The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1943-04-29
Correspondent Tells
Story of How Valley
Men Died in Guinea
SERGEANT BRETZKE'S LAST ACT WAS
WARNING SHOUT TO COMRADES
IN SCOUTING PARTY

Valley county men who went to
their deaths in the Allied winter
campaign that swept the Japs from
a large sector in New Guinea did
so with the knowledge that they had
helped clear the way for their COM
rades. And both Serg. Ronald Bretz-
Ike, son of MI. and Mrs. William
Bretzke of Glasgow, and Private
Raymond (Butch) Alderman, son of
Mr.. and Mrs. Wesley Alderman of
Frazer, took some of the foe with
them before they were mortally
wounded.
For the first time their stories are
revealed in a series of delayed dis
patches written from New Guinea
by George Weller, foreign CORES
pendent of the Chicago Daily News,
which were received here by Hugh
Calderwood and were also sent The
Courier by Mrs. Robert G.. Bates of
Seattle. Not ever the two SOL
dierS' parents had received authori-
tative word as to how the young
men had been lost in action.
Weller's stories are thickly sprink-
led with the names of Montanans
who, as jungle fighters, swept up
Papua'S northern coast in what has
been described as some of the bit
terest fighting in this war. They
have found, Weller says, that the
war can be won-but not quickly
by painstaking securing of thous-
ands of miles of palm-lined island
shores and the piecemeal removal
of every Jap and every Jap SYM
pathizer."
Tells of Bretzke
Almost all of one of Weller's dis
patches is devoted to a movement in
which Sergeant Bretzke sacrificed
his life. Under command of Capt.
William C. wild BilD Benson of
Billings, a force found themselves
across a river estuary from a Jap
anese village.
"Reuniting the two American
forces, Benson ordered the crossing"
the Weller dispatch continues. "Serg.
Ronald Bretzke of Glasgow, Mont,
and william Ramsey of West Kalis-
pell, Mont, volunteered to swim
across with Warrant Officer Dixon
australian liaison officer)."
Bretzke entered the current first,
covered by weapons from shore. The
others followed and the three scouts
reached land safely. They tested
their GarandS and advanced. Still
no fire came. The three men began
SCOUTING cautiously back in the tim
Der and abruptly came upon five
Japs who somehow had failed to
post a sentry and were simply sit
ting about their equipment repair
ing it.
"Bretzke and Ramsey fired, each
one Jap, and then all three
raced for the beach, hoping to
get under the cover of their own
fire. They tore down the shelving of
sand toward the water with strong
Jap machine gun fire around them.
Ramsey and Dixon flung them
selves into the waves with bullets
overhead, then noticed that
3retzke had not reached the water.
The sergeant had fallen behind a
og on the beach and was dead. AS
lie fell, he gave a cry of warning
o Benson who. in a Jap folding
,oat destined to be the outfits
had just left shore"
Benson's party fell back into the
rush but kept up protective fire
or the men in the water. Mean
yhile the call was sent back for
lortars to help clear up what was
vidently strong Jap resistance. An
Their force, under Benson'S orders,
nd including Lieuts. Braman, Bur-
eson and Allen Zimmerman OF
Continued on last page.)