Who's Scared?
by Russ Hauck

Everyone who served in an infantry rifle company in combat knows that when there's action things happen so fast you haven't time to think about being scared; however, there were five of us who had the time to think it over.

This happened in the hills near Baguio where we had just finished off some Japs without suffering any casualties. This was not the usual situation where you stop for the night and set up a perimeter and dig in. We had orders to keep going through the night.

We had no drinking water for two days. We were told the Japs had poisoned the flowing streams. And, because of overcast skies cargo planes were unable to make a water drop.

We were taking a break in a swampy area before advancing. I was leaning against a tree when a machine gunner came by, stepping in mud over his boots. He pulled his foot out of the mud and the hole filled with water. I scooped it up with my canteen cup. It was so muddy I couldn't see the bottom of the cup, but I drank it anyway.

Just then, the Captain's messenger, Kenneth Taylor, came by and said, "The Captain wants to see you." I reported and was told that we had lost contact with D Company and that A Company was leaving in ten minutes. He told me to take four men from another platoon and dig in for the night just off the trail. Then when D Co. came by, tell them of the change in plans.

I was told not to fire a shot under any circumstance since there were only five of us. The Captain said that D Company should be by before midnight and I would be able to follow A Company's trail. "Any questions?"

"Yes, suppose I yell 'Hello D Company' and they think we are Japs and start throwing grenades, or suppose it is a Jap patrol and they start throwing grenades?"

"We'll have to see what happens," he said. Everything did work out okay, though. Although A Company was in combat from Morotai to Baguio, you'll never find it mentioned in any books.

The following account first appeared in the Mar 2000 issue of the 33rd Infantry Division newsletter, pg. 9. Used with permission.

Anyone Need a Tank?
by Russ Hauck

Bauang, Luzon - 1945 - Company A was ordered to an intersection in Bauang and to dig in for the night on the southeast corner of the cross street.

Soon a message came that we would be sent a tank with a crew that would guard the road from the north. The tank would have cannister loads and would wipe out any of the enemy coming from the north into town.

From Left to Right: Davis Roberts, George Alexander, Carl Zersen and Russ Hauck. A/130

Capt. William Mills, C.O., radioed back that he did not want a tank, saying the crew had never had night combat experience and they wouldn't realize that anything moving after dark was the enemy. He was told to use the tank.

The tank crew arrived and found enough material for a makeshift roadblock. About two hours after dark a Jap army truck with soldiers approached the tank; the same trucks also were used by Philippine guerrillas. They were similar to a Model A and had wide wooden cabs seating four men abreast, one on the outside of the driver.

A person on the truck said in perfect English, "Take down the roadblock and leave it down. There will be a couple hundred men on foot coming soon with other equipment." Soon they came marching four abreast, wearing hobnail shoes.

They were so close to us that one of our machine gunners had to pull his weapon back. We were sure they were Japs and wondered why they were allowed to pass.

Captain Mills asked a platoon leader dug in nearby what he thought. He said, "It is so dark I can't tell for sure, but I am almost positive they were Japs." In the morning we went to the area to see if there was any evidence of the enemy and returned with a small 2-wheeled horse cart filled to the top with thousands of new Jap toothbrushes wrapped in cellophane. I gave the horse and cart to a Filipino boy.

Col. Collins, C.O. of the 130th Infantry Regiment, came by and asked a machine gunner why he didn't shoot. He replied, "A dozen others let them pass - what was I supposed to do?"

Although the whole episode was like a Laurel and Hardy movie, no fault could be attributed to Company A.

Casualty List || Personal Accounts