'Brave Men - 29. Street Fighting'

Hi All,

I love the way Ernie Pyle wrote; he had the ability to engage the reader with a unique natural flow of speech which is captivating in its simplicity. In chapter 29 of 'Brave Men', he writes about the push northwards up the Cotentin and the eventual capture of Cherbourg in late June.

He opens the chapter 'Street Fighting' with a marvelous insight into the character of Major General Eddy, commander of the 9th Division:

A soldier's soldier

More follows...

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi Niels,

Looking forward to that one

Ernie spent nine days with the 9th Infantry Division during the advance on Cherbourg in late June and it is very evident that he held this division in very high esteem:

He then goes on to state that the 9th had not received the recognition it deserved in the MTO because of an error in it not being released through censorship. People back home in the States had not been made aware of it's exploits thus far and consequently a huge effort was now in place to rectify that situation once the Army knew that the Germans were aware of it's presence in Normandy.

Correspondents were therefore given every assistance while with the Division in France:

He then describes an incident which appears typical of an aggressive division whereby the CP was as usual not far from the line and one night he was sitting in a tent with Captain Linsey Nelson, of Knoxville, when a shell exploded nearby, followed by what he describes as a 'shrill whine through the treetops over our heads'. Both men assumed the object causing the noise to be a rotating band off an American shell. (I assume therefore that German shells did not have this curious 'side effect'). Ernie describes how the two men's assumption proved incorrect, when he says to Captain Nelson:

Both men soon discovered that the object was in fact a large, one foot square jagged and red hot fragment from a German 240mm shell that had landed a hundred yards from the tent. Being a modest man, Ernie states:

Ernie mentions two other correspondents who accompany him with the 9th ID as they push into the city of Cherbourg. They are:

• Charles Werntenbaker
• Bob Capa

I had a look to see if there was any footage of Ernie during the Cherbourg Peninsula Campaign and located this scene in BP Film ID #2064.13 ('German POW's 1944'):

​

Ernie hated the job of cook, making reference somewhere earlier in the book to always being left with this job by the other correspondents. His demeanor in the footage here would appear to confirm this lack of enthusiasm

None of the three men waiting for Ernie to finish cooking breakfast is Bob Capa, so there is a chance that it is the famous photographer himself who is filming this footage. I cannot locate a photograph of Charles Werntenbaker - Does anyone know if he is one of the group?

Also, I would appreciate if anyone comes across Captain Linsey Nelson in the records of the 9th ID, can you post them here please?

Thanks,

Pat

 

Thanks Yuri,

Which of the three in the stills is Lindsey Nelson?

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi Yuri,

I get a sense that the guy behind the type writer is possibly younger with a longer neck - maybe its just the viewpoint? In any event, thanks for posting this photo.

Regards,

Pat

 

Thanks for the confirmation Yuri,

Any thoughts as to the location?

There appears to be a large house or chateau in the background of screenshot #3. I wonder if the sloping annex roof is a match for the front of Chateau de Pont Rilly at Negreville. This location appears to have been a R&R site and IIRC, there is footage of a large crowd of GIs and nurses attending an outdoor show there.

Regards,

Pat