Dorothy Jane Burdge

During World War II, the American Red Cross was asked by the U.S. Armed Forces to contribute to recreational services for military personnel in the various areas of operations. In Britain, the Red Cross began to set up service clubs in London and in places near barracks.  So-called aero clubs were set up on air force bases.    

The Red Cross 'Club Mobile' was conceived by a prominent New York banker, Harvey D. Gibson, who had been sent to Britain as a Red Cross Commissioner. He wanted a service club 'on wheels', which the soldier would reach when he was outside his barracks on exercise or working outside at an airport.

The British Club Mobile was a converted London Green Line bus of the brand AEC and it could be used to reach airports and tent camps. These buses were available because the Green Line was forced to suspend its transport services during the war. Driven by a British driver, three American girls were assigned to each Club Mobile.

The Green Line bus of the AEC Regal type 10T10 Converted into American Red Cross Club Mobile.

Source: Peter Zabek /www.ensignvintagebuses.uk     

The Club Mobile was equipped with a kitchen in which a built-in donut machine was mounted. A primus stove was installed for heating water for coffee and it was stored in a 50-cup urn.  On the left side of the kitchen there was a dispensing counter: a sliding hatch from which the coffee and donuts were served. At the back of the bus was a 'lounge' with built-in sofas on either side, which could easily be converted into sleeping berths, if required. In addition, there was a Victrola turntable with speakers, a large selection of up-to-date 75 rpm records and paperbacks.

Left: the kitchen built into the bus, including donut maker and coffee machine. Right: two ARC 'girls' at work in the kitchen.

Source: American Red Cross/Collection AJvH

The American Red Cross Club Mobiles began their work in Great Britain in the autumn of 1942 and eventually there were almost thirty bases of operations. A total of 94 buses were purchased, of which 55 were converted into Club Mobile. The American girls who volunteered on these Club Mobiles drove their British driver from the base station to American army installations in the area. Here, in collaboration with the local basic kitchen, fresh ingredients were stocked up and coffee and donuts were made on the spot. Then they looked for the soldiers who were practicing outside the barracks or drove to an airfield to position themselves near the planes. Their arrival was announced by broadcasting music through the loudspeakers on board.

Club Mobiles at an airfield in Norfolk and during an infantry exercise 'somewhere in the field'.   Source: USAAF & U.S. Signal Corps

Dorothy Jane and Grace Burdge join the American Red Cross 'Doughnut Dollies' 

Dorothy Jane Burdge was born on August 14, 1915, in Marion County, Ohio. When she died in 1945, she was 29 years old.

Her father was Leroy Burdge and her mother's name was Lilian A. Bouscein. Dorothy had two sisters: Edna Lilian (32 years old) and Grace (27 years old). Dorothy trained as a teacher before volunteering with the American Red Cross. Her sister Grace also volunteered for the American Red Cross (ARC). After a short training, the sisters, together with a group of other volunteers, left for Great Britain in September 1943. Here they would be deployed as employees of the so-called Red Cross 'Club Mobiles'.

Left: Dorothy Jane Burdge.  Source: Ancestry.com / Sporck Family Tree.

Right: This photo was taken just before the departure of both sisters to Great Britain. On the left side of the picture is Grace Burdge.

On the right, her older sister Dorothy Jane Burdge. Source: Ancestry.com / Sporck Family Tree.

The selection for a position with the American Red Cross Club Mobiles was rigorous.

The 'girls' (the American Red Cross deliberately chose not to use military ranks and called its female employee’s 'girls') had to have at least a secondary education and be between 25 and 35 years old. In addition, they had to be in good physical and mental health. As far as the latter is concerned, sending 'real all-American girls' was a deliberate choice by the American Red Cross. The morale of the American soldiers overseas would benefit, but the girls were not expected to respond to advances. Jokes and the jitterbug were allowed, but nothing more!

Incidentally, the ARC initially sent its girls ill-equipped to the 'European Theater of Operations': in thin grey dresses with white shoes. In the cold British climate, these clothes were quickly replaced by woollen RAF blue battle dresses and sturdy army boots.

Left: Wearing an RAF blue battledress, these 'girls' are handing out coffee and donuts. Source: US Signal Corps.

Right: Dorothy Jane and Grace while providing their canteen services with the 322nd Bombardment Group at Great Saling / Andrews Field, Essex, England.  Source: collection AJvH).

The Invasion of the European Continent

In preparation for the invasion of Normandy in 1944, a smaller, 2-1/2-ton GMC truck was converted into a Club Mobile and equipped with the necessary kitchen with donut machine, coffee bowls and the like. Nearly a hundred were produced. This time there was no British driver: the Red Cross girls who had worked at the larger Club Mobile in Great Britain learned how to drive and maintain the truck themselves.

Left: Club Mobile vehicles collected for departure to Normandy. Source: Jerry Waller / www.redcross.org.

Right: three so-called 'ARC girls' near their vehicle. Source: Corporal J.E. Watson/Flickr/Janice Bernard.

After the invasion of Normandy, on 6 June 1944, ten 'Club Mobile Groups' (each with a specific letter of the alphabet) were sent to the continent and attached to the various Army Corps. They would follow the troops. The Club Mobile Group 'A' was the first to land in France: on 16th July 1944 on Utah Beach.

The Club Mobiles of Group 'A' on an LST (Landing Ship Tank), undergoing to Normandy on 16 July 1944.

Source: Jerry Waller / www.redcross.org.

A Club Mobile Group consisted of 32 'girls', 8 Club Mobiles, a CineMobile mobile cinema, 3 supply trucks and 2 British Hillman pick-up trucks and a jeep for the team leader.

Each Club Mobile group traveled with the rear guard of an Army Corps and took care of distributing coffee, donuts, cigarettes and chewing gum to soldiers returning from front duty. The Club Mobile Groups followed the advance through France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands until the end of the war in Germany.

Left: The 'Cine Mobile' cinema vehicle, built on the chassis of a Dodge truck. Source: Jerry Waller / www.redcross.org.

Right: the Hillman pick-up truck. Source: Bart Vanderveen / Historic Military Vehicles Directory.

The advance of F-Group through France, Belgium and Germany.

Dorothy Jane and Grace Burdge, along with a third girl, were assigned to Club Mobile Group 'F'. The converted GMC 6x6 truck they drove was nicknamed "Atlanta."

F-Group was one of the first groups of Club Mobiles to land on Utah Beach on 16 July 1944. In particular, this group followed the American troops of the VIII Corps. After spending some time in Brittany, F-Group followed the advance route to Paris, after which a new base was found near Bastogne in October 1944 to supply the nearby troops with coffee, donuts, cigarettes and chewing gum. On 16 December 1944, the F-Group was surprised by the German Battle of the Bulge and four Club Mobiles narrowly escaped the encirclement of Bastogne. The retreat led the Group through the places of this offensive that are now familiar to us: St. Vith and Vielsalm. After the failure of the German offensive, the advance into Germany was resumed. On 15 March 1945 F-Group crossed the German Siegfried Line and 10 days later they crossed the Moselle River, followed by the crossing of the Rhine at Koblenz. The advance progressed rapidly and after passing through places such as Idstein, Eisenach, Ohrdruf, Bad Berka in the state of Thuringia, the VIII Corps and the 6th Armored Division (to which the F-Group was attached in turn) reached the Czech border. It would not be long before the Americans would meet the Russians advancing from the east.

Left: Clubmobile 'Cheyenne' of the F-Group during the advance through Germany. The vehicle bears the emblem of the 6th Armored Division (''Super 6th''). 

Right: Troops of the 6th Armored Division show their division emblem after crossing the German border. Source: www.supersixth.org

At the end of April 1945, the front stabilized and the F-Group halted in the vicinity of Altenburg, south-east of Leipzig. From here, the troops of the 6th Armored Division would be provided with the mobile canteen services.

May 1, 1945. Dorothy Burdge is killed on a pleasure flight near Leinawald / Munsa.

To the east of Altenburg is the German training airfield 'Fliegerhorst Leinawald'. From 1943 the Blindfliegschule (blind flying school) 10 was stationed here, later renamed jagdgeschwader (JG) 110. Several training aircraft of the type Arado 96 had been left behind at this airfield.

Left: an Arado 96 during a training flight. Source: AJvH collection.  Right: Arado 96 aircraft left behind. Source: unknown / internet.

It was not uncommon for the Allied air forces to use captured aircraft. Often, U.S. Army Air Force fighter squadrons used such aircraft to perform reconnaissance and liaison tasks. At Leinawald airfield, the American troops had prepared an Arado 96 for use and provided it with American nationality insignia; This was to prevent these aircraft from being shot down by their own troops.

U.S. 1st Lieutenant Lee A. Branch was an experienced fighter pilot of the 404th Fighter Group. In the 507th Fighter Squadron he was one of the experienced pilots, decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and an Air Medal with 12 'Oak Leaf Clusters' (for every 10 missions flown a pilot received an OLC).   

Left: emblem of the 404 Fighter Group. Middle: A P-47 'Thunderbolt' of the 404th Fighter Group, 507 Fighter Squadron. 

Right: emblem of the 507 Fighter Squadron. Source: Wikipedia.

1st Lieutenant Branch was temporarily attached to the Headquarters of VIII Corps from the 404th Fighter Group by order of the Headquarters of IX Tactical Air Command. 

Solid liaison officers, experienced fighter pilots, formed a link between ground troops who wanted to request air support and the pilots who had to carry out ground attacks. The use of such 'Air Liaison Officers' or 'Forward Air Controllers' reduced the risk that friendly troops would be hit when shelling or bombing German troops.

On Tuesday 1 May 1945 the Club Mobile 'Atlanta' of the F-Group was at work at the Leinawald airfield.

1st Lieutenant Branch had already carried out several 'flight tours' with the Arado 96 and let his passengers enjoy the surroundings.

The American Red Cross girls were eventually invited for a ride in the two-seater aircraft. Grace was the first to fly, followed by Dorothy Jane. In his attempt to fly under a power line, he hit a tree with one wingtip while pulling up, causing it to crash, 200 meters east of the village of Munsa.  

Above: the Arado 96 in which Dorothy Jane Burdge and 1st Lieutenant Lee A. Branch were killed.

This unique photograph is courtesy of Mr. Larry Pinkowski whose father is pictured on the wing of this aircraft. (Collection AJvH). 

Gretchen Schuyler, the team leader of Club Mobile Group F wrote (in addition to the above facts) in a report to her superiors: "Jane's identification tags were handed over to the Grave Registration Service of the 6th Armored Division. Her funeral will take place at the American Cemetery in Eisenach, Germany. Grace Burdge has taken care of all of Jane's personal belongings. It is with great sadness that I draw up this report. Jane was one of the best overseas American Red Cross girls. She was much loved by all who were lucky enough to get to know her. The qualities that made her such a fine ARC Club Mobile employee, carefree and enthusiastic, won her many friends. Unfortunately, these qualities also caused her premature death. 

Initially buried in Germany Lee Asbury Branch was laid to rest for his final burial on August 8th 1949. He now rests at the National Cemetery, Alexandria, Louisiana, Plot E-19.

Source of the two photographs: Find a Grave. The newspaper clipping was sourced via Newspapers.com. 

The below photographs were sourced from Ancestry.com and are courtesy of Mrs. Amber Herr.