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Page 18 Sunday, February 18, 2001 The News-CourierWe just clug in and held tight. We uere in the foxholes the whole time we were in France and Germany, except when we could find an unoccupied farmhouse.Ed McMunnMilitary history lived firstContinued on Page 15McMunn said. “At night your hoots would freeze to the groundmorning you'dW Jthemdidn't have In early 1944. his outfitto Southampton where theinvasion forces were assembling. Promoted to buck sergeant, hevehicles and made training landings whilefor the word toinvade.Everyone was netting edgyinvasion, not knowing exactly when they would pushWaiting wasWto“We loaded up and sat in the for three davs, McMunnw. “The weather turned we pulled out into the on June 5 and started moving out sometime after midnight. The only thing 1 remember about itcame ab with Col. Barksdale, who was accompanied by his white bulldog, and he told us were going and what to expect and wished us well.McMunn had a dangerous assignment once they landed at Omaha Beach.“Our job was to go in and hitand clear the mines and obstacles and clear lanes for the troops to come in, he said.It was earlv morning on D-McMunn’s landing craft bucked across the rough waters headed for the French coast. Had he known Americans would be casualtiesday’s end it wouldn’t haveWmade any difference. There was no turning back. It was do or die.Morning light was creeping up from the eastern horizon. McMunn squinted toward the coast and barelv saw its outlinelight of exploding shells. It appeared the whole earth was on fire, ignited bv the flames of 10,000 guns.Low tide was at 5 a.m. As thelanding craft fought its way through the heavy seas and neared the beach. McMunn saw the obstacles that the Germans had erected.Metal A-frame I beams and iron stakes tipped with mines sprouted from the water asparagus shoots. Beyond in innocent-looking sand were antipersonnel mines: “BouncingBetties the Gls later called them. Step on one and it would jump into the air several feet and send out a hail of shrapnel, cutting a man to pieces. Beyond lay tan-barbed wire followed by aJsteep embankment where Germans held the high ground.McMunn was headed into the eye of a storm. The craft stopped the front end dropped and he waded ashore, among the first Americans to set foot on French soil.“Each one of the metal beams had a bomb strapped to it with a pressure device. McMunn said. “If a landing craft hit it. it would explode and blow the bottom outof the ship. We didn't take the bomb off: we took the firingEd McMunn, a World War II and Korean War veteran, poses with his wifebulldozer and much of its time was put to use burying dead Americans in what is now called the American Cemetery that overlooks Omaha Beach.When McMunn was pushing out grave sites in June 1944. there were no manicured green lawns and matching white crosses standing in perfect alignment. It was a wet. grizzly place where many of America's finest young men were buried in the mud.Paris was liberated in August1944. and American armies pushed east toward Germany. McMunn’s outfit had constructed a bridge in Belgium during some of the coldest weather in Europe in 50 years. They had no sleeping bags, only two wool blankets and a shelter.“I’d roll up in the blankets andscoop snow over me to keepwarm,” he said.Some people said the warwould be over by Christmas. Butit was only wishful thinking. The•Germans launched a counteroffensive, now called the Battle of the Bulge, in late December.“We just dug in and held tight.'’ said McMunn. whose outfit spent most of its time with the 2nd Armored Division. “We were in the foxholes the whole time we were in France and Germany, except when we could find an unoccupied farmhouse.”That's when his feet froze. “They froze and turned yellow -jelly looking - while I was walk-ing. he said. “They wanted totake ’em off, but I asked ’em not • *to.From the time McMunn left home in December 1942, untilnear the end of the war in early1945. he had no furlough. “Theythought 1 was cracking up, I reckon. said McMunn, “so they gave me two days and I got transportation to Paris.”When Germany surrendered on May 8. 1945. Buck Sgt. McMunn was about 50 mileswest of Berlin.But the war wasn’t over for him.Ed McMunn as he looked during his military days.dev ice out.After the bombs on the metalobstacles were disarmed, tl to remove the barbed wire infantry could advance for-We took banglelores torpedoes that looked like a piece of a stove pipe, and ran that under the barbed wire and would blow it.” he says. Then we placed tracing tape along both si troops could pass.”Locating the mines was a dangerous job.“We used mine sweepers, hand-held, and five people would shoulder-to-shoulder probe for 'em and mark 'em. Some ssure-release booby traps beneath ’em. Somebody else would come up behind and deactivate 'em.”After the infantry secured the they advanced into hedgerow' country. ’hedgerows were an entanglement of ancient trees that were almost impenetrable. The GI's slugged it out w ith Germans, fighting for eachKm*foot of ground. Casualties were high. McMunn's outfit had one
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Athens News Courier
Athens, Alabama, US
Sun, Feb 18, 2001
Page 44
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