Evening star., 1943-11-25
Texans Are Revealed
|As Men Who Broke
Defenses al Sa|erno
BY RELMAN NORM,

AbSOcldteQ fIeSS War correspondent.
WITH THE AMERICAN 5TF
ARMY IN ITALY, Nov. 25.-There /.
another star in the flag of Texa.
today.
1t was emblazoned there tn,
morning Of September 9 when tht
5th Army landed on the shores o
Italy. The first troops to hit the
beach that thunderous morning wor.
'"T" patches on their shoulders. TIL,
letter 1T" stood for Texas and tn,
patch for the seth Division.
The Germans have come to know
we'll the men of the 36th.
The division was identified official.
ly yesterday. Now the story of tn,
36th can be told and nowhere in thu
military history of the United State,
Is there q finer one.
1t was an untried division-untriee
in the Sense that it never had beer
in combat.
Given Special Training.
Throughout the Army it wa.
known as hot" outfit, however. 1,
had distinguished itself time anc
time again in maneuvers. AS re.
suit it had been given special train
ing for amphibious operations. Orig
inally it had been slated for major
role in the North African landing
but through a change in plans it was
held back for something bigger.
The 36th was famous before 1t
went into action. But it still was un-
tried and there is no trial like battle
1t was given a Key mission in the
invasion Of Italy. If you asked its
officers why this green division was
instrusted with so important an as
signment they replied unblushingly,
Because it's Texas division"
The division brought Lone Star
flag with 1t and carried it into bat
tie. In the standard there is parch-
ment bearing copy Of Col. Travis
last message from the Alamo. Every
man in the division, including those
not natives of Texas, can repeat 1t
by heart.
Landed at Salerno.
The Seth came ashore in the Gulf
of Salerno at dawn September 9. The
defenses Of the beaches were we'll
constructed and German troops were
manning them. The surrender of
Italy had been announced the night
before. But days before the 18th
Panzer Division had moved into po-
sition on these particular beaches.
They were ready and waiting.
2he 36th hit hard but it hit a
strong wall. The first assault wave
was pinned down by machine-gun
fire. The second and third waded
ashore through hail of bullets and
shells. 1t looked for a time as
though none of the three waves
would be able to breach the German
shore defenses.
Finally the division broke through.
For sheer courage in the face of
withering fire, their attack at that
moment rivals the greatest actions
Of American troops in any of our
wars.
Their first objective was a rail-
road line about 1000 yards from
shore and once off the beach they
roared straight across fields through
some marshlands until they reached
it.
Then came the first Of two critical
moments in the establishment of
the beachhead.
Passes Machine Guns.
The 36th swept right past and
around a cluster Of machineguns
and few strong points which pru-
dently remained silent during the
charge of the first Texas elements.
The succeeding waves were caught
in German fire when they tried to
come up to the railroad. At the
same time, German artillery in we'll
chosen sites in the hills few miles
back began shelling the beach.
For perhaps a half hour, then, the
battle hung in the balance.
At this moment the commanding
general and his staff waded through
the surf, crossed the beach and made
their way through the hottest part
of the action up to the railroad
where the general took personal
command of the action, his presence