“This was hedgerow” Ibid., p. 66.
“The hedgerows themselves” Walter M. Robertson, Combat History of the Second Infantry Division in World War II, Baton Rouge, LA: Army and Navy Publishing Company, 1946, p. 29.
Whitehead’s 2nd Squad E-mail from Cleve C. Barkley to the author, 9 April 2012.
“I’d get an enemy” Whitehead Diary, p. 70.
Despite Whitehead’s impression Edward W. Wood and Raleigh Ashbrook, D + 1 to D + 105: The Story of the 2nd Infantry Division, Czechoslovakia: G-3 Section, 2nd Division Headquarters, 1945, p. 11.
Whitehead wrote of Whitehead Diary, p. 71.
“started serenading the” Ibid., p. 72.
“a showy mathematical” Paul Fussell, Doing Battle: The Making of a Skeptic, Boston: Little, Brown, 1996, p. 134.
“A second division” Whitehead Diary, p. 73.
“The ‘Rhino’ was” The General Board, United States Forces, European Theater, “Armored Special Equipment,” Center of Military History, Department of the Army, Washington, DC, 1945, File R475/4, Study No. 52, p. 14.
“He was dead” Whitehead Diary, p. 75.
The next day Second Battalion Staff, “The Second Battalion, 38th Infantry, in World War II,” p. 18.
“I don’t believe” Whitehead Diary, pp. 77–78.
The mine that The toll of 2nd Division troops killed during the war in Robertson’s Combat History of the Second Infantry Division in World War II, pp. 38–39, lists Schwerdfeger, Sanchez and Turner as having died in combat on the same day. But the date given is 26 July 1944, not 11 July, the date of the assault of Hill 192. General Robertson wrote that, on “that bloody day of July 26,” the 38th Regiment advanced on Saint-Jean-des-Baisants. It is not clear why Whitehead confused the dates of the Hill 192 and Saint-Jean-des-Baisants battles.
The 38th Infantry Barkley, In Death’s Dark Shadow, p. 144.
One of the eighty-three Second Battalion Staff, “The Second Battalion, 38th Infantry, in World War II,” p. 22.
His service record “Personnel Records Section,” in File, Whitehead, Alfred T., CM ETO 309739, Office of the Clerk of the Court, U.S Army Judiciary, 901 North Stuart Street, Suite 1200, Arlington, VA 22203-1837. (Whitehead’s Court-Martial File CM ETO 309379 is hereafter referred to as Whitehead Court-Martial File. Most pages in the file are unnumbered.)
Many 2nd Division Whitehead Court-Martial File.
“I went a little” Whitehead Diary, p. 82.
FIFTEEN
At almost the Eric Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1946, p. 436. CBS News reporter Sevareid landed in the south of France just after the first wave of troops and sent the first reports to the United States via Rome.
A fabulous armada Clarke and Smith, Riviera to the Rhine, United States Army in World War II, p. 92.
“experienced the magnitude” WD/Second Draft, p. 42.
Weiss and the other Winston S. Churchill, The Second World War, Vol. VI: Triumph and Tragedy, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1953, p. 94.
“a ringside seat” Clarke and Smith, Riviera to the Rhine, United States Army in World War II, p. 22.
Dawn broke dry Ibid., p. 108.
“absolutely petrified” Robichon, The Second D-Day, p. 190.
For this feat Clarke and Smith, Riviera to the Rhine, United States Army in World War II, p. 111. Murphy won, among other honors, the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star with First Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with “V” Device and First Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with Second Oak Leaf, European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (for nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (for the assault landings at Sicily and southern France). After the war, he became an actor in Hollywood and was killed in an airplane crash in 1971.
“Here we saw” Winston Churchill, Triumph and Tragedy, p. 95.
The 141st Regiment Steven J. Zaloga, Operation Dragoon: France’s Other D-Day, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2009, p. 47. Zaloga added, “Each of these [strongpoints] was in turn made up of two or three resistance nests (Widerstandsnester), which were clusters of bunkers usually a platoon in strength with more machine guns, mortars, and light guns than a normal infantry formation.”
“prove myself a man” Jacques Robichon, The Second D-Day, p. 190.
“webbing and leather” WD/Second Draft, p. 43.
“The 143rd Infantry” Clarke and Smith, Riviera to the Rhine, United States Army in World War II, p. 115.
They soon eliminated Ibid., p. 121. See also John A. Hyman, “From the Riviera to the Rhine,” T-Patch (36th Division newspaper), First Anniversary Supplement, 1945, republished at texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/36division/archives/frame/hymans1.html. The 142nd Regiment was unable to land at Camel Red below Saint-Raphaël because of the strength of German underwater defenses. They ended up on Green Beach.
In Saint-Raphaël WD/Second Draft, p. 45.
Ten hours after J. Zaloga, Operation Dragoon, p. 50.
“an example of” Samuel Eliot Morison, The Invasion of France and Germany, Boston: Little Brown, 1957, p. 91.
“I was hugged” Steve Weiss, “Infantry Combat: A GI in France, 1944,” in Paul Addison and Angus Calder, eds., Time to Kill: The Soldier’s Experience of War in the West, 1939–1945, London: Pimlico, 1997, p. 332.
“For the first” Eric Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream, p. 440.
On 17 August Weiss, “Infantry Combat: A GI in France, 1944,” in Addison and Calder, Time to Kill, p. 332. Operation Dragoon, according to the American version, took its name from the mispronunciation of the town of Draguignan, an early objective of the invasion. Winston Churchill insisted he changed the name from Operation Anvil to Dragoon, because the Americans had dragooned him into it.
“more like a Broadway” WD/Second Draft, p. 46.
the mayor invited “GI Stories of the Ground, Air and Service Forces in the European Theater of Operations,” Orientation Branch, Information and Education Division, Headquarters, Theater Service Forces, European Theater (TSFET), 1945, republished at www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/36thinfantry/index.html.
Called maquisards and Clarke and Smith, Riviera to the Rhine, United States Army in World War II, p. 42.
“Many of them” “OSS Aid to the French Resistance in World War II: Operational Group Command, Office of Strategic Services: Company B—2671st Special Reconnaissance Battalion,” Archives Nationales de France, Paris, File 72 AJ/84/I/Pièce 5, p. 9.
“[Jim] Dickson and” WD/Second Draft, p. 47.
“Hordes of men” Ibid., p. 48.
SIXTEEN
This was a serious Article of War 86 stated: “Misbehavior of Sentinel. Any sentinel who is found drunk or sleeping upon his post, or who leaves it before he is regularly relieved, shall, if the offense be committed in time of war, suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct; and if the offense be committed in time of peace, he shall suffer any punishment, except death, that a court-martial may direct.” Typical sentence for sleeping on post was five years at hard labor. See Memorandum from Headquarters, Western Base Section, SOS ETOUSA, “Subject: Discipline,” 26 February 1944, NARA, RG498, Box 362, Classified General Correspondence, 1945, 230.5–250.
Whitehead’s squad leader Whitehead Diary, p. 86.
“We sometimes accidentally” Ibid., p. 97.
“The last objective” Robertson, Combat History of the Second Infantry Division in World War II, p. 48.
“bomb damage had” Whitehead Diary, p. 100.
“the French people” Ibid., p. 101.
“The tactic was” Wood and Ashbrook, D + 1 to D + 105, op. cit.
“Afterward, I was” Whitehead Diary, p. 107.
Brest, where Robertson, Combat History of the Second Infantry Division in World War II, p. 51.
SEVENTEEN
about twelve hours Clarke and Smith, Riviera to the Rhine, United States Army in World War II, p. 155.
The 143rd had Vincent Lockhart, T-Patch to Victory: The 36th Infantry Division from the Landing in Southern France to the End of World War II, Texas: Staked Plains Press, 1981.
“the 36th Division” Hyman, “From the Riviera to the Rhine,” p. 5.
“Sure, but let’s” WD/Second Draft, p. 49.
Two young Frenchwomen Ibid., p. 50.
He had a more Louis-Frédéric Ducros, Montagnes Ardéchoises dans la guerre, Vol. III: Combats pour la libération: du 6 juin 1944 au 7 septembre 1944, Valence, 1981, p. 351.
A Charlie Company WD/Second Draft, p. 51.
They went to Ibid. Article of War 107 states, “Soldier to make good time lost. Every soldier who in an existing or subsequent enlistment deserts the service of the United States or without proper authority absents himself from his organization, station, or duty for more than one day . . . shall be liable to serve, after his return to a full-duty status, for such period as shall, with the time he may have served prior to such desertion, unauthorized absence, confinement, or inability to perform duty, amount to the full term of that part of his enlistment period which he is required to serve with his organization before being furloughed to the Army reserve.” See Revision of the Articles of War, 1912–1920 (two vols.), Hearing of the Subcommittee of the Committee on Military Affairs. U.S. Senate, 66th Congress, 1st session, on S.64. A bill to establish military justice, 1919. House Report 940, 66th Congress, Second session, Hearing of the Special Subcommittee of the Committee on Military Affairs. House of Representatives, 66th Congress, Second session, 1920, The Articles of War, Approved June 4, 1920, pp. 27–28.
Article 107 was less severe than Articles 58 and 75. Article 75 stated, “Misbehavior before the enemy. Any officer or soldier who, before the enemy, misbehaves himself, runs away, or shamefully abandons or delivers up or by any misconduct, disobedience, or neglect endangers the safety of any fort, post, camp, guard, or other command which it is his duty to defend, or speaks words inducing others to do the like, or casts away his arms or ammunition, or quits his post or colors to plunder or pillage, or by any means whatsoever occasions false alarms in camp, garrison, or quarters, shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.”
Weiss and the others WD/Second Draft, p. 51.
“[General] Dahlquist dispatched” Clarke and Smith, Riviera to the Rhine, United States Army in World War II, p. 156.
A Free French intelligence Arthur Layton Funk, Hidden Ally: The French Resistance, Special Operations, and the Landings in Southern France, 1944, New York and London: Greenwood Press, 1992, p. 167.
Dahlquist’s order to Ibid., p. 168.
Just before dark Weiss, “Infantry Combat: A GI in France, 1944,” in Addison and Calder, Time to Kill, p. 334.
Weiss found a spot Ibid.
“Lying there, I waited” Ibid. In WD/Second Draft, p. 58, Weiss wrote, “I rise and run ten yards before hitting the ground. As I do, a potato masher, a German hand grenade, explodes next to my waist, sending pods of earth and bits of metal skyward. Gulping air, I get up again, rush another ten yards, and slam into the ground. Wham! The second potato masher explodes by my right hip, tossing dirt and metal everywhere; I repeat the maneuver for the third time; the grenade explodes almost on top of me. My unknown and dedicated assailant tosses one more, but by now I’m out of range and close enough to leap into the ditch beside the road. Some squad members and Simmons have already taken cover.”
“As the C.O.” WD/First Draft, p. 64.
Considering what to do Ibid.
“Within seconds, men Ibid.
“We stopped and waited” Lockhart, op. cit., p. 76.
EIGHTEEN
The aborted battle Lockhart, op. cit., p. 74.
“Morning came, clear” Weiss, “Infantry Contact: A GI in France, 1944,” in Addison and Calder, Time to Kill, p. 335.
“We were angry” Weiss, “Infantry Combat: A GI in France, 1944,” in Addison and Calder, Time to Kill, p. 335.
In Valence, the population Lockhart, op. cit., pp. 78–79.
Back in the irrigation canal Weiss, “Infantry Combat: A GI in France, 1944,” in Addison and Calder, Time to Kill, p. 67.
Weiss gained respect Steve Weiss, interview with the author, Paris, 17 July 2010.
“There’s something else” WD/Second Draft, p. 58.
When Gaston Reynaud greeted Lockhart, op. cit., p. 79. Ducros, Montagnes Ardéchoises dans la guerre, p. 385.
“The hayloft, partially” WD/Second Draft, p. 59.
In Valence, Louis Steve Weiss, e-mail to the author, 3 August 2010.
Lévy belonged to Ducros, Montagnes Ardéchoises dans la guerre, p. 385.
“Automobile tires grate” Steve Weiss, e-mail to the author, 3 August 2010.
NINETEEN
“Passing slowly through” Steve Weiss, “Infantry Combat: A GI in France, 1944,” in Addison and Calder, Time to Kill, p. 336.
Only a few hours Ducros, Montagnes Ardéchoises dans la guerre, p. 348.
The four Americans Ibid., p. 385.
Sergeant Scruby and WD/Second Draft, p. 63.
Another black Citroën Ibid.
One of the boatmen Ducros, Montagnes Ardéchoises dans la guerre, p. 385.
“twisted and broken” WD/Second Draft, p. 63.
That morning at Ducros, Montagnes Ardéchoises dans la guerre, p. 386. See also Lockhart, op. cit., p. 81.
“Standing next to” WD/First Draft, p. 76.
TWENTY
The guests at WD/First Draft, pp. 76–77.
An impeccably dressed WD/Second Draft, p. 66.
Homcy was a career United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Albert C. Homcy versus Stanley R. Resor, Secretary of the Army, 455 F.2d 1345, opinion by Circuit Judge George MacKinnon, http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F2/455/1345/168414/. See also File, Homcy, Albert C., CM271489, Office of the Clerk of the Court, U.S. Army Judiciary, 901 North Stuart Street, Suite 1200, Arlington, VA, 22203-1837.
“I didn’t think” Court-Martial Transcript, p. 25. File, Homcy, Albert C., CM271489, Office of the Clerk of the Court, U.S. Army Judiciary, 901 North Stuart Street, Suite 1200, Arlington, VA, 22203-1837.
“I really admired” Steve Weiss, interview with the author, Paris, 17 July 2010.
“The explosion shattered” WD/Second Draft, p. 67.
Steve Weiss embraced Steve Weiss, interview with the author, Paris, 17 July 2010.
“A mob?”Eric Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream, pp. 454–55.
“Of medium height” WD/First Draft, p. 78.
“I rationalized that” Ibid., p. 79.
“Stocky, with square” Ibid.; also WD/Second Draft, p. 69.
“Scruby described it” WD/Second Draft, p. 70.
Weiss did not know Ducros, Montagnes Ardéchoises dans la guerre, p. 351. Lévy died fighting in the Valensolles quarter of the town hours before it fell.
“She dug her” WD/First Draft, p. 81.
The American GIs Weiss, “Infantry Combat: A GI in France,” in Addison and Calder, Time to Kill, p. 339.
Ferdinand Mathey WD/Second Draft, p. 72.
Mathey, outfitted in Ibid.
“The farm was” WD/First Draft, p. 72.
“a terrible, eerie” Weiss, “Infantry Combat: A GI in France,” in Addison and Calder, Time to Kill, p. 340.
“We looked at” Ibid.
TWENTY-ONE
“We were with” Steve Weiss, interview with the author, Paris, 17 July 2010.
“as if he were” Weiss, “Infantry Combat: A GI in France,” in Addison and Calder, Time to Kill, p. 340.
“was framed
like” WD/First Draft, p. 87.
One team member John Whiteclay Chambers, OSS Training in the National Parks and Service Abroad in World War II, Washington, DC: U.S. National Park Service, 2008, p. 546. See also “OSS Aid to the French Resistance in World War II, Operational Group Command, Office of Strategic Services: Company B—2671st Special Reconnaissance Battalion,” Grenoble, France, 20 September 1944, Archives Nationales de France, Paris, 72 AJ/841/I/Pièce 5.
The atmosphere at NARA, File H, 350.05.1 (ETO-131), Study No. 131, prepared by Major Ray K. Craft, Chief, Psychological Warfare Section, 1945.
Lieutenants Rickerson and McKenzie Funk, Hidden Ally, p. 220.
“superficial if bloody” Chambers, OSS Training in the National Parks and Service Abroad in World War II, p. 342.
At Chomerac on 31 “OSS Aid to the French Resistance in World War II, Operational Group Command, Office of Strategic Services: Company B—2671st Special Reconnaissance Battalion,” Archives Nationales de France, Paris, 72 AJ/83/II/Pièce 1. The OSS’s report noted that the operational groups with 4,000 résistants “held off the full strength of 22,000 Germans, including elements of SS infantry and armored divisions, airborne glider troops and mountain infantry, all diverted from the front in Normandy or from defensive positions in the south.”
“unlike Simmons, Rick’s” WD/Second Draft, p. 76.
TWENTY-TWO
Rickerson’s convoy pushed Funk, Hidden Ally, p. 252.
To Weiss’s delight WD/Second Draft, pp. 81–82.
Binoche left Lyons Douglas Johnson, “Obituary: General François Binoche,” The Independent, 27 May 1977.
It did not take WD/Second Draft, p. 82.
“I know that added” Steve Weiss’s personal papers, London. (Copy provided to the author on 4 August 2010.)
The U.S. Army magazine Steve Weiss, e-mail to the author, 14 November 2010.
“It never dawned” WD/Second Draft, p. 100.
The official U.S. The General Board, United States Forces, European Theater, “Reinforcement System and Reinforcement Procedures in the European Theater of Operations,” Center of Military History, Department of the Army, Washington, DC, File: 200.3/2, Study No. 5, 1945, p. 20.
The Deserters: A Hidden History of World War II Page 38