Show AMERICA IN ACTION Salerno Campaign Reveals American Heroism The courage daring and initiative displayed by soldiers of the Fifth army in the landing at Salerno at the outset of the Italian invasion and inthe in inthe inthe the campaign which followed are featured in a recent report received received received re re- re- re by the war department from Col William R. R Blakely who has just returned to this country after six months as a front line observer for the army ground forces in the Mediterranean theater of operations Here are excerpts from his report Robert Carey of Water street Waterville Maine soon after reaching the Salerno beach was fired upon by three Germans armed with machine pistols He returned the fire with his carbine killing one of the enemy Then his gun jammed and grasping it as a club he advanced advanced advanced ad ad- in the face of their fire He swung his gun at the second and beat him into submission but the gun broke in his grasp With bare hands he tackled the third man took away his weapon and made him hima a prisoner Sergt Manuel Gonzales of Fort Davis Texas discovered the location location location loca loca- tion of a German 88 in the sand dunes from wh where re it was pouring a murderous fire on the assault boats Sergeant Gonzales crawled around the position under machine gun fire that was so close to the ground that it set on fire the pack on his back When he reached a favorable position position position tion he pitched several grenades with deadly accuracy at the emplacement emplacement emplacement em em- placement killing the gun crew and blowing up their ammunition Sergt Gaither W. W Vaughan of Coleman Texas was in command of a squad which was fired upon from a group of buildings across a canal which the soldiers were I attempting to cross He lie directed his men to fire on the buildings while he advanced toward the enemy position position position po po- I by himself While working his way forward he surprised three Germans and captured them and their motorcycles Using hand grenades grenades grenades gre gre- nades Sergeant Vaughan then charged a machine gun emplacement emplacement ment in the face of heavy fire tire knocked out the gun and killed the crew I An unidentified parachute infantryman infantryman tryman found himself trapped on a n ahill ahill nhill hill with no cover except the body of a fallen comrade Speaking German German German Ger Ger- man he ordered approaching Nazis to v the right or left to where they would come in line with American fire In this manner lie he held his ground until relief came He lie was was individually credited with killing 16 Germans Released by Western Newspaper Union |