On the 25th I received a package from the Fire Company back home. It was a nice Bond fruit cake, and we really had a party. There were some civilians in the house, and we slept on the floor in the dining room. That night the driver and I were on guard from two to three in the morning, we were just ready to get off when we heard a strange sound. As it grew louder we knew it was a robot bomb, and it was really low when it came over.
On Friday we took some pictures, and in the evening we moved out to another town. We were still in reserve, but did not know how much longer we would be. On the 27th we moved out and ran into a roadblock, fired several rounds at it and the engineers came up and moved it out of the way. That night we slept in a pretty nice house, and pulled cards to see who was on guard. I was lucky for once, and was able to sleep all night. Sunday I wrote several letters, and they told us the push was to start in the morning.
On Monday the 29th we moved out. They had the roads pretty well mined, and we took to the fields. The infantry was on both sides of us as we advanced, and as we came to the top of a hill we pulled up just far enough to see over. We saw a commotion around a small haystack, and then saw a German walk out with his hands up. Later on we went around the hill and headed for a small town in the hollow. The mine sweepers told us not to come down, as there were mines all on the road. There was a steep bank on one side of us, and a hill on the other, so we stayed there. We fired several rounds at buildings where they thought snipers might be, and it wasn’t long before they started to bring prisoners up. They had the German prisoners carrying our boys that had been wounded, and also theirs.
There were about 12 came up and the fellows searched them. The infantry had already beat us to it so we did not find very much on them. That evening we moved into the town and slept in houses. All night there were shells coming in, and they hit one of our ammo trucks. Well, it made quite a light when it was burning, and we expected to hear more artillery coming in. There was a river in the town, but I forget what the name of it was. The engineers were trying to put a bridge over it, but the Germans knocked it out as fast as they put it in. It was the morning of the 30th of January on a Tuesday that they got the bridge in, and we crossed about 10 in the morning. That evening we stayed on the edge of town, and I got 22 letters and two cards. We slept in a barn that night, and the next morning one platoon pulled out to the position we were in the day before.
Thursday the 1st of February we moved out and started to fire in a patch of woods and at buildings. We slept in underground huts that night, and pulled guard. There were all kinds of German vehicles in the woods, and the Air Corps had really given them a working over.
Next day we moved out and got our objective, and that night we moved back to town. Had chicken for chow, and a nice place to sleep. It was really dark that night, and really raining. As I was going out to the tank to get my bed roll, I fell into a hole up to my hip. I had to put my shoes in the oven to dry them out, and it wasn’t long before I was dry again. Next day, which was the 5th of Feb. on a Monday, we worked all day in the rain, putting on floaters, and then got orders to move out. We reached the town at one in the morning, and slept in a house. Next morning we moved out, and passed through the Dragon’s Teeth. There were three tanks, and we were backing up in a field when one of them hit a mine. No one was hurt, but that only left us with two tanks. On Tuesday morning we moved out with the infantry and took four pillboxes. The Germans did not put up very much resistance, and we did not have very much trouble. That evening I got 18 letters, and I had a reading time. It was raining and we had a shelter half over our hatch, but water was still coming in. I would start to read my letters, and a big drop of water would fall on it. Next day, Thursday, we moved out and took several more pillboxes. They threw mortars in on us, and they were really hitting close. One of them hit right in front of us and knocked us down in the turret. We had a five gallon can of oil on the front of the tank, and the shrapnel put a hole in the bottom. That night we slept in the tanks, and for once it was not raining.
Next morning we moved to a new area, and took it easy the rest of the day. That evening they brought one of the tank crews from the second platoon where we were. They had their tank knocked out, and one of the crew had been killed. We slept in an old freight car that night, it was in the town of Borgshide. We stayed there over Saturday, and I wrote several letters during the day. Sunday we moved back to town, and slept in a barn loft. Next day we went to a new position, and went to a new town in the evening, and slept in houses where the company was at.
On Tuesday we cleaned our guns, washed up and shaved, had warm meals and slept in houses. Next day we watched the civilians pulling dead animals with oxen and burying them. I received several packages that day, and we had a regular party. Several other fellows received packages, and we put them all together. I also received my flash light and several batteries and bulbs.
Thursday I was one of the fellows who had to go out for indirect firing. The weather was really swell, and it was not bad out there at all. We slept in tents and only fired in the night. Fred Hostler and I were on at two in the morning. We fired eight rounds for a certain range, and then eight more for a different one.
Friday the weather was really swell and the bombers were really going over strong. The roads were really bad, and they were bringing supplies and food in by C-47. They were coming right over us, and dropping them right down in a valley. The chutes really looked pretty as they floated down. I guess there was close to a hundred or more planes that came over that day and the next.
On Saturday we returned to the company, and slept in the house we had been in before. Sunday the 18th of February we moved out before daylight, and took position. The shells were really going over, and our big ones sounded like freight trains when they passed over. Well, we got our tank stuck, and I really mean stuck. We were trying to get closer to the woods, and hit a soft spot. When the Germans heard the tank motor start up, they really threw in the shells. We heard them coming, and got in the tanks just in time. Finally, by hooking another tank on us, we got out, then moved down the road a little farther into the woods. That night we slept in the tanks, and pulled guard from the turret.
Monday the 19th we were to go after a German machine gun nest that was holding up the infantry. We started down the road, and just before we went around a bend we hit a mine. There were several infantry fellows around, and one of them got hit in the neck. It blew out five sections of our track, and made the first bogey wheel half-moon. We left it there, and went back a ways. Maintenance came up to fix it, and brought a new bogey wheel and tools to repair it with. They were working on it, and the Germans cut loose with their screaming meemies. When all had settled down, the maintainers said it was too hot and they left. Well, the driver and the rest of us, except the lieutenant, went back down and started to work on it. We had to get under the tank several times before we finished but finally we made it. One time when they sent artillery in there was a Lieutenant and several other infantrymen hit. Later on we learned the lieutenant died. Well, when we got the tank fixed we took it back for our maintenance to check over. I received three packages that day. Well, out of 29 Christmas packages, I received 28. That was pretty good I think. On the 22nd, we did work on the tanks, and they put new radio sets in them. Later that day we pulled out, and took the second platoon’s place. On the 23rd we took a town, got twenty some prisoners and never fired a shot. The next day we could see our planes bombing and strafing, and every now and then you would see smoke start to roll up. I shaved and cleaned up a little, and also read my mail. We slept in a barn that night, and it was pretty warm.
The next day was Sunday, and we had church service right there in the town church. That evening about three we were relieved by the Second Cav, and returned back to our company.
We were pretty far back, and they said we were back for a rest. Next day we went and got a swell shower, and it really felt good. They were set up in a field, and were really nice. That night we had a picture show, and it was really good for a change. The whole Battalion had pulled back, and we really had a swell time. On Tuesday we worked on our guns and gassed the tanks up. Had the afternoon off, and I wrote several letters. That night we had another show, and I went to see it. Wednesday we had the Red Cross there with coffee and donuts. In the afternoon we went out and had a good time firing our guns, that is our small arms. The Red Cross girls fired them also. We would throw cans out and see who could make them jump. When you hit one with the tommy gun it really left the ground. I think we shot at least fifty boxes of .45. Some of the fellows were even firing the M-1, others were using their foreign weapons. Well, we really had a swell time, and in the evening we went to another show.
Next day, Thursday, March 1, we got paid. I sent forty some dollars home by the PTA. Well, we were really getting some good chow while we were there, but we did not know how much longer it would last. Friday we were at the same place, and had a good show that night. But the next morning we pulled out. It had started to snow before we got to our new place, and it was about four inches or better when we got to the town. We slept on the floor, but we had pretty soft cushions under us. Next day was Sunday the 4th of March, and we had eggs for chow. Also we had Wheaties. That same day we moved out to another town with the infantry. We knocked a wall down getting the tank where we wanted it, and slept in a room above a shed.
The next day we were riding bicycles all around the town, and were out hunting for eggs. In the same town on the 13th of March we got a lot of film, and took a good many pictures. I was wishing I had a camera during combat, but I just wasn’t lucky enough to get ahold of one. The infantry fellows had an old coach and horse riding around town with a high silk hat. It wasn’t long before the owner came after it, and he seemed pretty angry. Next morning, which was the 14th on Wednesday, we met the other platoons at a crossroad, and found us a place to sleep when we got to the next town. We got us a good many eggs there, and had an egg frying time. We had just got in bed when they told us to get ready to cross the Moselle. At about one in the morning we went across, that made the second time we had crossed it. The rest of the night we slept in the tanks setting in an orchard along the river. Thursday we took several pictures, and had some good wine to drink. The weather was really swell, and we were just hoping it would stay that way. The next day, the 16th of March on Friday, we went and washed in the Moselle River. On Saturday we moved out, and went up a steep hill. The tank destroyers were right with us. That night we slept in a pretty nice house. On Sunday the 18th of March we went on an attack, and took another town without very much trouble. Monday we went to another town. I would have liked to have gotten the names of all the towns I went through, but I could not keep them in my diary. To tell you the truth, I was not supposed to keep a diary at all, but I managed to do it. I had a box of matches in it at all times, in case we got in a tight spot.
It was in the last town I mentioned that we got the news that Lt. Schneider had been killed by a sniper. He was in charge of the third platoon, and was a battlefield commission. We had a lot of old maps, and I took them out and burned them, after which I covered the ashes up well.
On Tuesday we stayed in the same place, until about eight in the evening, then we went on outpost. We were right near some buildings, and one of them was on fire. The tank destroyers were there, and they could not get one of them started. The fire was getting hot, and we pulled him away from it. Next morning, the 21st of March, we went in towards Mainz. We hit a small town in the outskirts, and did not have any trouble at all. The Infantry of the 90th Division was on both sides of us as we made our way towards the main part of town. As we were going into town, we saw a German ambulance coming down a side street. When they saw us they pulled over to the curb and got out. There were about four officers, and the infantry got a nice pistol off of each of them.
As we went through the town, we could see the white flags hanging out of all the windows. There were quite a few prisoners going down the street, and they seemed pretty happy. We had pulled in near a big stable, and the infantry was going down through a field. We had shut our motor off, and were making some cereal, as all you needed was water. It was out of the 10-in-ones, and had the milk and sugar in it already. We had just finished and the tank commander had gone to the infantry command post to find out what our next move would be, when they started to throw in the artillery. Our driver started the tank and was about to move it when they got a direct hit on the front of us. When we got hit, we left it. I jumped from the turret to the ground, and my helmet fell off. Well, the building was in the other direction, and I took off without it. I was just going in the door when a shell hit close by and I got hit in the leg. When it hit me it nearly knocked me down, but I managed to stay up. The piece of shrapnel went through my legging, OD pants, winter underwear, and into my leg.
After they quit throwing the stuff in, I went out and got my helmet. Then I found the rest of the fellows, and the medics fixed up my leg. I had my P-38 on my side, and I gave it to the assistant driver to keep for me.
That was about one in the afternoon, and I was evacuated. When I got to the evacuation center they gave me a shot of Penicillin in my leg above the wound. It was about one in the morning when I got to the hospital, and about two when I got in bed. The room I was to go in did not have room, there was one GI in there, and the rest were Germans. I slept out in the hall on a cot, and the night nurse fixed up my leg, and I went to sleep.
The next day I was moved into a room, and got a shot every four hours. I sure was glad when they stopped calling out my name when they came in. We had a pretty nice night nurse, and she was from Michigan. At night she would always bring us cocoa or something else to drink. We had it pretty nice, and the captain could come in each day to see how we were coming along. On the 26th of March on Monday they said that I would be leaving, and they brought me my Purple Heart. We got on trucks and went to the 459th Replacement Depot. When we got there we had to go and let the medical officer check over us. He said they had turned me out too soon, and I would have to see him twice a day. On Tuesday he said to have hot packs put on it twice a day, as an infection had set in.
That night I went to a show, and it was pretty good. We had to sleep in pyramidal tents, and there were eight in each. Had pretty good chow, and had a pretty nice place to go write letters.
On Thursday we went and got our PX rations, and later on that same day the whole repo depo moved to another place. Some fellows had already gone the day before, and they had tents up for us.
On Friday the 30th of March, we put up more tents. They were expecting more fellows to come in, and they were right from the States. The next day I went to the medics, and the captain said to hold me for three or four days yet. That evening I went to the show, it was "Take Me To St. Louis," and it was really good.
The next day was Easter Sunday, April the 1st. I went to Easter services at 10:30, and the sermon was really good. In the afternoon I wrote several letters, and cut some wood for our stove.
Monday we just laid around, and put up a few tents. That night one of the tents caught fire, and one fellow gut burned slightly.
Tuesday we went for our PX rations, and had to walk quite a ways for them. Had the medics bathe my leg twice that day, and also we cut some wood. On Thursday there were quite a few of us went to 300 Co. They were located about a half mile from where we were. Stayed there from the 5th to the 11th, and was on guard twice. On the 11th we had to get ready to move to a new area, and had a lot of cleaning up to do. While I was digging holes to bury some junk, my watch stopped on me, and I could not get it to go.
On Thursday we moved out, and crossed the Rhine. It was the first time I had seen it, as I had got wounded just before we got to it. We ended up in a German ammo factory, and it had everything there. There were warehouses full of cases, and several train loads of projectiles. We had lights there, that is, candle light. We slept in a large building where they used to fill the shells, and we had cots to sleep on. That night we heard a German plane, and the lights went out fast. He circled around several times, and then finally took off.
Friday there was not much to do, and I shaved and cleaned up. In the afternoon I wrote several letters. That night I went to the show, and it was pretty good.
Saturday morning I was on detail in the supply room, and in the afternoon I went to the medic. That night I went to the show, and then got a good night’s sleep. On Sunday I went to church in the morning, and in the afternoon we went out and played ball. If you remember when I was at the other place, my watch stopped when I was burying junk. Well, when we got finished playing ball, I looked at it and it had started up again.
Well, the Third Army was going so fast we had to keep moving right along. On Monday we pulled out again, and moved to an SS camp. It was right near one of the concentration camps the SS had, and we went there and looked around. We saw the gas chambers, and the large ovens they used to cremate the refugees in. There was a table there, and they used it to knock the fillings out of their teeth before they gassed them. In other words they were still alive when they did it. On Wednesday the 18th of April we went out and saw where they had buried at least 12,000. We could see a foot, and several arms still sticking out of the water.
As I was saying we had moved to an SS camp, and the place was pretty nice. We had nice rooms, and one of the fellows had a typewriter. I wrote several letters on that day, and we had to use candles for light. There was about six of us in a room, and we had plenty of room. On Wednesday we went walking around, and there were warehouses full of everything. Some of them had brand new blankets in them, and they were stacked clear to the ceiling. Others had all kinds of furniture and tools in them, and others were full of all sized nails.
On Friday the 20th we went on a road march, and got back about three in the afternoon. Well, the whole time we were there we had K rations to eat, and I was getting kind of tired of them. On Sunday the 22nd of April I went to church in the morning. In the afternoon I wrote some letters, and got ready to go on guard. I was on the second relief, and was able to go to the show at night. They really had a swell theater, had soft seats and was plenty of room. I guess many times the SS had sat there and seen a show. Well, I was on guard about a half hour, and a truck pulled up from an English outfit. They had a fellow with them who had been shot. They were watching some beams for a bridge and someone fired at them. There was still one fellow they could not find, and about five in the morning three truck loads of men and two officers went to the place. They found the boy in back of the burgomeister’s house and started to question him. One fellow started to give the MP trouble, and he took him in a barn and never brought him back. I never heard how the fellow they brought in came along. They said he was shot up pretty bad.
On Wednesday I moved to a new place, it was in a German university in Marburg. The place was located on a hill, and was just about in the center of town. While we were at the SS camp, we got as lousy as could be, and they gave us new clothes, and we took a nice shower. They took our old clothes and burned them. That night we had to sleep out in the hall, as the place was just about full. We had some real good chow there, and it was a pretty nice place.
On Sunday the 29th I went to church, went for a walk in the afternoon, and took in a show at night. On Monday we moved into a nice room, it had a stove in it and all. We had to keep the hallway clean, and the room we were in. On Wednesday the 2nd of May we saw in the Stars and Stripes that Hitler was supposed to be dead. We played ball that afternoon, until we got chased in by the rain. It stopped raining in the evening, and I went to the show. On Thursday we got the news that the Germans in Italy had surrendered, and we were hoping it was true.
On Monday the 7th, I headed for the 93rd Depo, and ended up in 223 Company. We slept in pup tents, and were right outside of Nuremburg. Then on May the 8th, they gave us the good news that the War was over. It was really good to hear, and we were hoping it was true. That afternoon we put cots in our pup tents, and it worked pretty nice. That evening I wrote two letters, and we had a show at night. Next day, the 9th of May, on Wednesday, we played ball, took a nice shower, and in the evening we stood retreat. Thursday we played ball, in the afternoon I wrote several letters, and at night went to see the show. On Friday we had orders to get ready to move to a new repo depo, and I met several other fellows from my outfit. We moved at about 1:30, and I caught up writing my diary. That night when we got to our next place, we slept out under the starry sky. The weather was pretty, and we did not mind it at all. The next day, the 12th of May, on Saturday, I washed up, and shaved. We also put up tents, and had them to sleep in at night. The name of the place was Bayreuth, and it was the place where Wagner composed lots of his music. The next day was Mother’s Day, and we went in town to church. The chaplain really had a good sermon, and we also had a fellow there from New York, and he sang some songs. That afternoon we went swimming, and it was a pretty nice place. We were not allowed to fraternize, and being there was a lot of civilians there, the officers made us leave. That night I wrote several letters, and went to the show. We did not have an inside show, it was out in a field and was located on a hill.
On Monday we had the point system explained to us, and in the afternoon had an orientation on the carbine and M-1 rifle. That evening we went for a short hike, and in the evening after dark we had a show. We had just got back to our tent when the thunderstorm that had been brewing really cut loose. We were located on the side of a hill, and we nearly washed away.
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Stories 