The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-08-09


Demers of Manchester, N. H. H,
soon put the machinegun out of use
1.-THE Japs came in hordes across
| the bridge (of the Barike) which
nearly collapsed from the steady
carence. Demers, Sergeant Harold
Ashton Of Palmer Mass, and I got
every one of those but they kept
cobing. We had to cease firing to
let the gpns cool off. The barrels
were white hot
Use Hand Grenades
The little band then used hand
grenades. Enemw soldiers piled onto
the bridge but others behind them
kicked them off to come through
and finally reached the wounded.
Helpless to protect the wounded
crouching in the foxholes, the
little band kept battering the
BRIDGE Finale Kliebert had only
Demers, Ashton, Sgt. Kenneth Diet
lin Of Winsted, Conn. and Corp.
George p Kramer, Jr., Of Unionville,
Conn.,, left as fighting troops.
"The Japs who had infiltrated
took one litter case, stood him up
against a tree and five of them took
turns bayonetting him." Kliebert
said. Il got three of them, but the
other two got away and joined the
others.
II could see them go up to litter
cases, pull off their blankets, line
them up and use machetes on them.
They cut one of our poor lads from
the top of his head to his feet, then
shot him through the head.
I'VE couldn't stand that. We let
the oncoming gang alone and turn
ed our cooled-off browning into
them. We killed six of them but the
others continued the dirty work.
One officer raised sword in both
hands to take cut at litter case
he cleaved a Jap behind him in
two
Dumped Wounded
Kliebert said the japanese dump
ed U. S. soldiers out of stretchers
and used the filters to carry their
own wounded, but that the Amer
leans left fighting went right among
them to attack them despite the
odds.
Our men were in a frenzy and
did things one wouldn't believe" he
said. After the Japs hacked 20 lit
ter cases they left. The men I had
assigned to taking out the wound
ed had escaped with another 20
cases
But the Japs weren't through.
They started on the foxholes where
the walking wounded were crouch.
ed. With a terrible yell they'd toss
a grenade into each hole and then
move on to the next. They'd clean
ed out four holes and I was In the
fifth with a private"
Kliebert and the private ran for
it. The private was killed. An enemy
soldier grabbed Kliebert but he
turned and slashed him to death
with his long machete and shot two
others. finally reaching cover. The
men manning the brownings we're
piling up dead but they ran out OF
ammunition.
Hacked To Pieces
Two were hacked to pieces as they
tried to get out. Wading the river,
Kliebert and the remainder of his
men killed eight enemy soldiers
with grenades. They already had
used 2700 rounds of ammunition and
thrown 121 grenades.
Then we heard loud commands
coming like close order drill" he
said. I'VE sneaked through the
woods to see that the Japs had
seized one of our wounded and when
our boy stumbled, they'd kick him,
putting him through the drill. II
prod him and bayonet him. We
couldn't do anything. They finally
tired OF their game when the poor
fellow couldn't even arise and drag
ged him off into the brush. / don't
know what happened to him but I
can guess"
Kleibert has recommended gallan-
try awards for his entire contingent
and the medical men.