Evening star., 1945-03-18

THIS dfSpdtch, by Capt. John
w. Thompson, member OF the
Star stat on military leape ,Uith
the 1st Army, drriUed Uritten
on the backs OF German forms.
The forms Dere identified by
the foreign language dipision OF
the Office OF War Information
as expense boucher blanks,
used by heads OF municipal de-
partments in Gangelt, con-
quered toUn near Auchen. They
Were reproduced ON a poor grade
OF paper and bore the imprint OF
a printing establishment in
Geilenkirchen, also in the oc-
cupied zone.
ON THE WESTERN FRONT
This war is making short order
cooks out of a lot of men who in
peacetime probably only entered
the kitchen to rob the icebox at
night.
The Doughboy in his front-line
foXhole, the artilleryman in his gun
pit-yes, even the colonel in his
command post, can be found at
some time or other during the day
cooking up dish on anything that
will burn. This can be an issue
gasoline stove, a fuel tablet, blow
torch, coal stove or just plain brush
fire. I've used them all myself.
Interest in things culinary de-
veloped early in Normandy when
the German mortars and artillery
made mess lines unhealthful. The
various types of emergency rations-
Ks" "Cs," IDS" and "10-in-1s"
were about all a front-line in
fantryman could expect to get. I've
seen the time when these tasted
like a meal at the Waldorf, but they
we're never calculated to appeal to
the gourmet.
Beef Suddenly Appears.
At the same time a lot of unex-
pected beef began suddenly to be-
come available-cows killed by ar
tillery fire, mines or by failure to
come up with the password at night.
A few amateur butchers went to
work and before long steaks of vary
ing degrees of toughness began to
sizzle succulently in the beachhead.
This suggested another train of
thought and before long chickens
all over the Normandy countryside
began to suffer heavy casualties.
AS one soldier said:
I'VE Just had to kill them. Their
cackling was giving away our posi-
ton"
At other times pork chops made
their appearance when the official
menu did not call for them.
During the race across France
about the only supplementary ra-
tions man had time to pick up
were the apples, tomatoes and
cookies thrown into his vehicle as
he drove through the streets of the
towns he was lberating.
Lands Bottle of Champagne.
1t was like trying for the brass
ring on the berry-go-round. Once
I landed a bottle of very excellent
champagne from an enthusiastic
innkeeper. I am not sure whether
he was about to drink it himself
or was trying to give it to me. We
went by too fast to find out.
A cold stream near the Marne
River and a few captured German
grenades put fresh fish in the
gun-pit frying pans.
The more time available, the big
ger the culinary projects attempted.
One day just before crossing the
Saar- 1 caught the radio section
making apple turnovers. In an
other spot Doughboy patrol
caught a deer.
Came the winter, and the SHOWS
of Belgium and Luxembourg found
their way into canteen cups along
with Clipped D-ration chocolate,
canned milk and sugar to taste. A
well-known American craving for
ice cream was thus satisfied.
Eggs In Demand.
If there is universal demand in
the food line it is fresh eggs. "Avez-
vous des oeufs?" has been kicked
around by non-Gallic GIs to the
point where it is "oofs" or offs"