Evening star., 1944-08-13
Lost Battalion
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mountain had broken through the
road block A little later it was
reported they were swarming around
with armored cars and infantry
firing in all directions
The defenders couldn't hold. All
the regiment was engaged and
couldn't reinforce them The COM
mander gave orders to the officers to
take their men east, joining the
forces on. the hill until expected
troops arrived to retake Mortain
The officer sent field radio mes
sage two hours later saying some
men had gotten through, but that
he and three other officers were
hiding in the outskirts of the city
and could not reveal the place.
Another regiment came up and
found itself facing the flower of the
German Army in the west, spear
heading a counterattack
No more was heard of this officer
until today. when the regimental
commander entered retaken Nor
tain. Out of crowd came two un-
recognlzably dirty figures throwing
arms around the commander. They
were 1t. Willie Irby of Blackstone,
Va. and 1t. Guy Hagan of Hixson,
Wis. who told of hiding in wheat
held with their lost leader and see
ing him taken prisoner.
Tho g.,
through left command of the bat
TALON on the hill to Capt. Reynold
Erickson, former farmer of Miles.
Iowa. The smaller group out of
contact was commanded bv 1t
Ralph Kerley of Houston. Tex. Both
groups totaled nearly 300 men. They
Lacked food. medicines and ammuni-
tlon. Their only communication
was by field radios in possession of
dozen artillery observers.
one enemy group actually occu-
pied the highest ground. The men
on the hill were assured help was
coming and expected hourly. Bur
Tor o'2 days it never came as the
troops moving northeastward to
Mortaln made discouraginglv slow
progress, sometimes only 200 wards
day.
Ihe men on the mountain didn't
know this Knowing there would
he no food up there by Monday the
reslmental commander tried to sup
ply them by dropping food from
plane swooping low over the hill
crest, They got enough for two
meals. The rest was taken bv the
Germans.
Inc second attempt was a COM
plete failure. The dead and wound
ed were mounting hourly. There
were no doctors. only company
flrst-ald men. There were no medi-
cines. Only once did Capt Erickson
Use the radio. other than for ar
tillery observation reports. This
was to beg medical supplies in some
way
The colonel tried the experiment
OF loading shells with blood plasma.
sulfa drugs and morphine and fir
ing them to the marooned men by
artillery. All were received in good
shape except the plaSma, whose
container was broken, The wounded
were hungry Capt Erickson said,
I'VE were able to shoot a few rab-
bits and chickens to make soup for
them. Their spirits were wonder
full"
On Wednesday. from the highest
point of the hill a spick and span
German officer with highly polished
boots came down under a flag of
truce and asked the battalion to
surrender.
He said, You are completely sur
rounded. If you surrender, I pledge
my word as an officer that you will
be well treated. Otherwise we must
snnihilate YOU
The terms were referred to 1t.
Kerley, who refused personally to
talk to the German He sent back
message. We will surrender when
our last bullet is fired and our last
bayonet stuck in a German belly"
l talked to black bearded Kerley
as he came off the hill late this af-
ternoon, praising him for his nerve.
It's the Heinie that had the
nerve" he said. Can you imagine
that-having the gall to propose I
surrender
Before the battalion was relieved,
the colonel had shells loaded with
knocked-d radio batteries with
elaborate instructions for putting
them together. Forward elements
of the division moving from the
south entered Mortain before there
was an opportunity to fire them
Every night the Germans attack
ed the little force with tanks and
infantry. Erickson's men held firm.
They call him, The Rock of
Mortain."
He said. Somehow our spirits
went up at night. We could hear
firing in the distance and it seemed
always coming rapidly nearer. Then
with daylight it seemed to be reced-
Ing in the distance and our hopes
would sink very low. I suppose it
was some atmospheric phenomenon.
Il can't overpraise our wounded
and dying. When told the sur
render offer had been refused, they