Ed & Ray Hersman in WWII - Robert Marks.org

4.15. DÜSSELDORF Ed & Ray Hersman in WWIIThe general procedure was to go as fast as we could until we met resistance.If it were a town as was generally the case, it would be surroundedwith tanks and the rest of the division would go around it. The tanks wouldshell for a while and the town generally surrendered.The G.I.s found German cars and trucks, made them operate and sometimeseven outran the point.I was riding with G Company in the point one day on the back of a tankwith Conley and some other men. We saw a German army truck movingalong a road parallel to ours. Each tank had a .50 caliber machine gunmounted on it. Conley and I cocked the gun and tried to blast the truck.The gun was jammed and wouldn’t fire. The truck came into our road anddrove towards us. It was driven by two G.I.s and they were very concernedwhen we told them how near they came to being killed.One day the point came over a small hill and a German tank fired atus just one shot. Shortly afterwards the armored cars drew fire and had toretreat. We jumped off the tanks and scattered and dug in. German infantrystarted shooting at us. Two or three of us ran to a house beside the road. Weshot the lock off the door and went inside but didn’t find any German troops.The basement door was closed and locked. I yelled for the Germans to comeup ”hande lach” (hands up). There was a hesitation, the door opened anda real old man and woman came out. We searched the basement and foundno troops.I asked the old man for a pencil and paper and put a sign on the doorsaying that there were no troops in the basement only civilians. I told theold man and woman to go back down until the shooting stopped.4.15.2 Germans surrenderingThe advance party came up and made a skirmish line. When the Germanssaw the line coming towards them, they put up their hands, climbed out oftheir holes and surrendered. We smashed their guns and sent them marchingto the rear without guards. They were happy the war was over and certainly78