Blood on German Snow: An African American Artilleryman in World War II and Beyond

Preface

Preface This book details my life as a field artilleryman in the U.S. Army. It is a personal story about what happened to me as a soldier—my training, places I traveled, how I lived, combat experiences in Western Europe, battles I fought, two ocean crossings, and four crossings of the English Channel. It is also about the people I met and a first-person account of war as I witnessed it during three and a half years in the service. The title, Blood on German Snow, relates to a battle on Germany’s western front in which I took part while my battalion was attached to the XVI Corps and the 35th Infantry Division. The XVI Corps had amassed some five thousand guns on the west bank of the Rhine River in preparation for our crossing. My gun, number 3, Battery B, 777th Field Artillery Battalion, received the task of leading the charge by firing the first rounds at targets on the east side of the river in the town of Mehrum, Germany. In unison the five thousand guns followed, firing for three hours beginning at 1:00 A.M. on March 25, 1945. We ceased firing at 3:00 A.M., commenced crossing the river at 4:00 A.M., and had a bridgehead established on the east side in the vicinity of Verden, Germany, by sunrise. My story begins with some details of my early life at home, work, and school and finally my induction into the army. I include this information because I believe that background is in many ways crucial in assessing a soldier’s capability—particularly with regard to carrying out duties under extremely adverse conditions, where I believe that an individual’s values and sense of duty and loyalty are ingrained at an early age. In my case, my home life defined virtue in the classic sense of fortitude and courage. Part of my story is also about the last conversations I had with my cousin Zelmo Owens, who lived with my two brothers and me at my grandmother’s house. His home was in a rural area, so he lived with us to attend high school. In the early part of 1941 the radio airwaves were full of talk of war, and it was on the minds of the people on the streets in my part of Smithville, Texas, in “Low Woods.” Zelmo and I would soon be about the right age to fight in a war, and we felt a patriotic duty to serve our country if we were 4 Preface called. We talked and concluded that we had an undying love for our country and would fight and die if need be to defend it, even though we both hated the politics of our racist country. We felt the demeaning attitudes and laws would have to change. After high school, we shook hands, embraced, and parted; Zelmo went directly into the army, while I spent a year in college. We promised to meet again after the war and continue our discussion about the direction our lives would take. I never saw Zelmo again. The brutality of war robbed him of his mind, and he has been in a Veterans Administration mental health facility for more than sixty years. My story ends with some details of my life activities after being discharged from the army, which includes marriage and family formation, academic achievements, and work experiences. I am now in the waning years of my life but still optimistic about the future. I have had time with goodness on my side to endow me with a loftiness of purpose and a sense of moral heroism worth a lifetime of contentment and security. Is it not true that the evening of a well-spent life brings its own lamps? I think so. I wish to express my profound gratitude to those who assisted me in bringing together research necessary for the completion of this book. These individuals and organizations include M. A. Gedra, Modern Military Records (NWCTM), National Archives, Trust Fund, Washington D.C.; Marilyn Holt, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Sgt. Dena Everett , executive assistant, U.S. Army Center of Military History, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.; Charlene Neuwiller, archivist, and Lisa Jacofus, archivist assistant, European Stars and Stripes, Washington, D.C.; and Fort Sill Oklahoma Museum, Lawton, Oklahoma. Very special thanks go to my assistant, Jennifer Harrison, who prepared the original manuscript, and to Fannie Burt for...