Hart, Robert Warren, CPT

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE ARMY.

Joining the Military

I am a World War II veteran of the US Army. I enlisted in the E.R.C [Enlisted Reserve Corps] in the summer of 1943 after graduating from high school in June of that year. I had been accepted into the A.S.T.P [Army Specialist Training Program.] This was for determining who would be good as engineers and interpreters. I attended one semester at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

I was then sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for thirteen weeks of Basic Infantry Training. The A.S.T.P was discontinued while I was at Fort Benning, and I, along with many others, was sent by train to join the 100th Infantry Division stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The 100th was called the "Century Division." I wanted to serve until the war's end and go on to college if I survived.

WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
I served on active duty from 1943 to 1946, and then went into the National Guard from 1946 to 1963. I never really planned a career in the Army. We all looked forward to going home and returning to a normal life.

During the war, I was assigned to Company A, 397th Infantry Regiment of the 100th Infantry Division. In occupation duty from 1945 to 1946, I was placed in different units until I rotated home. After the war, I enlisted in the 29th Infantry Division of both the Maryland and Virginia National Guard, while attending college at the University of Baltimore.

The division distinguished itself primarily by spearheading the invasion of Omaha Beach. I served in an enlisted capacity until June 1950, first as a Message Center Chief in HHC, 175th Infantry Regiment, and later as a weapons platoon NCO.

After I graduated from college I received a direct commission as a 2nd Lieutenant; I served in the 29th Division as a weapons platoon leader, 5th Regimental Range Officer, then later as the assistant G-2 Air. I eventually reached the rank of captain in the position of assistant G-2, Air, for the division. Owing to work pressures and traveling for business with Xerox, I found it necessary to go inactive and finally had to resign my commission in 1963.

I retired as a systems consultant from Koppers Company, Incorporated.

IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
I was assigned to Company "A" of the 397th Infantry Regiment. I was placed in its weapons platoon. Originally I was in a rifle platoon, but I found the weapons platoon lieutenant was the coach of the softball team. I showed him that I had a strong arm, so I joined the weapons platoon.

We were occupying 82nd Airborne area since the 82nd was in Europe at that time. While at Fort Bragg as the home of the Field Artillery, we had training with live artillery going over us so we would be conditioned to it. The German artillery caused you to be in fear, but I did not expect any one not to be afraid of it. I was qualified on both the A-6 light machine gun and the 60mm mortar.

We continued intensive training, including glider training, at Pope Field. We learned how to get out of the WACO and HORSA gliders at Fort Bragg. It was a drill to execute just getting out of them. It seems that the plans included deployment to the C.B.I. [China, Burma, and India] Theater. In October 1944, we were sent to southern France in convoy on the S.S. George Washington to support the August 15th invasion [Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944] of that area.

Many of us were seasick from a huge hurricane we had encountered while en-route near Bermuda. We were sent there to relieve the 45th Division in the Vosges Mountains. We were under General Patch of the 7th Army. I am very afraid of heights. We had to climb down the cargo nets into the LCIs [Landing Craft Infantry] below. As we were climbing down, the Germans came over with recon planes.

The sky lit up with AA flak was being shot all over as the searchlights scanned the skies. I was trying so hard climbing down as the LCI bounced off the ship. I fell into the LCI. The haversack saved me from getting hurt. We never went into combat with them. We just rolled up what we needed into our ponchos. When we came ashore a French Gendarme dressed in the classic picture book dress with cape was standing under a lamppost. I told my buddies we were in Marseille, France.

My buddies and I got a pass to go into Marseille. We entered what I know now was a posh French brothel. We were just 18 and did not want any part of this. I had my first drink there, a shot of cognac. We ran out as the British MPs came in arresting everyone. We did not know it was off-limits.

Later I had to go down to the British jail and bail out the other guys in my company the next day.

We went into combat on November 12th. We attacked the dug-in enemy and suffered our first casualties killed and wounded in an intense fire fight.

As I was walking towards the front, the Regimental Commander gave me two grenades. We used many over the entire war. It had snowed, and our artillery was outgoing, and I say about 700 guns at once of ours. The Germans were doing the same to us.

The morning of November 14th, I was eating a breakfast k-ration and the incoming artillery hit me with some shell fragments. I was able to rejoin my unit in a week, since my wounds were superficial, caused by shell fragments. Two of us were walking back to the aid station and we were told that we had just walked through a minefield.

It was not the first time that had happened to me. These minefields were full of the German wooden shoe mines.

We did not call new guys replacements, but reinforcements; we did not want to tell them who they were replacing.

We were digging in and always tried to put logs on for overhead cover. We had artillery coming in when the three of us fell on the ground. This new guy, a Hispanic kid was killed laying on my left next to me; Sergeant Arthur Peck was on my right and was hit in his lungs. I was helping him back and the medic asked what happened to my carbine. I had a bullet pouch on the stock and the stock was totally gone. I guess it was not my time to die.

I found out that Sergeant Peck lived and became a Veterinarian later after the war.

On Christmas morning, we were attacked by the 17th SS Panzer Division while supporting the 44th Division to push through the Vosges Mountains on to liberate Strasbourg, along with the 2d French Armored Division. The Germans had pushed some units from the 44th Division back on our flanks, and they had to fight their way back up to our lines, we didn't give any ground during the 17th SS Panzer Division assault.

The Germans had much better equipment than us, especially that 88mm, God that was deadly. We entered the Ensemble de Bitche in the Maginot Line. The Germans had done a good job reversing the guns in our direction. The rifle platoon I was in previously was ambushed in a large cemetery. Everyone was killed except for Ray Brunhardt, who was wounded. He came back and went to West Point and later ending his career as an Army Colonel. He spoke German and managed to avoid getting shot as many laid there dying.

The Germans were very sneaky and very well trained. We gave them their due respect. One time the Germans came out yelling "comrade, comrade", as if they were surrendering, then they fell down, a German with a machine gun opened up on us killing several of our guys. The next time we just mowed them down. We were given parkas and new boots after that. Many of us had trench foot and the GIs [diarrhea.] It was almost 60 days before I had a shower; it helped being in the cold.

We crossed into Germany in March attacking the German West Wall and crossed the Rhine River in DUKWs [a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck] under heavy fire to attack the cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. Then we turned south to go towards Stuttgart. We then attacked Heilbronn. There was very heavy fighting close to the city church and we were cornered by the Germans. We managed to fight our way out and take the town. The fighting was vicious and room-to-room in Heilbronn. I will never forget that experience.

I was told in that early April would be my time for R&R. We went to Paris and we were awarded our Combat Infantry Badges and combat patches. We found out that President Roosevelt had died. I attended the memorial services at the Notre Dame Cathedral. Heading the service was General Charles De Gaulle.

Afterwords we looked for a street side café, and we were confronted by a WAC [Women's Army Corps] that told us we were assassins and cold-blooded killers. During my occupation duty from May 1945 to March 1946, we mainly pulled guard duty, and I was moved to the 278th Engineer Battalion. As I wasn't a trained engineer, it was very boring.

Close to March 1946, I was moved again to the 514th (possibly 515th) Engineer Water Supply Company, and then finally had the points to go home. In order to go home, we had the point system. I received my orders for my purple heart. I only took it because it meant an extra five points for going home. We did get an R&R to Switzerland. They treated us as royalty with all the food and drink we could consume. In March 1946, we boarded the USS General J. R. Brooke (AP-132) at the Le Havre port in France. The French Soldiers did not want us there anymore. So we returned their victory salute with our middle finger salute in return.

Obviously, we didn't deploy to the C.B.I., for which we had been trained. I served until the end of the war. We were in constant fighting until that time. I can wear three battle stars on my E.T.O. Ribbon [European Theater of Operations] for three campaigns. They were Rhineland, Central Europe and Ardennes Alsace.

FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
The bravery and sacrifices that my fellow soldiers and friends made, to the point of giving their lives in some cases will always have the biggest impact on me.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?

My Military Achievements

I earned the Bronze Star. It was for meritorious conduct during the Rhineland Campaign, so it states in the attached certificate received with the medal. It was sent to me later in the mail in 1948 with the letter of orders.

I only wish I had it two years prior so I could have had the extra five points.

WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
My company commander, Frederick "Fred" Conley by far, had the biggest impact on me. He was a one-time, All-American basketball player for Rhode Island State, before the war. He was a great leader through the thick of it.

CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
This is not "funny ha, ha," but funny in the odd sense. In World War II, I served with a rifle company in the 397th Infantry Regiment of the 100th Infantry Division. We mainly fought in the 6th Corps of the 7th Army in France and later in Germany. Our

My Funniest Military Memory

First Sergeant was a regular who served in World War I, and was severely wounded at that time.

On payday, he would have us paid in a way that was rather unusual, for example by enlisted serial number sequence, low to high. All enlisted serial numbers at that time began with 1, 2, or 3. Mine began with a "1" because I enlisted in the ERC since I started out in the ASTP. "1" as the first number meant that you enlisted, "2" meant that you were National Guard, and "3" meant that you were an inductee. "Top," as we called our First Sergeant, did not have us paid in order of rank. This caused some resentment of those with more stripes.

This seemed to be Top's way of saying that he held those who had enlisted with greater respect than those who had not done so. He overlooked the fact that members of the National Guard had enlisted too. By the way, Top was wounded again uring our first attack in the Vosges Mountains in Northeast France. It was our first firefight, it was an ambush by deeply entrenched enemy and there was a tendency to freeze when bullets were spraying at us, especially from "burp" guns. Despite this, Top stood up and returned fire with his carbine; he shouted to all to do the same.

Top was hit and wounded by bullets, including some in his face, and surprisingly was not killed. He managed to survive. He recovered and was assigned to the battalion headquarters where he remained until the end of the war in Europe.

I was told that this was done so he could serve out his time as a regular and retire with full benefits. I saw him once when, in April 1945, I was given R&R after some furious house-to-house fighting in Heilbron, Germany.

I and several others from his old company were being sent to Paris for a week. Emotionally, he gave us a barracks bag full of cartons of cigarettes, which were bringing $35 each at that time.

His face had been repaired by medical skills, and he looked considerably younger.

WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
I retired as a systems consultant from Koppers Company, Inc. headquarters in Pittsburgh. The company is no longer in operation.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
I survived combat, which made me realize that life can end in a split second. My aim in life was and still is, to be a good citizen, a good neighbor and a good father and grandfather, based on the generally accepted definition of "good."

After the war I used the GI Bill to attend the University of Baltimore majoring in business.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE ARMY?
Try not to become bitter. Most of the people at home have no idea how it is to be under fire.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
After the war, "A" Company formed an association that met once each year. We have now reached the time when most have passed on.

Captain Conley is still living in Rhode Island the last I heard.

From one old soldier to others out there, I salute each one of you for your service.


Published in TWS "Voices" Dec 6, 2010^[1]