The Agony of Hell

W. Bert Craft

Description

The author, from Smith County, Mississippi, writes of his experiences fighting in WWII.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Misisipi
• Segunda Guerra Mundial
• Smith County
• Military
• World War II
• History
• Mississippi
• Seconde Guerre mondiale

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 juin 1994
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781681621395
• Langue: English

Extrait

TURNER PUBLISHING COMPANY
TURNER PUBLISHING COMPANY

Copyright 1994 W. Bert Craft
Publishing rights Turner Publishing Company
All rights reserved.
Author: W. Bert Craft
Turner Publishing Company s
Assistant Editor: Erik Parrent
This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Publisher.
Library of Congress
Catalog Card No. 94-060251
ISBN: 978-1-56311-139-6

Limited Edition
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - Words About the Author
Chapter 2 - Call of the Draft
Chapter 3 - Basic Training Begins
Chapter 4 - Training is Ending-Looking Forward to Home
Chapter 5 - Trip to Fort Meade, Maryland
Chapter 6 - Port of Embarkation
Chapter 7 - Entering Combat
Chapter 8 - Rest and Rehabilitation
Chapter 9 - Crossing the Meurthe River
Chapter 10 - The Battle of Bourge-Bruche, Thankgiving, 1944
Chapter 11 - On to Strasbourg - The Champagne City of Europe
Chapter 12 - Three Day Pass
Chapter 13 - Colmar Pocket Campaign
Chapter 14 - On the Battlefield
Chapter 15 - Crossing the Canal de Colmar and the Big Fight for the Jewish Cemetery
Chapter 16 - The Battle of Voglesheim
Chapter 17 - Second Watch on the Rhine
Chapter 18 - Into Germany and Cracking the Siegfried Line
Chapter 19 - Fighting in Germany
Chapter 20 - Capturing Berchtesgaden
Chapter 21 - War in Europe is Over
Chapter 22 - Going Back to the States
Return to Europe
Epilogue
CHAPTER ONE WORDS ABOUT THE AUTHOR

W. Bert Craft
The author was born in Smith County, Mississippi, on March 4, 1925. His parents were James William Craft, who married Cassie Ander Clark on February 28, 1909. James William Craft descended from the Cole and Hester families, while Cassie s ancestors were Clark, McGallion and Lee. Both parents claimed they were of Scotch-Irish descent and had a large family of nine children. Two sisters died shortly after birth, leaving seven living children, two boys and five girls. The children were reared on a small South Mississippi farm of 126 acres. James William Craft was a small time farmer and with the help of his wife, fed, clothed and educated their seven children solely from the products of the farm. Cotton was the money crop along with cucumbers, livestock, syrup, eggs, milk, butter and potatoes. Bread was made from corn, while meat consisted of beef, chicken, pork and occasionally wild game such as squirrels, rabbits, opossums and quail.
The children were given specific duties, such as milking cows, feeding the chickens, hogs, cattle, ducks and geese. Water was obtained by a windlass, drawing up two gallons of water each time from the well which was 108 feet deep. In addition to drawing water for personal use, water had to be drawn from this well for all of the livestock, chickens, etc. Fuel for cooking and heating came from cutting wood on the farm. Each child was assigned a specific chore, and unless there was a sickness the jobs were expected to be done daily. These chores were in addition to the farm work, which included plowing with mules, chopping and hoeing cotton and corn. In the fall, the cotton, corn, sugar cane, hay and sweet potatoes were harvested.
Fruits, such as peaches, figs, apples, pomegranates, as well as berries, were homegrown, picked and eaten. In addition, wild grapes and dewberries were plentiful. Watermelons, cantaloupes and musk melons were also cultivated.
James and Cassie were Christians and members of the OakGrove Baptist Church, where they attended services regularly along with the children. All of the children were taught at home the love of God, family and country. They were also instructed to be proud of their country, state and the Confederacy, as both parent s grandparents, uncles and cousins fought for the South in the Civil War. James William Craft s maternal grandfather, John Marion Cole, fought with the Mississippi 46th Infantry Regiment, died at an old age, and was buried in the cemetery at the Jefferson Davis museum in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The writer still has the old powder horn, passed down through the generations. There is an interesting story about the powder horn. It was converted into a dinner horn and Cassie would call them from the fields by blowing from the horn. Even the working mules recognized what this sound meant. It was also used in the case of an accident or death to notify friends and neighbors of emergencies. Every time the kitchen was decorated, the horn was painted a new color. After James William Craft s death, it was given to me and I sanded it down to the original bone. I was amazed at the numerous colors of the rainbow that came off it.
CHAPTER TWO CALL OF THE DRAFT
In the late 1930s, Germany and Japan were threatening war, and I, along with most of the other young boys, wanted to volunteer for duty, especially when we became 18. However, my parents advised me to graduate from high school and wait to be drafted. Complying with their wishes, I received my diploma from Mize High School, but the draft board prevented me from participating in the graduation exercise.
In late March of 1944, at the age 19, I received notice from the President of the United States to report to the draft board at the county seat, Raleigh, Mississippi, 20 miles northeast of my home. Our destination was Camp Shelby, Mississippi, 35 miles south of Mt. Olive where we were to take our physical examination; I passed it with flying colors. Being a shy country boy, I had never been undressed in front of an elderly person or a doctor before. In order to take the physical, all of us were lined up naked for the various exams (which were rather embarrassing to me and the others) and told to do some unusual things. It took three days for completion of the tests, and then we returned home. We called the school superintendent, C.H. Bradshaw, to request a one hour delay of the graduation exercises so we could attend, but he would not, and instead our diplomas were presented in absentia, much to the disappointment of our families, friends and loved ones.
Induction - Prelude To Basic Training
In the middle of April, 1944, I received notice to report to the draft board for the trip to the induction center at Camp Shelby. I reported as instructed about the 22nd day of the month. Again we were given tests, physical examinations, shots and interviews. The officer who interviewed me suggested that I select the Marines, because the Marines were more intelligent than the Army. I understood his viewpoint, but intuition told me that if I went into the Marines my service would be in the jungles of the South Pacific. I told him I would take the Army. My reasons were not divulged, but, personally, I preferred Europe over the South Pacific. He reluctantly assigned me to the Army.
On April 26, 1944, in the afternoon, we had been given GI clothes and were called out to be sworn into the service. We had no knowledge of how this was to be conducted. Thousands of us young recruits were marched into a huge auditorium. An officer appeared on the platform and spoke to us. After his speech, he told us to raise our right hand and repeat the oath. I resented this method, did not raise my hand, or recite the oath, as I felt this was an individual personal thing. By taking this action I did not consider myself unpatriotic, as I was perfectly willing and anxious to fight for my country. When the Star Spangled Banner was played and sung, a lump came in my throat and my eyes watered - and still does. No other song affected me in this manner except Dixie , the Confederate song.
We stayed in Camp Shelby for approximately a week, and the sergeant in charge of the barracks selected people at random to pull KP. Naturally, I was chosen and every morning would have to get up at 4 AM for duty all day. During the duration of this time, I had a serious case of tonsillitis, running a temperature, but being young and inexperienced, I would not go on sick call. I had almost a chronic case of this from early childhood until 1946, when my tonsils were removed. The Army doctors did not understand my plight, because sick call was early morning and they required one or two degrees of temperature before they would let a GI off duty. Along about 9 or 10 AM, my temperature would rise, but they did not care or were not aware of the disease.
We were told to assemble and get on a troop train but not told where we were going; that was Top Secret. Our destination turned out to be Anniston, Alabama, a short distance from Birmingham, Alabama.
CHAPTER THREE BASIC TRAINING BEGINS
Upon arrival at Fort McClellan, we were greeted by a corporal who yelled all types of obscenities and called us Mama s boys. After he finished speaking to us, an officer came out. We were supposed to stand at attention, but not knowing the Army rules, most of us did not, whereupon, we were immediately called bastards, sons-of-bitches and every vulgar word he could think of - then the officer spoke. Someone asked the officer a question. By not prefacing his inquiry with a Sir, this brought on another tirade of the same vulgar language.
We were assigned to temporary barracks as permanent ones for us had to be prepared. We really did not do anything but hold reveille and loaf for about a week. One evening I took a shower and my dog tags bothered me, as they did most of the boys. I, along with others, pulled them off and placed them on a shower wall. Naturally, the dog tags were forgotten and left in the latrine.
The next morning dog tag number 34988854 was called, and whomever it belonged to was supposed to identify it. Having not memorized the number, I did not respond. Before reveille was over, my name was called, along with others, and we were told to see the field sergeant. He asked me where my dog tags were; then it dawned on me where I had left them the night before, a mistake that cost me three days of extra duty.
From there we were assigned to Company A, 16th Battalion for basic training, where we had