Many thanks to Eugene Hart who agreed to reply to some of my requests! And I also would like to thank Célia and Hélène for the translations.
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Eugene Hart in 1945
And today
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Eugene Hart was born on February 20, 1922 in Johnson City,Illinois.
He joined the army at 20 years old.
He was selected to join the 101st Airborne. He incorporated the Signal Company, at the signal center.
“I worked on “teleprinter operator” machines, the M209 - Decoder. »
“The Signal Company works are fundamental for a Division. After all we provided all the communications for the entire Division. »
Those equipments were used for coding and decoding tactical messages quickly.
Hart was not a paratrooper. He was brought to the front on a glider.
The crossing of the Atlantic did not leave him a good memory though!
“We were loads and there was no water for the showers. We started the trip on a boat for the transport of the English troops, but the food was crap there. We were all falling sick. Then the boat broke down. We stopped by a port to await another boat who would take us along to England”
He spent 9 months in England. He really enjoyed his time in England.
He took part in the campaigns of Normandy and Bastogne and also in the entering of Germany.
On D-Day, Hart was brought to Normandy by a Horsa glider.
“Those gliders are bigger than the CG-4A,there are entirely made of wood”
“I did not do that much during this operation, our glider crashed as I feared it. The pilot badly calculated on the landing and we crashed. We landed very very fast.
We flew over a high steel fence at 85 knot speed, then, the glider crossed a road and some trees.
The tail and the wings remained in the trees. The body carried on its race across a field. It was a scrap heap. Two men were killed in the accident and another one was killed by a stray bullet on the way to the help station.
I knew the pilot and the co-pilots seemed to be in a bad condition,but I never knew how they managed to go out of this situation . There was only one man who was not injured. I had a wound on my knee. I received the Purple Heart for that.
Then, we just had to reach the beach to be rescued towards England. »
Afterwards, he was sent to a small hospital during 3 days before being sent to Lichfield, England.
He did not take part in operation Market Garden.
He was one of the last men to leave England for Mourmelon, France.
On the other hand he was not in Bastogne during the surrounding. He entered Bastogne when the road was open.
He does not hide he was luckier than the other members of the infantry regiment for example.
“I think that being in the Signal Corps was far much better than being in an other unit, like the infantry. »
But he felt a real fright while in Bastogne:
“We had a close contact in Bastogne. We were in a truck on the way to our company when a 88mm shell fell just behind our truck. A man was killed and another had a serious injury to his arm. It was a close contact for me, a piece of shrapnel went through the sleeve of my coat. I was standing just beside one of the men who was killed. »
Then Hart entered Germany:
“In Germany we spent our time chasing the Germans, we drove them out to Berchtesgaden. I did not see any combat over there. »
He hated the Germans for the crimes they committed during the war.
“I still hate them. »
He was truly happy at the end of the war:
“I was very happy when the war was over. We were at the TCP (Traffic Control Post) in a small town of Germany (but I can not remember the name)”
He was awarded the Regular Campaign Ribbons and the Purple Heart.
He ended the war with the rank of T/4 Sergeant. He brought back a 7.65 PPK caliber 32 handgun as a souvenir.
First thing he did when he came back was to get closer to his wife Ina.
He also spent time with his mother, his father and his sister.
“I had a beautiful life after the war. When I came back from the war, I took my old job back at the Contential Can Co. in Chicago, Illinois, but I only stayed 6 weeks over there. Ration C cans were made there. Then I worked in a glass factory where I stayed until I got retired at 59 years old and a half. I am retired for 25 years now and Ina was a marvellous wife and so still is she.
We had two marvellous children, a girl and a boy. We have 2 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. »
The only shot Eugene Hart found me on the Internet. It takes place in Bastogne.
He is the soldier stood on with the weapon on his shoulder.
You can notice the badge of the Signal Company painted on his helmet as well as the badge of “Glider” on his chest.
Today, Eugene Hart at home.