Cecil Hannah
Lead, kindly Light,
amid th'encircling gloom; Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.
The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.
– “Lead Kindly
Light” by John Henry Newman
On March 9, 1942, Mrs. Pearl Hannah
received a telegram informing her of the death of her son Private
Cecil Hannah, 23. The message from the War Department stated that
Private Hannah died on the Dutch West Indies island of Aruba, off the
coast of Venezuela, as a result of a gunshot wound.
No particulars were included to explain
the nature of the wound, but relatives assumed Private Hannah was
wounded February 16 when an enemy submarine shelled oil installations
on the U.S.-garrisoned island.
The telegram said the body would not be
brought to the United States during the present conflict, but on
termination of hostilities, the War Department, if possible, would
bring the body to the home for final interment.
Private Hannah, who died of his
wound on March 6, 1942, was reported to be “the first American
soldier to give his life for his country in an actual attack on the
Western Hemisphere in World War II.”
Some time later Chaplain Ambrose J.
Sullivan reported the following in a letter to Mrs. Pearl Hannah:
“The Lucasville soldier frustrated an
attempt of two of the enemy to sabotage millions of gallons of
gasoline and an enormous refinery. The pair opened fire on the
soldier. Private Hannah returned the fire and advanced and the men
fled, but in the meantime a bullet hit him in the leg.
“A large artery was severed and the
soldier died of loss of blood and shock despite immediate first aid
and attention of doctors.”
An entry in a journal by fellow soldier
Arnold Douglas Ward added this commentary: “Shot by two unknown
assailants while on Post #2 at Lago Oil Co.”
Chaplain Sullivan conducted a full
military funeral March 7, which included all men from Private
Hannah's forces who were not on duty at the time, representatives of
the Dutch Army, the American Legion post and the American colony.
Burial was in the American military cemetery at San Nicolas.
Cecil Hannah's death presents local
historians with some interesting questions. First and foremost, was
Hannah the first war casualty in an attack on the Western Hemisphere
as reported by the Portsmouth Times in
1942? I found no further verification of the unfortunate
holder of this claim. Yet, I found nothing to dispute this fact.
And,
perhaps even more baffling – What are the exact circumstances of
this so-called “sabotage” that resulted in Hannah's death? Much
is written about the February 16th attack, but I found
nothing much about the raid on March 6th. The lack of detail is disturbing.
Lago Refinery on Aruba
Aruba
Tiny Aruba has played an important role
in World War II. Aruba was home to two of the largest oil refineries
in the world during the war against the Axis powers, the Arend
Petroleum Maatschappij, situated near the Oranjestad harbor and the
Lago Oil and Transport Company at the San Nicolas harbor.The
refineries of one field alone at Aruba produced more oil than any
facility controlled by the Axis.
The fuel refined at Lago was used by
the Allied air force and that made the island a vital point in the
Western Hemisphere – vital for the Americans to defend and for the
Germans to attack. The main product was 100-octane aviation gasoline
and the primary recipient was Great Britain. Having the superior fuel
was considered the critical edge that gave the RAF victory in the
Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940.
Aruba – its oil installations and
tankers – became the target of the first attack on the Western
hemisphere. Even before the first bloodshed in Europe, the secret
service of the Aberwher had sent numerous spies to Aruba to plot
sabotage missions against the petroleum refineries.
The first enemy attack against American
soil occurred early on the morning of February 16, 1942, when German
submarines shelled a Standard Oil refinery on Aruba Island, in the
Netherland West Indies off the coast of Venezuela, and sank three
tankers with the loss of twenty-three lives. The attack resulted in
the disruption of vital Allied fuel production.
* Note – Another report says four
Allied ships had been sunk, and at least 47 Allied merchant sailors
were killed, and several more received wounds.
In those days there was no black out at
all, the target lay there, fully lit. The site Historia di Aruba
reports: “Some Arubans, not yet aware of the importance of a black
out during a bombardment at dark, switched on the lights at home and
even took the car and headed for the coast, their headlights switched
on, hoping to catch a glimpse of the submarine.”
* Note – Security had failed. The
Neuland Group of submarines already had detailed information about
their targets. A Spanish ship’s officer (Naval Reserve Officer) had
reported on harbors in Curacao: “open, not mined, no black-out,
large stores of petroleum on shore. 20-25 tankers, mainly enemy,
always there.”
After the firing of the torpedoes at
ships lying off the coast or in the harbor, the U-156 emerged and the
crew hurried to prepare the heavy artillery on deck of the submarine
for the bombardment of the refinery. In the excitement of the moment,
the deck gunner forgot to remove the plug from the end of the cannon
barrel and the muzzle exploded while firing the first projectile; the
deck gunner was killed instantly and an assisting crew member was
seriously injured.
This fatal error spared Lago almost
total destruction, because after the loss of this cannon, the U-boat
only had a much lighter gun on board. That was used to shoot at the
refinery and at the surrounding buildings, but the damage was only
minor. Sixteen rounds from the 37mm AA gun were fired, but only two
hits were found by the Allies: a dent in an oil storage tank and a
hole in a house.
Time Magazine reported on the
shelling of Lago and carried this eyewitness account from Associated
Press Photographer Herbert White: “A mile offshore a submarine lay
on the surface, pouring shells at the island. Already two tankers in
the harbor were on fire, flaming oil spread over the water. The
harbor scene was like a raging forest fire right in your own front
yard… The blaze was shooting up high over the waterfront. I could
see the decks of [one] ship as a mass of flames.”
Later, historians made much about the
“monumental error of placing the tankers within the narrow confines
of the harbor instead of anchored in the roadstead.” It seems fate
also played a part in saving the installation.
According to Historia di Aruba,
Aruba escaped that night and not only because the bombardment of Lago
failed: there also was a ship, loaded with 3000 tons of TNT
(dynamite), in the harbor. The 'Henry Gibbons' just had not yet set
sail when the torpedo attack started. The crew still wanted to have a
cup of coffee before taking to sea … If it had been a direct hit,
the devastation on Aruba would have been unimaginable.”
Threats to Lago may have ended, but
German activity persisted. A report on February 22, 1942, expressed
five submarines were still believed to be in the area and that the
Norwegian tanker Konesgaard had been torpedoed the day before
off Curacao and that today “a Dutch coast patrol vessel fired
unsuccessfully on a submarine which had surfaced just off the
entrance to San Nicolaas harbor.”
In messages sent on the 24th Consul
Standish reported that the American motor tanker Sun had been
torpedoed fifty miles northwest of Aruba at 10:00 a.m. on the 23rd
and that the Panamanian tanker Thalia had been sunk in the
same area. Although badly holed amidships, the Sun was able to
make it to San Nicolas harbor.
In April there was an attempt to shell
the Curacao refinery and submarine activity continued in the
Caribbean until 1945.
Private Cecil Hannah
Cecil Hannah was a private in the U.S.
Army, C Company, 166th Infantry Battalion. He was drafted and
enlisted on February 7, 1941 at Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio. Hannah
was killed in Aruba on March 6, 1942. He was buried in the American
Military Cemetery in Savaneta, Aruba. In February 1947 his body was
transferred to the Lucasville Cemetery in Lucasville, Ohio.
Honda Knot Under Golden Gate
* Note – A later article (1948) in
the Portsmouth Times stated that “two Scioto County soldiers
were among the 1.150 servicemen whose bodies are being returned to
the United States from the Caribbean and South America aboard the
(United States Army Transport) Honda Knot, the army announced
today.” The ship was to dock in San Francisco.
The article continued … “The local
men are 2nd Lt. Lewis Warren, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Warren of
Sciotoville Route 2 and Pvt. Cecil Hannah, son of Mrs. Pearl Hannah
of Lucasville. Lt. Warren, a pilot in the ferry command was killed
June 7, 1944 in an airplane crash in Natal, Brazil. He was 22. Pvt.
Hannah, first soldier fatality from Lucasville during the war, died
of a gun wound on the Dutch West Indies island of Aruba off the coast
of Venezuela in March 1942. He was 23."
The entire repatriation and overseas
burial program was conducted from 1945 to 1951, at a cost of
$200,000,000 in 1945 dollars (several billion today). It was the most
extensive reburial program following a foreign war. The arrival of
the Honda Knot officially initiated what one observer called
the “most melancholy immigration movement in the history of man.”
Cecil Hannah was born in Alcorn (Rock
House), Kentucky on April 4, 1918. Before entering the service, he
worked for a dairy in Delaware, Ohio. He was also a resident of
Madison County. He had received his army training at Camp Shelby,
Mississippi. The regiment moved to New Orleans, and 1st Battalion was
detached to Task Force 1291, serving as a garrison unit in Aruba and
Curaçao in the Caribbean.
Private Hannah was home on a short
furlough before Christmas in 1941. About six weeks before his death,
the family received a card from him saying he had landed safely at
his new post. The card, however, did not disclose his location.
Cecil was the son of John and Pearl
Tackett Hannah. His father, John Hannah, was a member of a group
which was drowned in the Ohio River in 1930 during a severe storm.
Cecil was survived by his mother; four brothers – Jack of
Baltimore, Sterling of Lucasville, William and Charles at home; a
sister – Mrs. Carl Bennett of Columbus; a half brother – Dow
Allard MeNeer of Lucasville; and a nephew – Clarence, who made his
home with the Hannahs in Lucasville. A sister preceded him in death
about five years before his death.
The Mystery
The lack of details about enemy action
in Aruba on March 6, 1942 is puzzling to say the least. Cecil Hannah
was reported killed while on sentry duty by “unknown assailants.”
What exactly does this mean? Were the attackers German spies, Nazi
sympathizers, or someone else? Who was involved and why isn't the
report clear about what was evidently a major attack, after
February 16,
in Aruba? I hope someone can attain a full U.S. Military report on
the death of Hannah.
As stated previously, Chaplain Ambrose
J. Sullivan wrote:
“The Lucasville soldier frustrated
an attempt of two of the enemy to sabotage millions of gallons of
gasoline and an enormous refinery. The pair opened fire on the
soldier. Private Hannah returned the fire and advanced and the men
fled, but in the meantime a bullet hit him in the leg.”
Here is a journal entry by fellow
serviceman Arnold Douglas Ward concerning the event:
“Time elapses quickly. One month
today since we landed - one dead already Pvt. Cecil Hannah from
Lucasville, Ohio, killed in the line of duty – Shot by two unknown
assailants while on Post #2 at Lago Oil Co – shot in leg and died
at hospital from loss of blood. Funeral held here in library terrace.
Impressive, unique native hearse. Looked like station wagon, only not
like one upon closer inspection. Doors and body were carved – after
ceremony – or service (during which we sang, “Lead Kindly Light”
with Lt. Drove field playing organ). 8 black plumes were mounted on
top of hearse before departing for cemetery. Three volleys fired at
grave.”
Further notation by Ward under the
headline “Taps for Private Hannah” ...
“Private Cecil Hannah was fatally
shot while on guard duty as a sentry at Aruba. He died while on duty
at a lonely post. The words are simple to say, but the act carries
the thunder of revenge and the utmost in loyalty that a man can give.
Private Hannah would not want a eulogy. He would more than likely
appreciate having his life back long enough to know that he had not
given his life in vain; long enough to see the victorious end of this
war; long enough to know that those he loved back home can live in
the peace and security they deserve. While Private Hannah cannot have
his life back, there are plenty of us here to see that his desires
are fulfilled in a silent pledge 'to carry on' as Taps ring out over
the Caribbean waters for our first comrade 'over there.'”
I know enemy activity did occur after
the major attack on February 16. For example, here is an account
posted February 21 ...
“San Nicolas also experienced
incendiary flares night before last - possibly an attempt of
submarine to illuminate the town for shelling. Entire island is and
has been in blackout for past week. We are alerted from 5:00 AM to
7:00 AM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at which time we man our posts, pill
boxes and other vantage points in the camp area. This is Feb. 21st
8:00 PM and alert is over.”
In one listing of “Other Victims”
on the site Antilles At War, Cecil Hannah appears. The notation there
reads: “This group of victims is comprised of different categories.
In it are a number of Antillean victims with incomplete or
insufficient data, making it difficult to recognize them as official
war victims at this time. Also there are a number of Netherlands and
foreign persons who did not die as a direct result of enemy action.
They are however recognized as war victims in their countries of
origin. Some of them remain buried on the islands, most of them were
transferred to cemeteries in their home countries after the war.”
I wonder if this clue to Hannah's story
could help reveal more descriptive details. If he was an “other
victim,” then the Sullivan and Ward reports beg for clarification.
It is my hope that someone can read this entry and further inquire
about the fate of Cecil Hannah. I am sure answers do exist in reports
of the war. Perhaps family or American Legion officers could obtain
more information from government sources. It has come to my attention
that relatives do not even know about commendations such as a Purple
Heart. It is a sad end for a true American hero.
Sources
“2 More Bodies En Route Home.” The
Portsmouth Times. March 31, 1948.
http://www.minfordfalcons.net/LewisWarren.aspx
“Antilles At War.”
http://www.antillesatwar.com/other-victims/
“Chaplain Tells How Lucasville
Soldier Died As Hero on Aruba.” Portsmouth Times. March 17.
1942.
C.J. Christ. “Aruba produced plenty
of gas during World War II.” Courier. August 7, 2005.
William C. Gaines, “The United States
Coast Artillery Command on Aruba and Curacao in World War II.” The
Coast Defense Study Group Journal, Vol. 11, Issue 2, May 1997, p.
21. (pages are estimates as article was taken from Internet posting.)
Historia di Aruba Aruba and World
War II
http://www.historiadiaruba.aw/index.php?Itemid=26&id=12&option=com_content&task=view&lang=en
Dan Jensen, “A Short History of Lago
Oil & Transport Company, LTD, Aruba, N.W. I.” Monograph 2003,
p.13 and Table 1.
“Lucasville Lad In Army Killed.”
Portsmouth Times. March 09, 1942.
“Peter C. Ward.”
http://www.lago-colony.com/PETER%20WARD,%20FATHER,%20ARMY%20ARUBA/PETER_WARD.htm
Arnold Douglas Ward. Journal on Aruba
During WWII. 38th Division.
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/58118-My-father-s-journal-about-his-U-S-Army-unit-on-Aruba-during-WW2?styleid=39
“When
Lago Was Lucky.”
http://www.lago-colony.com/BURSON_LUCKY_LAGO/WHEN%20LAGO%20WAS%20LUCKY.pdf
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