Evening star., 1944-12-29
Bustoqne
Continued From First Page. J

rushed into the town by truck, and
with them were armored elements
and stragglers from various infantry
units.
The hard-hghting youths of the
10lst were spelling for action, and
they found it. To name the heroes
OF Bastogne, Mr. Balls dispatch said,
would be to call the entire roll of
officers and men who started fight
Ing as soon as they jumped out of
the trucks and stood off five German
divisions from December 20 through
December rs. Then a Bird Army re-
lief force made contact with them.
Another Washingtonian in the
hard-pressed 101st was Sergt. Gill
bert Oxen, the 26-year-old son OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Max Oxen, 627 JEFF
ferson street NV. The Ball dis
patch from Bastogne quotes Sergt.
Oxen as saying: Most of the time
we were surrounded my outfit lived
on K-rations, crackers and coffee.
But we were thinking more about
ammunition than eating"
Little Ammunition Left.
Concern on this score was justi-
ned, because on Christmas eve-be-
fore supplies had been parachuted
to some pockets-several units had
only Is rounds of ammunition for
each of their artillery guns. This is
less than enough for sustained 10
minute barrage. The gasoline re-
serve had fallen to $50 gallons be-
fore being replenished.
Sergt. Oxen is a native of Wash
ington and was graduated from
Tech High School in 1884. He worked
In his fathers store, the Dunbar
Market, 1905 Seventh street NV,
until he entered the service In
June, 1941. He was sent overseas
last September. Three sisters,
Pauline. Irene and Selma live with
his parents
The finishing touch in breaking
the German ring was credited to a
spirited unit of doughboys who
pulled fast one on the Germans.
The doughboys overran one German |
force which was screening a second
enemy outfit preparing to Jump of
on another attack against the town. |
Prisoners taken from the second out
fit expressed poor opinion of their
fellow supermen who were supposed
to be protecting them.
Excellent Morale Builders.
Maj. Charles E. Fife of Los An
geles, member of the armored force
headquarters staff, said of the lUlst
men. They were the best morale
backer-uppers we had. Those boys
fought like hell from the word 90.
They know their stuff and they
proceeded to show it."
The two generals from Washing
ton have had almost parallel careers
since D day. Gen Taylor, as COM
mander Of the division, was the first
general to land in Normandy. Gen.
McAuliffe, also an early arrival,
volunteered to and did parachute
into France in the early hours of
June 6. He is commanding general
Of the divisions artillery forces.
and his usual mode of combat
transportation Is by glider.
The two generals also took part
in the invasion of Holland where
the division captured Eindhoven.
On that inavsion Gen. McAuliffe
was In the leading echelon OF
gliders.
Second Surrender Demand.
The German surrender ultimatum
at Bastogne was the second such
demand Gen. McAuliffe had received
from the Nazis. In Holland, Mrs.
McAuliffe said her husband wrote
her, a German general also had
demanded surrender. Gen McAuliffe
didn't say Nuts" to that; he didn't
even reply.
Gen. McAuliffe has been with the
l0lst since it was activated in Au-
gust, 1912. Before that he was in
Washington with the general staff
working on the development and
supply Of new vehicles, including the
jeep.
Gen. Taylor's interest in Ian
guages. which would have led him
to translate Nuts" into German,
Is indicated by the fact he returned
to the Military Academy to teach
French and Spanish and was
language officer in Japan. The fam
lily has lived here since their return
from the Japanese tour of duty in
1899.
In September, 1943, he was one
OF two high-ranking American off,
GERS who slipped into Rome under