Since the last post in September 2008, Mom (Janell) and Grandad (Donnell) have passed away. I am one of Grandad's five grandchildren. As I was going through Mom's papers, I found materials from Grandad's service in World War II and the Korean War. Among them were Grandad's hand written notes for the next installment of Donnell's life story as well as many photos and service records. To honor his service, and my Mom's passion for writing and family, I am posting Part Seven, with minor edits. I may continue the story based on photos, letters, and army documents from the wars.
Back to Grandad....
SOUTHERN FRANCE: A NEW THEATER OF WAR
Just a few days before I was released from the hospital in Naples, the 36th Division spearheaded a landing on the beautiful beaches of the French Riviera on August 15, 1944. A photo taken at the time showed Higgins boats with men from the troopships forming to make a wave and head to shore.
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| 36th ID landing at Saint-Raphaël. Not from Donnell's files. |
My guess is that I landed about five days later after stepping from a merchant ship lower door onto the landing boat. This time no crawling down a net! There were only about 50 guys, all heading back to our units. The beach was deserted with only signs left by the initial landing. Our instructions were to follow the path left by our units until we reached a highway and continue walking until we reached a town that would process our papers.
Out of all our training this turned out to be the worst I could remember. We were all loaded down for warfare with full pockets, ammo, etc., even a big gas mask and all of us just being released from the hospital! After a few miles of walking [nothing] but a rifle and helmet remained. Even when we reached a small road there was never a truck of any size. By the next day we reached the army depot. We were given food and pup tents and were promised that trucks would take us on up to the front. That night it started raining and our little tents helped some. By the third day it was still raining and no orders or truck and all our blankets were wet.
ON THE TRAIL OF THE 36TH INFANTRY DIVISION
On our way I had met one of our own men, a cook who was Chinese that was called Ching. We had shared our pup tent together and both were in bad shape. Yet still there were no orders or truck and I had had enough. It seemed that the front was moving so fast that all trucks were being used chasing the Germans. I had noticed some big trucks loaded and passing near the depot heading north. During the night I told Ching that I was leaving the next morning on my own and I would have no trouble flagging down a truck going north. He agreed to go with me so by daylight the next day we were out on the highway where there were lots of army trucks.
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| Ching and Donnell returning to the 36th. |
DONNELL'S DUTIES: PROTECTING HIS UNIT
I believe it appropriate to bring the reader up to date as to my status and duties and what I expected of myself as of August 1944: I was now 23 years old, very young considering the much older men from the Texas National Guard. I had joined the Guard in October 1939, just days after my 18th birthday. My present duties as a corporal over four men were to protect the battery from the enemy while doing their duties. I used four .50 caliber machine guns and two [three] inch rocket launchers. I was well satisfied with my position and believe I'd performed all that had been expected of me and would continue to do so.
[Editor's Note: Below is a photo from Grandad's files of the "quad fifty." It was used as an anti-aircraft battery and as an anti-personnel weapon. It consisted of four fifty caliber air-cooled M2 Browning machine guns mounted together. Affectionately referred to as the "Ma Deuce" by soldiers, the Browning .50 is still in service in today's U.S. military.]
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| M16 Motor Gun Carriage, 133rd Field Artillery. |
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