World War II Honoree

Jeremiah J. Barkie

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Honored By

BARKIE FAMILY

ANTWERP AND THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE. WAS CALLED 'THE BEST DAMN GUNNERS IN THE WORLD' BY THE COMMANDER OF THE JOINT BRITISH-POLISH-AMERICAN ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY GROUP. THEY SUCCESSFULLY PROTECTED ANTWERP'S PORT FROM 2,394 V-1 'BUZZ BOMBS' HURLED AT THE CITY BY GERMANY'S HIGH COMMAND IN THE FINAL MONTHS OF THE WAR. BLASTING 2,183 OF THE V-1'S OUT OF THE SKIES OVER ANTWERP FROM THEIR BITTER COLD EMPLACEMENTS IN THE WINTER OF 1944-1945, THE ALLIED GUNNERS HELPED TO TURN THE TIDE OF THE BATTLE BY DEFENDING THE PORT THROUGH ALLIED WAR MATERIALS FLOWED AT THE RATE OF UP TO 90,000 TONS A DAY TOWARDS THE FRONT, LESS THAN 100 MILES TO THE EAST. HAD THE GERMANS BEEN ABLE TO DESTROY ANTWERP'S SHIPPING CAPABILITY, NO OTHER ONE OR COMBINATION OF SEVERAL OTHER PORTS ON THE CONTINENT WOULD HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF HANDLING THE MOUNTAINS OF SUPPLIES NECESSARY FOR THE U.S., CANADIAN, AND BRITISH FIELD ARMIES. ANTWERP ALONE STOOD BETWEEN THE ALLIES AND AN INTOLERABLE SUPPLY SITUATION. AS IT WAS, THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTERIES WERE SO SUCCESSFUL THAT THE PORT OF ANTWERP OPERATED WITHOUT THE LOSS OF A SINGLE DAY OF WORK.