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After I moved to Houston, Texas, I met Dick Gottlieb* He was a lieutenant with
the 42nd Infantry Division. He was wounded in the hand by an artillery shell in
the taking of Dachau and entered the camp about thirty minutes after the first
elements of his division* He said it was quite a mess and that while the inmates
welcomed the American soldiers they were more interested in getting revenge for
the horrible treatment they had received from the guards* The soldiers had to
pull some of the inmates off of the guards so that they could capture some for
interrogation* There was a train load of corpses on the tracks waiting to be
unloaded and piles of corpses stacked like cordwood by the crematorium. Dick
stayed there four or five days taking visitors through Dachau* He said the worst
places were the infirmary and the crematorium*
The infirmary had at least twice as many people in it than it was designed for*
These were people all extremely thin and weak, who could hardly hold up their
heads and would try to wave at the American soldiers and whisper, ,,Corarade,,•
The bodies on the train, stacked around the crematorium and found elsewhere
were mostly buried in mass graves by bulldoziers but one furnace at the crematorium
was operated to show how the Nazis used them. This was done by a Jugoslavian who
operated one for the Nazis* The stench was so bad that many soldiers vomited.
Then we went on to Oberelsbach, where my father was bom, which was two miles off
the main highway* It was a rainy Sunday afternoon with puddles of water and
ducks in the streets. It had escaped unscathed and there were no American
soldiers in it* I drove up to the Catholic church, where in 1933 the American
Consul had gotten my father's birth certificate, as at thit time the Catholic
church kept the birth records.
I took off my *45 and went inside leaving my pistol belt with ray driver. The
mother of the priest was there and spoke English. The priest had been returned
the previous day from a POW camp* I talked with the priest's mother for awhile*
She told me that the Jewish birth records had been taken to Munich and that there
was a Jewish cemetery about two miles away where my ancestors were probably buried*
She said the Nazis had taken the Jewish people away and said: "Ach, they were
such nice people."
I had stopped at Dachau in the morning and it was late, so I didn't go by the
Jewish cemetery as it would be after dark when we got back to Heidenheim in spite
of the long evenings.
After the war I was sent on an all day inspection of some of our units when I
passed an old German woman trudging down the shoulder of the road with a heavy
pack on her back. It seemed that many of the Germans carried everything they
could in their wanderings because what was left behind was likely to be taken
by someone. When I returned late that afternoon she was lying dead on the shoul-
der of the road. The vicissitudes of war do strange things to people. The
German civilians walking down the shoulder of the road merely stepped over her
fallen body and went on, completely ignoring her.
While on the inspection trip I went to a castle where one of our units was
housed. It was quite a place. But the principal thing I remember was a collect-
ion of pistols that hung on pegs all over one wall, completely covering it. There
was one pistol missing. On the peg that formerly held the missing pistol was a
note which said: "Taken by American troops, April_, 1945." What amazed me was
that there were not more missing*
In organizing and training we had Major General Carlos Brewer* He was a strict
disciplinarian and insisted on everything being done correctly. This laid a
firm groundwork for our later successes* He had been a mathematics instructor
at West Point and devised the fire control system our military forces then used
for controlling artillery fire. I liked General Brewer.
In combat we had Major General Roderick Allen of Palestine, Texas, who was not
only a splendid tactician but also an excellent judge of human nature. He was
quite strict and exacting, but was a warm human being* Instead of eating his
meals with just the Chief of Staff and the five G's, he also had the chiefs of
all the special staff sections and the Headquarters Comnandancb eat with him, about
fourteen or more people. During the meals he asked questions of different officers
who were required to be present unless they had duties elsewhere. The questions
General Allen asked saved us from many staff meetings as we were all kept up-to-
date on what was going on*
One day after the war, General Allen appeared at a meal accompanied ty a lieutenant
from a different division. We all thought the lieutenant was a relative or close
friend of the general as he was put up in a spare room in the general's house.
He ate several meals with us and then left. One of the staff asked the general
who the lieutenant was. "Oh," said the General, "He was just some lieutenant
who had missed his ride back to his unit and was thumbing a ride as I was return-
ing from Frankfort. He stayed here until he could get a ride to his unit."
Now Sergeant Richard Aim and I were the only occupants of a three story house* I.
would have liked to have given up the house and to have moved in idth some of the
other officers. But that would have meant that Sergeant Aim would have to go to
the Division Headquarters Company and would have to give up his privilege of doing
what he pleased subject to my rules. So I stayed. I figured we were in Germany
because of Hitler and the German people, and if it was a choice of us being in-
convenienced and the German people being inconvenienced it was going to be the
German people*
A few days later, while working at ray desk wjxn £>gt. A±m across irom me, x-ne
phone rang and 1 answered it* It was Col. Hammond at Corps. He said: "I under-
stand you have an excellent supply sergeant. Seventh Army at Heidelberg wants one.
Is he as good as I have heard?"
I put my hand over the phone so Col. Hammond could not hear and said: "This is
Col. Hammond at Corps. The Chemical Warfare Section at Seventh Army at Heidelberg
needs a supply sergeant* I can give you a top recommendation. Do you want to go?"
He replied: "I sure do." So Sgt* Aim went. While at Heidelberg he attended the
university there. After coming back to the United States he obtained his doctorate
in English, became a professor at the University of. Hawaii, president of an inter-
national English society, and received other honors.
I acquired Sgt. Aim in an unusual way. As we were preparing to go on Tennessee
maneuvers Armored Force ordered us to give an exhibition of decontamination of
vehicles to the Division by company units. This would take at least two weeks
of hard work and about twenty men for the demonstration. The G—1 said it was
impossible to give me that number of men at this time, because every unit was
getting ready for Tennessee maneuvers and we probably would not come back to Camp
Campbell. I was at a loss as to what to do about it. Then I asked him if he
would hold twenty men who were being transferred to the post garrison because of
physical disabilities until we held the exercise. He agreed to do that if I would
select the men and he gave me a list of men from which' to select. I needed twenty
men to train five squads of four men each to put on the demonstration. I must have
interviewed eighty to a hundred men to get them. Most of those interviewed had
some ailment that I felt would interfere with the exercise. I recall two who were
questionable. One said his eyesight was defective. However, during the conver-
sation he- said he would now be over the age to be drafted and that he would still
be on his job if he had not been drafted. When I asked him what kind of job he
had, he said he was a machinist* I figured that if he could run a machine with
the exact measurements that are required he could see well enough. The other one
was the fellow who made almost every sick call, but the doctors couldn't find any-
thing wrong with him. I dropped them fast because I felt they would "louse up"
the demonstration. The men chosen worked hard and put on a very good demonstra-
tion* Richard Aim was one of the twenty chosen. He was being sent to the post
garrison because he was so much underweight. He did a very good job of his part
of the demonstration. When it was over he came to me and told me he didn't really
want to be transferred to the post garrison, but wanted to stay with the Division
and could I help him? I told him I had an opening and if I could get an exception
made for his underweight I'd be glad to take him. The exception was made and Dick
became part of the Division Chemical Warfare Section, later becoming my supply
sergeant. I do not recall him being ill the entire two and one-half years he
was with us.
In redeployment, General Allen asked me to go with him where he would command the
First Armored Division in occupation. I told him I would like to go, but I really
wanted to go home. He didn't insist. Col. Hammond called me up and offered me
the job of Corps Chemical Officer, which he was leaving. This would have been
a promotion. I turned him down for the same reason. Five years of service was
enough. Hitler and Mussolini were dead; Japan had surrendered. My job was
finished and over. I wanted to go home to my wife and daughter.
European Theatre of Operations found out I was an engineer and ordered me to
report to Frankfort for a conference with the Quartermaster. But I was expecting
an order to be sent home momentarily, so I delayed going. This went on for about
a week when Col. Barnes, the Division Chief of Staff, called me to his office. He
said: "Saks, didn't you have orders to go to Frankfort? Have you gone?" I said:
"No, Sir." He said: "You'd better get up there right away or you will be dis-
ciplined (reprimanded or court-martialed)." At that time no member of the Armed
Forces could go to Frankfort unless ordered there. Too many people would have
gone there to the European Theatre of Operations to try to pull strings to go
home. I promptly went*
When I reported to the Quartermaster he asked me if I would stay to help them
evaluate German industry. I told him I preferred to go home and that I was
expecting orders to that effect momentarily. He, told me that they were not
requiring anyone to stay against his will.
Another time after the war an artillery battalion had gotten custody of a number
of German Army horses. Without asking what to do with them they were sold to
the German farmers to use in making their crops .-.They attempted to turn the money
over to the division finance officer. Our military government officer came to
breakfast before General Allen, told us about the incident and aadd he dreaded
telling General Allen who probably would become angry. When the general came in
we all sat expectantly for the results. But when Col. Seiller told him, Gen. Allen
just leaned back in his chair and laughed heartily. Then he told Col. Seiller:
•Those crazy artillerymen. Go down there and straighten them out."
While in Frankfort I ran into a former 12th Armored Division Qeneral Staff officer,
Lt. Col. John Bradley, who was now on General Eisenhour's staff. He invited me,
as his guest, to attend the party General Eisenhour was giving at the I. G. Faiv
ben Building that night for the break up of the combined command after which each
army reverted to its own country's control. When my friend paid his respects to
Gen. Eisenhour he introduced me to the General. When I shook hands with General
Eisenhour I could feel his personality. It was different from any sensation I
have ever had——like he was drawing me to him. That may be why he had so much
charm and influence over people—his personality.
The day we heard that the atomic bomb had been dropped on Japan, the lady who
owned the house where.we were eating dinner came in. She was one of the prominent
citizens of Heidenheim. She spoke to us in English: "I certainly am glad the war
is over for Germany. That could have been us."
After Germany was defeated, but the war with Japan was still going on, the officers
and men were given points for months served, campaigns served in, decorations
given, etc., and were divided into three groups. Those having over a certain
number of points went to the United States; those having more than a lesser number
stayed in the occupation in Europe; and those having fewer than the second number
were scheduled for the Pacific Theatre.
Redeployment of troops got into full swing in accordance with the above rules. We
had a request for one of my men who was scheduled to remain in occupation to be
sent to the chemical section of the First Armored Division, which would remain in
Europe. I selected my senior noncom, Dolph Green. But both Dolph and Sergeant
Ellis Smith, who also had sufficient points, wanted to go. I told the G—1 about
it, but he said only one was called for and only one could go. A little while
later I ran into the chemical officer of the First Armored Division somewhere.
I told him my chief clerk, Dolph Green, was very good and was scheduled to come
to his section. I told him my operations sergeant, Ellis Smith, was an extra-
good man and had twice turned down offers to be a commissioned officer because
he would rather be a noncom in a division chemical section than a lieutenant
leading a platoon, and that he was as good as many captains I knew. If the
chemical officer asked for him by name he probably could get him. The chemical
officer did ask for him by name and Sergeant Smith went to the First Armored
with Sergeant Green. The G-1 got after me for "going over his head" in the case
of Sergeant Smith, but nothing else happened.
I had one more duty to perform before leaving. The staff billeted in surrounding
villages a group of German scientists who had fled the Russian zone. The next
day our G—2 asked me to interview one of the scientists, a chemist. He spoke
perfect English and told me of a gas he had worked on that was odorless, taste-
less, invisable, heavier than air and the only evidence of exposure to it was a
slight watering of the eyes. It was a nerve gas and would kill a person if he
did not take a shot of atrophine in his buttocks within two minutes of exposure.
I made a complete report and took it personally to the Seventh Army Headquarters
at Heidelberg. I gave it to the assistant chemical officer as the array chemical
officer was out. The assistant chemical officer had never heard of the gas. I
questioned it myself because all nerve gases I knew of were lighter than air.
During the next fifteen years I wondered off and on about this gas.
Fifteen years later in Houston I took part in the Houston Civilian Defense program
(during the fall-out scare of the late 1950s or early 1960s) as a member of the
Speakers Bureau, making talks to neighborhood civic, garden, and other clubs.
exposure it would kill him. After the class I went to him and told of ray ex-
rience with the German scientist. I then asked him why the Germans didn t use
because it would haws created so much havoc with Allied troops that they could
ve gotten unusually good terms of surrender or even won the war» "® replied
it the Germans thought we had it, too, and had better means of delivering it sima.
had air superiority and were on their home grounds. The lesson one r
. , « _____________x fVmn onp* s apcres sive opponent.
I got Corporal Sinkler assigned to Corps and Pfc. Duboise, who drove the truck
carrying small chemical items, placed where he wanted to go0
My assistant, Captain Marion Hildman, was ordered to the Pacific. He sailed from
Marseilles, France, but the war ended when he was a few days out of Marseilles
and he went to the United States instead. Just before he left he told me: "You
remember the discussions we had about your refusing to overlook the rule that one
enlisted man of the section had to be on the post at all times to take care of
any chemical emergency which might occur. This kept all of the section from going
to town together. When you went to the Advanced Chemical Warfare Course I would
be in command, and I was going to overlook the rule. When I assumed responsibility
for it I couldn't overlook it any more than you could."
few days after I made the trip to Heidelberg to deliver my report about my inter-
with the German chemist I was transferred to the Sev®nt^ Amor®d1
home with them. On arrival I found that its Chief of Staff jjgB=^n
in, who had been the Twelfth Armored Division's Chief of Staff fo^ °“ trouble
.{, S. A few days later, he sent for me and said: "Saks, I am having trouble
tting all these new transferees to do any work. All they think about Eg Bi
ne. I know it's below your rank, but I would appreciate it ™
Clcer and close the FX for me." I told him: "I will be glad to do it and I do
ow something about EXs." So I was assigned to the Special Service Section,
osed the EX without any difficulty.
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United States. Army. Armored Division, 12th. [Twelfth Armored Division, Scrapbook 6], book, Date Unknown; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth639084/m1/172/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.