I skipped a week of college the fall of my sophomore year to visit my girlfriend, Carol Erickson, in Watertown, South Dakota, where she had moved the previous summer from Edgeley, North Dakota where we had both lived. We had both been members of Zion Lutheran Church there and though we had not "dated" as very young people do today, we had many good times at Walther League, which was the young people's group in our church and at other church functions. Her father had been my Sunday School teacher when I was in High School. My oldest sister, Violet, had lived in Carol's home during her senior year in high school when we lived on a farm outside of Edgeley, North Dakota. We had moved to town when I attended high school. I had done amateur boxing in college and one time was supposed to box the runner up for the state. The person above me did not show up so I was moved up and during the boxing match went over the ropes and my head hit a two by four and I was out for nine hours! My college boxing was over; however in the army I boxed a lot. I guess I should have left boxing up to my youngest brother, Gordon. He, I believe became the champ and stayed there for his ship in the Navy in the South Pacific. After nearly two years in college I decided it was my turn to enlist so I volunteered with the National Guards at Oakes, North Dakota, which was the 188th Field Artillery Battalion. After realignment I was in the 957th Field Artillery Battalion, with which group I went overseas and also became their First Fire Direction Sergeant (five stripes).
I was first stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Then came Pearl Harbor! December 7, l942 -- That very day I was to begin a furlough and go to visit my fiancee, Carol Erickson in Watertown, South Dakota. I had sent her a diamond on my birthday that year (the past April 25th). But Pearl Harbor changed those plans and our group was immediately put on the alert and we headed for the state of Washington because it was thought the Japanese might invade our western coast. I was stationed at Camp Murray first and then at Ft. Lewis, Washington. From there I went to Indio, California, where we trained in the desert. Our next move was to Muskogee, Oklahoma. The previous summer when I had been on furlough visiting Carol, we had decided that if her girlfriend's fiancee or I would get a furlough, Carol or her friend would call to have the other person get an emergency furlough so we could have a double wedding! Well, Carol's girlfriend's fiancee got a furlough so Carol immediately called me and I told those in charge that my sister was seriously ill and could I get an emergency furlough! I was given one . . . Had to borrow a friend's trousers but was South Dakota bound and in one week a double wedding was performed and Carol and I were married! Twenty-one days later I was shipped out of Oklahoma and to the east coast on the way to points unknown.
We didn't take a straight line from America to England. I understand it was more like a "zig-zag" pattern of travel. Our first realization that we were nearing dangerous areas was when we heard the Germans forecasting to the world that the British Ship, The Brittany, had just been sunk! Well, this, of course was a lie and about this time I was enjoying the huge waves in the front part of the ship, which went up and down several stories during the Atlantic storm! This period of the conflict was when the Germans were determined to raise havoc with the American shipping. I guess I was too green at war to realize that danger was all about me. One of our men began vomiting as he got on the ship and kept this up tell we got to England. Since he was vomiting day and night for about 23 days and nothing was coming up, we call it "the dry heaves". The poor guy had the color of light grey!
I had a chance to go to London for the first time. My friend, Bob Loken, who was married the same day Carol and I were, did too. We each brought a friend and these two knew each other too so they stayed together and Bob and I stayed together. Bob and I went off to London town. The Germans decided to give us a good welcome with their bombers that night. There were hundreds of bombers. I believe it was one of Germany's most destructive raids over London town. We decided to go to a U. S. O. dance in London. On the way to this dance a brick building decided to cave in so some scrambling had to be done! Anyway, Bob and I saw how the British gals danced and to our surprise it was like the American girls! Bob and I then went to the hotel where we were to sleep. This hotel (four stories) had been hit! When we got to our small room (about big enough for a bed on each wall) one bomb had come through the floors above us and the nose of the bomb broke the plaster and was looking at my bed. Seeing this I ran to the stairs and went up and jumped on the bomb and started to tear off anything I could -- All of a sudden a great big "Lymie" (British soldier) yanked me off! He yelled, "Get off that bomb. It could explode any time You Yanks have to learn this!" Another good lesson learned!
Our fire direction group was always a good target because it was so big. I was standing nearby and I heard a funny noise -- like a hissing sound -- well, what it was was the bullets hitting the grass nearby. I soon moved to a different place.
Here is a lighter incident -- Every once in a while I had to do something different, I guess!
St. Lo, France: It was a beautiful day. We knew we had much work ahead of us this day. I had several targets set up for firing. Another Sergeant (Lyons) and I always argued as to who was going to eat first, so I said, " You know it is my turn to eat first so here I go!" I went out of our little French barn to the tail gate of a 3/4 ton truck (the kitchen). The planes seemed so low so I walked back into our small barn and announced that I wasn't really hungry -- so I said to Gordon Lyons "It is really your turn to eat first" -- so Sgt. Lyons said, "You knew it all the time, Beglau!" Sgt. Lyons goes out to eat. Soon he comes back in and says, "For some reason I'm just not hungry!" I was standing by my maps but for some reason I threw myself to the ground and a bomb landed right by the doorway -- only a few feet from me! In fact, three bombs hit our "L" shaped barn. One could hear the moaning and groaning of our men. I had orders before all of this happened to work myself down to A Battery (one of our gun positions) and set up the fire direction center immediately should something happen. There was confusion all over! One of my computer operators was dying with a piece of shrapnel in his throat. This man was choking and dying. I couldn't lift him out of the doorway. I couldn't get anyone to help me so as Captain Little came by I grabbed him and said, "Help me lift Pvt. George out of this doorway" which he then helped me do to clear the doorway. I then proceeded walking towards A Battery. There were so many bombs falling it sounded like continuous rumbling. I finally arrived at A Battery and set up another fire direction center.
Incidentally, these were not enemy bombs -- they were American! The bombers used the wrong line to start dropping their bombs. This was the day of one of the most loss of life due to bombing -- and by American bombers!
Bob Loken, my friend from Watertown, South Dakota was in the 2nd Armored Division. We had met in London and he came to see me near the front line for the second time. Our guns were shooting when Bob arrived. We were shooting at targets just to keep our enemy alert -- such targets as chow lines, horse drawn artillery, enemy tanks, etc. -- Our guns could shoot quite accurately up to l5 miles. Bang! We received some of our own medicine! Our kitchen was hit! One of my computer men received the purple heart in this building, Jim Baumgardner. He was shaving in the hallway and this tank bullet just knicked his chin!
My duties as a Platoon Sergeant included computing all data and sending it down to the guns, helping with choosing all new gun positions, accomplishing all commands of company officers, communicating all data and changes by phone and radio to gun positions, accomplishing all commands of Battalion officers, and serving as German interpreter for our Headquarters Company and wherever needed.
When we returned home from the war, one young man was again on my ship -- you guessed it, the one with the "dry heaves" and he had them again!
The most beautiful woman I ever saw was that big statue in the New York harbor: the Statue of Liberty!
I was discharged in September, l945.
More Walter C. Beglau Short Stories
