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Monday, June 28, 2021

John Phelps Appendix 9, Court Hearings

 

March 15, 1865—11 o'clock a. m.

The commission met pursuant to adjournment. Present, all the members; also the judge advocate and assistant counsel, the accused and their counsel.

The proceedings of yesterday were read and approved.

The judge advocate announced to the commission and the accused that Colonel Spooner had received leave of absence for a few days for the purpose of going to Washington city, asking the accused if they had any objection to his being absent from the commission ; they all and severally replying that they had not, and that Colonel Spooner would be allowed to resume his seat upon the commission, after having read the testimony which should have been taken during his absence.

John Phelps, a witness for the defense, was then introduced, and being duly sworn by the judge advocate, testified as follows :

By the accused:

Q. Please state to the court your name and place of residence. A. John Phelps; I reside in Ogle county, Illinois; I have recently been a merchant; I am at present on my farm. Q. Did you ever reside in Austin, Texas?  A. I did, sir; I moved to Austin in the fall of 1857. Q. Did you know John T. Shanks? A. Partially; I had no particular acquaintance with him.

H. Ex. Doc. 50 27

Q. Did you ever know of his having been arrested there? If so, what for!

(Objected to by the judge advocate. Objection withdrawn.)

A. In the summer of 1859 I was absent; during that time John T. Shanks was arrested. I had been in Illinois and in New York, and when I returned I understood from my friends in the city that he had been arrested.

(The judge advocate objected to this class of testimony.)

Q. Where was John T. Shanks at that time?

A. He was in prison, as I understood.

Judge Advocate. I object to hearsay testimony.

Q. State, if you know, the reputation and estimation in which John T. Shanks was held in the city of Austin.

A. His reputation was very bad.

By Judge Wilson:

Q. Do you know any other person in Austin named John T. Shanks?
A. I do not, sir.

Q. Do you know what his occupation had been?

A. He was a clerk in the land office, so I understood, but I never saw him in the performance of his duties as such.

Cross-examination by the Judge Advocate:

Q. When did you first become acquainted with John T. Shanks?

A. It was between the fall of 1858 and 1861.

Q. When did you first see him?

A. I first saw him to know him in my store; I had no particular acquaintance with him.

Q. Where did you first meet him?

A. I believe, as far as I can recollect him I first met him in my store.

Q. What kind of store was your store?

A. It was a dry goods store.

Q. What was he doing there?

A. I do not know; he may have had some business to transact.

Q. Were you introduced to him?

A. I may have been; I do not recollect?

Q. When did this happen?

A. Perhaps in 1858; 1 cannot tell the particular time.

Q. Was it in 1856?

A. No, sir; it might have been in 1857-'58 or '59.

Q. You recollect Shanks coming into your store, but you do not recollect the year?

A. I do not.

Q. How is it that you do not recollect the year, and yet you can remember the name?

A. Because I cannot keep the records of the year in my head.

Q. Can you recollect one circumstance better than you can recollect a whole year?

A. I do not know, but I recollect well of seeing Shanks there.

Q. What kind of a looking man was he?

A. I do not know; I think he was rather a spare man, of a light complexion.

Q. How tall was he?

A. I paid no particular attention; perhaps he was medium sized. I cannot recollect the color of his hair or eyes.

Q. Did you ever see him since?

A. I do not recollect of having seen him since.

Q. Who did you first hear speaking about him?

A. I cannot tell you, for there were so many.

Q. What year was it when you came back?

A. It was either 1859 or 1856.

Q. Had you heard anything said against him before that arrest?

A. No, sir; I never heard anything for or against him.

Q. Who did you hear speak against him?

A. I do not recollect particularly; it was people who came in my store. I cannot tell you of a single name.

Q. What did they say about him?

A. They all concluded that he was guilty of forgery.

Q. Was that all they said about him?

A. I think so; I recollect of nothing else.

Q. How then do you state that his reputation was bad?

A. I heard it by hearsay.

Q Did you not state that you never heard anything charged against him only that he was guilty of forgery?

A. I did not hear anything else against him. I never heard anybody say anything about his truth and veracity.

Q. What did they say when they spoke about this forgery?

A. The general conversation was that he had been forging a land warrant, I think.

Re-examination by E. J. Asay, esq.:

Q. Did they say anything in reference to his arrest?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Did they say what had been done with him?

A. He was there in jail in the city of Austin.

Q. Did you hear anything of the State legislature offering a reward for his arrest?

(Objected to by the judge advocate.

The court was cleared for deliberation.

The court being reopened, the judge advocate announced that the objection was sustained.)

Q. Did you know of any appropriation having been made by the State of Texas to pay the expenses of the arrest of John T. Shanks?

A. I do not.

Q. Was there by act of legislature any such appropriation?

A. I understood that there was, but I never examined the records, and I was somewhat interested in it, for the man who arrested him was largely indebted to me.

By the Court:

Q. When did you leave Oregon county, Illinois, to go to Texas?
A. I left in 1857.

Q. What were you doing in 1852-'53?

A. I was in business at Oregon, and Peoria, and several other points.
Q. How long were you in business in Illinois)

A. My son and son-in-law were in business at Peoria and other points sixteen or seventeen years.

Page 417  House Documents, Otherwise Publ. as Executive Documents, 13th Congress, 2nd…   1867

 

by United States Congress. House - History - 1867 - 240 pages

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Jim Merritt's World War II

 



Jim on the job in his mobile kitchen, Italy, during the start of the rainy season.

Jim Merritt War Diary








My Life in the Service

A Remington-Morse Publication

Copyright 1941

Chicago, Illinois

 

 

James Lee Merritt

Pvt.lst Cl. Serial Number: 39382765

Hq. Batry. 41stFA. Bn.

Fort Ord, Calif.

Protestant

b.d. July 30, 1918   wt, 195 Ibs.

color white   Color of hair Brown

Height 5' 10"   Color of eyes: Blue

Nearest Relative or Friend

J.L. Merritt Sr.

314 W 72nd ST

Seattle, 7 Wash

 

Service Record:

June, 1942 from Pvt. 1st Class

T 5th Grade

July, 1943

On entering the service

Jan 5th, 1942   Weight 177

Waist 32

Citations and Awards

Good Conduct

My buddies

photo: Minor, Cherion, Me, Gus, Weimer, Center, Pete

photo of kitchen crew

My buddies in the sevice:

Jim Durfey

1413 West 57th Street

Seattle, 7 Wash

Jeff  D. Harrison

721 S. First St.

Tucomcari, N. Mex.

 Springfield, MASS

Roger Thompson

1030 West Bond St

Denison, Texas

Arnold J. Thompson

Newark ILL

RT3 #13

Gottfried H. Adams

Roscoe, So. Dak.

Angelo J.Villard

1114 Madison St.

Alexandra, LA

Roy Wright

3008 Violet Ave

Muskegon, Mich

Walter Simonie

2233 Hickory St.

Joliet, Ill.

Norman R. Blakewold

Scotia, S.C.

Kenneth Griche

1113 N JohnsonSt.

Bay City, Mich.

Helmut 0. Kreile

Box 110

Cucleville, New York

Joseph F. Isert

Highland, Illinois

Earlie E. Siber

Silas, Ala

Feldeance Jean

Belfort France

JOSE PHSRENVILLE

Pembina

No.Dak.

Donavon V Carpenter

24th & Dalton Ave.

Bemidji, Minn

Vincent L. Osbome

1736 Belmont Ave

Granada Apt #203

Seattle, Wash.

Francis J. Larking

10 Edwin St

Brookline

Massachusetts

James E Laverty

183 Broadway

Newark, N.J.

Florence Wick, ARC

1204 So 16th Ave

Yakima, Wash.

Mrs. Irving Solomon

183 Gelson Ave

Brklyn New York

Lloyd M Peterson

Rt#2

Albany Oregon

William Hannah

Danville 111

Route #2

Marvin L. Peterson

217 N. Plum Grove Ave

Palatine, Illinois

Maurice (Red) Hoar

103 Wait ST

  LeRoy B. Minor

Fairmont

No. Dakota

George E. McClellan

Lake Worth

Florida

Andrew P. Williams

Cereo, Virginia

Route #1

Bernel Van Bogart

Hawkeye, Iowa

Emil Hendrickson

Sawlor, Minn

John Two Stars

Peever, So. Dakota

James A Tait

Amboy, Illinois

Gottfried Weimer

Fort Morgan, Colo. Rt I Box 63

Charles Q Carter

Corydon, Iowa

Edward Schraaeder

25 Normal Str.

Woodbine, Iowa

Henry L. Ferraris

R.F.D. No2 Box 460

Concord California

Ernest Cress

Bellleview 111

 

Arthur J. Hedberg

203 E. Circle Drive

Prospect Heights Illinois

 Morris Berk

2743 Glenview Ave

L.A. California

Leo F. Edwards

Doland, So. Dak.

Ralph Sands

Riverview, Ala

Matthew Schiller

Watertown, S.D.

Roger Thompson

1030 West Bond

Denison Texas

Al Cholger

14011 Pferit Ave

Witrait, Mich.

Louis Stuck

Rt. #5 Childs Rd.

So. Omaha, Nebraska

Everett Sleisher

Neosho Rapids

Kansas

Edwin T. Birsch

Granvlle Rd.

Lewistown Pa

James E. Elliott

Downey,

Iowa

Robert Wilson

Ben Hur, VA

Richard W McGregor

Blaisdell N. Dakota

William T. Odaine

Waverly, Term.

 David C. Williams

Valier, Montana

Stuart M. Thomas

213 West 30th St.

Richmond, VA

Albert K. Ewoldt

Manning Iowa

Rt#2

Bob W. Guthrie

Reno, Nevada

Frank D. Vergano

758 Neiss Ave

Semcey, MO St. Louis, County

Geo M. Thompson

1371 Colwell St

Kittanning, Penna.

George H. Moore

Brawley, Calif.

Bill Combs

Ermine, KY.

Walter L. Elliot

Horton, KS

William H. Streator

135 Underwood Ave

Greensburg, Pennsa.

Benjamin Jones

507 West Grove St

Taylor, Pa.

Albert Champigny

70 Ruth Street

New Bedford, Mass.

Andrew A .Tuattrochi

 707 W St. Louis Ave

Chicago, Illinois

Walter D. Morgan

625 N. Stanley Ave

Los Angeles, 56 Cal.

Barney Feldman

16 Munroe Street

Roxbury, Mass

Francis J. Kendall

3130 Delachaise St.

New Orleans, La.

Verlon? V Spencer

Eastman Rd.

Midland Mich.

Amo M. Mation

R.1 Box 375

Puyallup, Wash

Walter J. Ray

404 Taylor Ave

San Bruno, Calif.

Lawrence Jamecke "Larry"

Scranton,

No. Dak.

Marvin L. Petersen

217 N. Plum Grove Ave.

Palatine, Illinois Phone 53-J

Russell B. Hall

Fancy Gap, VA

Frederick E. Deutsch

554 E. 8th Street

Sheridan, Wyoming

Mike Matzko

13419 Baltimore Ave

Chicago Illinois

 

      A souvenir Nazi flag with names of his comrades


that he worked with.  

Jerry Lucima

4628 W. 21st Place

Cicero Illiiois

Fred Eberle

Stady, N. Dak.

Phil Fader

561 E. 55th St.

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Oliver D. Replogle

8087 Grand River

Brightan Mich.

James Page  Mathueu, Mari.

Stanley Swanyer

Route I Waterloo, la.

James Underation

3375 29th St

San Diego, California

Henry Stych

Exeter, Nebraska

J.V. Rupert

Columbiana

Ohio

Harold S. McKeney

Brunswick, Maine

Mike Strizak

Dillionvale Ohio

Jerry Benning

Miranda S.D.

;

Harold W. Ritter

130 Haas St.

Tapton, Penn

 

Edwin W. Kittel

 Nickerson Minn.

Hulen Beuchem

Vincent, Ala

Gerald Rounhorst

Holland, Michigan AR-2

Burrell R. Kimball

535 Madrona

Salem, Oregon

Thurman W. Robinson

Route 4-Box 531

Winston-Salem, N.C.

Robert J. Cole

700 North Water St.

Sparta, Wis.

Lloyd C. Wlson

Kasson, Minn.

Dwight Beck (Porky)

1144 W. 58th PI.

L.A. Calif.

Eddie "Staff Villagran

P.O.Box 155

Pinole, Calif.

Cannonball

Right foot

Cannonball

Left foot

[dog paw prints]

Gus Carizales

1609 N. Akard St

Dallas Texas

Gordon H. Davis

Decatur

Tenn

 Carl C. Swemey

Jappo, 111.

Richard 0. Boas

Rochelle, Illinois

William W. Lile

315 East Virgin

Tulsa, Okla.

J.D. Shatter

West Union, Iowa

Lewis F.Nickle

7020 So. Cushman St.

Tacoma

Wash.

Everett De Bard

Baker Oregon

Karl Weimer

Route 2

Fort Morgan

Colo.

David B. Fies

825 W. 56th St.

Los Angeles, Calif.

Louis A. Caricohia

Box 455

Lyndova, Pa.

Russell Congrove

332 Watt Street

Circleville, Ohio

Harold J.Kuntz

Salmon Idaho ,

Box 666



                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Jim in his cooks uniform during training.




Doughnuts

 1 1/2 # Sugar

3 oz. Salt

1 doz. eggs

1 1/2 Ibs butter

1 Ib yeast

2 box raisins

2 cans milk

1 oz vanilla

1/2 gal warm water & yeast

1/2 gal hot water & milk

Mix butter and sugar

Well, add liquids, then flour;

keep warm & allow to raise

bake well

Baking Powder Biscuits

16 Ibs flour

16 oz Baking Powder

2 1/2 Ibs lard

3 oz. salt

6 cans milk

6 pints water

little Sugar

Roll out cut and

let raise. Handle so little as possible.

 

Basic Sweet Dough

2 #Sugar

2#lard

3 doz eggs

1 oz salt

1 oz cinnamon

1 oz mase

1 oz nutmeg

1 oz yeast

12 # flour

1/2 gal warm water

1/2 gal hot milk

 Baking Powder Doughnuts, 160 rations

2 1/2 Ibs Butter

6 # Butter

4 doz.eggs

2 1/2 quarts milk

10 OZ. B. P.

20 Ibs. flour

Vanilla

Cream butter and Sugar

Add Vanilla, Eggs & Milk

Sift B.P. & flour & add

Roll and cut 1/2 inch thick

Bake in hot grease

Jelly Rolls

6 doz. eggs

5 # Sugar

5# 10 oz. flour

4 1/2 oz Baking Powder

Lemon extract

1 oz salt, roll on wet cloth

after spreading jelly

Basic Dough (1 gallon)

10 oz Butter

10 oz lard

1/2 Ibs sugar

3 oz Salt

2 oz Vanilla or lemon

1/2 Ib yeast

1 doz eggs

2 cans milk & 3 qrts water

4 qrts warm water

10 Ibs flour

Cream Shortening & Sugar add eggs & liquids

Mix in flour to make soft dough. Roll out and

allow to raise.

Bake in a moderate oven

 Spice Cake

 

2 Ibs Sugar

2 # lard

2 quarts syrup

1-quart milk

2 oz Soda

16 eggs

6 # flour

8 teaspoons cinnamon

4 tsp allspice

4 tsp cloves

 

Apple Sause Cake

7 # Sugar

3 # Shortening

30 eggs

6 boxes raisins

1 oz Mapeline

6 1/2 Ibs flour

3 3/4 oz Soda

1 1/4 oz Cinnamon

3/4 oz Nutmeg

1/4 oz cloves

2 qts hot apple sauce

Cookies, drop

3 1/3 Ibs sugar

2 # lard

Vanilla 3 oz

2 cans milk

2 pints water

4 oz Baking Powder

3 Ibs raisins

2 oz Baking Soda

1 1/2 Ibs oatmeal

1 1/2 1 b coconut

6 Ibs flour

serves 90

 

Seven minutes frosting

1 cup Sugar

1 egg white unbeaten

3 tablespoons cold water

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Salt

Mix let stand until sugar dissolves  Then cook over boiling water for seven minutes add

vanilla & beat for two minutes.

 

Frosting

4 cups sugar

2 cups water

vanilla

4 egg white

salt

Boil sugar & water until it will form a ball in cold water. Then pour into beaten egg

whites.  Beat until it comes fairly hard add vanilla & spread on cake.

 

Chocolate Sauce 100 men

9 Ibs sugar

8 oz cornstarch

8 oz. chocolate

1/2 Ibs Butter - Salt

1/2 gallon water or milk or 50/50

Mix sugar & cottonstarch dry, then add to boiling milk, serve with cake or ice cream

 

Merangue 1 crust pies

 

60 eggs whites beaten

add 1 cup cold water

3 1/2 Ibs sugar, vanilla

add slowly the water & sugar & beaten whites

put on pie & brown in oven.

 

Lady Cake

4 1/2 Ibs sugar

4 Ibs butter

 2 qrts egg whites

1/2 teaspon almond extract

1/4 oz vanilla

1 oz baking powder

4 1/2 Ib flour

fold gently

is delicate

 

Plain Cake

2 1/2 Ibs Butter & 1 lb lard

4 1/2 Ibs Sugar

21/2 doz eggs

5 1/2 Ibs flour

3 oz B. powder

2 oz salt

1 1/2 qt milk

2 oz vanilla

Cream Shortening & Sugar add eggs

Sift dry ingredients, add liquid alternately, mix, well & Bake in Pan 25 min.

Moderate Oven

The Following Pages Contain The Diary of My Life in the Service.

This simple record of my daily experiences and thoughts has given me pleasure in writing

of it. If for any reason it leaves my possession, I would like to have it forwarded to:

Mr. J. L. Merritt

314W.72ndSt

Seattle Wash.

I left home on January 5, 1942. Was sworn into the service on the same date at Tacoma,

Wash. Arrived that night at Fort Lewis, Wash at 9:30 P.M. Was given a lecture on army

life, a tetanus, a vaccination, and a lesson in bed making by 11 P.M.

Received our uniforms and took I.Q. tests the next day. Left Fort Lewis on Jan 9, and

arrived at Camp Roberts, Calif., on Saturday Jan 11, at 3:00 P.M. Then started 8 weeks of

rigorous training. Was a 1st truck drive on a 4 1/2 ton Diamond T truck during my stay

there.  Made a lot of friends and had a good time in spite of all the work.

Left Camp Roberts and went back to Fort Lewis. There I was assigned to my regular

Outfit, Hq. Btry. 41st F.A. Bn. I got a chance to get home again for a few times and

proposed to Evelyn. I hope she is waiting for me when this is all over. Was glad to see

  my folks and friends again. Left Fort Lewis on April 25 and arrived in Fort Ord, Calif, on

the 1st of May. I drove a "jeep" all the way down. and it was quite an experience. We

went through snow in some of the mountains. The people at Klamath Falls Oregon were

especially nice, and they were good to us at Redding, Calif also. I learned to be a cook at

Fort Ord. We went to San Diego on boat landing manuevers and had a pretty good time.

While we were on land we were stationed at Camp Mathews, a marine camp about 13

miles from San Diego. It was a hot dusty piece of rock hard ground and wasn't a very

nice place. While we were on the water we were on the transport Henry Allen.

It was quite a large boat and 1700 of us were aboard here. It was plenty crowded but we

got along alright. We went to town every night except two when we made night boat

landings. We went to Ti Juana Mexico one night and saw the town. We had a drink at

the longest bar in the world. The second weekend we were there Minor and I went to Los

Angeles and saw my grandmother. [Maude E. Preston] We had a nice visit and had a T-

Bone steak dinner and fried chicken. It was the best meal I've had since I left home. We

Went both ways on the train. My next weekend in Diego. We went out to Mission Beach

and had a pretty good time. That night I saw Anson Weeks and his Ork. and Marty

malneck and his Ork. We then left for Camp Mathews and stayed there for two days and

then left for Ord. All told we were gone from the 15th of July until the 15th of July until

the 5th of August. I spent my 24th birthday in San Diego.

The other night we fellows went up to the kitchen and fried us each a nice big T Bone

with potatoes and onions. We then took them down to the cook's room and at them. They

sure were good but I guess the stomach aches we had afterward were the payment for our

sins. The other day Evelyn sent me a battery-electric radio. It was a swell gift and is sure

nice to have around here.

Well, we left Ord finally am now in Camp Pickett, Virginia. It is a fairly nice place a little

like Washington. The trees and hills look quite a bit like home. We had quite a nice trip

down here on the train. It took us a little over six days from Ord to here. We cooked on

the train in a baggage car, which was quite an experience. We also had quite a nice car in

the train and really rode in class while we weren't working. On the way down here we

went through southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas,

Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia.

We were informed when we got here that this is a debarkation station and we could

expect to go across at any time. Of course, that wasn't such good news but I guess we've

all got to go sometime.

Well it is Friday Oct 17, 1942 and some of the guys are packing up to leave here some

time next week.

i

I don't expect to leave until the end of this month.


Nov 11, 1942

 Well I finally made the trip I've been dreaming all my life of.  I went to Washington, D.C.

and New York City.  I left here on a Monday eve at 5:00 and arrived at Wash. at 11:30

and took a train for N.Y. at 12:00 and arrive there at 5 AM in Tues. mom. I went up in

the Empire State Bldg., the Statue of Liberty and took a tour through Rockefeller Center

and Radio City. I then went back to Wash. and went through the capitol building and saw

the Senate in session. I saw the art galleries, museums, Smithsonian Institute and a lot of

other very interesting things.

I arrived back here on Friday mom and all in all had a really wonderful time. It was a trip

I will remember for a long time.

I met a nice girl while I was at Pickett, Her name is Cecil Gray and she lives in

Lynchburg, Va.

We finally left Pickett and went to Fort Dix, New Jersey. We stayed there a couple of

weeks it was a bit rugged there with tents and plenty of cold weather all the time we were

there. We cooked in some old kitchens that were used in the last war. All the tents had

little stoves in them but we kept warm. I had a wisdom tooth pulled and one next to it and

it was pretty rough going for a while. Well we left Dix a couple of weeks before it was

Xmas and went to Staten Island N.Y. on the train and went out to our transport on a

ferry. I was an advanced detail and was on the boat 2 days before the rest of the gang

arrived. It was a Dutch freighter and was plenty crowded with 2300 people on board. We

only ate 2 meals a day and most of the time it was plenty rotten. I cut meat nights.

The first day out we hit some really rough weather and I was pretty sick but got over it

the next day. It was quite an experience. We arrived at Casablanca, French Morocco on

Christmas Eve of all times. We left the boat at 9 pm and hiked to the edge of town and

pitched our pup tents and slept out all night. The next morning we hiked back to the

railway station and caught the train for Rabat. We had our first contact with the native

population that Christmas day and I didn't think much of them. They are diseased and

dirty and we call them Rag heads. It wasn't much of a Christmas for us and I hope to

spend the next one home. We hiked about 15 miles that afternoon and it was hot so was

pretty rugged. Well we arrived here that night and it was sure swell to see Minor and the

rest of the gang again. We are living in pup tents and cooking outdoors.

We expect to move up to Tunisia one of the days. I am not looking forward to it but it has

to come. We spent New Years here and had turkeys and Johnny and I were on shift so

we stayed up all night and roasted them.

We moved from Rabat to Port Lyautey and stayed there for a short time then left for

Tunisia. We drove all the way from French Moraco to Tunisia by truck which was a vey

beautiful trip and got to see quite a lot of country near Bizerte. It was during the summer

months and was pretty hot and the flies almost ate us alive. We were ready to go into

action in Tunisia but the "krouts" gave up the day we were going to attack.

 We then left for Sicily where we landed around Licata the country was pretty crumby but

got better as we moved around the island. We went all the way from Palermo to Messina

long drive which took about 30 days and received our first shelling. After we hit Messina

we went back to Trapani and bivouacked for about three weeks. We got to go to town but

it was nothing to brag about and had been pretty well bombed.

We then left for Palermo and beaded S.S.T's and landed in Salerno Italy.

We went into action there and fought all the way to Venafro where we were relieved

By the 36th Div. We then moved back to a small town called Rocaromano where we all

lived in town. We had the kitchen in the Town Hall and slept in the Mayor's office. We

met a lot of nice people there and made a lot of good friends.

They sure hated to see us leave when we did. We were there quite a while when I was

sent to Naples to cook at the 5th Army Rest Center. I spent 20 days in Naples and had a

pretty good time. Weimer and I were there cooking together. I went to Pompeii and saw

Vesuvius and a lot of the surrounding country. Naples is just a big city and everyone

does all he can to take your money. I left the Rest Camp Christmas day and went back to

Rocanomona. We then left from there and went just outside of Naples in a place we

called the fog bowl. It was a small valley surrounded by mountains and was the king's

hunting grounds. We arrived there New Years Eve and William and I cooked turkey all

night and worked till noon the next day. Before we left the fog bowl I cooked at the first

three graders' party, and had a good time dancing and met a very nice girl but only got to

see her that one time. We then loaded up on L.L. T.'s and headed for Anzio.

We landed here on Jan 22, 1944. There were no Germans and no opposition for two

days. Before I got off the L.L.T.'s we were dive-bombed three times which was quite a

thrill but rather a helpless feeling. We then moved up the road away and set up our

kitchen. While we were at that spot we saw more activity than I've ever seen in my life

and saw all kinds of planes shot down. In one night we saw twelve J U 88's German

Bombers shot down. We then moved from that position and went into a small town

called La Ferriene. The first night there the 1st Sargeant was pretty badly wounded. We

were there quite a while and had the kitchen in an old paper mill. We used to go down

the air raid shelter every night and build our fire and shoot the breeze. We called it the

Old Smoke Hole because it was so smoky all the time. We were there quite a while when

they started shelling the town and it got so severe that we had to move out on the flats

away from town. The kitchen crew is in for Bronze Stars for sticking it out and cooking

meals through all the barrages and never failed to get a meal out.

We are now here on the flats and live in dugouts underground. The kitchen is even dug

into the ground about six feet and is all sandbagged.

We have taken some severe shellings here.

 At this writing, we have been here 101 days and have 201 days of actual combat which

which is quite a lot and we are all pretty anxious to leave the place.

We had fresh eggs this morning for breakfast which were the first in five months!

This is the 1st of May 1944 and on the 12 of May I will have 17 months overseas.

We live in dugouts here north of La Ferriere. Ours has two spring beds and a dresser and

we are connected to the wire section radio. We are dug in about four feet underground.

Its like living like a mole but is a lot safer when the shells and air raids come which is

quite frequent.

204 days of combat today May 3.

103 days on the Beachhead.

May 12, 17 months overseas today.

May 15, had a Coca Cola today. First one in 17 months.  Boy was it good.

May 24 Recieved copies of the Talisman, the [Ballard] high school paper with all the names of the boys in the services.

May 25

Well are we finally on the move and have met the rest of the 5th Army and Anzio is no

longer a beachhead.

June 1, Are up in the hills now and are ready to make the push on Rome and expect to be

there to be there in 6 days I sure hope so.

June 8, Well we are in Rome and are out for a 35 day rest. Everything went smoothly and

everyone came out O.K.

Minor and I spent 24 hrs in Rome and saw all the sights, coliseum and so forth. Had a

good time and slept in a good hotel bed with clean sheets and all.

We are in a Baron's Palace now and have a swell kitchen and everything is "Bona"

Had another cake today.

June 10-11-12. Went to Rome again and saw St. Peter Cathedral. Most beautiful

building I've ever seen.

 Sept 18 Well here we are about 30 miles from the German border and 12 miles from

Belfort. The final drive is coming and I hope it ends soon.

Sept 19. Had our first shelling today. Some big stuff.

Oct. 5

Well progress is getting slower and slower. It looks like we've finally met the German

wall of resistance. It looks like another winter over here.

Oct 29 Well here we are near the town of Rieremont. We get to go to the show every

day in town. We are moving in a couple days for the all out drive on the krauts and hope

it proves successful.

Nov 1 Are driving on St Die the town where our General O'Danielle was commissioned a

second lieutenant in the last war.

Nov 17 Are getting ready to make the Crossing of the Rhine River.

Dec 1 Here we are two kilometers from the Rhine River and waiting for our flanks to

catch up so we can cross the river.

Dec 2 Six German planes strafed the town today . Enschau that were resting in. Four

buildings were burnt down.

Well we moved from Eschau and are back in the mountains again East of Colmar driving

toward the Rhine again.

Jeff Harrison and I went to Bambone Les Baimo to the rest camp and spent Xmas day

there and really bad a nice time.

Jan 1, Well stayed in Camp New Years. Saw a French live show but it wasn't too good.

Jan 7 Well here we are in a nice Hotel. With tile kitchen, beds hot and cold running

water and everything that goes with it. Hope they don't stick us out in the gin weeds for

a while now. Moved from the hotel finally to a school house in Beghiem stayed there two

days and moved to Ostein. Stayed in a house there and got a couple of days on our roof.

Stayed there two days and then and moved to Osteim. Stayed in a house there and got a

couple of hits on our roof.

;

Stayed there two days and then moved out on the bald flats. Our infantry got caught here

without tanks support by six kraut tanks and we did some tall sweating before they were

stopped and there were heavy losses on both sides. We were shelled in this area and we

had a direct hit on our fine direction tent two killed and six wounded. We then moved

 June 17, We have moved from the Barons place out into the woods. It's a pretty nice

place but would rather be at the Baron’s palace. We had a non corns club with drinks and

dances and had swell time till we moved.

June 19. Saw "This is the Army" last night. Was a swell show and we really enjoyed it.

The Opera House was really beautiful. Irving Berlin looks quite young for his age.

June 25 In the Naples area again near the fog bowl. Went to Naples yesterday and it

hasn't changed very much. Like Rome much better.

July 4 had turkey for Supper and really enjoyed it. Are sweating out another invasion,

Don't like it any too well but it will end this damn war that much sooner.

July 10 Had a pass to Naples today and it hasen't change a bit. Probably won't see it

again as well be shoving off pretty soon for greener pastures.

July 15. Have moved so the same staging area near Pozolli that we stayed at before we

left for Anzio which doesn't make us any happier.

July 30 Will had a birthday today 26 years old. Spent the afternoon of the 29 and

morning of the 30th with Bill Fotheringham Was quite a trip down there and went way

below Salerno and Battaplaglia.  He looks swell and we had quite a visit.

Auguest 2 Saw Joe Louis in Naples yesterday.

We finally loaded up in the boats and pulled down to Pompeii and sat across from

Vesuvius for about three days. We then pulled out and went through Corsica and landed

in Southern France. We then took off and have chased the Germans all over the

Countryside and finally have got a couple days well earned rest but expect to go up to

northern France soon. This is a very beautiful country and it reminds me of home in

some spots and of California in others.

The other day Monor Welliard and I captured a kraut prisoner and everyone got quite a

kick out of that, first one captured in the battery.

Sept 2 Well here we are in a school house spending the night getting ready to shove off

for Belfond near the German border to stop the Krauts from getting back to Germany

It's a pretty tough assignment but I hope we do O.K.

Sept 11, Well here we are near Belford about 18 miles from it our objective. The fighting

is getting a lot tougher and the weather is getting cooler.

@

We had some rain the other day and it isn't very damn pleasant in France you can be sure

of that. We got a little taste of what they went through in the last war.

 from there to the town ofWidensalen where we are now, Colmar has fallen and our

infantry has taken their objective tonight and we are sweating out being relieved and

hope we are.

We were relieved and moved to a little town outside Nancy, France called

Tremblecourt. We had a pretty good time there. We got passes to Nancy but the town

was pretty full of G.I.'s

We finally left and went to the Seigfied line to start pushing the krauts again.

We were in the lines a week or so when I got a pass to Brussels. It is a wonderful town

and I had the time of my life. It was just like being in America.

When I got back we crossed the Rhine the next day and have been rolling pretty good

ever since.

We are now outside of Schwemfort and the opposition is getting a little stiffer.

We rolled right on every day and moved two and three times a day to keep up with the

Jerrys. We finally crossed the Danube River and at the place we crossed it, it was really

blue.

We took Nurenburg and it was a wrecked city. What the air corps didn't flatten we did

with artillery.

After Nurenburg came Munich or Munchen as the Germans call it. It was not as badly

destroyed as Nurenburg but was pretty well beaten up at that. We were the first ones

in to the section of town we occupied and all the political prisoners nearly went crazy when

they saw us. Some of them had been prisoners for four years.

May 7. We left Munich the next day and drove right on to Salzburg in Austria. We are

there now and stationed in an old Kraut barracks for ten or twenty days and from there no

one knows .

We went up to Hitlers hideout in Berchesgarten and also saw Gerings private train.

We got the order on May 4 to not fire unless fired upon so the war is over in our sector

and it does not seem possible. The news wasn't received with much excitement because

we expected it to come anytime.

May 11 Well we finally have the final word that the war is over for which we are all very

happy. We are now expecting to go up in the hills and clean out a German pocket and

hope it dosen't take too long. I have more than enough points to get a discharge with and

hope it turns out O.K.

 May 14. Well we didn't have to go up and clean out the pocket as they surrendered so we

are glad of that. We are now just sitting here waiting to go home we hope.

I have 104 points and only need 85 so thats a pretty good average.

Just got the news yesterday that all men with 85 or more points will be out of the 41st by

June 26 to July 27 so at that rate should be a civilian by August or Sept. All censorship is

lifted now so thats pretty nice too.

We got another battle star the other day for Germany and now have 109 points.

We stayed in Salzberg for seven weeks and finally moved out.

We are now in Homberg Germany. Drove thru Munich, Frankfort and up the line to

Fritzlon. Stayed there two days and moved to here. We are in a big German barracks

which isn't so hot.

Well all of the high point men in the division have left the old Third now and are in the

69th Div. I am a staff sargent now and mess sgt of HO Btr of D (?) of the 69th.

We are in Hoenbach Germany about five miles from the Russian border. It is such a

small town I don't even think it is on the map. I'm high point man in the whole battery.

The men with 102 point and over left Hoenbach three days after we got there and

we are now in the 14th repple depple waiting for train shipment to Marsailles to catch the

plane for Casablanca. We expect to leave here in five or so days and expect to get home

by the 15th of Sept. We about 10 miles fom Fliorville, France.

Aug 23 Enroute to Le Havre, France. Well all plane trips were cancelled after the

Japanese surrender so we are going by boat. We expect to arrive at Le Havre at 11:00 PM

tonight. We left the 14th Repple Depple at 7:30 PM on the 22nd. Has been a slow trip

but we are riding in pretty good coaches so it isn't too bad. Expect to be in La Havre

about 48 hrs. and hope it isn't any longer as we're pretty anxious to get on that boat.

Spent 10 days at Twenty Grand camp and finally loaded aboard the boat at Le Havre,

France at noon Sept 3rd.

Sept. 4th on the high seas headed for the good old USA. Left Le Havre at 10:00 this

morning and are well on our way now. Can see nothing but water everywhere which is

O.K. with us. We are on the MS Torrens a Norwegian boat. It is a pretty nice boat but

overloaded 400 men but I am lucky enough to have a bunk. The chow is good but the

lines are plenty long. We expect to hit the states in about 8 days. When we left Le

Havre the signs said 7900 miles so it is quite away from home. We expect to land in New

York Sept 5 on the high Seas aboard the M.S. Torrens.

 May 14. Well we didn't have to go up and clean out the pocket as they surrendered so we

are glad of that. We are now just sitting here waiting to go home we hope.

I have 104 points and only need 85 so mats a pretty good average.

Just got the news yesterday that all men with 85 or more points will be out of the 41 st by

June 26 to July 27 so at that rate should be a civilian by August or Sept. All censorship is

lifted now so mats pretty nice too.

We got another battle star the other day for Germany and now have 109 points.

We stayed in Salzberg for seven weeks and finally moved out.

We are now in Homberg Germany. Drove thru Munich, Frankfort and up the line to

Fritzlon. Stayed there two days and moved to here. We are ina big German barracks

which isn't so hot.

Well all of the high point men in the division have left the old Third now and are in the

69th Div. I am a staff sargent nowand mess sgt of HO Btr ofD (?) of the 69th.

We are in Hoenbach Germany about five miles from the Russian border. It is such a

small town I don't even think it is on the map. I'm high point man in the whole battery.

The men with 102 point and over left Hoenbach three days after we got there and

we are now in the 14th repple depple waiting for train shipment to Marsailles to catch the

plane for Casablanca. We expect to leave here in five or so days and expect to get home

by the 15th of Sept. We about 10 miles fom Fliorville, France.

Aug 23 Enroute to Le Havre, France. Well all plane trips were cancelled after the

Japanese surrender so we are going by boat. We expect to arrive at Le Havre at 11:00 PM

tonight. We left the 14th Repple Depple at 7:30 PM on the 22nd. Has been a slow trip

but we are riding in pretty good coaches so it isn't too bad. Expect to be in La Havre

about 48 hrs. and hope it isn't any longer as we're pretty anxious to get on that boat.

Spent 10 days at Twenty Grand camp and finally loaded aboard the boat at Le Havre,

France at noon Sept 3rd.

Sept. 4th on the high seas headed for the good old USA. Left Le Havre at 10:00 this

morning and are well on our way now. Can see nothing but water everywhere which is

O.K. with us. We are on the MS Torrens a Norwegian boat. It is a pretty nice boat but

overloaded 400 men but I am lucky enough to have a bunk. The chow is good but the

lines are plenty long. We expect to hit the states in about 8 days. When we left Le

Havre the signs said 7900 miles so it is quite away from home. We expect to land in New

York Sept 5 on the high Seas aboard the M.S. Torrens.

 It is a beautiful day but the sea is rocking a little today as we are out of the English

Channel. The chow is very good compared to what we ate on the way over here. We eat

two meals a day and have sandwiches at noon every day. Every day seems like a year but

we're getting closer every minute.

Sept 7 On the high Seas Enroute to New York.

We are having a rough sea tonight and the ship is doing the Conga. The storm has been

brewing all day and will probably be a pretty rough night are about halfway home

now and getting plenty impatient. Nearly fell out of my bunk that time when she rolled

over.

Sept 11

Well we are still aboard ship and waiting for land to come into sight. We had two really

rough days but I didn't get sick. My breakfast came up to my adam's apple a couple of

times but I held her down. We are due to get off this bathtub at 7 tomarrow morning and

am certainlly anxious to get going. We expect to see land about midnight tonight:

AMERICA HERE WE COME LOOKOUT.

Sept 13

We are going to leave here today for home. We are going to have pullman cars and

expect to get there in about 5 days. Called Annette Bodda up on the phone and had a nice

talk with her. Nice weather here and everything is really swell here in Camp Shanksand

they treat us like white men for a change.

Well we are aboard a troop train and just left Lima.Ohio. Went through New York state

and Pennsylvanniaand Ohio. We'll be in Chicago at 6:00 tonight.

Sept 14

Well be home Monday morning the 16th.

We laid over in Chicago all night and left for St. Paul in the morning. We arrived in St.

Paul the next night and stayed all night there. Are near Butte Montana now.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Aug 7

Dad

Birthday

Nov.28

Mom

Birthday

Aug 30

Everlyn

Birthday

Thor

Nov.8

Birthday

GIFTS I HAVE RECEIVED FOR WHICH I WANT TO EXPRESS APPECIATION

This book and stationary

July 30, 1942

Mom and Dad

Candy

July 24, 1942

Jewell

$5

July 24,1942

Grandma

Radio

July 30, 1942

Evelyn

PLACES I HAVE BEEN

Fort Lewis Nice place and close to home.

Camp Roberts Not bad in the wintertime.

got my first taste of army life there.

Fort Ord Rather sandy but nice and cool in the summer

San Diego A nice town but too many sailors. No place for a soldier.

Tijuana Mexico Just a place for tourists to buy trinkets, but at least I could say I had been

to Mexico.

Santa Barbara had nice swim in the ocean there at 3:30 AM in the morning. Would like

to stay at the Mar Monte hotel there on my honeymoon.

*

Camp Pickett, Virginia We have been here about two months. This is a fairly good

place except when it rains. It is quite a bit like home.

  Washington D.C. & New York. Were nice places but pretty big.

Africa Some pretty country but on the whole the people are pretty crumby.

Sicily A nice place for sunshine and fresh fruits. Mostly mountains.

Italy Nothing to brag about and pretty well shot up.

Pompeii was pretty interesting.

Anzio beachhead. The less said about it the better.

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 Headquarters Third Infantry Division

Public Relations Office
A.P.O. #3
******
Following is a brief history of the Third Infantry division during 26 months of combat in World War II, prepared by the Division’s Public Relations Office. It has been approved by the chief press censor and may be mailed home.
**********


Members of the Third Infantry Division in World War II can be proud of the fact they belong to the division that wears more battle stars than any other division of the United States Army in the European Theater of Operations. Since the November 8, 1942 landing at Fedala, French Morocco, the Rock of the Marne of 1918 has taken part in seven separate campaigns, and rolled up a fighting record second to none in the entire United Nations group.

The Third bears a glorious history. It won undying fame for itself and for the American Expeditionary Forces as a whole through the deeds of valor performed by its members of the battlefields of France during the first war, and has repeated in this war through French Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, Southern Italy, Anzio, and the drive to Rome, and again in France and Alsace.

Perhaps the division is best known in World War I for its famous defense of the Marne River on July 15, 1918. On this day, along the shell swept banks of the Marne, the Third Division, taking part in its initial action of the war, turned back two divisions of German shock troops.

On the night of July 14/15, 1918, it fell to the lot of this division to meet the massed attach of the German army in its last great effort to break through our lines. With cool courage and determination our troops, most of whom had never been under fire before, stood their ground through the German artillery bombardment and subsequent attacks by masses of German infantry and machine guns. The result was that those troops composed of the best regiments of the German army were thrown back in confusion.

After taking part in pinching off the St. Michel salient, and operation of 48 hours, accomplished what many had been wishing to see done for four years. The Third Division moved to its last great task of the war, the Meuse-Argonne offensive. During this great battle, the division was in the line for 26 days. It advanced six miles against German defenses that has been organized for four years and succeeded in penetrating the Hindenburg line, the mighty hinge of the German defense.

Although the Third Division was organized in 1917, its real background is rooted in the glorious past of the famous regiments, which constitute it. Their battle honors include the campaigns of 1812, the Indian Wars, the Mexican and civil Wars, the Spanish-American War as well as two World Wars. The 7th Regiment was first organized in 1798, mustered out in 1800, reorganized in 1808 and has had continuous service since that date. Its long list of battle honors begins with the Battle of Tippecanoe in the Indian War of 1811.
The 15th Regiment was first organized as a unit of volunteers to serve against the British in the War of 1812, and spent 16 years as garrison troops in China. The 30th Regiment is recorded as participating in the War of 1812 and in the Civil War, but the history of the present 30th Regiment began with the formation by Act of Congress, February 2, 1901, and its organization at Fort Logan, Colorado.

The division saw its first combat of this modern war at 0445 hours on November 8, 1942. At that hour the first troops of the 7th and 30th Regiments began landing on the beaches north of Fedala. By 0900 hours the 30th Regiment had captured Botterio du Pont Blondin, a battery of four 138mm guns located five miles north of Fedala, and was well on its way to securing the crossing of the Qued Nefifikh, a deep gorge which formed a natural defense line on our northeastern flank.

The 7th Regiment was met at the beach by a company of Senegalese riflemen, who promptly surrendered, and were sent back to their barracks in the northeast part of Fedala. The following day, the division began its advance southwest toward Casablanca, meeting little initial resistance. On the night of D plus two, our troops consolidated positions and prepared for a coordinated attack on Casablanca. However, the French asked for an armistice the following morning (November 11), and at 0655 General Patton arrived at Third Division headquarters to call off the attack.

Between November and March, the division occupied bivouac areas in Casablanca, Fedala, Rabat, and Port Lyautey, while the 30th Regiment moved to eastern Morocco to provide security against a possible enemy attack through Spanish Morocco. In April of ’43, the division moved to Port-aux-Poules, near Arzew, Algeria, and began training for an amphibious operation. General Lucian K. Truscott had taken command from General Jonathan W. Anderson on March 6, and instituted his training policies, which stressed physical conditioning plus speed and aggressiveness in attack. On April 30, the division was ordered to move to Tunisia, where it was assigned to II Corps and moved into the line to complete the destruction of the Afrika Corps. On May 9, 1943, the 15th Regiment was moving up to attack when the enemy surrendered, and the II corps mission was completed without our division firing a shot.

Amphibious training was continued at Jemmapes, Algeria, and early in June, the division returned to El Alia, near Bizerte, where it made final preparations for the Sicilian operation. At 0200 hours, July 10, all three regiments, reinforced by the 3rd Ranger Battalion and numerous combat attachments, including CC “A” of the 2nd Armored Division, began landing on the beaches east and west of Licata, Sicily. There followed an operation which is classic in military annals for speed and success. The division expanded its beachhead to more than 100 square miles on D-day; on D plus seven, Argigento fell, and only five days later, division patrols entered Palermo, 100 miles to the north. The bulk of this distance was covered by all three regiments in three days; in one 34 hour period, the 3rd Battalion, 30th Regiment, marched 54 miles through mountainous country and participated in the successful attack of San Stefano Quisquina.

After a week’s rest at Palermo, the division relieved the 45th Infantry Division at San Stefano di Camastra on the north coast of Sicily, and in 17 days, drove 90 miles along the single coastal highway, against stubborn German delaying action, to capture Messina. During this advance, the division fought a tough four-day engagement at San Fratello, finally cracking the position with a deep “end run” through mountainous terrain to assault the ridge from the south flank; executed two amphibious landings made by the 2nd Battalion of the 30th at Sant’Agata and Brolo, and reconstructed the highway, where it had been blown off the fact of the cliff at Capo Calava, in 18 hours.

Exactly one month after the fall of Messina (September 17, 1943), the division began its move from Palermo to Italy. On the evening of September 10, elements of the 30th Regiment engaged German troops south of Acorna, and from then on, for 59 consecutive days, the division never lost contact with the enemy for more than a few hours at a time. The capture of the road center of Avollino threatened the German position on the Naples plan and contributed to the fall of that great port; the terrific drive across the Volturno, on October 13, broke a strong natural defense position and upset the German withdrawal timetable; the pursuit through Dragoni, Baia e Latina, and the capture of the Pietravairano ridge system dept the outfought, outguessed enemy on his heels.

But it was on the mountainous approaches to Cassino that the division ran into its toughest opposition and displayed its greatest offensive prowess. Heavily reinforced by new divisions brought in from other theaters, the Germans sat on MonteRetondo, MonteLungo, and Monte la Defensa, ringing Mignano on the north, determined to hold at all costs. With winter, rain, and cold closing down, and supplying it mountain forces by man-pack, the division captured MonteRetondo, the south nose of Lungo, and II of atop, barren La Defenso, except one summit guarded by a 200-foot cliff. This fighting was the most bitter and heartbreaking the division had every undertaken, but forced the first approaches to Cassino and gave other troops a good toehold for their later attacks.

The division came out of the line November 17, 1943, rested until the end of December in San Felice and then went to Pozzoli, where the troops went into training for the Anzio operation.

At 0300 January 22, the three regiments of the Third Division began landing on beaches two to three miles south of Nettuno, and established a large beachhead on D-day with virtually no opposition. Unfortunately, shipping and reserve troops were not available to permit the division to exploit its landing immediately, and by the time the 45th Infantry Division had landed a week later, the Germans had built up their defensive forces by hurling into the line small fragments of mobile units from the southern front, from army reserve, and from northern Italy. Houses between Castorna and Mussolini Canal were fortified and strongly held, and enemy tanks were brought up to support the infantry.

Consequently, when the division attacked Castorna on January 30, progress was slow and casualties high, although tremendous losses were inflicted on the enemy, who was often compelled to counterattack across the open through our murderous artillery fire. In two days our depleted battalions smashed their way within 1000 yards of Castorna from the south and southwest, but were not strong enough to be left in such exposed positions, and were somewhat withdrawn.

On February 2, the division was ordered to assume the defensive, which it did from that time until March 28, when it was relieved by the 34th Infantry Division. Under orders from Hitler to destroy the beachhead, Kesselring’s forces launched tremendous attacks on February 16 and February 29, the second attack being directed entirely against Third Division positions. On February 16 and again on March 1, the force of the enemy attack was broken and many prisoners taken. In both cases counterattacks were delivered with great vigor and effectiveness, and all ground initially lost was regained, and the beachhead line again stabilized.

The division changed commanders on February 17, when General Truscott moved to assume command of VI Corps and was replaced by Brig. Gen (new Maj. Gen.) John W. O’ Daniel, formerly assistant division commander.

From April 16 to May 1, the division was back in the line in the Carano-Padiglioni sector, southeast of Corrocote, its main activity being a series of small and generally successful attacks which resulted in the capture of more than 100 prisoners and retaking some important terrain. Patrolling and infantry-tank cooperation were outstanding in this period.

At 0630 hours on May 23, the division dumped off on the toughest, yet most spectacular assignment of its career—the breakthrough at Cisterna. Suffering heavier casualties than ever before, yet working terrible destruction on the enemy, the division completely smashed the powerful German defense system, took Cisterna, reached and captured Cori in three days. On the evening of the fourth day, reconnaissance entered Artena; on the fifth day Artona fell. There followed a three-day buildup in the Artena sector, and on June 1 the division collided with the fresh Hermann Goering division, smashed it to bits, and that night crossed and blocked Highway 6, the main German escape route from the south. On June 2, Valmontone and Labica fell, and the division, blocking to the north with an attack, which cut the lateral road to Palestrina, turned toward Rome. At 0900 June 4, elements of the 3rd Rocan Troup entered the city limits; during the day and following night, the division cut Highways 4 and 5, brought Hiway 3 under fire, and the following day entered the city in company with other units of II corps.

During this great drive, 1800 prisoners were taken by the division, countless enemy tanks, vehicles, and guns were smashed; the 362nd and 715th Infantry Divisions were annihilated (credit 1st Armored division, 133rd Infantry Regiment, and 1st SSF with assists), and the Hermann Georing Division was badly cut up. Capture of Cisterna, Cori, Artona, and Valmontone were the labor of the Third Division alone.

The division garrisoned and guarded Rome for two weeks, spent a few days in the field near the Lido, then moved back to the Naples area to start amphibious training again. On August 15, 1944, at 0800 hours, men of the Third Division waded as heroes on the French Riviera. It was their fourth amphibious invasion, more than any other division in this theater, and was called, by high-ranking militarists, the perfect landing.

In the first 24 hours, the division broke through the enemy’s costal defenses, captured close to 1000 prisoners and started its inland chase. Once the initial defense line was broken, the enemy had no chance to set up another defense, and its only chance was to head for Belfort Gap in hasty withdrawal.

First strong opposition came at Brignoles and later at Aix-en-Provence, but both cities were taken without any great amount of trouble. Covering a front sometimes as much as 10 miles wide, the division headed west and isolated the ports of Toulon and Marseilles, broached the Rhine river at Avignon and then headed north in the beautiful Rhine valley. The most spectacular occasion of the dash occurred of the dash occurred at Montelimar, when enemy vehicular and train convoys were intercepted by the division’s artillery. In a 12-mile stretch of road north of Montelimar, Third Infantry Division artillery and infantry destroyed nearly 2,000 vehicles, knocked out four trains and five railroad guns, killing 900 Germans and taking 900 prisoners.

The first large fortress town in southern France to fall was Bosancon, which was captured after a sharp, bitter two-day fight. The enemy moved a fresh division into the forts surrounding the town with orders to hold for ten days, but when one regiment was whipped out and the division commander was killed, all resistance collapsed. After the liberation of Vesoul, the Third entered the Vosges mountain campaign, which lasted roughly from the first of October until the last week in November. The division crossed the Moselle and Moeselotto rivers, then shifted north to cross the Marengo river near Bruyeres and in less than three days cracked the enemy’s main line of resistance along the Marengo river and headed for the high ground overlooking StDio from the west.

Following the original breakthrough, one regiment drove along the main axis from Bruyeres toward StDio, capturing Les Rouges Eaux and Les Hautes Jacques, the latter being worsted from an extremely efficient mountain outfit brought in from Austria to stem the drive down the valley, but it was decisively decimated by our hard hitting units. Les Hautes Jacques is merely an insignificant spot on the map, but to the men who fought and won the battle there, it will be long remembered for the bitter battle the Huns put up. It will also be remembered by military strategists, who realized the value of winning this key point to support the success of future operations.

Meanwhile, other division troops swung to the north to clear the Meurthe River plain, taking a number of small places all bitterly contested by the enemy. Once in Meurthe River was reached, it was time for another river crossing, this time more difficult because there were not bridges standing. So the Third attacked two regiments abreast—the 30th and 7th—at night, crossing the river on rubber pontoon bridges erected that same night under the Krauts’ very noses. Nightly patrolling along the river by the 15th Regiment had led the enemy to believe this was just another routine operation.

The attack began November 20, and just seven days later troops of the Third rolled into Strasbourg and reached the Rhine River south of the city. Another night attack, done in inky blackness, proved the clincher and broke any German hopes of spending the winter in Vosges. Infiltrating through an elaborate system of bunkers, pillboxes, trenches, and tank traps, one battalion arrived in Suelos before bewildered Germans knew American troops were within firing range of the city. Suelos was the first Alsatian town taken by troops of the Third Division and was followed immediately by Saulxures. After a battalion of enemy, who had intended to counterattack Suelos but were forced to fight defensively at Bourg-Bruche, has been wiped out, the division raced through all opposition in the Vosges plains. One small unit stopped momentarily at Natzweiler at a large SS concentration camp, previously evacuated, and another infantry company, plus a group of engineers, finally knocked out a fortress full of Germany by rolling a captured personnel carrier, loaded with 7000 pounds of TNT, against the fortress’ side. In the lightening thrust, and the first time in military history that the Vosges Mountains had been successfully crossed, the Third captured close to 2,000 prisoners and killed countless more.

When the backbone of the enemy’s winter line was broken, the withdrawal was reminiscent of the drive through southern France, with its hundreds of prisoners, huge amounts of captured equipment, and hastily abandoned command posts. Following the Vosges campaign, the division spent a period as police and garrison troops in the largest town and capital of Alsace-Strasbourg, putting Allied troops in the city for the first time in four years.

Prior to this war, no military force had ever been able to capture Rome from the south, nor had troops ever been able to hurdle the Vosges. The Third Division did both. The division had been well rewarded for its illustrious combat record. Old-timers in the division wear seven combat stars—more than any other division—14 fighting men with the Third have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor—more than any other division—and four separate units have been cited with the Presidential Unit Citation. The 30th’s “I” Company and 2nd and 3rd Battalions and the 15th’s “L” Company were all cited for outstanding action—the 2nd Battalion in Sicily, the 3rd BN and “L” Company in southern Italy, and “I” Company on the Anzio Beachhead.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II for COLMAR

French Croix de Guerre, World War II, Fourragere

Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for COLMARThe Fighting Third

 

Here is the story of the men of the famous Third Infantry Division, who fought from the beaches of North Africa to Berchtesgaden; who traveled farther, made more amphibious landings and won more Congressional Medals of Honor than any other American Division on the Western Front.

 

HENRY J. TAYLOR

 

"The sweep of armies in war," General Eisenhower told me before D-Day, "is too broad and confusing to visualize. Pick a single division. Trace it through its actions. That's the way to get the picture."

 

I had been with the Regular Army's Third Infantry Division in North Africa. I had been with the Third Infantry Division in Italy. I saw the Third Infantry Division in France. I watched this unit break the Siegfried Line. I crossed the Rhine with the Third. The war in europe ended for me on V-E Day yith the Third, at Berchtesgaden.

 

So this is the story of the famous Third Infantry Division. Its career unfolds as the war as a whole unfolded for millions of American Boys fighting in so many other divisions in europe. There can be no singling out of any one division as the "best" or "greatest" for their assignments and their lengths of service and their opportunities differed a great deal. But simply on the record, the amazing achievements of the Third Division, the casualties and decorations, the tragic losses and sensational gains, the landings made and the terrain covered and the overall achievements of the Third, give it a record which is unsurpassed by any other American Division in World War II. This is a large statement. But here is the record. Here is the war in a chronicle of this single unit.

 

Members of the Third Infantry Division wear more battle stars than any other United States Army division that fought in the European Theater.

 

The Third battled through more separate campaigns, covered sore territory from its first landings to V-E Day, made more amphibious assaults and received more individual decorations for its men, than any other American unit.

 

From Pearl Harbor to V-E Day, Congress awarded 23P Congressional Medals of Honor: 162 in the Army and 77 in the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Of these 239 Congressional Medal of Honor Awards, thirty one went to members of the Third Infantry Division, thirteen awarded posthumously. This means that approximately one out of every eight Medals of Honor, among l4,000,000 men, went to men in this single division, containing never more than 15,000 soldiers. This record stands alone in the annals of America's armed forces.

 

The Third's battle honors and individual honors also extend far back, and are rooted in the glorious history of three famous component elements which comprise the riflemen units in the division: the Seventh, Fifteenth, and Thirtieth Infantry Regiments.

 

The Seventh Regiment, first organized 147 years ago (1789), carries battle honors from campaigns of 1812, the Indian Wars, the Mexican and Civil Wars, and the Spanish-American War, as well as both World Wars.

 

The fifteenth Regiment started as a unit of volunteers to fight against the British in the War of 1812, served through the Civil War and the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, and spent twenty-six years u garrison troops in China.

 

The Thirtieth participated in the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The present organization is the result of an Act of Congress, February 2, 1901, and its chief participations were in St.Mihiel and the MeuseArgonne offshelves, the Chateau-Thierry operations and the Champagne-Marne defensive in World War I.

 

In this war, the division's two and a half years of combat started in French Morocco. At 4:45 a.m. November 8, 1942, troops of the Seventh and Thirtieth Regiments landed on the beaches north of Fedala and scored the Division's first victory in World War IX with the capture of Batterie du Pont Blondin. It was never out of action except for a few weeks at a time in the thirty-one months that followed.

 

From November 1942, forward, the battle route of the Division hu reflected every type of problem in our overall strategy in europe and a slice of all various terrains over which any of America's armies fought for final victory. From the desert sands and rocky passes of North Africa the rain drenched hill traps of the Italian Mountains and the rooling valleys of France, to the snow swept tops of the Vosges and the broa~ river areas of the German Reich, the Third Division combined the experiences of our troops as a whole on the European fronts. And its saga of "Blood, sweat and tears" was universal among our combat units overseas

 

This regular Army outfit had a reasonably easy time in North Africa after its landing in the Casablanca zone. Between November, 1942, and March, 1943, the Division occupied bivouac areas there, and in April, 1943, moved to Port-aux-Poules, near Arzeu, Algeria, to train for its second amphibious operation. Major General Jonathon W. Anderson had been in comand when Major-General Lucian K. Truecoat took over on March 6. General Truscott, who finally defeated the Germans at Anzio when the Division reached there, remains a hero to its officers and men to this day.

 

The training was cut short, however, when the Division was ordered to move to Tunisis on April 30 and effect the destruction of Field Marshal Rommel's Afrika Korps in its final days, On May 8, Division Unit: attacked, but the enemy surrendered. "The mission was completed without firing a shot." General Truecoat told me, "and I tried to remind our men of this later at Anzio. But even with Anzio, the Division was on the short end of the law of averages."

 

All three regiments, reinforced by numerous combat attachments, next entered active fighting on July 10, 1943, by landing on Sicily's shores in the operation known under Army code as "Hocus."

                                              

The Division expanded its beachhead to more than 100 square miles on the Sicily D-Day, and twelve days later entered Palermo, 100 miles to the north of its landing place (Licata). Most of this record breaking accomplishment was achieved by all three regiments in three days, The Third Battalion of the Thirtieth Regiment, for instance, marched fifty-four miles in thirty-four hours through mountainous country, and then participated in the successful assault at San Stefano Quisquina.

 

The Division rested only a week at Palermo. Then it struck again. In seventeen days it drove ninety miles along the coastal highway, battling German resistance all the way and capturing Messina, on the shore of the narrow strait separating Sicily and Itay.

 

Thirty days later, September 17, 1943, the Division moved against Italy proper. On September 20, its men stopped the fanatical German troops near Acerno, and then for fifty-nine consecutive days the Third never lost contact with the enemy nor ceased combat action for more than a few hours at any time.

 

This seemingly endless campaign was followed by the Thirds terrific drive across the bloody Volturno River, breaking up the German's strong natural defense positions to which the Volturno was the key.

 

There the Third Division began to accumulate its heavy casualties in dead, wounded and missing. In the course of the war these losses were to necessitate frequent replacements in its ranks: More than 35,000 Americans passed through the ranks of the Third Division in its Thirty-one months in combat.

 

After Volturno the losses continued to grow, for the Third fought next in the mountain approaches to Cassino. This mountain fighting was among the most desperate in the War. Kesselring's forces sat tight on Mount Rotundo. Mount Lungo and Mount la Difensa, instructed to hold these points at all costs. Fighting in the worst winter recorded in thirty years, with rain and cold hampering the unit on all sides, and forced to supply its mountain forces not even mule-back, but by man-back, the Division captured Mount Rotundo and immohilized the other two obstacles.

 

General Truscott said that this fighting was the most bitter and heartbreaking the Division had ever undertaken up to that date. But its success forced the first approaches to the German anchor to the South (Cassino) and gave other American units their toe hold for later assaults on that famous place.

 

On November 17, 1942, the Third Division went into training for the Anzio Operation. Time may dull our recollection of what happened at Anzio for so much has happened to occupy the headlines since then. To obtain the official version of the ground action, I asked General Mark Clark, the overall American Commander to review what happened, this is what General Clark told me:

 

Although Kesselring's force opposing our landing was small, the Germans reacted quickly. On D-Day (January 22, 1943) the Third and other Divisions landed 36,000 men against the Germans 20,000. Our superiority was not enough, however, to advance far before securing a satisfactory beachhead. By D-Day plus-3, Kesselring forces had grown to 41,000 while we had only 36,000 and the enemy buildup was steadily increasing.

 

New German forces came in with amazing rapidity. Hitler ordered to Anzio one division from France (resting there after earlier battles in Russia), one from the Balkans, three from northern Italy and two from the eastern side of the Italian Peninsula, but only a division and a half from the southern front where the Germans were containing our Fifth Army on the Casaino line. General Clark said that eleven days after the Anzio landing, in spite of our efforts to block the German movements, the enemy had put 98,000 troops at Anzio, compared to 92, 000 of our own.

 

Under orders from Hitler to destroy the beachhead, Kesselring's forces launched tremendous attacks on February 16 and 29, the second attack being directed entirely against the Third Division's positions. The Third stood there and took everything the Germans could muster, counting their casualties as they mounted hour by hour, but never wavering in the line. The Third counterattacked. First the beachhead was again stabilized. Then the Third broke through.

 

The Germans were beaten at Anzio. Even after V-E Day, most of our military leaders in Europe, including General Eisenhower, agreed that no fighting at any time on the continent-the breakthrough at St. Lo, the battle in the Bastogne Bulge or any other action- was more bitter and dreadful than the final breakthrough at Anzio. "There was no harder action in this war," is the concensus.

 

Brigadier General John W. "Iron Mike" O'Daniel, formerly assistant division commander, was given command of the Division on February 17, when General Truscott was promoted to command the Sixth Corps.

 

It was under General O'Daniel that the Third participated in the next accomplishment-the capture of Rome.

 

The Division garrisoned the Italian capital for two weeks, but this is all the relief it had. It then moved back to the Naples area, to start amphibious training again. It left General Clark's other Italian Forces and as a part of Lieutenant General Alexander M. Patch's new Seventh Army (General Patch himself was brought from Guadalcanal to command this force), the Third was scheduled to attack the southern coast of France.

 

On August 13, 1944, at eight o'clock in the morning, the Third's assault boats completed their Mediterranean crossing and struck the shoreline of the French Riviera. This action established another record - it was the division's fourth amphibious landing, and represented more landings than any other division in the European theater.

 

In the first twenty-four hours the Division smashed the German coastal defenses, captured nearly a thousand prisoners, and gegan a major advance inland from the baches at St. Tropaez. Its route now led to the Belfort Gap, the historic route into Germany from the southwest. But the way was barred by the strong German positions in the natural defenses of the Vosges.

 

"This was the place for the Germans to protect the Rhine", General O'Daniel said, "and they tried to do it".

 

First, the Division captured the fortress city of Besancon, annihilating one regiment of a fresh division the Germans had moved into forts surrounding the town, and capturing all remnants when the resistance of the beaten troops collapsed. Then the Third entered the Vosges Mountain Campaign, which consisted of two months of nearly impossible fighting in a passage which European military historians have claimed since the earliest days could not have crossed in winter.

 

The Third Division beat the weatherman to the punch and breached the Vosges by the last week in November, fighting as well to relieve the French trapped in the Colmar Pocket.

 

Next, the Division crossed the Moselle and the Mosolotte Rivers. The Rhine naturally took the headlines later, but these earlier operations were as fully as difficult as the Rhine crossing and generally, speaking more effectively opposed. The Third followed up by immediately crossing the Mortange River as well.

 

In the five days between March 15 and 20, 1945. The Third reached

the Siegfried Line and captured Zweibrucken. The Rhine crossing was made at Worms, March 26. The Division crossed the Main four days later. With the two rivers behind them, the Division began its final attack on Hitler's redoubt.

 

The German SS Troops were making a last ditch stand in the south, and the Third encountered them at Nurnberg. General O'Daniel describes this as the Third Division's last hard fight of the war, and when I asked him how it ranked with the Third's other most severe battles he put the Nurmberg fight fifth. "This is in order of severity," he said. "Anzio, in a class by itself; next the Vosges Campaign; then the Colmar Pocket, Mignono and Nurnberg."

 

Nurnberg was captured April 18-21, and the following week the Division crossed the Danube River to capture Augsburg. On April 26 the Third and other divisions of Lieutenant General Alexander M. Patch's Seventh Army captured Munich.

 

The finale for the Third, and for the war, came in the last week of April and the first week of May. May 5, three days before V-E Day, "Iron Mike's men ended their war in Europe in the hide-away house of the Nazi Master himself. The Third Division hoisted the Stars and Stripes, and its own battle standard on Hitler's flagpole at Berchesgaden. No other division in Europe traveled so far for VICTORY ........ The End.

 

· Technically, the normal strength of the Third Division was 13,407 men, but during action it was usually closer to 15,000 because of assignments of more special units, such as tank-destroyers, artillery observation planes, Etc.

 

 


 

 

Picture of Evelyn Soderqwuist carried by Jim through the Second World War.


 Jim Merritt’s Stories of War as Heard by Gordon Merritt

 

 

One time we were in a village and a large shell fell on the road and rolled down to where we were.  Lucky for us, it did not blow up; it was a dud. 

 

When we were cooking in a field kitchen at Anzio one day; we were gone from the kitchen for a time.  One of our artillery shells fell short and flew holes in one of our stoves. 

 

At Anzio, we could not go out during the day to the latrine, as the Germans would shoot you. 

 

One night I felt bad about the location of my pup tent.  I moved it before going to sleep, and the next morning there was a large shell hole where the tent had been. 

 

I remember seeing a line of men across the road from our field kitchen.  They were lined up waiting for a meal.  A German plane staffed the road and killed most of them. 

 

At the Division Reunions a friend always tells me that I had saved his life.  We were in a village talking and I heard a shell coming, but he didn’t.  I pushed him out of the way and he always says that I saved his life. 

 

The children in Italy were starving and begging all the time.   At the kitchen we did not have enough food to take care of our men and them too.  I was very hard to see them go hungry.

 

I did not like the way the officers treated the men.  It was a real class system and very unfair.  One of the officers running our Battalion was a migrant farm worker before the war; I could not respect him much, and did not think much of his decisions.

 

Some of the officers made some crazy decisions.   In Naples there was a practice amphibious landing before the invasion of Anzio.  The weather was so stormy that our Battalion lost a lot of men and equipment.  We lost all twelve 105 cannons when all of our DUWK’s sank.  

 

In North Africa each morning you had to shake out your boots so you would not step on  scorpions hiding in them. 

 

I remember cooking for a truck driver one early morning.  He then drove an ammunition truck and it exploded.  Nothing was found of him or the truck. 

 

One time at Anzio, we were cooking, and the shelling was bad.  It was so dangerous the men would not come out to the kitchen tent to get their food.  We were put in for bronze stars for cooking under those conditions.  We never were awarded the medals, and some officer probably got a bronze star. 

 

One time we were looking for souvenirs and saw a perfect German Lugar on a table in a shed.  We would not take it as the Germans set up anti-personnel mines in such places. 

 

I remember coming home from France on the boat.  When we saw the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor the feeling I got was overpowering. 

 

Some of the guys I knew got a chance to take a plane home to the West Coast.  I took the train.  Their plane crashed and they were all lost.

 

After the end of the War, I was in a camp, waiting to go home.  In a tent, a new guy was waving a pistol around.  I got very angry with him.  He said it was not loaded; but I did not wanted to be shot by accident after surviving the War. 

 

I had a case of malaria in Italy and had to go to the hospital with a fever.  I got over it and did not have a recurrence.  Some of the guys got Malaria and had recurrent fevers, sometimes with convulsions.  I was told I could not give blood, for the rest of my life. 

 

I have seen a soldier get food ladled onto his shirt when he was delaying and not deciding what he wanted in the kitchen tent serving line. 

 

If a soldier asked that a serving plate be passed to him, and someone passing it helped himself to some of it, they were in trouble.  

 

We did not think we would make it through the war until near the end.   I told the guys that I thought that we would all make it, and we did. 

 

One of the cooks I trained with died of his wounds on Sicily, when the truck he was driving drove over a mine. 

 

My Dad had a dry sense of humor.  Once he sent me a letter that had me rolling of a log with laughter.  He told about a neighbor kid who looked into his basement window and told his parents that he thought he saw a body down there.  The first thing Jim, Sr., knew was when he was woken up by a policeman shining a light in his face.  He  looked up to see a badge with 8-7-77 on  it, which was his birthdate. 

 

All of the old artillery men at the reunions were wearing hearing aides.   They wore no hearing protection during the War.

 

I was able to find two Lugar pistols during the War.  I sold one at the end and kept one with a pistol.  It was dated 1918.  I sold that one to a friend about 1995.   I also had a Hungarian 43 caliber pistol and holster.  I sold this in about 1995 to a friend.  

 

I bought two of the books called “History of the 3rd Infantry Division in World War II”.  These were sold after the end of the War.  Someone offered me fifty dollars for one at a reunion, but I would not sell it.

 

I got a call at the end of the War from an Army Surplus Store in Seattle.  They had my footlocker, with my name on it with all the battles that we were in, that I painted during the War.    I told him that I did not want it.  I wish now that I had bought it. 

 

The German soldiers sometimes had a chain, like a dog chain with wires that stuck out along it, like a training collar.  They used them for leading prisoners, who were hurt the more they struggled against it. 

 

At Hitler’s place, Bertesgarten, we were among the first ones to reach it.  The British had bombed it pretty well, but we found a cave like warehouse, that had uniforms for Hitler’s guards.  I got one of the Helmets that had never been issued. 

 

I remember our first hike in North Africa.  After a few miles, it was so hot, that guys threw away their small stoves, and big heavy wool overcoats.  I kept mine and was glad that I did.  The trail was littered with all kinds of equipement.