My uncle, Robert V. ("Bob") Porter, was a member of E Company, 163rd Infantry, 41st Infantry Division. He, and a good many other young men, joined the 41st Division as replacements while the Division was in Australia. They arrived in the latter part of 1943 after many received infantry training at Camp Roberts, California.
In 1998, I had the pleasure of meeting Ken Rogers (E Company, Weapons platoon). Ken and Bob Porter, along with a handful of others, participated in an ambush on Biak Island in mid-1944. More on this, and other combat stories, can be found on other pages.
In December 1999, I had the pleasure of meeting Elmer Mitchener (K Company, 186th Infantry) and George Jacobsen (E Company, 163rd Infantry). Both are Australian residents living in the Melbourne metropolitan area.
I have been corresponding via email with Jack Anderson (G Company, 163rd and, later, I Company, 186th) and Wayne Pool (E Company, 163rd), both of whom are valuable stores of memories. Jack has written a book about his military life. Refer to the Resources page for further information.
I must acknowledge the tireless efforts of the late Dr. Hargis Westerfield (G Company, 163rd). He became the official 41st Division historian and was responsible for keeping memories fresh in the minds of those men who fought in the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines years ago. For years, Hargis produced The Jungleer, a periodic newsletter that, in words and pictures, relived the experiences of those who served in the 41st Infantry Division.
The contents of these pages will undoubtedly change on occassion. The desire here is to introduce the 41st Infantry Division to the world using a different medium, that of cyberspace, the World Wide Web. I hope I get it right.
Click here for one last bit of info on author.
Respectfully,
Robert E. Bach
Sydney, Australia