| Martin Smith 30th Recon 30th Infantry Division |
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Martin Smith First Interview: - Served in both WWII and Korea - Served in 2PL’s "third section" with the rank of Corporal (T5) - He was about 20 years-old when he joined 30 CRT - He often used an M-1 Carbine - He knew Joseph Calabrace, but not very well - Crossed to England on the ship SS Argentina and landed in First-of-Clyde, Scotland. He remembers that a US Navy destroyer shadowed them and the Atlantic crossing was very rough - LT Raymond Flanner was his platoon leader - Discussed Battle of Mortain details: He said that 30 CRT probed the enemy along with some Free French forces. He remembers an instance where he was sent up to a farm house to ask a local farmer when he last saw the Germany infantry units. The man at the house turned around and pointed out to the orchard in his back yard and said "right over there, and there was an entire German infantry company sitting in the orchard behind the house." - Said that 30 CRT worked with the US 113 th Calvary- Noted that they moved very quickly through Northern France and that the "quota" was 20 miles per hour reconnoitered - Recalls that the popular 30 CRT figure Clifton W. "Dutch" Cox got sick on the transport ship on the Atlantic crossing. Months later, when the boarded the LCT to cross the English Channel to Normandy, Cox took a whole handful of seasickness tablets and ended up getting sick again, this time from an overdose of pills that upset his stomach - Recalls that his platoon landed in Normandy on D+6 - Story: He remembers that the smaller beach landing crafts were unwieldy and difficult to pilot. The pilot of the landing craft did not get the boat close enough to the beach and when Corporal Red Flint and two other guys drove a Jeep off the end of the craft, the Jeep immediately plunged to the bottom of the water. Flint and the others were not hurt. Smith remembers three helmets spinning on the surface of the water, refusing to sink with the rest. - Story: Recalls another humorous incident involving PVT Anthony F. Fiorentino. Once a group of 2PL guys stopped there vehicles on a country road bordered on one side by a thick forest. Some of the guys hopped out of the vehicles to have a smoke and engage in discussion. Fiorentino was desperate to relieve himself of urine and made his way over to the tree line. Something must have scared Fiorentino because all of a sudden he opened up with his Thompson machine gun on the forest. The remainder of the 2PL dove to the ground and took cover behind the vehicles as they thought an attack was taking place, only to find out that, indeed, Fiorentino was "just making sure no one was hiding in there and waiting to get him." The story takes on a humorous note, now, 60 years later. - Recalls a situation where they had a bridge intersection of road wired with explosives, and the Americans "shoved the plunger" and hit the Germans at the intersection - He believes that Kenneth C. Cornelius is still alive and living in Chicago - Said that Battle of Tournai, Belgium lasted about two days - Described the events surrounding CPT Cornelius’ injury: Cornelius stepped out from behind a building cover to throw a yellow flare "10" flare. When he exposed himself to throw the flare, a German shot him from a relatively close range with a "machine pistole" or "brrrp gun." Cornelius wanted to throw the flare so that the engaging 113th Calvary would know the position of the American soldiers and not fire at their own troops. What actually happened, says Smith, is that Cornelius mistook the Germans for American troops, exposing himself too much to enemy fire - He claims that it was he who took CPT Cornelius back to the aid station after he was hit - Said the British officers and NCOs had a daily ration of Johnny Walker whiskey - Describes the 30 CRT emblem or patch as having a boar’s head. He believes that originally the symbol belonged to the 59th Brigade of the 30ID - Did not like 1LT Travis H. Cramb - Called 2LT Leonard Prosnick "Fearless Prosnick" due to his disregard in dangerous situations. Thought that Prosnick was not quite "with it." - In Herlene, Holland his platoon became friendly with some of the locals. He liked one of the local girls - Describes the month of December 1944: "miserable weather and cold, we ended up in Malmedy. And, on or about Christmas Day the US 8th Air Force was bombing the Germans." - Story: He remembers a time that he went out on a patrol with "SGT Butcher" and PVT Theodore Pasternak. Pasternak tripped over a trip-wire that was connected to a grenade and blew up the grenade - From February 1945 into early and middle spring 1945 the 30 CRT came upon the Rhine River to "Colsheid," Germany. He said the 30 CRT was strung along the front at various points and spread out. They just watched the German positions and engaged in less action than in previous months. Smith said he picked up a red Swastika flag and still has it to this day - 30 CRT went through "Bedburg," Germany and was heading toward Magdeburg in East Germany - Finally ended up in Oschersleben, Germany which was "party city with two bars, which we kept running." 30 CRT became friendly with the locals and a German Army veteran who ran one of the bars - Talked about "Calvados" which is a liquor made from apples - Remembers PVT Cecil C. Cothran chasing him around shooting a "Very or Liveri" pistol which was a type of "flare gun." - Said "we did spend some time fighting the Germans." - Noted that a combat section within the platoon usually had: a point Jeep with a .30 Caliber machine gun, a M-8 armored car, and a lag Jeep with a "60" mortar - Commented the SS was "tough and good" and the "Liebstandart Adolf Hitler" or 1st SS Division was a unit that the 30ID and 30 CRT faced - "Axis Sally" called the 30ID "Franklin Roosevelt’s SS" - Smith noted that in battle "a sixth sense develops, which the newer replacement troops did not have. You looked for subtle signs of impending danger, such as telephone lines and whether or not they were US or German line configurations. Then you could tell where you were and what to expect." - The 30 CRT stopped short of Paris at the Seine River - PFC Merlyn C. Castner served in HQPL - PVT Joseph L. Kenney was from Boston, Massachusetts and he did not like SGT Mortimer B. Gaines |
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Source:
Michael J. Schmid 30TH CALVALRY RECONNAISSANCE VETRANS INTERVIEWS, 2002-2003 Interviews conducted and compiled by Michael Joseph Schmid, Grandson of Corporal Joseph Richard Calabrace, US Army |
| Page last
revised
11/26/2009
James D. West www.IndianaMilitary.org |