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'Commando Kelly7 5th Army’s Sgt. York of World War IIBy BL R. KNICKERBOCKERChicago Sun war correspondent.HQ 36th DIVISION, ITALY, Dec. 10—The 36th Division has a new “one-man army5 which may become as famous as “One-Man Army Wer-muth,” Capt. Arthur Wermuth, who killed so many Japanese on Bataan that he is rated as being worth a whole battalion of ordinary men. A new one is “Commando Kelly,” Charles E Kelly, who has killed more Germans than anyone else in the Fifth Army.He has lost count, but his fellow -soldiers and officers, who are ex-: tremely proud of him ane sure he has set up a record worthy of • comparison with Wermuth, who claimed 116 Japs before his capture at the fall of Bataan.Young Kelly, aged 22, of Pittsburgh, has one object of sentiment in his life. That is his mother, Irene. He has one vice. That is chewing tobacco.He has one ambition. This is killing Gentians.It has taken until now for the full storv of his success to work its way from his company to quarters able to assess it properly. Last September 13. as his company was holding a position near Altaville against a'fierce enemy counter-attack, Cpi—-then Ffc —Kelly wore out one Browning automatic rifle firing at Germans. During that morning he volunteered for an arduous and dangerous patrol which located enemy machine-gun positions.Volunteer Without RestWithout halting to rest, he .then volunteered to establish contact .with another battalion of the 36th Division, believed to be about a mile away on Hill 315.With another volunteer he went through incessant enemy sniper, mortar, and artillery fire to Hill 315. He volunteered again for combat patrol, during which he helped to destroy two enemy machine-gun nests.Bv then it was nightfall, and' most of Kelly’s comrades were so tired that they could hardly keep awake.Charles got another plug of chewing tobacco and a new Browning automatic rifle, and went to work.Before midnight he had fixed all his cwt. ammunition and'all he could borrow.He got permission to visit an ammunition dump which was on the extreme .flank, where the Germans were attacking with special vigor.Once at the dump Kelly: wanted to stay there so that he could have inexhaustible ammunition, and was delighted* when the dump commander asked him to protect the rear storehouse.Holds PositionHe held this position all night, and at first light came inside, placed himself in ■ a comfortable prone position by an open window with field glasses.He fired “continuous, aimed, and effective fire,” as his commanding officer puts it, until his Browning rifle locked, from over-heating.All this time Kelly’s position was under direct enemy fire, and one machine-gunner was killed beside him and several others wounded.From one of the wounded Kelly got another automatic rifle, and want on firing until it. too. locked from heat.By then the enemy was storming the storehouse. Kelly’s companions were nearly all knocked out, ana he, weaponless, looked around for something to throw.There was a pile of 60 mm. mortar shells in the corner, but no mortar.Kelly experimented. He pulled the safety ring from one, and threw it into a squad of Germans rushing towards his building. It exploded? among them.Kelly threw another, and anothen, until the Germans stopped coming. He counted five dead,Kelly then volunteered to hold the Germans off until his detachment could escape. As his comrades moved out they saw him shooting out of the window with a bazooka—a one-man anti-tank gun—at German tanks charging towards him. His detachment reported him a hero, but doubtless dead.But Kelly turned up a few hours later, and asked for a new rifle finda plug of tobacco. ____•Until now he is the Fifth Army’s Sergeant York until a better Sergeant York comes alone.
Newspaper Details
Northern Ireland Stars and Stripes
Belfast, Ulster, GB
Fri, Dec 10, 1943
Page 2
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Northern Ireland Stars and Stripes
