Links and Information Submitted by
Tom Smicklas, the nephew of George Michalek
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Email messages from Tom Smicklas

5/25/05 THANK YOU VERY MUCH TAKING TIME TO HELP ME RESEARCH GEORGE MICHALEK! This will mean a lot to our family - and especially his sister/my mother (they were VERY CLOSE) and to my three children. "Uncle George" was wonderful to them all. 

9/15/05 My mother (his sister and last remaining family member) was thrilled to the point of tears to see him in pictures and read about him to discover a part of his life that really was not a conversation topic - ever. She is 95 and is now in declining health at home with us.

12/30/05 My mother has encouraged me to do research on her brother George Michalek.  I am very appreciative of the resources of your 558 web page and conversations I had with a couple of vets. As I find out more details I will e-mail them to you and you can do with them as you see fit. I had a chance to go to Camp Roberts in this past October. I was at Vandenberg AFB near Santa Maria for a Titan IV Rocket launch (my son and daughter-in-law are both Air Force officers in the USAF Space Weapons command so "dad" had a front row seat) and since I was there for the week I took a day to tour the Camp, Hunter Liggett and the Camp Roberts museum-what there is of it.Took some pictures, ran over a rattlesnake and spoke with the resident base historian.

General J. C. Breckinridge, ship that brought the 558th FAB home from Europe in August 1945

"Operated under the Coast Guard, General J. C. Breckinridge was commissioned too late to take an active part in the fighting in Europe, but after shakedown in July and August 1945 proceeded to Marseilles. Arriving there 14 August, she loaded over 5,000 troops and their equipment and proceeded to Manila. Word of the surrender of Japan came next day, however, and General J. C. Breckin ridge proceeded to New York, where she unloaded her troops 24 August."
(complete information at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/webcutters/g_breckinridge.html)

Photos of the ship General J. C. Breckinridge
(more photos at http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22176.htm)

Edmund B. Alexander, ship that took the 558th FAB to Great Britain in 1944

Amerika --a steel-hulled twin-screw, steam passenger liner--was launched on 20 April 1905 at Belfast, Ireland, by the noted shipbuilding firm of Harland and Wolff, Ltd. Built for the Hamburg-America Line, the steamer entered transatlantic service in the autumn of 1905, when she departed Hamburg on 11 October, bound for the United States.... With the ship's new role (for World War II service) came a new name. Possibly to avoid confusion with the liner America , then building at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., the transport's name was changed to Edmund B. Alexander, in 1941. Edmund B. Alexander carried troops between New York and the European and Mediterranean theaters for the remainder of World War II.
(complete information at http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/173006h.htm)

Photos of the ship Edmund B. Alexander
(more photos at http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/173006.htm)

Camp Shanks, stopover before embarking for Europe in 1994

Camp Shanks, located in Orangeburg, Rockland County, New York (aka "Last Stop U.S.A."), was the final stateside stop for 1.3 million soldiers who were processed through this staging area and prepared for departure from Piermont Pier to the European Theater of Operations.
(complete information at http://www.skylighters.org/forts/shanks.html)

Moreton Hall in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire where the 558th prepared for the invasion of France (https://www.warkscol.ac.uk/moreton_hall/httpdocs/frame.htm)

BattleTanks.com web site, information and photos of most of  the major tanks of the leading countries from WWII to the present time.

   

1942-U.S.A. M12 Gun Motor Carriage http://www.battletanks.com/m12_gun_motor_carriage.htm

M12 Gun http://www.provingground.info/155mmsp.htm

ammor piecing projectile for 155mm gun http://www.provingground.info/apm112.htm

shell for 155mm gun http://www.provingground.info/hem101.htm

charge for 155mm gun http://www.provingground.info/charge_m2_for_155mm_gun_m1.htm