DIVISIONAL GUARD

We joined the company about Dec. 3, and the next day again moved out in trucks, this time going north in Alsace until we finally pulled into a small town by the name of LeWalk. Our quarters were in the attic of a small house on the outskirts of town. I don't believe we ever slept there one night. About 5 o'clock every night, we were put out on road blocks, two men at a post, and remained there in the cold rain and snow until 8 in the morning.

Recruits that we were, the officers seemed to think it necessary to scare the hell out of us with tales of enemy paratroops landing nearby and enemy patrols. And don't forget, they warned, we're only six miles behind the front lines. True, we could see the flares and explosions up ahead of us and our own artillery guns blasted away all night from right beside our road blocks. Later we learned how safe we were just a few hundred yards behind the lines, or at least, how safe we felt.

A sample of the famous V-Mail of WWII

From Ed DeFoe, December 18, 1991:

Ref: Page 7 MUD & GUTS

I always wondered about this: We all were going along in a convoy, I think from Epinal, and we came to this crossroad and the whole convoy stopped. Some GIs motioned for the truck behind us, and some in back of it, to turn right on the crossroad. Of course: "Where are they going?" "They are going to be MPs," someone said. Oh, wow!...why didn't they take just one more truck...ours? I've often wondered if this was B.S. or what....for almost 50 years already.

(Anybody else remember this? ajc)

Billy (Bowles) came to us just after our first battle. I can see him even yet. He sez , "Is your name Ed...DeFoe." "Yeah," I sez. "We are on guard duty tonight," he said, "Can I be your friend?" He looked right into my eyes when he said it. I liked the guy right away.