"Military Chaplains" Topic

Talk Radio (not about this though) got me thinking of two things. 1)Anyone have a Chaplain figure in their Army's? and 2) I wonder has anyone ever seen a listing or statistic how many were killed in combat? Lots of units had them and I have heard storied of great Heroism of some of from them.

highest officer casualty rate by branch in thr us army in vietnam. Dont know about WWII but high compared to how few there where.

owen

Don't know about how many, but the first MoH awarded to
a chaplain in the ACW went to a Catholic, Father Emmeran
Bliemel, 10th Tennessee Infantry. Fr. Bliemel was
the first American Chaplain to die on the battlefield.
He was killed August 31, 1864, while administering last
rites to the 10th's Colonel, William Grace.

It was the Confederate MoH. btw…

I am doing troops for the Battle of Berlin, 1945. I also have figures from each embassy, 24 so far, and each one has a chaplain, Catholic, Luthern, Buddist, Hindu, Shinto, Orthodox and Muslim. All my German units at least to regiment size have one and so do my American units of similar size. They give a moral bonus to troops who are retreating.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

They are part of "Funny Little Wars" providing moral (not always "morale") advantages to the men. They feature prominently in the new Army Orange (read "Boer") List in the forthcoming "Little Campaigns."

Of course, the author currently being the Padre of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst (seeing action in the Balkans and in Kabul), MIGHT have something to do with that….

TVAG

I have a British Airborne chaplain, who is just one figure among several in Brigade HQ. I wouldn't expect any advantage on the tabletop for having him there!

link
This was the discussion on the radio.

Chaplains aren't supposed to be armed, they're uniformed noncombatants. Their enlisted assistants, however, are not only masters of comparative religion, but are the security guards for the unarmed chaplains.

At the front, they would be uniformed the same as any other junior officer -- except no weapon.

Can't remember exactly but a chaplain in Frederick's Prussian army was rewarded for rally troops (my book collection is scattered) Chaplain Horatio Howell of the 90th Penn was killed at Gettysburg coming out of a church being used for a hospital. And not long ago someone posted a stand of Russian Orthodox Icon processional that I would love to recreate for my 1812 Army.

I have a Chaplain driving a Beaverette in my 20mm 1940 British Anti-invasion forces. Also a paymaster and a veterinarian. Obviously an excess of officer figures. You get nice colourful cap bands for these corps. I figure having the chaplain as driver skirts the non-combatant issue.

For Brits one padre for each battalion – a mixture of denominations, but the majority of English-recruited units would have an Anglican (Church of England) and most Scottish units would have a Presbyterian (Church of Scotland.
Padre casualty-rates are traditionally enormously high compared to other branches of service.
Where did you get your airborne chaplain Footslogger – I'd like one.

Sorry, it was a conversion from a medic. I changed a water-bottle in his hand to a bible.

Some time, I mean to do a more extensive conversion and make a chaplain celebrating Communion on the bonnet of a jeep.

If you're interested, I can strongly recommend a book called 'The Man Who Worked on Sundays' by Rev Leslie Skinner, who was the Chaplain for the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. A profoundly moving book and very enlightening as to what Padres actually do in the front line. It's probably my favourite all-time war memoir and I was very gratified when the Normandy Veterans' Association Padre (a brilliant bloke, like so many military Padres) chose to quote from it in Bayeux Cathedral during the 65th Anniversary.

I haven't got one in my 15mm WW2 collection, though I did paint one in 1/76th for/by AB Figures.

Thanks for the tip – I'll look out for that. I've just been seeing his name crop up repeatedly in someone else's memoir as a man who did all the really dirty stuff like removing tank crews' bodies from burnt-out wrecks, so that other crewmen didn't have to.

That's right – he does turn up a lot in other books and he always refused help from tank crews when recovering bodies (or body parts) from tanks, as he didn't want them seeing the end results. He often did this absolutely alone, or with an orderly or two, or local civilians. I spoke to somebody in Normandy from the SRY who knew him and reckoned he was incredible – a truly inspirational man who should have been decorated (I don't think he was, but I might be wrong).

One remarkable story was where Padre Skinner was out alone in his Jeep during the advance across France at the end of August 1944, looking for a scout car that had been reported as brewed up. He eventually found the wreck and, with the help of French civilians, recovered the charred remains of the crew from the vehicle.

There was a church nearby and, as more civilians turned out to help and pay their respects, he performed a burial service in the churchyard. During the committal, he heard a tank rumble up and shut down, but paid such a common sound no heed.

When he looked up, he was astounded to see a Panther sitting there, with the crew formed up alongside. The commander ordered a general salute, then saluted Padre Skinner before remounting, re-starting the tank and proceeding on their way.

sounds fantastic. I read one memoir of that unit and was well rewarded (Alamein to Zem Zem). Nothing in Amazon, will be greatful of anyone who discovers a copy I can buy on line or somewhere.

Thanks!

Padre Skinner actually buried Keith Douglas, who wrote 'Alamein to Zem Zem'. There is a facsimile copy of Padre Skinner's notebook, which has his sketch-maps detailing where he buried crewmen. It was privately published a few years ago and exerpts from it have appeared in a few recent books.

In 2009, Mike Hickling (of AB Figures) and I, along with a few of our more interested cadets, spent an hour one evening following the sketch map to where he buried Keith Douglas, atop Point 103, overlooking St Pierre and Tilly-sur-Seulles. A few days after D-Day, that low ridge was occupied by the SRY, desperately fighting off the Panzer IVs of Panzer-Lehr Division at point-blank range, but on that warm summer evening it was absolutely silent and couldn't have been more peaceful.

When we reached the spot marked on the map 65 years previously by Padre Skinner, we found a large shell-crater still in situ. It was very clear that he had used the crater as a ready-dug grave. Keith Douglas was later re-interred two miles away at Tilly-sur-Seulles Military Cemetery, but it was nonetheless a very moving and thought-provoking moment finding that spot. Mike read one of Douglas' poems and we had a moment's silence, laid a cross and then left that hilltop back to the peace and quiet in which we had found it.

A few other tales on chaplains here. link I particualrly like the story of the SAS Chaplain who parachuted in armed only with Bibles.

A bit more about the Rev Skinner here. link He did receive much deserved decorations from the French & Belgians. Truly a hero.