Darrell C. Neville

              Eric Walz History 300 Collection
Darrell C. Neville – Life during
WWII
By Darrell C. Neville
October 21, 2002
Box 1 Folder 16
Oral Interview conducted by Nathan K. Hall
Transcript copied by Maren Miyasaki June 2005
Brigham Young University – Idaho
NH: It’s Monday October 21, 2002, and we are sitting here with the Nevilles. Darrell,
can you give us your full name for the record?
DN: Darrell Neville, Darrell C. Neville.
Theda Neville: Theda T. Neville.
NH: When were you born?
DN: 9 January 1924.
TN: 8 January 1925.
NH: Really? It’s pretty close there. Good deal. Can you try to give me some
background as far as where you were born and where you grew up?
DN: I was born in Rigby, Idaho in one of those sugar factory labor houses. I spent a
good share of my earlier life on the dry farms southeast of Rexburg. I grew up, up there.
I went to school for one year up there, two years in Lyman. The rest of the time I went to
school in Rexburg. I graduated from high school, was married shortly out of high school,
from a short honeymoon, and “ Uncle Sam” had things for me.
NH: That’s what he’s there for.
DN: So I went into the service, and spent nearly three years in the service.
NH: When were you guys married?
DN: June 2, 1943.
NH: 1943. So, how long was your military service then?
DN: Just under three years.
NH: Under three years, okay. And where were you mainly stationed at during most of
the war?
DN: That’s difficult to answer. I took my basic training in Fort Barkley, Texas. I was
shipped over as a replacement to England. In England I was assigned to the 99th special
Norwegian Battalion. We landed on Normandy Beach with them. And so, I can’t say we
was stationed in any one place. It was wherever we happened to be. We could be
stationed any place. I was one of those kind that liked to move around.
NH: It gets boring in one spot right?
DN: Yep. It might be of interest just so you know what the deal is, I was a medic. So I
wasn’t assigned or didn’t have to pack a gun. The outfit I was with was all Norwegian at
the time I got with them or was of Norwegian ancestry. I was either the first or second
man that was assigned to them. We spent the rest of our time until… that was probably
up until January sometime of 1944. The rest we spent training time in England until we
landed on Normandy Beach on the 6th, 6th, and 6th.
NH: Now you said that you were a medic. What kind of training did the military give
you as far as being a medic, and did you have any background prior to the war of any
medical history?
DN: Nope. All I got was medical training in Camp Barkley, Texas as a medical
technician.
NH: So what do the medical technicians do? What was their main job? Were they just
like a doctor?
DN: No. Just first- aid is all it was. I could work in an aid station in my situation I was
assigned out to the injuries so I was an aid man with the first platoon of C Company.
There was another medic in the B Company there was supposed to be three of us in the
company, but there was only two with our company.
NH: So your job then would be just basically get them fixed up enough to where they
could get them to a doctor or they could possibly make it?
DN: Treat them [ with] first- aid, give them a shot, bandage them up, [ and] leave them for
a medical half- track or whatever… ambulance to pick them up.
NH: How many people a day do you think you would help out?
DN: I couldn’t answer that. Lots of time I wouldn’t even get them worked on until the
half- track would pick them up. So I’d never know, a half- track would pick them up
before I even got much done with them.
NH: It would kind of vary huh? Okay. You said that you were with a Norwegian group.
Why as opposed to a US company, a US division, would you be set up with a
Norwegian…?
DN: Well, it just so happened I was a replacement unit when I was sent or shipped over
to England for basic training and those people-- all of us that were there was assigned to
different units. It just so happened that I was assigned to this Norwegian Special
Battalion. I don’t know why. Ask the guy that made the assignments.
NH: You’ll have to give him my name after this.
DN: I haven’t any idea how come I was— all I was done was wakened one night at 2
o’clock and told to be out in front of company headquarters in 20 minutes. I was
shipping out. And I was down there and one more man showed up. The sergeant come
out and handed me all of our military papers and sent us— took us down to the train, put
us on the train, and give me all the papers, and told me I was to change the trains at such
and such a station at about 2 o’clock that afternoon. I was supposed to get off the train at
a small station in England called Talibon. Which I did with this other man, and all it was,
was a small 12 by 12 station out in the country, I waited for somebody to pick us up in
about an hour, and nobody did so I asked the station master if there was someone, an
American unit anywhere around there, and he first told me “ No,” then he says, “ Well
there’s one about thirty miles away.” And I said, “ Can you call them,” and he said,
“ Yes.” So he called them and whoever he was talking to on the other end didn’t want to
come pick us up because they were not expecting any people— any replacements. And so
I read to him my instructions, and who I was supposed to be going to and finally he said,
“ Well, I’ll send somebody to pick you up.” A couple hours later when it was just getting
dark he come and picked us up. And took us to camp, which was a 99th Special
Battalion.
NH: Before we go on further let me ask you— you kind of answered this in the beginning
of the conversation, but you obviously were drafted instead of enlisting yourself.
DN: Yep.
NH: First of all was this call to serve your country— and you can be totally honest but
just— were you excited? Were you nervous? What were your feelings when you were
being drafted because obviously if you didn’t enlist you weren’t jumping up? You had a
new bride. How’d you feel?
DN: I wasn’t excited about going. I wanted to stay home.
NH: Yeah. I don’t blame ya, especially having a new wife. Let me just really quick turn
to Theda here real quick. Theda, what were your feelings when your newly acquired
husband got drafted?
TN: Well, it wasn’t— I wasn’t expecting it really that soon. We knew that that possibility
was very apt to happen. But it came so soon that it just wasn’t expected. I wouldn’t have
had him not go ( inaudible).
NH: Well, you’re a good lady to do that because I am sure that it was hard to see him go.
But you said that you feel like it was going to happen eventually?
TN: Yes.
NH: Did you have that same feeling Darrell?
DN: Oh yeah. I knew I was going to be drafted, but at the time I was doing farm work,
and I thought that would defer me for that summer. But the draft board didn’t see it the
way I seen it.
NH: And they never like to make it convenient for ya that’s for sure. Did you ever have
feeling— because there were those that did enlist saying, “ Well, it’s going to be my time
sooner or later I might as well do it?” Did you ever say, “ Should I enlist so I can have a
chance to go with some buddies or get into an area where I want to get into?” Or did you
just always want to stay as far away from it as possible?
DN: Well, I thought— like I said— I thought I was deferred for that summer. And then I
was going to decide what to do after that so they didn’t give me any chance to…
NH: Think on it.
DN: Make any other decisions. They made it for me real quick.
NH: And you were sent right to England [ Actually, it was Ft. Barkley, TX]. Now this
Norwegian group that you were with, were you with them through the duration of the
war?
DN: Yep. I don’t know how much you want in between, but it so happened that I sent
some flowers home to my wife on our anniversary, which was on the 2nd of June, and by
the 6th of June— which was what four days later— I was on Normandy Beach. So— and I
had no idea I’d be on Normandy Beach at that time either. We landed on Normandy
Beach. We went through France got into Belgium, then into Holland. We were on the
big— in Cherbourg on their harbor. We was in that engagement and several others, and
from France and Belgium I guess we got into Germany. We’s in the Battle of the Bulge.
That was an interesting experience. We were in a rest area— for two or three nights in a
row. They kept— they’d bring trucks around and tell us to load up on the trucks. We was
going out on— they called it maneuvers— and after three nights of that they told us to take
our full battle gear, and they had us kind of crowded in those trucks and they’d drive us
around for two or three hours, and they’d bring us back to the barracks, and one night we
didn’t come back. Wound up in the little town of Moumandy and found out that we
couldn’t get out. We was totally surrounded. So we spend thirty- two days there in
Moumandy while the Germans was making the big push on the Battle of the Bulge. So I
always said that was the longest time I went without a bath was thirty- two days.
NH: That’s a good long period.
DN: … And without a shave so…
NH: I bet your wife at that moment would have loved to give you a hug and a kiss right.
DN: Yep, I ‘ m sure.
NH: Was that typical— now obviously you said thirty- two days was the longest you went
without a bath, but throughout your whole experience in the war was it typical to go a
few days without getting the bath? Without getting sleep?
DN: Yep. Wherever, [ or] whatever it is. Because we was a unit— I didn’t tell ya when I
was assigned to the unit when I got to the barracks with them that night about three
before that they had all new equipment assigned to them. They had been— This 99th
Battalion had trained in Camp Hale, Colorado. They were trained as ski troopers.
Everything they had was white— their guns, their skis, their uniforms— everything they
had was white. About three days before I got with them, all that equipment was taken
away from them, and they was issued straight Army issued equipment. Their mission
originally was to invade Norway at the same time when the Invasion took place in France
on Normandy Beach. But they found out that it was not wise to land there— then German
forces were strong there, and they cancelled those orders, and we was assigned to land on
Normandy Beach. It was a special unit that could be moved in a hurry and lots of times
they’d just pick us up and throw us into a combat situation to either hold a town or fill a
hole in the line someplace wherever they felt that there was a problem. And that was
mostly what they used us for to throw us into a situation where they were having a
difficult time of making any progress or something like that. We’d usually maybe only
be there sometimes a week or ten days or two weeks, and then they’d pull us back and
maybe into a rest area for two or three days, and out we’d go again. We never knew
where we was going.
NH: You said the longest you hadn’t bathed was thirty- two days. What was the longest
amount of time you went without sleep? You were probably so delirious by that time that
you couldn’t tell time.
DN: Oh, I don’t know. You learned to sleep whenever you got a chance to. I had it a
little better than what the ordinary guys did because they had to pull guard duty, and I
didn’t have to pull guard duty so whenever we’d cut off our action for the day, why I
usually find a place where I could get some rest or something like that and I didn’t have
to report to anyone.
NH: Now, you say you didn’t have to pull guard duty. Is that because of your position—
because you were a medic— an aid?
DN: Yep. I couldn’t pull guard duty because I wasn’t supposed to handle a gun. I wasn’t
supposed to have a gun, but I did have one.
NH: Interesting.
DN: But that was for me to know.
NH: And that’s the only weapon that you carried throughout the whole war was a pistol.
DN: Yep.
NH: You’re a brave man.
DN: I wasn’t even supposed to have that.
NH: You go into action like you did and have a pistol, that’s quite a bold move I think.
DN: I had to rely on the other guys to protect me. And they did. There were situations
we got into where I lost a good friend that was a medic from Rexburg here.
NH: He got hit, huh?
DN: Yeah, it was there at the Battle of the Bulge. He was trying to get a man off of the
field and didn’t get the job done.
NH: I’m sure that was quite a regular occurrence too unfortunately.
DN: It happens all the time. We had our white arm- bands on, but lots of times you didn’t
see that when you were a long distance away.
NH: You see in the war movies the medics sitting there working on the guys, and then
you see the combat guys working around them shooting and making sure they’re safe as
you just mentioned, and you see that sometimes they use bodies to kind of deflect the
bullets whatever you want to call it. And you’re right out there in the middle of the
Battle, out in the open. Was that a common occurrence? Were you out in the thick of it
just working on somebody, and you had those guys around ya guarding you or how
would it usually work?
DN: Like I said, I didn’t get a chance to work on a lot of people because whenever we’d
go into combat we was usually always assigned to a tank outfit. The 1st Armored
Division was the one we worked with the most. They’d assign a Company or tanks to go
with us, and of course they’d always have their medical half tracks, and they were right
behind the tanks. We— if somebody got hit, we’d start working on them and a half track
would pull up aside and say. “ We’ll take him on ahead.” So then I’d take off and keep
up with my unit.
NH: Could you describe for us what a half track is?
DN: A half track is a vehicle that instead of having wheels it’s got a half track on the
back just like a tank, and wheels on the front.
NH: So where would they load the injured person on?
DN: it was covered in the back and had armored sided and armored top, and it was
covered just like an ambulance, only it was covered with steel, and they’d just pull up to
the side of anybody that was injured, a couple guys would jump out, and throw him in the
back door, and they’re gone.
NH: Just like that?
DN: They don’t even get inside. The armored people they don’t go and work on them
outside. They grab ‘ em and put them inside the half- track and work on them inside the
tank.
NH: Now you said that there’d be two men usually to do that. Would they have EMT
experience like any EMT would with an ambulance— you know here in Rexburg?
DN: They got the same training I got. Maybe they would have a better— more
experienced technician that could do a little more than what I would do, but that’s about
all that they would do is give them first- aid right in the back of the half- track and then
they would make a round, and when it was loaded- what- I think they could carry— I can’t
remember now whether they could carry four or six. I can’t remember now. They would
take them and they’d swing around and take them back to their station.
NH: Did you have a— I don’t know if list is the right word— but some kind of list or
program as far as those who would make it, who were wounded and those who would be
saved? Would you just kind of go through and say this one can make it, this one cannot,
this one’s good?
DN: That was not my responsibility. The ones I would complete— there were very few
that I would really complete when I’d work on them. I’d just bandage the, and give them
a, just with a tube with a needle on it that had penicillin and— anyway it was penicillin,
and we’d give them the shot then we’d take that needle and put it in their shirt, then the
needle only so that when they’d pick him up they’d know that he’d had a shot. Then
they’d take ‘ em back and forth, but I never made any decisions as to what to put— that
took place back at the hospital.
NH: Were you ever able to write Theda and let her know what was going on and what
you were doing or because of the type of situation you were in whether it was this group
that would be sent in and sent out quickly-- Would they now allow you to let her know?
DN: Ask her what my letters were like.
TN: They would come with cutouts in them. If they thought it was any kind of clue or
anything like that. I did get one letter, and he was trying to give me a clue, but I wasn’t
smart enough to figure it out, but when I heard the news, boy out on the street yelling,
“ Paper, paper, read all about it.” They had landed on Normandy Beach, and I knew he
was there. I just knew it.
NH: You just knew it. How did you know it?
TN: Just— I just got that feeling strongly that that’s where he was, and that’s what he was
trying to tell me.
NH: And about the time of D- Day you were serving about a year were you not ( Darrell
nodded)? About a year out that you were out serving. And so you didn’t have any
children here, correct ( Theda shook her head no)? Where were you staying at?
TN: Oh, I stayed in, I think an apartment.
NH: On your own, huh?
TN: I had another lady living with me. I had women that I lived with.
NH: So what did you do during that time he was gone?
TN: Just worked.
NH: Where at?
TN: In Rexburg and Idaho Falls and Salt Lake.
NH: Wherever there was work. There was plenty of work I know that.
TN: Yes there was.
NH: That’s good. What were your feelings as he was out there serving? How did you
feel? Were you proud of him? Were there many nights you were scared— and I don’t
want to get too personal, but how’d you feel?
TN: Well, there was always concern. There was always something in the news. I kept
wondering where he was at all of the time. But I never— I always knew he’d come home.
NH: Do you feel like that was the Spirit prompting you or was that the hope of a young
wife?
TN: Well, I think it was the Spirit prompting me.
NH: That’s neat.
DN: Do they want to get that spiritual?
TN: Do you?
DN: Yeah, yeah. Because I think that’s important. I think part of what helps us get
through things like this, and I haven’t been through things like this, but I’m talking
tragedies— is our faith and is God.
TN: Well, I had a family friend who was a patriarch who lived in town. He had had a
patriarchal blessing, but I wanted him to get a special blessing. [ Inaudible, but Theda
tells the story that the patriarch told them Darrell would have many close calls, but that
he would have a long life] So that’s hard to figure out in your own mind because he’s
going to war.
DN: So, how’d that come true?
NH: You were a medic.
DN: I’d have many close calls, and I got a field jacket right there hanging on a hanger my
wife wears once in a while. I was on the back of a tank some guys here with me they sat
next to me here [ and] I had my heals hooked in the cable on the tank, my arm resting
here. I had two field jackets on and an old T- shirt. It went through both field jackets
( pointing to his sleeve). The bullet went through here. It went through both field jackets
and come out my elbow and went into my buddy’s leg. At the same time it went into his
leg another bullet went through his arm and blew his watch off. So I’ve got proof of how
close I… That had one of the close calls that he [ patriarch] said I would have. Another
close call I had we were preparing to attack the next morning so we were moving at night
up along the fence line, and the lieutenant was leading the platoon. The sergeant was at
the back of the platoon. All of the platoon had gone through an opening in the hedge, and
were laying next to the fence line. And the sergeant and I were standing just next to
the— we’re about ready to go through the gate, standing there talking. It was moonlight.
It was quite light that we could see. There was mortars going off in different places. All
at once we— you can hear a mortar when they’re coming close to you. All at once we
heard a ( makes the sound of a mortar) and we looked in the hedge right there, and we
could see the German swastika on the back of an, on the fins of the mortar, and there it
was there was ticking in the hedge. It was about a foot and a half long. The sergeant
looked at me and said, “ Let’s get the hell out of here!” And we took off of the fence line
and told the rest of the guys to move out. And so that was another— if that would have
exploded we would have both been gone because we wasn’t anymore then five feet away
from it. Another time a concussion— a mortar went off not too far away from us and
blew my helmet off.
NH: My gosh!
DN: Threw me about ten or fifteen feet away. It didn’t hurt me. All it was was a
concussion. So I did have a few close calls that I know of.
NH: You could say that’s a few, a few very close calls. You said that that you got this
special blessing or you had alluded to that and obviously you did. Did these ever confirm
your testimony, your faith when you had these experiences? Can you recall at all?
DN: Well, no I— when you get out there you’re not thinking too much about these special
blessings that you have I guess. I didn’t think too much about them until the thing was
just about over. I started thinking back on how things— on what had happened and so on,
but at the time they were happening I wasn’t thinking about a special blessing in what
was going on. I was thinking about how I was going to survive.
NH: ( To Theda) When your husband came home did it— or even during— the information
that you got out of his letters that you could read or any experiences you might have
had— did it confirm your faith? Did it strengthen your faith?
TN: Sure, you bet.
NH: It just seems like those kind of experiences would. I had a bishop on my mission
that actually served. He wasn’t a member of the church when he went out, but he had a
couple of close experiences, and he said that he knew, even though he didn’t have a
knowledge of the Gospel, he knew just from these experiences that there was some
reason why he was here and that there was some higher power. And of course with you
guys having the LDS background obviously had more to go on, but I appreciate you
sharing that spiritual aspect with me.
TN: There’s one thing I’d like to say. He was an only child and his mother was
promised a large posterity. And they waited 11 years for him and there were no more
children, and she could never understand that posterity is through him now… six
grandchildren. She would have had six grandchildren and thirty now great- grandchildren
and twenty- five great- great grandchildren, and he is the only child.
NH: Wow. ( To Darrell) That’s probably something you weren’t thinking about out there
either.
DN: ( Laughs) No. That was the farthest thing away from my mind.
NH: Now D- Day happened June 6, 1944 in— obviously off the coast of Normandy,
France. The Battle of the Bulge happened in Belgium close to the Rhine River end of
December 1944 and into January 1945. Now there are those historians and others that
debate which one [ battle] took the cake as far as helping to turn the tide of the war and
winning the war as far as the European Theatre was concerned. I don’t know if you
know how many men— I can’t recollect how many men were killed D- Day. 75,000
Americans were killed or at least allied troops were killed in the Battle of the Bulge. In
your opinion— because I’m one of those historians that argue which one turned the
course. Which battle had the most prominent affect to turn that tide?
DN: Well, because I was surrounded and in that little town of Moumandy… The Germans
just bypassed us, and so we weren’t actually fighting all that time, that thirty- three days.
We were just surrounded. We couldn’t go any place. So the actual fighting was being
done on the Front Line as the Germans was pushing. They just by- passed us, and we
couldn’t get out, we couldn’t go anyplace. So, of course landing on Normandy Beach
was a lot more action and things taking place there than during the Battle of the Bulge
because I wasn’t— I was in the Battle of the Bulge, but I wasn’t fighting because I— we
had to protect ourselves and stop the Germans from coming in on us, and we would make
raids on the towns to get prisoners, but as far as fighting everyday and all this we weren’t
that thirty- three days, we were just surrounded and no place to go. They— the Germans
didn’t particularly care what we did because we were surrounded so they just let us sit
there.
NH: Now being with the Norwegian group… obviously Utah and Omaha Beach is where
the Americans landed. And then you had Gold and you had… what were the other two?
DN: What were they?
NH: Sword Beach, wasn’t there Sword…?
DN: There was some smaller ones where they landed.
NH: The British and the Canadians— which beach did you land on?
DN: Normandy.
NH: Which specifically?
DN: I landed on Normandy Beach. There was Utah Beach, Omaha Beach and one or two
other. Normandy, Utah, what else did you say there was?
NH: Gold.
DN: I’m not aware of that one. Could have been that one.
NH: There were five beaches and I can’t remember the names of two of them [ Juno and
Sword].
DN: Normandy and Omaha and Utah were the ones that the Americans had. The British
had some where they landed. I think that some of the Canadians and the Australians
landed as well. I wasn’t aware there were more beaches.
NH: The most common term used when describing war is, “ War is hell.” That’s
probably the best adjective that could be used to describe it. Could you for us— and
Normandy is a great example, but just describe—[ how] were the conditions? What was
it like during the battle? I know you witnessed these things— and was it total chaos?
What were the details?
DN: Well, in our situation, we were told when we were moved up in the different
positions, we were told what our objective was and so that’s where we was… that’s where
we were headed for is whatever objective we were given to take or to hold, whatever we
was to do. Because of the nature of these Norwegian People— see they had a lot more to
fight for than what I did. Their country was invaded. These men I was with— some of
them were first mates, captains, and engineers in the Norwegian Navy. And when the
Germans went into Norway they couldn’t go back, and so they went right into the United
States. In order for them to become American citizens they had to join the Army. At that
time when they joined the Army, they were automatically American Citizens. They did
make them— to my knowledge… now this is what I was told by them. Why didn’t they
go into the Navy? The Navy did not at that time make the citizens. If they join the Army
they automatically become American Citizens. And so that’s what they did. And so all
at once the military found out they had a bunch of Norwegians signed up in the military
that couldn’t speak English, what were they going to do with them? And so that’s when
they activated and made the 99th Special Battalion and sent orders out to other military
bases that anyone who was of Norwegian ancestry that they were to be sent to— I don’t
know for sure— I guess Camp Hale Colorado ‘ cause that’s where they took their training.
And that’s where they started their training, and I was told they were given a couple of
months and then they were told that from then on they would be given their orders in
English because they were an American citizen so they had to learn to speak English.
That’s how come the Norwegian unit was started in the first place.
NH: So were you involved more in guerilla style warfare or were you more involved in
the actual battle?
DN: Well, we’d be involved in the actual battle like say the front lines were advancing
and all at once— all at once they had a spot in the front line where they were having a
problem. Maybe the unit that was there was badly shot up— I guess are the words to use.
And they were having difficulties so they, and they usually had bigger units up there but,
because we were that battalion they could move us in fast, set us up, tell us what they
wanted us to… either to hold, or to attack, or to take the town, or whatever it was and
that’s what our job was. Like I say if they had more to fight for than most the rest of us
did because they were hearing all the time as to what was happening to their families in
Norway because the Germans were there, and so these guys were mean. It is the only
good word I can put in it. They just don’t back up.
NH: But “ Uncle Sam” liked the mean ones.
DN: Well, that’s what they liked us for because they could put us in a unit and [ in a]
place that they say hold it until we can get a division or something to relieve you. And
the characters were told to attack. And I got tired of that old business, but I didn’t want
to be left alone, so I’d stick with them.
NH: You bet I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to be alone, that’s for sure.
DN: I was that way when I was assigned as a medic out with them at that time. You
don’t want to be in one of those situations when you’re out there all alone and you hear
them shooting up above, up ahead of you and snipers are shooting at you from the back
lines and mortars are going off— why you better stay where the front lines are at. You
are safer up there than back aways.
NH: Now you hear report of the wounded picking up their parts that might have been
blown off whether they’ve [ been] shot or different things like that, that they’d cry out,
that they’d say things like-- cry out for their moms or they’d cry out for help. Could you
describe what that was like as far as when you were on the battlefield?
DN: Well those are things that I’ve forgot about. You hear them then, you try and forget
about them. It’s those things that you forget about.
TN: He wouldn’t talk about them at all.
DN: I didn’t get into a lot of these. I can see that you’re hearing some of what maybe
took place in the islands with the Japanese. Our situation wasn’t like that. It wasn’t
jungle and stuff like that. We was either hedger or in the towns or in open country. I was
with several different units when the war was over with. We was with General Patton
and so that’s just the way we were. Where they needed us they’d transport us, and we
was front line one day in one place and someplace else a few days later. You just forget
about some of those things that just took place. And I know that I didn’t see as bad of
things as what you see on television and things like that.
NH: I hope that I haven’t caused any bad feelings [ to] come up. That wasn’t my intent,
but I know that that had to have been a hard part of it and there’s no wonder that you
couldn’t talk about it or that you’ve forgotten about it because that is something very
difficult, and especially as a medic. There are those that have said as the Japanese kind
of stayed in the pacific theatre— if you want to call it quote— their home country. There
are those that say that Hitler expanded too much. He just had this broad vision that he
couldn’t contain it all. He took the Hitler Youth, and he was grabbing people ages
sixteen to sixty to control these areas, just trying to control all these fronts. Do you think
that that was a weakness of his? Do you think that that’s one thing that helped the allies
that there was too much area to control?
DN: Well sure. You could see that. He didn’t have the means and the manpower to fight
the type of war that was going on over there on two fronts. Of course an ordinary soldier
out there fighting you don’t see all these kinds of things, and I picked this up as I come
back, and read different things that took place. Of course we had the Stars and Stripes
we got whenever we got in a…? But then we were only told what they wanted to tell us.
So that didn’t tell us a whole lot. Once you were in combat and see what’s kinda going
on [ and] why— when you’re fighting on two fronts you can’t keep up.
NH: Especially a country ( Germany) that size right?
DN: Exactly. During the Battle of the Bulge that was his ( Hitler’s) problem right there.
His supplies couldn’t keep up with him. If the Front Line would have had the supplies—
well you’ve seen the show [ The Battle of the Bulge]. They run out of gas and that was
their problem. Their supply line just couldn’t keep up with him. That Battle of the Bulge
that nearly succeeded [ for the Germans]. And it was bad weather. We had the air
superiority, but the airplanes couldn’t get out. Christmas day, 1944 we was on a hillside.
Moumandy, the town was at the bottom and we was up around the edge of the hill and
that was the first day any planes come out, and we heard them and we knew they were
German because you’d learn to tell by sound what they are. But our planes met them
right there over that town. Because we was up on the hill and they were coming down
low, trying to sneak in. We could sit right there at the edge of the hill and watch. Best
dogfight you’d ever seen up there. You don’t even see it like that in the movies. We had
the front line seat. It was about four or five of our planes and I think four German planes.
And the dogfight was right there over the top of us.
NH: And you didn’t even have to pay money to see that kind of show.
DN: No we didn’t. We sat there and watched two of the German planes get shot up and
the pilots bailed out. One plane come across us— a German plane. And he was coming
so low that instead of looking up at him, we looked out. We could see the swastikas on
the side of his plane, could see the swastikas on his helmet as he come past us. He had a
bomb hanging from the bottom of it. I don’t know why he didn’t drop it on us. He still
had a bomb and one of our planes right on his tail. As soon as he cleared the top of us
why he was back inside the German lines and our plane was firing on him all the way as
he was going back.
NH: Darrell in your personal opinion, and this didn’t even have [ to be] something you
witnessed, but as far as the war went, what do you think was the worst hit to us and what
do you think was the greatest triumph for us?
DN: Well, I’m sure the greatest triumph— and I don’t think the Germans anticipated that
we could make that big of a landing on Omaha and Normandy Beach and Utah Beach.
As I was landing, we didn’t know what was going on. As I see and read things that took
place why the Germans just didn’t believe that we were doing it. And that was proven
because as soon as we knocked the small force off that was guarding the beach, we was
able to move right out and move inland three or four miles before anything stopped us.
So, I’m sure that was the biggest accomplishment or something the Germans were not
anticipating because they didn’t think that that was going to happen. And as your read
your history and that now they had units that they could have thrown in there to stop that,
but they just thought it was going to take place in another area, but I can’t remember
where that’s at. Your history tells ya I think where the Germans anticipated where we
was going to land. It was up North.
NH: Yeah, it was up by the narrower part of the Channel. Chalais or something like that
is where he thought it was going to hit.
DN: Yeah and that’s what they were saving their SS troops for is for that because they
thought we was just a decoy. It just so happens we wasn’t the decoy, we was the main
force.
NH: They still hit the troops pretty hard in that Normandy area. I mean they were still
ready for anything right?
DN: Yeah, it was difficult. There was a Ranger outfit that landed just down aways from
us. The reason I know what took place with them is because they were completely shot
up and some of their personnel was given to us a few days later as replacements. And
this one fellow became a very good friend of mine and he was a radio operator with the
lieutenant, and his radio was shot off his back and the lieutenant killed, but they were
supposed to land on a cliff. They went in with LSTs [ Landing Ship Tank] I think. They
were— I can’t be sure of this— but he told me, but I’m not sure, but they had ladders on
[ them] like your fire engines has and that ladder was suppose to go to the top of the cliff
with a man and a machine gun on it. But when they got to the beach the tide was too in.
And so the boat was sitting there bouncin’ around the water, and they go to shoot the
ladder up and the ladder with the man on it would tip the boat over. They couldn’t get on
the beach. So that Ranger outfit got shot all to pieces. That was one unit that was just
down aways from us, but he has told me what happened to them.
NH: Now your wife stated that you were in the Second Wave that landed.
DN: Somewhere close to that. I wasn’t counting. I wasn’t the First Wave, let’s put it that
way. I was close enough to the First Wave that I’m assuming it was the second Wave.
NH: When your wave did get there, which we will assume— which we’re going to call
the Second Wave— were most of the forts taken by then? Or was there still heavy firing
going on?
DN: Well, there was still heavy firing going on and there was wounded soldiers laying all
over and blown up tanks and half- tracks. A lot of the barbed wire embankments and that
was all torn up where the tanks had tromped them down to get through. But there were a
lot of tanks there with their tracks blown off. One thing that the Americans did was try to
pick their wounded up. It’s not a very big moral booster to have too many wounded
people laying around.
NH: where would you find cover during the firing?
DN: Behind your helmet.
NH: That’s a good place.
DN: Yep. There wasn’t any cover. All you had was across that beach, and they landed
us with LSTs and when that door drops open out you go.
NH: You run out.
DH: I found out in a hurry that you want to follow the guy in front of you. When he
drops in that water out of sight why you go right around him. When he falls into a shell
hole with and goes in over his head you don’t want to follow his tracks.
NH: Were there quit a few who perished by drowning as opposed to getting hit by
ammunition?
DN: I think there were a few who drowned who got wounded that couldn’t help
themselves. Other than that I don’t think that there was too many drownings if they
could still help themselves. But it was a big operation. I tell you that you can’t imagine
all the ships that was around there. That big ship that we was on, or the top deck that we
was on was about three or four stories high and they’d have big nets over the side and
we’d throw battle gear and was supposed to go over the side and crawl down that big
long old ladder. I was standing there waiting for my turn to go and they had a big cargo
net. I don’t know what they had in it, I’m assuming ammunition that they were lifting
overboard to set in this LST and the guy unloading says, “ Anybody that don’t want to go
down the ladder grab onto the net.” So I grabbed onto the net. A whole bunch of us
grabbed onto the net and they lowered us over the side and down into the landing craft.
That was better than going down the ladder. I didn’t want to go down that ladder four
stories high.
NH: Now the then General Eisenhower has made claims that as early as 1942. this
operation was started, viz. they were starting to plan it. In all the preparation that they
put into it, do you feel that D- Day was a success? For as much manpower, boats,
ammunition, do you think it was a success?
DN: Oh yeah, sure it was a success. But I can see that it was a hard decision for him to
make because the Channel was rough and he had to make the decision. If he delayed it,
the Germans were more apt to find out what you were going to do. And so he had to
make a decision. I didn’t see the actual… of what was taking place in back of me until
we hit the beach, and got in on it a little ways. I could see them. That big ship that we
went in on, they sunk it out there. Just off the beach a little ways. They sunk several
ships and made a harbor out of sunk ships. They just opened them up and let the water
out and made a harbor. But when we came back down to Normandy Beach after the war
was over and went to Norway why the ships were still sunk. That was still one of their
main supply arms. But they sunk those ships right there to brake the waves and made a
hull out of those ships.
NH: And you had said that it was a difficult decision for him and that the Channel was
rough that day. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but actually, his original intent was
to ( General Eisenhower’s) invade June 5th, which was Monday, but it was so stormy that
day that they had to bump it to the next day. You probably knew that.
DN: I knew that. We didn’t know that then. We didn’t know anything that was going
on. It was an interesting thing what they were doing with us because we were a battalion.
They moved us down to South England and then they’d move us back up to North
England and would move us back down. I went through London I know at least three
times and have never ever seen it. We were on a train, completely blacked out and they
were using us as decoys. Just moving troops all over so the Germans couldn’t figure out-all
they knew was the train was going south. In a few days, all of us would go north.
NH: Did they do that also— keep you covered up and not let you know where you were
going so in case you were ever caught you could never give any information?
DN: ( Nods) We didn’t know anything. All we know is we was taking a train ride every
other day and we’d find ourselves in some tents up in… and find out in the names of
some signs or something that we was in… some of the guys that would have a map or
knew England. Those Norwegians knew England pretty good. They’d been there. So
they’d see the name of the town that we’d been in and they’d say, “ Well, we’re in North
England today” and a few days later why, we’d be in South England.
NH: So what day did you find out you were heading to Normandy?
DN: That morning.
NH: The morning of. Wow! You really know how to pack up and move don’t ya. ( To
Theda) Let me ask you from a Home Front perspective. What were your feelings of D-Day?
What thoughts did you have from this angle?
TN: Well that the day. D- Day is 6, 6 and 6 right. That the day I heard the paper boy
woke us up in the morning yelling that they were landing over there and it was just
frightening to me and I just had that strong feeling that he was there.
NH: Do you feel— because it was the talk of the time— in your opinion was that the
feeling of a lot of people? Were they afraid when they heard about D- Day? Was that a
common thing?
TN: I don’t know. I think there was maybe a feeling of a big push for victory. The
surprise that they worked up, I would think it was more like that.
NH: So more excitement.
TN: That it was progress in the war.
NH: Okay, just a couple more questions. You’re able to read in papers and we’re able to
see some recreations in movies. Of course movies are trying to give a more dramatic
element than maybe factual, but was it like the movies or was it far, far worse?
DN: As far as I can see pretty well accurate. The common, ordinary soldier— we didn’t
know where we were at a lot of the time. All we’d see is signs as we’d pass them. And
street signs and things like that. Like in that one movie where the Germans change the
street signs and sends them in the wrong direction. The countries over there had signs so
that people could find their way around so we had access to those signs so we knew a
little bit about where we were at, but it was fast and we were assigned to different areas
so quick that we didn’t know exactly where we were all the time. Well, I’m hopin’ the
officers knew where we were.
NH: Okay, so you had said thirty- two, thirty- three days you were contained in Belgium in
the Battle of the Bulge and then if you could finish up and kinda tell us where you went
after that.
DN: After the Battle of the Bulge we was assigned to General Patton’s Army. And we
were not— after the Battle of the Bulge I don’t believe we were ever right on the front
lines. We were coming right behind General Patton’s Front Line to— searching homes,
securing towns, and just doing clean up work, but that was a new experience ‘ cause we
had to be in— we were actually in combat, but he had us dress with dress uniform,
combat jackets and ties. And when the war ended. We were just inside Czechoslovakia.
The next day after the war ended they loaded us on trucks and within two days we were
back in Normandy Beach preparing to load on ships to go to Norway. And we was
issued all new equipment. Some other units was assigned to us. We then became the
474th Regiment. And we went to Norway and it was just like going home for those
Norwegians who were left. All we did in Norway was go into the German camps. The
Germans were— stayed in their camps. They had guards at their gate, but they had no
weapons of any kind. We would go into their camps early in the morning and pick up so
many of them, take them out and line them up on the field. The Norwegian authorities
would go down the line and inspect them. Any who they knew were— had been cruel to
them or anything like that they were picked out and taken away and what happened to
them I don’t know, but the rest of them we’d take them down to the harbor and load them
on ships. And from there on I don’t know what happened to them I guess they was taken
back and sent back into Germany someplace. Then only ones we had any trouble with
were those that had somehow found out that they were going to go through the Russian
sector and some of those guys would go and run them off the ship and jump over the
other side and try and get away. But we stayed there until the war in Japan was over and
we was perfectly content to do that ‘ cause we didn’t want to be shipped over to Japan to
fight in that war too so— but as soon as the war was over why they decided they had
better get us out of there. Which they did and we were sent home.
NH: And then how was your homecoming?
DN: It was great!
NH: That explains it all.
DN: December 5, 1945.
NH: Wow! So after the Battle of the Bulge, as far as the European Theatre was
concerned, it was basically clean up work that was being done there. I mean Hitler and
his mistress committed suicide April 30, 1945. Germany surrenders to the Allies May 7,
1945 and so in between that time from ‘ Bulge” to the surrender was basically clean up
work.
DN: As far as we was concerned. Some of them were still [ unknown] or fighting on the
front lines. Patton’s troops were, but it just so happened that he was moving so fast that
he had set up somebody that was taking up their prisoners. [ And] it was interesting at
this time that ‘ cause the Germans— they were just giving up and they was just walking
down the road and we’d pick them up and we’d start them down the road and the MP’s
would pick them up and on down a ways further.
NH: That guy ( Patton) was an ornery old cuss. He wouldn’t give up would he? He just
wanted to keep busting those Germans. In closing Theda what you guys have been
through and what you guys have done I believe will affect many generations. Not only
mine, but after me and we need to let those generations know what you guys did for us.
What would you want people to know? What would help? What was gained from the
war— an experience or something that you’d like them to know?
TN: My posterity you mean?
NH: Yes.
TN: Well, my main thoughts has always been that our grandchildren appreciated what
Darrell has done for the war, and that they would honor him. They would not have know
otherwise— because it’s not in the schools. They don’t teach it. But I think that it’s a
part of heritage.
NH: Darrell, you’ve been through quite a lot as we’ve talked about in just two and a half
years. You probably experiences more in that two and a half years than any of us could
in a lifetime and anyone serving. Was it worth it? The time, the lives, ammunition?
Was the war fought for a good cause do you think?
DN: Well, I’m sure it was fought for a good cause and if Hitler could have kept it going
when he took France, had he known he could have taken England… I think right then if
he had had his supply line so, he could have done it. I feel like there was something that
had to be done and it made our world a better place to live in. It was one of those things
that had to be done. I’m a little disappointed as I talk to some young people. They don’t
know anything about, really, World War II or anything about it. And I’m a little
disappointed in our school system because I think the history of our nation, the battles
that was fought in World War II and things— I don’t think our young people know about
it. Maybe they do, I don’t know what it is. So to me, it’s not being taught in the schools
or they’re not being told about it. And maybe that’s alright, I don’t know.
NH: It’s not alright.
DN: It seems like to me the history of our country, the wars that was fought, the
sacrifice— the ultimate sacrifice that some of our people had to give should be
remembered. And I think that our school system has been taken over—( chuckles) I’ll say
it, but it’s only my feeling, but I think that the environmentalists and things like that have
taken over our schools to the point that all we’re concerned about is our environment.
We wouldn’t have the damned environment if we wouldn’t have had wars to make it that
way so we got it.
NH: And that’s an excellent point, the fact that you just stated. And I agree with you
whole heartedly in all honesty that it’s not taught the way it needs to be in the schools and
that we as parents, we as children aren’t seeking to know enough and we need to. And so
that leads exactly into my next question. What would you say to have them know— to
have these people know— to let them know about the war? What would you say?
DN: Well, I think our education system has to be looked at and some drastic changes
made. I think because our environment is, sure very important, but when they cut out
other things in the school, and harp on environment all the time and what pertains to the
environment that’s well and good, but I think that they’re cutting out other things and
letting that take its place. And I guess you can tell by the way I talk [ that] I’m not an
environmentalist. In fact whenever they say environment or environmentalist I turn it off
because I don’t believe anything he says. They’ve got good ideas, but when they become
so radical that it affects our whole society, I can’t take them.
NH: Thank you. Is there anything else?
DN: That’s probably pretty strong enough right there.
NH: [ I’ve] been sitting here talking with the Nevilles— Darrell and Theda— on the
important subject of what has been come to be [ known] as the Good War— World War II
in which they were heavily involved in. And in which we will be thankful unto them and
those who have served for many generations. And we thank you Darrell and Theda for
your time tonight.