On the dark and stormy night of August 2, 1943, the Des Plaines police department prowled the city’s dimly lit streets. Their mission: stop three enemy agents from sabotaging the local water works. It was wartime, and the police force was put on alarm. For the residents of the small city outside of Chicago; however, there was nothing to fear. The saboteurs were all caught before completing their mission. Passing the test, the police were ready for the real thing.
Des Plaines: a target of espionage?
Although Des Plaines never came under actual attack by saboteurs, the fear was very real during World War II. Chicago was a major hub of industrial activity and at the center of several major railroads. And at least one Chicagoan became a verified saboteur. Resident Herbert Hans Haupt went abroad on a world trek in 1941, eventually staying with family in Germany, and joined the Abwehr, the secret service. A U-boat dropped Haupt off on the Florida coast in June 1942 and ten days later, the FBI caught him while he visited his parents and girlfriend back home.
The government took increased measures to safeguard the region. In September 1942, the Army assigned the 740th Military Police Battalion to Camp Skokie Valley in Glenview, where it would remain until 1946. Strategically placed between the cities of Chicago and Milwaukee, within striking distance of both, the unit’s purpose was to “provide protection for public utilities, industrial plants and to help provide for the internal security of the United States.”1 Its responsibilities included the inspection of defense plants and training of plant guards.
When it came to Des Plaines, hundreds of citizens stepped up to take an active role in the city’s defense. A Civil Defense council formed in late 1941, followed by a volunteer Civil Defense Corps. By June 1943 the corps consisted of 508 members organized into 9 sections:2
- Air Raid Wardens: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
- Auxiliary Police: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
- Auxiliary Firemen: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
- Utilities: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
- Medical: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
- Decontamination: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
- Demolition: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
- Messengers: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
- Executive Staff: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Within the Des Plaines Civil Defense Corps the auxiliary police were concerned with security operations. These men underwent many months of weekly classes that prepared them for their duties. Various subjects were covered including the detection of enemy saboteurs. Although the Chicago Douglas Aircraft plant was located in neighboring Orchard Place, south of Higgins Road, which produced C-54 Skymaster aircraft, its protection was not the chief concern of the Des Plaines auxiliaries. Instead, it was the city’s water works.
A water softening plant opened on Thacker Street west of the city in 1937. Funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), as were several other local public structures including a post office and municipal building, the plant was a major part of the infrastructure in Des Plaines. Upon completion it could treat and filter one and a half million gallons of water per day. It consisted of:3
two filtering beds, two raw water reservoirs, a treated water reservoir, two mixing chambers, two settling chambers, two aerators, a chlorinator and a wet well and sump.
The Story of Water from Seven Wells and Lake Michigan, 1967, p.13.
The facility was a legitimate military target. Its increased protection was necessary in wartime. Thus, after 16 months of training, it came as no surprise that the first major test of the Des Plaines auxiliary police involved the water works.
The police stage a test
On the night of August 2, 1943, the Des Plaines auxiliary police organized a training exercise. The scenario involved a man hunt: an air raid has occurred, and three enemy agents have parachuted into the area, with plans to destroy the water works. It was imperative to stop the saboteurs from carrying out their mission. As reported in The Des Plaines Journal, twenty-eight officers were involved, organized into four seven-men squads, joined by two patrol cars.4 Each squad leader, Sergeants Ray Imig, Wynn Howard, T.R. Smith and Eigenbrod, received sealed orders.
Each sealed order contained the saboteurs’ details. Included were the names of the three men, all strangers from out of town, along with complete descriptions of their characteristics, clothing, last reported sighting and mission. In addition, one man was driving, while the other two were on foot. All carried a black satchel and an empty revolver. Their objective was to pass through the city and deposit their satchels at the water works facility, on Thacker Street, signaling success.
At 8:20 p.m. the police station sounded the alarm, and the man hunt began. The four squads of officers and police cars headed out to their assigned search areas. Visibility was poor due to a rainstorm. Five minutes later the saboteurs left their rendezvous, location unknown, and began their attempt at passing through the lines.
Within ten minutes the officers picked up their first agent. Caught driving a car near Thacker and Pearson streets, Sgt. Smith brought his man into the station. The second victory of the night did not take long after. Lt. Clyde Kennard spotted one of the suspects on foot while driving in a patrol car, near Thacker Street and Fourth Avenue. Both saboteurs were safely behind bars less than twenty-five minutes after the alarm.
The third saboteur proved more difficult to catch. He made it to the west end of the city, crossing the Chicago & Northwestern Railway tracks, safely passing residential neighborhoods. Now surrounded by open farmland, his target was just a short distance away. It was about 9 p.m. when he neared the garage of the water works. Eager to plant his satchel, and so close to completion, he nonetheless became disappointment; the officers caught him. Sgt. Imig’s squad made the arrest. The drinking water of Des Plaines was safe.
Altogether the man hunt lasted for a total of forty-two minutes. The General Staff of the auxiliary police were quite pleased with the performance of their officers. Especially so considering that the night was quite black, making it difficult to distinguish the agents according to the provided descriptions. The officers had to frisk suspects and obtain the articles known to be carried by the saboteurs. This went without a hitch but reportedly was uncomfortable:
we must remember it was the first time any such activity had been tried out, and the men were naturally self-conscious and perhaps bashful in making approaches to citizens.
The Des Plaines Journal, August 5, 1943
The residents of Des Plaines could rest assured that their protection rested in capable hands. Fortunately, there never came the need for the police to apply their training in a real situation. Preparedness was nonetheless important at all times.
Sources
- 740th MP Battalion, ‘First Anniversary Commemorative Program’ (April 1943), box 3, folder 46, Victor Arrigo Papers, University of Illinois Special Collections & University Archives.
- City Council of Des Plaines [IL.], Minutes of the Council Meeting, June 21, 1943, p.5. Available at: https://archivecenter.desplaines.org/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=807571&dbid=0&repo=DesPlainesRepository&searchid=3106941b-49db-40fe-964d-a50ca971ca47 (accessed February 21, 2024).
- City of Des Plaines, The Story of Water from Seven Wells and Lake Michigan (Des Plaines, IL.: City of Des Plaines, 1967), p.13.
- ‘Auxiliary Police Nab 3 “Saboteurs” Here Monday Nite’, The Des Plaines Journal [Des Plaines, IL.], August 5, 1943, pp.1 & 8. Available on microfilm at the Des Plaines Public Library.