Denny Maria

by

James “Grumpy” Smith

Denny is dead now. Denny Maria died in a mine field. Denny didn’t have to die. There was no need for him to go up on that mountain. Standing orders were “No one leaves the gun battery area without permission.” By Denny was the type who did as he pleased. Always! And Denny took another soldier with him. They both died in the same mine field. Capt. Willke and I had to go with the infantry to identify him.

Denny came to us from the Third Division as a volunteer. Our artillery battalion was chopped to pieces by Rommel’s Afrika Corps tanks. One half of our men were captured and in German prison camps.  That was our first battle –  a humiliating defeat. So to continue as a fighting unit we needed men. Patton volunteered his Third Division.  We received a couple of hundred men all supposed to be volunteers.  Denny was one of these. We had a slight suspicion that some of these so-called volunteers were soldiers that Third Division didn’t want. Denny’s past record was not good.

Well, Denny soon proved us correct. Attitude! Attitude! Uncooperative. Trouble maker. He was listed as a telephone wireman. so he went with the “com sarge”  Sarge soon complained “Don’t want him.”  So he was put with the gun crew. Gun sarge  complained uncooperative. Finally he was assigned to Sarge Smith where he stayed.  We had several talks with Sarge Smith. The sarge kept saying  “I don’t understand Denny. I’ll keep trying.”

 Denny’s talking about wanting to see action. See the front lines. “Come on lieutenant. take me with you. I hate it back here. I’ll do better. I promise”  I talk to Willke. “OK try him”. Willke is already looking for a way to get rid of him.

So he comes along with my wire crew. The enemy is retreating rapidly. We’re trying to catch up.

So we call for our guns to fire on them. Every time we get close enough to call for fire, they’re gone. My crew do their job with wire and radio all right, but Denny is out of control. Me and my crew are hiding behind hillsides and roadside. Denny  is running out in the open where he can be seen. I’m yelling “Stay down!” Denny thinks he’s some kind of a hero. He’s shooting his rifle at nothing.  He’s all excited.  He’s drawing attention to us. Luckily the Germans are more interested in escaping than shooting at us or we’re dead ducks. All night it was like this. I was getting ready to shoot him (only kidding). Never again!

Now we’re coming back. It’s hot. Denny the undisciplined soldier opens his shirt, loosens his leggings, helmet off, riding in the back seat of my jeep with his rifle poised.  Who comes riding up that road? No one but Gen. George Patton! We’re caught!  Can’t hide! I’m going to catch hell.

Patton stands up. He’s yelling. “Look at that  soldier’s uniform. Get his name! Get that officer’s name. Son (meaning Denny) who’s your officer?”  I’m standing rigid, saluting. So is my crew.

But not Denny! He’s just walking away. Patton’s going out of his mind yelling! Denny calmly points me out with his thumb. An aide steps forward and gets my name.  I whisper  “We’ve been out all night, sorry.” The aide goes back to the general and whispers.”He’s from the 17th.”  Patton knew the 17^th, so he calms down. Drives away.

Again I wanted to kill Denny who thinks it’s all some kind of a joke. His response to my screaming is “Well you know we all hate him”. I never spoke to Denny again. He continued to make trouble.

Oh, yes, my Headquarters called me. “Smitty, what happened” we got a letter here from Patton’s office. ‘Reply by endorsement’.“  But my colonel heard me out. Didn’t think it was a big deal, typed up letter. I signed it. So did he. That was the last I heard of it.

Denny stayed with us until one night we all heard that after an all day battle for some worthless mountain top loads of dead German soldiers were lying around. Denny probably talked another undisciplined soldier into sneaking up to find souvenirs – watches, rings, wallets, maybe a gun, coins or whatever. Well the two of them found something they weren’t looking for, a mine field!

From what we heard from the infantry sarg up there one of them tripped the first mine. The other now realized his was in a mine field and started to cry for help. He tried to crawl. A mine blew up in his face. You wouldn’t want to see his face.

Willke wrote up a report. “Killed in action at Mt. Pantano , Italy ,  Feb. 4^th 1944 . Fighting for his country”.

© Weston Military History Group, 2004.

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