


          * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
          *                                                     *
          *    AFTER CHERBOURG, THE 4TH DIVISION TURNS SOUTH    *
          *                                                     *
          * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

          After helping establish the beachhead and capture
          Cherbourg, the 4th Division moved south, where other
          divisions were running into determined German resistance
          in a countryside filled with small fields. These were
          surrounded by hedgerows, piles of dirt topped by shrubs
          and trees, which made ideal defensive positions. This
          meant the infantry had to fight its way from hedgerow to
          hedgerow, a demoralizing and costly operation.
          
          The need to integrate thousands of green men who were
          replacing the casualties was a further handicap. As the
          4th Division commander, Maj. Gen Raymond O. Barton,
          commented with regret, "We no longer have the division
          we brought ashore."
          
          There were also a number of command changes. General
          Barton sent his Chief of Staff, Col. James S. Rodwell, to
          succeed Col. Van Fleet, who left the division to begin his
          climb to four stars. The rumor was that General Barton
          wanted to give Col. Rodwell combat command experience,
          so he could qualify for a star.
          
          Though the fighting was a grim business, there was a
          tragicomic moment. A German appeared one day bearing
          a white flag. He told our interpreter, Lt. Boatlander, that
          his unit wanted to surrender. His commander, however,
          wanted an American officer to come to his company
          command post. They would go together to the battalion
          command post and see if they could persuade the whole
          battalion to surrender. Suddenly Col. Rodwell appeared
          and wanted to know what was holding up the attack.
          When told, he just snorted and said, "Can't you see. They
          are just stalling for time. Get on with the attack." When
          the interpreter suggested he would like at least to try,
          Col. Rodwell said, "Son, you are naive. If you go over
          there, they will move you from one headquarters to
          another, and first thing you know you will be in Berlin.
          Then what will you do?" Boatlander looked as his feet
          and replied, "Well, sir, maybe I could end the war."
          
          That ended the discussion. As the German returned to
          his lines, Col. Rodwell commented to us, "You men might
          as well face it. The Germans are better soldiers than you
          are." On this encouraging note, the fighting resumed.
          
          A letter I wrote home about this time reflected optimistic
          weariness.
          
          Dear Dad, Somewhere in France, July 5, 1944
          
          Again I say - welcome back to the United States, a grand
          place to be. Really regret not being able to be there to
          meet you. However, it seems that, as always, the
          Germans are hard to convince they are licked, so I'll have
          to stay around here a bit longer.
          
          We've sweated out twenty-one days of continuous
          engagement from the beach to Cherbourg and came
          through in pretty good order, at least better than Jerry
          enjoyed. It was pretty tough going at times, but that is to
          be expected.
          
          There's no reason not to expect things to go well, and
          with continuous efforts on all three fronts, I'm almost
          tempted at times to be optimistic.
          
          Love, John
          
          P.S. Less you be getting grey haired about my progress,
          I'm in a captain's job as liaison officer to an infantry
          battalion.                                             


          THE 8TH REGIMENT'S ATTACK ON A GERMAN STRONG POINT AT NIGHT

          As a result of the loss of B Battery to a mine during the
          landing, Tommy made some changes in the 29th after the
          capture of Cherbourg. Capt. Lorton S. (Doc) Livingston,
          who had been in the fire control center, was given the
          difficult task of forming a new B Battery. I went to the
          First Battalion of the 8th Infantry Regiment as liaison
          officer, which I joined shortly before it was to make a
          night attack. General Barton wanted to eliminate a
          bothersome German strong point which lay in the
          division's sector. (Note thenear the center of the map
          on the facing page.) The official US Army history
          describes the results as follows:
          
          "The main obstacle to success was the stream, which was
          difficult to cross. Deciding that it could best be crossed
          during darkness, General Barton had instructed the
          commander of the 8th Infantry to make a surprise move
          during the night of 6 July. By sending two battalions over
          the stream at night, the units would be in position to
          clear the area at daylight, 7 July, thus eradicating a
          potential nuisance to the division that might hold up the
          advance should the division break through to Priers.
          
          "Though the regimental commander complied with
          instructions, one of his battalions could not cross the
          stream even at night because of enemy fire. The other
          battalion, after having picked its way through the marsh
          during the night and made the crossing, found itself in
          an untenable position at daybreak and was forced to
          withdraw after taking more than a hundred casualties."
          (Martin Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit, page 231.)
          
          According to an account I wrote shortly after this battle,
          the atmosphere on the eve of this operation was one of
          improvisation and confusion. Stumbling through trees in
          the dark, we took up a position on the edge of the
          marsh. After an artillery preparation (which I felt was a
          mistake because it would alert the Germans), Companies
          A and B moved into the swamp. They were soon pinned
          down by German machine gun fire, accompanied by
          mortars. Major John H. (Jack) Meyer, the battalion
          commander, ordered Company C to move into the marsh.
          After a bit the commander of this company, Lt. Joseph
          Gude, showed up at the command post and reported that
          his company had scattered.
          
          By this time, Col. Rodwell had appeared, to see what was
          going on. He said to Gude, "Son, you have to lead your
          men. You have to lead them." Gude replied, "That was
          the trouble, sir. I was leading them. If I had been behind
          them, they wouldn't have been able to run off."
          
          Col. Rodwell did not comment further, but it was clear he
          was unhappy. It was embarrassing for him to fail on his
          first attack. This was no small matter, since at that time
          officers from generals on down were being relieved
          because they were not getting results.
          
          During and after the attack, Major Meyer was unhappy
          with me. The forward observers could not see anything in
          the dark and hence would have been unable to direct the
          artillery where to fire. I was unwilling to see these officers
          and their radio operators risk being killed for no purpose
          and told them not to join the companies until daylight.
          
          Major Meyer complained to Lt. Col. Thomason about this.
          I am not sure what transpired between them, but, after
          hearing my explanation, Tommy left me as liaison officer
          to the battalion.
          
          The Germans in the strong point subsequently withdrew
          without a fight when the division's advance threatened to
          cut them off. After they left, I visited the site and saw
          that it had been a terrible mistake to ask infantry to
          attack it head on. The Germans were well dug in and
          able to direct deadly fire across the marsh from covered
          dugouts, using cords attached to their exposed machine
          guns.
          
          There was also evidence that the Germans had left in a
          hurry. The body of a German was lying on the ground,
          beside an improvised stretcher. His head was lying
          several feet away. Nearby, the bodies of American soldiers
          were piled up like cord wood four feet high, with a little
          earth scattered over those on top.
          
          Lt. Thomas H. Crawford from Company B, in a post
          combat interview which I got from the National Archives,
          told about crossing the marsh the day after the attack.
          He described it as "a pathetic scene." Equipment was
          scattered all over the place. He added that he saw about
          thirty dead in the First Battalion sector. He also talked to
          a wounded man from the 83rd Division, which had failed
          in an earlier attack on the peninsula, who had spent
          three days in the swamp. He survived by eating the
          rations he found on his dead comrades.
          
          Until I revisited this site in 1992 and wrote this account,
          it was difficult for me to recall that night without tears
          coming to my eyes. I wish I could say that this attack
          was the last needless operation in which the 4th Division
          would be involved, but worse was yet to come after we
          reached Germany.                                    


          MY TWENTY-FOURTH BIRTHDAY AND PROBLEMS WITH THE INFANTRY

          A letter home a week after this attack did not reflect the
          anger and horror I had experienced. By then I was
          preoccupied with the coincidence that my mother chose
          Bastille Day to bring me into the world.
          
          Dear Folks, July 14, 1944, Somewhere in France
          
          Well, your son has reached the mature age of
          twenty-four. I don't know how old he was before the
          invasion began, but you may be assured he is
          considerably older - and perhaps wiser - than he was
          then. I trust you all are celebrating my birthday with ice
          cream and cake. I celebrated it yesterday with my first
          white bread since landing and my first real meal.
          
          There is only one thing I really miss now - a bath.
          Haven't had one since D-day. There has been neither the
          time nor facilities. However, I manage to stay fairly clean
          out of my steel helmet, and the day seldom passes
          without my at least getting a shave.
          
          Glad to hear that dad and Bud are home. That's the best
          news I've received in many months. Just be patient, and
          before you know it I'll be back too, and we'll all be
          together again.
          
          Love, John
          
          My problems with the First Battalion staff were, however,
          not over. My predecessor, Lt. Charles M. Gudger, had
          been popular because he was very active at the front,
          conducting artillery fire. (As a result of casualties, he had
          no forward observers.) Having forward observers, my task
          was to coordinate their activities and be liaison between
          the infantry battalion staff and the artillery fire control
          center. I could not do this if I was running all over the
          countryside. (No doubt this cautious approach was also
          influenced by my father's injunction to be careful.)
          
          To quiet rumors that I was afraid to go to the front, one
          day I went forward and conducted fire against a German
          tank on the next hedgerow. All I managed to do was
          knock a few tree branches down, but this served its
          purpose. The infantry battalion staff gradually accepted
          my view of my role. Furthermore, events a short time
          later allowed me to demonstrate that, when it served a
          purpose, I was as willing as others to take risks.   