The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-09-07

Pfc. Harold A. Andrews, son of
Mr.. and Mrs. Paul Andrews, of
south of Bluffton, is a member of
the parachute infantry regiment of
the 82nd Airborne division which
captured Ste. Mere Eglise in Nor
mandy three hours before Allied
landing forces touched the beach
head on D-Day.
Pfc. Andrews regiment played an
outstanding part in the overall sue
cess of airborne troops used in the
invasion to prevent the Germans
from throwing powerful forces from
the West and South again the beach
head, according to news release
received this week from u. S. Army
headquarters in the European thea
tire of operations.
Then men of this regiment had
particular reason to be proud when
they took Ste. Mere Eglise. 1t was
the important junction town through
which the Germans were expected to
move up reinforcements. 1t was
they who also took st. Sauveur lie
Vicomte, opening the way for mobile
forces to drive on to the sea and
thus cut off the peninsula and Cher
bourg.
For them the mayor of Ste. Mere
Eglise had asked the decoration of
the Fourragere Francaise, stating
in a letter:
For 48 hours these men, their
strength already reduced by losses
during the night, always alert for
combat, separated from the sea by
eight kilometers of hostile country,
having on their right flank in the
village of Fauville, towards Caren-
ton, strong detachments of infantry
and anti-aircraft units, on their left
flank at Neuville au Plain two bat
talions of the German Division, 1850
Hermann Infantry, composed large
ly of guns and tanks, and finally on
their west facing the sea, two COM
panies of fanatical Georgians who
would fight to the last man-these
American soldiers resisted alone
with their sub-machine guns, two
machine guns and two small can
mons taken from gliders.
"These men I observed in battle.
They did not show false bravado.
They spoke little, one might say
they only unanswered. They went
along, cigarette between their lips or
chewing their gum, hugging the
walls, yet going along upright and
quietly, under the careless shelling
from the batteries of Azeville and
Saint Martin. :"
The mayor concludes: "Forty-
eight hours after their arrival, the
magnificent work was accomplished,
by them alone. They had destroyed
eight tanks, some cannon and had
taken 364 prisoners. Their losses
were heavy"
Men of the regiment landed most.
ly around Ste. Mere Eglise. Many
met machine-gun fire as they hit the
ground. There was some mortar
fire as well. Shippers We're all about
Almost every man found himseli
forced to fight the enemy imme
diately.
1t was close country, made up o.
small fields bordered by hedgerow.
ages old. These gave the German.
excellent cover. The country ia
vored defense. Roads were narrow
trails worn far below the genera
surface. There were few open fields
of fire.
| Having overcome initial resistance
various elements of the regiment go
together soon after landing. On,
force took up position at tn,
bridge across the Merderet outsid,
Ste. Nero. The bridge was hell
despite heavy counter attacks will
tanks. During one of these attacks
Private First Class Leonard c
Peterson, of Viking, Minnesota, wol
a Distinguished Service Cross. H,
was bazooka gunner posted at tn,
edge of the bridge.
| Artillery fire rained down anc
Peterson prepared for an attack
Soon it came. Tanks began coming
across the marsh toward the bridge
When they got to within 100 yards
| they took to the road. Peterson lef