8
MERE EGLISE and went into an assembly area in a woods just North of LE MOUCHEL. In this
wooded area there were many indications of a fierce fight between our paratroopers and the Germans.
At 0800 on the 10th of June 1944, Company I, then commanded by Captain Thomas J. Morris,
Jr., was given the mission of cleaning out a German strong point in a chateau near CHEF-DU-PONT .
The position was covering the approaches to the Merderet river and might hamper the advance of 1st
and 2nd Battalions. Company I promptly moved out with the first platoon in the lead.
The company moved through CHEF-DU-PONT, across the Merderet river and assaulted the
chateau only to find that the Germans had already pulled out. It was here that Sgt Riley J. Charter
tripped a booby trap and so became the first casualty by enemy action in the Battalion.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Battalion had crossed the river and swung north. The Battalion, less
Company I, moved down the road for one mile and headed west and followed the 1st Bn. As it passed
through the town of LES AIS considerable firing could be heard off to the front. This later turned out to
be the 1st Battalion engaging a considerable enemy force. By afternoon of the 10th all of the 1st
Battalion had been committed and it was necessary to send in both K and L Companies on their right.
Lt. Hereford of L Company had the dubious honor of becoming the 1st officer casualty when one
of the rounds in a preparatory artillery barrage exploded directly over him in a tree-burst. Sgt. Carl H.
Becherer of the same company was killed almost immediately afterwards by a sniper and thus became
the first enlisted man in the Battalion to give his life in action.
The attack, launched with K on the right and L on the left, was held to almost a standstill by
extremely determined resistance. Our first terrifying experience under a full-scale artillery barrage was
unforgettable. Enemy batteries were close enough to hear the rounds start their journey of death and
destruction. Cartoonists and swivel-chaired columnists can describe figuratively the effects of such
lethal weapons. Mere words cannot reveal the horror and suspense an infantryman feels as he waits for
the in-coming barrage. A wave of utter helplessness grips one as the low whistle of speeding missiles
mounts to a whining crescendo as it approaches nearer. It is almost like being tied to a railroad track
watching an express engine bearing down.
A rapid succession of explosions rocked the ground. Red flames, black powder and the angry
whirr of jagged chunks of shrapnel slashed through the air. Amid the bursting inferno an infantryman
could only lie and pray. It seemed as if nothing on earth could survive such devastating pounding.
Between the powerful explosions of bursting shells one could hear the dull thud of big guns sending
more rounds on the way. Screams of the wounded and cries for “Medic” and “Aid Man” filled the silent
gaps between explosions. The only chance for survival appeared to be getting a “lucky” or light wound
and evacuation to the rear. A hazy, cloud-like vapor hung over the battlefield and drifted slowly
skyward as the barrage ended. A death-like silence seemed to engulf the entire area, It was truly a “hell-
on-earth” and only a typical example of every artillery barrage yet to come.
When the attack of L and K Companies faltered to a halt the Battalion set up a defensive line on
the right flank of the 1st Bn. and waited for orders. It was in this position that the Battalion experienced
its first case of battle “jitters.” A reconnaissance patrol leader reported back from a forward listening
post that the enemy could be heard massing huge numbers of tanks for a counterattack in the morning.
Everyone proceeded to spend the entire night digging foxholes down to a depth of at least five or six
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