Snippy- Promise Made, Promise Kept

By Fielding Tucker

When assigned as guardians of the infamous Landsberg Prison, Fielding and his platoon witnessed the cruel brutality of German SS troops as they discovered boxcars filled with dead Jewish prisoners.

Fielding was awarded the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, Presidential Citation, and additional medals of honor. Later in life, Fielding also received the French Legion of Honor award designated by the president of France.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887630649

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Preface

One: Working for the Newspaper

Two: Attempt to Join the Navy

Three: Greetings and Salutations

Four: Basic Training

Five: Port of Embarkation

Six: Destination, North Africa

Seven: Assigned to I Company

Eight: Anzio-Valletri

Nine: Rome Falls

Ten: Invasion of Southern France

Eleven: The Rhone Valley

Twelve: Forty Miles a Day

Thirteen: Bruyeres, Biffontaine

Fourteen: Germans Patiently Waited

Fifteen: Conflict in the Ribeauville Area

Sixteen: Winter Havoc

Seventeen: The Siegfried Line

Eighteen: Germany Surrenders

Nineteen: Occupation

Twenty: Promise Kept

Twenty-One: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes

Twenty-Two: Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honor

Twenty-Three: Taps

About the Author

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Snippy- Promise Made, Promise Kept

Fielding Tucker

Copyright © 2023 Fielding Tucker

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2023

ISBN 979-8-88763-059-5 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88763-065-6 (Hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88763-064-9 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

In memory of

My beloved wife, Mary Theresa.

My parents, Henry T. and Katie B. Tucker.

My Brother, Butler Tucker.

My Sister, Mamie Tee Roberts.

My Sister, Elsie Jane Hossley.

Later in life, my dear friend and companion, Helen L. Roberts.

To my children, Katherine Cecelia D'Antoni, Diana Margaret Hinson, Edward Butler Tucker, Jane Elizabeth Reyes, Mary Ann Eagle, Rebecca Susan Ferguson, Fielding Daniel Tucker Jr., Charles Anthony Tucker.

My special friends of France, Mayor Pierre Duloisy, Mr. and Mrs. Rene Durand and family, Mr. and Mrs. Pierre Bott and family.

Preface

It's now sixty-four years since the war in Europe ended. Some may wonder why I waited so long to write about the five major campaigns—Rome-Arno, Southern France-Ardennes, Rhineland-Alsace, and Central Europe—that I became involved in. Firsthand, this is about me and those I fought beside during those long bitter campaigns.

Born and raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi, I was among many that would eventually be drafted. At the time, I was working part-time as an apprentice on our daily newspaper, the Vicksburg Morning Herald, during weekends, after school, and summer vacation. Like so many other young men near their eighteenth birthday, I wanted to join the military.

The desire to be a part of the military, I believe, started as a young boy in history class. I was fascinated by Civil War history; there is so much evidence of this great war that still shows in this old historic city where cannons still stand guard, overlooking the mighty Mississippi River from the steep bluffs above.

The siege of Vicksburg began with the May 22 assault and lasted until July 4, 1863. Trenches dug by Confederate soldiers still remain, branching off in many directions. Masses of Confederate and Yankee graves neatly cared for reflect the bitter long siege of Vicksburg. Some old homes, such as the old Kline home with a cannonball lodged in the main entrance door, still bear the scars of Civil War.

Other wars would follow, but it was the Civil War that interested me most. Soldiers of either side battled with little or no protection, without helmets and only soft Yankee or Rebel caps, hardly capable of fending off a lightning fast minié ball. They fought with single-shot musket loaders, twenty-inch bayonets, and horse-drawn cannons, long before the mechanized artillery of WWI.

Studying about the Civil War soldier and his plight, walking above their well-preserved shallow trenches, and seeing their names and dates etched on headstones somehow provided me with a better understanding of the soldier of that war. It was that war that inspired me so and later played an important role in my desire to enlist in the United States Military.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor and the beginning of World War II inspired many of our young generation to enlist in the military. At seventeen, I tried to enlist, only to be disqualified by my parents. Reading about war is not like being part of a war. If you haven't been there, then you would not understand. I know, for I have experienced both.

During my apprenticeship, working at our hometown newspaper, I often found myself engaged in conversation with fellow employees who were veterans of WWI. One was a former captain, one a sergeant, another was a private. All were part of the composing room staff. I usually found myself on the receiving end of conversations with them speaking and myself listening. My nickname, Snippy, was imposed upon me by Blane Russell, editor of the Vicksburg Evening Post.

These old ancient warriors were heroes of their time. It wasn't difficult to bend an ear, listening to their memories of that World War I. I had no way of knowing that the very same battlefields they once fought on in World War I would become the same battlefields I would be involved in during WWII. With the passing of time, I, too, would find it hard to let my memories of war fade without passing my knowledge along to the next generation, just as these old soldiers of WWI were doing.

The subtitle of my book, Promise Made, Promise Kept, was inspired by a promise that I made to myself during the latter months of the war. It came soon after our encounter with the enemy at Saint-Leonard, France, on November 20, 1944. We were members of Company I, 143rd Regiment, Thirty-sixth Infantry Division on patrol. There were twelve of us on a routine patrol that early morning when we were ambushed by Germans. We were on a mission to determine the strength of the enemy in the Saint-Léonard area when we were attacked.

Two close friends, Archie Taylor and Charlie Holm, lost their lives on this patrol on that cold November morning, and others were wounded.

It was not long after our encounter in this village when I made myself a promise not to be forgotten. It was a promise made of both fear and anger, a promise I would keep in the many years to follow. God willing, I would return to that very same spot to honor my friends. The incident bringing about this promise I have lived with since that day, November 20, 1944.

Much had happened since the day of that incident on November 20, 1944—a marriage, a job that barely produced enough food and clothing and housing for a family of ten, and the everyday worries of raising such a large family. Regardless, I managed to harbor the memory of that battlefield promise.

God gave me the means to keep my promise, forty-seven years later on September 21, 1991, when I found myself once again walking those same grounds. Returning to Saint-Léonard was a taste of both the bitter and the sweet. Not only was I fortunate to return in 1991 but, again, on November 20, 1994, for the fiftieth anniversary of the Liberation of Saint-Léonard, then again in 1998, 2002, and 2005 for my fifth return. My prayerful wish had been granted not once but five times.

During my return to Saint-Léonard for the first time on November 20, 1991, I stood near the site where we crossed over the Meurthe River. A new bridge now spans the water. Some pieces of concrete from the blown bridge could still be seen below. I tried hard to visualize Holm, standing on that bank, as he looked down at us with that silly grin on his face, holding his canteen as river water was seeping from his boots. As I walked those same grounds that day, I wanted to imagine Holm and Taylor were just up ahead.

Charley Holm was officially listed as missing in action, but with the help of my daughter-in-law, Marie, I managed to locate his grave at Saint-Avold, France. Charley was buried where he fell by the people of Saint-Léonard. In 1947, he was removed from his grave and interred in the beautiful Saint-Avold American Military Cemetery.

Holm was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's third highest decoration for his courage at Saint-Léonard.

What better a title for this book, Promise Made, Promise Kept, in honoring those I served and fought beside in World War II.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor and the beginning of World War II inspired many of our young generation to enlist in the military.

S/Sgt. Fielding D. Tucker RA 34 871 760

Co. 1, 143rd Regt

Thirty-Sixth Infantry Division

Combat months (15): February 1944–May 1945. Italy, France, Germany.

Amphibious landings (2): Anzio, May 23, 1944; Southern France, August 15, 1944.

Months in ETO (39): February 1944/February 1946–August 1947.

Entered the service at eighteen years of age at Vicksburg, Mississippi, July 1943. Sworn in at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, remaining there until August 1943.

Began basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, on September 1943. Completed basic training on November 1943. Reported to Fort Mead, Maryland, December 1943. Engaged in amphibious training, then sent to a secluded port of embarkation in Virginia. Arrived at Oran, Africa, after three weeks by sea on a Liberty ship. We were put aboard boxcars, bound for an inland replacement depot, but remained there for only a short period. Boarded English ships, debarking at Naples, Italy, where we were loaded on trucks and taken to the individual assigned companies within the Thirty-sixth Division.

Assigned to Company I, 143 Infantry in February 1944 at Maddaloni, Italy. We received extensive mountain training in preparation for the landing at Anzio and later the march to Rome. Relieved from lines on June 26, 1944, north of Rome. Underwent amphibious training on the beaches in the Salerno area. Boarded LCI, LSTs, and troop carriers at Naples on August 13, 1944, prior to the invasion of Southern France, going ashore on the morning of August 15. Saw combat the remainder of the war with the Thirty-sixth Division throughout Southern France, Alsace, into Germany, ending in Austria on May 5, 1945.

Discharged November 8, 1945, with rank of staff sergeant at Goppingen, Germany, and reenlisted the same day for three additional years. After a three-month Stateside leave and a marriage, I returned to Germany with my wife and was assigned to the Third Infantry Division. I remained in Germany until 1947, returning to the States with my wife and infant daughter, Kathy. I was assigned and remained at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, until the time of discharge, November 8, 1948, with permanent rank of staff sergeant.

Joined the Thirty-sixth Division National Guard again at Bryan, Texas. In 1960, due to occupational reasons, my request for discharge as first sergeant was granted.

I was among many who previously served with activated National Guard or Reserve units during combat and reenlisted in the Regular Army at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. We had to pass a written test to retain our battlefield ranks. Ranks became permanent in the Regular Army only after completing and passing the written exam. Field grade officers, major down through second lieutenant, and noncommissioned officers reverted back through the pay grades if failing the test. After completing and passing the tests, the letters RA (Regular Army) became a part of your serial number.

One

Working for the Newspaper

Iwas seventeen and in high school when I became an apprentice working for the Vicksburg Post-Herald , our hometown newspaper, on weekends and after school. I became the average apprentice able to perform most duties required of me.

It was a time before the wage and hour law became effective. My pay was twenty cents an hour, but my pay envelope, stuffed with green dollar bills and change, seemed a lot.

Pearl Harbor had been attacked, and Generals Rommel and Patton were sparring off in Africa. I was learning the printing trade under the guidance of former WWI soldiers, Van Norman and Frank Richardson, who served in France during that war. Frank Richardson claimed to have been General Pershing's aid. He was most willing to tell his story to those who would patiently listen.

Apprentices could not make up pages. We were only allowed to proof galleys of type, kill out old forms of type after a press run, and help justify completed pages. Running errands to Davis Grill for coffee, cigarettes, and cigars for the journeymen went with the job.

One Monday morning, I had my chance to set up the front-page headline. A bulletin coming over the Associated Press wire stated that General George S. Patton had pushed Rommel and his army back toward the sea.

Working on our hometown newspaper as a teenager was a challenge.

Each line of type for the pages was cast on a Linotype machine. The Linotype operator would type the article line by line with the machine casting each line in the form of a metal slug. Placed on a galley, it is then proofed for errors. When the type on the galley is ready, the printer arranges it in the iron chase according to a page layout designed by the editor. In this picture, I am shown setting up a chase for one of the pages that would be part of that day's newspaper.

It was early morning in the composing room, and staff was limited due to the fact that some journeymen workers were fighting weekend hangovers. It was my chance to set up the 120-point Gothic headline, reading: Rommel Pushed Back Toward the Sea. Nervous