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We finally reached our position, just west of the City of Echternach in Eastern Luxemburg. My particular job was to do reconnaissance to our forefront. Another M-8 with its crew had been assigned to my platoon. We took them in quite warmly and felt quite at ease with them.
When we had arrived at our position and linked up with the two divisions, my C.O.summoned me to his vehicle and pulled out his map. He pointed out that the forest continued to fall away as we moved east. He reiterated the need to keep our eyes on the enemy positions and thus my responsibility was evident. Sooooo! Off we go! I took one of my M-8s and two jeeps out onto the road, heading east. We crept along, viewing everything with great fervor. The land was much more open and visibility was nurtured by the openness. We were conscious of the possibility of mines being laid on or next to the roadway so we were very alert to about everything.
As we moved forward, we saw absolutely nothing but, all of a sudden, a young boy about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a German uniform leaped up on the roadside not ten feet from my M-8. He was camouflaged with plants on his helmet and blackening on his face. As I watched him, he held up his arms which held a panzerfaust and pointed it directly at the side of my M-8. He pulled the trigger and immediately the panzerfaust rammed into the side of the M-8, exploded, blowing up the boy as it splashed into our vehicle. My driver and bow gunner were instantly killed. My tank commander and I who had been at the very top of the turret were blown out onto the ground.
Fortunately, there were no other gun emplacements or enemy emplacements in the immediate area. My two jeep crews leaped out of their vehicles and rushed to our aid. My tank commander and I were both still alive but neither of us could stand up. My right leg was pretty badly shattered and a lot of tiny fragments in the lower part of my body and my Tank commander were about the same. My crew took me back to the unit and to the Field Hospital where I stayed for several days.
I vowed to go back to my unit but, unfortunately, they already had a replacement for me. Since I would not go home, they finally assigned me to the l7th Armored Group where I stayed until the end of the war.
I stayed in Europe for several more years because of some personal desires but finally, in September of 1947, I came home to the good old USA.
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