Home

    Fort Saulsbury During WW II
 

  In 1939, with the approach of WW II,
  FT Saulsbury was quickly expanded.
  A $60,000 contract was let for eight
  new wooden buildings. Included were
  a mess hall, recreation hall,
  storehouse, infirmary, a administration
  building and three two-story barracks,
  two for the enlisted men and one for
  officers.  On November 25, 1941,
  Governor Walter W. Bacon inspected
  the Fort and the 200 officers and
  enlisted men, as preparation for
  WW II swept Delaware.

Pic curtsy of russpickett.com

Walter W. Bacon  63rd & 64th Governor of Delaware  ( 63rd - Jan 21,1941 to Jan 19,1945 - 1st Term )  ( 64th - Jan 19,1945 to Jan 18,1949 - 2nd Term ) pic curtsy  of www.history.navy.mil

Pearl Harbor Sunday December 7, 1941 A Day That Will Live In Infamy, less then two weeks after the governor's inspection, found the Fort alive. James F. Saulsbury , not related to the political Saulsburys
and now living on Canterbury Road, Milford tells of
the excitement reaction of the late Lt. William Craig, just out of OCS at the University of Delaware. Craig was sure FT. Saulsbury would be next! During this period Feb.11,1941 five steel frame towers were erected. These stood at Tw #9 Broad Kill Beach Tw #15 Fowlers Beach Tw #12 Slaughter Beach Light House Tw #13 Big Stone Beach Tw #14 South Bowers. From these manned towers information on every vessel entering the bay was sent to the
plotting room located just inside the north entrance
of Battery Hall. This information came via connecting lead cables under the bay. Only Big Stone Beach tower is standing with its cable into the bay still visible. Sightings also came into the plotting room from the top of the bunker to judge the accuracy of the firing of the guns, which word was given the gun crews for their settings.

The Coastal Defence Worst Nightmare

pic curtsy  of www.history.navy.mil

With the German's having a higher hand in the
1940's in technology then most countries the threat
of a direct a attack seamed to be inevitable. With the German battle ship the Bismarck witch at the time seam to be unstoppable the inadequacy of FT. Sualsbury it's self  has become inevitable. All of the 261st  were chosen early in 1942 to install two of the gun emplacements at Ft Miles the new headquarters of the Coastal Defenses for Delaware Bay after the fear of air attacks from German dirigible. The Bismarck could fire 21 1/2 miles were Ft Saulsbury could only do about 15 miles as illustrated in map to your wright. There for making it necessary to build
FT. Miles in 1942

 FT. Saulsbury As A Prisoners Camp

not actual photo from Ft Saulsbry just a illastration

FT. Saulsbury As A Prisoners Camp Removal of the guns in 1942 did not finish the WW II mission for FT. Saulsbury. It was assigned a task to become a Prisoner of War Camp for hundred's of German and lesser number of Italian prisoners. Prisoners were a familiar sight on Milford streets when they were given passes to come onto town. Many prisoners worked
in area canneries, poultry processing, orchards and
in harvesting field crops. Stories abound from area families who were impressed by their hard work and honesty. Employers could not pay the prisoners, reimbursing the Federal Government for their work, but there were many occasions when giving cigarettes and other friendly gestures occurred. Granville Shockley, whose father's farm was nearby, was impressed that the prisoners had no Army guard there and one of their own men was "boss." Noon meals were brought to them in the fields from the Fort. stories continue to surface that some of these men returned to this area after the war, having been well-treated and in love with Sussex County. Lt. Col. John J. Harris, who was in charge of the Delaware Prisoner-of-War Unit, reported that this program brought the Federal Government $2,400,000 from the work of these men in Delaware. Some of the men
told me that coming home from Germany that they had a real hard time coming home and seeing Germans treated so well after have been shot to pieces some of these men have earned the Metal Of Honor.On January 11, 1946 FT Saulsbury was deactivated with the departure of the last of the POW's from Delaware. It had been an active Army
fort for almost 30 years. The Federal Government placed the land and buildings in the surplus category on March 13, 1946 in Mach 1948 the Kendzierski family purchased it all at the Federal Government auction for $12,700