The War Years

In the fall of 1939, when I was in Washington, I met Ted and Ralph Smith who lived south of Pomona. They had come out there for the apple harvest. While there, one of them kidded about a certain girl he was writing to from Franklin County. Had no idea who she was. That winter after we were all back home, I was talking with the Smith boys in Ottawa. A girl came along and talked with them. I gathered she was the same girl who had been writing to one of them. She was an attractive girl. One you would look at the second time. Had no idea who she was. The following spring, after I had rented the place I was living at, I went to a dance in Ottawa. A friend of mine was at the dance with a date. She turned out to be the same girl the Smith boy had been writing to. I was introduced to her. Her name was Leona Rice. They lived northeast of Pomona. She was quite friendly. She went out to stay with her sister in western Kansas for a while. I got her address from the guy who took her to the dance. I wrote to her and got an answer, we wrote to each other while she was out there. She was coming back home the latter part of June. Got a date with her for the first Sunday night after her return. Went to a movie. Saw a double feature "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "The Old Gray Goose is Dead." We saw each other quite frequently. One thing led to another, on December 28th that same year 1940, we were married. We were married in the Methodist parsonage in Lawrence. Gardner and Cleda stood up with us.

Something else was happening in my life at this time. We were preparing to go to Camp Robinson. We went by train about New Years Day. There was a large crowd at the Santa Fe station including Leona, Mom and others. It was hard to leave them. My dad’s health had broken. I remember when I left him. He said "I would be smelling salt water before I got back." How right he was.

My father died in October 1943. He had a stroke, or perhaps several. At that time I was at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. I was able to go home. During my time at Ft. Ord, California, and Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, Leona and Albert were able to get apartments near those places. By the way, Albert was born while I was on Louisiana maneuvers in 1941.

My military career began with the National Guard. In 1940, the summer encampment was at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, My brothers took care of my chores on the farm. At Camp Ripley, I never was in such a mess of mosquitoes in my life before or since. The following December the 35th division was inducted into regular federal service. We were sent to Camp Robinson, Arkansas, near Little Rock. We were to be there for one year. However a law was passed where by all those over 28 years of age could get out but remain in the reserves. I was just 28. Leona had come down to Little Rock to live while I was at Camp Robinson so we spent the weekends together until we went on maneuvers in Louisiana. At that time she went to live with her sister in Belpre, Kansas, where Albert was born. While I was in the reserves, I got a job as a guard at a shell loading plant, which was under construction near Parsons, Kansas.

The experience at Parsons came to a sudden end when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I soon received my recall papers. On the 24th of January 1942, along with others, went to the induction center at Ft. Leavenworth. After being there a few days, we were shipped to Camp San Luis Obispo, California. Eighteen of us were put into a cadre to form a new field artillery unit. Later that spring, we were sent to Fort Ord, California (East Garrison). We were built up to full strength partly by transfer and partly by draft. We, in time, received four eight-inch guns and the equipment to go with them. We were at Ord just about one year. Following our stay at Ord, we were on desert maneuvers in southern California. We were there during the hot summer months. In August, we went to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Up to this time I was machine gun sergeant. At Ft. Leonard Wood, I was made 1st Sergeant. By this time the outfit had become the 997th F.A. Battalion.

On the first day of January 1944 we boarded a train for the East Coast. We ended up at Camp Miles Stanash, Massachusetts, an assembly area prior to boarding a boat for the Atlantic crossing. Instead we were transferred to Ft. Devons, Massachusetts. After being there two or three weeks, again we boarded a train for Halifax, Canada, where we boarded the liner "Isle de France" a French luxury liner converted into a troop carrier by the English Navy. We set sail for England February 16, 1944 taking eight days to make the crossing, taking a zigzag course on account of German U-boats. It was said that the North Atlantic is always rough that time of year. To make it worse, we run into a storm. It rocked that 60,000-ton ship like it was a toy. When the storm subsided somewhat, we were allowed to go on deck. There were still giant waves as high as a two-story house. I never felt so minute in all my life. I thought of the Pilgrims when they made that crossing in their little boat, the Mayflower. About every soldier on board got seasick including myself. We debarked at Greenock, Scotland February 24th. We took a train for southern England. We were in various places in England until June 25th. We boarded a landing craft at Southampton to cross the English Channel. Landed on Omaha Beach two days later. We went inland about twenty miles to our first gun positions. We soon knew we were in a war.

Without going into any detail the Allied troops raced across France after breaking the StLo line. We were in Belgium parts of September and October. We were in a rest area near Paris the first part of September, so we got to see Paris. It is a beautiful place, even under those conditions. We were in extreme West Germany for about three months, in various places always close to the old seigfreid line. During this time we were in the "Bulge." When the Germans counter attacked, we didn’t have to change positions, just change direction of fire. Crossed the Rhine river the 25th of March 1945. We began to feel that the war was about over. We were in various places east of the Rhine, including Kassell, and Leipzig. We were about 20 miles from the Czechloslovakian border when the Germans called it quits.

After it was over, I was in the first group to leave the battalion. Who came home first was determined by the point system. Boarded a small boat at LeHavre, France. It was a Liberty cargo-ship built by Kaiser. There were about 200 soldiers on board. It was a very peaceful crossing. Just a ripple on the ocean, so much different from when we went over. The New York skyline really looked good. We debarked at a Brooklyn dock and ferried over to the Jersey shore. After being at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey a couple of days, we entrained for home by way of Ft. Leavenworth. From there, it was with family again, and to see a daughter for the first time. Mom, as well as Leona, and the kids were at the station when I got in. That part of my life was over.

An aspect of my military experience I haven’t mentioned is that when 135 or 140 men are living together or in a close proximity, military discipline and courtesy must be maintained. As a 1st Sergeant, that was one of my responsibilities with the help of the line Sergeants. Of course it was also the responsibilities of the commissioned officers, but they weren’t with the rank and file constantly like the Sergeants were. I had very few problems. There were bound to be some, but treating people fairly, treating them like I would want to be treated, ended up with good results. I wasn’t one of those Sergeants who were always hollering at the men like you see in shows. I think most sergeants were more of less like myself. All the time in my military career, we always had plenty of food, regardless of conditions. Not fancy, or rich, but good, wholesome food. There was always a lot of "bellyaching", but no one had to go hungry.

One of the requirements while on maneuvers prior to combat was to dig a foxhole. Simply a hole in the ground long enough and wide enough to make a bed in. It was for protection from enemy fire. There were a few in the outfit who were reluctant to expend the energy to dig the hole. I never argued with them, telling them it was their lives. However the west time we went under German artillery fire, those without foxholes dug them in a hurry. There was no problem from then on.

While in combat, it was only natural to be scared. I was no exception to that. I have been asked if a person gets used to it. The answer to that is no. But you become hardened to it, you could crack up if you don’t.

While in England, Harvey Paddock and I had a weekend pass to London. It was interesting to see things I had read or heard about most of my life, like Westminster Abby, St. Paul’s church, the Tower of London, London Bridge, Charles Dickens home, Hyde Park, and Big Ben, the large clock in one of the Parliament towers. At night we stayed at a place provided by the American Red Cross. We hadn’t been in bed but an hour or so until we were suddenly awakened by exploding bombs and anti-aircraft guns seemingly all around us. Next morning everything seemed to be normal. Never did know whether any German aircraft was shot down. Never could spot any English gun positions, but we found out they were there. I’m glad one of those bombs didn’t hit where we were staying.

We were issued a pack of cigarettes a day when we got to France. I doubt if I smoked a pack a week. And the only time I smoked in my life except a little following the war. I would give most of mine to the guys in the outfit, or to French kids, when they would come around and say "cigarette for papa." While near Remagen, which was near the Rhine River, we were housed at the Aranthal Castle. We were in buildings surrounding a courtyard. One of them led to the castle itself. There was a moat around the castle, which you crossed going from courtyard to castle. This was beautiful country. It was also a hot spot. The Ludendarff Bridge, which was about two miles away, had been taken intact by US troops. The only bridge across the Rhine the Germans failed to destroy. We were close enough we could see the bombs dropping from the German jet planes, trying to knock the bridge out, which they finally succeeded in doing. First time I ever saw a jet plane. We lost a man there and one wounded, caused by flack.

When we were east of the Rhine River, which we crossed on a pontoon bridge near Bonn, it was beginning to be spring, which was most welcome. It was obvious the war in Europe was about over. We did mostly police duty, and took prisoners. German soldiers would come out of hiding with their hands up. Some were no more than kids and scared. You could see the fear in their eyes. We treated them well.

While we were in the rest area near Paris, something was happening at home on the 10th of September 1944. I wasn’t aware of it at this time, but I know it was supposed to happen. Mary Ellen was born. It was a while before I knew about it.

Pictures

1. Woodrow and Leona Crawford taken at the Old Mill in North Little Rock, Arkansas in 1941.  This replica of an Old Mill appears in the opening of Gone With the Wind.
2. Woodrow Crawford at the Dragon's Teeth.  Taken in Germany in WW II.  Dragons teeth were anti-tank defenses.
3. Woodrow Crawford somewhere in England before D-Day in WW II.
4. Robert (in uniform) and Mike Crawford