Imperial Valley press., 1944-08-11

IN NORMANDY by WireleSS)-
With our own personal danger past,
our historic air bombardment CT the
German lines holding us IN the
Normandy beachhead again became
a captivating spectacle to watch.
By now it was definite tnat the
great waves of four-mOtored planes
were dropping their deadly loads
exactly in the right place.
And by now two Mustang fighters,
flying like a pair of doves, pa
trclled back and forth, back and
forth. Just in front of each on
coming wave of bombers, as if to
shout to them by their mere pres
ence that here was not the place.
to drop-Wait a few seconds, wait
a few more seconds.
FLARES POINT WAY
And then we could see a flare
CCme out of the belly of one plane
in each flight, Just after they had
passed over our heads.
The flare shot forward, leaving
smoke behind it in a vivid line, and
then began a graceful. downward
curve that w, one of the most
beautiful things I've ever seen.
It was like an invisible crayon
drawing q rapid line across the
canvas of the ky. saying Ill a ges-
ture for all to ser: Here! Here
is where to drop. Follow me-
And each succeeding flight of on
coming bombers obeyed, and in
turn dropped its own hurting
marker across the illimitable heaven
TO guide those behind.
Long before now the German
ack-ack guns had gone cut of eX-
istence We had counted three of
our biz planec down in spectacular
flames. and l telieve that was all.
/ The German ack-ack gunners Ell
ther took to their holes or were an
nihllated.
LOST COUNT
How many WaVe5 of heavy bomb
ers we put over / have no idea |
had counted well beyond 400 planes
when my personal distraction OBJ
literated any capacity or desire to
4 count.
I only know that 400 was Just the
/ BEGINNING. There wire supposed to
he 1900 planes that day, and I be
4 lieve it was announced later that
/ there were more than 3OO0
a Tf1p
any German could come out OF that
/ bombardment with his sanity. When
/ it was over even l was grateful III
chaStened way l had never eXpe-
rienced before, fer Just being alive
| thought an attack by our
troops WAS impossible now, for 1t Is
an unnerving thing to be bombed
by your own planes.
During the bad part a colonel
had known a long time was walk
ing UP and down behind the farm
house. mapping his fingers anc
saying over and over to himself
"Goddamit, Goddamit!'
As he passed me once he stopped
and stared and said, "Goddamit!'
And I said, There can't be any
attack now, can there?' and he salt
no and began walking again
swapping his fingers and tossing hi
arm as though he was Throwing
rocks at the ground.
HOW PLANNED
The leading company OF cur bat
talon was TO Spearhead the attacl
40 minutcs after our heavy bomb
ing ceased The company had becl
hit directly by our bombs. Thei
casualties, including casualties il
;hock. were heavy. Men went t
pieces and had to be sent back
The company was shattered ant
shaken.
And yet Company p attacked
and on time, tc the minute! The
attacked. and within an hour the,
sent word back that they had ad
vanced 900 yards through German
territory and were still going
Around our farmyard men will
stars on their shoulders almost Wcp
when the word came over the port
able radio The American soldier
can be majestic when he needs tc
be.
There is one more thing ! want
to say before we follow the ground
/ troops on deeper into France in the
/ great puSh you've been reading