Invasion Journal by Richard L. Tobin

Author:Richard L. Tobin [Tobin, Richard L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, United States, Europe, General, Germany, Special Forces
ISBN: 9781839741388
Google: IfTCDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Published: 2019-12-06T03:06:31+00:00

July 1944

Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force, July 1

I went to General Eisenhower’s headquarters today to get a piece for the paper on a day with General Ike. The soldiers really call him that. It isn’t Rotarian publicity stuff, but fact. We all swear by him. A private from Abilene, Kansas, went in to see the General and stayed half an hour. He told General Ike he’d never make his buddies believe he’d really talked with General Eisenhower for half an hour, and would the General write him a note to that effect? The General did so.

Item number two: An American private soldier, a Negro, had been convicted of raping an Englishwoman and had been sentenced by the court-martial to be hanged for the offense. We got hold of the testimony, as did the Daily Herald, and it seemed to us that the Negro was being unfairly handled. There was no question about his adventure with the white woman. But there was little question, either, that she had not only consented, but had been with the boy several times in the past. He admitted everything except the one important legal fact—that he had forced her. At any rate, we decided—Geoff, Joe Barnes, Ned Russell and I—to do something about it. It appeared that the case was now in Eisenhower’s hands, so we thought we’d wait and see how the appeal came out. Sure enough, Eisenhower overruled the court-martial and the hanging sentence was eliminated. The woman is known as the village tart among her townspeople. So, General Ike has saved us from a Scottsboro case at a time when we are invading Europe to liberate slaves and defend minorities. Good stuff.

I like Eisenhower. He reminds me of what one might honestly call “a typical American.” He speaks with a Texas-Kansas accent, dropping endings, leaving out a few r’s, being very colloquial and friendly in his speech. He works as only Americans can work. He has none of the European inhibitions of failure, which is another American trademark. He’s willing to chance things. He is tow-haired, or was, being now mostly bald, stands about 5 feet n inches, weighs about 180, and smokes one cigarette after another. He likes Scotch and rye, but not much of either. He likes to eat and he doesn’t like wartime diet. The Stars and Stripes calls him General Ike, and his aides call him General Ike when stuffed brass isn’t too near. I don’t know what stuffed brass is, but stuffiness and brass seem to go together quite often in the American Army. Not with Eisenhower, however. I do believe he’s the least stuffy man in high place I’ve ever met, except for Ambassador Winant, who thinks he’s Lincoln, and overdoes it.

We had lunch quickly and neatly. The lunch was pea soup, Southern fried steak, peas, potatoes, salad, and fruit and coffee. Best lunch I’ve had since I ate at the bomber base.

Eisenhower has been going to the beachhead again and again, though his visits usually are unpublished.

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