Evening star., 1947-11-24
Town Collects Sheets
To Repay Soldiers
Debt 10 BeIgians
BY the Assoeiated Press


Church bells of this community
rang out yesterday just as they did
on Christmas Day, 1914, in the Bel
gian, village of Hemroulle-and for
the same reason.
The story starts on that white
but not pleasant Christmas Day:
Won Rundstedts German forces,
having found a weak spot in the
Ardennes Forest south of Aachen,
were advancing toward the tiny
village of Hemroulle.
The job of battalion of the
101st Airborne Division, commanded
by 1t. Col. John D. Hanlon of Win
chester, was to defend a hill north
of Bastogne near Hemroulle.
Our dark uniforms against the
white background would have made
us perfect targets" Col. Hanlon
said. adding: 1--WE needed a camou-
fage-lots of it and fast. Bed
sheets was an obvious answer"
Promised to Return Sheets.
"I went to the mayor of Hemroulle
and told him of our dilemma, -
Col. Hanlon continued. II prom
ised that if he wotld collect the
sheets from his people would make
every effort to return them. Why
4 1 promised I don't know" Col
HanIon said. but we wanted those
sheets badly"
The mayor, whom Col. Hanlon
describes as a CRAVING oldster who
had twice seen his village invaded
during his lifetime, quickly agreed
to help.
"As I walked back to my COM
mand post" Col. Hanlon continued
Il heard the church bell ring.
"The villagers streamed to the
church and when they arrived the
mayor, waiting at the door, tole
them simply: Bring here as many
sheets as you have; the Americans
need Them"
The mayor, according to Col
Hanlon, also told the villagers Of
his promise to return them.
Brought to Church Steps.
within an hour" Col. Hanlor
said, every sheet in Hemroulle was
ours. Old ladies deposited large
bundles of handmade linen on the
church steps: children struggled
with armloads; one man brought ir
a sled load, collected from several
homes"
With the sheets came persona
messages from the frantic villagers
One of them, scrawled in English
read God bless you Americans"
Col. Hanlon said the battle LASTED
20 minutes and the final count was
six German tanks destroyed, Ct en-
envy dead and IS captured. Ameri.
can casualties were three slightly
wounded men.
Col. Hanlon continued:
"The sheets paid off for us. You
can't hit, as the saying goes, wha'
you can't see.
"A few days later we moved on tt
other fields. The sheets went with
us.
Hint From Belgians.
"A week or two later the snow
disappeared and with it the sheets.
Recently came the jolt" Col
Hanlon went on. "A group Of Amer
lean reporters returned to Europe
to view the battlef1elds three year,
later.
"The villagers told one reporter
that all was now we'll with them
but they said cautiously, we dc
wish that the American who
promised to return our sheets woule
do so now"
Yesterday, church bells pealed II
Winchester summoning the towns
people to the high school audi
torium. A squadron Of Navy plane!
flew overhead from the Squantun
base.
I'll Sheets Collected.
Word had gone around earle,
that 500 sheets we're needed for tn
people of Hemroulle, Belgium.
The townspeople brought with
them I'll sheets and pledges of a
least 300 more
The sheets will be sent to Hem
roulle through Baron Robert Silver
cruys, Belgian Ambassador at Wash
ington. with transcript and pic
lures of the ceremonies held at tn
| auditorium.
| Mrs. Kenneth B. Toye, Chairman
| of the committee in charge of tn
sheet collection, said that Secretar
of State Marshall, had requeste'
a transcript and pictures and mott
fed the committee he hoped tn
movement would become Nation
wide.