ISU Library Shelley Collection: Box 8, Reel 3

so what start spawning got Shelly speaking from the American first Army on the German sons here as I was on my way after the front on one of my recent trips into Germany adapted to the headquarters of a military police stretching in Canada she bother to ask directions along my route after getting the information I wanted I stood there chatting for a few minutes here the young officer who was on duty in the basement room but served as an office violence to that lay an occasion come and you found you when I mentioned that I was a correspondent for a station w-h-o in Des Moines the young man was not interested whou Fred far out listen to your station a million times is traveler through Iowa and I know W to Almighty well the officer was second lieutenant john g Sullivan now this tablet in Missouri is at home who was born in Hamburg Iowa he also said he had relatives living there first of all Iowa lieutenant Sullivan represent a distinct concern before he left civilian life for the army and as part of his job he was on the road a great deal through the territory state I know lots of people and I always said especially in the grocery trade saying goodbye to lieutenant Sullivan I thought it is advice on the roof to follow for one shot on captured German town to another where I made arrangements to see the opening phase of Anila tablets are one part of the first family front just the other day it was in for watching that action from the muddy top of the hill overlooking the broad plain where the attraction is staged another soldier from the w-h-o territory I heard from the commander of an Artillery Battalion that there was an Iowa soldier with one of the batteries putting shells in the German defenses several miles away the battery was firing a mission at the time and it wasn't late so I got permission the foods you're at the other end of the wire was private first class two genes there seven of Perry Iowa he couldn't get over his surprise at learning that I was watching the action in which his gun was playing apartment I thought they were kidding me at thrifty said when they told me jack Shelley of WH ol wanted to talk to me privates Evans who's been overseas since the fall of 1942 that it felt mighty good to hear a familiar voice to man and he was especially pleased when I told him that through WH ol his mother sister and brothers back in Perry would know that I attacked to him in civilian life and with his artillery batteries he heard the job have done top brother I've been pretty lucky is tho thorry called me and I've been getting along just fine he asked me to be sure to send his Christmas greetings to the folks back in Perry and I promised I would just as we were about to end our conversation I heard a voice shouting in the background Stebbins laughed and explained that was my brother serving in the phone he said to tell you he says that I'm that they can watch our home and the biggest table the army has it's eating me you mean you've got quite an appetite I asked I guess that's right Stubbins answered rocky and I guess I do quite a bit of it well tell me I said as a fellow Alexei how's the food you're getting it's really good Stephan stirred me they can't keep it all about the chow and that's the picture as it looks to me too as I go around this first time refunded I've eaten at all kinds of messes and the meals are tasty and substantial developing I see the conclusion the fifth American army of ours is the best fed in the world which is exactly the way it should be out of the combat men like private sevens and the others on the road to Berlin that means a lot this is Jack sherry wh was Walker from then the American first Army fought in Germany I return you to Des Moines along b3 that was the first of my two recordings for tonight the second and the last one they've been pleased to be are expressed to the newsroom radio station WH o Des Moines Iowa the second one will come up in 15 seconds from now reading again to all my friends of the waho audience this is jelly yummy on the German frontier it isn't exactly a new thing to point out the study tampering of this first army under general Hodges has presented the Germans with a kind of experience that's very new to them invasion against file it's not a nation that sir often has fought its Wars and other people's home grounds a thing the worid shows will back on its own target this time and I don't see how anywhere in the world there can be towns and cities have been more thoroughly despaired by shells and bombs and the German area through which our first Army has blasted its way if the strange experience for the Germans it's something they apparently never thought could it happen now the civilians left in devastated cities like often the ones they have these defensive people who still find it hard to convince themselves this is not just some Marian kind of game the pose was made for me with a touch of irony this week when I visited the command post of an artery of autonomy laying down a curtain of fire for was a new American attack on the first time we've ever had its headquarters some distance away from the massive old stone house a legend over the entrance then at least part of the structure was built more than 800 years ago for all those years until the last few months with various new families in one of the main cars of the ancient house various mobile press has been placed on the world the heraldry of the hide warned families who lived there one of the ancient owners had even liked the place to learn that his body was buried in which made the house of little effect with an older days but the irony came and I had the script on whether the Royal declarations translated for me it had something like this this house has stood for hundreds of years never shaken by war it's always been occupied by local German families and it forever will be Germany today the house is an American held territory now and nourished American guns receiving telephone reports from observation points Thunder away putting out a solid-steel to the ruling it's all very disillusioning for the Germans and while most of them are still fighting over lay some of them they're glad to give up when they get the chance the second Infantry Division has recently passed away on a story by the way about one touch not to surgery from the foxhole the staff sergeant Cyrus Ames with remaining in the American army these days astronauts II as well as in the last work better the Texas boys shouted back good self enjoyment I wanted to Andrew again and it gave himself up the German who's been fighting in the front line at a wooden leg and he knew what he was doing when he surrendered he's been captured by the Americans in the last war to didn't Jack Shelly whe was my first time to the American West Army on the German frontier I return you to the moment okay NBC that lines up my reporting schedule for tonight hello and they say could I have a report plays through radio station WH o new Moines Iowa not a pretty reception we're standing by talking up ready for this broadcast to be recorded as soon as you give us the go-ahead okay right you are the second warning we're standing by waiting for you to say go ahead watch liwa children are in standing by talking live in separation for run eight minutes recording to be sent Express WH o Des Moines I will start in 15 seconds from now hello wh oh this is a war correspondent Josh Elliot with the American first Army on the German frontier when with broadcast we're going to have the real pleasure of hearing the voices of more than a dozen Iowa many voices that haven't been heard by their families and friends over yours this time the men you will hear are members of one battle of one of the highest scoring anti-aircraft rocket in the European theater of operation they are Iowan from battery V of the 110 30 aircraft artillery men battalion stationed somewhere in Belgium their battalion rather than France in the audience to be the envisioned at being higher option on the beachhead and we rode the Cherbourg Peninsula move on through plants into town where they help fight off German planes attacking the French capital just adverts liberation and now they're indulgent incidentally it's been very seldom in my visit to the first on there that I've run across any outfit which has persecuting a high concentration of Iowa man Oh with one and not this Christmas even from the home from the war frogs are bound together more than ever by strong emotional ties these men are very glad to have the chance to spend their working I'll go fix was waiting back to our work so without further delay I'm going to start bringing these audio craftsmen to the microphone to come out in private first class Edwin more unhappy Iowa is fair mr. mrs. Herman Miller live on a farm six mile out of hot glue and Edwin is a power plant operator with the battery tell me are you married yes I am Jack my wife teach to school and hardly and I'd still like to be finger this pleasure and I know he feels the same way even though this is better than he things working you boys about this time of year ago isn't it that's right at Christmas time a year ago we were talking the old tune on just about the roughest ride except everyone most of the way across but I believe you've done quite a bit of writing of another time since that Aventine worked especially for one tray that were about two months I did a lot of cook journey on the famous red ball Express highway hauling ammunition thanks engine and they know your greetings are on their way the hard way best man out this corporal Ralph folks now it's time to hear the voice of a man from Shelton Iowa ease corporal t-bird Bingham a 19 millimeter dinner see baby are you made yes my wife Martha is living with my folks in dirt my parents are mr. and mrs. Charlie Bingham what are you doing living life before you enter the army hoovered I worked at construction company we made those big well convenient you seem like toasters back home here comes another Iowa man corporal Donald W Norton is pen mr. mrs. WF Norton live on a farm for miles north of town gone what's your job with this outfit done have an ammunition crumple a 9-millimeter gun drunk you've got three brothers and a sister back home and I believe your torment before the war you look like a good black soil about Iowa farm tell me what do you think of the kind of dirt a rather yellow mud it seems to like it over here I don't poop much potato pie ever for a long time given the team again I don't live anywhere from representation for Davenport Iowa corporal Richard brahmana who is found by mr. and mrs. alias Brahman of Davenport come here dude we saw you out of the army bit I used to help make machine-gun bullets at the Rock Island Arsenal and now you're helping and I draw with delivering bullets to their final any other relatives back in Davenport when you're thinking of a Christmas season oh yes in addition to my parents there my young brother and two sisters our brother has some congratulations coming he just became a father in October and then our Maidan parents mr. and mrs. diamond and mr. and mrs. are Eden's olive Davenport well I'm pretty sure they've been listening to your voice right now now it's trying to introduce private first class Keith Baker a woman in Iowa who lives over here never seen it folks born child man I know those folks back there are hoping it won't be long before you can by the way busy what you look for the battery and the few that are out there is right for the nanometer jump Thank You Keith now we hear the voice of a man from lake near Iowa that sergeant John Winston the bloke nor an instrument operator with the battery you another node man aren't you John that's right my wife is to Albany Minnesota I bet this would be a sort of treatment present for her to be able to hear your voice from across the sea do you think's live in Lake Mary yes my parents are mr. mr. zelf thank you you know I have eight putters all in Lakeville well it looks as though just your family will and then they put a go volume for this drug death thanks a lot and then we post a new trial in Iowa is one of your boys sergeant with the vendor Tiger what's your job with the battery charging and the chief instrument operated a quite a different business from the work I used to do on the farm let's hope mr. mr. Jeff Amitha had this don't plan to tell Elijah control and all your folks still on the fun no the theme mighty good to your family to hear from you this way up to the mouth now step private or an M hope that a method Iowa who is thinking of Christmas 10 North would come except you do with the battery on time the nastiness man mmm element again it's a job that involves the pointing of the gun I believe you told me you used to play some baseball and basketball or tents at high school must be a lot of people around there you'd like to be attending Christmas reading school about this time if you were back home of course that goes especially for my phone mr. and mrs. Arthur hosted and for my brother and for a lot of other people around north along of Mason City Iowa isn't that right ray ensures my license back in Mason City Missouri to respond to what she is all right they tell me where you used to be a quarter all right of the duties to with Anna Paquin private Mason City and that now you're close to the battery and a good one in fact some of the way you turn out there's another man from Mason City coming up corporal O'Donnell in an instrument man your family back in Mason City corporal no they're pretty much scattered right now my mother mrs. Italian was living at our with my sister and I have a brother was on the Italian front with the famous 34th division but you still considered Mason City to be your home town don't you you bet I do and I'd like to have the chance to be there during the Christmas season raising my relatives and friends it'll be a great day when it can water and many thanks clear there's one other Iowa man was a member of this battery but it wasn't able to be here because he's not with the truck lot of detail hauling supplies on the Express Highway he's private first class Truman burial of Davenport immedi that was a battle old maps and there are several other men in this battle found themselves unable to get here for the broadcast we're mighty sorry about it but here are their names of their ire with in town private Lambert West a machine gunner from Des Moines private dreams whether you cut struck abstract fitted and private first class Melvin Ybor a Paulina Iowa another one who had to be absolutely was called planet belong here also Paulina Lanny was lucky enough to get a pass to give him a couple of days in Paris but all these men told me an event to say they were thinking of their families at home during this Christmas season run-up to Iowa boys it could be on hand for Raul for her graduation mentioned he loved a woman frontier what do you say we make it practically official and makes a star they're singing the Iowa corn fall bezel Iowa it may not sound good but you can bet your bottom dollar these boys penis here we go and as these boys wave their hands above their head in the traditional ending of the torrent file they're thinking they spawn feel guilty again one day when this job was done but before they come back I bet they sing that song wrong in the streets of Berlin right now it's goodbye and Merry Christmas from the Iowa one of battery D 110th anti-aircraft artillery gun battalion somewhere in Belgium near the German frontier this is Jack Shelly whe where correspondents cuckoos and I will turn you to Des Moines okay NBC that lines it up would you please send that recording a request to the newsroom with one station WH old Moines Iowa start now at a 30-second warning okay waiting for you to tell us if we can go ahead with the first of two recording for WH ol Des Moines Iowa is exact Ali of signing riots okay NBC I'll start the first of these recordings in 20 seconds from now hello wh Oh once again your wall correspond exactly with falling from the American first I had the present experience the other day of being a Belgian pound welcomed as liberators for the second time panting to the little community I don't suppose it had a population you know than a thousand at the most I noticed a great many United States Army vehicle discharging men in front of various buildings just about every resident the town was out on the streets to watch the show there was a broad smile on every face and the very atmosphere seemed to be filled with the spirit of happiness and wasum I got in my Jeep to ask the nearest group of American soldiers what it was all about told me and these people are really grabbed this here because a few months back on our way into Germany the same opposite of ours liberated this town and then I got the story these young for infantry men of one of the most famous divisions of the army they had fought around to some extent inside this Belgian town as they battered their way toward the Siegfried line they drove off the Germans would occupied the place for years and incidentally they did it without much battle damage for the town itself they'd done around the community on a short time in that drive ahead to Germany Belgians who so gratefully thank them for freeing them from the Nazis and now coming back out of Germany for arrest these particular dole boys by one of those rare workings of Chen has been assigned this pound as a spot where they were going to get the first relaxation in many months the people of the town were leaving no stone unturned to let their American liberators know how glad they were to see them again Belgians who would middle boys were fighting through that area for spying some of your faces an equally shaking hand these people and they're fighting with each other one of the guys told me for the chance to take us into their homes and treat us as members of the family now if any one of them thinks he isn't going to get to entertain an American he's downright sore about it every time the vorpal stops and load of Yanks turn out amount of Belgians gathered around them smiling and chattering their greetings worlds were finally laughing past the building but when Athens were setting up their headquarters winning at the tiger the wind ride back to their teeth the cleaning brush a from faces that were still aborted with a medic Germany what is there behind me wait until the driver Jeep or weapons carrier gotta send the wheel to plate that they were driving and it didn't take them long to learn something I'd hardly stopped in front of one building on a little Belgian about eight years old came up to my feet he had two words of English and he used them right away Shareen Tommy asked Arvizu chewing gum I didn't have but he got someone my soldier a few seconds later up in the centre of the town even before the Yanks came back the people of the town had paid formal thanks to their liberators some weeks before they dedicated the research community from the Germans the special ceremony and the colonel had come back from the front lines for the day to accept the dedication they tried to tell us that one of the Yanks who told me about this affair but when we got deep into Belgium and closer to Germany we find the people less enthusiastic about it than they were in France well believe me he said this town is the nicest place we've hit anywhere along the lines as soon as the muddies battle stained Americans arrived at any of the homes where they were to be quartered their hosts prepared hot baths for them and there just aren't any words to describe how the first real bath and week felt for those weary combat men that night they were going to sleep in the soft queen bed something else they'd almost forgotten about in fact the comforts and the personal service that Belgian hosts pressed upon them almost embarrassed some of these men just out of a Spartan life of the frontline one of the younger officers told me about his experience where the sheepish grin on his face I do it at his house that he you said and here's the thought Belgian man his wife just drinking there next to do things for me they made me sit down right away and the best chair they've got and then they bring hot water and towels and tell me to wash my hands and feet and then the old man he said gets down and unleashes those muddy old boots of mine and pulls off my socks and he gets the water and you know he was going to do he was gonna wash my feet for minutes I finally got the idea over there I'd rather do it myself but can you tie that he was gonna wash my feet for me while the clapping mayor felt that he was old enough to walk his own feet now but he knew the feelings behind it made him feel mighty good made him feel mighty good sitting behind it made him feel mighty good feelings behind it made him feel - all day old these American boys more than they could have a really page and they just couldn't do enough to let their guests know how glad they were to have them the ones you have see demonstrations like that now and then over here where there's so much of bitterness and destruction almost everywhere you look and I only hope the throes of it's back home for remember - and never forget it and we also all these boys more than we can never repay this is Jack Shelley saying goodbye again from the German frontier I return you to the Moines ok MVP that's the end of item number one I'll be up with album number two the last one of this group to the earth set the newsroom regular station w-h-o des Moines Iowa number two coming up in 15 seconds from now Oh WH oh this is your war correspondent Jack Shelley reporting from the American first Army on the German frontier the other day I happened to fall in with a group of young infantry officers who just arrived in the rest area after months of fighting all the way through France and Belgium into Germany he invited me to have lunch with him and I want to tell you a few of the stories that flew around the table as we had our meal it was a very good meal by the way in spite of the fact the outfit had just arrived and set up its kitchen and later I met one of the cooks who prepared the tasty food here was technician fifth grade Robert Frisell of st. Joseph Missouri who said he often listened to WH o at home it's been a couple of years thank Spurs are without complaint yeah with his wife he's got a daughter almost two years old back there when he has never seen what about the conversation of the mention table these young officers just out of the front line was full of enthusiasm and spirit this has never seen a foxhole they prepared especially a half minutes in their battle laugh about this close call of that one it was almost hard to believe that these were men who had brushed the wings of death a hundred times a day we've seen their comrades die around them and who knew that before long they'd be going right to the front again and sobbed they seem more like members of a football team sitting around a printing table laughing and arguing about the plays in yesterday's game with the rival squad they tended about the night parlour outfitted with its way and a few houses of a German Village with the Nazis unaware of their presence later in the night they heard the Tramp of heavy boots and peering out from their houses they saw hundreds of German stopping by and virtual formation one of the Americans had made a for seller as they told about it back in this rest area the young officers laughed and laughed it all seems very funny now they don't patrol mates the most fantastic stories of even closer individuals faced with death one soldier outfit was working his way down the side of a German Street during half the house fighting when an extra sniper fired the day is silent for a moment his rifle drop from ahem and he's out in the nearby fairway afterward they learned the Germans better respect arrival completely wrecking the trigger mechanism done the Bulova glanced off into the Yankee soldiers Partridge Bella a trip through the key thing of several of his own cartridges igniting the father in them and charging at the payoff then pass through the soldiers ethic which beers underwear and then fed on the border wasn't hurt he wasn't even stressed not as the officer said he was mighty nervous for a while after another story and the after this war that these were true was a master young American soldier who got in the path of a Nazi machine zhenya the German gunner was swinging his stream of lead from the side to side as if he were spraying along the amazing teacher the story is the yank was knit in just a second to adjust the Lords of his ears yes right here and then the left I'd always thought of machine gun fires a steady stream almost like the water from the hallways decision between two minutes in this one immediately following each other that they met only the American theory as they passed barely on either side of his head otherwise he wasn't hurt well the officer just out of the line told me no there's a tumor but if so they're mighty rare there is much about this wall over here that's funny it isn't funny at all this is actually really excited with the American family I return you in from the German twenty or thirty morning Oh KMBC that's the last in the mess tent for the night they say could I alright part ways all right they say plus wireless could I have a late workplace I've now taken recording