Reluctant Valor
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Reluctant Valor Special Limited Printing of Six Copies, 1997 For the Family of Thomas J. Evans p The Photographs and Illustrations Appearing In These Pages Have Been Provided Through the Courtesy of Richard (“Doc”) Buchanan, M.D., Friend and Comrade in Arms Reluctant Valor The Oral History of Captain Thomas J. Evans Fellow of the Center United States Third Army 4th Armored Division (Code Name: Harpoon) 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion European Theatre of Operations The Lorraine Tank Battles and The US Third Army's March to Czechoslovakia Containing The Combat Diary of the 704th TD Company C By Walter E. Mullen and Norman E. Macomber General Editors: Richard David Wissolik, Fellow of the Center Gary E.J. Smith, Fellow of the Center Consulting Editors: Charles J. McGeever, Fellow of the Center Richard R. “Doc” Buchanan, M. D., 704th TD Battalion Surgeon, ETO Fellow of the Center A Publication of the Saint Vincent College Center for Northern Appalachian Studies/Oral History Program Joe and Henny Heisel Series 1 United States of America Armed Forces Veterans Latrobe, Pennsylvania 1995 All Rights Reserved No Portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of The Saint Vincent College Center for Northern Appalachian Studies Published in the United States of America by the Saint Vincent College Center for Northern Appalachian Studies, Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650 Library of Congress Number: 95-4581 ISBN: 1–885851–05–7 Table of Contents Preface............................................................................... vii Introduction ........................................................................... ix A Note on the German Counterattack in the XII Corps Sector (September 19 – October 1, 1944) ......................................................... xiii Thomas J. Evans........................................................................ 1 Combat Diary “C” Company 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion ........................................................... 57 4th A.D. Unit Guards Fabulous Treasure .................................................. 125 The History Of The 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion From D Plus 36 To V-E Day ............................................................127 Bibliography/Suggested Reading..........................................................135 Index ................................................................................139 Preface HIS ORAL HISTORY WAS COMPILED over the course of three months, during the Summer of 1992. It encompasses six interview sessions, each approximately one and one-half hours in duration. Each inter- Tview was recorded onto audio cassette at the subject's home. Equipment used was a Realistic VSC 2001 cassette recorder with condenser microphone. Session's 1 – 5 were recorded onto Maxell UR – 90 Normal position tapes, while session 6 was recorded onto a BASF Ferro Extra I 90–minute tape. The difficulty in dealing with 50-year old memories meant that certain subjects often ended up out of their chronological context over the extended course of the interviews. Thus, in the interest of readability, it was necessary to reconfigure certain passages of the interview as a whole. Individual question/answer integrity remains intact, with the exception of the segments dealing with the liberation of the Ohrdruf Concentration Camp.1 Some Ohrdruf portions of the original interview were lost (due to equipment malfunction) and those segments were re-done during a later interview. In that instance, Mr. Evans answered the same question twice, and I have included both answers while omitting all duplications within that segment. Mr. Evans participated in manuscript corrections as regards spelling, syntax and grammar. Such corrections are reflected within the document without notation. Clarifications to existing material or the addition of post- interview material are contained in footnote form within the document. Any materials enclosed within brackets [ ] are my post-interview additions inserted to clarify possible points of confusion. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Mr. Evans and his wife Nancy, who were gracious both in allowing me into their home and in helping to edit the rough transcript. A word of thanks is in order also to Mr. John T. Sutton, Computer Systems Analyst at Saint Vincent College, for his timely help in solving one of my many computing errors. A final, special, thanks goes to Dr. Richard D. Wissolik, Professor of English, Saint Vincent College, and Director of the Center for Northern Appalachian Studies for offering this project to me. —Gary E. J. Smith Latrobe, PA September 1992 1 See Bibliography for references to Nazi death camps, especially Robert Mendler. Introduction HE GENERATION OF AMERICANS which came of age at the dawn of the Second World War were a special breed. They answered their country's call willingly, not necessarily due to any great idealistic Tstruggle against Nazism or imperialist aggression, but because there was a job to do. The generation which grew up during the lean years of the depression knew that, like the bitter pill of hunger and economic ruin, this new challenge would have to be faced and defeated before they could resume their lives. The ritual of going to war is as ancient as society itself. It is ingrained deep within our male personas. Perhaps for some there was an element of the fantastic: teenage boys marching cocksure into the induction centers, much like the brave children of Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage,2 who believed that a show of force alone would win the war, without full knowledge of the journey on which they were about to embark. For others, war represents a type of family duty. It is an honorable and expected way for the son to follow in his father's footsteps. But for most, war is merely a horrible diversion from the normal routine. It is a national, sometimes global sickness which can only be eradicated by throwing away the best and brightest a nation has to offer. This most ugly facet of war can best be illustrated with an example from the Soviet Union. During the Second World War, the Soviet Union suffered by far the most casualties. Some estimates place the figure as high as 20 million. What that means in human terms is 20 million men are no longer alive to be fathers, brothers, sons and lovers. Consequently, an entire generation of Soviet children were never permitted to be born, because their potential fathers were killed between 1941 – 45. It was not uncommon for entire families of brothers to enlist or be drafted during the Second World War. One example of how this practice could be detrimental occurred in the early days of the war. Five American brothers were serving on the same destroyer when their ship was sunk off the Pacific island of Guadalcanal. In one fell swoop, an entire family, present and future, was wiped out.3 The subject of this oral history, Mr. Thomas Evans, was one of five brothers serving at the same time, albeit on different fronts, during the Second World War. Mercifully, his family fared well. Thomas J. Evans was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, on March the 11th, 1920. His father, Frank, was a medicine manufacturer and wholesale druggist with a shop on Mount Pleasant Street in Greensburg beginning about 1925. His mother, Hilda, was, typically for this time period, a homemaker. Thomas Evans attended high school in Greensburg and graduated in 1938. He admits that his best subject was math. He played on the high school tennis team, but regrets not being “big enough to play football, much as I'd like to have.” Evans participated on the 1938 State Champion baseball team from Belmont, and enjoyed playing basketball. Even today, Evans is still quite active. Many times he had to be summoned from doing some type of yard work to sit for an interview. He is also still an active tennis player. Evans' first wife, Martha, whom he married in 1946, died in 1973. They had lived in Ligonier for one year prior to building a house on Morrison Avenue in Greensburg. There are three Evans children from this first marriage: Thomas, Jr (Tod), owner of Boomer's Restaurant in Greensburg, Mike, and Lisa. Evans remarried in 1976 to his present wife, Nancy, and they reside at 229 Morrison Avenue, Greensburg. While on terminal leave from the Army, Evans began working for Eidemiller's in Greensburg. He started in the parts department, but with his penchant for mathematics, moved to the accounting department. Evans 2 Concerning the American Civil War. The first realistic novel of war, and one of enormous influence on subsequent war literature. It ranks with Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, which it also probably influenced. 3 Five sons of Mrs. Thomas E. Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa, who were killed aboard the USS Juneau on November 14, 1942 during the struggle for Guadalcanal. Their story is portrayed in the 1944 film The Sullivans. RELUCTANT VALOR attended night accounting courses at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, for three years. He worked for Eidemiller for 34 years, both as an accountant and controller for their operations. Evans retired in 1979. When asked what he had been doing since retirement, Evans laughed and replied, “I'm probably busier now than when I worked.” He does accounting work two days a week for Victor Smith of Ligonier. He and his wife own and operate a dry cleaning and coin laundry on Highland Avenue in Greensburg. Evans is a fascinating man to listen to. He is a decorated veteran, but shuns the recognition he rightly deserves. He admits that some of his actions during the heat of combat “might have been foolhardy.” Evans was not interested in medals, only in trying to keep his men alive. As Evans' Third Army Commander, General George S. Patton remarked, “No one ever won a war by dying for his country. He won by making the other poor bastard die for his country.”4 Evans met several truly historical figures. First and foremost was Patton.