Written by Joe Lobdell in 2001 after his interview with his Great Uncle Vernon

Out of all the events in human history, the most devastating and costly in human life was World War II. This global military conflict started with the rise of fascism and totalitarianism in Europe and Asia. By the late 1930’s, three world powers: German, Italy, and Japan had joined together in hopes of taking over the world. These countries became known as the Axis powers. The three powers set separate goals. The Japanese were the first to act in their quest for more territory. The aggression started when the Japanese took over all of Manchuria in 1932 and from there they continued their attempt to take over the entire Pacific. Italy set out to conquer the Mediterranean and all of the lands of the old Roman Empire. Hitler’s Germany also launched its own expansion drive with the annexation of Austria in 1938. The German Blitzkrieg began to sweep over Europe. The fall of Poland shattered France and Britain’s hopes of a peaceful stop to German aggression. Germany continued to move through Europe and b y 1940, France had fallen and all that remained between Germany and total domination of Europe was Great Britain. Like Germany and Italy, Japan’s territory had grown as well. By 1941, the Japanese had extended their empire as far as the Marshall Islands and the next step was the bombing of Pearly Harbor in Hawaii, bringing the United States into the war.

The war, though long in coming, had reached the United States and now many young men and women faced the very frightening possibility that they would soon be drafted into the long and bloody war. In 1941, at the age of seventeen, Vernon Lobdell was one of the young men who faced the possibility of war Born May 9, 1924; Vernon was the second son of John and Leta Lobdell. He graduated from Lena-Winslow High School in the spring of 1942 and then moved to Rockford. He did factory work for a little less than a year before being drafted by the United States Army on March 7, 1943. By this time, Vernon had already accepted what he had to do for his country.

“I knew I would be drafted. I didn’t want to be, but someone had

to stop Germany and Japan.”

Thirteen days after he was drafted, Vernon was shipped to Fort McClellan, Alabama, to go through infantry training. After infantry training, because of his high entrance exam score, Vernon was sent to Michigan State University to study to be an engineer. His studies did not last long though. Because of the demand for more infantry soldiers, he was pulled from MSU in August 1944, and sent to Camp Shangs, New York, to be shipped over the Atlantic to southern Europe.

His trip across the Atlantic took thirteen days. The trip was not a pleasant one because all thirteen days it stormed. Three destroyers escorted their ship, a converted Italian luxury liner, because of the threat of German submarines. The ship was literally filled to the roof with troops and because of the constant motion, a great many of the men were sick, including Vernon.

“On the way to the mess hall, I watched the man right in front of me throw up. After that, I turned around and went back to my bunk. I could not eat for

two days after that.”

For days, the waves were so high that at times the crew on the convoy could not even see the destroyers that escorted them. After entering the Mediterranean Sea, the weather improved and after a short while, Vernon landed in Marseilles, a port in the south of France. Shortly after Vernon’s arrival, his division was detached to an area known as the Colmar Pocket. The Colmar Pocket is located west of the Rhine River in the Vosage Mountains near the city of Colmar. This area is where Vernon and his regiment, the 254the infantry, company H, would be stationed during his service. By this time, Vernon had been promoted to squad leader of his company. He and his company marched through the mountains to their position

“They told us it would be hilly. Those were not hills! Carrying

the parts of a heavy thirty-caliber machine gun was grueling. One

of the men could not make it without help. I had to carry him and

his part of the gun up the hill.”

The hike through the mountains was far better than what was to come. Vernon and the rest of the Sixty-third Division soon reached the west bank of the Rhine River. His division was a replacement division for the U.S. troops killed or wounded on the southern front.

The southern front was where Vernon witnessed the devastation and suffering of war. Fighting every day and digging down into the ground to sleep every night got old fast, as one could most definitely imagine. The worst, however, was during the winter.

“We dug down and went to sleep, and the next morning I

couldn’t see a thing. As I sat up to see what was wrong, my

head popped out from under about a foot of snow. From then on,

it was wet and cold all the time. I felt like I was on the Russian front.”

There would be snow for the rest of Vernon’s service in Europe. The winter and heavy fighting were not just hard on the troops, but on the local inhabitants of the region as well.

“Some French farmers were living in their barn in the mow above

their animals because it was warm up there. Well when the fighting

got near, their barn caught fire. Everything went up in flames. In all

my life, I had never seen someone so mad!”

The fighting continued on through the holidays and into the new year with no sign of stopping. Vernon continued fighting through the winter and into the spring. The United States and German forces continued the fight for control of the Colmar Pocket. Fighting grew even more intense. The German forces sent more tanks and heavy artillery, as did the United States forces. Tank warfare became more and more common. Vernon was unlucky enough to be pinned down right in the middle of one of these battles. The standard German tank had an eighty-eight millimeter gun. When the shell from one of these guns hit something, it exploded, sending shrapnel flying through the air. On March 21, 1945, one of these shells went off, sending shrapnel at the soldiers that were pinned down nearby. Vernon happened to be one of those unfortunate soldiers. A piece of metal about the size of the end of a person’s thumb hit Vernon in the head, going through his helmet and stopping in his skull, knocking him unconscious. When Vernon awoke, he was already on the way back to the medical tent and as far as Vernon was concerned, the fighting was over. He was right; the fighting for him was over! From there, they took Vernon back to Marseilles where he boarded a medical ship and was sent home. Back in the United States, Vernon was sent to Charlseton, Tennessee, where he had the shrapnel removed from his head. During his stay, he developed great respect for the nurses who helped him recover. When he was well enough, Vernon went home for a short visit. He then returned to Charlseton and had a metal plate put in his head.

Vernon survived, though the memories of his terrifying experience haunt him to this day. He returned home after his service and began farming. For his contribution to his country, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Vernon also has the piece of shrapnel that so nearly killed him as a reminder to not take life for granted.

Vernon K. Lobdell interview April 24, 2001

www.Britannica.com

Fun & Wagnall’s New Encyclopedia, Volume 27

Vernon Lobdell (1924)