| Table of Contents < - - - return Chapter 17 - The ‘B.A.R.’ man < - - - next Don Bennett's War Chapter 16 - Leapfrogging _______________________ Before dawn we received orders to move out and for half a day traveled along the edge of the valley. About noon we approached one of the many small towns and we momentarily halted. Orders came back for a B.A.R. man to come forward. Although another man went up, the order was meant for me. My squad sergeant had spotted some activity in a church belfry and wanted me to knock the men out. By the time the orders were straightened out and I got up there, it was learned that we were not supposed to take the town. Our objective was the town up the valley about a half mile. It was easy to mistake one town for the other when you didn't know the country. So we stayed in the woods and watched the 14th Armored Division take the town. They moved up with their tanks and rifle platoon, knocked the men out of the church belfry and took the town. We then moved out and took
our town with little trouble. Then there must have been a change of
orders for we were told to come back to the first town. When we arrived
at the outskirts of the town, mortar shells started dropping on us.
But with no casualties to our company. We got into the town by hitting
the dirt and dashing forward, and hitting the dirt again. We took cover
in the remains of a stone house and threw away all belongings except
rifles and ammunition. We proceeded through the town with mortar shells
dropping occasionally around us, but no rifle fire. When we got through
the town we heard rifle fire to our left and were told that "A"
company was having a tough time near the base of the hill beyond. We
started over toward "A" company and met the regimental commander
going the other way. We made a dash across a foot bridge past a house,
one at a time in the face of sniper fire. When it came to my turn I
made a quick dash across the bridge and when I heard rifle fire, I could
"feel" the bullets coming at me. I made it over unscathed,
though. When we all got across, we turned our fire on where the snipers
were and drove them backwards. We paused momentarily to reorganize and
learned that one of our platoon was killed by the snipers, and one from
the first platoon shot through the arm. We also learned that all but
one man in one of "A" company's squad was killed by the snipers.
The one survivor survived by digging in with a mess kit spoon. Chapter 17 - The ‘B.A.R.’ man < - - - next Table of Contents < - - - return _________________________ Copyright, Donald Bennett
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