EARL KANIS AND WORLD WAR II

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PICTURED ABOVE: Sergeant Earl John Kanis, while on leave, sitting on the front stoop of the Kanis family home in Norwood, Ohio late in the summer of 1945

It was early in 1940 and the war in Europe had already begun. Rather than be drafted, Earl Kanis thought it would be best to control his own destiny and enlisted in the U S Army Reserves. He soon was on his way to Camp Hayes in Columbus Ohio where he completed basic training.  

After training, Earl then returned home to civilian life for a period of time while space was being found for him at the Radio and Radar School in Paris Kentucky. Once at school, he was trained on large diesel generators that were used to power the early mobile radar units. After completion, Earl never saw another generator like that again for the entire length of the war.   Earl was then assigned to an ordinance company that had been formed in Greensboro, North Carolina. This new ordinance company was soon moved further south to Georgia where Earl assisted in the construction of Robbins Field in Warner-Robbins, Georgia. This field today is known as Robins Air Force Base.  

In 1943, now on active duty in the the U S Army, the war became very real for Earl. He was transferred to Algeria in North Africa where a lot of military staging was taking place. Earl spent a short stint in the city of Algiers there but eventually was transferred to the U S Army's European Theater Operations in Italy. There, Earl was promoted to Tech Sergeant and became part of the Mediterranean Allied Air Force. The unit occupied the  Aeronautica Macchi Aircraft factory located on the airfield in Bari Italy. Earl was put in charge of the U S Army's Bari Motor Pool and remained in that capacity for the better part of the war. 

In the summer 1945, while still in Italy, Earl received word that his father's health was failing. The U S Army granted Earl a bereavement leave and he began the long journey back to Cincinnati. Travel from the war zone was slow at that time. Traveling first by boat, then by train, Earl finally arrived at Cincinnati's Union Terminal only to learn that his father had passed just days before.   

While Earl was still at home on a thirty day leave the word came that the long war had ended. With no company to return to in Europe, Earl received orders to report to Fort Benjamin Harrison in neighboring Indiana. There he was processed and received his discharge from the U S Army.  Returning home to Cincinnati, now as a civilian, Earl set out to start his life over again with his wife and new child in post World War II America.  

- Tom Kanis