce first and then putting that aside I cooked the pasta in a coffee pot. I had just combined sauce and noodles when a loud, commanding voice hollered, "Who's cooking in the cabin? I smell cooking. There's no cooking in the cabin" In a panic I flushed everything down the toilet in fear of getting caught and maybe evicted. Of course it was Ralph, playing a joke on me using his tough-guy voice.

We were very happy every moment we were together. Dick came in as often as he could and Helen and Lionel were our constant companions. We planned a little party for the 4th of July with hot dogs, beans and watermelon, but the day passed and Dick never showed up. The next day Ralph went to the 405th to check on him and found out he was in the hospital. Dick had gone to the base dentist due with an aching tooth and had it extracted. They had lined up all the "extractions" on folding chairs, given them each a shot of Novocain. Then 20 minutes later they went down the line, production style, and pulled the teeth. Dick developed septicemia and was dead in five days at the age of 21. This was before penicillin and nothing could save his life. We called home as soon as we learned he was hospitalized so Marge and Ralph's and Dick's mom arrived two hours before he died. By a bizarre coincidence they sat next to Gene Autrey on the plane.

A military funeral was held at the base chapel. The chapel was filled with soldiers, the only women being Helen, Marge, their mom and myself. When the bugler played "Taps" it was the saddest sound there ever was. What a waste of a promising young life! Ralph was assigned to escort his brother's body home so we had that sorrowful duty, making sure the casket was transferred from connecting trains and unloaded properly. After a very sad five days at home we resumed our life at La Mar Courts. I was so thankful I could be there with my husband as he grieved for his twin. Exactly one year later our infant daughter was buried in the same grave as her Uncle Dick.

At that time Paris was in a dry county so there were no alcoholic drinks available. Each week Ralph's Mom would send us a box with cookies, candy and a pint of Canadian Club whiskey. We never did get any liquor. The box always came minus the bottle. Since she always insured it I would go to the post office and put in a claim. Sending booze through the mail was illegal so the post office would confiscate it. But they never denied the claim so we all knew who got the liquor. I think they figured they had the best of the deal.

Sometimes Helen and I would go out to the base and eat at the mess hall with the men but this was only allowed on special occasions. As I mentioned Paris was dry so when the men wanted to party they would take the bus to Hugo, Oklahoma just over the border. That was a pretty wild town and once was enough for us.

As the summer wore on the men were away from camp more often. Eventually they went to Louisiana for maneuvers and after that to Camp Swift. I decide to come back to Michigan, get a job and work for a while before going to Austin. I stayed in Austin ‘til I had to come home due to advanced pregnancy and the men were on alert prior to shipping out. Sadly the baby was born and died while Ralph was at Kilmer just before going overseas.

MY story is much longer, but suffice it to say Ralph returned safe and sound and we eventually had 58 years of married life before he died in 2000. We raised five healthy children and I now have thirteen grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Anyone who reads the story of the 407fh will appreciate what heroes these young men became. They fought valiantly through France and Germany and then returned to quietly pick up their lives and become the backbone of the nation. I look back fondly on my time in Paris. It was like a honeymoon before the really tough time began.

Just read your e-mail concerning the POW camp. Ralph had occasion to do guard duty there and he told me that most of the prisoners were glad to be there although a few tried to escape. When they were given white bread they called it cake as they were accustomed to heavy black bread.

I have traced the path of the 407th through Europe. Ralph never said much but occasionally things came out. He belonged to Co. C, the so-called lost company which was almost completely wiped out. Co. C came the closest to Berlin of any unit. By the grace of God, Ralph was in the hospital on April 28, 1945 when they crossed the Elbe and were attacked by an entire Panzer Division. The few men not killed or wounded were captured and sent to POW camps. They were released a few days later when the war ended.

(The information below was added by the blog editor)

FINNEREN, RALPH J., July 11, 2000. Age 78. Beloved husband of Gladys; dearest father of Joan (John) Frye, Mary Ann (William) Herbst, Ralph D. (Judith), Sara (Michael) McGlynn and Martha (Gerald) Johnson; grandfather of 12 grandchildren and one great grandchild; brother of Norma Schrock. Family will receive friends Thursday 2-9 p.m. at the A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Home 2600 Crooks Rd. (btwn. Maple & Big Beaver). Visitation Friday at St. Columban Church, 1775 Melton, Birmingham, from 10 a.m. until mass at 10:30 a.m. Memorial tributes suggested to St. Jude Childrens Hospital, American Diabetes Assoc. or the American Heart Assoc.
Posted by at