BING CROSBY - THE WAR YEARS

 

BING AND THE SOLDIERS FAR FROM HOME

When Americans think of Bing Crosby, they often think of White Christmas, smooth vocals, and the golden age of radio. But during World War II, Crosby became something more than an entertainer. For thousands of American servicemen stationed far from home, he was a familiar voice that offered comfort, hope, and a reminder of what they were fighting to protect. 

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States mobilized for war. Like millions of other Americans, Crosby wanted to contribute. Although he registered for the draft, his age and family status made active military service unlikely. Instead, government officials and military leaders recognized that he could serve the war effort more effectively through entertainment, fundraising, and morale-building activities.

Crosby's support began almost immediately. In January 1942, responding to a request connected to General Douglas MacArthur's forces in the Philippines, he transmitted his radio program by shortwave to American troops trapped at Corregidor. At a time when military news was grim and uncertainty filled the air, hearing a familiar American voice carried tremendous emotional value for soldiers thousands of miles from home. 

As the war continued, Crosby became one of the most active participants in the Armed Forces Radio Service. He appeared on military radio programs such as Command Performance, Mail Call, and GI Journal, helping deliver entertainment directly to American forces stationed around the world. More than simple variety shows, these broadcasts connected troops with the culture and personalities they remembered from home. 

His influence extended beyond the radio microphone. Crosby joined major war-support efforts, including the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a traveling show featuring some of the biggest names in entertainment. The tour raised substantial funds for military relief organizations while demonstrating Hollywood's commitment to the war effort.

Perhaps Crosby's most meaningful contribution came through his overseas USO tours. He spent approximately 25 weeks entertaining servicemen in Britain, France, and Belgium, often performing under difficult and unpredictable wartime conditions. Unlike a concert in a grand theater, many of these performances took place near military operations, where audiences consisted of men preparing for battle or recovering from its hardships.

One song became especially associated with Crosby and the wartime experience: White Christmas. Although written by Irving Berlin and first recorded by Crosby in 1942, the song carried a deeper meaning during the war years. To civilians, it evoked holiday nostalgia. To soldiers stationed overseas, it represented memories of family gatherings, hometown streets, and peaceful lives interrupted by war. 

During a December 1944 USO tour in Europe, Crosby performed for troops only days before the Battle of the Bulge. Reports from the period describe the emotional impact of hearing White Christmas in front of thousands of soldiers who longed to be home for the holidays. For many in the audience, the song became a powerful reminder of what awaited them when the war finally ended. 

The soldiers never forgot his efforts. At the end of World War II, readers of Yank, the Army's weekly magazine, voted Crosby the individual who had done the most to boost troop morale overseas. The recognition reflected not only his popularity but also the genuine connection he forged with the men and women serving their country. 

Years later, letters exchanged between Crosby and American servicemen revealed just how much his work meant. Many soldiers wrote to thank him for bringing moments of joy during some of the darkest days of the twentieth century. The correspondence showed that his contribution was not measured in military victories or battlefield achievements, but in something equally important: helping people maintain hope.

Today, Bing Crosby's wartime legacy stands as a reminder that service comes in many forms. While others carried rifles, flew bombers, or served aboard ships, Crosby helped sustain morale through music and friendship. His songs crossed oceans, reached foxholes and military camps, and gave countless Americans a brief but precious connection to home. In a world at war, that gift mattered more than words could express...

THE BELLS OF ST. MARYS AND THE POSTWAR AUDIENCE

The Bells Of St. Marys was more than a typical 1940s feel good film. It marked one of the first films in harrowing post-war era. Harrowing is a word that barely scratches the surface of the emotional abyss that is war. The uncertainty, the fear, and the profound loss cast long shadows over the human experience. At the end of it, there is often yet another difficult journey: rebuilding. It can be tumultuous. 

In the wake of World War II, as the world struggled to rebuild and heal, Leo McCarey's The Bells of St. Mary's in 1945 not only became the highest-grossing movie of its time but also offered solace and hope to a weary audience. This film captures the essence of wartime struggle, not through the lens of battlefields and violence, but by delving deep into the hearts and minds of its characters. The film's main characters, Sister Benedict (played by Ingrid Bergman) and Father O'Malley (portrayed by Bing Crosby) are determined to achieve their shared goal of saving a school in financial crisis in spite of their differences and despite a myriad of constraints they face.

The Bells of St. Mary's is a feel-good tear-jerker sequel to McCarey's 1944 film Going My Way, which was the highest-grossing film of the year and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In The Bells of St. Mary's, Bing Crosby reprises his role as Father O'Malley, a charismatic priest assigned to a struggling Catholic school, St. Mary's. There, he clashes with the school's traditional principal, Sister Mary Benedict. Father O'Malley's unconventional approach to leadership conflicts with Sister Benedict's strict way of instilling discipline in the students. For example, when Father O'Malley finds two students fighting, he praises the one who threw the best punches, declaring him the winner. This move doesn't sit well with Sister Benedict, who had advised students against retaliation. Father O'Malley argues that boys should be prepared for the world, which they may have to face war in one day. Considering that this is immediately after World War II, it makes sense, even to the conservative Sister Benedict, who secretly trains the bullied boy on self-defense and encourages him to face bullies head-on.

78 years after its release, The Bells of St. Mary's retains its relevance. In an era marked by division and turmoil, the film's message of unity, understanding, and compassion is as vital as ever. It serves as a timeless lesson that, even in the face of adversity, individuals from diverse backgrounds as exemplified by Father O'Malley and Sister Benedict can come together to create positive change. The enduring popularity of the film attests to its ability to transcend time and inspire new generations...

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BING AND A PERSONAL WAR STORY

As the 70th anniversary ceremonies honoring the Allied Forces who served and died in Normandy in the summer of 1944 ended last year, a small British village  quietly observed its own sacrifice made to the ravages of World War II.  The residents of Freckleton in northwest England on Saturday saluted the memories of 61 people killed Aug. 23, 1944, when an American bomber undergoing a test flight became entangled in severe weather and nose-dived into the village. Thirty-eight of the fatalities were children ages 4 to 6 who were attending their second day of school for the semester.

One of the three children in the school's toddler wing to survive was Ruby Whittle Currell who was four at the time of the crash. She was taken to the base hospital, burned over 40 to 50 percent of her body.

Ruby was all wrapped up like a mummy, all in gauze and Bing Crosby started talking to her and he asked her, ‘What would you like me to sing?’ and all she knew was "White Christmas."

Crosby tried three times to sing the song by the burned child’s bedside but kept choking up. Finally he walked out into the hall and sang from there.

At first he just couldn’t look at her. After he sang "White Christmas", he came back into the room and apologized. He explained to her that he was not sad at how she looked but upset at what the war was doing. According to Ruby, he pulled out a pen and paper and wrote his address and personal phone number down. He also paid for her extensive hospital bills, which included various operations.

She survived though, and is now 75 years old, but she will never forget how touching and kind Bing Crosby was to her. He wrote to her off and on until his death in October of 1977...

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BING TOURS GERMANY

Here is a great article from the New York Sun of October 12, 1944...

Bing, Back, Tells of Exciting Eight-week Tour.

A two-man invasion of German-held territory in France and a two-minute capture of a town in the Metz area was accomplished by Bing Crosby, who is used to capturing top honors in crooning, and an Army lieutenant, while Der Bingle was on a U. S. O. Camp Shows tour in France. The singer recalled the experience today at the Waldorf-Astoria as he discussed his eight-week tour in which he sang for G. I. audiences numbering anywhere from a dozen to 15,000 soldiers.

Bing’s misadventure occurred early one morning when, after he attended Mass by himself, a lieutenant offered to drive him to a point near the front lines a few miles from where he was scheduled to sing.

“After we had traveled for ten or fifteen minutes,” the singer stated, “I became concerned because the telephone lines had run out and when you don’t see them, you know you’ve gone too far. Then we got to this town and I was surprised because I had looked at the war map earlier and it was still in German hands. I asked the lieutenant and he said that he was lost, and I said, ‘let's get out of here fast.’” Talking to a commanding officer that night Bing mentioned that he had been in the town.

“You couldn’t have been.”
“I sure as hell was,” Crosby replied.
“It was in German hands,” the officer protested.
“Well, we had it for two minutes.”
Lost 10 Pounds on Trip.

Crosby, who lost ten pounds during the trip, put on his show while under German gunfire on numerous occasions and was in London while buzz bombs, which he described as “frightening and devastating,” were falling. Though he had lunch with Gen. Eisenhower and visited Gen. Bradley and other high officers, he played only for enlisted men.

Praising the morale of the troops as “terrific,” Bing said: “The boys want to get home, but there is no whining. They want to know that the people at home are staying behind them and there is no weakening, and the needed supplies will be gotten to them. They are somewhat concerned about a complacent attitude. They’ve read about postwar planning discussions, and they don't want to hear about post-war plans. They want to get the war won first.

Crosby, who was dressed in a tan and blue sports combination, puffed occasionally on a big briar pipe while being interviewed. Asked if the report that he was a member of the Hollywood for Dewey Committee was true, he answered: “I don’t know anything about that.” He said that the men asked him mostly about Bob Hope (whom Crosby claimed the G. I.'s like most of all the entertainers), his children, his horses and Brooklyn. He mentioned that “a lot of pictures” have their premieres overseas.

In discussing the soldiers’ preference in songs, Crosby said that the ones they most requested him to sing were “White Christmas,” “Swinging on a Star” and “San Fernando Valley.” He declared that he had made recordings of songs for propaganda broadcasts to Germany, singing in German from words written out phonetically. “They told me I was adequate,” he said.

Although a great many German prisoners watched the shows and smiled, they probably didn’t know what was going on, Bing said. When asked if he had converted any of them, he answered with a grin: “I probably widened the breach.”

He lauded the Red Cross workers and members of his troupe which included Joe de Rita, Jean Darrell, singer; Darlene Garner, dancer; Buck Harris, guitarist, and Earl Baxter, accordionist. He said that he would leave for the coast tomorrow night and resume his radio program late this month...

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BING: SECRET WWII WEAPON

Bing Crosby Goes to Work on Wehrmacht With Assistance of Phonetic German
By ROBERT MUSEL

LONDON, Sept. 3, 1944 (UP)—While Hitler is fooling around with buzzbombs and pick-a-back planes we're hurling a real secret weapon at Germany—der Bingle.
Der Bingle is what the Germans call it. Back home it's Bing Crosby.

From a position dangerously near its launching platform (a grand piano in the studio of the American Broadcasting system in Europe) I watched der Bingle go to work on the Wehrmacht. It was beautiful to see and hear and experts of psychological warfare said its effect would be beautiful too.

Der Bingle took off first in a snappy chat to the Wehrmacht which, the most powerful transmitters in Europe will smash right at the quivering ears of Hitler's "Herrenvolk." He astounded frontline observers by using reasonably good German. Since he doesn't speak German, der Bingle was later asked how come.

"I don't do it with mirrors," he said. "I do it with phonetics."

Der Bingle is a great favorite with the Germans and the gents from psychological warfare conceived the idea of having him do a little something direct, for the staggering Wehrmacht which probably doesn't appreciate what Generals Bradley and Patton are doing to it.

Thus, as Bing stepped to the microphone to make a recording, there was a mental image in my mind of a harried Hun, gasping and breathless and resting by the roadside ready to listen to anything as a change from the shell spitting tanks of his pursuers.

Bing, consulting his phonetic chart, began:
"Hello, German soldiers. Here speaks Bing Crosby. I've just arrived from America—the country where nobody is afraid of the gestapo and where everybody has a right to say and write what he thinks."

Der Bingle, rippling through the Teutonic gutturals with complete ease, told the Germans about constitutional rights, adding, "I sincerely hope that our rights and our freedoms soon will be observed again in your country. That's what we Americans are fighting for."

Letting this sink in for a brief instant, der Bingle signalled Corp. Jack Russian, pianist of Major Glenn Miller's band, and said: "But I didn't come here to preach. I came here to sing a few songs."
Bing then sang a song from a film in which he starred, except that the lyrics were cleverly twisted so that the sense of the song was really: "Come with me out of that nasty Hitlerland and back to the free world."

After that, because many Europeans such as forced laborers in Germany understand French, Bing did a song in that language. His phonetic French was not bad either.

A typist passing by asked what was going on inside the studio. "Bing Crosby is singing to the Nazis," she was told.

Increduously, the typist exclaimed: "To the Nazis! What kind of punishment is that?"

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PHOTOS OF THE DAY: BING AND THE USO

Stars like Bob Hope and Jack Benny got a lot of credit for entertaining the troops during World War II and rightfully so. However, Bing also entertained the troops, but he did it more low key. Here are some great pics of Bing with our troops...

with Dinah Shore

BING AND THE QUEEN MARY

TODAY IN QUEEN MARY HISTORY: BING CROSBY WEEPS BEFORE LADY LIBERTY
By Greater Long Beach

KadyCee submitted this vintage news story, originally reported by the Associated Press on Nov. 10, 1944, to the RMS Queen Mary blog reported this day in 1944:
HOLLYWOOD (AP)–Hollywood’s wandering minstrel, Bing Crosby, was home today after a four-months tour of England and the battlefronts of France.

Nothing El Bingo saw abroad touched him so deeply, he says, as the spectacle he witnessed as his troopship, the former Queen Mary, brought war-weary, wounded and spent young American soldiers to their native soil for the first time in three years.

“As we steamed into the upper bay of New York,” says Bing, “1,000 American soldiers, all of them casualties and many without hands, arms or legs, begged to be brought topside to the forward deck. These boys hungered for a sight of their homeland and the Statue of Liberty, the epitome of all they had been fighting for, all they had sacrificed.

“I cried unashamedly along with them as the Manhattan skyline came into view and we passed Bedloe’s Island where the Statue of Liberty stands. A fellow from San Diego who had lost both legs was by me as we sailed by. ‘She’s a great old girl,’ he mumured [sic] in a choked voice. ‘She was worth every bit of it.’”

Crosby left New York July 24 at the head of a USO Camp Shows unit and travelled 19,000 miles, oftentimes being within 100 yards of the front lines in France, Belgium and Holland...

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HOLIDAY MEMORIES OF BING

Holiday Memories
by Nancy Strakna

It’s that “most wonderful time of the year” again, and for me and many of us, the holidays wouldn’t be complete without the lights, the decorations, the presents, and (especially) the food! It’s a time of over-indulgence and celebrations with family and friends, but the abundance we enjoy today was not always so. During World War II, with the war effort in full swing, rationing severely limited many things we now take for granted. Although this created some hardship, it was a small sacrifice that most were honored to make if it helped keep their loved ones safe and sound. Still today, many of us are separated from our loved ones and may be struggling to make do with less.

Nothing evokes the feeling of Christmas like the music; the songs conjure up memories of Christmases past and how we celebrated with family and friends. Even now I find myself humming “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby. Recorded during World War II, the melancholy lyrics of “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” with their comforting images of home and yearning for family, touched the hearts of American civilians and soldiers alike.

Join us on Tuesday, December 6th at 7:00, as we welcome Mary Rasa to the Perryville Branch Library. In a period uniform, accompanied by holiday music of the era, she will be sharing images of Christmas during World War II, both at home and in military settings. She will describe the decorations and how food was prepared, and will explain shortages and rationing and how that affected daily life. The day after the program–December 7th–marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which propelled the United States into the fray. Take a step back in time with us, to hear about Christmas memories from those days.

What are your favorite holiday traditions and memories?

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BING AND WORLD WAR II

Bing Crosby Nails It
By Robert M. Citino

I consider myself a scholar, and I spend a lot of time reading the most complex and challenging books I can find on World War II. I also try to stay in touch with popular culture, however. It is the common language spoken by all Americans, and it often addresses issues in a clear and fundamental way that a more intellectual approach cannot touch. And so, rather than discuss issues of strategy and tactics this time out, praising this general and criticizing that one, identifying "correct" and "incorrect" decisions made by both sides during World War II, let me turn to the words of that great American artist and philosopher, Harry Lillis ("Bing") Crosby.

On the December 21, 1944 episode of his popular weekly radio program, the Kraft Music Hall, Bing had a few things to say after crooning a typically tender version of "Silent Night". I think that his remarks are worth repeating, and will always resonate as long as we have loved ones at war:

"On our fighting front, there are no silent nights, but there are plenty of holy nights. I'm sure that all of us are offering up prayers for the gallant gang of American kids to whom anything that has to do with peace still seems very far away.

My own thoughts are a lot humbler than they were last year. I've talked and lived and chowed with these boys, boys whose courage and faith is something that beggars description. Seeing those GI's kneel in a muddy pasture in France brought back to my mind the lines of an old, familiar prayer that I'd heard somewhere along the line back home.

'God, grant unto us an early peace and victory founded on justice, and instill into the hearts and the minds of men everywhere a firm purpose to live forever in peace and goodwill toward all.'"

I'd like to join "der Bingle" in wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays. And I'll simply add the fondest wish of all for our very troubled world: Peace...

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