Evening star., 1944-07-13
Henry
Continued From First Page.)

bruShpile 20 yards ahead. l finally
made a flying leap over a hedge and
lay with my breath knocked out on
the other side: A few minutes later
I crawled back to shelter with the
| others
Second Attack Repulsed.
A second attack at noon was re-
pulsed, and all afternoon the men
lay in foxholes under a harassing
mortar fire. The night was horrible
for the troops. half of whom were
kept awake constantly expecting a
German onslaught.
| Relief came this dawn when divi-
sion artillery poured $500 rounds
into the crossroads, under which
the Germans died or fed.
Then the infantry, with 1t. Sid
ney K. Strong Of St. Ignatius, Mont,
leading, advanced again under cover
of intermittent shelling and cleaned
up the graveyard and chateau
grounds. They found the place
strewn with dead
A few prisoners were taken, but
most Germans had stolen out in the
night. leaving only suicide groups.
BY noon the place was mopped up.
A sniper-observer, German
dressed in civilian clothes, was
pulled out of demolished steeple
Another fell from a tree crying
Pole" talked to Capt O'Connell
and platoon leader, Sergt. Richard
Blair of Atchinson, Kans.. who was
stretched on pile of goosefeathers,
exhausted in re-enforced concrete
enemy command post across the
churchvard ward
The troops were very good. said
the captain.
Never Saw Such Scene.
Inever saw before such a Golgotha
as "Murphy's' cemetery after the
battle Tom5s were heap of rub
BILE Graves. many of them from
the 18th century, yawned wide open
to the sky.
Dead Germans were streWn in the
surrounding fields. Glass artificial
flowers were pathetic dust. Wings
were clipped on two pink blue porae-
lain angels over the grave of two
little girls. The old stone church
was near complete demolition.
The only object intact was a gilt
crowned, red-robed, life-sized figure
of Jesus, on high pedestal over
bomb-struck altar overlooking the
scene with sorrowful eyes.
The chateau, with ornate Louis
Quartorze furniture, was demolished
and burning
Thus prairie farm boys fought the
war.
Maj. Dallas Leads Virginians.
A few miles away. Virginians led
by Maj Thomas S. Dallas of Mar
tinsville, out from the main St. Lo
road, were making the closest ap-
proach yet to the besieged city from
whence refugees say all civilians
have fed, leaving only the German
defenders.
German paratroopers. mostly boys,
were making stubborn fight from
well-prepared field positions. but the
American artillery toll was terrible
With 1t. Col. Harry w. johnson
of Alexandria, Va, today 1 went
over the scene of yesterdays battle
where artillery landed squarely 10
yards behind 500-yard line of
elaborate dugouts.
The barrage caught the defenders
eating breakfast Of macaroni and
water. They never knew what hit
them.
One who was shaving died with
his razor in his hand. Another was
apparently on his knees at morning
prayers.
Twenty CHASTITY dead boys lay in
row on the edge of a red clover
field, some, perhaps guards, with
antitank grenades in their hands.
Beside one was bottle of cognac
half full. There was peace on all
the gray. dead faces.
They look like big wax dolls"
Col, johnson said in pity. 1t had not
been long since they played with
soldier dolls.
Thus Hitler scrapes the bottom of
his manpower barrel