Uh Oh
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Dennis von Tettenborn tries to control his snowmobile (left) after being airborne at the Kinsmen snocross races
in Provost on the weekend. Bottom: the 14 year old Round Hill, Alberta resident puts his helmet and protective clothing to the test a split second later. He was not injured and got up to drive his machine away while flagmen moved to warn other racers of the mishap at the fairgrounds. The Provost Kinsmen event ran on Saturday and Sunday. More
pictures inside. ©Provost News Photos.
Print version in February 28edition of The Provost News.
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Former Devil’s Brigade Member, Trainer, Manager, Miner, Ranger, Policeman, Fitness Buff —Man Now Here on Writing Trip
A man of many talents has been in the area visiting while working on a book and the Empress of Ireland interests him, was able to recently drop by The Provost News along with his hostess, Marion Kelch of Czar.
Robin Huth, who is now 85 and one half years old still trains an hour a day two or three times a week back home in the gym at Salmon Arm, B.C. to keep in shape.
One of his many career paths was that of belonging to an elite First Special Service Force (nicknamed the Devil’s Brigade) that trained in Montana during World War II.
Huth says just before that he was in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) but found that boring doing Morse Code. I never liked school but I liked adventure, he adds. The Devil’s Brigade, he found out was not boring.
He recalls that the special force got so many applications that those in charge had to get rid of half of the men who applied “so they got the cream of the crop” when they were done.
Those who signed up didn't get any training: hundreds were first told to jump out of the back of a truck going 15 miles per hour—in preparation for a similar stunt in an airplane without any training—just a parachute. “A good many refused to jump” says Huth and they were disqualified immediately. “A good many broke their leg. I jumped and didn’t break any legs.” But there were still too many volunteers left so the next day they were taken up again and told to jump. “I found that harder than the first time . . . then we trained, trained, trained, nothing but training . . . we used live ammunition.” During one encounter “a guy got a bullet through his helmet, knocked him out and broke both eardrums. He’s probably showing his grandchildren the helmet now.”
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“We took tremendous amount of training, explosives, hand to hand combat, were taught to use knives. We were taught to kill.” They also took amphibian training on the east coast, that was “So cold in the Atlantic Ocean.”
Before Huth began instructing new members of the First Special Service Force he found himself and others in an advance party that went to Kiska. The Japanese took the Aleutian Islands. Some of them went in by rubber boats and some by parachute. “We paddled in at nighttime (before the main group arrived). Then we crept up onto land, crossed a lake, but the moon was out. Then we crept up on the enemy—who it turned out, were not there but we didn’t know that at first.”
“We were kind of relieved no one was there.”
But there were still some casualties with friendly fire.
Huth remembers: A percussion grenade made of plastic went off in the pocket of one of the men. My best friend gave him first aid and there were some people killed by Japanese booby traps.
A Metiskow, Alta. man, Norman David Torpe, another member of the Devil’s Brigade also served in the Aleutian Islands.
Later the main ships came in.
On August 17, 1943, an invasion force of 34,426 Allied troops, with 5,300 Canadians (including Frank Boser, Irvine Christensen and former Provost News editor George S. Holmes, who had been lent to U.S. forces), 95 ships (including three battleships and a heavy cruiser), and 168 aircraft landed on Kiska.
Rest of story and photo in February 28 edition of The Provost News.
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Town Bumps Up Water, Garbage and Sewer Fees
The Town of Provost has felt the pressure of rising costs over the years and is increasing its rates for water, sewer and garbage services.
Rest of story in February 28 edition of The Provost News.
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Ganser MVP Again in Battle River Hockey League
Story and photo in February 28 edition of The Provost News.
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Street Spokesman
This week we ask : "Would You Like to Speak a Foreign Language?"
. . . and we heard opinions from Wilfred Trenerry, Michelle Rehman, Sonia Trenerry, Dustin Stefanowich, and Dana Nash.
Check out the February 28 edition of The Provost News for their answers.
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This, along with many other stories and pictures can be found in this week's edition of The Provost News.
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