Nonprofit honors Greensburg native, more than 500 others lost in German attack on WWII troop ship

Apr. 20—Joel Eugene Paulson, known as Pete to his friends in the Greensburg High School Class of 1942, wanted to be a forest ranger, according to his senior yearbook entry.

That ambition came to an unexpected and violent end nearly 80 years ago today, when a German torpedo bomber plane attacked and destroyed the World War II troop ship carrying Paulson and 579 other passengers and crew through the Mediterranean Sea. There were no survivors.

Paulson was just four days past his 20th birthday when that attack came on April 20, 1944.

Though he'd registered for the draft on June 30, 1942, shortly after his high school graduation, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces the following Feb. 20. Before beginning his military tour, he worked at Schaller's Bakery in Greensburg.

He set sail on the ill-fated SS Paul Hamilton, departing on April 2, 1944, from Hampton Roads, Va., for overseas duty as a corporal with the 32nd Photographic Squadron of the 5th Reconnaissance Group. He never made it to his intended destination in Italy.

"The Hamilton's losses were the worst suffered by any U.S. Liberty ship during World War II," said Chris Moyer, Pennsylvania media director for Stories Behind the Stars, a nonprofit volunteer organization that researches and shares information about fallen U.S. service members from that war. "Only one body was recovered from the tragedy. The destroyer USS Lansdale and SS Royal Star were also sunk during the attack."

They were part of a convoy that included dozens of merchant ships, two Navy tankers and a Coast Guard vessel. The group was attacked by 23 German torpedo bombers about 30 miles from Cape Bengut, Algeria.

In addition to troops with the 32nd Photographic Squadron and the 831st Bombardment Squadron, the Hamilton was carrying supplies and ammunition.

"One aerial torpedo hit the Hamilton, igniting the high explosives in the hull," Moyer said. "The ship, her entire crew and passengers were lost in 30 seconds."

Paulson posthumously received the Purple Heart.

His name is listed on the Tablets of the Missing in the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial in Tunisia. It's also chiseled on a marker, along with the graves of his parents, Joel Edwin Paulson and the former Margaret Elizabeth Ross, in St. Clair Cemetery just east of Greensburg.

The elder Paulson, who immigrated from Sweden to Southwest Greensburg, died in 1950 at 71. His wife, a

Ligonier Valley native, died in 1954 at 75. The son they lost at sea was their only child.

Paulson was one of 41 Pennsylvania residents who died aboard the Hamilton.

Others from Southwestern Pennsylvania who lost their lives in the German attack include:

—John Regis McConaghy, a New Kensington native and 1942 Crafton High School graduate, who was 19 at the time of the deadly attack. After working at Kaufmann's department store in Downtown Pittsburgh, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces.

—Anthony Vincent Motta, who grew up in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood. A B&O Railroad laborer, he married Elizabeth Gasbarro in 1941 and enlisted in the Army on April 29, 1942, attaining the rank of sergeant. He was 27 at the time of the attack.

—Murray Francis Smith, a Conneaut Lake native who grew up in Bellevue. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces on Nov. 21, 1942, attaining the rank of corporal. He was 19 at the time of the attack.

—Joseph Thomas Laur of Pittsburgh, who was inducted into the Army Air Forces on Feb. 4, 1943. He was 20 at the time of the attack.

—Blaine Robert Dunmire, a Belle Vernon native who grew up in Charleroi. He worked for the Corning Glass Co. before enlisting in the Army on Feb. 26, 1943. He was 20 at the time of the attack.

—Herman John Yeager of Charleroi also worked at Corning Glass and married Marie Jean Leonard before enlisting in the Army on June 6, 1942. He was 24 at the time of the attack.

—Glenn Roberts Bower of South Brownsville, Fayette County, worked at Hillman Coal and Coke Co. before serving briefly in the Navy. Married to Betty Louise Maize, a schoolteacher from California, Pa., he enlisted in the Army Air Forces on May 11, 1943. He was 23 at the time of the attack.

—John Torbich, a native of Guyaux, Pa., grew up in Springhill Township, Fayette County. Employed by the Nassar Coal Co., he enlisted in the Navy Reserve on May 23, 1943, and was assigned to the crew of the Hamilton. He was 20 at the time of the attack.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .