I have just read mail call 792 which included a note from Jean-Loup asking for information concerning the battle of La Roquette.
It also indicated that I had written about the battle and stated that I would write more later which I did not do. The note also stated that a note was written to me but I did not reply. Sorry about that. It might have been after I changed my address. Anyway, I will write more which will no doubt duplicate previous comments. Let's start in late August 1944 when we approached the Var River and had to stop because the bridges were destroyed. We troops did not mind because we assumed that we would have a chance to rest. This was not to be. Company E was assigned the duty to cross the Var and capture La Roquette. This was considered a suicide mission by many of us. In my opinion it became one of the most exciting and successful missions of the war for us. At about midnight we were led, by a French gentleman, down a very narrow path to the river, which we were assured was not very deep. Perhaps because of the total darkness, we wandered into a deep part which caused some trouble. Of course we made it to the other side and climbed a steep dirty black bank. We made it to high ground without a shot being fired and dug in to wait for the action to begin. At about dawn we started to move toward the town and saw two Germans on a motorcycle. They were killed and papers taken from them. Although a few shots were fired I doubted that the Germans knew we were coming. Soon we were in attack mode and started into the city. One or two German mortar rounds landed in my squad and wounded two men. The rest of the squad moved to a terraced grape arbor overlooking a road leading into La Roquette. I heard the hob nailed boots of German soldiers approaching. l looked down onto these soldiers who still did appear to know that we were anywhere around. They moved into an open space at the entrance of the town and proceeded to spread out and laid down. Shortly there after firing began and Americans stormed the town and cleared the place house by house and captured about 77 Germans while killing 15 or so. The prisoners were young and old as well as the age of regular soldiers. My squad and I guarded them for a while. Some cried and begged us not to kill them. They shared their food with us. We were not permitted to bring food so we had nothing except what some French ladies brought to us as well as the German hard tack. There are many more events which took place of course. One that hangs in my memory involved action by one of my buddies who heard a noise in a room and was going to throw a grenade in but heard a child crying. He looked inside and found a woman with two young children. Of course he remembered this until his death. We were not joined by our other troops until the next afternoon when the only two casualties we sustained were placed aboard a jeep and evacuated. The suicide mission which some of us feared became a successful though exciting and eventful one. There is much more to this story but I will not try to describe it at this time. First we must remember that a single soldier can observe very little at a given moment.
I have returned to La Roquette twice since that time and the residents helped my wife and me, and on one trip six French friends, enjoy this beautiful place. The next trip included John and Irene Krumm who were great traveling companions. John is the son of John Krumm who was one of my friends throughout the war.
I would try to answer specific questions. I can be reached at .........ge517ne @aol,com.

Gene Brissey