Evening star., 1944-10-15
BY w. H. sHIPPEN, Jr.

II. henry, VINO only two weeks age
was writing his stories from the
bloody outposts of Aachen, arrived
home yesterday after two years oi
accompanying American troops from
the invasion coast of Africa, through
Sicily, Italy, France and Belgium to
the holy soil" OF Germany.
The Stars senior correspondent
has been in the thick of things In
virtually every major European &C.
ton since he left in November oil
1912 while the invasion of Africa was
being planned. At the age of 81
Mr.. Henry twice has gone with
American forces from Paris to the
Rhineland, once this year and back
In 1918 as soldier in the American
Army of Occupation.
Weather-beaten, lean and physi-
cally tough from living in the field
and keeping on the 60, Mr.. Henry
looked younger than his years when
he strolled into the city room yes
terday to shake hands with the
boys-or, more accurately, the girls
for many Of the boys have left on
war duties of their own in the last
two years.
Mr.. Henry came home for a
breathing spell between assignments
which he began to plan even be-
fore he got his gear unpacked at
his home, 1916 Albemarle street
NV. His idea of a rest was to
write up his notes while his ship
was crossing the Atlantic.
The boat, however, was so crowd
ed Mr.. Henry couldn't find a place
to set up his battered typewriter.
OF course" he said, "some guy
might have let me put it in his lap,
and that would have kept him
awake"
Near the service ribbons on the
veterans field uniform was a little
metal shield bearing a mans head
from which blindfold had been
lfted-the emblem of Corsican Ma
quis who admitted him to their
select ranks after an adventure
which all but cost him his life in a
ra1n-swollen river one dark night.
Although he had been under fire
or aerial bombardment more often
than he could remember, he said.
tnls was his narrowest escape.
While waiting for the italian
snow to open Mr.. Henry managed
to get into Corsica ahead of other
American correspondents. flying
from Palermo< to Sardinia in
Coastal Air Force plane, and con-
tlnuing from there in an Italian
plane.
In Corsica Mr.. Henry persuaded a
native hotelkeeper to drive him in
land one rainy night to seek a token
1orce OF some 80 Americans on the
island. They came to bombed out
bridge In the early morning. An
Italian and French Moroccan
soldier were crossing on a slippery
girder which had broken short of
the far embankment.
The correspondent straddled the
girder and pulled himself along after
the soldiers. When they neared the
other side the soldiers stood up and
leaped ashore. Mr.. Henry's foot
slipped when he attempted to follow
suit and he plunged down onto the
rocky shore, wrenching a knee as
ne rolled into the swift water. He
though at first his leg was broken
but managed to pull himself to dry
ground
His injured leg, however. would
not carry his weight, and he was
forced to crawl and limp several
miles into the little town of st.
Florent. where he joined the Amer
leans and the Maquis. The little
Maquls shield and a knee which
still gives him trouble at times are
his mementos of Corsica.
Mr.. Henry, who served Is months
IN france and Germany as a cor
poral with the Goth Division in the
first World War, was in England
covering scientific conventions for
The Star when war broke out in
Europe.
For the first six months of the
"phony" war he wrote stories from
the British Isles, France, Holland
and Belgium.
Returning to the States, he seized
his first opportunity to get back to
the scene OF action, flying to North
Africa via England. He arrived in
time to report the hottest part of
the Tunisian campaign and the tax
ing of Bizerte.
For two months he covered Army
Air Force fields in Africa while the
invasion of Sicily was being pre-
pared. Thet correspondent crossed
to Sicily with advance elements of
our troops and covered the storm
ing Of Palermo.
Moving up to Messina, Mr.. Henry
and an advanced unit of American
troops were pinned down all night
IN an open field by machine-gun
fire. 1t was the hottest spot he had
encountered up to that time, but
he learned more about such en-
gagements and how to take cover
before he reached Messina.
The first American troops in
Messina withdrew because the city
was marked for occupation by the
British, leaving Mr.. Henry and a
party of American military sov-
ernment officials to seek cover in
what appeared to be a substantial
bank building.
For many hours the Germans
sheled the city from across the
narrow strait in Italy. The little
group was very happy to receive
the British when they arrived, Mr..
Henry said. He went to Corsica to
cover landings there while the
armies got set to cross into the
italian mainland.
After the italian invasion, he went
to the East Coast to cover the air
war against the Balkans. He later
moved up to Naples and the Casino
front to report that dramatic en-
gagement.
BY mid-January of this year. Mr.
Henry began to believe that the big
gest news of the war, the push
across the Channel, was in the max
ing back in England. He crossed
to Algiers and spent 10 long days
there seeking transportation to
Great Britain.