{"id":29212,"date":"2016-02-04T17:59:19","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T21:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/?p=29212"},"modified":"2016-04-13T13:57:09","modified_gmt":"2016-04-13T17:57:09","slug":"the-25th-general-hospital-of-wwii-experience-airbase-a-92-at-sint-truiden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/2016\/02\/the-25th-general-hospital-of-wwii-experience-airbase-a-92-at-sint-truiden\/","title":{"rendered":"The 25th General Hospital of WWII Experience: Airbase A-92 at Sint-Truiden"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Airbase<\/a>

Modern photograph of Airbase A-92, Brustem.
Photo credit: Sue Carney.<\/p><\/div>\n

By: Nathan Hood<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the University of Cincinnati\u2019s 25th<\/sup> General Hospital was departing for the World War II European Theater of Operations in the early 1940\u2019s, Germany had already invaded Belgium and had secured a small, Belgian military airbase in the village of Brustem. Brustem remains today as a part of the Sint Truiden community (also known in French as Saint-Trond) and exists only a handful of miles North-West of the Belgian Caserne buildings in Tongres which were occupied by the University of Cincinnati 25th<\/sup> General Hospital beginning in 1945.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Before its German occupation, \u201cthis grass field served as an emergency field for the 3rd and 4th squadrons of the Second Fighter Regiment stationed at Nijvel (Nivelles)\u201d (Schoebrechts). When the Nazis invaded May 10, 1940, these squadrons escaped to Brustem only for the vast majority of planes to be destroyed by the Nazi military the very next day. The Nazi\u2019s gained control of Sint Truiden and operated the airbase as early as May 12.<\/p>\n

The Germans expanded the previous site into a permanent airbase: \u2018Fliegerhorst 309.\u2019 It soon became part of the Axis defense against British bombers \u2013 a part of the \u2018Kammhuberlinie.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral hardstands, hangars, munitions depots, administrative buildings, living quarters at Bevingen, air defence positions, etc. were built as well as three runways. One runway was 5,250 feet long, the second 5,070 feet while the third runway was 4,740 feet long. All three runways were 165 feet wide\u201d<\/em> (Schoebrechts).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It was an important base for the Luftwaffe until its liberation by the Americans in September of 1944. The 404th<\/sup> Fighter Group (FG) arrived in Saint Truiden on September 30, 1944, and was joined by the 48th<\/sup> Fighter Group in very early October. These Fighter Groups flew in support of American ground forces.<\/p>\n

\u201cSt-Trond\u2026 A very cold, snow-filled winter with extremely low visibility with a lot of flying, but with comfortable living quarters\u201d<\/em> (Floyd Blair, Nix Compris \u2013 Blair was There<\/em>).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The airbase \u2013 now re-titled \u2018Airbase A-92\u2019 \u2013 began hosting social parties with \u00a0 and local music on Saturday nights beginning October 7, 1944. By November 11, a band had been formed: \u201cNix Compris\u201d with \u201c\u2018Count\u2019\u201d Pacic on piano, Chuck Higgins on drums, Noel Arrighi on bass, Andy Kirk on trumpet and Floyd Blair on saxophone and clarinet\u201d (Schoebrechts).<\/p>\n

\"Nix<\/a>

\u201cNix Compris\u201d entertaining guests at Airbase A-92. Please note Floyd Blair playing the saxophone.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe name of the band, \u201cNix Compris\u201d, was derived from an expression the Americans used frequently when talking and discussing with the locals. \u2018Nix\u2019 is the phonetic version for the Flemish word \u2018niks\u2019 meaning \u2018nothing\u2019. \u2018Compris\u2019 is the French word for \u2018understand\u2019 \u2026\u201d<\/em> (Schoebrechts).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because fraternizing with Germans was not allowed, only military personnel, Belgians, and nurses were entertained at these weekly events. From November 4, 1944 \u201cguests were [further] restricted to young ladies without chaperons, who had specific escorts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Military<\/a>

Military personnel and guests at one of the Saturday night parties. Woman on the left is presumably a nurse from one of the surrounding field hospitals; Woman on the right, presumably Belgian (?). Specific date unknown.<\/p><\/div>\n

It may be easily speculated that various nurses from The University of Cincinnati 25th<\/sup> General Hospital, having settled in Tongres by early March 1945, attended some of these festivities. It\u2019s not much more of a stretch to suggest then that these same nurses might have attended these Saturday night parties as early as late November of 1944 soon after being billeted in the city of Li\u00e8ge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had flown a few missions on Saturdays and each time while returning from the mission and taxiing back to the hard stand, I saw several jeeps lined up along the runway. By the time I got to the hard stand and out of my plane, the jeeps were gone. This happened on a few Saturdays, and one time I wanted to know what that ground crew was up to, first waiting along the runway and all of a sudden disappearing. Heck they could have given me a ride to the debriefing. So after they sped away again, I asked one of the men what they were always up to, waiting for us at the runway but be gone by the time I twisted my neck\u2026 Well Captain, when we\u2019ve seen you landing and taxiing up, we\u2019re sure the Saturday evening party is good to go since the \u2018Nix-Compris\u2019 band will be able to play, so we make sure to hurry on up to Li\u00e8ge<\/strong> and go get the nurses for the party!\u201d<\/em> (Floyd Blair, Nix Compris \u2013 Blair was There<\/em>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"25th<\/a>

Nurses in front of the 25th General Hospital on the steps of one Belgian Caserne building. Not all nurses are present. This image serves as a link to
\u201cRemembering the University of Cincinnati 25th General Hospital of WWII.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

Unfortunately there is not much evidence to support this connection beyond the convenience of time, location, and other contextual factors. Though the scattered mention of nurses in the recorded memories of Floyd Blair are particularly reassuring!<\/p>\n

It is perhaps interesting to note that a silent film depicting the various movements of the 25th<\/sup> titled, Along the War Path<\/em> also displays rather spectacular scenes of Airbase A-92. The greater majority of Along the War Path <\/em>is credited as having been filmed by Dr. Jean M. Stevenson who was Chief of Surgery for the 25th<\/sup> General Hospital at the time. Perhaps this too should be taken as evidence strengthening the connection between the 25th<\/sup> and Brustem\u2019s airfield?<\/p>\n

\"Along<\/a>

Along the War Path title screen. This images serves as a link to a streaming version of the silent film.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Dr.<\/a>

Dr. Charles L. Rich and Sue Carney. This photograph serves as a link to the blog,
\u201cA Special Visit with Dr. Rich.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

Fantastically, much of the information above has only just been provided to The Winkler Center! It\u2019s the wonderful result of Dr. Charles L. Rich\u2019s personal and enduring investigation into his family\u2019s history. Dr. Rich and his companion, Sue Carney, recently traveled to Brustem, meeting with Hendrik Schoebrechts. As a resident and historian of Brustem, Mr. Schoebrechts was and remains a valuable source of information as well as a good friend.<\/p>\n

\"Hendrick<\/a>

Dr. Charles L. Rich\u2019s friend, Hendrik Shoebrechts.
This photo serves as a link to more information on the history of \u201cNix Compris.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While in Brustem with Mr. Schoebrechts, Dr. Rich and Carney had the pleasure of visiting the remains of Airbase A-92 as well as the museum dedicated to preserving the airbase\u2019s history \u2013 Stedelijk Museum: Historisch Centrum Luchtmachbasis Brustem.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Museam-Collageedited\"<\/a>

Photo collage of Stedilijk Museum in Brustem, Belgium. This image serves as a link to the film
World War II Rediscovered Relationships: Belgium 70 Years Later<\/i>,
featuring video of their entire excursion through Brustem and Sint Trond.
Photo credit: Sue Carney.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr. Rich and Carney also observed the now abandoned and slowly decaying remains of the Belgian Caserne buildings in Tongres once utilized by Dr. Charles L. Rich\u2019s father, Dr. Murray Lambert Rich, along with the rest of the 25th<\/sup> General Hospital.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

Dr. Murray Lambert Rich (left); Dr. Charles Lambert Rich (right).
They\u00a0occupy approximately the same spot at differing time periods.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Caserne

Photo collage of The Belgian Caserne buildings,
past (left) and modern with Dr.\u00a0Rich and Ms. Carney\u00a0(right).
Photo credit: Sue Carney.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Hawley<\/a>

Major General Paul R. Hawley\u2019s letter praising the 25th General Hospital\u2019s exceptional service (left); Corresponding contemporary newspaper clippings.
This photo serves as a link to The Winkler Center\u2019s digital exhibition
25th General Hospital: Courage & Skill in World War II<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Photograph<\/a>

Donald and Major General Paul Hawley (holding child), ca. 1944.<\/p><\/div>\n

It also happens that Dr. Rich and Sue \u00a0visited the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery \u2013 one of four cemeteries near the border of Belgium and Germany dedicated to honoring American World War II veterans. Many soldiers from the Battle of the Bulge are buried in these Cemeteries. The Henri-Chapelle cemetery in particular, is not terribly far from Li\u00e8ge where the 25th<\/sup> General Hospital was \u2018billeted\u2019 in 1944, at least up until the beginning of that infamous battle. May we continue to honor each person\u2019s sacrifice during WWII.<\/p>\n

\"Cemeteries<\/a>

Map of American Cemeteries in Europe. This image serves as a link to the blog
\u201cRemembering the University of Cincinnati\u2019s 25th General Hospital of WWII.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Angel<\/a>

Angel Statuette at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium. This image serves as a link to the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery website.
Photo credit: Sue Carney.<\/p><\/div>\n

A special thanks to Dr. Charles L. Rich for sharing the information he discovered from his own personal studies into the history of his father. Likewise, many thanks to Sue Carney for documenting their travels together with beautiful photographs and other forms of media. Moreover, thanks ad infinitum to Hendrik Schoebrechts for providing Drs. Charles Rich and Carney with much of the information used and referenced in this blog. Indeed, several of the quotes above are from Mr. Schoebrechts\u2019 published work, Nix Compris \u2013 Blair was There<\/em>, which considers the perspective of Floyd Blair, one of the band\u2019s musicians. Miraculously, Mr. Blair is alive and peacefully well in Florida; Mr. Schoebrechts though, lives just minutes from the airbase in Brustem. Dr. Rich and Sue Carney have returned to the US but remain curious about the history of the 25th<\/sup> General Hospital.<\/p>\n

For more information, to view a collection, or for a tour of The Winkler Center, please call 558-5120 or email chhp@uc.edu<\/a> to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Nathan Hood While the University of Cincinnati\u2019s 25th General Hospital was departing for the World War II European Theater of Operations in the early 1940\u2019s, Germany had already invaded Belgium and had secured a small, Belgian military airbase in … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,600,31,13,282],"tags":[897,984,975,976,983,893,974,989,981,1079,973,982,979,977,896],"class_list":["post-29212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-digital-collections","category-special-collections-2","category-uc","category-uclibraries","category-winkler-center","tag-25th-general-hospital","tag-airbase-a-92","tag-along-the-war-path","tag-charles-lambert-rich","tag-dr-jean-m-stevenson","tag-dr-murray-lambert-rich","tag-floyd-blair","tag-hendrik-schoebrechts","tag-henri-chapelle","tag-major-general-paul-hawley","tag-nix-compris","tag-nix-compris-blair-was-there","tag-stedilijk-museum","tag-sue-carney","tag-world-war-ii"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29212\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}