Sgt. Willard Caywood Helmet Memory

Was keeping watch out in front, when shortly after daybreak, I saw about eight or ten Germans coming down the hedgerow waving a white flag on the end of a stick.

The battalion C.O. Major John Speedie was back in the column about 100 yards, and he kept passing the order up the line to "hold your fire, let them surrender". As the Germans got about midway across the field, their own people off to the right opened fire on them to keep them from surrendering, however, they scrambled over the hedgerow and surrendered to our group.

Since the rifle fire had come from the right of the field directly in front, I thought I should have a look. Because of the growth extending about five feet over the sides of the ditch bordering the field, I could only see along the hedgerow the surrendering Germans had come over. To see what was to the right in the next field, I would have to crawl out of the ditch, stretching out the length of my body to look around the bushes that were blocking my view.

I took a deep breath, then snaked out on my stomach; there in midfield, I saw at least two Germans crawling toward me on their bellies. The closest was only a few feet away and was by the trunk of a small tree. We saw each other at the same moment. He made a quick effort to scoot behind the tree trunk. I scrambled back into the ditch, keeping my head low in case he sent bullets ripping through the brush at me.

I reasoned that since I had discovered them out in the open field, they would probably retreat to a safer place. Keeping my head low, I waited a while, then crawled out to take another look. I was wrong; they were still there hugging the ground. I got off one shot and crawled back to cover. Seeing them still out there was unnerving. Major Speedie was still passing the word up the line for us to hold our fire and let them surrender.

These Germans, we later learned, were Hitler's SS troops. They had no intention of waving a white flag. They were sworn to kill and to kill as many of us as possible. There would be no surrendering. These were crack, fanatical Nazi troops. At this point, I contemplated what to do next. The German by the tree was close enough to lob a grenade at me if he desired. Without being seen because of the bushes, I could stand up and try to get him with one of my hand grenades; he was close enough that I figured I could arch my grenade high enough that it would burst in the air over him or explode very quickly after landing. Then I would climb back across the hedgerow where most of the company had already gone. My plan was to go up to where the embankment would give me better protection as I shot at him through the heavy foliage""in case the grenade didn't get him. I pulled the pin, stood up, and threw the grenade. I ducked back down and listened for the explosion. There was silence. It was a dud. One of the officers scrambled into the ditch beside me and wanted to know what was getting my attention. I quickly explained, and then turned to scramble to safety over the hedgerow, but I was shaken by the bloody sight of what was blocking my way; sitting against the embankment of the hedgerow was the body of Pvt. George Steffanopoulos with much of his lower face blown away. (Before this day was over, Stephanopoulos' buddy Pvt. Carmen Matteo would also be killed right next to me.)

To get around the body, I had to expose myself more than I wanted, but I had to get out of there. The danger was getting to be too much.

Safely on the other side, I moved up the hedgerow to get directly across from the Germans in the field. I was overanxious to get them, and made what almost proved to be a fatal mistake; without taking the bayonet off the end of my rifle, I started poking through the heavy foliage so I could get a shot. The guy to my right asked me what was over there. As I turned my head to tell him, a bullet ripped through the foliage and my helmet, knocking it off my head. Credit my reflexes for catching my helmet in my hands. I thought I had been shot in the head. I had heard"you won't feel the one that gets you". Strange that I would think"oh well, it might as well be me as some other mother's son".

I had resigned to dying. In the next split second, I was expecting eternal blackness to engulf me. When this didn't happen, I dropped down to the safety of the embankment and ran my hand over my head to see if the bullet really did miss me. When I brought my hand down, there was blood on it. This renewed the shock I had just experienced. However, I found the blood was from a nick in my ear.

What happened was that the bullet had passed through the top portion of my helmet and the helmet liner; it had scorched the top of my head, and a piece of metal from my helmet ricocheted around the inside of the helmet, cutting the top of my ear. Needless to say, by this time, I was about to go into shock. I was ready to get out of there and go back to inform Major Speedie that these Germans were not trying to surrender!