The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1945-05-24
BY Ernie Pyle

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I was tagging along with a head
quarters company Of a regiment.
We were on a pretty. grassy coun'
try. The front lines we're about a
thousand yards ahead. Other troops
we're bivouacked all around US.
There we're still a few snipers hld-
ing around. An officer was brought
In just before dark. shot through the
arm. So we we're on u toes.
Just at dusk three planes flew
slowly overhead in the direction OF
the beach. We paid no attention, Tor
we thought they were ours. But
they weren't.
In a moment all hell cut loose
from the beach. Our entire fleet
and the guns ashore started throw
ing stuff into the sky. I've never
seen a thicker batch Of ack-ack.
As one of the marines said. there
we're more bullets than there was
sky. Those Jap pilots must have
thought the world was coming to an
end to fly into a lead storm like
that only 10 hours after we had land
ed on Okinawa. All three were shot
down.
As deep darkness came on we got
into our foxholes and settled down
for the night. The countryside be-
came as silent as a graveyard-si-
lent. that is. between shots. The only
sounds we're war sounds. There
were no country sounds at all. The
sky was a riot Of stars.
Capt. Tom Brown was in the fox
hole next to me. As we lay there
on our backs. looking up into the
starry sky, he said:
There's the Big Dipper. That's
the first time I've seen that since
I've been in the Pacific" For.
you see, marines of this division
have done all their fighting under
the Southern Cross. where our Big
Dipper doesn't show.
As full darkness came. flares be-
gan lighting the country ahead OF
US over the front lines. They were
shot in shells from our battleships,
timed to burst above Jul lines. and
float down on parachutes. That was
to keep the country lighted up SO
we could see the Japs if they tried
to infltrate, which is one Of their
favorite tricks.
The flares were shot up several
per minute from dusk until the
moon came out full. 1t was very
bright after that and the flares were
not needed.
But all night long two or three
ships kept up a slow Smelling Of the
far hills where the Japs were sup
posed to be. It wasn't a bonn
bardment: just two or three shells
over US and I found that passing
shells have the same ghostly win
dow shade rustic" on this side Of the
world as on the other.
My foxhole was only about 20 feet
from where two field telephones and
two field radios were lying on the
ground. All night, officers sat OF the
ground at these four pieces Of COM
munications and directed our troops.
As I lay there listening in the
dark. the conversation was startling.
ly familiar-the words and the
thoughts and the actions exactly as
I'd known them for SO long in the
infantry.
All night l could hear these low
voices over the phones-voices in
the darkness. voices Of men running
the war at the front.
Not long after dark the rife shots
started. There would be a little
furry far ahead. maybe a dozer
shots. Then silence for many min.
utes.
Then there would be another fur.
ry. way to the left. Then silence
Then the blurt Of a machine CUR
closer. and a few scattered single
shots sort Of framing it. Then e
long silence. Spooky.
All night it went like that. Flare:
In the sky ahead. the crack Of biz
guns behind US. then of passing
shells, a few dark figures coming
and going in the night. muted voice.
at the telephones. the rifle shots. tn.
mosquitoes. the stars. the feel Of thu
damp night air under the wide SIX,
back again at the kind Of life l hat
known so long.
The old familiar pattern, un
changed by distance or time from
war on the other side Of the world
A pattern so imbedded in my sou
that. coming back into it again,