The Wilmington morning star., 1944-02-05
With
The AEF

BY KENNETH L. DIXON
Associated Press Staff Cores
pondent With The AEF
Representing the Combined Amir
lean Press
AT THE FIFTH ARMY BEACH
HEAD SOUTH OF ROME, Feb.
1.-(DelayeO-RNSgt Charlie Co.
co of Paris, Texas, probably will
| live in a tent after the war. He
has had too much trouble in
houses.
He and six other guys-five of
whom were wounded-lay for hours
one night while a German patrol
planted BOBBY traps upstairs. Com
ing and going the Germans passed
the door of the room in which
the 33.year-old infantry platoon SER
geant and his men lay. Once they
sprayed it with machine-gun bull
lets but the deadly swath passed
over the prone doughboys heads.
After he got out of that one Char
lie swore he would stay away from
houses. But he reckoned without
the flat terrain over which this
beachhead battle is being fought.
Since their second floors make ex-
cellent observation posts farm
houses are at q premium-valu-
able detectives - any sector.
So yesterday morning he was in
a house on the front again-and
again with six other guys. It was
Just before dawn. Breakfast had
arrived and they were about to
divide it when there was a knock
on the door.
THE lieutenant asked who was
there and there wasn't any an
swer," Charlie related later. THE
lieutenant asked again and then
a Jerry said it was a German
patrol and for us to come out and
surrender
Pfc Louis Scarantino, 10, Pitts
ton, Pa, who turned out to be the
only unwounded man downstairs
said the lieutenant grabbed a
grenade, ran to the door, opened
it few inches and threw the gren-
ade out.
THE Germans started shooting
through the door with one of those
blasted ma chine-pistols, Scaranti-
no related. Then they heaved
some hand grenades and regular
grenades through the windows
When the shooting started there
were four men downstairs and
three upstairs. Charles was up
stairs with Sgt. Elmer Hensley, 20,
Tanksley, KY, section leader,
and Pvt. George Eckere, %, East
Hartford, Conn.,, battalion medi-
cal aide.
What were you doing up there
when you heard all that going
on?" I asked.
praying they wouldn't come
UPSTAIRS grinned Charlie. mo,
seriously we were set for them, :"
he said. II gave the sergeant my
rifle and told him to cover the
stairs and 1 watched the window.
We had plenty of ammunition and
grenades. They lent fixin' to
come upstairs"
Meanwhile in the room down.
stairs German grenades were ex-
ploding all over the place. The
lieutenant was founded in one leg
when the shooting first started;
which is why his name does NOT
appear in this story. Two other
men were wounded. On by shcrap-
mel and one by concussion How
Scarantino escaped and how all
survived is a miracle they will all
be talking about for long time.
I'VE just laid there flat on the
floor and watched the explosions
splatterino the walls and ceiling, !"
Louis said. Finally the lieuten-
ant made a. brea, for it and got
out of the window in spite of his
wounded leg. I tried to follow him
but just then they tossed in an
other grenade so I hit the floor.
Finally 1 made it upstairs.
Through some fluke which even
he does not understand the wound
e. officer got through the German
patrol outside and reached an
American machine gun outfit
where he got help.
But when the got back the Ger
mans had gone-although not with
out leaving blood ms all over
the ground outside the door as evil
dence OF the da-~age done by the
lieutenant grenade.
Which is why Charlie Coco is
going to stay away from houses
he repeated as he craWled back
into his foxhole for little sleep
before nightfall-and an al1-night
vigil.
But that-is what he said before.