My Dear Boy

My other weapon of choice besides the .455 Smith & Wesson was the Thompson sub-machine gun that was issued by the American Army. Again, a fantastic weapon. It also fired the .455 shell, big gunpowder load, snub-nosed bullet, same cartridge as my pistol. The shocking power of the Thompson sub-machine gun was fierce. I walked into one situation where I went into this house, I saw movement, I stepped into the first door, and there, six or seven feet away from me, was a German corporal with his hand on his pistol and his pistol was leaving his holster. So I squeezed the trigger of my Thompson sub-machine gun, hitting him with three rounds in the chest. Those three rounds picked him up and flung him back against the wall, four or five feet behind him. He hit the wall, slid to the floor, and his body was outlined in blood on the wall. I emptied the magazine into the seven privates who were swinging their rifles up to point at me. On that particular show I’ll have to go back to give you the full story there. We were moving up this ridge, and I was the tail platoon. Numbers 10 and 11 were ahead with the company headquarters. The major’s runner came back and said the major wants to see you. “Jim, take your patrol in to the right, and take out a machine gun post.” I said, “Fine, where is it?” The major said he didn’t know. “Well how can I take it out if I don’t know where it is?” “Just take it out.” “But you must have some idea where it is,” I said. “It’s pinned down 10 and 11 platoon, so why don’t we bring the tank up and let him move in?” “No!” he said. “Take your platoon out, now!” I went back to my platoon, picked them up, started out. We were on this road. Ten and 11 platoons had gone around to the left. So he told me go around to the right. I told my boys there’s a machine gun nest, so keep your eyes open. I said I’ve no idea where it is, but we’re going to go to the right in the road and down into the valley and climb up. The Jerry machine-gunner let us get down the forward slope. Then he opened up and knocked a couple of my men down, wounding them. Disregarding the major’s orders, I jumped up and ran back up the hill. I’m going to get that blankety blank tank. That was a very stupid mistake because the German gunner put nine bullets through me. Three went through the blouse of my tunic beside my heart; two went through the sleeve of my tunic; two went through my mess tins that were hanging from my left hip; one went through my crotch, burning my leg about two inches from where my leg joins the body; and the ninth bullet went through my water bottle. But, they didn’t touch me enough to do any damage. I got back up to the tank. I spoke to him; he’s got a telephone on the back. I described the shrub where he was, and so on; the machine gun’s in that. I said, “Give me a couple of rounds, then cease all fire because I will be running back out in front of your tank.” “Roger,” he says, “I read you.” So he moved forward, bang, bang, and I started to run. Just as I got level with the muzzle of his canon he pulled the trigger the third time. The side blast just about blew my head off. I screamed at him and heard a grunt from inside. I ran out in front, picked up my platoon. There was nothing left of the machine gun; he’d obliterated it, and the four men with it. I then moved around to the right of this ridge, and came in from the right. I saw five houses in a semi-circle. I approached them very carefully, nobody outside on sentry duty, even with all the noise around. That’s when I went into the first house and encountered this German corporal and killed him. In those five houses, I went in, the first man in each time. I counted 39 German soldiers. I killed 34 of them. They were all carrying guns. The reason I didn’t kill the five at the second house is that they were sitting around a table and the only weapon they had at hand was a gallon jug of Italian wine. I didn’t see a gun anywhere. And as I was approaching them, one of them turned from looking at me to the right, to a room, so I knew there was some action there. I jumped forward; a lance corporal and corporal were coming out, both of them carrying sub-machine guns. I killed them, but I took the five guys prisoner. Five houses I went in, and each time, I was virtually unannounced. So I survived that show. As I say, I took 54 prisoners. But I killed 1,273 German soldiers. Every man I killed had a gun in his hand. How I kept track of them all was a mental trick. You kept count because you wanted to know how many you took out before they took you down. It was a game; it was very much a game. How many could you take out, before they took you out? I believed I wasn’t in it for the long run. With the way things were going on, there was no way you could survive. Remember, eight lieutenants before me had bought it. Why would I be any different? I shouldn’t be here. I should have been dead 150 times. I think the Man upstairs had His hand on my shoulder.