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Sgt. Cromwell Tells Of Talks By Men At Front

Sgt. Cromwell Tells Of Talks By Men At Front image
Parent Issue
Day
10
Month
November
Year
1945
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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"Should life and death by rationed?" S/Sgt. George Cromwell and some of the other members of the 92nd all-colored division asked each other while fighting the war to a finish in Italy. Home as a civilian now after three years in the service, George explained why the question was uppermost in the minds of himself and his buddies. In command of a platoon of 40 men, Sgt. Cromwell was sent out on a patrol mission near Barga to establish contact with the enemy last January. He and his men were to get information such as the number of the enemy, their equipment, location, and range. The route was through mountainous country and they managed to cover the ground carefully in the early morning light, searching houses along the way. "We came upon a house on a hill and after receiving no answer to our knock, one of our scouts kicked the door open. There was a German standing inside," the sergeant related. "There were 20 Germans in the house and we took them all prisoner," he continued. "I guess they were just as surprised to see us as we were to find them." With the necessary information on hand, George and his patrol started back to their own lines. But by that time the Germans in the area had discovered the American boys. From a post on an opposite hill the enemy had control of the "draw" through which the all-colored patrol had to pass. Asked For Protection "We contacted our headquarters and asked for artillery protection to get us through the draw," the front line soldier reported. "But we were told that ammunition was rationed and all they could give us was four rounds and it was all gone." "It was just about the time we had read in the papers all about the strikes in ammunition plants," George said. It was also just about the time when those who were still fighting in Italy were "the forgotten men." Most of the ammunition that was available was being shipped up into northern Europe, he complained and perhaps not without reason. "We were pretty burned-up about that," he recalled. "The British artillery finally put up enought to get us out but we lost some of our men." A month later at just about the same spot, an attack was made on the enemy which was based on the information obtained by the scouts. And it was there that Sgt. Cromwell was wounded by a German sniper's bullet. Altogether, he said, about 50 per cent of the boys were lost. After a year in Italy, Sgt. Cromwell left for the States on Oct. 11 and landed on the 29th. "Navy Day slowed us up for 24 hourss in New York harbor," he said. He was given his honorable discharge on Nov. 3 at Indiantown Gap. The 92nd Division infantry soldier spent all of his life in Ann Arbor before joining the Army. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cromwell, 214 W. Kingsley St., George is a graduate of Ann Arbor High school where he won a letter in cross country in 1933, served as a cheer leader and was a member of the Glee club. Besides being employed at the Kappa Sigma fraternity, the 31-year-old veteran also played in an orchestra and at one time had his own band. He plays the guitar.