-
- Sunny France! What a
gross misstatement. The days were cool and the nights were
- downright freezing. I shared a tent with Pfc.
Charles F. Carroll, my squad leader. We
- had 6 woolen blankets between us and the cold. We
buttoned both ends of the pup tent
- and by neatly arranging everything inside the
tent, managed to get inside and button
- ourselves in. There was only one problem; each of
us on the average of 3 times a night
- had to get up and go to the latrine--the
combination of the cold and sleeping on the ground
- did something to our bladders. What a mess, trying
to get up, put shoes on and stumble
- the full length of the street in the dark to go to
the bathroom--just a hole in the ground.
- Guard had to be pulled on the kitchen and along
the company street. Food was valuable
- because there was a shortage and everyone was
hungry. The only guard I pulled was in
- the kitchen one night between 10:00 and 12:00. I
ate bread and raisins because that's all
- I could find. Some days we had C rations--meat and
vegetable stew, meat and beans,
- or hash. Gradually we began receiving B rations,
still in cans, but a little more variety.
-
- Our battalion was ordered to Marseilles to help
unload ammunition from the ships. We
- loaded into trucks before daylight and traveled to
town, arriving at the port just as it was
- light enough to see. My first contact with the
local population. Cigarettes were rare to the
- local economy and brought a good price in French
Francs. Other supply ships were being
- unloaded. The French longshoremen would purposely
drop a case of canned goods and
- there would be a scramble for the cans. I brought
back a tin of corned beef, which
- incidentally l never got to eat, and 2 cans of
peaches, I worked in the hold of an ammo
- ship, unloading 105 mm howitzer ammunition. We
would load about 6 crates onto a
- platform and then attach a cable around it with
the eye of the cable fastened to a hook,
- which in turn was pulled by a donkey engine. The
cable slipped tight up around the load
- and the whole thing was hoisted out of the hold of
the ship and directly into a DUWK
- on the dock. Larger, 155 mm ammo was handled a bit
differently; 3-round clusters each
- were lifted by a nose ring. These rounds were
somewhat larger than the standard 105 mm
- rounds which were fuel for the work horse of the
field artillery. There were plenty of
- barrage balloons above the docks and although the
whole area was one large mess,
- having been bombed several times by the Germans,
80 of the 120 berths were to be
- operational within the next 2 weeks.
Marseilles streets were full of outdoor latrines with
- a small sheet iron screen about waist high. In
other words, about all that was screened
- was from the belly button to the knees.
Urine ran into a small trough, down to the gutter,
- along the street, and from there to the sea. The
GIs who served in the Port Battalion
- worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and were
subject to ambushing and hijacking.
- Back at the staging area life went on much the
same. We did go out to the firing range one
- day but there was no ammunition except pistol, so
we had to walk all the way back. It was
- about a 6 mile round trip and with full combat
equipment. I saved 7 pistol rounds just in
- case, although it was not allowed. I saw Carmen
Carielli, a fellow who I went to school
- with at Texas A & M, along the road that day;
he was attached to the Engineers. I did not
- attend any of the outdoor theaters, but rather
spent much time writing letters. We were
- allotted one candle per tent, but this soon gave
out. In order to get some light, we
- siphoned some kerosene from the stoves and made a
makeshift lamp. It gave some light
- but soon blackened the inside of the tent so bad
that we had to give up--it smoked us
- right out. I got a pass to Marseilles the Saturday
after payday.
- Each man was allowed 250
Francs. Tucker (from Sherman, Texas) and I took
- several pictures but I was unable to get them
developed. We ate doughnuts and coffee
- at the Red Cross for 5 Francs. I got a shave and
haircut from a local French barber,
- but the shave was dry and felt like the hair was
being pulled out. One cup of ersatz
- coffee was enough--roasted grain of some kind. And
I had a taste of wine. I liked
- neither. I did not shave again until January. From
November 4, 1944 to January 7,
- 1945 I shaved only under my neck and around my
face enough to leave me an Abe
- Lincoln appearance. I saw Russ (Marj's brother who
was in the Cannon Co. attached
- to the 411th) several times while we were in the
staging area. Also I had a tooth filled.
- We had two night problems also. Both were
relieving a unit under cover of darkness.
- We did the relieving the first time and the two
battalion commanders had a few hot
- words about who was making the most noise right at
the time we were doing the
- relieving. "Get your unit the hell out of my
way." was heard very loud and clear.
- Everything went OK except that Hudson dropped his
helmet on a rock while
- unshouldering the machine gun. The umpire said,
"You won't last two seconds in
- combat if you keep that up." During the other
problem we had to dig the positions and
- be relieved. That had some compensation--we got
back to camp earlier. Then came the
- day to unpack and uncrate the equipment. I cut my
finger rather badly on the machete
- and had go to the field dispensary for bandaging.
Everything had to be unwrapped from
- the waterproofing and cleaned. The T/O called for
the 1st gunner to carry a .45 cal.
- automatic pistol. Attached to my pistol belt was
supposed to be: a pistol in a holster,
- an ammunition pouch with two clips of ammunition,
a wire cutter and case (for what I
- don't know), a machete (for what I don't know,
except to cut my finger), a shovel
- (I was soon to find out what for), and a first-aid
pouch. The bulk and weight were
- too much. Before we left, it rained very hard. The
whole camp was a washout. The
- lucky ones were on high ground. The bare clay soil
soon became sticky and slippery.
- The slit trenches filled with water, as did all the
elaborate drain ditches around each
- tent. Soon every bit of clothing and equipment was
soaked. One whole day was spent
- in drying out the clothing and blankets.
- And then came Nov. 6,
1944 when the units began moving out. A funny thing
- --stateside we had to get rid of all white
underclothes, handkerchiefs, and the like
- --too easy to spot by the enemy. However, most of
the officers were conspicuously
- drying white undershirts, etc. The day was one of
road marches, exercises or in some
- manner programmed and planned, "something to
keep busy." Most of the other units
- had been issued shoe-packs--we still had shoes and
leggings. Rumors were flying thick
- and fast. We were going to Brest or Bordeaux or
one of the other seaports which were
- still occupied by the Germans. Since we had no
previous combat experience, we
- wouldn't be assigned directly to the western
front. Berlin Sally could be heard over the
- motor pool radio. All units received new trucks
and jeeps. Everyone was issued a small
- amount of ammunition. I received 5 rounds for the
.45. The main body of troops was to
- go by 2 1/2 ton trucks. Those with heavy equipment
went by jeep. Stanley Greenwood,
- our driver for the squad, Carroll, Hudson and I
shared our jeep. We had to mount our
- machine gun in the holder on the dash, keep it at
half-cock, and be prepared to use it as
- an antiaircraft weapon. To do this, we had to
lower the canvas top as well as the
- windshield. For the most part we followed the
Rhone River Valley north to Lyon and
- Dijon. We traveled at about 25 to 30 miles per
hour. Through the countryside, past
- burned out hulks of German trucks, tanks, wagons,
etc. We would crawl along; however,
- when we came to a town, we zipped through at about
40 to 45 miles per hour, directed
- by MPs. K rations for all three meals each day.
Sometimes we would stop and
- supplement our diet with turnips. Our first night
was spent in a field just off the road;
- we were still many miles from the front lines.
Hudson and I did not pitch tents, but,
- instead, got in between our shelter-halves. That
night it rained pretty hard. The next
- morning everything was soaked. That day the rain
turned to sleet and it was miserable.
- Wet blankets, no roof, no windshield. It was so
cold that one person could not drive for
- very long at one time, so we took turns. In one
place some Frenchwomen gave us some
- home baked bread, and was it delicious. Hudson put
us in the ditch once as the road
- was becoming slick. Fortunately we didn't
overturn. The two of us in the back seat
- were completely under blankets (even our heads) as
the jeep slid off into the ditch at
- a 45 degree angle. All out and we were quickly
able to get back on the road.
-
- Nov. 8, 1944: On the
evening of the 8th of Nov. we pulled into our staging area.
- Snow was about 4 inches deep and everywhere that
vehicles went was mud. We had
- to pitch tents in the dark. Carroll, Hudson, and I
shared one tent. I went to the motor
- pool for the squad burner and later stood an hour
of guard dry. We were told that the
- bivouac area was within German artillery range.
Nov. 9, 1944: Up early to build fires
- to dry, or attempt to dry, our woolen blankets and
clothes. No more GI shoes--replaced
- with GI shoe-packs. These were heavy rubber, high
top, galoshes--warm and dry. Last
- minute orders and a last minute check of
equipment. This was it--we were going up to
- the front lines. I had no beanie (a woolen knit
cap to be worn under the helmet-liner),
- but finally got one from Lt. Sadin, our Motor Pool
Officer, who was later put in charge
- of the mortar platoon. Dry wood was scarce so we
spent most of the time looking for
- something that would burn. It was no use because
everyone else crowded around and
- I never got close enough to the fire to get
anything dried. So, another night in a damp
- bed (damp clothes on damp leaves on the damp
ground wrapped in damp blankets).
- Nov. 10, 1944: We moved
out after daylight in jeeps and trucks toward the front.
- The roads were brand new, just a cleared area
filled in with logs and plenty of mud.
- We passed several 105 and 155 positions. Finally
we came to a small clearing on the
- slope of a mountain. A large tent with a stove
inside on a wooden flooring attracted
- everyone. Also all around this tent were piles of
rations. Everyone was trying to get
- warm by the stove, rustle through the rations and
ask innumerable questions. We
- picked up K rations that had been looted of the
candy and coffee. Everywhere was
- confusion; no one knew where we were supposed to
go, so we all sat around with a
- sort of empty, dread-of-the-unknown feeling in our
stomachs. Finally, orders came for
- a couple of fellows to meet Capt. Lincoln, our Co.
D Commander, down the road.
- As we didn't know what else to do, we followed.
Eventually, after about 20 minutes,
- we came to the "Spider" which was a
place in the road where about 3 other roads
- met. Everyone stood around and waited.
Occasionally, one of our howitzers would
- send a 105 round overhead. I had left practically
everything in the jeep and only carried
- my pistol belt, all attachments, and my .45 with
me. About 5:00 that evening the rest of
- the company showed up. Our 2nd Section of the 2nd
Platoon was divided among the
- rest of the sections. I went with Sgt. Long and
Sgt. Katzmarek of the 1st Platoon.
- Carroll, Seatter, Hudson and I were assigned to
their squads. By dark we started for
- the line. Down the hill, along the road--I was
sent ahead by Lt. McCorquadale to
- contact the other Section. An awful funny feeling
walking out into the darkness alone,
- knowing the enemy lines were ahead (What was I
doing here?), but by staying on the
- road and following the side trail I finally came
to my destination. After waiting for
- several hours, we finally got everybody together
and took off down the road again--out
- of the woods and finally along a road for several
miles until about 10:00 PM on the
- evening of Nov. 10 we came to a house and were
told that it was our billets. We had
- relieved a unit of the 3rd Division (30th Inf.
Reg.). Only 5 men were left and they seemed
- to have given up hope--they were listless and
seemed to be without feeling. It was all
- of their unit that was left. Nov. 11--18, 1944: We
were on the front line. This was our
- position for the next 8 days. The house was
located near the village of St. Michel,
- Rue La Muerthe. The only toilet was the outdoor
variety. There were two ways to
- go--hold it all day and go only after dark--or
climb out the back window and crawl
- some 20 yards to it. Three Frenchmen and a woman
lived in the house, but they
- stayed in the cellar (a trapdoor in the living
room floor, down a ladder, into a hole under
- the house, fully dirt-lined) about 95% of the
time. I slept on some straw in a room
- facing the front lines. There were two rooms
upstairs, but no one stayed there except
- to scan the enemy lines with field glasses.
The house was a stone affair, whitewashed,
- with the only source of heat a wood stove in the
kitchen. The fact that it was located
- at an intersection of three roads also made it
stand out. Built on the end of the house,
- so all you had to do was step outside the dining
room, was the barn and hayloft, all
- enclosed. There were two cows, two goats,
and several chickens, all shut up inside
- the barn. Part of A Company and our section of D
Company had to put a guard at the
- door, and a guard at the window, during the day.
At night, we posted two roving guards
- and two guards in a shed near the house, in
addition to the door guards. I was one of
- the two men who stood guard with the machine gun
in the shed near the house. My
- first night at guard duty in the shed was with
Seatter. The foxhole, dug in the dirt floor
- of the shed, by the gun was very small and full of
water, so we stood up in the shed
- and watched the gun flashes through the door, as
our artillery was trading rounds with
- Jerry. There was a thin covering of snow on the
ground, but the night wasn't too cold.
- Seatter and I had been there for about 15 minutes
of our 2-hour shift when we heard
- a rustling in the part of the shed on the other
side of the machine gun. Neither of
- us had been in the shed in the daytime so didn't
really know the layout of it. The
- noise sounded like someone was crawling in straw.
After sweating for about 3 minutes
- to see if the noise would stop, I started crawling
toward it with pistol drawn. It didn't
- take me long to find out--first, I crawled into
the hole and got my foot and leg wet--next,
- I felt a wire and cage and could tell that it was
full of little animals--rabbits. We found 6
- cans of Argentine beef that the Germans had left
and the occupants of the house had
- tried to hide. With this we made stew, using all
sorts of canned meat from packages,
- carrots and cabbages that the Frenchwoman went
outside for, and potatoes and
- cow turnips stored in the barn. This was topped
off with hot lemonade from the
- K rations. Harrington and I served it with part of
a 5-in-1 ration we had. Everyone,
- including the French civilians, joined in. One
night I volunteered to walk back to our
- vehicles and order supplies, and also get our
squad burner. I started back just after
- dark with Doc Thorne, the medic from the 1st
Platoon. He was going as far as the
- Aid Station and I would continue on from there.
While we were at the Aid Station, a
- fellow from one of the rifle companies was brought
in. He had been wounded that
- afternoon by artillery fire. He had a small cut
running into his eye, not too serious, and
- a large gash in his back just below his shoulder.
It looked as if someone had scraped
- a large chunk out of his back. There had been
little bleeding because of the high
- temperature of the shrapnel. It was the first
casualty I had seen. He wanted a cigarette
- and said he couldn't wait to get fixed up and get
back with the rest of his outfit. I then
- went up the road a little further to the Company
CP. There, I saw Capt. Lincoln, Lt.
- Barnes, Thomas, Girard, McGuire and the cook,
all taking it easy. Lincoln persuaded
- me to turn around and go back, so I took some
candles and magazines and started
- back. I picked up Thorne at the Aid Station and,
after almost losing our way, made it
- back just before daylight. All went well
until Friday evening, Nov. 17. We pulled guard,
- ate rations, wrote letters, talked and argued.
Things got to be dull. However, on this
- particular Friday evening, conditions changed.
Seatter and I had the midnight shift in
- the rabbit shed. The other shift had done a little
work on the foxhole--enlarged,
- deepened and put some boards in the bottom. It now
could protect one person fairly
- well. About 45 minutes after we had relieved the
guard, as we were standing in the
- doorway of the rabbit shed, Jerry started to wake
us up. I could plainly hear 3 distinct
- "pops" which seemed to come from
somewhere in front of us. About 5 seconds later
- these 88 mm rounds came in. There was a steadily
increasing hissing and swishing
- sound that ended in a long drawn-out whistle and a
deafening explosion. All
- 3 rounds landed about 75 yards to our left as we
faced the lines and slightly behind
- us. I didn't remember trying to dodge live
artillery shells as part of our training.
-
|