Evening star., 1944-06-25
BY WALTER McCALLUM,
Star War Correspondent.

WITH THE 101st DIVISION IN
FRANCE (By MaiD The two kids
in French civilian clothes walked
down the dusty road toward the
division commanda post, a jaunty
grin on their faces, cigarettes
perched precariously on lower lips.
Who are those guys?" we asked.
Guys from the Blank Regi-
ment," the guard answered.
The kids plodded on. They came
back later, full of steak and wine,
the grins broader than ever
/ offered them a bottle of cognac
and asked them to sit down, these
parachute infantrymen from the
82nd Division, who had had an
other of those incredible epxeri-
ences which have come to many
American kids here in France.
The two were Corpl. Donald E.
Janotta, tall blond from Norwalk,
Ohio. and Pvt. Gerald C. Wilson
of Cleveland, couple of Buckeye
kids, dressed in heavy French shoes,
torn French clothing and berets.
They looked exactly like a couple
of the Frenchmen you see stream
ing back into occupied towns here
in Normandy.
Landed Near Montebourg.
They dropped by parachute
around 1:30 this morning of D-day
near Montebourg, a little French
town which has proven tough nut
for our troops. Around noon of
D-day, after wandering around
through the hedgerows and having
couple of scraps with German pa
trolls, their group, by this time en-
| Iarged to a dozen or more, was cap
tured when Jerry machine gun
ners pinned them down in hedge
row corner They were marched
back to a town, where they found
other Americans captured. They
were marched to Bricquebec THAT
was rough walk" they said. "On
the double all the time and for a
lot of miles"
Jerry bedded them down in a
barn, and the next morning they
asked permission to go out and pick
some onions for breakfast. Out of
sight of the guards they slipped
over wall and escaped. They made
their way to a French farmhouse,
using the little thumbnail COM
passes the Army gave them. and
traded their uniforms for French
clothing.
Those Frenchmen were crazy to
get our boots," said Wilson They'd
give almost anything for those Jump
boots. We buried our old uniforms
and kept our dog tags. The French
were very hospitable, but We no.
ticed as we got near the fighting
lines they were glad to get rid of
us. Afraid the Germans would shoot
them for helping us escape, guess.
I'VE followed the shellfire, duck
ing under the German guns and
ducking when our own shells came
close. We came out in a valley,
where We could see American small
arms firing. We stood up and waved.
A lieutenant came out about 400
yards away and beckoned to us,
We walked toward him and finally
made it. Boy, it's good to get back.
But feel sorry for those guys back
there in Jerry's hands. We were
strafed by our own planes. OF course
they couldn't tell. I guess some of
our guys were shot by that PAT
which strafed us when Jerry was
walking us back"
Led Heroic Company.
1t. Richard D. Y .nters of Lancas-
ter, Pa, showed valiant action under
enemy fire near st. Come Du Mont
and CarenCan. Lit. Winters is a for
mer intercollegiate wrestler, husky
gent of ITS pounds, who doesn't
drink, smoke or chew. Right now
! he is sweating out being invalided
back to England for a leg wound
1 don't want to go back I want
another crack at those Heinies," he
. says.
Through the field telephone came
an order to 1t. Winters to take his
company and silence . battery Of