MY ARMY DAYS: World War II (11-20)

            -11-

We were dropped at least for now

At our Company B

It was just a place to eat and sleep

Until we were assigned

For where we went was just a guess

It could be anywhere

But we all knew that it would be

A rifle company.

We stayed there for about three weeks

There was not much to do

And so instead of playing cards

As some were wont to do

Just two of us decided that

We’d see if we could use

Some of the company’s weapons

A mortar was our choice.

We did receive our Captain’s praise

That we did choose to learn

So he suggested that we take

Some practice rounds with us.

And so we went across the road

To the big parade ground

And here we practiced all day long

To set that mortar up.

            -12-

At first we were not good at all

In setting up the gun

But time and practice did hold sway

‘Til we were hard to beat.

We’d set it up, put in the sight

And get it leveled true

Right on one of the three main stakes

That we’d set to our fore.

Now that we could set up the gun

We started to learn how

To fire the mortar where we would

And so used practice rounds

They would not go so very far

That mattered not at all

We had to learn just how it felt

To fire off those rounds.

So we took turns in setting up

The mortar right from scratch

I’d be the gunner once around

And he’d be my second

Then when we’d fired off all six rounds

We’d swap our positions

And in this way, all by ourselves

We were good mortar men.

            -13-

So finally we were assigned

And much to our dismay

My buddy who had trained with me

Was sent off somewhere else.

He went to Fox and I to Love

Both rifle companies

But then our private training paid

Off very handsomely.

Because we knew so much about

This company weapon

We were assigned as first gunners

In each mortar section.

And so we settled down again

And started in to train

We learned the nomenclature of

Our weapons and the rounds.

We trained as squads, which had five men

Then later on we tried

To handle all of our three guns

In such a manner as

We might in combat when that came

But had no real live rounds

So we could never tell if we

Could hit a target well.

            -14-

We trained at first with our platoons

In company attacks

Then worked with our battalion with

Two companies in front

The third was held back in reserve

But followed very close

The regiment was next in line

And so our training went.

We finally did get to fire

Our mortars with live rounds

As our riflemen went forward

We fired over their heads.

We dropped six rounds in rapid fire

About four hundred yards

Then as our men got near our fire

We moved to eight hundred.

This was the last time we did fire

Our mortars with live rounds

All knew our time was getting short

We’d soon be overseas.

It was the time for furloughs now

But each would wait his turn.

Mine did come up in mid July

And I was off again.

            -15-

This time however I did have

Ten days of furlough time

With five days extra that we got

To use for traveling.

I caught a train to St. Louis

And then up to New York

From thee I headed home again

I took the Boston run.

And when I got to Providence

I took a taxi home.

I met my mother at the door

And gave her a big hug.

She knew that I was coming home

And had my days lined up.

She wanted me to visit friends

And relatives galore.

But when I said I wanted days

With Paula all alone

She told me that my girlfriend

Was in the hospital.

Now Paula in her notes to me

Had never mentioned that

She had a problem that did require

A little surgery.

            -16-

And so I could not see her then

For only family

Could see her for a week or so

And so I spent my time

Following my mother’s plan to

See relatives and friends.

Then finally on my last days

My Paula could I see.

Her parents left me afternoons

Their visits were at night

And so on my last furlough home

I saw her only twice.

When I saw her lying so still

It made me want to cry

I knelt right down beside her bed

And held her in my arms.

They let me stay for just one hour

And then I had to go.

We hated parting those last days

For I was heading out

We knew not what fate had in store

And so we never knew

If we would ever meet again

To be as man and wife.

            -17-

That last day at the hospital

And of my furlough too

We hugged each other one last time

I left reluctantly.

I said goodbye to family

And then was on my way

I traveled back to Muskogee

And then on back to camp.

I met my buddies at my bunk

And told them how things went

I then unpacked all of my gear

And read the mail I got

In one large envelope I found

A graduation pic

Of Patty Paulson, and was signed

“Your little Irish Sis.”

I put the picture on my shelf

Where all could see her face

And was asked a hundred times if

This one was my girl.

I told them no, and then was asked

By one Eugene McGrail

That if I minded if he wrote

For he was Irish too.

            -18-

I told him, “No, go right ahead

I do not mind at all.”

And thus did start a great romance

That some years later did

End up in marriage in my town

At the Sacred Heart Church.

And so I'd lost a girl I loved

But never could we wed.

Now Gene McGrail was the leader

Of our section’s third squad.

And just before we were shipped out

Something made him quite ill

And when it became quite clear

He wouldn’t be coming back

They turned to me to take his place

And so I got his squad.

These were the men that made my squad

Tom Hamilton, gunner

And Bernie Burnhardt carried on

As the second gunner

While Oscar Nitsch and Bob Borders

In specially made vests

Did carry all the mortar rounds

A mortar squad could take.

            -19-

And so we were nearly prepared

To leave this camp and go

We packed our gear and boarded trains

And still had no idea

Of whether east or west we'd go

Until we started out

But when we stopped in Terra Haute

We knew we headed east.

We drilled in Terra haute an hour

To keep our legs in shape

And then continued on our way

And finally wound up

In Camp Kilmer, on Jersey’s shore

To wait for our troop ship

While there we trained on landing nets

But not much else at all.

And so half of our company

Got overnight passes

We must be back by seven A.M.

And had a limit of

One hundred fifty miles, no more

But then I took a chance

I had a friend call up my mom

When he got to New York.

            -20-

He told her I was on my way

Would be in at eight o’clock

And would she have my Paula come

To meet me at our house.

The train came in, and right on time

I took a taxi home

And met my mom and Paula there

Just as I thought I would.

I didn’t have long, they understood

We talked about an hour

And then Mom said she’d go to bed

“And leave you two alone.

Just call me when you’re going to leave

So I can say goodbye.”

She left us there and we sat down

To talk for just a while.

I sat upon our sofa with

My Paula ‘cross my lap

We hugged each other while I sought

The sweetness of her lips

And slowly surely passion rose

In both of us of course

But she said, “No, this cannot be

Until the time we’re wed.”

MY ARMY DAYS: WWII (71-80)

            -71-

And once the trees had all been cleared

We came down from the hills

And moved along much faster now

Accompanied by tanks.

We once were stopped in a village

Where snipers held us up

But heavy tank fire into town

Convinced the Krauts to quit.

But soon we reached the dragon teeth

That lined the Siegfried Line.

It was then that we all did know

We were in Germany

Which outfit had first crossed the line

Will never now be known

The skipper called for us to halt

And move into the woods.

We stayed in this spot for a day

Until ‘twas figured out

Which outfit would make the attack

Into the Siegfried Line.

We rested back just far enough

So we would not be hit

And somehow knew with certainty

That we would be the ones.

            -72-

And sure enough when darkness came

Our leaders spoke to us

And said that we’d attack at six

After a huge barrage.

This time we were not that concerned

About our losing feet

For when artillery hit that hard

It would explode the mines.

And so we ate some C-rations

That just had been brought up

Then sat around and quietly

Did speak of times gone past

Of our girlfriends, and also wives

We reminisced a lot

Then turned into our cold gas capes

And spent a chilly night.

At four o’clock we all arose

And got some K’s to eat

The mortar squads were still attached

As they had always been

First and third in skirmish line

Would make the first attack

While second platoon was in reserve

To fill in any gaps.

            -73-

And so we waited once again

For our artillery

And promptly at five forty-five

It came down with a bang

The noise was unbelievable

The cordite stench was bad

But right on time, at six o’clock

We started our attack.

The artillery lifted as we moved

And threw shells to the rear

While we with useless mortars could

Do nothing to help out.

But many of our riflemen

Had spotted a pillbox

And if we could take that one out

We could move right ahead.

Then one who had a satchel charge

Did creep up to its side

And threw that charge into the slit

And – bang – that box was ours.

We then moved quickly up the hill

Right thru the dragon teeth

Our engineers came right behind

And blew some all to bits.

            -74-

The tankers now went right on through

And we just followed them

Our casualties in this attack

Were not one single man.
We then got back onto the road

And moved along all day

The Krauts had seemingly pulled out

And were in full retreat.

We then continued on our way

And came upon a sight

Of what artillery can do

To a convoy in flight.

There were wagons just everywhere

But most along the road

Both men and horses had been caught

By that terrific fire.

We had a slow time passing through

The damage was so great

But some Kraut wagons did contain

The blankets for their group

And these we took most gratefully

For nights were very cold

But then we heard we were pinched out

And would stay put a while.

            -75-

Then when we reached the little town

Of Dimbach, we were told

To spend the time just rounding up

The horses that survived.

We also used the horses to

Flush out some hidden Krauts

The remnants of the Tenth Mountain

The one we just destroyed.

I never had been on a horse

But Borders showed me how

He had ridden most of his life

I took his training well.

And then one day while we were out

Just riding thru the hills

We saw a couple of Kraut troops

And took them prisoner.

I dismounted from my horse

And held the two at bay

While Borders rode back into town

To find out what to do.

I learned that they were Polish troops

And had been forced to serve

They wanted to surrender to

The first Ami they saw.

            -76-

And so we turned them over to

Prisoner Detention

And then the two of us went out

To round up all the strays.

And these we turned into the town

To use as they saw fit.

And so we were afoot again

And finally got some rest.

We stayed there for about a week

We packed up all our gear

Then left in trucks on Easter morn

To go across the Rhine.

We rode all day and when night came

We crossed it on pontoons

And all the trucks had half-lights on

As we headed into Worms.

We traveled just about all night

And when the dawn did break

We halted in a little town

To catch some sleep and wait

It must have been late afternoon

When we did get the call

To move, and so we headed east

But this time ‘twas by foot.

            -77-

Now Würzburg was our latest goal

It lay upon the Main

But in between were villages

And each had to be cleared

So we devised a strategy

For taking these small towns

We’d move in column on the road

Until we got some flack.

Then two platoons would form a line

Extending right and left

And we’d set up all three mortars

In the best place we could

The skirmish line did then move out

With scouts out way ahead

And if resistance then was met

They all would go to ground.

Now it was then our mortar squads

Would show what they could do

And for the first time in this war

A section we became.

We had our three guns all lined up

In close proximity

To fire wherever needed most

And only on command.

            -78-

We then received our fire requests

Directly from platoons

And when they asked us for support

We always did the same

We set up for four hundred yards

Then drove the base plate in

By firing first with a charge four

Which sent those rounds way out

Which always made the Germans think

We hadn’t spotted them

Then each gunner would set his sight

Level and on base stake

But this time he would use charge one

To reach four hundred yards

Then each squad would fire a round

Thirty seconds apart.

And as the rounds would hit and burst

Each leader would adjust

To hit the Krauts with the next round

Without a bracket first.

When all were ready – they were fast –

We’d all get set to fire.

Each assistant held one armed round

And waited my command.

            -79-

I dropped my arm, they dropped their rounds

And all were on their way

We watched to see where they would land

And then fired for effect

Five rounds now went out of each gun

Before the first did hit

And when those rounds dropped in so fast

The Krauts just up and quit.

Our riflemen then started in

And moved in very fast

Before the Krauts decided that

They may have quit too soon.

The bed sheets started coming out

White flags were everywhere

It’s then we knew the town was ours

We moved to clean it out.

We captured many prisoners

In that one town alone

Then sent them off to prison camps

Where they would end the war.

We then went house to house to see

Where we would sleep that night

For in the morning we would start

This whole routine again.

            -80-

We captured many towns, and hiked

So many, many miles

In taking major cities like

Würzburg, Schweinfurt and Fürth

But Munich was the best of all

If war can be called “best”

For here we rode the tanks all day

Where we had hiked before.

Würzburg was mostly Two Three Two

Although we did help out

What I’ll remember mostly is

The castle on the hill

It had a rainbow painted on

With our division too

Before the city had been ours

By a good hour or two.

I also think about three vats

We found at Würzburg U.

They were wood vats of giant size

And filled right to the brim,

With wine, that all would love to have

If access could be had,

But word passed fast, the general heard

And promptly put out guards.