Check out an excerpt from an interview that an American soldier gave to an independent American publication back in 1998.
I think those who believe that the Americans are the main winners in World War II should not be taken seriously at all. But even those who believe that "all are equally" are deeply mistaken. The leading role in the victory over fascism belongs to the Soviet Union, period.
Even this American veteran understands this …
- I volunteered for the army as soon as I turned 20, in 1944. I myself am from a suburb of Dallsas. You know, that time was not easy. There is little work and the attitude in society is so-so. Everyone looked askance, why is the young guy not at war ?!
My family was not rich. There was no money for college. Therefore, I did not have to dream of a dizzying career.
I remember one evening my father and I talked. He is a WWI veteran. I told him: Father, I am going to war. He answered: This is a holy cause, well done, try to survive. And stroked my head. Then he said: it should be noted. I poured the whiskey and we drank. This is the last time I spoke to my father in private. When I returned he was gone.
In general, I went through the training, I do not remember, in my month 4. And I was sent to France. By that time, ours had already landed in Normandy literally 6-7 days.
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Let's start with the fact that when I got to the front, guys who had already fought in Italy and Africa served with me, and many participated in the first days of the battles for France. I was considered a fool, bring it on, etc. The older guys often joked that I would not wet my pants when the offensive begins. And I was waiting for him, one might say dreamed.
And then it began. I remember my first fight as it is now. We entered the Buel village. It was early morning, around 5 am. It was raining. We were told that the paratroopers should also be here, they come from the west and we were supposed to unite in the center of the village. We had 2 Shermans and an infantry support vehicle with us. We entered the village and saw the people hanged. I was dumbfounded. These were not partisans or soldiers, but ordinary villagers. As I understand it, husband and wife. The soldier walking behind was already a battle-hardened veteran, he was 30-33 years old. He pulled me up and said: The SS did it. If you see this, kill him right away. You can't mix up the zippers on their collars. They are not people, don't worry. I remember every word he said. And he was one hundred percent right. How many later I met SS soldiers, they are real fanatics.
So here we go for the tank. Suddenly from the nearest house there is a flash and Sherman is on fire. Our tankers did not have time to come to their senses, all 5 people in the tank burned down. The battle began. I ran to a nearby fence and threw a grenade at the window from where they were shooting. Then we entered this house. 3 people died from my grenade. One of them was just a boy of about 15 years old, he was still breathing. We moved on.
I … it's hard for me to remember, sorry. At the end of the battle, I have already killed 6 people. I sat under a tree and lit a cigarette. My head was spinning and I vomited. Suddenly our guys took out an SS officer. He was unperturbed. He was knelt down and shot. The rest who survived were taken prisoner.
Further day after day. we walked and walked. Knocked out the enemy here and there. Our guys died every day. When recruits died in the first battle, a line was formed for their boots. I understand this blasphemy. But they no longer needed them.
Then Belgium. Retreat. Cold and panic. The fighting spirit was broken. It seemed that it was all in vain. But at one of the briefings, we were told that our government had agreed with the Russians on a large-scale offensive earlier than planned. The Germans were torn in two. We were as happy as children. We drank the whole evening for the Russians. If not for them, many more of our guys would have died. I still think they saved our asses. I was even proud that we had such a strong ally, forcing the Germans to withdraw part of their forces to the east. Later, on the Elbe, I went up to all the Russians and hugged them, gave them whiskey, etc. We sang songs. They taught me to theirs, and I sang 'Little Betty' to them. We all had fun. There was no grudge against each other. We were all friends at the time. They are good guys, funny. It is a pity that our politicians ruined everything later. Set people off. Then we were the winners.
By the way, about the victory. At the end of the war, everyone was tired. I wanted to put the squeeze on Hitler. We were all ready to go to Berlin to the end. But once we were told that the Russians would storm Berlin. We were very upset. But then we learned what kind of massacre was in Berlin, our attitude changed. The Germans fought for every centimeter of their land. This was no longer our war. We liberated Europe from the Nazis and I'm proud of that. The Russians destroyed the Nazis to the core. It was too tough for us.
An excerpt from an interview about the war in Europe through the eyes of an ally. Private Peter Panish. US infantry.
Author: curcha