Christmas was spent entertaining orphan children from Andover and our efforts to entertain them were probably more enjoyable to ourselves. In their quaint manner they assured us that they had a smashing time although there was very little smashed. The two Thomases, R. and G. spent their Christmas in Salisbury where they had a smashing time. Only they had to do a week of hard labor to pay for their smashing.

The drivers and skeleton crews made the trip to Le Havre on the well known LSTs. Most of them can remember the good food and the ever changing position on the boat. Everyone feared that it would be pup-tents when we arrived in France but to our surprise it was a large old chateau. It was here (to everybody's amazement) that Pace started volunteering for the ration detail. The cat was soon out of the bag when his cider stock was discovered.

On the road to Rheims, Pavuk found out that M8s travel better on the tracks than the top. He gave the boys quite a thrill. In the field near Rheims we tried out our new - - sacks. The Army, ironically labels them sleeping bags. After a few close hangings and some cases of suffocation everyone had mastered his new gadget. Because of the cold weather and the well known phrase 'Necessity is the mother of invention' McCumber turned inventor. The McCumber smoke pot produced some light, very little heat, and lots of smoke. The cold and snow made us all miserable but when ice appeared Lt. Cheney attributed that to his downfall. And he did fall.

In Louvigny, France the fellows decided they did not like the idea of house and barn under the same roof. In the battle ruined town there were a lot of farm animals killed but frozen solid by the sub zero weather. Even so being they didn't make good neighbors. The members of the front room wondered where Kohr and Lekosky found all their fire wood. When the next building's roof suddenly fell in one day the mystery was solved. The most hated thing was the outpost guard out by the main road.

Pont-A-Mousson proved to be very interesting and a few fellows were anxious to pay a visit there. You're safe, fellows. It will forever remain a military secret. The baker next door was everybody's friend when he had baked a batch of brown bread. Our Christmas packages finally arrived complete to a small artificial tree. So we celebrated Christmas again. It was here that we got our new M4s. At an official christening we named them Naoma, Nighthawk and Number 13. They arrived just in time for the trip north.

On the way to Holland, Fishman drives the half-track and the crew disappears like rats from a sinking ship. At Sibbe, Holland we found our quarters to be a schoolhouse. It wasn't bad and we made out OK. Sibbe was situated close to the city of Valkenburg and we managed to visit the famous caves located there. Of course Cooke got lost in the caves but managed to find his way out. Nighthawk with Welch at the controls marked the way (Sibbe to Valkenburg) so we never missed it.

Our first actual experience around V-bombs proved exciting. As one of our fliers parachuted to earth a ball of fire whizzed by him and was identified as a V-bomb. The same night one landed about three miles from us and we all thought the schoolhouse would collapse. But the boys always managed to inject humor in the serious side and it was there the phrase 'Maneen got Chicheen' reached an all time high. However, Maneen was too good a sport to let it bother him too much. It was at Sibbe where Lt. Coffino and Privates Lemley and Lockwood entered the platoon. They didn't know what they were getting into.

Our first action came at Posterholt, Holland. The fellows at the forward observer's point were willing to agree there was a war going on. Here Linn got the name of G-2. Calney was promoted to platoon mess sgt. when he and his Hq. Section took over the job of trying to satisfy the appetite of our chow hounds.

It was soon after this that we crossed the Roer River and first set foot on German soil. In the first German town we captured there wasn't any electricity, so Eckert with storage batteries and a roll of wire had lights all over the place. Now after having our fill of 'K' rations, 'ROOT' Carlley, Maneen and Ayres decided they would like something else to eat, and so it turned out to be stew. It was a happy day for 'CY' Kohr when he received a pass to Paris. Out of combat into Gay Paree.

Moving pretty fast from one town to another the Germans left a lot of stuff behind. In Alderkirk, McCumber and Lockwood took time out to try a certain alcoholic solution called 'Doppel Korn'. The next day Mac was poured into a tank and Lockwood swears never to partake of the spirits again.

Near Lintfort, Maneen was stopped by MPs while driving through the mud, rain and hell that was raging then. He became thoroughly disgusted when he was reprimanded by them for not using the right gear in combat. In Lintfort we first used the assault guns for firing directly at the enemy and discovered that they didn't like it. After that battle the boys had plenty of war troubles. It was then that Cooke received the Silver Star. Early the next morning, after a hectic night. Bumiller was evacuated to a hospital because of a bad foot.

On the outskirts of Rheinberg the company lived in a brick kiln and experienced some very heavy shelling from the enemy. We hope to never see another like it. 'CY' came back from Paris and right in the midst of an enemy barrage told us the highlights of his trip. In Rheinberg the platoon split up and the gun crews went on to Ossenberg. Here 'Red' Thomas set up a table fit for a king, despite the heavy artillery fire the enemy was directing at us. The table was complete even to napkins. It was there that the gun crews were really thankful for the closed turrets. The enemy shells were causing the bricks to fly thick and fast. The next day it let up and Eckert, who had a foot infection, left for the hospital.

After this we were sent to Venlo, Holland for a rest. While in Venlo, we had two men to suffer from accidents. Lekosky's leg was broken by a half-track. 'Hank' McCumber had four fingers broken when the hatch on the tank flew shut. They are two swell fellows and we sure hated to see them leave. It was soon after that when John 'Hamtrammack' Malisjewski joined the platoon. When we left Venlo we left behind many Dutch friends whom we will always remember. It will be a long time before they will forget the 49th and Baldy's bright peacock. Only recently, one of our Dutch friends wrote to us and paid us a sincere compliment when she quoted from the little English she knew, 'New friends are silver, old friends are gold'. But, then, we were steeling ourselves for the crossing of the Rhine.

After the comparative ease with which we crossed the Rhine we stopped to consolidate our position. The boys picked up numerous bicycles and were having a field day until the higher authorities, with their customary efficiency, put an end to it. Easter found us weary from travelling at breakneck speed all night. Services were held in the afternoon in an old 18th century barn. The service was very impressive and the manger served as the altar.

On the way to Paderborn, Nighthawk developed a cough and had to fall out of the march. It was then that Baldy Senter came to the rescue. He proved to be a good provider when he returned with a helmet full of eggs. He persuaded a hausfrau to convert them into freshly fried morsels of delectable fragrance and they soon disappeared into our famished bodies. The crew caught up with the Co. just outside of Paderborn. We then proceeded to carve ourselves a niche in that famed historic cleaning of the Ruhr pocket. Although life was pretty grim and serious then we always managed, to inject our own rambling wreck type of humor into the seriousness of the situations that confronted us.

One that will long be remembered was the day that Calney, R. Thomas and Fishman set out to capture some German generals. They returned with the Germans splendidly bedecked in the gaudy uniforms so typical of the German soldier. Interrogation of the prisoners revealed them to be uniformed street car conductors. It was a sadly deflated trio who returned to endure the jibes of their comrades. In Geseke, Ayres was accidently shot in the wrist. His familiar words 'Lean well into that piece', will be remembered by all. In Werl our platoon's spirits were restocked for a future party. At West Onnen the platoon set up in an orchard to fire indirect. It was here that we really put on the feed bag. Kohr and Calney were busy eggs frying and potatoes from 0800 until 1300 hours. There were some twenty odd loaves of bread and 10 jars of jam consumed that day.

At the closing of the Ruhr pocket our platoon was given the name of 'Task Force Cheney', Our three gun crews with the aid of Noce made the initial assault into the town of Unna. It was here that the platoon found all of their 'SS' dress knives. They were given the Combat Infantry Badge for the action. It was in the very small town of Hellweg that 'Task Force' Al Thompson made his platoon debut. This character was closely associated with wine for several (14) days.

In Wolfenbuttel 'Hamtrammack's Mal' finds 'just some' cameras. On the trip to Wolfenbuttel, Nighthawk and its crew once again fell out of the long march. Separated from the outfit for a month the crew had a series of hectic amusing incidents that were amusing and somewhat confusing to the participants. Red Thomas recalls a few which are here inscribed for posterity. At Halberstadt, attached to the 130th Ordnance, the boys remember a case of liquor (?) appropriately called 'White Lightning'. Hunky Renkoski was plastered by a bolt of that particular lightning and was soon imitated by the other boys. Their 'life of Riley' was rounded out completely when they acquired a Ford convertible. At Harzburg the boys had a difficult problem to overcome and solved it with their customary ingenuity. There was no transportation with which to carry a case of the lightning which was still not entirely Kaput. So the boys discovered a locomotive and some three miles of good track. Thomas and Senter were the engineer and fireman and Hunky was utilized as a switchman. That historic ride will be the talk of the countryside for years and ranks beside the ride of 'CASEY JONES'. After making sure that Pavuk had caught up with sufficient sleep the crew rejoined their outfit at Uslar.

During the above incidents the rest of the platoon were proceeding on toward the Harz Mountains and made their first stop at Derenburg. Our latest member of the platoon joined us there. He soon was nicknamed 'Points' Hilger. In Derenburg each section of the platoon had its own outpost to take care of. Mike Zrelak's temper got the best of him during one exchange of fire with the enemy. So he shot the muzzle cover along with the projectile at the enemy.

We soon continued our advance and proceeded on to Blankenburg. There 'Moe' Miller, Capt. Shuford, and some others bagged some highly decorated, uniformed men. They turned out to be the local fire department which was fighting a large fire on the opposite side of town. The next day 'Cy' Kohr, in a slightly 'happy' mood, proved to be quite the modern charioteer. Calney and Hilger took ten easy lessons in driving a foreign car. Then they went out for a trial run. They walked back to take their lessons again. In the meantime, Maneen was trying to balance himself on a Kraut motorcycle. Pace and Lockwood were out testing the strength of a board fence. It was a tie between the fenders of the car and the fence as to which was the stronger. Thompson found himself a new pair of pajamas in the form of a complete flying suit. That eventful evening Dauphinais and Stemock (the gold dust twins) managed to brush up on their Polish.

Elbingerode was the next stop. There the platoon had the primary duty of patrolling and adapted themselves quickly. The first mission netted them some very good pistols. We also had our first hot meal in a long time and we certainly enjoyed it. Linn received a pass to Paris.

In Rubeland the platoon had its first real billets in a tourist hotel. This part of Germany will long be remembered by all for its beautiful scenic sights. Located high in the Harz Mountains it is one of the vacation spots famed throughout Europe. We spent most of our time, when not exploring, in maintaining road blocks and patrolling. A certain fellow met a girl by the name of 'Baby' and only our good sense of discretion prompt us to withhold his name. 'Root' Carlley and Roger Welty went to school for the purpose of becoming MPs. Kohr, Calney and Maneen tried their amphibious track and naturally got stuck in the mud.

In the town of Uslar the entire platoon was reunited. For the first time our assault guns are taken out for some good direct fire target practice. They did OK because they really hit the mark. For some unknown reason, Red Thomas took an awful razzing for the pair of 'Barracks Bay' eyes he was continuously sporting. Renkoski came in looking as if he had fought a losing battle with a buzz-saw. Jim Rives, our medic, set up a film shop that was appreciated by all. The Woman Ape is a term that will be remembered by a few members of this platoon. On a patrol 'The Case of the Lost Helmet' occurred. Pace's helmet disappeared and the efforts of our most famous sleuths were in vain.

Soon THE RUMOR became a fact and we were informed that the war in Europe was over. Before we knew it we were on our way to Czechoslovakia. We were billeted in the city of Rokycany and it is there that this saga of fighting men was written. As this goes to press we are still here sweating out our next assignment and becoming acquainted with the Czech. people. Here we have officially set up the Rumor Headquarters of the AEF in the ETA. Here 'The Case of the Missing Helmet' was finally solved when Pace broke down and confessed. He will never live it down. Since we have been here we have received mail from John 'Class D' Bozin, a former platoon member. As yet there is no indication of the future plans the Army has in store for us. Rumors are flying thick and furious but the WHERE, WHY and WHEN none knows.

The history of the assault gun platoon is probably no different than that of thousands of other units that took part in the war against aggression. Most of the above written material concerns the humorous situations which frequently beset our outfit. But there were many times when there was nothing to relieve the grim ferocity of modern warfare. Our platoon was made up, as are all outfits of the United States Army, of the most potent and devastating weapon produced by a warring nation. It is impossible to duplicate in other nations and was the primary reason for the victories of the past and our ace in hole for the victories to be. That weapon is the American soldier fighting to preserve his heritage of freedom.