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 Author  Topic: Information needed about MTB RON 21 and Alamo Scouts
Russ Blaise

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 15, 2008 - 6:24am
Hello everyone,

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Russ Blaise and I am the Executive Director of the Alamo Scouts Association. My father was an Alamo Scout in the Southwest Pacific Theater during WWII. The Alamo Scouts were under the command of General Walter Krueger, Commanding General, Sixth Army. The Scouts were made up of 6 or 7 man teams that conducted reconnaissance and raider work totaling over 108 missions behind enemy lines. The PT boats and their crews were vital to the success of their missions, which brings me to this great website...

I am looking for any information or leads about a PT Boat under the command of Lt. Commander Selman S. Bowling, MTB RON 21, that carried an Alamo Scout team (Sumner Team) to reconnoiter PEGUN ISLAND of the MAPIA Group to determine the possibility of effecting the rescue of 3 Air Corps EM left ashore. The mission was on 23 August 1944. I do not know the number of the PT Boat or the name of the Skipper and crew. There were two other PT Boats that went with them.

You can read about the mission on this web page: http://www.alamoscouts.org/features/war_stories/pegun_island/main.htm

I was wondering if anybody ever had any contact with Selman S. Bowling or his family? Or any contact of crew members of MTB RON 21?

Also an officer named, Lt(jg) Malloy (first name unknown). He was the liaison from MTB RON 21 and the Alamo Scouts

NOTE: In some Skipper logs, Alamo Scouts could be the same as Army Scouts.

Thank you for your time and I'm hope is that someone from that squadron will surface.

Russ Blaise
Executive Director
Alamo Scouts Association
asa at alamoscouts dot org

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  Jerry Gilmartin

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jerry Gilmartin   Send Email To Jerry Gilmartin Posted on: Jul 15, 2008 - 8:33am
Hey Russ,
I looked on this website Information, and it lists Ron21 Commanding Officer as LCDR Selman Bowling. As the Squadron Commander, he would be able to pick any boat in the squadron to go out on. The boats assigned to RON21 were 128, 131, 132, and 320-331. LCDR Bowling was not the boat captain, but he was their boss. Hopefully this may narrow it down a little. Jerry PT658 Portland OR

Jerry Gilmartin

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Russ Blaise

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 15, 2008 - 8:48am
Hi Jerry,
I knew that LCDR Selman Bowling was the Squadron Commander, I just worded it wrong. Thanks for pointing that out. I'm new in researching PT boats. Pretty cool stuff... Bowling could of been on the PT boat that the Scouts were on. I'm taking a guess because, Lt. Sumner, the Alamo Scouts team leader talks about him in his memoirs.

Thanks again,

Russ Blaise
Executive Director
Alamo Scouts Association<
asa at alamoscouts dot org

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QM

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 15, 2008 - 2:09pm
On August 23, 1944, Commander Selman was command of all PT's in the New Guinea area. The book "At Close Quarters" has a little information regarding PT boats landing and picking up scouts at several locations. This was done by several squadrons. I could not find any reference to August 23, 1944.

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QM

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 16, 2008 - 8:28am
I have done a little more reading of At Close Quarters, especially at page 256. This is only a guess, but boats from Squadrons 24 and 25 could have been involved in the Mapia Islands. They were at Amsterdam Island which is much closer than the boats based at Mios Woendi. There is no mention of the Mapia Islands, but that the boats made twenty special missions,to land and retrieve Army and NICA Scouts. Can anyone out there from 24 or 25 help with information?

Were the Alamo Scouts part of the Bushmasters who were in some of the New Guinea landings?

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  Russ Blaise

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 16, 2008 - 10:45am
Hi QM,

Were the Alamo Scouts part of the Bushmasters? No not really, but some of the Bushmasters became Alamo Scouts.

Sumner Team first mission was 21-22 July 1944 Geelvink Bay, Dutch New Guinea. MTB RON 21 was the squadron that took them there. Does "At Close Quarters" have any reference to that?

PEGUN ISLAND mission in the MAPIA Group. I'll have to dig a little deeper myself.

On 25 August 1944 - Woendi Island Naval Base (PT). The team saw Bob Hope show. That was from, Sumner's diary.

Because of the top secret nature of their missions, bad records were kept. We find ourselves spinning in circles.

Thanks,

Russ Blaise
Executive Director
Alamo Scouts Association
asa at alamoscouts dot org

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Ray Wilbur

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 16, 2008 - 3:01pm
I have the book and read it several times plus it's a great reference book. Now, I think I need to read it again. I never paid much attention about the scouts and want to see what they say.

Ray

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QM

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 17, 2008 - 7:31am
At Close Quarters does not have any detailed information on the activities of the Alamo Scouts. The following information is an example:

As part of the preparation for Army landings on Noemfoor, PT's landed and picked up several scouting parties. PT 193, Ron 12, and PT 331, Ron 21 put one of these parties ashore at Bani Point on the night of June 24/25 and picked them up later that same night. Page 251. This was from Mios Woendi.

If the Scouts were at Mios Woendi for the Bob Hope show, my guess is that the trip to the Mapia Islands would have been from Mios Woendi.

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Russ Blaise

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 17, 2008 - 8:31am
Just as a reference you can go to this web page and scroll down and you will see all the Alamo Scouts missions listed with their place and date. Note, sometimes those dates could be off a day or two The list is showing two teams with the date of 21-23 June 1944 on Noemfoor Island.

http://www.alamoscouts.org/special_forces/missions.htm

My father's travel log shows Woeni to Noenfoor, Noemfoor to Pegun (Mapia Islands), Pegun to Noemfoor, Noemfoor back to Woendi just in time for Bob Hope.

http://www.alamoscouts.org/special_forces/missions_log.htm

[How do you go from killing Japs and coming close to being killed yourself two days before sitting down watching a Bob Hope show, that's really something...]

Hey, hi, Ray. Glad you could join us. How did that interview go with your father by Lance?

Russ Blaise
Executive Director
Alamo Scouts Association
asa at alamoscouts dot org

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Ray Wilbur

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Jul 17, 2008 - 9:10am
It went great! They talked for over an hour. I'm taking my Mom and Dad to dinner tonight. It's their 60th anniversary. WOW!

Ray

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