World War II Airborne Demonstration Team Foundation

 

Remember, Honor, Serve

World War II Autobiography of

Phillip Wayne McKnight
505th and 325th Regiments,
82nd Airborne Division

There are many experiences and stories that I have not included in this autobiography due to the painful memories. I lost many friends, and personally saw the effects of war and persecution. I spent most of my life not talking about or sharing my war experiences, but as time goes on I have begun to recall and retell some of them. Time has made me realize I was part of something that changed history and help create the wonderful world we have today. Life has changed so much since World War II. Truly, It is an amazing time. It’s very rewarding to know I helped make an impact on the world as it is today. Unfortunately, the freedom we experience today was paid for with a very expensive price.

On June 4, 1921, I was born to John David and Mayme Edith McKnight (Smiley) in Puxico, Missouri. Puxico is a very small town close to Duck Creek and Mingo Swamps in what is known as the ‘boot heel’ of Missouri. There were 9 children born to John and Mayme for which I was the sixth child. My siblings were a stillborn child, followed by Earl, Mattie, Mary, Norma, John David Jr., Juanita and Gideon.

My early years were spent in Broseley, Missouri were I worked as a young boy in my father’s saw mill until I was 16. Due to the demands of the mill, I was only allowed to attend school on a very limited basis and was unable to complete my formal education. In 1938, I joined the Civil Conservation Corp. (3 Cs).

As part of the 3 C’s, my first assignment was to clean and re-dredge drainage ditches in the lowlands around Hayti and Kennett, Missouri. Following this assignment, I left Missouri and traveled by train to Avery, Idaho where I fought forest fires, as well as helped build bridges and roads. While building tunnels for the roads I learned the skill of demolition. My knowledge of demolition came in handy later during my tenure in WW II. My experience with the 3 C’s work lasted until early 1941. After leaving, I came back to Missouri and worked in South St. Louis with my brother-in-law, Clarence Martz.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the US military base at Pearl Harbor; this attack began the U.S.’s involvement in the war. As a result of the new war efforts, I took a job at the Mirax Chemical Company making brass spray cans, which helped pilots clean the windshields of their planes. During my employment there, the crew at Mirax made a special gold plated can for General Doolittle, the famous general who was best known for his raids on Tokyo. The entire crew engraved their names on the can. It was while I was working at Mirax Chemical that I received my call to duty to join the military service.

On November 15, 1942, I was inducted into the armed services. I reported for duty at Jefferson Barracks Military Base in St. Louis, MO and subsequently received instructions to report for basic training at Camp Joseph T. Robertson outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. Basic training lasted about 6 weeks. Immediately following my basic training, I volunteered for jump school. Jump school, both then and now, is conducted at Fort Benning, Georgia. The training was extremely challenging, both physically and mentally. Even though it was miserable at the time, it prepared me well for the rigorous battle encounters which lie ahead over the next three years.

After completing the jump school training, I remained at Fort Benning, serving as an instructor. I also assisted in testing ammunition and detonation devices. The war continued to heat up not only in the Pacific, but also in Europe. Due to the spread of the conflict, the need for troops escalated. I was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, NC. The 82nd Airborne was scheduled to depart for overseas duty out of New York. Due to scheduling conflicts, I did not depart with the main division, but shipped out later from Boston Harbor.

The first time I touched foreign soil was in May of 1943 at Casablanca, French Morocco in North Africa. This would be the beginning of my exposure to many cultures and people who were worlds away from my hometown of Broseley. From Casablanca I, boarded a train called a ‘forty and eight’. (Forty and eight referred to the train typically hauling 40 men and 8 donkeys.) From Casablanca we traveled to Oujda, French Morocco where we continued to train for the planned invasion of Sicily. Oujda was in the middle of a "dust bowl'. When we stopped to eat our meals, we ended up eating as much sand as rations.

The 82nd was a new airborne division. While in Oujda it felt as if we were constantly on display. It seemed as though every passing General needed to review our division. We paraded in front of the likes of Patton, Clark, Bradley, Hodges, Eisenhower, Montgomery, and numerous others. Although it was kind of strange to us, we did it anyway. I didn’t know at the time, but these reviews would be the first time my path crossed personally with many of the generals.

While training for the upcoming invasion of Sicily we were firing .81mm mortars and .55mm artillery pieces on the nearby firing range. This range, designated as a military firing range, was supposedly tightly guarded. One incident, which sticks clearly in my mind, is the day an Arab from a nearby tribe with his donkey strayed onto the field without anyone noticing. The Arab and donkey were both hit and killed before the soldiers became aware of their presence. This caused a minor political dilemma between the military and the tribe located near the base. Upon hearing of the deaths, the chief of the tribe visited the base and demanded to be recouped for damages; He demanded a total of $50 dollars for the lives. He valued the donkey at $40 and the man at $10. To this day, I never quite figured out his value system.

The invasion of Sicily, sometimes known as the Sicilian D-Day, occurred on July 9, 1943. We boarded C-47s and prepared for our first combat action. We left Oujda, arriving on the southern part of Sicily in front of the beach landing of the ground forces. Our priority was to cut off and blockade the advancing German and Italian forces, preventing them from attacking the Allied beach assault. Part of the beach assault was lead by General Patton’s armored division. The invasion was Patton's first exposure to the 82nd Airborne. He was very impressed that this division could keep up with his aggressive armored forces. After constant and very difficult skirmishes, the entire island of Sicily was overtaken within about two weeks.

Immediately following the invasion to Sicily, the second major combat mission was into Italy. The 82nd Airborne jumped into Italy on September 14, 1943. We entered somewhere around Salerno, under the direction of Colonel Gavin. One of the memories I have from this initial landing was when my unit was positioned atop a large hill overlooking Hitler’s troops, who were in the valley below. The Allied artillery was in place in the valley behind us. The artillery attempted to fire over us on the hill and onto Hitler’s troops in the valley. In spite of the attempts to shoot over us, artillery occasionally hit our hill. Sadly, the stray shells took the lives of a few of our own soldiers. One of the shells landed very close to me and I was affected by the concussion. I wasn’t physically hurt, however became extremely disoriented. I was sent back to a field hospital where it took me a few days to recover. When it came time to go back to duty, I was assigned to the 325th Glider Regiment instead of my original 505th Regiment. I stayed with the 325th until the end of the war.

Our next major initiative focused on preparation for the invasion into France (D-Day). Strategically, the airborne divisions proved to be an integral part of the success of the invasion. Because of our training and recent combat experience in Sicily and Italy, the 82nd was the core airborne division. Our preparation training for D-Day began in Ireland. We stayed here for approximately two months then transferred to Leicester, England in early 1944. In Leicester, our D-Day preparation training continued.

Although no one knew the exact date or time of the invasion, as time passed it became more evident to all of us the time was near. We assembled at the various airfields and awaited the call. Contact with anyone outside the air base was not permitted. Special clothing and gas masks were distributed to the troops. The clothing had been treated with some sort of chemical that had a very strong, distinct odor. The chemical treatment was to protect us in the event Hitler decided to use poisonous gas. We had to wear this clothing for over consecutive 30 days. Soon it became a joke around the troops that Hitler’s troops would flee from us just because of the smell of our clothing.

When General Eisenhower, “Ike”, announced the time for the invasion had arrived, our regiment was assembled on the runway of the airfield in Southern England. Ike actually came and spoke to small groups of troopers. I remember his words were inspiring, however very somber. He warned us many soldiers would not survive this assault.

The order came to board the planes and gliders for the assault. The 325th Glider Regiment began our assault in the early hours of June 6, 1944. The planes and gliders began to take to the air. Our particular glider had not much begun to ascend when we noticed that the nose of the glider was not fastened property. This was a single plane and glider holding 12 troopers, 2 pilots and a lot of equipment. Several of the men tried to refasten while in flight. It could not be done, so we circled and landed back on the airfield while all of the other planes and gliders went on to France without us. Once on the ground, the nose of the glider was refastened and hooked back to our plane. Off we went to join the other gliders.

As our tow plane took us over the shores of Normandy, we began to draw fire from Hitler’s troops. Hitler’s troops by this time were well aware the invasion had begun. Instead of taking us to our designated landing zone, our tow plane continued to pull us inland up the coast to escape the firing. Our landing was to be to the right towards St. Mere Eglise, but our tow plane veered to the north. The pilot eventually told us to release approximately 80 miles from our original landing zone near Caen, France. We landed in a perfectly flat pasture and rolled to a stop near a wooded area. Upon landing we disembarked and headed towards the trees. All but one member of Hitler's soldiers had just vacated this exact area no longer than 15 minutes prior to our landing. We over took the lone soldier.

Once we got our bearings we determined we were far away from our designated landing area and decided to work our way back to the coast to make contact with Allied troops, As we neared the coast, we discovered the Allied forces had not landed and were still a half mile off shore. Because we were so far from our original destination, the approaching troops did not know we were friendly. They began to fire on us. Accordingly, we retreated back inland where we patiently waited until the next day.

As the troops came ashore, they began to fire at the pillboxes on the beach. Since we were further inland behind the pillboxes, we also began firing on the boxes from our location. Our combined efforts cleared the enemy in a hurry. The landing troops were perplexed as to why someone would be firing from behind the pill boxes on to the Hitler’s troops. After the firing calmed down, we sent two individuals waving white flags out to make contact with the Allies. They were successful and shortly afterward we joined the Canadian infantry troops until we were able to continue our original mission.

Fighting continued along the beachfronts for several days preventing us from going out on our own. We stayed with the Canadian troops and helped connect the beachheads. It took us eight days until we rejoined the rest of our company near St. Mere Eglise. Once back together with our regiment, we carried out our objective, which was to clear out a path across the Cherbourg peninsula. This in effect prevented Hitler’s troops from retreating or sending new troops in to Cherbourg. The completion of our objective was crucial to the invasion of Europe. It established secured harbor and docks enabling fresh supplies and troops to enter.

Although I have many memories of the invasion, one of my memorable experiences occurred while our group was being held in reserve. A medic Louie Ivan and I were sent ahead to find out if it was clear to bring our troops to the front. The two of us were walking along a muddy dirt road when an enemy shell landed right in front of us. The shell exploded and knocked us both into a nearby ditch. I was covered with mud and debris. Tragically, Louie was killed from blast. I continued the journey by myself and was able to contact the other troops. Upon receiving the approval to bring my own troop forward I returned to my group with the news. Thinking back I really realize this was another close call for me.

After the invasion, the Allied troops were able to sufficiently occupy and secure the region. The Allied Command decided the best way to get to Germany was to go via the northern route through Belgium and Holland. The airborne divisions were ordered back to England to begin preparation for the invasion into Holland. The airborne objective was to drop into Holland to secure the roads and numerous bridges across various canals and rivers. This would enable the armored division, under the direction of General Montgomery, to come in and surprise Hitler's troops along their western front.

During September 1944, I went into Holland in a glider landing in Groesbeek, near Nijmegen. The weather turned bad throughout Holland and eventually the entire operation failed. Cornelius Ryan has memorialized this in his book and film, "A Bridge Too Far". In my opinion had Patton, been in charge instead of Montgomery, we might have been successful. It took the ground troops too long and we collectively could not hold the positions. Patton, I believe, would have gotten the resources we needed to complete our mission, regardless of what it took.

In spite of the mission’s failure, my division was able to hold our position for a time over the Waal River. The Waal River and its bridges were similar in size and scope to the McKinley Bridge, which spans the Mississippi. As we held our position over the Waal River in a real fluke one Luftwaffe plane, so high we could barely see it, was able to score a direct hit of the bridge by dropping a single bomb, The bridge was completely demolished. History is filled with incidents like this where one individual is able to over shadow the efforts of many men.

Battle has a way of changing one’s perceptions. This became very evident to me one night while I was on outpost duty near the town of Groesbeek. We had strung a barbed wire fence about 100 yards across to protect our position. Tin cans were tied to the fence to provide warning at night if the enemy approached. We had been given the word to be very alert because enemy patrols might be in the area. As I watched the darkness that night, the cans began to rattle. With all of the warnings and heightened alert, I immediately thought it was the enemy. A period of silence followed the initial noise. Once again the makeshift alarms began to rattle. I called back on the field phone and was instructed to open fire, so I did. Everything went silent and remained that way throughout the remainder of the night. During this time, I anxiously awaited. As the sun rose the next morning, I surveyed the area where the noise occurred. To my surprise instead of finding enemy troops I found I had shot a large Holstein cow that had wandered into the fence. From then on, my group called me "Moo".

Later the next day, I was off of outpost duty. Everything was quiet, so I heated some water to shave. I grabbed my helmet and put the hot water in it, grabbed my shaving brush, soap and began to prepare to shave. The warnings we received about the proximity of Hitler's troops turned out to be true. They commenced firing on us. I immediately jumped into a nearby foxhole, still holding my shaving brush. When the firing subsided, I came out of the hole, looked at my shaving brush and noticed all of the brushes were gone. The shrapnel had sheared the brush without harming me. Talk about a close shave. My group got a big kick out of this as well. Once again, I had a very close ‘brush’ with death but luck and God’s graces were with me that day.

Eventually, our division was relieved and withdrawn back to Sissone, France. The reassignment made me realize that I had a blanket of good luck and the graces of God protecting me. In December of 1944, Hitler's troops stormed through the lines in the Ardennes Forest. This began the Battle of the Bulge. The Allied forces had only two divisions in reserve at this time, the 101st Airborne and the 82nd Airborne. Both divisions were called back to duty immediately. Belgium and Luxembourg were our destinations. We loaded up in trucks and were told to move out until we found the enemy, which did not take us long. By the next day, we in encountered the German troops. We set up a line and began to engage in combat. Our position was held until the Allies could send more troops to assist.

On Christmas Eve, 1944, we had pushed too far into enemy territory and we were ordered to pull back. Retreat was not familiar to the 82nd. After much debate, instead of retreating, we were ordered to "fall back to a more secured position in order prepare for future advance". For our group of proud, experienced soldiers, the phrasing at least sounded better.

Late Christmas Eve, we were very tired from our ‘repositioning’. The group decided to set up a defense in order to rest. My buddy and I drew the first outpost duty, which would be in two-hour shifts. After our time, we went back to wake the next two to relieve us. Still weary from the journey, our replacements fell back asleep during their shift. A German patrol came in quietly and began to take us as prisoners one at a time. They had taken 5 or 6 by the time they got to me. After my capture I awoke my buddy. The Germans took us about fifty yards into a wooded area. We were wearing our heavy, cold weather goulashes. Believing the weight of these boots would hamper our mobility, our captors left us with only one guard while the others went back to capture more of our group. The guard could not understand English so my buddy and I exchanged a verbal plan to jump him. At the appropriate time, I tackled the guard at the feet, while my buddy went for the upper body. He placed his hand over the guard’s mouth to keep him quiet. The guard almost bit his finger off. We over took the guard and began to run. The other Germans spotted us and opened fire. My buddy and I were running awkwardly with unbuckled goulashes. In spite of the heavy boots, we still managed to run quickly and jump over a barbed wire fence with a leap that would have impressed an Olympic athlete. We rejoined the members of the group and fought back until our defensive position was secured. Later Christmas Day, we withdrew back to a better defensive position where things eventually began to quiet down.

The Battle of the Bulge was fought in extremely cold and snowy conditions. Soldiers did what they needed to withstand the temperatures. I developed a neat little trick to heat up water for coffee even while suffering through the cold. Most of the soldiers carried a form of explosive called a concussion grenade, which was comprised of composition C. Play Dough would best describe the consistency of Composition C. I would pinch off a very, small amount, place it in the snow and then light it with a match. The composition would create a very warm fire to heat the water in my cup for instant coffee. Evidently, l was not the only one with this idea, because before long many of the soldiers were doing the same thing. If you were not careful and used too much composition, you could burn a hole right through the bottom of the canteen cup.

At one point during the Battle of the Bulge, we were ordered to attack what was known as the Siegfried Line. Hitler’s troops were positioned along this line. While advancing into this line our troops experienced heavy enemy fire and suffered many casualties. We were, however, able to break through the line. There were many soldiers that perished on this line, both Allied and enemy. General Gavin happened to spot me at one point. He sensed that I was shaken by all of the losses and asked me, "Trooper what can I do for you?” I replied, "All I want is to have someone pick up the casualties." He assured me that the help was on the way. Not only was he an outstanding combat strategist, he was sensitive to the feelings of the men. I always respected this man as a true leader.

On the other side of our line, Hitler’s troops had set up a secondary line. As we advanced to this second line, I happened to spot a highly camouflaged German Panzer tank. I notified my lieutenant. Since we did not possess the proper weapons to battle the Panzer, I began to seek out a tank destroyer.

On the way to our current position we had gone through a small village, which had considerable structural damage. Close to the village we had seen tank destroyers. While the battle waged on at the front, I backtracked to make contact with our destroyers. On my way through one of the buildings I came under fire from German troops. One of the bullets pierced my jump pants pocket and went through one of my K-rations. I continued on through the building and eventually spotted a command car. I explained the situation and they radioed to the destroyers to come forward to eliminate the Panzer.

As the two destroyers approached the front I jumped up on top one of them to instruct the gunners where to aim. I jumped off, the gunner fired and made a direct hit on the Panzer. I received a Bronze Star Citation for this action. Unfortunately, I never received the actual medal.

The troops pushed on towards the Rhine River and Cologne. At this point Hitler’s troops were retreating back into Germany. Along he way to the Rhine River we had several skirmishes with the German’s rear echelon, which remained back for the sole purpose of slowing up advancing Allied troops. During one of the skirmishes I was assigned to act as the radio operator, for which I had no experience. The regular radio operator had frozen his feet, due to the blizzard conditions we encountered during this journey.

As we advanced, we came across a German machine gun nest with four soldiers. They had white flags tied to their rifles. The snowy conditions prevented us from recognizing the flags. One of our guys opened fire with his Browning Automatic Rife (BAR). The rapid fire wiped out two of the Germans instantly, and severely injured the other two. I radioed our mobile battalion command post to request medics for the injured. Having no training on radio operations I was unfamiliar with protocol or codes. Luckily, the operator at the command post recognized my voice. “Midnight, is that you?” he asked. (Midnight was another nickname I had picked up during the war). I confirmed and requested the medics for the wounded German prisoners. During the wait for the medics, General Gavin and Colonel Billingslea approached. The horrible weather caused a great deal of confusion with all of the troops in the area, both German and Allied. We were unaware Gavin and Billingslea were in the immediate area nor did we know the exact location of the other companies, which were to be to our north and south.

Had we not encountered the German machine gun nest, Gavin and Billingslea could have walked up on the situation by themselves. It is not known if the Germans would have surrendered to the officers, or perhaps killed them. I speculate they were ready to surrender because of the weather, but it is something we will never know for sure.

Our objectives for the day were finished and we moved again towards the Rhine River and Cologne. Upon reaching our destination, some of our division ended up in a winery, while my group set up in a candy factory. We all used our locations to create a bartering system, trading candy for champagne.

Our next order of duty was to push forward into the Rhineland. My group spearheaded the move towards Berlin, winding up in a town called Ludwigslust. Here we captured a concentration camp (Camp Wobelein), which held several thousand prisoners. Many were already dead and the remaining were in very poor condition. The survivors were so elated, they were out of control. Their weak mental conditions coupled with the language barrier made it very difficult to administer to their needs. We all took care of them the best that we could. Out of respect for the prisoners General Gavin ordered a proper burial of the dead prisoners in the center of town. A formal memorial and burial service was conducted by our division chaplain, Rev. George B. Woods. The German townspeople were forced to dig the graves and attend the service. There were approximately 10,000 Germans in attendance.

After our encounter at Concentration Camp Wobelein, we moved ahead towards the Elbe River. We had great pleasure in liberating some POW along the way. We were reunited with some of the 82nd Airborne Division who had been POWs captured in Italy over a year before.

The 82nd Airborne Division made history in the fact that the entire German 21st Army, approximately 145,000 men, surrendered to us. It was quite a large feat. We opened our lines and allowed them to march through respectfully, fully armed. The German 21st Army marched into an open field and lay down their weapons and ammunition. This created an enormous ammunition dump. We had an unexpected "Fourth of July" fireworks spectacle in May when a grass fire spread into the ammunition dump.

As we headed towards the Elbe River towards Berlin, we met up with our Russian allies. I remember that we certainly had many cultural differences between our countries, which led to several interesting encounters.

After our rendezvous with the Russians, we were withdrawn back to France to await further instructions. It was here that an opportunity arose for many of the soldiers to return to the states. A point system was used to determine who could return and who had to stay. Since I had logged many combat encounters, I had enough points to return. However, after going through so much I had a strong desire to continue on and move towards Berlin. After receiving encouragement from several officers, I decided to continue onwards. I had previously been trained to operate various military vehicles, so I was assigned this new responsibility in France. I participated in a convoy of vehicles that traveled the autobahn to Berlin.

Upon arriving in Berlin, I personally witnessed the devastation. Berlin was in total ruins. We were assigned the responsibility of reestablishing order to the city. The first month was very difficult as the affects of war had to be dealt with. Rubbish and casualties had to be properly disposed. After a month of clean up, improvements began to show. After preparing and participating in battles for 2 years, for the first time I actually began to have fun helping with the revitalization of Berlin.

After three months in Berlin, I began to ponder what I really should do about my future. The feelings I had of staying on in the military were very strong for me, but so were my thoughts of home. My girlfriend at the time, Marilee Ramsey, had kept in touch with me throughout my entire World War II experience. We had exchanged a few letters and on one occasion Marilee actually sent me a box of oatmeal cookies while I was fighting in Germany. She sent them in a wooden cheese box from A &P. By the time the box got to me in Germany, the cookies were nothing more than crumbs. This did not matter at all; they were delicious. With all of the help I received from my buddies I only got a small portion of the crumbs. Thinking of the letters and the taste of those homemade oatmeal cookies is what finally helped me make up my mind to come back home. I had been gone for over 2 years. I went home when the next opportunity came up.

On arriving back in the states, I was sent back to Jefferson Barracks in South St. Louis for my release on December 19, 1945. I was discharged as a Private First Class, PFC. My sister and brother in law, Mary and Clarence, picked me up and drove me to Broseley to see my Mom. Marilee Ramsey had been forewarned that I was on my way to Broseley and was there to meet me when I arrived. She let me know that she had been waiting for me to make it back. We were engaged shortly thereafter.

Our married life together began on March 18, 1946. Marilee and I have parented two sons. Paul born in 1957 and Tracey born in 1960. We have lived most of our married life in St. Louis, Missouri. I spent my adult life as a meat-cutter, husband and father. My responsibilities to my father’s business while I was a child prevented me from completing school when I was young. It took me many decades to eventually accomplish this goal. In 1972 I was awarded my G.E.D. High School Equivalency Diploma. This was something I had always wanted to achieve. I officially retired from the meat-cutting business in 1983, but am still working as a husband and father.

Reflecting on the past I know God has played a large part in my life during the war, and making it what it is now. He protected me through a very difficult and dangerous war, saving me from many, many close calls. After the war, he has provided me a wonderful and happy life with my wife and children. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together.

Although the war was over for many years, its affects have not left me. While shopping recently I ran into a young gentleman who approached me after recognizing the 82nd Airborne insignia on my cap. The gentleman, who grew up in Ohio, explained that his father too was in the 82nd Airborne. In the course of our discussions, we discovered his father was the radio operator who had frozen his feet. How small our universe is that so many years, so many miles away I could run into a relative of someone I served closely with decades before. I can’t explain it, but just meeting this young man, remembering the skirmish where I had to take over his father’s radio operator duties, my body recalled the bitter weather. The intense cold I felt during the Battle of the Bulge so many years before once again hit me. A chill overcame me and stayed for several hours. I went home, wrapped up and had to go to bed. This has never happened to me before, or since.

World War II had a lasting impact on the world, and also on me. As my story shows, there were times filled with humor, camaraderie, and tremendous sorrow. While I silently mourn the loss of so many friends, civilians, and fellow soldiers, I take tremendous pride in my accomplishments during my years of service. The honor I feel being part of the first 82nd Airborne Division can hardly be put into words. As part of my accomplishments during the war I was awarded six Bronze Service Stars; a Good Conduct Medal; two Presidental Unit Citation ; Belgium Fourragere; Netherlands Orange Lanyard, Bronze Service Arrowhead and the right to wear Campaign Ribbons for the American; European, African, Middle-Eastern Theaters; Paratroops Wings; Glider Wings; Combat Infantry Badge; and a WW II Victory Medal. It is personally rewarding to know I helped make an impact on the world we all know today. Truly, it is an amazing time.