Master Sergeant Paul Cernak, ASN 32156565 Ordnance Technical Intelligence, Depot O-644, Paris, France United States Army 1941-1945 |
"Fifty Years of Silence Ordnance Technical Intelligence Team Depot O-644, Paris, France, 1944-1945". 324 pages, full color. Available on Amazon.com ISBN-13: 979-8669220907 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KH2L8NP For 75 years, this story has been untold. 324 pages with over 200 never-before released photos of captured enemy equipment being readied for shipment from Depot O-644 Paris, France, for evaluation at Aberdeen Proving Grounds during WWII. Many of the tanks, cannons, railway guns and V-2 Rockets do not exist anymore past these photos. Several of these tanks and artillery pieces, shown in this book, were on display in the later 20th century at the Aberdeen, Maryland Ordnance Museum and are now at the Fort Lee Museum, Virginia. Master Sergeant Paul Cernak, Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the 265th Ordnance Service Company, under the command of Major Stone and General Saylor, was responsible for processing all of this captured foreign intelligence equipment for shipment to England and the United States in 1944 through the closing days of WWII, to include Operation BACKFIRE, the reverse engineering of the German V-2 Rocket Program. Ordnance Technical Intelligence Teams were responsible for the capturing, identification and shipment of foreign intelligence equipment for shipment to the United States. Early in the WWII, the U. S. Army saw the necessity for immediate first-hand technical observation, and in December 1942 the first Ordnance Intelligence Team: several specially-trained Officers and Enlisted Men, were dispatched into combat. Their mission was to procure enemy weapons and ship them to the United States to be used in a continuous study of the latest developments and trends in the enemy armament industry and to rapidly develop counter weapons. By the end of WWII, very small teams of highly trained technical observers and collectors were working in every theater of operations to obtain enemy material for evaluation. This book also covers the pre-Normandy invasion work that was done by these Ordnance Personnel prior to June 6th 1944. Their efforts resulted in the testing and successful waterproofing vehicle tests conducted in England between 1943 and 1944, for issue of the Asbestos Waterproofing Compound (AWC) used to waterproof all Allied vehicles for Operation Overlord. Multiple previously classified never-before seen photos are present in this book of the testing being done in England. After the Normandy Invasion, these Ordnance Men headed to mainland Europe to collect, process and ship the advanced enemy equipment, shown in this book. |
Released in 2020, "Fifty Years of Silence, Ordnance Technical Intelligence Team, Depot O-644, Paris, France, 1944-1945": |
World War Two vehicles, tanks, and equipment original photographs published in this book: Denmark: Danish Madsen machinegun Great Britain: British Navy LCT-2453 (Landing Craft - Tank) British Morris-Commercial M8 FAT “Quad” British Morris-Commercial 15 CWT wireless truck British Vickers Wellington Mark GR.XIV HF113/G France: French Renault UE Chenillette, light tracked armored carrier Germany: V-2 Rocket: German Aggregat A-4 (V-2) Rocket German Aggregat A-4 (V-2) Rocket Luftverdichter-Anhänger FR, compressor trailer German Aggregat A-4 (V-2) Rocket Vidalwagen, road transporters German Aggregat A-4 (V-2) Rocket liquid oxygen trailer pump German Aggregat A-4 (V-2) Rocket A-Stoff Betriebstoffanhänger, liquid oxygen tank trailer German Steyr 2000A Stromerzeuger-elektrisch Wagen für V-2, power source truck German V-2 Rocket Fz.Pos.No. 407 T-Stoffvorwämer 1-achs mit anhänger, trailer German Aggregat A-4 (V-2) Rocket Abschussplattform, firing table German Wasserfall Ferngelenkte FlaRakete, guided supersonic surface-to-air missile German Henschel HS 293 anti-ship radio-controlled glide bomb German Henschel HS 298 rocket-powered air-to-air missile German Fieseler Fi 103R “Reichenberg” German Erma MPE sub-machinegun German MP-34 sub-machinegun German MP-40 sub-machinegun German MP-43 sub-machinegun German 7.92mm Krummlauf, 30-degree curved barrel German Mauser 98 German MG-42 machinegun German MG-81 machinegun German 2cm Flakvierling 38, anti-aircraft gun German 3,7cm Flak 43 anti-aircraft gun German 7,5cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40, anti-tank gun German 7.5 cm Flugabwehrkanone M 35, anti-aircraft gun German 8,8cm Raketenwerfer 43 “Puppchen”, anti-tank rocket launcher German 8,8cm Flak 18 Sonderanhänger, anti-aircraft gun trailer German SK C/30 8,8cm shipboard mounted Naval Gun German 10cm Nebelwerfer 40, mortar German Leichte 10,5cm PzH18/40/2 auf Geschützwagen III/IV (Sf) Selbstfahrlafette, prototype self-propelled gun German 12,8cm Flakzwilling 40, double anti-aircraft gun German 15cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18, sFH 18, heavy howitzer German 21cm Granatenwerfer 69 German Nebelwerfer 28/32cm rocket launch platform German Krupp Minenräumpanzer III, mine clearing tank German Raupenschlepper OST, RSO/03 full-tracked prime mover German schwerer Raupenschlepper Praga T 9, heavy prime mover German Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper sWS, heavy tractor German produced Ford V3000S 3-ton truck German Steyr 1500A personnel carrier German Krupp Räumer S (Selbstrantrieb), 130-ton heavy mine clearing vehicle German Kommandogerät 40 or Kdo.Ger.40, heavy artillery range finder German Luftwaffe HB/50 Heissluftblaser, hot-air aircraft engine pre-heating machine German Sd.Kfz.2 Type 166 Schwimmwagen, amphibious car German Trippel SG6/38 SG6/41 Schwimmwagen, amphibious car German Sd.Kfz.6 half-track 5-ton prime mover German Sd.Kfz.7/3 “Feuerleitpanzer”, V-2 Rocket half-track command-post/prime-mover German Sd.Kfz.138/2 Jagdpanzer 38 “Hetzer”, tank destroyer German Sd.Kfz.138/2 Hetzer “Bergepanzer 38(t)” tank recovery vehicle German Sd.Kfz.161/3 3,7cm Flak auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen IV (sf) “Mobelwagen”, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun German Sd.Kfz.161 Panzer IV tank German Sd.Kfz.161/4 Flakpanzer IV “Wirbelwind”, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun German Sd.Kfz.162 Jagdpanzer IV/70 tank destroyer German Sd.Kfz.164 “Nashhorn”, self-propelled gun German Sd.Kfz.165 “Hummel” 15cm Panzerfeldhaubitze 18M auf Geschützwagen III/IV, self-propelled gun German Sd.Kfz.167 Sturmgeschütz IV assault gun German Sd.Kfz.171 Panzerkampfwagen V “Panther”, tank German Sd.Kfz.171 Panzerkampfwagen V “Bergepanther”, tank recovery vehicle German Sd.Kfz.173 “Jagdpanther”, tank destroyer German Sd.Kfz.182 Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B “Tiger II” or “King Tiger” tank German Sd.Anh.121 “Kassbohrer” 75-ton six-axle heavy-tank transporter for “Tiger” tank German Sd.Kfz.234/1 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen mit 2cm KwK 38, armored car German Sd.Kfz.234/2 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen mit 5cm KWK 39/1 L/60, armored car German Sd.Kfz.234/3 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen mit 7,5cm K51, armored car German Sd.Kfz.250 personnel carrier German Sd.Kfz.251 personnel carrier German Sd.Kfz.303 “Goliath”, remote-demolition vehicle German Sd.Kfz.304 Mittlerer Ladungsträger Springer, remote-demolition vehicle Railroad Guns: German 12.8cm Flak 40 Geschützwagen II Eisenbahn, railcar mounted anti-aircraft gun German Krupp 20,3cm SK C/34 Kanone (E), railroad gun German Krupp 21cm Kanone 12 V (E), railroad gun German Krupp 24cm Theodor Kanone, railroad gun German 27,4cm K(E) 591(f),592(f), 594(f) or 28.5cm 605(f) railroad gun German 28cm SK L/40 “Bruno”, railroad gun German Krupp 28cm K5, railroad gun German Krupp 34cm Kanone (E) 673 (f), railroad gun German 38cm S.K. L/45, railroad gun Italy: Italian Beretta 38/42 sub-machinegun Italian Semovente da 149/40 149.1mm self-propelled gun Poland: Polish Browning wz. 1928 automatic rifle Soviet Union: Russian SVT-38 semi-automatic rifle Russian PPD-40 semi-automatic rifle Russian PPSh-41 sub-machinegun Russian 122mm M1938 M-30 Howitzer Russian 152mm M1937 ML-20 Howitzer Russian M1931 203mm B-4 Howitzer Russian T-34/76 Tank United States: U.S. 12-1/2 ton 40-foot, Type C-2 Wrecking Trailer U.S. M15 40-Ton Semi-Trailer U.S. G-98/G-101/G-126 M1 Heavy Tractor U.S. G-99 International Harvester Company M5 2-ton Crane Tractor U.S. G-104 M4 “Sherman” Tank U.S. G-116 10-ton 6x6 Heavy Wrecking Truck U.S. G-126 Caterpillar M1 Heavy Tractor U.S. G-130 M10 3-Inch Motor Gun Carriage U.S. G-159 Diamond T Model 980 M20 12-Ton 6x4 Tank Transporter U.S. G-160 Pacific Car & Foundry Company M26A1 “Dragon Wagon” tank transporter U.S. G-501 2 ½-ton 6x6 Amphibious Truck DUKW U.S. G-502 Dodge WC-53 ¾-Ton Carryall Truck U.S. G-502 Dodge WC-54 ¾-Ton Ambulance U.S. G-503 (Willys MB or Ford GPW) ¼-Ton Truck “Jeep” U.S. G-506 Chevrolet 1 ½-ton G-7105 4x4 Panel Truck U.S. G-508 2 ½-ton CCKW 353 Truck U.S. G-509 Diamond T 969A 4-Ton 6x6 Wrecker Truck U.S. G-510 Autocar 4-5 Ton 4x4 Truck Tractor U.S. G-513 Federal 94x43 4-5 Ton 4x4 Truck Tractor U.S. G-518 1-ton trailer U.S. G-519 M9 45-ton Tank Trailer U.S. Navy LCT-530 (Landing Craft - Tank) |
A look inside the book "Fifty Years of Silence, Ordnance Technical Intelligence Team, Depot O-644, Paris, France, 1944-1945": |