The story not told

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/...1/downfall.html

papa Art

Another letter from my friend Ken

This happened on one of our missions---The weather was bad over England, so someone thought we should take off and climb to 14 thousand ft. over France. It is hard enough trying to form up in good weather, but this was crazy as hell. We could feel the plane shake from turbulense so you knew other planes were near and hoped you didn’t have a mid-air collision. At 14 thousand ft. we were still in the soup and finally broke out at about 20,000 ft.. In the meantime our nav. Aids went out—the mission was re-called and we didn’t get it.We were lost and circled around—the co-pilot trying to reach some one on the radio when we saw 3 fighters coming at us. The P-47 and FW-190 have the same shape head on so the pilot told us not to fire until we were certain what the plane was---thank god they were our P-47s and they led over to a group of B-17s. there was also another B-24 flying with them. We figured we would go with them , witch we did and dropped our bombs,then fly back to their base,and get a heading back to our base. Well they let down thru the soup knowing where they were going and we lost them. We had to climb up thru this mess and the co-pilot got some one on the emer. Freq. It was an English lass and did she ever sound nice. She made us fly a triangle, then gave us a heading back to England. We let down over the channel and a couple of Spitfires came and checked us out, then we were given a heading back to our base. We landed and got cedit for a mission and so did our group. This was some nerve racking flying and our pilot was glad to get us back on the ground. Now landing we found out 2 of our planes didn’t come back and one of them was a kid from Presque Isle that I had gone to school with. His father was a diary farmer and delivered milk to Dad’s store. I thought I would be writing his parents about Jerry missing and all that stuff. Well the next day both planes came back and the guys were hungover and had loads of booze, as they had landed in France. I told Jerry that was the last time I would worry over him!! They didn’t get credit for a mission either.

papa Art

I have the honor and pleasure of introducing a friend of Joe's and fellow 3rd Infantry Division member, Russ Cloer. I asked Russ if I could share his initial letter to me with all of you. He heartily agreed and so hear we go...

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My name is Russ Cloer. I am 84 years old and live with my wife of 61 years in a senior independant living facility in Tampa, Fl.

I am a WWII vet of the 3rd Inf Div, 7th Inf Reg't, through 6 campaigns, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Central Europe and Rhineland.

The decoration in which I take the greatest pride is the Combat Infantry Badge, which was awarded to me in the first ever issue on the Anzio Beachhead in Italy in early 1944. My MOS was Infantry Unit Commander. I spent most of the War as platoon leader of the 7th Infantry I&R (Intelligence and Reconnaissance) platoon, and became a 1st Lt (Co. Exec) and then 7th Inf. Hq. Co commander (Capt). (Often two jobs at the same time!).

My fondest memory is that of leading one of the first recon patrols into Rome and seeing the first blush of dawn through the paneless windows of the ancient Coliseum. In second place, I would put viewing the Austrian Alps through the ruins of what was once Hitler's Berghof window. And in last place, the sound of an incoming 88mm enemy shell. The sharp crash of the bursting shell, followed by the whisper of the shell in flight, then the hollow boom of the enemy muzzle blast, all in reverse order because of the supersonic speed of the 88mm shell.l

I entered the Army through the Rutgers University ROTC program, followed by Infantry OCS at Ft. Benning. I was assigned to the 7th Infantry as a replacement 2nd Lt. I was with them from Anzio to Berchtesgaden, and then 7 months of occupation duty along the Russian zone border.

I came home in January 1946, reverted to the inactive reserve, and went to work as an engineer for the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. I retired at age 60 as Director of Finance and Administration and came to Florida.

It's been a good life and I am now trying to "stretch my glide", as we used to say in the aircraft industry.

3_7_I_Recon

Russ Cloer

The Venerable Jeep,

If the 2 1/2 ton truck was the workhorse of WWII (and it was), then the jeep was the cavalry horse of the same era.

I was platoon leader of the 7th Infantry I & R platoon in Italy, France and Germany. I had 4 jeeps which were essential to our reconnaissance missions. The jeep's real name was truck, 1/4 ton, 4x4, G.P. (General Purpose). it's classic lines, it's capabilities, reliability and versatility will live forever in the minds of we who knew it.

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