American Valor Quarterly Issue 12 - Spring 2015 | Page 19

Top: U.S. Army Signal Corps/Imperial War Museum

Bottom: National Archives

the wrong place after all.” It killed
everyone in the first tank, and half
the troops in the second. With my
eyebrows singed, I got on my feet, and
got the hell out of there. That battle
lasted till about 5 p.m. that afternoon,
at which time we had finally prevailed.
Had we not succeeded in that battle,
we would still be trying to get the Nazi
army off the continent of Europe, I’m
convinced. I’m sure of this because
there was no one between us and the
Allied forces on the beach.

but I was told to check
in every morning at
headquarters to find out
if we’ve heard from Gen.
Bradley. I didn’t have
much to do while we
waited, but I knew both
of the other two officers
from I Company. We
traveled around town
together and every
morning we’d check
in, before we were told
THE FRENCH TRICOLOR FLYING ABOVE, A
Gen. Bradley wasn’t
When we got back to England, we
JEEP FROM THE U.S. 7TH CORPS PASSES
coming. We waited there
came back with barrels of Hennessy
GRATEFUL CIVILIANS IN THE NEWLYfor 10 days. We were
cognac that we had looted out of the
told to take the weekend
LIBERATED TOWN OF CARENTAN.
Cherbourg warehouses. All of the
off if we wanted, so we
officers and enlisted men were allowed
a barrel of cognac. We had orders back went around and visited
here and there. We came
because we didn’t want to impose on
in England to drink every last drop
across a lady near the Kennet River
them. We came back to Ramsbury
off it because it was illegal to leave
crying her eyes out. We passed her
and in two or three more days I was
any of that stuff around. During this
going to a pub and I said to one of
commissioned, and given $500 by the
time, I was told Gen. Bradley himself
the officers I was with, “Why don’t
US army to go to London to buy a
was going to come across the channel
we see what’s going on with that lady.
uniform. We were told that we had to
for a photo op. I was skeptical that
She looks like she’s got a problem, and use all of the money on our uniforms
Gen. Bradley would end up coming,
maybe we can help her.” He thought
or bring it back. So we got to London
that was a good idea so went
and had someone showing us the
over and started talking with
officer uniforms. We looked at these
her. We found out she was
two or three grade uniforms. One was
going to visit a Royal Air
about $100 dollars, another was $105,
Force airman. The RAF had
and the last was $119. We saw some
an airbus right on top of the
guys passing us from headquarters
hill overlooking the town of
and I asked, “Why do those uniforms
Ramsbury. She went to visit
look a little different than what we are
him because they were going
looking at?”
to be engaged, but she found
He said “Sir, these are uniforms
out he had been killed that
made by tailors on Bond Street.”
day. We asked where she was
from and she said she was
Being an inquisitive man, I asked,
from Wales. Wales was just
“Where do they get the material?”
a few hours away by train,
He said, “Oh the quartermaster
and so we asked, “Are you
sells them the material. It’s the same
going back home?” She said
material, but the cut is quite different,
that she would but she didn’t
as you see.”
GENERAL MAXWELL TAYLOR,
have any money. We decided
So then I asked how much it cost to
to do a good deed and take
NOW COMMANDER OF THE 101ST
have one of these uniforms made.
her back to Wales. She lived
AIRBORNE DIVISION DURING
on the coast near Swansea.
He said, “Oh, about twice as much,”
OPERATIONS IN NORMANDY.
We took her to her home and
so I figured in my head twice as much
TAYLOR JUMPED INTO NORMANDY
they were so gracious to us,
would be about $200. I’ve got $500 in
WITH HIS MEN, THE FIRST
they wanted us to stay