Evening star., 1940-10-05

machine gunned, always having to
retreat. Our mechanized cavalry
regiment was being sacrificed to
protect the infantry. We were
always on the go, day in and day
out, fighting alongside the French
and British who were, alas, retreat
ing also!
Everywhere we met destruction,
fire and death. The German ar
tillery was shooting very precisely
and continuously.
How we ever got out alive was a
mystery. There were parachutists
dressed as civilians or In Belgian
uniforms ready to spray us with ma
chine gun lead when our backs were
turned.
Taken to Hospital.
AT Malines, on orders of my
colonel, I was evacuated to hos
pital. I was at the end of my
strength and my wounded knee was
the size Of pumpkin. 1t took four
men to drag me out of my tank.
Once in the operating room, during
an informal bombardment, I real
lied they were too strong for U.S..
Already the hospital was being
evacuated and they operated with
out aneSthetics. I hadn't eaten for
five days except for gulp of alco-
hol now and then to keep going on.
was in a low frame of mind, weak
ened and distressed to see my coun-
try invaded and in ruins. The ci-
william population and soldiers were
falling like flies, Louvain and its
library were in flames. All that was
nightmare which haunts me STILL
While we fought with our tank,
my two men and I were reported
missing three times at the chief Of
staff Our officers were astonished
when we kept showing up. A few
hours after I had arrived at the
hospital, I saw one of my two COM
panions minus an arm.
Heroic Tank Is Struck.
He told me a bomb hit our tank
two hours after I left it, killing the
man who had replaced me and the
chauffeur, my second companion of
that brief and deadly campaign.
The hospital in which I was placed
was being evacuated. I was put in
an ambulance which started for
Client with three seriously wounded
men. A plane swooped to machine
gun us on the road and an incen-
diary bomb set fire to storage tank
of a gasoline pump beside us. The
ambulance was enveioped in flames
1 managed to squeeze out with
only minor burns, as did the chauf-
feur. The others were burned to
death. Once at Ghent I slept for
48 hours. Then they pushed me
toward another ambulance to be
taken to the railway station. I re-
fused to enter one of those things
! again I walked to the station on
crutches.
We were supposed to be evacuated
ITO LIE Touquet, but remained in the
station for three days. When we
finally pulled out we ran into an
other bombing and returned part
way to a small town.
Gets Walking Orders.
There we went to a hospital, where
I stayed for three hours until orders
came for all patients not confined to
bed to hit the highway and make
the best of it." started walking.
After two days 1 got to Crotoy
There woman gave me a meal and
a bed. But the joy of hitting the
hay" was all too short. A 4 am
the woman awoke me to say the
Germans were there. I ran as fast
as I could to the waterfront, as the
bridges and highways had been
blown up.
The tide was low. I waded and
swan through an inlet with muddy
water up to my shoulders. I was
hardly half way when bullets began
to whistle past me. I managed tc
get across and climbed a big sand
dune. Before me lay the Somme
River, very large, very deep and
very cold. My heart dropped to my
boots. I was tired. My knees were
throbbing and my whole body was
| like ice.
Yet, on the other side of the
Somme, French soldiers were yelling
and gesticulating, beckoning me on
before it was too late. I took deer
breath and dived in. After what
seemed hours of struggle, I was
pulled ashore, tired but happy be-
cause, by lingo, hey hadn't got my
hide.
The French made a terrible fuss
over me. They warmed and dried
me and gave me alcohol.
That phase of the war was over
for me,