January 8-9, 1944 — It was hellacious winter fighting at its worst
January 9, 2025January 11, 1944 — Finally some good news, comfort, and a bit of chicken humor on the winter front
January 11, 2025January 10, 1944 — It was even more hellacious for the German fools broadcasting treasonous propaganda
Even in the midst of hellacious winter fighting, occasionally the men had a humorous incident to lift their spirits.
Here are three accounts of the 10 January 1945 event:
“An enemy truck with a loudspeaker began broadcasting treasonous propaganda toward us in English, interspersing their subversive lies with popular American hillbilly music. Our artillery answered with well-placed fire. That silenced the music.[1]
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An enemy propaganda truck, interspersing subversive words with the popular American “hillbilly” music, turned its loudspeakers toward the 7TH Infantry sector while the men were eating “chow” on the night of January 10. Our artillery answered with well-placed fire that silenced the music.[2]
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The 3rd Platoon relieved the 2nd on the outpost, and the following night the Germans set up a loudspeaker near the position and treated the riflemen to a round of jive music and a plea to come over and surrender, and that the “Communist, Jew-loving Roosevelt” had involved them in a hopeless war. The platoon was hardly impressed. They called for a heavy artillery barrage on the location of the sound.[4]
~~~~~
Afterwards, the precious sound of silence.
~~~~~
[1] Soskil, 113.
[2] Taggart, 300.
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