WAR - THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS! Dad, a paratrooper in 101st Airborne 502nd PIR mentioned that he once saw two men riding in a jeep decapitated by wire that had been stretched out on a road by the Germans. The Jerries , as Dad referred to the Germans in his letters, were known to string tough piano wires neck-high across the roads that Allied Jeeps traveled on. The steel tension wire provided a nasty way to lop off the heads of Jeep drivers and passengers. Often the wire couldn’t be seen or if seen, it was usually to late to stop in time. The GI’s answer for this booby-trap was the Anti-Decapitation Device, field made angle iron bolted upright to the front bumper. The device extended above the the heads of those riding in the Jeep, and at the top it is angled forward and usually notched to catch and cut the wire. A few interesting details can be seen; on the front bumper of the jeep, the anti-wire device is fastened to the front and an American flag identification armband is fastened on the radiator. This particular jeep was named, “What A Crew”. Ford engineers designed round recessed headlamps mounted on hinges. Why? So the lamps could pivot back and light up the engine bay! There were also handles on the back and sides of the Jeep so that soldiers could lift it out of a mud hole if necessary. The Americans had so many Jeeps that some German soldiers believed each America GI got his own Jeep as standard issue. In France, three American soldiers walked up to a guard post and told the sentry that they were lost. The Frenchman immediately told them to surrender and found that they were German soldiers in disguise. When he was asked how he knew, he replied that Americans always travel in jeeps. Another example happened in Belgium when a guard ordered three German soldiers to surrender after he saw that a colonel was riding in the back seat. He explained later that if they were American that the officer would be driving and the infantryman would be in the backseat. One Battered Jeep from WWII received a Purple Heart after successfully surviving two beach landings. A Soldier Says When the war was at its hottest And the going got too steep. One pal that I could count on Was the mighty little Jeep Through beachhead hell, through fire, Our metal mounts would leap With strictly GI courage; I won’t forget the Jeep. And now the war is over. The one thing I will keep For farm and feild and hunting – That’s my buddy, Willy Jeep. Pvt. Jesse Wolf Somewhere in Belgium (Originally published in PM, October 21, 1945) Comes A Soldier’s Whisper remembering history and our veterans one day at a time… FOLLOW US: https://facebook/ComesASoldiersWhisper ComesASoldiersWhisper https://twitter/Jennylas Photo: Compliments of Orange is the Color of the Day d-day-publishing/
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 12:18:16 +0000
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