BAY CITY, MI — With the 70th anniversary of D-Day upon us, Steve Berge of Midland hopes folks remember the individual soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, on Tuesday, June 6, 1944.

"Sometimes you wonder if things could only talk, the stories they would tell," said Berge, who has been a collector of World War II and other U.S. war artifacts and memorabilia since about the age of 13 and takes particular interest in obtaining "groupings" — a compilation of items belonging to a single individual.

Such collections include items like uniforms, medals, cards, photographs, journals and personal affects that, when combined, reveal details about the person who once carried them.

"To collect the photographs and medals without the story isn't the same," Berge explained.

One particular grouping in Berge's possession holds a special significance this year: the items belonged to Fireman 1st Class Leonard M. Janowicz of Bay City, who was killed during the Normandy invasion on D-Day.

Berge said that years ago he was browsing through an antique shop when an acquaintance told him of a man in Bay City in possession of a Purple Heart from Normandy.

Because he was in the U.S. Navy, Leonard Janowicz's Purple Heart was made of silver, which oxidized and turned black where engraved. (Danielle McGrew | The Bay City Times)Danielle McGrew | MLive.com

Berge said he was interested, but skeptical. When he met with the individual, however, his doubts were dissolved. Underneath the embossed letters on the back of the Purple Heart reading "For military merit," the name "Leonard M. Janowicz" was engraved in what appeared to be black lettering.

The exposed silver having oxidized caused the color of the engraving to appear to be black, Berge said, explaining that while most Purple Hearts are made of a less precious metal alloy, Marine Corps and Navy medals were made of silver. Furthermore, the certificate was present along with the medal.

"I thought, 'This guy is telling the honest-to-God truth,'" Berge recalled. "It gives me goose bumps."

Berge said he doesn't remember the man's name, but that he arranged to purchased the medal along with a variety of other items. He declined to say how much he paid for the items.

He said the man had discovered the box of items in a home owned by his parents on South Madison Street in Bay City. The second floor of that home had been rented at one time to Leonard Janowicz's mother. Berge suspects that Leonard was an only child, because the Janowicz's possessions remained in the home after their deaths.

Using information garnered from the items, Berge was able to parcel together a picture of Leonard Max Janowicz's life.

A Bay City soldier goes ashore on D-Day

Janowicz was born May 31, 1923, in Bay City, attended St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church in the South End, worked for General Motors at the Saginaw Steering Division and lived on the second floor of 900 S. Madison St. Correspondence to the family home indicates his mother, Francis, lived there as well, but there is no indication of his father.

Janowicz joined the U.S. Navy and served aboard the USS Dorothea L. Dix, a transport vessel. The Dix was involved in the North African campaign in 1942, the Sicilian occupation in 1943 and the invasion of Normandy, followed by the invasion of southern France in 1944 and Okinawa Gunto operation in 1945. It is unknown if Janowicz served in the two theatres prior to his death.

On June 5, the Dix, left Portland, England, carrying 1,500 soldiers and arrived off the shores of Normandy the next day.

The ship log, obtained by Berge by contacting the daughter of Cpt. Richard A. Daecher, indicated 16 ships were steaming toward France in a single column; the Dix was the third.

On June 6, 1944, the Dix approached Omaha Beach, off the coast of Port en Bessin, France.

According to "D-Day: 6 June 1944," a book published by Britain at War magazine, the beach "was a concave stretch of sand that ran unhindered for almost six miles. … Flanked by steep cliffs and fronted by a bluff that rose sharply to heights of between 100 and 170 feet, Omaha Beach's chief and, arguable, only appeal to the Allied High Command was its location."

The Allies originally believed the area would be "virtually undefended." However, by June 6, the German army had set up pillboxes and machine guns along the high ground, complemented by anti-tank, field artillery and rocket launcher sites. The landing site was spotted with mined posts and steel obstructions.

Steve Berge points out a map of the Allies' offense and the German's defense. Leonard Janowicz was assigned to the Easy Red beach. (Danielle McGrew | The Bay City Times)Danielle McGrew | MLive.com

The Dix lay anchor shortly before 3:30 a.m. and began hoisting out and lowering boats into the water shortly thereafter. Just before 4 a.m., all boats were in the water. The log notes anti-aircraft fire, incendiary bombs bursting on the beach, aircraft in flames and Allied battleships, cruisers and destroyers shelling the beach. At 6:35 a.m., the first assault wave attacked Easy Red Beach, the area to which Janowicz was assigned. He was one of four crew members on a landing craft, called a Higgins boat. The 36-foot-long boat carried 36 infantrymen to the beach.

"To collect the photographs and medals without the story isn't the same." - Steve Berge

The ship log recorded opposition to be "heavy."

After a few hours, "Easy Red" was the only area cleared of obstacles, causing more landing craft to try to access it. The result was a "monster traffic jam" that provided an easy target.

The ship's log states at 3:15 p.m., boats began returning from the beach, and by 4:47 p.m. all but seven boats had returned. Janowicz, along with 17 others, was reported as missing in action and was later declared killed in action.

The Dix was underway shortly before 8 p.m., the log states, returning to Portland to disembark casualties.

Exactly what happened to Janowicz is unknown, but Higgins boats were equipped only with two .30-caliber machine guns, and the casualty rate for all personnel was extremely high, Berge said.

"There's always been a mystery about who these people were, their thoughts and feelings," Berge said of soldiers and veterans. "I can't imagine the trauma and tragedy these people saw every day."

A letter home from the U.S. Navy

Janowicz's mother, Francis, received a letter dated Aug. 3, 1944, from the U.S. Navy informing her of her son's status as missing in action.

"I assure you we all hope we may share in your concern for his safety," it read. "We regret that the news concerning your son has been so meager, but I feel you understand the Navy Department has given you just as definite news as they were able to get and will keep you advised whenever there is further word they can send you."

The box in Berge's possession did not contain a notice of Janowicz's death; it did, however, contain two small fabric banners: one with a blue star and the other featuring a larger gold star.

The blue star, Berge said, signified Francis Janowicz was the mother of a son or daughter serving in the war. The gold star marked that her child had been killed. The banners would have hung in a window of her home.

A portrait of F1C Leonard Janowicz, along with a photograph of him in 1940, a prayer card from his funeral and a newspaper clipping were found. (Danielle McGrew | The Bay City Times)Danielle McGrew | MLive.com

The box of personal items also included a Valentine's Day card to Francis Janowicz, a few photographs of Leonard — posing with another young man, a bike and a guitar in March 1940, sitting in Wenonah Park in September 1940, and his formal portrait in his U.S. Navy uniform. Handwritten details on the black-and-white photos show the young man went by "Len."

A newspaper clipping notes that "a bronze plaque listing the names of 22 men from St. Stanislaus parish who lost their lives in service to their country during World War II was to be dedicated in front of the rectory at 1 p.m. Friday, July 4. Leonard Janowicz's name is one of them. That plaque remains to this day.

In addition to the posthumously-awarded Purple Heart, The items now in Berge's position include a Victory Medal, Janowicz's duffle bag and metal stencils to paint his name, a variety of certificates and a prayer card from his funeral.

Berge suspects that Janowicz was an only child; there is no evidence suggesting otherwise in the box. Most, but not all, items were still pristine. A certificate from President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Janowicz's memory seemed to never have been unrolled.

"If you're a parent, you must be so devastated that your child was killed in action that you just stored it all away," Berge said.

Items to go on display in November

Berge said he has only displayed Janowicz's grouping once or twice, but he plans to include it and many other items that he has purchased over the years in a display at the Midland County Historical Society's Herbert D. Doan Midland County History Center, 3417 W. Main St., Midland, in November. Details for the potential display have not yet be confirmed, but he hopes to make it something grand.

"It will probably be the biggest World War II display ever in the Tri-Cities," he said.

"These people will always be the greatest generation," Berge said. "It's amazing to see people read (the information paired with the displays) and say 'That was my father, my uncle, my neighbor — I never knew that.' "

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2014/06/militaryitemspersonal_effect.html

NOTE: My Dad, Richard Daecher, was NOT captain of the DIX… he was a seaman who would have been humbly embarrassed to have had that monumental title erroneously printed. It was great seeing an article on a DIX shipmate, although I wish it could have been for a happier reason.

USS DOROTHEA L DIX AP67