Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II

that were hit, we would all disappear in a flash of light and a cloud of smoke—one ship had already done so.⁹³

These sailors on the Murmansk Run were pushed to the limit of human endurance by arctic storms, ice, deadly cold water, volatile cargoes, and the constant threat of attack by enemy aircraft and submarines. They understood the overwhelming odds against their own survival and still found the courage to do their duty as sailors and to fight every battle as soldiers. Thanks to their valiant effort a tenuous but absolutely critical lifeline between the Allied nations was kept open throughout World War II.

In the same way, many great heroes of the faith have achieved much while doubting their own ability to succeed or survive. There are times when we too feel that God is asking us to do more than we are capable of doing. In times like these, remember that if God asks us to accomplish something, he will not forsake us on the way.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

—Deuteronomy 31:6

March 9 New Life

In March 1942, the Esso tanker T. C. McCobb was sunk by a German submarine four hundred miles off the northern coast of Brazil. Michael Wajda suffered a severe head wound while trying to abandon ship, and found himself on a raft with two of his shipmates. By the thirty-fifth day both of his shipmates had succumbed to the elements, leaving Wajda alone. On the forty-fifth day he saw the first muddy streaks in the water and knew land was near. He was picked up the next day and taken to a hospital in Georgetown, British Guiana.

Meanwhile, Wajda had been presumed dead for weeks since many of his other shipmates had already been rescued. His family was in mourning when the news of his survival arrived:

“Sea Gives Back Sailor to Jersey Mother,” was the headline in the New York Herald-Tribune on May 21. And that is how Michael Wajda’s mother, in nearby New Jersey, learned that the son she had given up for dead had been returned to life. She abandoned the mourning garments she had worn for a month and joyously awaited the return of her son—whom the news article said she would not recognize in “the red-bearded, sun-blackened young man, gaunt from hunger, who was picked up from a life raft that drifted toward the shore of British Guiana after forty-six days at sea.”⁹⁴

This is a wonderful story of rebirth. We share the joy of this mother, who was able to abandon her mourning garments after reaching the depths of despair. Christians experience a similar spiritual journey each spring. After a Lenten season of reflection and the shared agony of the Stations of the Cross, we come to the Easter season with a fuller appreciation for the depths of despair. From this perspective, the resurrection of our Savior takes on its full meaning and gives us the ultimate cause for joyful celebration.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

—Mark 16:6

March 10 Hard Choices

There were many times during the Battle of the Atlantic when destroyer commanders faced a painful dilemma. When enemy submarines attacked their convoys, there were inevitably survivors in the water at the same time that other attacks were in progress. Obviously, the destroyer’s mission was to pursue all submarine contacts to protect the other ships in the convoy. However, survivors could not be expected to last long in the North Atlantic. One such episode, with a happy ending, was reported by Capt. Donald MacIntyre of the HMS Walker.

On a wild night in March 1941, five cargo ships in his convoy were torpedoed. The Walker raced about the convoy and made several depth charge runs on sonar contacts with uncertain results. At one point confusing sonar echoes from all the explosions necessitated a lull in the action. MacIntyre recalled:

I had for some time past noticed in the distance the bobbing lights from the lifeboats of one of our sunken ships, but with an enemy to engage there was nothing for it but to harden my heart and hope that the time might come later when I could rescue the crews. This lull seemed a good opportunity and perhaps if we left the area temporarily the U-boat commander might think he had shaken us off and be tempted into some indiscretion. So… we stopped and picked up the master and thirty-seven of the crew of the SS J. B. White.⁹⁵

Our choices may not be as stark as those of a destroyer commander in wartime, but they are nevertheless often difficult. We need to understand that God intends for us to face hard choices in our lives. He gives us the capacity to make decisions, and he holds us accountable for them. The Old Testament gives us repeated admonitions to choose obedience to God’s laws, which is of course what we should always try to do. But Jesus brought a new perspective and a new choice. When we choose Jesus Christ, we are choosing life over death. He explained this to Martha by telling her that the physical preparations for his visit were not as important as understanding this message.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

—Luke 10:41–42

^{Torpedoed ship sinks in the Atlantic. (National Archives)}

^{Depth-charge attack on a Nazi U-boat. (National Archives)}

March 11 The Four Chaplains

The SS Dorchester almost made it to safety. On the evening of February 2, 1943, the troopship broke away from its convoy and headed into Narsarsuaq, Greenland, the destination for this trip. At about 1:00 a.m. a violent explosion lifted the ship. As the lights went out, nine hundred men scrambled for the upper decks and lifeboats. Those that made it topside found the ship listing to starboard and sinking fast. Men were