Interview
of William Stanley Thornton (Sergeant, U.S. Army, retired), 50th Signal
Battalion, by the editor of the Mebane (North
Carolina) Enterprise
WORLD WAR II (WWII)
Episode 1 Editor: World War II
veterans are notably close-mouthed about their experiences during the
war. Why, in your opinion, are these veterans so reluctant to
speak of their experiences and why do you now come forward to share
your memories with the readers of the Mebane Enterprise? Thornton: I believe WWII
veterans have been hesitant to share their memories for two
reasons: (1) The majority, including myself, feel that they were
not unique in their roles – everyone performed the duties for which
they were trained, and (2) they were hesitant to toot their own horns
for fear of being seen as more deserving of recognition than their
comrades.
I have agreed to share my memories because of the increased interest
among the general public of today, and the encouragement from personal
contacts, to hear individual stories as adjuncts to scholarly
treatments of the history of WWII. I may offer historical facts
of which I am aware that directly relate to my personal experiences.
For anyone who may wish to pursue a broader history of WWII, I
recommend the single volume “A World At Arms”, by Gerhard Weinberg.
Episode 2 Editor: Why did you
enlist in the Army at the tender age of sixteen? Thornton: It’s a long
story: I needed a job.
When I lost my father as a toddler we came to live with my
grandparents, Sam and Dora Thornton, on their farm in the Hawfields
community. When my mother elected to go on her own a year or so
later, I was given and accepted the option of remaining with my
grandparents. I had developed a close relationship with my
“Granddad”, following in his foot-steps wherever he went and becoming
his happy helper when I grew old enough.
As my grandparents aged and themselves becoming dependent upon other
family members, I found myself in need of gainful employment. I worked
several short-term jobs; including a few weeks during the summer for
the Riggs’ at their “Daisy Dairy” farm in Mebane.
I was driven by a need to do something of more permanence and
responsibility. In late 1936 I was turned-down by the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) that had the minimum age requirement of
21. Finally, after turning sixteen, I approached the Army
Recruiting Sergeant in Raleigh: After telling him that I was
eighteen, and securing my mothers written consent, I became “Private
William Stanley Thornton” in April 1937.
Episode 3: Editor: Tell us about
your transition from that of a farm boy to that of a new soldier:
Did you experience any misgivings of your decision to enlist? Thornton: No, no
misgivings. Maybe a little reserved being in association with
older, more experienced, soldiers.
Editor: What was your
branch of service? Thornton: Initially I was
assigned to a Field Artillery unit where I received basic individual
training and then advanced military training, including field
exercises. Upon completion of this training, I was reassigned to
the Medical Service Corps where I remained until retirement in
1959. (It is important to note there were no recruit training
centers, as later came into being, and the Medical units were not
organized to conduct such training. It was therefore the practice
for new recruits to be assigned to combat arms units for their
individual and advanced military training).
Episode 4 Editor: Did you find that
the lack of a high School education restrained your progress? Thornton: I can’t say for
certain, but I don’t believe so. After being assigned to the
Station Hospital at Madison Barracks, I enrolled in night classes at
the nearby Watertown (NY) High School, but it was after the war that I
graduated from the Waukegan (IL) High School while still in the
service. Perhaps the best answer to your question is that I
passed the examinations and was appointed to the grade of Sergeant in
February 1940. The highest potential for which I was considered
came in December 1944: A Board Officers, convened for the purpose
at Headquarters, VII corps, found me qualified for direct appointment
as a commissioned officer.
Episode 5 Editor: Before the attack
on Pearl Harbor did you foresee the United States becoming actively
engaged in the hostilities? Thornton: Yes! I
remember news articles and people talking about the build-up of German
and Japanese forces before I enlisted in April 1937.
My appointment as Sergeant in 1940 was a direct result of the beginning
build-up of our military forces. Upon appointment, I was
immediately reassigned to a vacancy in a recently formed medical
battalion then preparing for the first BIG maneuvers that were to range
from Georgia through Louisiana. We were issued newly designed
military M-series vehicles, including the legendary “Jeep”. There
was little doubt that we were preparing for a war of worldwide
consequences.
After almost a year in which our battalion participated in large
landmass training, I was acutely aware of the Army as a total force
that was preparing for its intended mission, lethal combat.
Episode 6 Editor: Did you remain
with the Fifth Medical Battalion throughout the war? Thornton: No.
Following the BIG maneuvers of 1940 and temporary respite at Fort
Knox, Kentucky, I was ordered to lead a cadre to organize and train a
medical detachment in support for the newly activated Fiftieth Signal
Battalion then being formed at Camp McCoy Wisconsin.
We arrived at Camp McCoy in the dead of a Wisconsin winter where we
found the only available fixed-structure shelters were horse
stables. We renovated the stables, installed coal burning heaters
(the new “Sibley” stoves) and rode (no pun intended) out the
winter. In April I was promoted to the senior enlisted
grade authorized our detachment: Staff Sergeant. I served with
the Fiftieth Signal Battalion
until the end of the war.
Episode 7 Editor: WOW! What
came next? Thornton: As spring began
to break, the battalion conducted limited field exercises, received new
equipment and personnel, and prepared for the second BIG maneuvers of
1941. During the maneuvers, about mid-August, a rumor began
circulating that the battalion had been selected for an overseas
assignment.
In late November 1941 we moved to the New York Port of
Embarkation. It was there on December 7, 1941 that we heard the
news of the Japanese attack upon the United States at Pearl
Harbor. About December 14 we boarded ship for our still
classified destination, but a week later we found ourselves limping
into the port of Boston where we remained until returning to New York
(by train) before the end of the year. Christmas in Boston and New
Year’s Eve in New York City in 1941 was not real bad duty for a
soldier. But that good duty was not to last – we soon departed
again for our undisclosed destination.
Episode 8 Editor: Come-on,
Bill! Tell us about the undisclosed destination. Thornton: In January 1942
we arrived in Iceland where we would sojourn for a long twenty-three
months. Editor: Twenty- three
months! Tell us about Iceland, what was it like, what did you do
there?
Thornton: Though Iceland is a highly literate nation, claiming to
be the world’s oldest democracy, it was the pits from the perspective
of young American soldiers. Icelanders were very reserved in personal
contacts with Americans; there was little fraternization between
American males and Icelandic females. The only public
recreational facility that attracted both Icelanders and Americans
together was an indoor swimming pool located in Reykjavik some distance
from our camp.
The only training facility was our dispensary building that we used
after morning sick call to reemphasize lessons already learned.
Maintaining morale as individuals and as a group required a great deal
of American ingenuity.
Reading (books and magazines received from home) was the predominate
pastime. There were some small ventures by individual
soldiers: for example, one soldier constructed small picture
frames, another fashioned (finger) rings from scrap aluminum, one built
a loom with which he wove fabric from readily available sheep’s wool
yarn, one fabricated a coat from baby seal skins (also readily
available), and, for my part, I established a lending library in a
spare room of our dispensary building.
No physical training programs were imposed by higher command, but my
men were encouraged to participate in organized exercises such as
hiking, that most disliked of army training, was resorted to almost on
a daily basis, weather permitting. We often did impromptu things
as came to mind, such as cross-country skiing, also as weather
permitted.
I am proud of the way my men made the best of an otherwise adverse
situation, for such a long time
Episode 9 Carter: Oh, my! So
what came next? Thornton: ENGLAND!!
In December we moved to England where, after the aloofness of the
Icelanders, it was a pleasure to associate with people who spoke our
language (with a foreign accent, of course) and who were genuinely
happy to make us welcome.
Upon our arrival in England, the 50th Signal Battalion was assigned to
the VII Corps of the First Field Army. The mission
of the battalion was to provide for communications between the Corps
headquarters and the headquarters of its attached divisions, and to
provide integrating links joining all elements of the Corps. The
mission of the Medical Detachment was to provide first echelon medical
support by establishing a central dispensary and assigning
individual medical soldiers in direct support of companies of the
battalion, and to evacuate the severely disabled to supporting medical
facilities. (Note: The Field Army “Corps” is a flexible
organization to which combat divisions are attached and detached as
determined by the Field Army Commander to be appropriate to the
tactical situation. Support units such as Signal, Medical,
Engineer, and Supply and Service battalions, are assigned).
Along with the reality that we were destined to participate in a
gigantic undertaking, every man knew that he had to rise to his best
potential, and they did. We worked hard getting our equipment and
ourselves ready for the big event; physical training, receiving and
processing new equipment, waterproofing vehicle ignition, exhaust, and
carburetion systems; loading of landing ships and practicing invasion
of simulated enemy beaches.
We practiced invasion exercises so often that we never knew when the
real thing was imminent. For us the real thing came before the
planned invasion: Before dawn on the morning of April 28, 1944,
while engaged in a training exercise code named Tiger, nine German
E-boats attacked our convoy of LSTs (Landing Ship Tank), sinking one
LST and severely damaging another. (Your readers can learn more
about this unique naval battle by going to “Exercise Tiger” on the
internet).
But, it wasn’t all work and no play.
There were invitations to dances in the village of Cranbourne and there
were the female soldiers, from the nearby ATS (Auxiliary Territorial
Services) camp, who honored us by their presence at our social
functions in Camp Nine Ewes (on an English gentleman’s estate).
There was enough free time to visit other parts of England. I
visited London twice, making friends, and I visited friends at their
home in the village of Garforth, Near Leeds. It really was
gratifying to know people who had already experienced, with honor, the
ravages of war. You can’t pooh-pooh the British.
Episode 10 Editor: I sense
that the big dance was approaching: Knowing that you were headed
into combat, were you afraid? Did you fear that you might be
killed? Thornton: No. The
possibility of being killed or wounded may have been somewhere in one’s
subconscious mind, you didn’t think of that – you just did the
things for which you were trained without dwelling on thoughts of what
might happen.
Let me emphasize that I will not dwell upon the gory details of
war. Though soldiers of the 50th Signal Battalion frequently
worked close behind the front lines, I never became aware that any of
them came face-to-face with an enemy soldier. We were, however,
constantly within enemy artillery range and we sustained
casualties. The Medical Detachment suffered two combat losses. Editor: Tell us about the
invasion. Thornton: Early in June
we again boarded an LST. We, the lower grades, were unaware that
this was the beginning of the long awaited invasion until the early
hours of June 6 when the roar of hundreds of heavy aircraft passing
overhead, flying west to east: This was it! D-Day!
All day and all night on the 6th and 7th we were close enough to hear
and see the action going forth on shore. Then on the 8th, we
reloaded from the LST to LCTs (Landing Craft Tank) for the final
hundred yards or so to the Utah beach. From then until May 8,
1945 (Victory in Europe, VE, Day) our detachment participated with
distinction in five campaigns: Normandy, Northern France,
Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe.
(Note: The five beachheads were not joined into an effective front
until June 12, the date Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces, Europe
declared the invasion successful.)
Episode 11 Editor: Tell us about
your experiences during your eleven months in the combat zone? Thornton: This may be the
question that no one wants to answer: Talking about the drudgery,
the day-after-day of doing the same thing, maybe thinking “will it
never end”; some days when little happens, some days when all hell
breaks loose like German artillery barrages and counter attacks.
Beginning June 6 (actually the night of June 5 with the airborne
landings), the VII Corps (commanded by Lieutenant General J. Lawton
Collins) with four infantry divisions and two airborne divisions
attached, was to secure the right flank of Utah Beach and then
isolate and capture the deep-water Port of Cherbourg. Beginning
about June 10, with the 4th Infantry Division in the lead and the other
divisions following through as they arrived, the Corps attacked from
east to west across the base of the Cotentin peninsula, isolating the
German forces defending the peninsula and the port. About June 18
the VII Corps attack turned northward, securing the surrender of the
German Commander on June 26. The Allies now controlled a major
deep-water port (ironically, the same port from which E-Boats had
attacked us earlier). This mission accomplished, the VII Corps
turned southward where some of the most intense land battles were yet
to come: Carentan, Periers. St. Gilles, and Marigny through July
24. Breakthrough and exploitation came July 25 to August 6, but
then on August 7 the Germans mounted major counter attacks at two
points upon the VII Corps’ left/eastern flank northwest of
Mortain. The Germans forces came close to being surrounded by
Allied forces racing-in from the north, but withdrew on August 18 after
sustaining some 250,000 casualties. This would be the Germans
last major effort to defeat or delay the Allies until they mounted the
Ardennes Offensive (The Battle of the Bulge) in December.
Episode 12 Editor: What next? Thornton: The race was
on.
We headed east encountering little resistance until reaching the upper
Seine River, between Melun and Paris, where the Germans resisted our
crossing until withdrawing toward the northeast and again resisting our
crossing of the Aisne River at Soissons. Heading northward, we
crossed the border into Belgium on September 2. Then, turning eastward
and meeting persistent resistance from the Meuse River near Namur
through the western obstacles of the Siegfried line, we crossed into
Germany on September 15.
We settled-in for an extended stay southeast of Aachen because our
combat forces had outrun our logistics support. For the soldier
on the ground, it was a welcome relief from the constant movement since
the invasion in June. We were in need of a break – a chance to
rest in relative comfort and catch up on personal needs. This
isn’t to say there was no war going on. On the contrary, American
combat units on the line were probing and being probed. We came
under German artillery fire sporadically, night and day – more perhaps
than when we sere on the move.
As logistics support improved, so did combat activities increase.
During November, elements of our First Army and the American Ninth Army
(on our northern flank) were attacking toward the German industrial
Ruhr. Further south, the American Third Army had pushed to the
Saar River, and the American Seventh Army had reached the upper
tributaries of the Rhine River.
And then the impossible happened!
Episode 13 Editor: WHAT HAPPENED!!? Thornton: The Battle of
the Bulge!
"The battle would be the bloodiest since the Meuse-Argonne Battle of
World War I.” (S. L. A. Marshall)
In the early morning hours of December 16, the Germans mounted a
massive attack into the VIII Corps sector to our south and we were
ordered to prepare for a major move. The VII Corps’ new mission
was to pull back into defensive blocking positions in Belgium. It
was to be a long move; retracing our route back to Liege and then
southward to positions still being assessed. Though senior
commanders were kept abreast of the situation, people such as me had
little knowledge of what had happened or was happening. We
learned quickly that the immediate situation was very fluid.
Everyone was on heightened alert. Many were unaware of locations
of friendly or enemy dispositions. Mostly, for awhile, it was a
matter of establishing a position and holding for whatever came next.
As American men and units held against the enemy, organization and
reorganization took the place of confusion. Reorganization placed
VII Corps, along with its newly assigned mission, its combat divisions,
and support units along a line extending east from Hotton and west from
Marche, Belgium, some twenty to thirty-five miles south, southeast, and
southwest of Liege.
The main battle of the VII Corps came on December 24 with the Germans
waging determined advances toward the Meuse River. On Christmas
day, under heavily overcast skies, General Collins ordered the 2nd
Armored Division to advance and conduct limited offensive
attacks. As the skies cleared, close air support turned the
battles being fought around the bulge to the advantage of the
Americans. By January 3, 1945, the Bulge was gone and the Allies
were poised for advances to the Rhine River and beyond.
Weather is always a tactical factor to be considered in ground combat
operations, but it is also a personal consideration for the
soldiers. I remember the weather: severe, excruciating
cold. Some of the time we were able to find shelter from the
blowing snow, but most days, in sub-zero temperatures, it was
impossible to escape the cold; ground so frozen you couldn’t drive a
tent stake; miserable, miserable cold – unbearable cold; and more so at
night when you dared not move about for fear of being shot, by a friend
or an enemy. One had to forego even the most human needs for
several days at a time. Of course, war is not a humane adventure.
Episode 14 Editor: What was it like
as you advanced into the German Homeland? Thornton: What was left
of the German forces tried desperately to hold the Western Allies at
the Rhine River, but their efforts were hopeless. The VII Corps
came by a bit of good fortune when an alert Engineer dashed across the
railway bridge near the Rhine River town of Remagen and disabled
explosives the Germans had set to destroy the bridge. In
short-order, the engineers “planked” the bridge enabling our troops and
vehicles to cross without getting our feet wet. Meanwhile pontoon
bridges were being laid up and down the river. By mid-March,
German defense at the Rhine River was over.
Thereafter, there was little organized resistance until the final
“unconditional surrender” of Germany on May 8, 1945. The names of
places along our route now jog few memories of my mind: Aachen,
Duren, Hannover, Kassel, Nordhausen (where we liberated the emasculated
inmates of the most inhumane political prison), and Eisleben (where I
visited the first church Martin Luther established after his split with
the mother church), Halle, and Leipzig (ending our journey).
Aside from the mission to defeat the enemy, a most important inherent
mission was to stabilize and oversee the governments of jurisdictions
coming under our control. Civil Affairs/Military Government teams had
been trained in the United States for assignment to predetermined
jurisdictions. That is, for example, the team assigned to
Eisleben had been trained for and knew the political landscape of that
jurisdiction.
By the time we arrived in Leipzig, in mid-April, the war was over
except for the official surrender formalities. The city had
escaped major war damage: The government was operational, most
buildings were habitable (two units of an apartment complex were
assigned to the Medical Detachment for a dispensary and living
quarters), and utilities were functional.
A point system was established to determine individual priorities by
which battalion members would be selected for rotation to the United
States. Points were amassed based upon such considerations as
total length of service, time in combat, awards, etc. It was
determined that I was the high-point man in the Battalion and entitled
to be among the first group to be rotated.