Marion M. Sanford

First Interview:

Mechanic. Demolitions- Sanford was a Corporal (T5) in the 30 CRT

- His nickname among the men was "Sandy"

- Sanford recognizes the name Joe Calabrace and believes he might have been an M-8 armored car driver

- He describes their reconnaissance training and pre-invasion training as "demanding and tough"

- Sanford served as a mechanic and demolitions expert in both HQPL and 3PL

- Sanford was later promoted to Staff SGT

- He detailed an incident where he was feverishly changing a flat tire on a knocked out vehicle in order to get it out a live fire area. He was so out in the open that the Germans began to fire on him while he fixed the tire. He was scared, but remained calm, fixed the tire and drove speedily back to the Allied lines. Along the way, he sped across a stone covered bridge and, having forgotten to take the .30 Caliber machine gun down, he hit the gun against the bridge, damaging it.

- Sanford was able to add some details on the 30 CRT’s combat action in Tournai, Belgium: He noted that the 30 CRT/30ID was the first American unit in Belgium; CPT Cornelius was hit out in the open, not inside a building or protective shelter - Sanford notes that a monument was erected in Tournai, Belgium for remembrance of the Allied forces. He believes that it also may include a tribute to the 30ID/ 30 CRT

- Believes that LT Miles W. Walker was killed in Normandy in a German attack on one of the M-8s, where five additional men from 30 CRT were also killed - Noted that he too "loved CPT James Hume Jr.," and noted that he was something like 22 years-old when he took command of 30 CRT. Said that Hume was a VMI graduate and later became president of a tobacco company in Virginia

- Added information on the backgrounds of: 1) SGT (T4) Charlie H. Hall of Mississippi, 2) SGT (T4) Jesse W. Lucas of Columbia, South Carolina, 3) Corporal Robert W. Reilly of Pennsylvania, 4) SGT (T4) Francis J. Sutton of Pennsylvania, and 5) Corporal John J. Sutton of West Virginia

- Elaborated on a story where one of the platoons captures a car with three suitcases full of German, French, and Belgian money. They decided that in order to protect the money they would put the three suitcases in different vehicles. One of the vehicles which contained a suitcase of the money was blown up by German fire.  The money burned up

- States the 30 CRT entered Belgium on September 3, 1944

- States the 30 CRT entered Holland on September 12, 1944 via Maastricht

- He remembers a time when he went to get a drink at a café/bar in some crossroads town in Belgium. The café/bar was closed due to curfew. So he broke in, "borrowed" a bottle of wine and left $1,000 in Belgian currency from the captured suitcases to pay for the bottle of wine

- Detailed pay amounts for the soldiers: 1) $12/month was the standard overseas duty salary; 2) PFCs made $50/month; 3) SGTs made $78/month; 4) Staff SGTs made $96/month; 5) SGT (T4) made between $108-112/month; 6) First SGT made $138/month; and 7) combat pay was twenty percent of the total monthly pay salary

- Sanford stated that he rode in a half-track vehicle

- He said the worst element of the Battle of the Bulge was the weather

- During that time he said that they had a lot of "soul sessions" and that the men became "closer than brothers"

- Although, he noted that once during the extreme cold weather that he and SGT Mortimer B. Gaines has an argument over sharing boots

- Said the firepower of the recon convoy "could burn up a little town in a few minutes"

- Sanford said the 30 CRT was awarded both Belgian and French citations

- Story: Once when the 30 CRT was deployed in Southern Holland in the town of Hurlan, a couple of the guys decided they desperately wanted to eat chicken soup.  Thus, Sanford and a couple of guys went on a secret mission into Germany to steal chickens for the soup. PVT James A. Wilkerson accompanied Sanford, and while Sanford distracted the German women, Wilkerson shot the chicken and picked them up and ran with Sanford back to Holland

- Sanford said that he and Wilkerson were nervous because they were in an area where the Germans covered their gun emplacements with hay

- Noted that Frank Towers (now with the 30ID Association) was a MAJ with the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 30ID

- Noted that Technical SGT (T3) Francis Currey of 30ID won the CMH

- Noted that at one point SGT (T4) James W. Birdsong was hit and injured, but not killed

- Remembers that PVT Carlos S. Blankenship was KIA in Normandy operations while driving over landmines in his Jeep

- Sanford seems to remember that his platoon went into Normandy on D+3, or June 9, 1944

- Asserts that 1LT Travis H. Cramb did not go to ETO because he was hurt during the Tennessee Maneuvers in 1943

- Cramb’s injuries made LT James Hume, Jr. the XO of 30 CRT

- SGT Mortimer B. Gaines became supply SGT in England

- 2LT Neil P. Currey was wounded in Normandy

- 2LT William T. Juett was awarded a Silver Star for his actions in Normandy, and later "went nuts" in the Bulge

- 2LT Leonard Prosnick (a replacement officer) was captured by Germans near a village in Germany

- Sanford detailed the capture of LT Prosnick: The day after Prosnick’s capture by the Germans, American tanks surrounded the village and the Germans surrendered. After Prosnick was freed by his German captors, he cut the clothes off a German officer with a knife

- Said that the 30 CRT had approximately 13 armored cars

- Story: He recalls an incident when his platoon had four German prisoners in tow. Unknowingly, a full German company engulfed his platoon. His platoon was forced to hide and remain silent until the Germans passed. He thought that one of the German soldiers, an officer, might cry out for help so he and the other American soldiers put trench knives against the German prisoners’ throats in order to keep them quiet. The danger passed without incident

- Noted that the unit had "a lot of close calls"

- Said the 30ID captured something like 53,000 German POWs and the "recon" nabbed something like 3,500 - Sanford estimates the following casualty statistics: 1) 32 or 33 wounded, 2) 30 were without incident, and 3) the remainder were wounded at some point or time

- Estimates that the 30ID suffered approximately 20,000 casualties in total, including replacements

- Story: Remembers the physically minute Corporal (T5) Wilbur Gaddis driving his mail Jeep back-and-forth between the American foxholes and huts through the German lines. He was never hit, "but could you imagine the look on the Germans’ faces when they saw this little guy driving a Jeep right through their positions?"