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..
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Near Misses..
As a unit, the 475
Military Police Escort Guard Company never heard "a shot fired in
anger." Nevertheless, it performed its assignments
commendably
at all duty stations. Some detached "work
details”
came closer to the combat zone than did the company as a whole. |
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| One soldier of the 475th
MPEG Co. was awarded a Purple Heart medal for wounds received |
|
while serving with another unit:
PFC Charles L. Berghoff entered a hospital in the
UK with pneumonia. While he was there, the 475
MPEG made a trip to the states. In due time, PFC Berghoff
recovered and was sent to
the infamous Replacement Depot at Litchfield, England. From
there he was assigned to an MP unit in France.
While he was guarding a captured ammunition
train, a portion of it exploded, was
wounded with a bit of shrapnel in his foot. Recovering
in the hospital in England he received a
Purple Heart. He was “found” by PFC Joseph
Santillo and several other members of the 475
who had gone there for dental work. He rejoined the
475 and returned
to the ZI with it. (See Kronberg and Kirschner “Guard
Gossip” column at the end of Chapter 3.)
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Our ventures into "harm's
way”:
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..........The
submarine "scare" during our first crossing
of the Atlantic aboard the H.M.S. Eastern Prince in convoy, June 1944:
On the 475th MPEG’s first trip across the Atlantic in June
‘44 there was at least one submarine
scare, real or |
imagined, that scattered ships and
sent theguard DE’s (destroyer escorts) scurrying
to protect a flank of the convoy. The German submarine fleet
was pretty much debilitated by then and convoys enjoyed air cover at both
ends of the crossing. By the time of this crossing, the gap of uncovered
open sea in the middle was less than 600 miles
....
...........The
near-capsizing of the L.C.I. #537 landing the company
at Utah Beach on September 11, 1944. In the company’s
landing from the LCI , the ship was put into a position parallel to the
surf. On one push by a fairly good-sized
wave the LCI achieved a list of 55º according to the CO.
The only casualty that I witnessed occurred to a stack of 78 rpm
records. |
....
...........The
excursion behind the "Mines Cleared to Road Side" signs on
the march from Utah Beach. After the 475
MPEG had been collected into a semblance of formation
after lugging full field packs and duffel bags from the LCI
to the road at the north end of Utah Beach,
it began the march toward St. Marie du Mont
on September 11, 1944. Along the road were signs
proclaiming, “Mines Cleared to Roadside.” Somehow,
near the beginning of the march, the company
strayed beyond the roadside. Safety was attained by a quick
command of “To the rear march.” (See
Map).
....
...........Souvenir-collecting
habits of individual members of the
company, which resulted
in "live" ammunition and grenades being
transported in duffel bags. The culmination
of this dangerous practice is exemplified by the
incident with a rifle grenade in France during
September 1944. The Company’s bivouac area
was across the road and hedgerows from PWE #10
on the hilltop outside Cherbourg and offered fertile
fields and woods for the souvenir-hunting
troops. Later shakedown inspection recovered a number of dangerous
bits of live ammunition. One possible souvenir didn’t make it
into a duffel bag or backpack. Pvt.
S**** had found a live rifle grenade and one
evening was showing it to a group of his buddies lounging
around on the company street. Someone
told him to get rid of it.
He did so expeditiously by tossing it over
the hedgerow into the neighboring field. It exploded
near the officers’ latrine, which was unoccupied at the time, fortunately. |
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