Chapter Twenty-Six

World War II 1939 C.E.-1945 C.E.

The de Riberas and the Second World War

As this family history of the de Ribera family of New Mexico is a story about a Hispano family, “Chapter Twenty-Six - World War II 1939 C.E.-1945 C.E. - The de Riberas and the Second World War” will deal in the main with American Hispanic participation in WWII, in particular Nuevo Méjicano Hispanos. Why? It isn’t that I want to bore the reader with information about Hispanics however I feel that it’s necessary to clarify for my children the Hispanic experience which is currently not shared in America today.

As I’ve used the term Hispano, I must explain it. I would suggest that a Hispano is a person of Spanish descent and considered a native or resident living in the southwest United States. They are mostly descendants of España’s settlers (Vasco and Conversos - Spanish Sefardíes (Jews) converted to Christianity to escape persecution from the Spanish Inquisition) who immigrated to the northern edges of the Virrey of Nuéva España. Additionally, this would apply to those of European extraction, Mestízos, and Indigenous Native Americans living in the area during the Spanish Colonial Period (1595 C.E.-1821 C.E.) and shared España’s cultural and religious values.

Hispano would not apply to those Méjicanos of European extraction, Mestízos of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry having arrived in the northern edges of the Virrey of Nuéva España (today’s American Southwest) during the twenty-five year of the Méjicano occupation period (1821 C.E.-1846 C.E.). The deeply engrained Spanish cultural traits, integration of local customs, and the allegiance to España differed greatly from those immigrants from Méjico proper. Some Hispanos continued to differentiate themselves culturally from the population of Méjicano Americans whose ancestors arrived in the Southwest after the Méjico Revolution of 1821 C.E. which began in Méjico proper and was enforced upon the outer reaches of Nuéva España.

Here, I must again explain what is meant by the term Hispanic American. It is an ethnic term used to categorize any citizen or resident of the United States, of any racial background, and of any religion, who has at least one ancestor from the people of España or any of the Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas. The three largest Hispanic groups in the United States are the Méjicano Americans, Puertorriqueños, and Cubano Americans. Hispanic Americans are also referred to as Latinos.

Hispanic Sephardim

Another group of American Hispanics served as well, Sephardim Jewish soldiers. During World War II, approximately a half a million American-born Ashkenazi and Sephardim Jewish soldiers served in the various branches of the United States armed services and roughly 52,000 of these received U.S. military awards. The number of Jews in military service in the United States during World War II out of a total population of 4,770,000 American Jews was 550,000.

Sephardi Jews, also known as Sephardic Jews or Sephardim "The Jews of España," originally from Sepharad, España or the Ibero Peninsula, are a Jewish ethnic division. They established communities throughout areas of modern España and Portugués, where they traditionally resided, evolving what would become their distinctive characteristics and diasporic identity, which they took with them in their exile from Ibero beginning in the late-15th-Century C.E. to North Africa, Anatolia, the Levant, Southeastern and Southern Europe, as well as the Americas.

Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia traces it origins back to the creation of Jewish Communal Cemetery in 1740 C.E. During the Revolutionary War, Jews from all of the synagogues fled to Philadelphia, where they joined together under the leadership of the distinguished Reverend Gershom Méndes Seixas, the first Jewish minister trained in America. Reverend Seixas refused to submit to the authority of the British, and was obliged to flee New York when they took control of Shearith Israel.

Sephardic immigration during the 19th-Century C.E. was minimal (especially in comparison with the massive influx of Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe) but Sephardim continued to be fully involved in the civic and commercial life of the new nation.

Just prior to the turn of the century and in the first decades of the 20th-Century C.E., an open door policy on the part of the U.S. led to a new influx of Sephardim from these regions. Estimates suggest that between 24 and 40 thousand Sephardim entered the country at this time. Most of them remained in the major urban centers of New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. These waves of immigration are part of the fabric of this nation’s experience and the Northeastern U.S. has borne witness to the arrival of representatives from all these migrations. Sephardic Jews, descendants of Jews expelled from España in 1492 C.E., first settled in Seattle in 1902 C.E.

For a variety of reasons, a significant proportion of those immigrants settled in the state of Washington, ultimately giving Seattle one of the largest populations of Sephardic Jews in the United States. Since WWI, Seattle has had the largest percentage of Sephardim compared to the total Jewish population of any American city.

Those called the Greatest Generation, responded to the attack on Pearl Harbor with many American men quickly enlisting. The Sephardim of Seattle were no different. Sephardic parents rallied around their children who had seen their duty and took up the American cause. They were proud of their young Sephardic sons and daughters who were now fighting in the armed forces.

One of these was Colonel Jonathan de Sola Méndes, a Sephardim. He was exemplary member of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, for the Sephardim community. De Sola Méndes became a combat pilot and served in World War II (100 missions; two Air Medals) and the Korean War (70 missions; 8 Air Medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross), where he flew the last U.S. Marine Corps mission on July 27, 1953 C.E.

The chapter will also deal with the world that surrounded these Hispanics. Chapter Twenty-Six - World War II 1939 C.E.-1945 C.E. “The de Riberas and the Second World War,” has been a particularly challenging one for me to write. Anyone who has read this family history, to date, understands the complexity of each historical period covered in a chapter. In some cases, the writing format selected to provide subject matter with clarity has been extremely difficult to achieve. There have been chapters, in which I have used a narrative format. In others, I’ve written using both a narrative format with timeline formats interleaved. In this chapter, I’ve employed the latter.

In “The de Riberas and the Second World War,” an attempt has been made to capture the sense of urgency felt worldwide prior to the outbreak of the war. The Europeans especially, understood very clearly the price such a war would exact from its combatants, participants, and non-combatants.  For them, the “War to End All Wars” had just ended twenty years earlier. I found this Anonymous quote which works nicely here. "History repeats itself because no one was listening the first time."

While many tried to prevent it, other actively sought it. In the Western Hemisphere, and within the United States, particularly, there was both an aversion to it and a sense that somehow the nations there were exempt from the carnage about to be visited upon the world due to their geographic isolation. They would soon be proven wrong in that assumption. 

As for the Hispanic American experience in this chapter, I have made an effort to explain the duality of both hope and despair that existed for these members of that great nation, the United States of America of the period. The years leading up to the War had been difficult for them and other Americans. The Great Depression and its dramatic economic decline pummeled America. The “Mexican Repatriation,” that mass deportation of Méjico and Méjicano Americans from the United States between 1929 C.E. and 1936 C.E., and to some lesser degree through to 1940 C.E., was devastating for Hispanics.

The Mexican Repatriation was the forced return to Méjico of people of Méjicano descent (Men, women, and children) from the United States between 1929 C.E. and 1936 C.E. In some cases, the mandate carried out by American authorities took place without due process. The Immigration and Naturalization Service targeted Méjicanos in California, Texas, and Colorado because of the proximity of the Méjicano border. The physical distinctiveness of Mestízos and their easily identifiable barrios made the Hispanic Americans of the West and Southwest particularly vulnerable. Studies have provided conflicting numbers for how many Méjicanos were repatriated during the Great Depression, but estimates range from 500,000 to 2 million.  In 2005 C.E., the State of California passed an official "Apology Act" to those forced to relocate to Méjico, an estimated 1.2 million of whom were United States citizens.

There was the rearing of the ugly head of racism. One cannot escape its presence during the period. Sargent Shriver once said, “We must treat the disease of racism. This means we must understand the disease.” I agree with his statement. Here it must be said that even this ugliness was in the process of being overcome by Americans. To the degree that any nation can say that it has attempted to address these issues the U.S. certainly has tried to do so in many ways. Were the remedies perfect? No! Could they have been better? The answer is, yes. At issue here is not national perfection, for man is an imperfect creature. What is of importance here is the fact that America has always tried to remedy ills and improve the lives of its people, all its people.

What will become glaringly clear to the reader is that despite its failings in the matter of Hispanic American mistreatment, there were improvements for all citizens of the United States. When one looks at the improvement in upward mobility in the U.S. Armed forces, it is factual to say that Hispanic Americans achieved upward mobility in rank and opportunity.

It is also safe to say that Hispanic American love of country despite it failings, is clearly demonstrated in the numbers of these men and women who joined the ranks of the American military during WWII.

The two sections, WWII between the Axis Powers and the Allies and the United States in Europe- December 8, 1941 C.E.- May 9, 1945 C.E. and WWII between the Axis Power Japan and the United States in the Pacific - December 8, 1941 C.E.-September 2, 1945 C.E., provide the American experience during actual war fighting.

The tragedy of the Second World War cannot be overstated. It was butchery on the highest level and led to carnage on an almost unimaginable scale. To be sure, not all Americans wanted this war. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) had kept the nation neutral until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 C.E. Once this heinous act was perpetrated, war was forced upon America and its people. By that year, the population of the United States was 133.4 million. More than 12 million Americans would serve in the U.S. armed forces between 1941 C.E. and 1945 C.E. This means that roughly 11% of all Americans served in WWII. That is a remarkable number of draftees and enlistees.

Along with White, Black, Asian, and other groups, Hispanic Americans served in all elements of the American armed forces in WWII and fought in every major American battle of that war. They entered into the military either as volunteers or via the draft. To be frank, the exact number of Hispanics who participated in WWII is unknown. At the time, Hispanics were not tabulated as a separate group, but instead were included in the general White population census count. Separate statistics were designated and maintained for both African Americans and Asian Americans.

When the United States officially entered the war on December 8, 1941 C.E., among those American citizens who joined the ranks of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps many were Hispanics. They served as active combatants in the European and Pacific Theatres of war and as part of the military industrial complex on the home front as civilians. Hispanic women joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs) and the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). They served as nurses, in administrative positions of all types, and other areas. Many replaced men who had worked in manufacturing plants that produced munitions and materiel while they were away at war.

Many Hispanic Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII. It is estimated between 250,000 and 500,000 were involved. This constitutes 2.3% to 4.7% of the U.S. military. Of the more than 500,000 Hispanics that served, 350,000 were of Méjicano Américano origin and 53,000 Puertorriqueños. Of those designated as being of Méjicano Américano origin, we have in previous chapters identified them as Californios, Tejanos, Nuevo Méjicano Hispanos, and other Hispanics. This is because they were the earliest settlers of today’s American areas of the West and the Southwest. These had been for over 200 years under España, as the Virriento of Nuéva España until 1821 C.E. Until 1848 C.E., for 25 years these lands were under Méjico. Obviously, after them, there were many new Hispanic arrivals.

Approximately, 9,000 Hispanics are believed to have died in WWII in the defense of the United States. Unfortunately, the lack of specified documentation identifying Hispanics as a group makes it difficult to assess the total number of Hispanic Americans who died in the conflict.

The following table provides information regarding Méjicano Origin/Hispanic/Latino Origin percentages by each of the four regions of the United States and the total for the United States for the years 1910 C.E.-2010 C.E. The 1940 C.E. Percentage was only 1.4% of the total U.S. population.

If there was “0” growth in the Hispanic population of the United States after 1940 C.E., the nation’s Hispanic population would be approximately 1,960,000 in 1945 C.E. If during WWII between 250,000 and 500,000 Hispanic Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces that would represent a very large portion for that population.

In my mother’s native state of New Mexico, by 1940 C.E., there were just over 530,000 people living there. That number would not be substantially higher after December 7, 1941 C.E. For the United States, WWII would last nearly four years until 1945 C.E. During that period, 49,579 New Mexican men and women would volunteer or be drafted into military service. That would represent 0.09 percent of the population. Many of these were Hispanos. It should be noted that New Mexico had both the highest volunteer rate and the highest casualty rate of all of the forty-eight states of the Union. In fact, New Mexico soldiers were some of the first Americans to see combat during the war.

In an effort to provide the magnitude of the United States’ World War II Casualties I’ve provided the following table:

The following two tables provide New Mexico’s World War II Casualties:

Before we enter into the main body of the chapter, I would like to provide a broad brush approach for those Hispanics that served in various areas of the world and within the U.S.

The exact numbers of Hispanics who served in WWII is difficult to obtain. With the exception of the 65th Infantry Regiment from Puerto Rico, Hispanics were not segregated into separate units, as African Americans were. Hispanics served with distinction throughout Europe, in the Pacific Theater, North Africa, the Aleutians, and the Mediterranean. In the Pacific Theater, the 158th Regimental Combat Team, had a large percentage was Hispanics and Native American. They fought in New Guinea and the Philippines. Hispanic soldiers were of particular assistance in the defense of the Philippines as many were fluent in Spanish which was invaluable when serving with Spanish speaking Filipinos. Some of these took a part in the infamous “Bataan Death March.”

In the European Theater, Hispanic soldiers from the Texas 36th Infantry Division were among the first soldiers to land on Italian soil and suffered heavy casualties crossing the Rapido River at Cassino. The 88th Infantry Division with draftees from Southwestern states was ranked in the top 10 for combat effectiveness.

While I cannot list all Hispanics that served, I’m providing the names of just a few. As I’ve spent most of the previous chapters on ground forces, here I will offer some of the names of who served in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Marine Corps.

There were also WWII Hispanic Flying Aces. A "flying ace" or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The term "ace in a day" is used to designate a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more enemy aircraft in a single day. Since World War I, a number of pilots have been honored as "Ace in a Day".

European Theater

Among the Hispanics who played an instrumental role as a commander during the conflict was Lieutenant-General Elwood R. "Pete" Quesada, (1904 C.E.-1993 C.E.). Elwood Richard Quesada was born in Washington, D.C. in 1904 C.E. to an Irish American mother and a Spanish father. He attended Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa., University of Maryland, College Park, and Georgetown University.

Then Brigadier-General Quesada was assigned in October 1940 C.E. to intelligence in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps. By December 1942 C.E., The Brigadier-General took over the First Air Defense Wing to North Africa. Shortly thereafter, he was given command of the XII Fighter Command where he would work out the operational aspects of close air support and Army-Air Force cooperation. The successful integration of air and land forces in the Tunisia campaign forged by Quesada and the Allied leaders became a blueprint for operations incorporated into Army Air Forces field regulations. It has been stated that it provided the Allies with their first victory in the European war. He was the foremost proponent of "the inherent flexibility of air power", a principle he helped prove during World War II.

In October 1943 C.E., Quesada assumed command of the IX Fighter Command in England.

His forces would later provide air cover for the landings on Normandy Beach. On D-Day plus one, he was commanding general of the 9th Fighter Command. Quesada established advanced headquarters on the Normandy beachhead and directed his planes in aerial cover and air support for the Allied invasion of the European continent. Among Brigadier General Quesada's many military decorations were the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and an Air Medal with two Silver Star devices.

Captain Michael Brezas, USAAF fighter ace, arrived in Lucera, Italy, during the summer of 1944 C.E., joining the 48th Fighter Squadron of the 14th Fighter Group. Flying the P-38aircraft, then Lieutenant Brezas downed 12 enemy planes within two months. He received the Silver Star Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal with eleven oak leaf clusters.

U.S. Brigadier-General Alberto A. Nido (March 1, 1919 C.E.-October 27, 1991 C.E.) was a former United States Air Force officer who during World War II served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, the British Royal Air Force (RAF), and in the United States Army Air Forces. He was also the co-founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. He was born and raised in the town of Arroyo in Puerto Rico. There he received his primary and secondary education. In 1938 C.E., he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico and studied mechanical engineering in the institution's Mayagüez Campus. 

During World War II, then Captain Nido flew missions as a bomber pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). On December 24, 1942 C.E., Nido was sent to London, England, and participated on the European Theater of the war as a bomber pilot. Canadian fighter-bombers attacked coastal areas in German-occupied Europe while Canadian heavy bombers struck at targets much further inland.

Nido was transferred to 610 Squadron of the British RAF on January 10, 1943 C.E. and participated in various combat missions as a Supermarine Spitfire fighter pilot for the RAF. Lieutenant Nido, Alberto A. USAAC (Puerto Rico) was on detachment to 610 Squadron of the British RAF on January 10, 1943 C.E. He flew a Spitfire V BL850 on October 14, 1943 C.E. on Circus 56; flew EE753 on Rodeo in 1943 C.E.; flew AD577 on Convoy Patrol on October 20, 1943 C.E.; He flew BL990 on Naval Patrol October 23, 1943 C.E.; He flew AD348 on Shipping Recco on October 24, 1943 C.E.; He flew Escort to Ramrod 94 (Cherbourg) in AD348 October 24/10/1943 C.E.; He flew AD557 on Escort to Ramrod 95 on October 25, 1943 C.E.; flew BL787 on Circus to Guipavas Airfield on October 26, 1943 C.E.; He flew AD577 on Patrol 26/10/1943 C.E.; flew BL787 on Ramrod to Cherbourg on October 27, 1943 C.E.; He made a forced landing because of engine failure in Spitfire Vc EE615 at ‘Halfway House’ on Langport to Somerton Road, Somerset while operating from Bolt Head and was uninjured. He flew AD271 on Recco to Sept Isles October 11, 1943 C.E.; He flew AD577 on Convoy Patrol November 11, 1943 C.E.;

Nido returned to his RCAF home unit on November 16, 1943 C.E. He was among 10 pilots of the 67th Reconnaissance Squadron who were sent to weather school at RAF Zeals under the command of Colonel T. S. Moorman. His unit participated in 275 combat missions.

Later, in 1943 C.E., Nido and 59 other American pilots were transferred to the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). He was assigned to the 67th Fighter Group as a P-51 Mustang fighter pilot. Nido baptized his P-51 with the name of "Alile" in honor of the girl that he left back home. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with four oak leaf clusters and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.

Technical Sergeant Clement Resto, USAAF, served with the 303rd Bomb Group during WWII. He was not an "ace" but participated in numerous bombing raids over Germany. During a bombing mission over Duren, Germany, Resto's B-17 plane was shot down and lost an eye during that last mission. Resto was captured by the Gestapo and sent to Stalag XVII-B where he spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war. After the Technical Sergeant was liberated from captivity, he was awarded a Purple Heart, a POW Medal, and an Air Medal with one battle star.

Pacific and Asian Theaters

Robert Ribera was born on May 11, 1929 C.E., in Ribera, New Mexico. He passed away on October 16, 2001 C.E., in Phoenix, Ariz. His father was Apolonio Ribera and his mother was María Justa Ribera. He served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving in the Pacific Theater. Mr. Ribera worked for the City of Phoenix for a number of years. After retirement he resided in Camp Verde, Arizona.

Lieutenant José António Muñiz Vásquez served with distinction in the China-Burma-India Theater. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. That was where he received his primary and secondary education. He also attended the "Colegio Ponceño de Varones" in Ponce and later the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). During his student years, he was a member of that institutions Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program. During his WWII tour of duty he flew 20 combat missions against the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and shot down a Mitsubishi A6M Zero. José António Muñiz Vásquez was also a co-founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard together with then-Colonels Alberto A. Nido and Mihiel Gilormini.

Staff Sergeant Eva Romero Jacques was one of the first Hispanic women to serve in the USAAF. Jacques had three years of college and spoke both in Spanish and in English. She spent two years in the Pacific Theater. Eva spent 1944 C.E. in New Guinea and was in the Philippines1945 C.E., as an administrative aide. She survived a plane disaster when the craft in which she was on crashed in the jungles of New Guinea.

European Theater

U.S. Army, U.S. Army Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy

U.S. Army

Major-General Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr. (April 1, 1888 C.E.-September 12, 1969 C.E.) was a senior USA officer who served from 1912 C.E. through 1946 C.E. who fought in both World War I and World War II. Major-General de la Mesa Allen Sr., or "Terrible Terry" as he was know, was born in Fort Douglas, Utah, to Colonel Samuel Edward Allen and Consuelo "Conchita" Álvarez de la Mesa and died at the age of 81. Allen's family had a long line of military tradition. Besides his father, Allen's maternal grandfather, Colonel Cárlos Álvarez de la Mesa, was a Spanish national who fought at Gettysburg for the Union Army in the Spanish Company of the "Garibaldi Guard," during the American Civil War it was known officially as the 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

Five months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent German declaration of war on the United States, in May 1942 C.E., de la Mesa Allen was promoted to the rank of major-general and given command of the 1st Infantry Division. Allen's 1st Infantry Division was soon sent to the United Kingdom where they underwent further combat training, which included training in amphibious operations. Allen's brash and informal leadership style won him much respect and loyalty from the men in his division, who wholeheartedly adopted his emphasis on aggressiveness and combat effectiveness rather than military appearances.

Later, from May 1942 C.E. until August 1943 C.E. Allen was the commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division in North Africa and Sicily. He was later selected to lead the 104th Infantry Division as divisional commander, a post he held until the end of the war.

While commander of the 104th Infantry Division in North Africa, Allen and his deputy 1st Division Commander, Brigadier-General Theodore Roosevelt Jr., distinguished themselves as combat leaders. Allen was re-assigned to the 104th Infantry Division. The 104th Infantry Division landed in France on September 7, 1944 C.E. and fought for 195 consecutive days during World War II. The division's nickname came from its timber wolf shoulder insignia. Some 34,000 men served with the division under Allen. The division was particularly renowned for its night fighting prowess.

Fourteen months after the United States declared war against Germany and entered World War I, on June 7, 1918 C.E., Allen was sent to France and assigned to the 315th Ammunition Train.  Later, Allen was assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the 358th Infantry Regiment, part of the 90th Division of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) which he led into battle on the Western Front at Saint Mihiel and Aincreville. During one battle, Allen received a bullet through his jaw and mouth. He was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his actions. Allen remained with the AEF in France until the Armistice of November 11, 1918 C.E. He then served with the Army of Occupation in Germany until 1920 C.E. when he returned to the United States.

After Allen returned to the United States, his temporary rank of major was reverted to captain until July 1, 1920 C.E., when he was promoted to the permanent rank of major. He served in Camp Travis and later in Fort McIntosh, both located in Texas. In 1922 C.E., Allen was assigned to the 61st Cavalry Division, in New York City.

He continued to take military related courses. In 1928 C.E., he married Mary Frances Robinson of El Paso, Texas, with whom in 1929 C.E. he had a son, Terry Allen, Jr. On August 1, 1935, Allen was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and became an instructor at the U.S. Army Cavalry School at Fort Riley, Kansas. In 1939 C.E., he wrote and published "Reconnaissance by horse cavalry regiments and smaller units" 

During World War II while the United States was still neutral, on October 1, 1940 C.E., General George C. Marshall, Jr., the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, promoted him to the rank of brigadier-general, even though he had not held the rank of colonel. He then commanded the 3rd Cavalry Brigade. From April through May of 1941 C.E., he commanded the 2nd Cavalry Division. He then became the assistant division commander (ADC) of the 36th Infantry Division, an Army National Guard formation from Texas. The 36th Division was commanded by his good friend, Brigadier General Fred L. Walker.

Army Air Force

In 1941 C.E., Rear Admiral Luís de Flórez (March 4, 1889 C.E.-November, 1962 C.E.) was from New York City. De Flórez attended MIT, and graduated in 1911 C.E. with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He was a naval aviator in the United States Navy that was actively involved in experimental aerospace development projects for the United States Government. During World War II, he was promoted to Captain and in 1944 C.E., to Rear Admiral.

As both an active duty and a retired U.S. Navy admiral, de Flórez was influential in the development of early flight simulators, and was a pioneer in the use of "virtual reality" to simulate flight and combat situations in World War II. He also played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Special Devices Division of the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics. De Flórez was later assigned as head of the new Special Devices Desk in the Engineering Division of the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics. The Admiral was also credited with over sixty inventions.

U.S. Marine Corps

See the Pacific and Asia Theaters

U.S. Navy

United States Navy Rear Admiral José M. Cabanillas (September 23, 1901 C.E.-September 15, 1979 C.E.) participated in the invasions of North Africa and in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day during the Battle of Normandy World War II. Cabanillas was born to José C. Cabanillas and Asunción Grau de Cabanillas in the city of Mayagüez, which is located in the western coast of Puerto Rico. There he received his primary and secondary education. In 1917 C.E., at the age of 16, he was sent to Alabama to attend the Marion Military Institute. In the school he underwent a two-year preparatory course which prepared him for the United States Naval Academy. Cabanillas graduated from the Institute in 1919 C.E. On June 16, 1920 C.E., he received an appointment from the U.S.-appointed governor of Puerto Rico to attend the United States Naval Academy from 1913 C.E. to 1921 C.E. Cabanillas graduated from the Naval Academy on June 4, 1924 C.E. He was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy. 

Prior to World War II, Cabanillas served aboard various cruisers, destroyers and submarines. Among the battleships that he served in were the U.S.S. Florida, U.S.S. Colorado and U.S.S. Oklahoma. From June 1927 C.E. through January 1928 C.E., the Ensign received instruction in submarines at the Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut, after which he served on the U.S.S. S-3 until May 1930 C.E. Cabanillas then earned a Master of Science in June 1932 C.E. from Yale University.

In 1942 C.E., upon the outbreak of World War II, then Captain José M. Cabanillas was assigned as Executive Officer of the U.S.S. Texas (BB-35). The U.S.S. Texas was by then the oldest remaining dreadnought and was one of only two remaining ships to have served in both world wars at that time. On November 8, 1942 C.E., the Texas participated in the invasion of North Africa by destroying an ammunition dump near Port Lyautey. Cabanillas also participated in the invasion of Normandy on (D-Day). On June 6, 1944 C.E., the ship went to work on another target on the western end of "Omaha" beach. Cabanillas was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V," for "meritorious achievement and outstanding performance of duty as executive officer of the U.S.S. Texas during the Invasion of Normandy and the bombardment of Cherbourg.  He had taken over ship control in the conning tower after an enemy shell had destroyed the bridge. As this was the primary control station, Captain Cabanillas rendered invaluable service to his commanding officer in the performance of the assigned mission.

In 1945 C.E., Cabanillas became the first Commanding officer of the U.S.S. Grundy (APA-111), which was commissioned on January 3, 1945 C.E. The Grundy helped in the evacuation of Americans from China during the Chinese Civil War. In December 1945 C.E., he was reassigned to Naval Station Norfolk located in Norfolk, Virginia, as Assistant Chief of Staff (Discipline), 5th Naval District.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Edmund Ernest García (March 25, 1905 C.E.-November 2, 1971 C.E.) was born to Enríque García and Antónia Rumírez in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There he received both his primary and secondary education. García was born into a family with a long tradition of military service. His father, Enríque García, was a Captain in the United States Army. In 1922 C.E., García graduated from high school and received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy from the appointed Governor of Puerto Rico. García was supposed to graduate from the Naval Academy in 1926 C.E. He graduated and received his commission of Ensign on June 17, 1927 C.E.

During World War II, then Lieutenant Commander García commanded the Edsall-class destroyer escort U.S.S. Sloat (DE-245) The Sloat was launched on January 21, 1943 C.E. From June 15th to July 15, 1943 C.E. the Sloat operated in the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean in search of German U-boats. He also participated in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and France.

Before WWII, García served from 1927 C.E. through 1928 C.E. as an artillery officer aboard the U.S.S. Wyoming and was later assigned to the U.S.S. Galveston. In 1928 C.E., he was trained as a naval aviator at Pensacola, Florida. García received addition training in various military institutions which included the Torpedo School of San Diego, California. From 1932 C.E. through 1939 C.E. García served on the warships New Mexico, Heron, Asheville, and the Tulsa. During these years, he also served as flight instructor at Naval Aviation School in Pensacola between 1935 C.E. to 1937 C.E. By 1939 C.E., he was reassigned to Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania, where he helped prepare and equip the U.S.S. Hornet. García worked on various aircraft carriers until 1941 C.E., when the United States entered World War II.

Pacific and Asia Theaters

U.S. Army, U.S. Army Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy

U.S. Army 

These are covered in the main body of the chapter.

U.S. Army Air Force

Rear Admiral Henry G. Sánchez commanded (as a Lieutenant Commander) VF-72, an F4F squadron of 37 aircraft, on board the U.S.S. Hornet (CV-8) from July through October 1942 C.E. His squadron was responsible for shooting down 38 Japanese airplanes during his command tour, which included the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.

U.S. Marine Corps

As part of the war against Japan the Americans launched the Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign’s from June 15, 1944 C.E. through July 9, 1944 C.E. in Saipan, Mariana Islands. Guam and Saipan landings in the Marianas followed.

Guy Gabaldón of New Mexico ancestry was one of the U.S. Marines that participated in Saipan the landings and the military action that followed. He had tried to enlist in the Marine Corps, but, at 16, he was underage. He later joined the Marine Corps and boot camp qualified him to be a scout observer. A year later, June 15, 1944 C.E., now 18 years old, after rigorous amphibious training he was made Marine Private in the 2nd Marine Division in the Saipan-Tinan Operation in the South Pacific.

Early in July 1944 C.E., Gabaldón conducted what would become his most famous exploit. He went off on his own, on an "evening patrol" to convince Japanese soldiers to surrender. This time, as the day dawned, he realized that enemy troops were gathering around his unit for what would prove to be one of the largest suicide charges of the war. The next day, after the end of "banzai charge," he was cut off from retreat. Gabaldón captured two Japanese guards and persuaded them to return to the caves below, where other soldiers and civilians were camped. He next found himself among hundreds of Japanese.

Gabaldón worked to convince the Japanese with his "street Japanese" and confident air that if they surrendered they would avoid torture and death and receive medical attention and food rations. Soon a Japanese officer and some of his men were the first of many to surrender to Gabaldón en masse. Other Japanese, many women and children, chose to jump off nearby cliffs, to avoid the torture they had been warned by Japanese officers would await them at the hands of the Americans.

Gabaldón has been credited by comrades with capturing 800 Japanese on that one day. This “Pied Piper of Saipan," Gabaldón’s exploits have been confirmed by his comrades. Later, Gabaldón was wounded on Saipan and shipped to a naval hospital in Hawaii. He next boarded the hospital ship back to California.

Guy Gabaldón was born in 1926 C.E., the fourth of seven children. He was raised in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood of East Los Ángeles. There he grew up in a tiny house and spent much of his time on the streets. At that time, Boyle Heights' diverse population included Jews, Russians, Armenians, Chicanos and Méjicanos and was harmonious. His father worked as a welder and a machinist for the Pacific Freight Express at the time and his mother stayed home looking after the children. His life of adventure began when he was only 10 years old and shining shoes on the mean streets of downtown Los Ángeles from Skid Row, to Main Street to Broadway and Hill. His parents were only vaguely aware of what he was doing during the day.

He was a carefree 10-year-old with unlimited access. There were times when he'd walk in to the bars on Main Street, run errands for bar girls and make a nickel or so. Once in a while he would grab a beer. The bottom line was that he was street smart and this instinct would hold him in good stead during World War II.

He was 12 when he met two Japanese American brothers: Lyle and Lane Nakano. All three of them were around the same age and went to the same school. Gabaldón was drawn to the Nakano boys because they excelled in school work, were honest and never got into trouble with the law. Fascinated by their traditions and customs, he began spending a lot of time at their home and eventually moved in with them. He was a surrogate son for the Nakanos - in a manner of speaking - and Gabaldón's parents didn't object to this.

It was around this time that he started getting into trouble with the tough crowd in Boyle Heights. He began sneaked cigarettes, went "joyriding" in cars, and generally was mischievous. Things started getting out of hand and one day Gabaldón was caught by the cops and sent to juvenile detention for two weeks. His mother went to court and pleaded with the judge to release him with the assurance that she would send him to New Mexico with relatives.

He soon found himself with his nearly blind grandfather who owned a cantina called Tinaja in New Mexico. Gabaldón's 80-year-old paternal grandfather lived alone in the cold country up in New Mexico, between Gallup and Grants, near Inscription Rock. He gave Gabaldón a little Palomino mare and a .22 shotgun and a .44 that he kept close to his bed. Gabaldón found the gun-keeping strange but soon found out why it was necessary. Grandfather Gabaldón had some pretty rough characters coming in at odd hours - no wonder he'd make sure that the shotgun was loaded.

Meanwhile, his uncle, Sam, a postmaster at San Rafael, would drive with young Gabaldón to Grants every morning to pick up the mailbags. Often he'd be allowed to drive and, before he was 13, he got his driver's license. After spending a few months in New Mexico, Gabaldón was back in Boyle Heights with the Nakanos. He stayed with them for almost seven years until the U.S. entered the war in 1941 C.E. and the Japanese family was sent to an internment camp.

The first of Hispanic settlement in the Río Tesuque area occurred in 1732 C.E. after the de Vargas Reconquista of 1693 C.E. when Antónia Montoya sold Juan de Benavides a piece of land containing much of what is now Tesuque. EI Rancho Benavides extended from the current southern boundary of Tesuque Pueblo to the junction of the Big and Little Tesuque Rivers between the mountain ridges on the east and west of the river. EI Rancho Benavides became known as San Ysidro, who is the patron saint of farmers. The name is still used for the local church today.

The first we hear of the Gabaldón name is when António Gabaldón of Puebla, Nuéva España, applied to enter the Franciscan convent of San Francisco de Puebla in 1716 C.E. We next find a, Juan Manuel Gabaldón of Santa Fé, Santa Fé County, New Mexico since 1737 C.E., acting as attorney for Catalina Varela de Losada, living in Chihuahua. António Gabaldón was involved in her land proceedings in the matter of convey in land by Joseph García 1739 C.E. at Santa Fé, Santa Fé County, New Mexico.

Later on July 31, 1744 C.E., we find a Juan Gabaldón the Jémez Alcalde handling a complaint to Governor for Nicolás Aragón and his wife of Bernalillo.

In 1752 C.E., a Juan de Gabaldón obtained much of the Río Tesuque region in a land grant from the Spanish Territorial Governor. He had been unable to find farmland near Santa Fé because of a scarcity of irrigation water (Wozniak 1987). The watershed of the Río Tesuque sustained Pueblo of Tesuque villagers and Spanish settlers providing a route into the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains for seasonal livestock herding, hunting and the gathering of firewood, piñones and other food resources and raw materials. By 1776 C.E., Fray Francisco Domínguez visited Río de Tesuque village and documented that it contained 17 families with 94 people.

The last information that I have on the New Mexico Gabaldóns is that of Cárlos Gabaldón.

He attended my Great-Grandfather, Anastácio’s wedding in Pecos, New Mexico, to Catalina Barela (his second) on February 17, 1890 C.E. Cárlos was listed as a Padrino or Sponsor of the wedding.

A Hispanic American and U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant-General Pedro Augusto del Valle (1893 C.E.-1978 C.E.), served as the commanding general of the 1st Marine Division during World War II and became the Hispanic to attain the rank of Lieutenant-General. Born in Puerto Rico while it was still under Spanish rule, his family moved to Maryland in 1900 C.E. After graduating from high school in 1911 C.E., he received an appointment by Puertorriqueño governor George Colton to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In June 1915 C.E., he graduated from the academy and was commissioned a second lieutenant of the Marine Corps.

Del Valle was a Colonel and the Commanding Officer of the 11th Marine Regiment (artillery) in March 1941 C.E. After the outbreak of World War II, he led his regiment and participated in the Guadalcanal Campaign, providing critical artillery support for the 1st Marine Division. He led his regiment during the seizure and defense of Guadalcanal, providing artillery support for the 1st Marine Division. In the Battle of the Tenaru, on August 21, 1942 C.E., the firepower provided by his artillery units killed many assaulting Japanese soldiers, almost to the last man, before they ever reached the Marine positions at the Battle of the Tenaru.

General Alexander Vandegrift, impressed with del Valle's leadership, recommended his promotion and on October 1, 1942 C.E., del Valle became a Brigadier-General. He was retained as head of the 11th Marines, the only time that the regiment has ever had a general as their commanding officer. In 1943 C.E., he served as Commander of Marine Forces overseeing Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and the Russell and Florida Islands.

In April 1944, as Commanding General of the Third Corps Artillery, III Marine Amphibious Corps, del Valle participated in the Battle of Guam and was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit. In late October 1944 C.E., he succeeded Major-General William H. Rupertus as Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division, which was training on the island of Pavuvu for the invasion of Okinawa. He was personally greeted to his new command by the famous Colonel Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller.

By May 29, 1945 C.E., del Valle participated in one of the most important events that led to victory in Okinawa. After five weeks of fighting, del Valle ordered Company A of the 1st Battalion 5th Marines to capture Shuri Castle, a medieval fortress of the ancient Ryukyuan kings. Seizure of Shuri Castle represented a blow to the morale of the Japanese and was a milestone in the Okinawa campaign. Del Valle was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership during the battle, the subsequent occupation, and reorganization of Okinawa.

In 1916 C.E., he had participated in the capture of Santo Domíngo, Domínícano Republic and during World War I, he commanded a Marine detachment on board the U.S.S. Texas in the North Atlantic and participated in the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet in 1919 C.E. Del Valle served as aide-de-camp to Major General Joseph Henry Pendleton after serving on a tour of sea duty aboard the U.S.S. Wyoming.

In 1926 C.E., he served with the Gendarmerie of Haiti for three years during which time he became active in the war against Augusto César Sandino in Nicaragua. In 1929 C.E., he returned to the U.S. and attended the Field Officers Course at the Marine Corps School in Quantico, Virginia. In 1931 C.E., he was appointed to the "Landing Operations Text Board" in Quantico, which was the first organizational step taken by the Marines to develop a working doctrine for amphibious assault. By 1933 C.E., following the Cubano Sergeant's Revolt, del Valle was assigned to Habana, Cuba as an intelligence officer.

From 1935 C.E. to 1937 C.E., del Valle was the Assistant Naval Attaché, attached to the American Embassy to Rome, Italy. While there, he participated as an observer with the Italian Forces during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. In 1939 C.E. he attended the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. After graduating he was named Executive Officer of the U.S. Marine Corps Division of Plans and Policies, Washington D.C.

After the end of World War II, he returned to the U.S., where del Valle was named Inspector General, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps, Washington D.C. He retired in that position at the rank of lieutenant-general in January 1948 C.E., with nearly 33 years of continued military service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Among his military decorations and awards include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, and Legion of Merit with one award star, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the navy Presidential Unit Citation with one service star, the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal with one service star, the Domínícano Campaign Medal, the World War I Victory Medal, the Haitian Campaign Medal (1921 C.E.), the Nicaragüense Campaign Medal (1933), the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with five service stars, the World War II Victory Medal, the Order of the Crown of Italy, the Colonial Order of the Star of Italy, the Italian Bronze Medal of Military Valor, and the Cubano Order of Naval Merit, 2nd class.

U.S. Navy

When the Empire of Japan attacked the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 C.E., many sailors with Hispanic surnames were among those who perished. The next day, when the U.S. officially entered World War II, Hispanic Americans were among those many American citizens who joined the ranks of the Navy as volunteers or through the draft. Of the Hispanics who served actively in the European and Pacific Theaters of war, five would eventually earn the rank of Rear Admiral and above.

Admiral Horacio Rivero, Jr. (May 16, 1910 C.E.-September 24, 2000 C.E.), was the first Puertorriqueño and Hispanic four-star admiral, and the second Hispanic after the American Civil War Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (1801 C.E.-1870 C.E.), to hold that rank in the modern United States Navy. After retiring from the Navy, Rivero served as the U.S. Ambassador to España (1972 C.E.-1974 C.E.), and was also the first Hispanic to hold that position.

He served aboard the U.S.S. San Juan (CL-54) and was involved in providing artillery cover for Marines landing on Guadalcanal, Marshall Islands, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. For his service he was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat "V" ("V" stands for valor in combat). Rivero was reassigned to the U.S.S. Pittsburgh (CA-72) and is credited with saving his ship without a single life lost when the ship's bow had been torn off during a typhoon. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his actions. Rivero also participated in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, the attack on Bougainville in the Solomons, the capture of the Gilbert Islands and a series of carrier raids on Rabaul. On June 5, 1945 C.E., Rivero was present during the first carrier raids against Tokyo during operations in the vicinity of Nansei Shoto. Rivero, served as a technical assistant on the Staff of Commander Joint Task Force One for Operation Crossroads from February 1946 C.E. to June 1947 C.E., and was on the Staff of Commander, Joint Task Force Seven during the atomic weapons tests in Eniwetok in 1948 C.E.

On February 23, 1945 C.E., António F. Moreno a Navy medical corpsman assigned to the 2d Platoon, Company E, 27th Marine Regiment, witnessed the first flag raising photographed by Staff Sergeant Louis R. Lowery and the second flag raising photographed by Joe Rosenthal on Mount Suribachi. On March 8, 1945 C.E., Moreno, tried to save the life of Lieutenant Jack Lummus after Lummus had stepped on a land mine a few feet away from Moreno. Lieutenant Lummus was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Captain Marion Frederic Ramírez de Arellano (1913 C.E.-1980 C.E.) was the first Hispanic submarine commanding officer. Participated in five war patrols, he led the effort to rescue five Navy pilots and one enlisted gunner off Wake Island. After a brief stint at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, de Arellano was reassigned to the U.S.S. Skate, a Balao-class submarine. The Captain participated in the Skate’s first three war patrols. He was awarded a second Silver Star Medal for his contribution in sinking the Japanese light cruiser Agano on his third patrol. The Captain also contributed to the sinking of two Japanese freighters and damaging a third. For his actions, he was awarded a Legion of Merit Medal.

In April 1944 C.E., de Arellano was named Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Balao. He participated in his ship's war patrols 5, 6, and 7. On July 5, 1944 C.E., de Arellano led the rescue of three downed Navy pilots in the Palau area. On December 4, 1944 C.E., the Balao departed from Pearl Harbor to patrol in the Yellow Sea. The Balao engaged and sunk the Japanese cargo ship Daigo Maru on January 8, 1945 C.E. De Arellano was awarded a Bronze Star Medal with Combat V and a Letter of Commendation.

These are some of the members of the de Ribera Clan of New Mexico that served in the United States navy during WWII.

Pacific and Asian Theater

Pete Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 3

Site: 1C

Birth: October 4, 1924

Death: July 14, 2003

Age: 78

Branch: U.S. NAVY

Rank: SA1

War: WORLD WAR II

Pete Rivera SA1, Santa Fé, NM

Tony Maes Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 14

Site: 111

Birth: August 19, 1918

Death: February 24, 2006

Age: 87

Branch: U.S. NAVY

Rank: AS

War: WORLD WAR II

Tony Rivera AS, Santa Fé, NM

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Air Corps, U.S. NAVY Félix Rivera of Colfax, New Mexico, a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on February 13, 1946 C.E.

Félix Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 18

Site: 19

Birth: January 3, 1929

Death: April 17, 2010

Age: 81

Branch: U.S. ARMY, U.S. NAVY

Rank: PVT, SN

War: WORLD WAR II

Félix Rivera PVT, SN, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Félix Rivera

Serial Number: 18207984

State: New Mexico

County Colfax

Rank: Private

Branch: Air Corps

Army: Regular Army - Officers, Enlisted Men, and Nurses

Birth Year: 1929

Enlist Date: 02-13-1946

Enlistment Place

Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Enlistment for Hawaiian Department

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 1 Year High School

Civilian Occupation: Tinsmiths, Coppersmiths, and Sheet Metal Workers

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Enlisted Man, Regular Army, After 3 Months of Discharge

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Félix Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

Louis U Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 6

Site: 3043

Birth: February 11, 1920

Death: September 24, 2000

Age: 80

Branch: U.S. NAVY

Rank: S2

War: WORLD WAR II

Louis Rivera S2, Santa Fé, NM

Porfirio Estrada Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 9

Site: 103

Birth: September 15, 1925

Death: July 10, 1995

Age: 69

Branch: U.S. ARMY, U.S. NAVY

Rank: CPL, AD3

War: WORLD WAR II, KOREA

Porfirio Rivera CPL, AD3, Santa Fé, NM

II. America and the Lull before the Storm - September 1, 1939 C.E.-December 7, 1941 C.E.

It is important to remember that many Americans firmly discounted the likelihood of American involvement in another major war, except perhaps with Japan. Isolationist strength in Congress had led to the passage of the Neutrality Act of 1937, making it unlawful for the United States to trade with belligerents. American policy during the 1930s C.E. was aimed at continental defense and designated the U.S. Navy as the first line of such defense. The U.S. Army's role was strictly to serve as the nucleus of a mass mobilization that would defeat any invaders who managed to fight their way past the Navy and the nation's powerful coastal defense installations.

Though the National Defense Act of 1920 allowed an Army of 280,000, the largest in peacetime history, until 1939 C.E. the U.S. Congress didn’t appropriate funds to pay for more than half that strength. Most of the funds available for new equipment went to the fledgling air corps. Throughout most of the interwar period, the Army was small and isolated. It was filled with hard-bitten, long-serving volunteers scattered in small garrisons throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, the Philippines, and Panamá.

There was some U.S. military innovation, planning, and preparation for the future which took place in the interwar U.S. Army. Unfortunately, unlike the Germany, the U.S. Army’s experimentation with armored vehicles and motorization, air-ground cooperation, and the aerial transport of troops came to nothing for lack of resources and high-level support. The Army did, however, develop an interest in amphibious warfare and in related techniques that were then being pioneered by the U.S. Marine Corps.

Since the end of WWI, there had been important developments in the use of tanks. A number of students of war believed that armored vehicles held the key to restoring decision to the battlefield. But only the Germans conceived the idea of massing tanks in division-size units, with infantry, artillery, engineers, and other supporting arms mechanized and all moving at the same pace. Moreover, only the German’s General Oswald Lutz and General Heinz Wilhelm Guderian received the enthusiastic support of their government.

In general, the slow-tempo, attritional fighting of WWI, heavily influenced French military doctrine at the outbreak of WWII. This would be the undoing of France. During WWII, when the German invasion of France and the Low Countries began it was called the Battle of France. More to the point it was the Fall of France.

By the outbreak of war the U.S. military Signal Corps had become a leader in improving radio communications, and American artillery practiced the most sophisticated fire-direction and control techniques. In addition, war plans for various contingencies had been drawn up, as had industrial and manpower mobilization plans. Also during the early 1930s C.E. Colonel George C. Marshall, assistant commandant of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, had designated a number of younger officers for leadership positions. Despite such preparations, the Army as a whole was unready when WWII broke out in Europe in 1939 C.E.

In the spring of 1940 C.E., theories in the use of tanks were put to the test as German forces struck against Norway and Denmark in April. When the Germans invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg on May 10, 1940 C.E., their forces’ land operations on the Western Front would defeat the Allied forces by the use mobile operations. Later in the same month, they broke through a hilly, wooded district in France. Their columns sliced through to the English Channel, cutting off British and French troops in northern France and Belgium. By then the French Army was plagued by low morale, a divided command, and primitive communications. Their army simply fell apart.

Mussolini’s Italy entered the war on the side of Germany on June 10, 1940 C.E., when she invaded France over the Alps. The British quickly evacuated their forces from Dunkirk with the loss of most of their equipment. The Germans entered Paris four days later on June 14th, and the French government, defeatist and deeply divided politically, sued for an armistice. The success of the German Blitzkrieg forced the remaining combatants to rethink their doctrine and restructure their armies.

By June 22nd, the Second Armistice at Compiègne was signed by France and Germany and a he neutral Vichy government led by Marshal Philippe Pétain superseded the Third Republic. Germany then occupied the north and west coasts of France and their hinterlands.  Italy took control of a small occupation zone in the south-east. The Vichy regime retained the unoccupied territory in the south, known as the zone libre.

Hitler had been eager to follow up his victory over Poland in 1939 C.E. by attacking in the west. Bad weather forced the planned offensive to be postponed. By January 1940 C.E., a German plane carrying a copy of the attack orders on board crashed in neutral Belgium. This forced Hitler to rethink his plan.  With his initial plan probably compromised, Hitler turned for advice to General Erich von Manstein. Tacitus has written that “All empires become arrogant. It is their nature.” “Great empires are not maintained by timidity.”  The Allies were timid, the Germans were not!

The General urged a daring campaign. Von Manstein recognizing that a direct attack from Germany on the Maginot Line was too formidable, he proposed a subsidiary attack through neutral Holland and Belgium. The lethal blow against France was to be launched a later through the Ardennes a hilly and heavily forested area on the German-Belgian-French border. He felt the Allies would be unlikely to expect an attack. The plan was to rely heavily on surprise blitzkrieg techniques or “lightning war.”

Von Manstein's envisioned to disrupting and disorienting the Allies with the use of Panzer divisions in a semi-independent role, striking ahead of the main body of the army. The plan was very risky, much more ambitious than the strategy used in Poland. The more conservative-minded German generals were opposed. Hitler gave his approval, but not without some reservations. Interestingly, the Germans had fewer tanks than the Allies. Germany had only 2,500 Tanks and the Allies 3,500. The tanks were concentrated into Panzer armored formations. The French had some equivalent formations that were of good quality. Their failing was that they were dispersed rather than concentrated in the German concentrated formation. Von Manstein's Plan worked. The 1940 C.E. defeat of the powerful French army in a mere six weeks stands as one of the most remarkable military campaigns in history.

Unfortunately, in 1939 C.E., as World War Two loomed, the British and French Allies planned to fight an updated version of the 1914 C.E. through 1918 C.E. World War One. This was to be done with only some essential differences. The French had suffered massive casualties in frontal attacks in 1914 C.E. This time they were going to remain on the defensive in Western Europe. It was their plan to take the offensive two to three years after the start of hostilities.

The crude trenches of WWI were replaced by the “Maginot Line.” This was where they would stand and fight. The Line consisted of a sophisticated series of fortifications placed to protect France's frontier with Germany. The crucial Line did not cover the Franco-Belgian frontier. The Germans knew this and had used it.

With the fall of France, the government evacuated from Paris to the town of Vichy in the unoccupied "Free Zone" or Zone Libre in the southern part of metropolitan France, about 220 miles to the south. While Paris remained the de jure capital of France, Vichy became the de facto capital of the French State. It remained responsible for the civil administration of all France as well as the French colonial empire. The Vichy regime was the nominal government of all of France except for Alsace-Lorraine, as the Germans had militarily occupied northern France. Vichy France or the Régime de Vichy would be headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during WWII (From 1940 C.E. to 1942 C.E.) and would never join the Axis alliance.

After being appointed Premier by President Albert Lebrun, Marshal Pétain's cabinet agreed to end the war and signed an Armistice with Germany on June 22, 1940 C.E. Pétain subsequently established an authoritarian regime when the National Assembly of the French Third Republic granted him full powers on July 10, 1940 C.E. At that point, the Third Republic was dissolved.

The German occupation was to be a provisional state of affairs, pending the conclusion of the war, which in 1940 C.E. appeared imminent. During the occupation, France maintained a degree of independence and neutrality. The regime also kept the French Navy and French colonial empire under its control. In addition, the Vichy regime had avoided the full occupation of the country by Germany.

Germany kept two million French soldiers prisoner and used them as forced Labor. These were also kept as hostages to ensure that Vichy would reduce its military forces and pay a heavy tribute in gold, food, and supplies to Germany.

French police were ordered to round up Jews and other "undesirables" such as communists and political refugees. Much of the French public initially supported the government, despite its undemocratic nature and its difficult position vis-à-vis the Germans, often seeing it as necessary to maintain a degree of French autonomy and territorial integrity.

Calling for "National Regeneration," the French government at Vichy reversed many liberal policies and began tight supervision of the economy, with central planning a key feature. Labor unions came under tight government control. The independence of women was reversed, with an emphasis put on motherhood. Conservative Catholics became prominent and clerical input in schools resumed. Paris lost its avant-garde status in European art and culture.

The media were tightly controlled and stressed virulent anti-Semitism, and, after June 1941 C.E., anti-Bolshevism.

From September 1, 1939 C.E. until December 7, 1941 C.E., the government of the United States had been attempting to find a way to bring peace to Europe. There had been many diplomatic efforts, conferences, proposals, and initiatives brought forward to the warring parties. None were accepted. During this window of opportunity for peace, the hurricane level winds of war would continue to blow with ever increasing strength. This is not to the Americans were foolish. John F. Kennedy once said, “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. That Ideal was and is liberty. In the end, it was the ideal that would triumph.

III. United States and the Western Hemisphere

In the Western Hemisphere, the United States busied itself with diplomacy with it Latino Américano neighbors in the hope that it could prepared the Hemisphere for the inevitable war to come.

1939

By the time General George C. Marshall took over as Chief of Staff in 1939 C.E., the United States preparations for war were moving slowly. The U.S. Army remained hard pressed simply to carry out its mission of defending the continental United States. Defending overseas possessions like the Philippines seemed a hopeless task. By early 1939 C.E., President Franklin D. Roosevelt prompted by fears that a hostile power might be able to establish air bases in the Western Hemisphere exposing the Panamá Canal or continental United States to aerial attack, launched a limited preparedness campaign. He increased the power of the Army Air Corps. The leaders of the Army and Navy drafted a new series of war plans to deal with the threatening international situation. The focus of military policy changed from continental to hemisphere defense.

1940

After the outbreak of war in Europe, the President proclaimed a limited emergency and authorized increases in the size of the Regular Army and the National Guard. Congress amended the Neutrality Act to permit munitions sales to the French and British, and large orders from them stimulated retooling and laid the basis for the expansion of war production in the future. The Army concentrated on equipping its regular forces as quickly as possible and in 1940 C.E. held the first large-scale corps and army maneuvers in American history.

In 1940 C.E., the 111th was re-designated the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA). Hundreds of soldiers from the 200th Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard were sent to Clark Field and Fort Stotsenburg the Philippines to man the anti-aircraft guns at when it was bombed by the Japanese aircraft just ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In 1940 C.E., the 158th was reorganized as the 104th Anti-Tank battalion.

After sponsoring the liberal Cubano constitution of 1940 C.E., Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar managed to become a democratically elected presidente.

The communists were also strong in Chile but first entered a national administration in Cuba, after Batista had been elected presidente with their support in 1940 C.E.

In Uruguay in the early-1940s C.E., Montevideo alone had 800,000 inhabitants, or over one-third of the nation’s total, while its closest rival contained about 50,000. Yet even that was as many as lived in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.

On January 6, 1940 C.E., these units, along with the 120th Engineer Regiment, were called to active duty for a one-year training period that became the prelude to some of the earliest combat experienced by American troops in World War II.

The 120th Engineers' numerous campaigns include: Sicily with assault credit; Naples Foggia with assault credit; Rome-Arno; Anzio-Solerno; Southern France with assault credit; Rhineland; and Central Europe. When peace came, the 120th had accumulated 511 combat days to their credit.

Roosevelt directed the transfer of large stocks of World War I munitions to France and Britain in the spring of 1940 C.E.

The rapid defeat of France on June 22, 1940 C.E., and the possible collapse of Britain dramatically accelerated U.S. defense preparations.

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Promo Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on August 15, 1940 C.E.

Promo Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: X

Site: 151

Birth: February 18, 1920

Death: January 9, 1974

Age: 53

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

Promo Rivera PVT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Promo Rivera

Serial Number: 18016262

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Field Artillery

Army: Regular Army - Officers, Enlisted Men, and Nurses

Birth Year: 1920

Enlist Date: 08-15-1940

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Three Year Enlistment

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: other

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 2 Years High School

Civilian Occupation: Semiskilled Chauffeurs and Drivers, Bus, Taxi, Truck, and Tractor

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Promo Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

On August 27, 1940 C.E., Congress approved inducting the National Guard into federal service and calling up the reserves. A few weeks later the lawmakers passed the Selective Service and Training Act, the first peacetime draft in American history.

FDR’s aid to the Allies went further in September of 1940 C.E. when he agreed to the transfer of fifty over-age destroyers to Britain in exchange for bases in the Atlantic and Caribbean.

1941

Once the Soviet Union entered World War II in 1941 C.E., communist parties in several other Latino Américano countries, including Brasil and Nicaragua, formed alliances with local strongmen, but they nowhere became a true mass party, and an exaggerated fear of Bolshevism on the part of Latino Américano elites meant that the communist parties were subject to widespread repression except during the war itself.

The Atlantic Coast never became a “banana republic” like most of the other Central Américano countries for several reasons: the soil was not as fertile, so profits were not as great; the banana companies were unsuccessful in acquiring much of the land from the Miskitos who, instead, contracted to sell their product to the companies for a fixed price; the combination of a disease of the banana trees and a devastating hurricane in 1941 C.E. ended, practically speaking, the presence of the U.S. banana companies.

WWII U.S. ARMY Sergeant Infantry Frank Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan who enlisted on January 6, 1941 C.E.

Frank Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: R

Site: 558

Birth: August 21, 1907

Death: April 10, 1994

Age: 86

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: 1ST SGT

War: WORLD WAR II

Frank Rivera 1ST SGT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Frank Rivera

Serial Number: 20847561

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Sergeant

Branch: Infantry

Army: National Guard - Officers and Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1907

Enlist Date: 01-06-1941

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: One Year Enlistment

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 4 Years High School

Civilian Occupation: Carpenters

Marital Status: Married

Enlistment Source: National Guard

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Frank Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. Army Private Alejandro Rivera from Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan who enlisted on January 14, 1941 C.E.

Alejandro Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 1

Site: 138

Birth: September 8, 1917

Death: May 10, 1984

Age: 66

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PFC

War: WORLD WAR II

Alejandro Rivera PFC, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Alejandro Rivera

Serial Number: 38010329

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1916

Enlist Date: 01-14-1941

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 4 Years High School

Civilian Occupation: Unskilled Amusement, Recreation, and Motion Picture Occupations, N.E.C

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Alejandro Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Guillermo Rivera of Socorro, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on February 11, 1941 C.E.

Guillermo Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico,

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: V

Site: 709

Birth: March 14, 1907

Death: May 20, 1966

Age: 59

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: T/5

War: WORLD WAR II

Guillermo Rivera T/5, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Guillermo Rivera

Serial Number: 38011072

State: New Mexico

County: Socorro

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1907

Enlist Date: 02-11-1941

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Semiskilled Construction Occupations, N.E.C

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Guillermo Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

In March 1941 C.E., the U.S. Congress repealed some provisions of the Neutrality Act. Passage of the Lend-Lease Act, which gave the President authority to sell, transfer, or lease war goods to the government of any country whose defenses he deemed vital to the defense of the United States, spelled the virtual end of neutrality. The President proclaimed that the United States would become the "arsenal of democracy."

In the spring of 1941 C.E., American and British military representatives held their first combined staff conferences to discuss strategy in the event of active U.S. participation in the war, which seemed increasingly likely to include Japan as well as Germany. The staffs agreed that if the United States entered the war the Allies should concentrate on the defeat of Germany first. The President authorized active naval patrols in the western half of the Atlantic.

On March 8, 1941 C.E., Secretary Hull had his first extended conversation with the new Japanese Ambassador, Admiral Nomura. The Secretary pointed out that the efforts of the United States to bring about organization of the world along liberal commercial lines had been impeded by movements of military conquest in various parts of the world. The Secretary inquired further what would countries like the United States gain by remaining complacent in the face of a movement to substitute force and conquest for law and justice. The Japanese Ambassador sought to minimize the view that such military conquest was in the mind of his Government. The Ambassador stated that embargoes by the United States were of increasing concern to Japan and that he did not believe there would be any further military movements by the Japanese Government unless compelled by the policy of increasing embargoes on the part of the United States.

Secretary Hull replied that the Japanese Government had taken the initiative in military expansion and seizure of territory, thereby creating an increasing concern on the part of the United States and other countries. He also referred to the terms of the Tripartite Pact and to public declarations of Hitler and of Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka that their countries were out to establish by military force a new world order under their control. Secretary Hull offered that the people of the United States had become thoroughly aroused and viewed with most serious concern the German and Japanese movements to take charge of the seas and the other continents for their own arbitrary control and pecuniary profit at the expense of the welfare of all of the victims of such a course. He said that these apprehensions would remain so long as the Japanese Army and Navy increase their occupation by force of other and distant areas.

By mid-1941 C.E., the U.S. Army had achieved its planned strength. It had now 27 infantry divisions, 5 armored divisions, and 2 cavalry divisions. It also had 35 air groups and a many support units. But it remained far from ready to deploy overseas against well-equipped, experienced, and determined foes.

In July of 1941 C.E., American troops took the place of British forces guarding Iceland. Meanwhile, General Marshall and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson made plans to expand the Army to 1.5 million men.

Approximately 1,800 men from the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery Regiment deployed to the Philippines in September 1941 C.E. When the Regiment reached the Philippines they immediately moved to Fort Stotsenberg, 75 miles north of Manila. Over the coming months, they would train under simulated war conditions. By December things would change drastically.

Andrés Rivera (November 30, 1873 C.E.-October 7, 1941 C.E.) was born on November 30, 1873 C.E. at San Miguel County, New Mexico. He was the son of José Felipe Ribera and María Trinidad Padilla who married on January 9, 1873 C.E. in Pecos, New Mexico. She was the daughter of Baltazár Padilla and Juana García. José Felipe was my Great-Grandfather Anastácio’s brother. Andrés married Nestora Rivera (born Ortíz). Nestora was born on February 27 1879 C.E. and died on to April 6, 1965 C.E. Andrés died on October 7, 1941 C.E. (age 67) at San Miguel County, New Mexico. They are both buried in Saint Anthony's Catholic Church Cemetery at Pecos, San Miguel County New Mexico. They had one son: Phillip Rivera.

IV. The Lead Up to the War between the Axis Powers and the Allies in Europe-WWII September 1939 C.E.-December 1941 C.E.

1939

A. Germany and Italy in the lead up to WWII September 1939 C.E.-December 1941 C.E.

The stage was then set for the Danzig crisis to become the immediate trigger of the war in Europe. It started on September 1, 1939 C.E. The German Army invaded Poland and annexed the free city of Danzig.

Earlier, the formerly Prussian and predominantly ethnic German city of Danzig and its critical port facilities was made a quasi-independent city-state after WWI. This resulted from the Versailles Treaty on June 28, 1919 C.E. It was overseen by an appointed League of Nations’ high commissioner and governed by a local parliament. Danzig was surrounded by Polish territory and its port facilities were open for use by Poland. The Polish did not only want its usage, they wanted Danzig within their state boundaries. But the city wanted to continue the status quo.

In July of 1932 C.E., the Nazi Party rose to power in Germany. Soon thereafter, Nazi recruitment efforts were active in Danzig. By 1933, the Danzig parliament consisted of 38% Nazi Party members. At that time, a significant percentage of the population expressed its wish to become a part of Germany. The earlier annexations of Austria and the former German Prussian territory of Memelland had been peaceful. Germany was prepared to treat the Danzig situation somewhat differently. Adolf Hitler and his Nazis were committed to the use of force.

Earlier, in the case of Czechoslovakia, during the annexation in 1939 C.E. diplomacy averted military action. With Danzig, it was Hitler’s intention was to provoke war with Poland. He wanted to use it as the catalyst. Hitler was reported to have said that, “If the slightest incident happens now, I shall crush the Poles without warning in such a way that no trace of Poland can be found afterwards. I shall strike with the full force of a mechanized army, of which the Poles have no conception.” The British believed that Hitler was only boasting his military might and not threatening war. Within a few days, Hitler acted.

The German economy was collapsing. The Reich's economic problems and pressures were induced by the failures of the Four Year Plan. Hitler saw wealth of neighboring states as a way of accelerating his Four Year Plan. The economic motives were simple. It involved the seizing of raw materials, capturing industrial infrastructure, and the taking of the needed foreign reserves of the neighboring states. Hitler was now forced to seize and plunder territory abroad. With this he could mitigate his economic slide.

On September 1, 1939 C.E., World War II began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland’s capital in a massive encirclement attack. After he abandoned his foreign policy program as detailed in Mein Kampf, the attack on Poland by Germany was Hitler’s next logical step. Still, the extent of the Nazi economic problems cannot explain Germany’s aggression against Poland. By taking this risk, Hitler was courting the possibility of a war with Britain and France. Within weeks of the invasion, German forces would defeat the Polish army and receive Warsaw’s official surrender.  The Soviets also took parts of Poland, as they had lost territory to Poland in 1920 C.E.

After rejecting British and French demands that it withdraw from Poland, Britain and France declared war on September 3, 1939 C.E. They did so in accordance with the defense treaties with Poland that they had signed and publicly announced.  Hitler’s luck had run out.

September, 17, 1939 C.E., the German Army reached the city of Brest-Litovsk on the Polish border with the Soviet Union.

On November 1, 1939 C.E., Nazi Germany formally annexed western Poland into the German Reich.           

1940

On April 8, 1940 C.E., the German Army invaded Denmark and Norway.

By May 10, 1940 C.E., Adolf Hitler launched his Western Offensive, the Nazi German invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France. Within a few weeks, all but France would surrender.

May 14, 1940 C.E., the Netherlands surrendered and Queen Wilhelmina fled to England.           

May 23, 1940 C.E., General Gerd von Rundstedt and the German Army pierced the French defenses at Sedan, Ardennes, which is a commune in France, a sub-prefecture of the Ardennes department in northern France.

May 23, 1940 C.E., Adolf Hitler ordered the German forces in France and Belgium to halt their advance.

May 25, 1940 C.E., Adolf Hitler ordered the German forces to resume their advance into France and Belgium.

May 28, 1940 C.E., Belgium surrendered to the German Army and Leopold III was arrested.        

By June 10, 1940 C.E. the fall of France was imminent. Italy officially entered the war on the side of Germany, though he was aware that Italy did not have the military capacity and resources to carry out a long war with the British Empire. Mussolini believed that after the imminent French armistice, Italy could gain territorial concessions from France and then he could concentrate his forces on a major offensive in North Africa, where British and Commonwealth forces were outnumbered by Italian forces. However, the British government refused to accept proposals for a peace that would involve accepting Axis victories in Eastern and Western Europe; plans for an invasion of the UK did not proceed and the war continued.

June 14, 1940 C.E., The German Army entered Paris, France.

On June 17, 1940 C.E., Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain (April 24, 1856 C.E.-July 23, 1951 C.E.) began to negotiate an armistice with Germany.     

On June 22, 1940 C.E., France signed its official surrender and armistice with Nazi Germany and was divided into two governmental zones.

July 10, 1940 C.E., Germany began its bombing raid against Great Britain in the Battle of Britain. From July to October 1940 C.E., while German landing barges and invasion forces waited on the Channel coasts. The greatly outnumbered RAF drove the Luftwaffe from the daytime skies in the legendary Battle of Britain. At sea, the British Navy with increasing American cooperation fought a desperate battle against German submarine packs to keep the North Atlantic open. British pugnacity finally forced Hitler to abandon all plans to invade England.

August 13, 1940 C.E., the Luftwaffe began attacking the United Kingdom’s RAF Fighter Command's aircraft, airfields, and installations.

August 23, 1940 C.E., the Luftwaffe carried out an all-night bombing raid on London and began the Blitz.

The London Blitz by the Luftwaffe began with the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7th September 1940 C.E. and the 10th of May 1941 C.E. 

September 13, 1940 C.E., Italian troops invaded British-controlled Egypt in an attempt to expand Italian territories in North Africa and capture the strategically important Suez Canal.

September 27, 1940 C.E., Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin to formalize the alliance of the Axis Powers. The Pact provided for mutual assistance should any the members suffer attack by any nation not already involved in the war.    

October 12, 1940 C.E., Adolf Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion. This was Nazi Germany's code name for the plan for an invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain 

October 23, 1940 C.E., Adolf Hitler met with Francisco Franco the Spanish general who ruled over España as a military dictator in an attempt to persuade España to join the war.

November 14, 1940 C.E., the Luftwaffe bombed Coventry, England, killing 380 people and injuring 865.

November 16, 1940 C.E., the British RAF bombed Hamburg, Germany.

1941

In February 1941 C.E., Hitler sent troops under Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel to aid the Italians who were fighting against the British in North Africa. Also, German forces coming to the aid of the Italians in the Balkans routed a British expedition in Greece, and German paratroopers seized the important island of Crete.

March 24, 1941 C.E., Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel mounted his first attack in the Desert War. Rommel's First Offensive (March 24th-30 May 30, 1941 C.E.) saw him push a weakened British army out of Cyrenaica, and all the way to the Egyptian border. This undid all of the British conquests at the start of 1941 C.E. and set a pattern for the Desert War that would last until the second battle of El Alamein late in 1942 C.E.

April 17, 1941 C.E., Yugoslavia surrendered to the German Army.

May 10, 1941 C.E., the Luftwaffe, the aerial warfare branch of the combined German Wehrmacht military forces, destroyed the House of Commons in Westminster, England.

May 10, 1941 C.E., Rudolf Hess Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler flew solo to Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with the United Kingdom and was arrested by the authorities.

The last battle of the German battleship Bismarck took place in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 350 miles west of Brest, France, from May 24, 1941 C.E.-May 27, 1941 C.E. The Bismarck was attacked and sunk by the British Royal Navy battle cruiser H.M.S. Hood.

By June 1941 C.E., the Axis Powers in Europe brought the Soviet Union into the war. España and Italy sent forces to participate in the invasion of the Soviet Union. June 22, 1941 C.E., Hitler turned against his supposed ally, the Soviet Union, with the full might of the German armed forces in what he called Operation Barbarossa. This was an overt act of belligerency and the launching of the largest German military effort of World War II. Nazi Germany attacked eastwards in an invasion of the Soviet Union. Within a few weeks, the Soviet Union would formally join the Allied nations.

The armored spearheads thrust deep into Soviet territory, driving toward Leningrad, Moscow, and the Ukraine cutting off entire Soviet armies. Despite tremendous losses, Russian military forces withdrew farther into the country and continued to resist. Nazi expectations of a quick victory evaporated, and the onset of winter caught the Germans unprepared. Thirty miles short of Moscow their advance ground to a halt, and the Soviets launched massive counterattacks.

The Germans withstood the counterattacks and resumed their offensive the following spring. The Soviets, now locked in a titanic death struggle, faced the bulk of the German land forces-over two hundred divisions. The front stretched for 2,000 miles, from the Arctic Circle to the Black Sea. Soon casualties ran into the millions. Waging war with the implacable ruthlessness of totalitarian regimes, both sides committed wholesale atrocities-mistreatment of prisoners of war, enslavement of civilian populations, and, in the case of the Jews, outright genocide.

August 12, 1941 C.E., the German Army advanced on Leningrad, USSR.  

September 20, 1941 C.E., the German Army captured Kiev, the Ukrainian capital in the Soviet Union.

On September 29, 1941 C.E., Hitler appointed SS Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich (March 7, 1904 C.E.-June 4, 1942 C.E.) to the position of Deputy Reichsprotektor or Stellvertretende Reichsprotektor or Deputy/Acting Reich-Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. He was a high-ranking German Nazi official during World War II, and a main architect of the Holocaust. He was an SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei or Senior Group Leader and General of Police, as well as chief of the Reich Main Security Office. This included the Gestapo, Kripo, and SD.

October 6, 1941 C.E., the German Army advanced on Moscow, launching a two-pronged offensive against Moscow as part of its Operation Typhoon. 

October 13, 1941 C.E., the RAF bombed the German city of Nuremberg.

In December of 1941 C.E., Mussolini’s Italy declared war on the United States.

December 19, 1941 C.E., Adolf Hitler sacked commander-in-chief of the German Army Heinrich von Brauchitsch.

B. Japan and the lead up to WWII September 1939 C.E.-December 1941 C.E.

1939

On September 1, 1939 C.E., WWII began in Europe.

On September 1, 1939 C.E., the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan were involved in the early stages of the third year of armed conflict between them during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The war was in what became known as the "Second Period."

On September 4, 1939 C.E., Japan announced its neutrality in the European situation.

From September 17th through September 19, 1939 C.E., the Imperial Japanese Army launched attacks on the Chinese city of Changsha; forces in northern Jiangxi attacked westward toward Henan. The Japanese Imperial Army attacked the Chinese National Revolutionary Army along the Sinchiang River using poison gas during the Battle of Changsha.

On September 19, 1939 C.E., the Soviet Union and its ally Mongolia won the Battle of Khalkhin Gol against Japan, ending the Soviet-Japanese Border Wars. The Soviet Union and Japan signed pacts and stayed at peace until 1945 C.E. The Soviet Union focused on her western border, but left more than 1 million troops to guard the frontier with Japan.

On October 6, 1939 C.E., the Chinese army reportedly defeated the Japanese at the Battle of Changsha. This was the First Battle of Changsha (September 17, 1939 C.E.-October 6, 1939 C.E.) and the first of four attempts by Japan to take the city of Changsha, Hunan, during the second Sino-Japanese War. It was the first major battle of the war to fall within the time frame of what is widely considered World War II.

On October 19, 1939 C.E., the American Ambassador to Japan, Joseph C. Grew, in a formal address to the America-Japan Society stated: “the new order in East Asia has appeared to include, among other things, depriving Americans of their long established rights in China, and to this the American people are opposed ... American rights and interests in China are being impaired or destroyed by the policies and actions of the Japanese authorities in China.”

1940

Under Prince and Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro, the Japanese government was streamlined to meet war-time conditions and under the National Mobilization Law was given absolute power over the nation's assets. In 1940 C.E., all political parties were ordered to dissolve into the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, forming a one-party state based on totalitarian values.

Saitō Takao was a graduate of Yale University and a member of the Japanese Rikken Minseito party. On February 2, 1940 C.E., he made a speech in the Diet in which he sharply questioned the prosecution and justification of Japan's "holy war" in China.

Saitō Takao a member of the Rikken Minseito party was expelled from the Japanese Diet on March 7, 1940 C.E., and his speech also led to the creation of the League of Diet Members who believed in the objectives of the Holy War by Fumimaro Konoe.

Following the Fall of France in June 1940 C.E., the Vichy Government in France headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain signed an armistice, which tempted the Empire of Japan to join the Axis powers and invade French Indochina to improve their military situation in their war with China.

This provoked the then neutral United States to respond with an embargo. The Japanese leadership, whose goal was Japanese domination of the Asia-Pacific, thought they had no option but to preemptively strike at the U.S. Pacific fleet, which they did by attacking Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 C.E.

Reacting to Japanese pressure on French authorities of French Indochina, the U.S. began restricting trade with Japan in July 1940 C.E.

In September 1940 C.E., the Japanese invaded Vichy French Indochina and occupied Tonkin in northern Vietnam. They did this in order to prevent China from importing arms and fuel. The war materiel was taken from the port of Haiphong through Hanoi to Kunming in Yunnan using French Indochina’s Sino-Vietnamese Railway. This tightening of the blockade of China made a continuation of the drawn-out Battle of South Guangxi unnecessary.

The agreement also allowed Japan to station troops in the rest of Indochina, though this did not happen immediately.

In October 1940 C.E., Thailand took advantage of Japan’s having already stationed troops in Indochina and launched the Franco-Thai War. 

By November 1940 C.E., the American military aviator Claire Lee Chennault had been observing the dire situation in the air war between China and Japan. He set out to organize a volunteer squadron of American fighter pilots to fight alongside the Chinese against Japan, known as the Flying Tigers.

Hispanic American Lieutenant-Colonel Donald S. López, Sr., USAAF fighter ace would later be assigned to the 23rd Fighter Group under the command of General Claire Chennault. The mission of the fighter group (the "Flying Tigers") was to help defend Chinese nationals against Japanese invaders. During 1943 C.E.-1944 C.E., López was credited with shooting down five Japanese fighters, four in a Curtiss P-40 and one in a North American P-51.

1941

The U.S., Britain, and the Netherlands provided almost all of Japan's oil. The cutoff of all oil shipments to Japan in 1941 C.E. was decisive.

By early-1941 C.E., U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted dispatching a volunteer squadron of American fighter pilots known as the Flying Tigers to China. They were to fight alongside the Chinese against Japan. The the Flying Tigers, however, would only become operational shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The 200th Coast Artillery of New Mexico was inducted into federal service on January 6, 1941 C.E., for one year of active duty training. Unit designations and home stations at the time of induction were:

Regimental Headquarters – Deming
Headquarters Battery – Deming
Regimental Band – Albuquerque
Medical Detachment – Albuquerque
HQ & HQ Battery, 1st BN – Albuquerque
Battery A – Albuquerque
Battery B – Albuquerque
Battery C – Santa Fé
Battery D – Gallup
HQ & HQ Battery, 2nd BN – Clovis
Battery E – Clovis
Battery F – Carlsbad
Battery G – Silver City
Battery H – Taos

Japan stepped in as a mediator for the French-Thai war in May 1941 C.E., allowing its ally the Kingdom of Thailand to occupy bordering provinces in Cambodia and Laos.

In July 1941 C.E., the Nazi German Operation Barbarossa had neutralized the Soviet threat. The faction of the Japanese military junta supporting the "Southern Strategy," then pushed through the occupation of the rest of French Indochina. Japan needed to occupy Indochina to obtain its raw materials in preparation for hostilities with Britain and the U.S.

The United States reacted to Japan’s occupation of the rest of French Indochina by seeking to bring the Japanese war effort to a complete halt. It imposed a full embargo on all trade between the United States to Japan on August 1, 1941 C.E., demanding that Japan withdraw all troops from both China and Indochina. Japan was dependent on the United States for 80 percent of its oil, resulting in an economic and military crisis for Japan that could not continue its war effort with China without access to petroleum and oil products.

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Porfirio Rivera of Bernalillo, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on August 15, 1941 C.E.

World War II Army Enlistment Records Source: NARA, Documenting the period ca. 1938 C.E.-1946 C.E.

Enlistment Information:

Name: Porfirio Rivera

Serial Number: 18035191

State: New Mexico

County: Bernalillo

Rank: Private

Branch: Infantry

Army: Regular Army - Officers, Enlisted Men, and Nurses

Birth Year: 1922

Enlist Date: 08-15-1941

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Enlistment for the Philippine Department

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education:  Year High School

Civilian Occupation: Actors and Actresses

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Porfirio Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

Notes: After having been taken prisoner by the Japanese, he was released at war’s end.

This information is not provided:

HELLSHIP = the ship on which they were transported to various locations in SE Asia and Japan.

LINKS = Internet websites relating to the POW.

GRAVE = burial location.

The surprise attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, took place on the morning of December 7, 1941 C.E. Without any prior declaration of war, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked Pearl Harbor with the aim of destroying the main American battle fleet at anchor. Within hours, Japanese forces attacked the U.S.-held Philippines and the British Empire’s Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Multiple events had led to the attacks. The Japanese peoples' opposition to Western culture and its impact upon Japan would seem to be at play. The impasse reached during negotiations between Japan and the United States had reached its breaking point. Japan attempts and further plans to take over other Asian countries for their resources had become critical. These and many other issues resulted in the U.S. blocking the sale of war materials and resources to the Japanese. To further impede Japan’s efforts to take over and control more territories an embargo of essential materials was enacted. This was quickly followed by the freezing of all assets and bank accounts in the U.S. Finally, the moving of the U.S. fleet from its base in California to Pearl Harbor was seen by Japan as an act of aggression.

One staunch opponent of Japan’s militarism and interventions was the highly respected Kanō Jigorō. He was the creator of Judo and founder of the modern Japanese educational system, member of Japan's Olympic Committee, and de facto foreign minister for Japan. His concerns that his Judo school, the Kodokan, would be used as a military training center, led him to obtain a promise from the Emperor that it would not be.

The attacks led both the U.S. and the United Kingdom to declare war upon Japan the next day on December 8, 1941 C.E.

Four days later, the U.S was brought into the European war when on December 11, 1941 C.E., Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy declared war on the United States. Hitler chose to declare that the Tripartite Pact required that Germany follow Japan's declaration of war; although American destroyers escorting convoys and German U-boats were already de facto at war in the Battle of the Atlantic. This declaration effectively ended isolationist sentiment in the U.S. and the United States immediately reciprocated, formally entering the war in Europe.

V. WWII between the Axis Powers and the Allies and the United States

A. Nazi Germany in Europe-December 8, 1941 C.E.-May 9, 1945 C.E.

1941

As part of the war against Germany the Americans launched the Battle of the Atlantic from September 13, 1941 C.E. through May 8, 1945 C.E. The battle was fought in Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, Irish Sea, Labrador Sea, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Outer Banks, and the Arctic Ocean. At its core was the earlier Allied naval blockade of Germany, announced the day after the declaration of war, and Germany’s subsequent counter-blockade. It was at its height from mid-1940 C.E. through to the end of 1943 C.E.

The Americans suffered around 18,000 sailors and merchant seamen killed. 

WWII U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES Private First Class Leon Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on December 19, 1941 C.E.

Leon Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 6

Site: 3740

Birth: March 28, 1918

Death: December 11, 1988

Age: 70

Branch: U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES

Rank: PFC

War: WORLD WAR II

Enlistment Information:

Name: Leon Rivera

Serial Number: 18067719

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Air Corps

Army: Army of the United States - Voluntary Enlistments

Birth Year: 1918

Enlist Date: 12-19-1941

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 1 Year College

Civilian Occupation: Clerks, General Office

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Leon Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

1942

In early 1942 C.E., the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff emerged as a committee of the nation's military leaders to advise the President of the United States and to coordinate strategy with the British.

Thirty-seven Army divisions were in some state of training, but only one was fully trained, equipped, and deployable by January 1942 C.E. Army planners of the time estimated that victory would require an Army of nearly 9 million men, organized into 215 combat divisions, estimates that proved accurate regarding overall manpower but too ambitious for the 90 divisions that eventually were established and supported on far-flung battlefields.

Lieutenant-General Lesley J. McNair, head of Army Ground Forces and an ardent advocate of mobile war, oversaw the development of armored and airborne divisions. He directed the restructuring of existing organizations as well, turning the old World War I "square" division based on four infantry regiments into a lighter, more maneuverable triangular division with three infantry regiments. A serious and continuing shortage of Allied shipping space placed absolute limits on the size and capabilities of Army units. New tables of organization stressed leanness and mobility, sometimes at the expense of fighting power and endurance. Billeting, training areas, and equipment were all in short supply. American industry had to support the nation's Allies as well as its own military expansion. Britain needed large amounts of munitions and equipment; and lend-lease aid, including tens of thousands of trucks and other vehicles and equipment, played an important part in mechanizing the Soviet Army. Amphibious warfare required large numbers of landing craft and support vessels, yet to be built.

The first U.S. troops arrived in the British Isles in January 1942 C.E., but nearly a year passed before they went into action against the Axis. Meanwhile, air power provided virtually the only means for the Allies to strike at Germany.

In early 1942 C.E., British and American leaders reaffirmed the priority of the European theater. General Marshall argued for an immediate buildup of American forces in Great Britain, a possible diversionary attack on the Continent in the fall, and a definite full-scale invasion in 1943 C.E. The British greeted this program with caution. Remembering the enormous casualties of World War I, they preferred to strike at German power in the Mediterranean, rather than risk a direct confrontation in haste. Although acknowledging the eventual necessity for an invasion of France, they hoped to defer it until much later. Instead, Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill suggested Anglo-American landings in North Africa, bringing the French armies in France's colonies there back into the war on the side of the Allies and aiding the British in their fight against the Italians and the forces of German Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel. Months of lively debate followed, but ultimately President Roosevelt directed General Marshall to plan and carry out amphibious landings on the coast of North Africa before the end of 1942 C.E.

General of the Armies George C. Marshall ordered Lieutenant-General Dwight D. Eisenhower, then in England, to take command of the European Theater invasion. Meeting the November deadline required improvisation of every kind Army troops were hurriedly trained in amphibious warfare. Technicians modified commercial vessels to serve as landing ships.

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Benjamin Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on February 11, 1942 C.E.

Benjamin Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 3

Site: 1446

Birth: Aug 29 1919

Death: May 23 1978

Age: 58

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

Benjamin Rivera PVT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Benjamin Rivera

Serial Number: 38072334

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1919

Enlist Date: 02-11-1942

Enlistment Place: Fort Bliss El Paso Texas

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 1 Year High School

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Benjamin Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

In March of 1942 C.E., the U.S. War Department’s General Staff was reorganized and the Army divided into three major commands: the Air Forces, Ground Forces, and Service Forces.

WWII U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES Private Archie M Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on March 16, 1942 C.E.

Archie M Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 6

Site: 4975

Birth: August 7, 1917

Death: November 25, 1987

Age: 70

Branch: U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES

Rank: SGT

War: WORLD WAR II

Archie Rivera SGT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Archie M Rivera

Serial Number: 39023390

State: California

County: Los Ángeles

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1917

Enlist Date: 03-16-1942

Enlistment Place: Fort MacArthur San Pedro California

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 2 Years High School

Civilian Occupation: Semiskilled Occupations in Manufacture of Automobiles, N.E.C

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Archie M Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Canuto L Rivera of Sandoval, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on March 17, 1942 C.E.

Canuto L Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: Y

Site: 90

Birth: March 22, 1906

Death: May 23, 1977

Age: 71

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: T/5

War: WORLD WAR II

Canuto Rivera T/5, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Canuto L Rivera

Serial Number: 38103934

State: New Mexico

County: Sandoval

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1916 (1906)

Enlist Date: 03-17-1942

Enlistment Place: Fort Bliss El Paso Texas

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Farm Hands, General Farms

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Canuto L Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Henry (E) Eugene Rivera of Bernalillo, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on April 1, 1942 C.E.

World War II Army Enlistment Records Source: NARA, Documenting the period ca. 1938 C.E.-1946 C.E.

Henry Eugene Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 6

Site: 2601

Birth: November 8, 1911

Death: September 14, 2003

Age: 91

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: TEC 3

War: WORLD WAR II

Henry Rivera TEC 3, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Henry E Rivera

Serial Number: 38013936

State: New Mexico

County: Bernalillo

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1911

Enlist Date: 04-01-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Education: 1 Year College

Civilian Occupation: Managers and Officials, N.E.C

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Henry E Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

German Colonel Hermann Balck during the winter of 1940 C.E. through the spring of 1941 C.E. commanded a panzer regiment, and led this unit during the Battle of Greece. On April 9, 1942 C.E., he and his 3rd Panzer Division captured Salonika, Greece.

The RAF began its air offensive against Germany in May 1942 C.E.

WORLD WAR I ARMY Private Ulysses Rivera of València, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on May 1, 1942 C.E.

Ulysses Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: R

Site: 210

Birth: January 1, 1905

Death: August 11, 1963

Age: 58

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: TEC 5

War: WORLD WAR I

Ulysses Rivera TEC 5, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Ulysses Rivera

Serial Number: 38120292

State: New Mexico

County: València

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1905

Enlist Date: 05-01-1942

Enlistment Place: Fort Bliss El Paso Texas

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 4 Years High School

Civilian Occupation: Animal and Livestock Farmers

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Ulysses Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Martin Rivera Sr. of Taos, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on May 14, 1942 C.E.

Martin Rivera Sr. Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: Y

Site: 317E

Birth: April 22, 1911

Death: March 23, 1999

Age: 87

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

Martin Rivera PVT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Martin Rivera

Serial Number: 38014433

State: New Mexico

County: Taos

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1911

Enlist Date: 05-14-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Semiskilled Chauffeurs and Drivers, Bus, Taxi, Truck, and Tractor

Marital Status: Divorced

Dependents: With Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Martin Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

On May 27, 1942 C.E., the much feared and hated German Nazi Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich (March 7, 1904 C.E.-June 4, 1942 C.E.) Deputy Reichsprotektor or Stellvertretende Reichsprotektor or Deputy/Acting Reich-Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, was shot in an assassination attempt at Prague, Czechoslovakia, by Czechoslovak Commandos in Operation Anthropoid.

Under the authority of Reinhard Heydrich Deputy Reichsprotektor or Stellvertretende Reichsprotektor or Deputy/Acting Reich-Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, Heydrich's Prime Minister Alois Eliáš was arrested and later executed. He reorganized the Czech government and had all Czech cultural organizations closed. The Gestapo soon began arresting and killing people. The deportation of Jews to concentration camps was also organized and the fortress town of Terezín was made into a ghetto way-station for Jewish families. Heydrich died from his wounds on June 4, 1942 C.E. 

Enlisted C WWII U.S. ARMY Private José A Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on June 9, 1942 C.E.

José A Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 6

Site: 1888

Birth: July 6, 1907

Death: June 1, 1985

Age: 77

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

José Rivera PVT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: José A Rivera

Serial Number: 38014885

State: New Mexico

County: San Miguel

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1907

Enlist Date: 06-09-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Attendants, Hospitals and Other Institutions, N.E.C

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: With Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for José A Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

On June 14, 1942 C.E., German Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel defeated the British Eighth Army, under Lieutenant-General Neil Richie at Gazala, Libya.      

By June 21, 1942 C.E., German Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel and the German Army captured Tobruk, Libya.          

WWII U.S. ARMY T5 Teófilo Rivera Jr. of Sandoval, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on June 25, 1942 C.E.

Teófilo Rivera Jr. Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 6

Site: 4594

Birth: July 17, 1920 or March 11, 1910

Death: 02/23/1987 Age: Unk

Buried: February 25, 1987

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: T/5

War: WORLD WAR II

Enlistment Information:

Name: Teófilo Rivera Jr.

Serial Number: 18120716

State: New Mexico

County: Sandoval

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Army of The United States - Voluntary Enlistments

Birth Year: 1918

Enlist Date: 06-25-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 4 Years High School

Civilian Occupation: Teachers, Primary School and Kindergarten

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Teófilo Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

Note: Must be this Rivera, Teófilo Jr., b. 03/11/1910, d. 02/23/1987, CPL USA, Plot: 6 4594, bur. 02/25/1987, *

On July 4th, the first American aircraft crews participated in air raids against the European Continent. Twelve Boston (A-20) aircraft were dispatched from Swanton Morley by No. 2 Group, 226 Squadron RAF to bomb four German airfields in Holland. These were De Koog airfield, Bergen/Alkamaar airfield, Haanstede airfield, and Valkenberg airfield. Six of these aircraft were assigned to 15th Bomb Squadron (8th AF USAAF) and were crewed by American airmen.

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Prudencio L Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on August 1, 1942 C.E.

Prudencio L Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: X

Site: 290

Birth: April 18, 1918

Death: March 23, 1972

Age: 53

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PFC

War: WORLD WAR II

Enlistment Information:

Prudencio Rivera PFC, Santa Fé, NM

Serial Number: 38166130

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1918

Enlist Date: 08-01-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Unskilled Occupations in Building of Aircraft, N.E.C

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Prudencio L Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY T5 Rafael Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on August 10, 1942 C.E.

Rafael Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 3

Site: 719

Birth: July 17, 1920

Death: October 1, 1979

Age: 59

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: T/5

War: WORLD WAR II

Enlistment Information:

Name: Rafael Rivera

Serial Number: 38166494

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1921

Enlist Date: 08-10-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 4 Years High School

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: With Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Rafael Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

August 24, 1942 C.E., the German Army using its 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army entered Stalingrad, Russia.

The Panzer Army Africa or Panzerarmee Afrika was a German-Italian force, commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel. It attacked the British Eighth Army at Alam el Halfa, Egypt, on August 30, 1942 C.E.,.        

WWII U.S. ARMY Private George Rivera of Sandoval, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on September 21, 1942 C.E.

George Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 3

Site: 1372

Birth: February 27, 1916

Death: June 27, 1978

Age: 62

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PFC

War: WORLD WAR II

George Rivera PFC, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: George Rivera

Serial Number: 38167694

State: New Mexico

County: Sandoval

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1916

Enlist Date: 09-21-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 4 Years High School

Civilian Occupation: Skilled Chauffeurs and Drivers, Bus, Taxi, Truck, and Tractor

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for George Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Rudolfo Rivera of Sandoval, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on September 21, 1942 C.E.

Rudolfo Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 6

Site: 4594

Birth: July 17, 1920 or March 11, 1910

Death: 02/23/1987 Age: Unk

Buried: February 25, 1987

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: Private

War: WORLD WAR II

Enlistment Information:

Name: Rudolfo Rivera

Serial Number: 38167688

State: New Mexico

County: Sandoval

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1916

Enlist Date: 09-21-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 4 Years High School

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Rudolfo Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

Note: Rivera, Rudolfo, b. 11/25/1916, d. 11/06/1992, PVT USA, Española Río Arriba Nm, Plot: 9 942, bur. 11/10/1992, *

WWII U.S. Army Private Alfonso Rivera was from Sandoval, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on October 16, 1942 C.E.

Alfonso Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Buried: Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 9

Site: 2145

Birth: January 23, 1921

Death: September 25, 1995

Age: 74

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PFC

War: WWII

Enlistment Information:

Name: Alfonso Rivera

Serial Number: 38168312

State: New Mexico

County: Sandoval

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1921

Enlist Date: 10-16-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 4 Years High School

Civilian Occupation: General Farmers

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: With Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Alfonso Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY (Air Forces) Private Nicacio (Nicasio) Rivera of Bernalillo, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on October 19, 1942 C.E.

Nicasio (Nicacio) Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 9

Site: 1895

Birth: July 4, 1915

Death: March 21, 1994

Age: 78

Branch: U.S. ARMY Air Forces

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

World War II Army Enlistment Records, Source: NARA, Documenting the period ca. 1938 C.E.-1946 C.E.

Enlistment Information:

Name: Nicacio Rivera

Serial Number: 38168462

State: New Mexico

County: Bernalillo

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1915

Enlist Date: 10-19-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Nicacio Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY Private José A Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on October 23, 1942 C.E.

José A Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 9

Site: 3087

Birth: August 11, 1924

Death: April 23, 1997

Age: 72

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

José Rivera PVT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: José A Rivera

Serial Number: 30410054

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1924

Enlist Date: 10-23-1942

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Sales Clerks

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for José A Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Conrado Rivera of Mora, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on October 27, 1942 C.E.

Conrado Rivera Jr. Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 4

Site: 922

Birth: April 28, 1921

Death: October 7, 1981

Age: 60

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PFC

War: WORLD WAR II

Enlistment Information:

Name: Conrado Rivera Jr.

Serial Number: 38168896

State: New Mexico

County: Mora

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1921

Enlist Date: 10-27-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 1 Year High School

Civilian Occupation: Farm Hands, Animal and Livestock

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Conrado Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY Private José A Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on October 23, 1942 C.E.

José A Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 9

Site: 3087

Birth: August 11, 1924

Death: April 23, 1997

Age: 72

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

José Rivera PVT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: José A Rivera

Serial Number: 30410054

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1924

Enlist Date: 10-23-1942

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Sales Clerks

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for José A Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

While the Allies tightened their grip on the French controlled Kingdom of Morocco and the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria, a French administered département, their troops raced to reach strategic positions in neighboring Tunisia. A month earlier, the British in Egypt under Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard L. Montgomery had mounted a powerful attack on through the Germans at El Alamein. By November 4, 1942 C.E., the Panzerarmee Afrika, while not under the direct command of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel was defeated at El Alamein, Egypt.

The defeat sent Rommel’s German-Italian Panzer Army reeling back into Libya. If strong Allied forces could reach the coast of Tunisia, Rommel would be trapped between them and Montgomery's troops. Lieutenant-General Eisenhower monitored operations from Gibraltar.

American forces convoyed directly from the United States, landed along the Atlantic coast of French Morocco, near Casablanca on November 8, 1942 C.E. Meanwhile, American and British troops sailing from England landed in Algeria. As part of the North African Campaign against Germany the Americans launched Operation Torch from November 8, 1942 C.E. through November 10, 1942 C.E. The battle was fought in Morocco and Algeria. The Americans suffered 1,200 casualties (479 killed, 720 wounded).

Hispanic American Major Vicente T. Ximénez was raised in the town of Floresville, Texas. He later enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin. Ximénez graduated from Bombardier School at Kirtland Air Force Base as a second lieutenant in 1941 C.E. During the war, the Second Lieutenant Ximénez of the 12th Air Force 97th Bomb Group (Heavy) 414th Squadron flew 50 missions as a lead bombardier in North Africa and was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery under fire. After serving in the war, he became an Air Force flying instructor at the Goodfellow Air Force Base from 1943 C.E.-1946 C.E. and eventually retired with the rank of Major.

November 11, 1942 C.E., Adolf Hitler ordered the occupation of Vichy France following the Allied landings in French North Africa. Southern France was militarily occupied by Germany and Italy to protect the Mediterranean coastline. The zone libre was also occupied by Axis forces, leading to the disbandment of the remaining army which ended any semblance of independence, with Germany now closely supervising all French officials.

Pétain's government remained in Vichy as the nominal government of France, albeit one that was obliged by circumstances to collaborate with Germany from November 1942 C.E. onwards. Most of the overseas French colonies were originally under Vichy control, but with the Allied invasion of North Africa it lost one colony after another to Charles de Gaulle's Allied-oriented Free France. Public opinion in some quarters turned against the French government and the occupying German forces over time, when it became clear that Germany was losing the war, and resistance to them increased.

WWII U.S. ARMY Private José E Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on November 11, 1942 C.E.

José E Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 6

Site: 723

Birth: March 10, 1906

Death: April 25, 1986

Age: 80

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

José Rivera PVT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: José E Rivera

Serial Number: 38169624

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1906

Enlist Date: 11-11-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Attendants, Professional and Personal Service, N.E.C

Marital Status: Married

Enlistment Source: National Guard in Federal Service, After 3 Months of Discharge

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for José E Rivera Santa Fé- Brief overview of enlistment file

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Luciano Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on November 11, 1942 C.E.

Luciano Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 3

Site: 1825

Birth: December 7, 1899

Death: July 17, 1977

Age: 77

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

Enlistment Information:

Luciano Rivera: Army Enlistment Record from World War II

This Enlistment Record - This WW2 U.S. Army enlistment data for Private Rivera, first name

Personnel File Core Info:

Name: Luciano Rivera

Serial Number: 38169596

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1900

Enlist Date: 11-11-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Unskilled Oilers of Machinery

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: With Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Luciano Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

Note: Luciano was my uncle, son of Isidro Rivera y Quintana (1870 C.E.-1939 C.E.) and María Anna Amalia Ceballes (1878 C.E.-1977C.E.).

Vichy France's remaining naval fleet in Toulon, France, was scuttled on November 27, 1942 C.E. to avoid capture by Nazi German forces. 

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Steve E. Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on November 30, 1942 C.E.

Steve E. Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: O

Site: 199

Birth: April 16, 1917

Death: December 23, 1968

Age: 51

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PFC

War: WORLD WAR II

Steve Rivera PFC, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Steve E. Rivera

Serial Number: 38348629

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1916

Enlist Date: 11-30-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Unskilled Occupations in Laundering, Cleaning, Dyeing, and Pressing Apparel

Marital Status: Married

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Steve E Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

Note: Steve was my mother’s brother.

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Lorenzo Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on November 30, 1942 C.E.

Lorenzo Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 6

Site: 1416

Birth: August 1, 1913

Death: July 13, 1994

Age: 80

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: PVT

War: WORLD WAR II

Lorenzo Rivera PVT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Lorenzo Rivera

Serial Number: 38348627

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers

Army: Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1913

Enlist Date: 11-30-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: Grammar School

Civilian Occupation: Unskilled Garage Laborers and Car Washers and Greasers

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: With Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Lorenzo Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

Germany was now awakened to the threat of strong Allied forces which could reach the coast of Tunisia, trapping Rommel between them and Montgomery's troops. The Germans poured troops into Tunisia by air and sea, brushing aside weak French forces there. Axis air power, based in Sicily, Sardinia, and Italy began pounding the advancing Allied columns. As torrential December rains turned the countryside into a quagmire, the Allies lost the race. Instead of catching Rommel, they faced a protracted struggle. While his forces dug in along the southern border of Tunisia opposite Lieutenant-General Montgomery, a second powerful Axis force, the Fifth Panzer Army, barred the way to the Tunisian coast.

In the chain of mountains that separates coastal Tunisia from the arid interior, in a plain between two arms of the mountains and behind the passes in the west were the all important Allied airfields and supply dumps. These were now vulnerable to possible German attacks.

December 12, 1942 C.E., Adolf Hitler ordered Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein and the 4th Panzer Army to begin the attempt to rescue Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus and the German 6th Army at Stalingrad. He got his three panzer divisions to within 35 miles of the German 6th Army but a Red Army counter-attack forced him to retreat to the Ukraine.

WWII U.S. Army S SGT Gilbert Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan who enlisted on December 21, 1942 C.E.

Gilbert Rivera Santa Fé, New Mexico

Santa Fe National Cemetery
501 North Guadalupe Street
Santa Fé, NM 87501

Section: 12

Site: 300

Birth: November 7, 1922

Death: September 19, 2006

Age: 83

Branch: U.S. ARMY

Rank: S SGT

War: WORLD WAR II

Gilbert Rivera S SGT, Santa Fé, NM

Enlistment Information:

Name: Gilbert Rivera

Serial Number: 38349248

State: New Mexico

County: Santa Fé

Rank: Private

Branch: Warrant Officers Army Selectees - Enlisted Men

Birth Year: 1922

Enlist Date: 12-21-1942

Enlistment Place: Santa Fé New Mexico

Term: Duration of War, Plus 6 Months

Nativity: New Mexico

Race: White

Citizenship: Citizen

Education: 1 Year College

Civilian Occupation: Shipping and Receiving Clerks

Marital Status: Single

Dependents: No Dependents

Enlistment Source: Civilian

Conflict Period: WWII, World War 2

Summary: Abstract for Gilbert Rivera - Brief overview of enlistment file

1943

Detailed planning for the cross-Channel Allied strategic bombing assault campaign to reduce German strength in fighters and trained pilots had begun in 1943 C.E. when the American and British Combined Chiefs of Staff appointed a British officer, Lieutenant -General Frederick E. Morgan, as Chief of Staff to the as yet unnamed Supreme Allied Commander.

Italy’s Mussolini remained in power until he was deposed by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1943 C.E.

It was followed by the Republican Fascist Party that ruled the Italian Social Republic from 1943 C.E. to 1945 C.E.

Meeting in Casablanca in January 1943 C.E., President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff decided that the large Italian island of Sicily would be their next military target.

On January 18, 1943 C.E., the German Luftwaffe renewed its air attacks on London.

WWII U.S. ARMY Private Willie Utter (U) Rivera of Santa Fé, New Mexico, was a member of the de Ribera Clan and enlisted on January 26, 1943 C.E.