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Chapter 3
North Africa
We landed at 4 o’clock, November 7th, 1942. The town Oran fell to us. On the second day, we took a French fort on Jebel Majaja mountain. After that, we took Farana, Sibelta, El-Qatar and Gafsa. Then they sent us to the Kasserine Pass. I was on the highest hill when the German tanks broke through the pass. The German infantry attacked and we had to retreat for we had run out of ammunition. I was with my squad and I lay down under a pine tree and told my sergeant to wake me when they moved out. When I woke up, the sun was shining, no one around, and I had to get myself out of this hole I was in. I picked up a guy that had escaped from the Germans.
We were together about two hours when we came to a parting of the ways. He wanted to go one way but I saw some tracks that had hob nails and I knew that no American soldiers had hob nails. I said they were German and I was not going that way. He said that was the way he was going. Well, I went the other way and he was captured. I went up a hill and looked down in a valley and it was full of tanks. That was the way I had to go but I waited until 4 a.m. It rained and became foggy. I started across the valley and saw a tank and circled around it. I got across the valley and went to sleep in some bushes. In the morning I went up another hill and saw that the next valley was full of tanks. I had been five days without food and very little water and I made up my mind that I was going down there, German or not.
When I got there, I saw some English making tea. They said some of your blokes were up the road so I went up there and it was the Ninth Division. A colonel asked me a lot of questions. Then he said that they were moving up to the front lines and they wanted to take me with them. But I had other plans. I asked him where the toilets were and he said they were in the small pines. Well, when I got there I just kept going and I found the Big Red One in a rest camp. They were down to half strength.
We received some replacements and that is when I first met Fitzpatrick. The captain formed the company and made a speech. It was more like an ass chewing than a speech. He said, "You dishonorable actors, you equipment leavers." That was Captain Kelaher.
Well, Fitzpatrick and I became good friends. He was a tiger up front, but when in rest camp he believed he had a right to get drunk. I was a corporal and I was responsible for him, but he understood me and I would cover for him when I could.
When we got a bazooka, the lieutenant asked if anyone had seen one before. Fitz said, "Hell yes, I have shot it." The lieutenant said, "Good. You are the bazooka man." Well, Fitz shot it and it blew his helmet off and he had bloody spots on his face where hot wax hit him. Well, Fitz went on a drunk. He took the bazooka to company headquarters and he told the captain that he was not going to shoot it again. He said it shits and spits and damn near kills a man. Well, I got called down and I was chewed out for not controlling my men.
Well, we pushed the Germans into a pocket around Tunis. Then they pulled us back and let the English push them into the sea. They had to have their revenge for the Dieppe raid. There was a rumor that we were going home but General Terry Allen made a speech. He said, "You are a fine bunch of heroes. You are the people back home’s choice. You are in the newspapers, on the radio but nevertheless you have been elected to carry the ball again." So we invaded Sicily.
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