The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-10-05

town shelled. The Germans don't have artillery there and I don want the town knocked around when it's completely unnecessary
 Down the road just Q few hun dred yards from the Germans company commanders are sending out patrols which bypass the strong points, cross the river and reconnoitro the town, Other in- fantry units systematically feel out points Of enemy fire and work to clean them out,
 Meanwhile, many division sup. ply vehicles are parked along the sides of the roads waiting to move forward. They are on incredible sight, for around each of these vehicles Is c little cluster ot French civilians.
 MOVE UP WITH PATROLS
 We moved up with the patrols working their way slowly, eau tlously, from house to house in the citys suburbs. Observation posts were In top floors of houses. One of these consisted of 0 small bAl- eony off the bedroom, The family lunehed calmly downstairs direet- ly over the dining room, The mir TOT in tho bedroom was shattered on imprint of machine gun bullets which the night before whizZed completely through the house and directly over the bAby's hasinette
 By midafternoon, after relative. iy little resistance (Which nonethe- less cost perhaps 6 dozen Amer. ican liVes) several companies of In. fantry had pushed Into the city, ThC Germans had withdrawn to thu wood behind the town. Jeeps and trucks began to descend on the city Suddenly the city came to life. Ger aEnan signs and SwastikaS were torn down and burned Streets became Q flag-decked mass of kissing, way. ing, cheering humanity. Every jeep, every truck, every person in Amer lean uniform was mohbed by the crowd, which insisted on present. ing flowers, bread sandwiches wine, cognac, and champagne. The infantry's greatest battle that day was getting through the town sober,
 A dead sure way to tell whether or not Q town has been liberated is by the flags. If American troops have passed through the town, every building will be flying the tricolor Usually they'll also be flying Q homemade edition of what the average Frenchman coneeives to be the Stars and Stripes.
 LOOK OUT!
 If there are no flags in the town, look out. There may Do no Ger mans left in the town, but it's a cinch no Americans have been there yet. Sometimes, despite an all-day drive, you won't catch ur with the spearllead units. They often push almost as fast as you So you get Q hotel room in Q small town.
 It will be a good dinner. After 1t will be talk. always the same talk: the French will deplore the behavior of the Boche. apologize for the lack of electricity( which is universal throughout France) introduce young men who today came out of four years hiding to avoid forced labor, tell tales of life in German prisons from which at least one of the present company will have escaped. On the American side you are expected to supply news in general and specific news of Aunt Minnie, If you rae careless enough to admit you've been in Cherbourg, Rennes. Laval, Lemans or Paris.
 During the evening most of the town will drop in for a drink or two. The EFT, armed to the teeth and wearing the Cross of Lorraine brassard on Q variety of civilian clothes, will dart in and out look ing pleased and important-as in- deed they should.