The 7th Infantry captured Hitler's Berghof near Berchtesgaden, Germany on June 4, 1945. There was lots of loot to be found there, and the 7th Infantry took it's share! One of the items "liberated" was Hermann Goerings Mercedes Benz. Our Regimental commander, Col. John Heintges, took possession of it, but in order to use it, it had to be repainted in U. S. Olive Drab with white markings. The picture you see is the result. That's me (Russ Cloer) posing in the drivers seat for the picture. The Colonel liked to drive it himself on the Autobahn and used it to transport Army nurses between their station and his CP for dinner, dancing, etc., during Occupation Duty in nearby Salzburg, Austria.

Russ Cloer

Montelimar, France

The 3rd Infantry Division made an assault landing in Southern France on August 15, 1944. We bypassed Marseilles and Toulon and left the mop up to the French forces which had landed on our left. The town of Montelimar was a key objective because it controlled the entrance to the Rhone Valley passage north. This escape route was choked off early by our artillery, infantry and air force and the retreating enemy was trapped between our attack and the Rhone River. Twelve miles of roadway was covered with thousands of dead horses, smashed carts, burned out vehicles and blackened enemy corpses. But little did we realize what bitter fighting lay ahead in the Vosges Mountains and the Colmar Pocket

Russ Cloer - 3_7_I_Recon

I've been meaning to send a question to R Lee Ermey who hosts the History Channel Show every week called Mail Call. It's one of my favorites. For those of you who already watch it, you know that R Lee bases his shows around viewers questions. Well I've been meaning to send a question to him for some time and while watching the show tonight and sitting in front of the computer in my office I thought, get off your BEHIND and send in your question woman!

My question you ask? I asked Gunny to show how a Bailey was put together. Now I have to wait and see if my question gets chosen for a show. So my buddies, watch and listen for Marion from Alger, MI. Wouldn't that be cool?

Here's are two sites:

The History Channel - Mail Call

R Lee Ermey

Shadowbox

One of my fondest memories of WWII service is of leading one of the very first recon patrols into Rome during the night of June 4, 1944. We had fought our way out of the Anzio Beachhead after a bitter struggle and headed for Rome. We were about 5 miles south of Rome when my Regimental CO called me to his dugout at night and gave me verbal orders.

Lieutenant, Intelligence picked up a Kraut radio message which said they were declaring Rome an open city and withdrawing north. (Presumably to avoid War damage to the ancient artifacts).

“I want you to take a patrol into Rome right now and find out if it’s true. It could be a trap, but if it’s true, I want my Regiment (7th Inf) to be the first into Rome. I will have the first and third battalions on trucks waiting for your return.â€

I found out much later that Gen. Mark Clark knew that D Day Normandy was scheduled for June 6th and he demanded that his troops take Rome, before Normandy monopolized the headlines back home.

I took 4 jeeps with 50 cal. machine guns and 15 men. It was pitch dark and smoke made visibility worse. We passed smoldering tanks, recon vehicles, and dead soldiers along the Appian Way. We met no resistance. We saw nothing alive. We entered the city which was ominously silent, no light showing anywhere. We saw no Krauts, no Americans, no civilians. We expected to be ambushed at every corner. It was deathly quiet, spooky. I had a street map, but I dared show no light to read it. We pressed on , but were soon lost amid the narrow, winding, tunnel like streets. Until we rounded a bend, entered a huge cobblestone piazza and there before us stood the Coliseum, silhouetted against the first blush of pink light in the eastern sky! It was a sight I will never forget! The thrill of a lifetime! I stood in the midst of 2,000 years of history and felt a strong sense of having added to it. We drove back to the CP dugout and Colonel Wiley O’Muhundro grinned and sent 2 battalions in on trucks. Two days later, the Allies invaded Normandy and we were no longer fighting alone! Only one other lieutenant from my group of 21 junior officers replacements, who joined the regiment with me on the Anzio Beachhead, made it to Rome! It was good to be alive!

Several months ago, a young man in Chicago read my story on the Internet. He is a skilled craftsman and enjoys WWII history. He made the shadow box you see in the picture and mailed the picture to me. I was overwhelmed!!! And then, a few weeks later, a package arrived. It was the complete shadow box, carefully shipped with foam padding! At my age, that kind of honor keeps me going!

Russ Cloer - 3_7_I_Recon

Received this today:

Hi Marion,

I don't know if you can help me. I'm just beginning to track down information about my uncle's service in WWII. I know that he at one point belonged to the 591st Engineer Boat Regiment, thanks to a post card from the War Department that my mother kept. Was that part of the VI Corps? If not, do you know anyone I might contact about his unit? I'm confused about the various changes in the unit designation, and I am trying to determine if he followed through with the unit until his service ended. My next step is to enlist the help of his daughter in recovering his service records, but I don't know if that information will be included in them or not.

Thanks,

Tom

Thomas F. Tipton, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of English