After the war in Europe ended in May of 1945, David’s brother Macey, who was still in the Army at the time, found out where in Germany David’s old unit was stationed and arranged a visit. He wanted to meet some of the guys who had known David and find out more about the circumstances of David’s death. The following letter, written on the Fourth of July, 1945 and sent to David’s mother and his wife Louise, recounts his time there and, although hard to read, relates many of the missing details of the manner of David’s death and the events leading up to it.
Cpl. S. Macey Johnson 34916356
Hq. Btry 489th AAA AW Bn (SP)
APO 403, % Postmaster
New York, N.Y.
Unt Haching, Germany
July 4th, 1945
Dearest Mother and Louise,
Last night I returned from my visit to Dave’s Company, which I finally managed to arrange. I left here Monday, July 2nd, and came back late yesterday afternoon. We had a truck going to Nurnburg, and I went along, for the boys had permission from my officers to help me find the right place, which was not too far from Nurnburg. The Company was not just where I was originally told, but we found them after a time, and I arrived at their quarters about 4:30 PM. The Company, in fact most of the Battalion was billited in an old German castle, which had been cleaned up and arranged like barracks. I obtained permission to stay for the night, and made arrangements with my boys to come for me the next day around noon. Consequently, I was able to spend the night with the boys in Dave’s squad and platoon. They were swell to me, and I would not take anything for having gone. They all thought the world of Dave, and it made me mighty proud to be his brother. I am writing you and Louise on the typewriter, so I can try to cover everything I learned, and so each of you can have a copy. I was afraid if I tried to cover everything separately, I would leave out something. Then too, thought I would send Rip and maybe Jess a copy, so that everyone would know just what I learned. There is no change in the basic facts, but feel that I learned a few details that you both would like to know about. Then too, I have the addresses of the boys, which should make it easier to check some point, which I might have overlooked, and which we may want to find out about later
First of all, I am sorry to say, there can be no mistake about Dave having met his death on April 17th. I talked to so many of his buddies, and showed each his picture, so that we can no longer hope for a mistake in the news you first received. It is still so hard to believe, I know, but stories we’ve read about, where others have been reported lost, and later found, do not apply to us.
As to the discrepancy in the place of Dave’s grave, I tried to check this. The Captain of “G” Company wrote Louise that Dave was buried near Ittenbach, which is on the Rhine, near Bonn, Germany. The Red Cross seems to have written Rip, that Dave was buried near Breuna, Germany, in the vicinity of Kassel. The local records of the Company as well as the 26th Regiment, would show only what you first received, and since this is not in the hands of the unit, I could not verify either version, since they do not handle this. I will have to check this through the Army Graves Registration, called GRO section, which means Graves Registration Office. I was told that at the time of Dave’s death, his outfit was in the 7th Corps, while now they are in the 5th Corps. Also, the outfit was in the First Army, and now they are in the Third Army. I was told that probably the 7th Corps GRO would know about this, and I am going to try to find out where they are located, to see what I can learn. Some mention was made of the possibility that all US graves would be moved from German soil, so it may be that this will be done. If it is done, they will notify Louise. In view of the above changes, I believe it will be something of a job to get to the right office, but I will try to do this and let you all know what I learn. Anyhow, I think I found out most everything about this that “G” Company could give us.
While with the boys, I tried to check up on Dave’s personal things. They told me that the GRO handled this, and while it might take a long time, such things as his wallet, pictures etc, would be sent home. I also checked into his mail. His Company has no mail there for him, or packages, for this has all been sent back to the APO or somewhere. They told me that his mail would be looked through, and if there were no checks or other important papers, it would be destroyed, or sent back. I have received two letters, which I wrote Dave April 17th and 19th, or rather which are postmarked on these dates, so possibly you all will have returned to you some of the letters you wrote. I wanted to get his letters, if I could, so I could send them to you in order that you might know just which of your letters reached him, for I was interested in this, and felt that you both would like to know this too. Consequently, the only item I could get was Dave’s Purple Heart Ribbon, which Stanley Kots had been holding for us. As you probably know, the medal is not worn, except on dress parade and the like, and those who earn the Purple Heart wear the ribbon. The boys don’t all wear the ribbon, except when dressed up a little, and Kot said that Dave had his ribbon wrapped up in a little piece of tissue paper. I think it got dirty in Kot’s pocket, but am glad he saved it, for I believed that you Louise would like to have something Dave actually wore over here. Louise I will enclose this ribbon in your letter, if it does not make it too bulky. If it does make it too big, will send it some other way.
I will try to tell you know what happened the day Dave met his death. Possibly there are a few minor discrepancies, but if you will take into consideration that the boys were all under fire, and in danger of losing their lives each minute, I think you will agree that there is really no discrepancy of any importance. They could not check up at the moment it happened, so had to remember things occurring in the heat of battle, which is hard to do. Concerning this, I talked to all the boys in Dave’s squad, and others who were around, including Lt. Bert Jacobs, Dave’s Platoon Commander, and Sgt. Frederick Cavalier, who was in the second squad’s vicinity, and who was assistant squad leader of the 1st squad, of the 1st Platoon, Dave was in the second squad of the 1st Platoon. Dave was assistant squad leader.
The outfit had gotten a rest on April 16th, according to Cavalier, and went into action on the morning of April 17th. The objective was the town of Schierke, and the general area was thick with woods and undergrowth, as well as very hilly. However, the final battle took place in a fairly level or sloping section of woods, on the approach to the town, possibly a mile or so from the town. The company had fanned out, probably in “askirmishers”, which is a line, more or less, with the men spaced so each can shoot ahead, but with enough depth so that a lateral machine gun sweep would not get them all. Anyhow, the 1st Platoon was on the left of a little road, running through the woods, at least two squads were on that side, and other squads were on the right of the road, possibly from another platoon, or the remaining squads of the first platoon. They started advancing about 7:00 AM, and drew fire from the Jerries about 7:30 AM, and as they had come in contact with a sizeable number of Jerries, the advance from then on was measured in feet. The 1st squad was not supposed to be the lead squad, but some of the new replacements in the other squads were holding back some, which made the first squad in the lead. This last statement was made by Lawrence Prorock, of Dave’s squad. Just about this time, Dave’s squad leader, Majestic, was wounded, and called to Dave to take over command of the squad. Majestic told me he remembered how Dave came up, gave him one of his big grins, and told him to take it easy, get a good rest, and then moved away to take charge of the squad. The boys moved on until they neared a road block, which is a series of logs etc. across the road, usually in considerable depth. These road blocks are always covered by at least sniper fire, but this particular one was watched by a large number of Jerrys, all dug in and there to stay, if possible. The advance was stopped cold, by the stiff resistance they met at this point. The thick woods still prevailed, and the road block was just around a sharp lefthand curve, an advisable setup, from the Jerry standpoint. At the time, artillery and mortor fire was coming in, but Prorock stated that it was not coming close enough to bother them too much, at that time. The machine gun and other fire was thick and fast though, and our men were being shot all along. Prorock also stated that sometime before this, he was near Dave, when he thought he saw something glint, just a few yards ahead. He called to Dave and told him he thought he saw a machine gun. Dave told him to fire in that direction, so he would know which way to look. He did, and then Dave crawled up enough to toss a grenade into the machine gun nest and knock it out. At the roadblock, they were held up for several hours in all, but some time during this time, Kots said Dave came back to Lt. Jacobs, who was behind Dave a short distance, in the middle of his 1st platoon, and said something to him about taking three or four men up to see what was holding them up. Kot said that Dave was never one to lag behind, and that if anything was going on, he was always the one to be there. He said that if they had an objective to take, he would always keep on driving until it was taken, for he did not want to stop or rest until the mission was accomplished. In any event, the orders came out to go about seventy five yards beyond the road block, and hold until the bull dozier and tanks could come up to knock out the trees composing the road block, so I feel sure Dave’s talk to Lt. Jacobs was before this, and about the time he knocked out the machine gun nest. I believe this because Prorock said that Dave said something to the effect that he felt they were as far beyond the road block as they should go. Also, according to Prorock, the other squads did not come up on line as they should have, which left Dave and his squad at the point of the attack, whereas it seems most of the platoon should have been almost abreast, to keep the Jerrys pinned down, and to afford maximum fire power. When the orders came out to go further forward, Prorock stated that Dave signaled the men to move up, or infiltrate up. This is done in rushes, one at a time, so the enemy cannot see the full strength, and so the others can protect the runner, by keeping the enemy pinned down. It seems that the men were slow to move up, and so Dave got up to make a rush. Prorock thinks he did this to show the men, some of whom were new, that he would not ask them to do something he himself would not do. He also said that Dave really made a longer run than he should have. I believe he said it was possibly a three or four second run, whereas it probably should not have been over a two second run. He got behind the base of a tree, and Prorock thinks was turning around to signal the others to come up, when he was shot through the head, the bullet entering somewhere behind his ear, most likely his left ear. This sniper had killed several of the men before he got Dave, and it is rather certain that he had a well camouflaged position, at an angle to the attack line, affording a shot, even though trees were immediately in front of our men. Anyhow, it is certain that Dave did not know what hit him, and that there was no suffering. It was as swift and sudden, Louise, as he described to you, and I think we can be thankful for that much anyhow. The boys were not interested in time, but most agreed that this was in the neighborhood of 1:30 PM, for they were held up at this point for five or six hours, and had met resistance to to this particular roadblock, where it was so very stiff. It was learned too that the men holding the Jerry positions were S.S. Troopers. They were drunk, and fighting in the most fanatical manner, for many whiskey bottles were around their holes, some were seen staggering, the one or two who, I think, did finally surrender. The boys all said though, that this was as rough a day as they had ever seen. Even when the tanks finally got through the road block, and were firing maybe 76 MM shells direct into the Jerry holes, they would not come out and surrender, but would fire burp guns at the tanks (these could not possibly go through them) showing that they were just fighting drunk, and did not care whether they lived or died. They were just shooting at anything and everything, but in the end none of the SS men came out alive, or without being seriously wounded, and they said the man who shot Dave was killed. Also, I understood that due to our losses, Dave’s company could not continue the attack, due to the heavy loss of men, and I think that another company had to take over. Out of the 1st Platoon, eleven were killed, 11 wounded, and 11 came out all right, and in the company seven squad leaders were killed or wounded. This was the last heavy battle, for while the company participated in one or two more, the Jerrys were on the run, and little or no casualties resulted. All the men and officers stated that they felt their time had come, each minute of that six or seven hour battle, and no one understands how he came out alive. The last words of Dave were, “Let’s go”. This was confirmed by both Russel Turner and Cavalier, who were within a few yards of Dave when he was hit, and I think is typical of his driving character, no matter what the odds. All the boys said that Dave was very calm in combat, and that he believed that when God wanted to take him, he would go, and so he did not worry about it. He did not talk to them, if he had any premonition that he would go, and he was as cheerful on this day, as he was on any other day.
When I went to see the boys, who incidently are at Lichtenau, in the castle I mentioned, I carried with me the snapshot Dave sent me, of some of his squad.This was taken in February, in front of their log hut, while they were on a rest, waiting for the flood waters to go down, so they could move on. I am sure you have a picture like this, for you mentioned it, Mother, in one of your letters, just before I received mine. Dave is squatting down, and has his knit cap on the back of his head. The big fellow on the left, standing, is (going from left to right in the picture) Pfc. Stanley Kots, ASN 31425267, home address 166 School Street, Groveland, Mass. Kots, no longer in the squad, was a runner the day Dave was taken, but was a radio (walkie talkie) operator when the picture was taken. As I mentioned Dave was seen by Kots when he came up to Lt. Jacobs, to see about the matter of what was holding them up. Kots also said that whereever there was action, Dave wanted to be there, not behind somewhere. The second boy from the left, is Pfc. Clayton Schwind, 42142020, 39 Bleile Ter.,Rochester, N.Y. I was with this boy and talked to him, and he gave me some of this information. The third from the left is Spencer Celing, age 32, who has four children, and whose home address is Laurel, Maryland. His serial number is 33901758. I thought I would miss this man, and especially wanted to see him for the boys told me he was close to Dave, and was Dave’s Foxhole buddy. However, I got to talk to him a long time, although he is working with a service company of the regiment. His address is Service Company, 26th Infantry, APO 1, although mail to Dave’s address would eventually get to him. Sealing is a slow talking fellow, who might have been a farmer. He thought the world of Dave, and they were together a lot of the time. One of the boys had told me that Dave had a pistol, and that he had told Sealing, whose nick name is Snapper, that if anything should ever happen to him, that he wanted Snapper to have the pistol. I checked with Snapper, and found that he had gotten the pistol, as Dave had wished, and I was glad of that. Snapper said that Dave had also told him that he could have anything like that he might happen to have, although for weight reasons, they naturally did not carry too much around. The last man in the picture is Creighton Gardner. He was wounded at the Rohr River, and apparently was still in the hospital, at the time of my visit, so of course did not see him. He was at the extreme right, of the standing men. Dave, of course was the first on the left, of the men squatting down. Next to him, with the ammo around his neck is a boy named Williams, who was killed some time before Dave, by a month or two. Third from left is James Azur, also killed in action, I think before Dave. Last on the right is a kid named Pfc. Winston Stables, 33858855, home address, Hebron, Virginia. Stables was injured, and was in the hospital at the time Dave was killed. He told me Dave was a real soldier, and helped him so much when he first came to the outfit, as a green recruit. Dave was just coming into the outfit, out of the hospital, when Stables was coming in for the first time.
The men in Dave’s squad, the second squad, toward the last were as follows: S/Sgt. Ray Majestic, 33399198, 34 Maytide Street, Pittsburg, Pa. As I mentioned, he was wounded and Dave took over, for Majestic was squad leader, which is probably why he is alive today. I talked a lot to Majestic, who really liked Dave. Thomas Finn, 1st scout, wounded, and now in England. A boy named Kerkoff, killed same day as Dave, they think by same sniper. A boy named O’Toole, killed same day, by same sniper who got Kerkoff. Lawrence Prorock, PFC., 33809929, 2608 West 7th Street, Chester, Penn., was one who was especially nice to me, and who gave me possibly most of my information. He was with Dave a lot, and was the one who pointed out the machine gun nest to Dave, who threw the grenade in it. He really talked swell about Dave. Clayton Schwind, mentioned as being in the picture. Snapper Sealing, Dave’s pal, mentioned above. A boy named Rogers, killed in action the same day Dave was, and Russel Turner, 2nd scout, S/Sgt., Cootes Store, Virginia. I also talked to Turner quite a bit too, and he also was helpful. Close to Dave, but in the 1st squad was Sgt. F.C. Cavalier, 42113786, 257 North Sixth Street, Fulton, New York. He was with Dave a lot, and was one of the closest to him when he was hit. He helped me a lot.
Another man in the first squad was Carl Sweed, 38581083, 2416 Hot Springs Blvd., Las Vegas, New Mexico. Carl was just behind Cavalier when Dave was hit, and gave me some of the information I wanted. This just about covers the boys who were close to Dave when it happened, and who were friends of his. I did talk to Lt. Bert Jacobs, 01318802, RD Burrstone Road, New Hartford, New York. As I’ve said, he was Dave’s platoon leader, and was not far away when it happened, but not as close of Cavalier and the others, since his position was about in the middle of the platoon. Jacobs was nice to me, and told me the general tactical setup, and circumstances. He said he did not know how he came out of it that day. I talked also, a little to the company commander, Capt. Walker. He was nice enough, but did not particularly warm up. He is the one responsible for Dave not getting the writing job, which would have put him to the rear, and from talking to the boys, and learning another incident like that, I gathered they did not like him especially, even though he was a good combat man. I asked Jacobs about the location of the grave, and the reason for the discrepancy, but he said they could not tell us anything other than what their records showed, or what Capt. Walker wrote us. He gave me the names of the groups, so I could try to write them, however. The boys told me that Dave was a great letter writer, and wrote home every chance he got, which they said was not too often. They also said he wrote some mighty good articles for their paper, and all seemed sorry he did not get the regular assignment on the paper. I asked for some copies, but they told me the peper was censored, and had to be destroyed when read. Prorock told me, as did one or two others, that while they were in foxholes a good bit of the time, as soon as they set up in a place for a day or so, Dave always got out his wife’s picture and his little girl’s picture, and pinned them over his bed. They said he also received a lot of mail, sometimes maybe ten or more letters.
I questioned most all of them about his attitude and outlook on things in general. They said he was always bright and did not seem to be downhearted, although he would tell them off if they were wrong about something. He took great pride in his squad (which I know is true from what he wrote me) and would not let anyone say anything against it. One time, when they had been going especially long, the squad developed a few lice, and they said Dave was a sight. As I understood it, no one said anything, but it leaked out. Dave overheard Cavalier make a statement that the second squad was a lousey squad. Even though they were good friends, Dave walked up to him, grabbed him by the collar, and wanted to know why he made that statement about his squad. They think they picked up the little fellows when they once had squad quarters over a chicken house. They told me that everytime the hens clucked, they went running down the ladder to pick up the awaiting solitary egg. They got over the bug situation quickly, however.
Also, the boys all told me in no uncertain terms, what a good soldier Dave was. Stables, Cavalier and Turner all told me what a big help he was to them in combat, in getting them adjusted to things. Dave once gave Turner a watch he had come across. Majestic, said that although he was squad leader, he always talked things over with Dave, before doing anything. He said that Dave took his guard duty very seriously, and once called Majestic down, when he went off without telling anyone. Majestic also told me how once or twice they had captured some Germans, and had left Dave back to guard them. Majestic laughed when he told me how furious Dave was that he had been left to guard prisoners. As I’ve said he felt he should be where the trouble was, and was always ready in a tight. On the other hand, Prorock and others told me how he would get mad at them if they did not treat a Jerry soldier right. Prorock told me that one time he was mad, and gave a Jerry soldier a rough push, after capturing him. He said that Dave told him to cut it out, that he was a soldier, and not to mistreat him. He would not take advantage of Jerrys in combat either. One time (Dave wrote me) he hit an officer whose gun he had knocked away, rather than shoot an unarmed man. So, you can be sure that he lived up to his ideals, even through the war, which cannot always be said over here. It is just something else that you can rightfully take pride in.
The boys all seemed to hate losing him, and from the little things they told me, I could tell how they felt, even though death was so common to them, they did not take it as something far away from any of them. They told me that Dave was a great hand for saving things. Prorock told me that if anyone was out of anything, like toothpaste, lighter fluid, or the like, they would always say “see Dave”. They themselves would throw things like that away, for even a little is hard to carry, when you are lugging it, but they said Dave would always have those things. A boullion powder comes in C rations, and at some unexpected break, no one would have any, so they would all “see Dave” for some powder to make some hot drink. I myself used to throw them away. I once wrote Dave that we sprinkled boullion powder over our C ration pork meat spread, to change it’s everlasting taste just a little, and I wonder if that had anything to do with it. I asked, and the boys did not know about this army trick or giving some change to your army diet. If the boys had a lighter that did not work, as in the case of Cavalier , they went to Dave. They did not speak in terms of sentimental and poetic phrases, but when a doggie calls a man a “real soldier” it is praise better than any of the decorations. And I can say that Dave, and these boys did not get the recognition that was due. Dave was too valuable a man to lose, the CO said when was asked to go to write for the paper, yet he and the others received little in the way of honor, such as you read about in the papers. Some of these are justifiable, some are fair haired boys, who did little or nothing. I have seen Bronz Stars given out for not one hundredth the courage and bravery I was priviledged to hear about Dave, and some of his buddies. Of course I am writing to you who might be willing to believe anything good I might say, and I myself am prejudiced, but I am convinved of the truthfulness and accuracy of this last statement, and of these things I have told you.
Although I felt it before, I am fully convinced now that Dave could have survived this war, had he been only slightly less brave, and he would not have even had to compromise his honesty. He was a private, or possibly a Pfc, and he was doing the work of a staff sergeant, or squad leader when he died, and the work of a sergeant, or assistant squad leader, before that. These meant extra risk, leading men, often new men who did not know the score. One of the boys remarked while I was there that he or someone was asked to be acting squad leader or maybe assistant squad leader. He told them that when they were ready to make him what the job called for, and pay him for what he should be paid for, he would assume the extra risk. Dave did it anyhow, but I do not blame the other fellow, in fact I think he was right, not from a money standpoint, but the principal of the thing. But Dave, they told me, when once given a job, did not stop until it was done, and it is because of the “Let’s go” men like him who have enabled the rest of us to survive this war. I believe it was Prorock who told me that Dave was one time talking to a boy suffering from combat fatigue, who was afraid to go into action, no- I remember now it was Cavalier who told me this. Dave told the boy, “If God wants to take you, he will, so there is no need to be afraid”. So, Mother and Louise, I know Dave left us at peace with God and himself, and he left after doing all he could aid those around him. There was no great fanfare when he left, but we can all take pride in the sure knowledge that, as the doggie expressed it, a “real Soldier” and a real man was called that day, a man whose spirit will continue to be with us; a spirit which, I know, hopes to bring peace to those remaining.
All my love,
Mace