Welcome to Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in this edition is Ernie Moger. He is a US Army veteran of World War Two. He served with the seventy sixth Infantry Division in early nineteen forty five as it crossed the Siegfried Line. He was wounded and evacuated just before his unit across the Rhine River. Mister Moger, thank you so much for being with us.
Thank you.
Where were you born and raised, Sir?
I was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. I was born at Shant Peters Hospital.
And was there a history of military service in your family before you served?
No, I was the youngest one in the family. Oh yes, I apologize. My brother Bill was a United States Navy He was much older than I was. I was the baby of the family.
How did you hear about the news of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor?
I I I was at home. We had the regio on and it was December seventh, nineteen forty one, that Japan bombed the United States. And shortly after that President Roosevelt said, we are at war. I remember that, and he said to the news media that we are at war the United States of America, and that's when it's all the services contributed to to men for Army, Navy, Marines, in the Air Corps.
Now, you were drafted right after you finished high school nineteen forty four. Were you expecting that to happen? Not?
Really. I thought the war would be over, and before I knew it, the war, the World's War two continued, and before I knew that I was drafted into the service. I wanted the Navy, but I couldn't get the name because when I took my examination for the Army, they found out that I was colored blind, and the Navy did not take a colorflying person. So I said to them, what do you mean? And I said what's left? And I said the Marines. No, I don't want the Marines.
The Navy. Of course, I couldn't qualify for it. So after going through the sermies, they said to me, all right, they gave me a statement, they said United States Army. I didn't watch the Army because my brother was in the Navy, but I had no choice and I went into the Army in nineteen forty four.
I guess how soon were you off to training. After you were drafted, I wound.
Up in Camp Dix, New Jersey. Right after that, I wound up in Wisconsin with the seventy sixth Division. I stayed with them until we shipped out from Boston. We shipped up from Boston and I went over to England and I was stationed in England for a while, and shortly after that I was in combat.
What do you remember most about training vigorous.
When I was giving the M one rifle for the first time, I said, oh my god, this is heavy. And we went through basic training and before you know it, you become acclimated to the weapon, and after a while it didn't feel that heavy anymore. But in basic training we had field courses to go through under Bah Barr who used to climb under bab Bar. This was a face of the army had built you up so that you were ready for combat. Although if they didn't build us up, we would have had a problem.
Now you mentioned that you left Boston, got to England, spent time there. Once you got to Europe, after you had spent all this time getting used to the M one, they changed on you. Gave you the Browning automatic rifle. The bar that is correct.
I couldn't believe it because when they handed me the bar for the first time, I said, oh my god. I said, I'm not gonna be able to fight with that weapon. But let me tell you, I loved it. It loved me and I loved it. And after a while it didn't feel like a var automatic. That's what I liked. THEB one rifle was somewhat automatic, but you had to pull a trigger each time. With the bar held twenty rounds in the magazine, you put that on the bottom, you pull the trigger, and if you hold it,
twenty rounds went right off. I loved the weapon.
How long did it take you to get used to it?
Not long? Oh, I'd say a couple of weeks old. Another thing too, if when you had your weapon, I remember this and basic treating. If you dropped your weapon, that was perishable because that was to save my life. And if anyone dropped their weapon, they had to sleep with it. Now, if I had dropped that bar, I would sleep with that weton for maybe several days as punishment for dropping my weapon. That was a no note, you don't drop your weapon.
You mentioned that you thought the M one was heavy. How heavy was the bar.
Voice is heavy. I trained with it, I learned it, and it was my baby. Of course, when I went into combat with that, it was that weapon that could save my life.
So on your very first day in combat, you crossed the Sour River. What was happening that day? Explain how you were able to do that?
Well, we had to wait for flat bottom boats and a flat bottom boat. There were ten of us in each boat to cross the Saur River. We were under gunfire, under artillery fire, and I remember I got into the boat and what we had to do was paddle across. Well, I used the butt. We all the tenement used the butt of our rifle for oars, and that's how we got across. And there was a butty of mine, Joey Goulo. We were buddies together. Joey was in a different boat
than I, a flat bottom boat. Joey never made it across first day of combat. He was killed the first day in combat. His boat was hit by artillery. The boat went down, and I think most of them went down with it. We were both nineteen years old at the time. At times, I've saying to myself, what am I doing here? I didn't get killed. Well, I didn't need kills. I was wounded. I survived, and I was wounded the lucky ones. And here I am ninety eight
years later. Remember what had happened to me? I lived through the whole thing.
How many men were on these flat bottomed boats.
About ten minute in each boat?
And how heavy was the German resistance?
Very heavy? I don't know how many number of boats got hit? Was either rifle fire or was artillery? Like I said, I was lucky. I made it across. In fact, when I crossed the Rhine River, I crossed that like point A, and before I reached the other side, point B could have been half a mile downstream, because I remember the Rhine River was very not only wavy, the current was very movable. So if you got in a point A, you want to down point B, if you made it.
Across, How would you describe the sound of that? When the Germans are shooting artillery and rifle shots? What does it sound like? What does it smell like? And how do you endure that?
It sounded like you were gonna get hit. Boats around me got hit. I was lucky. Did I pray going across? I certainly did I think I asked God. I said, God, spare me, and I made it across. The other boats I can remember went down. Uh it was very frightening. I was only nineteen years old. Uh, I knew of combat, what combat was like. I knew you could get killed in combat. And I said to myself, I again I prayed,
and I said, Lord, spare me. He did. I finally made it across and continue to fight in Thord in the war.
How serious were the casualties over all that day?
Far as I can remember, it was severe. I think it was our whole division cross and the division consisted up as I remember, at least four platoons, and each pla had four squads, and each squad had ten men. So if you want to do the math, you can do the math.
Now. You said you were using your rifle as an oar. Yes, So did you have any way of defending yourself?
Well, I had my rifle, that was all.
So shooting sometimes and using as a paddle at others.
Well, we couldn't shoot because we couldn't see the enemy. A lot of it was artillery and gunfire. The enemy was there, we couldn't see it before we got hit. I was lucky. We had on a steel helmet, we had on a shoulder gear, shoulder pack, we had her combat boos, we had her rifle. And if the boat got hit, if you were not aware of what was going on and held on to the helmet and everything, you would drowned. So if the boat got hit, we would throw off our helmet. We dropped our gun to
save our lives if you him. And that's how a lot of us got across. We got across with no ammunition, with no rifle, with no steel helmet, because the weight of all that equipment just pulled you right down.
So describe what it was like then to get to shore.
I couldn't swim, However, I was lucky my boat didn't get hit. Oh, there were two friends of mine. Harry Gody was my buddy, and from what I remember Harry told me, I think I saw the action at the time. Harry got across and there was a GI was foundering in the water. He needed help, and he jumped in the water, swam out to the GI, pulled them ashore and saved his life. And he got an award for saving the life.
That was Harry Gody was combat. What you expected it to be like No, it.
Was scary as healthia. It was a nineteen year old pin and I'm there. And one of the things I always said to myself, hurry, you can be killed. I've thought of that often.
That's Ernie Moger, a US Army veteran of World War II. He served in the seventy sixth Infantry Division. Survived the harrowing crossing of the Tsar River, but was wounded three months later, just before the US crossed the Rhine River. Still to come, mister Moger's emotional return to where he fought nearly eighty years ago, and he'll tell us about three straight months of combat. But up next he tells us about the day he was wounded and his days
of combat came to a close. I'm Greg Corumbus and this is Veterans' Chronicles sixty seconds of Service.
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This is Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in this edition is Ernie Moeger. He is a US Army veteran of World War Two and a recipient of the Purple Heart. Still to come. In this edition, mister Moger will share the details of his very meaningful return to where he fought and bled during the war. But right now, he explains what was the most effective way to fight against the Nazis. Where the US went after crossing the Tsar River and how he was wounded.
One of the most effective ways for safety safes hit the ground. I remember we used to take the butter of our rifle and the way you hit the grounds, you go down and used the butter of your rifle to break the fall for you going down on your knees. And it was amazing that how they trained us that when you went down and hit that ground, the rifle order my went this way. You were in a prone position and you were ready to fire. And I did that several times. I remember both went over my head.
I stayed down.
It was scary, believe me, it was scar so after you crossed the Sour, Yes, what came next.
Well, after the Sour we moved. We kept on moving through different towns. Several of the towns that I went through, the army had already gone through and I came after them, and the army leveled the town to the extent that we could march through. We went through many, many towns, many towns that way, so that we could advance rapidly,
which we did. And then we had we had these bridges that we had to cross, and they were bridges that were destroyed by the enemy, so Army gen engineers came along and built upon tomb bridges so that we could cross. Otherwise, the Germans destroyed all the other bridges, and that's how we got across the bridges to different towns.
I remember when we went through a different town there were Germans in the town and we would go into the buildings looking for Germans to either take the imprisoner or whatever.
So how long was it between when you crossed the Sour River to the day you were wounded?
Around three months? I was in combat three months. We were billeted in this building on the Rhine River. We were getting ready to cross the Rhine River and I was builded in that building and Harry Goldie was on guard duty. It was my buddy again, and I went out to relieve him from guard duty. So Harry and I are talking, and before you note there was a well that was the bullets that hit me. There was
a castle on the Rhine. I remembered as we crossed or not, I didn't cross, I never might died across. There was a castle on that river, and I'm sure that the sniper was in that castle. The castle would right here and I was right here upper mountain, and I'm sure he fired up the mountain and he got Harry in the leg. And I was standing behind Harry, and the trajectory of the bullet was upward, and I went through a care for his leg into my groin. I went down. My steel helmet flew off. I dropped
my rifle. It was ironic that immediately I was not in tained my body went numb. I knew I was hit. I wasn't sure where I was at. And that numbers state for quite a while. Had that bullet moved an inch or so away, if the sniper had that, there's a federal artery in your body. And I think that bullet missed it by about a half inch. Had it hit that federal artery, I wouldn't be here talking to you. I would have died out of bled out right down in the air. I didn't. They called for medic. The
medics came. It took a while. They came down the hill to that building. I was leaning I U on the Florida building. They picked me up, put me on a stretcher. They took me up to the battalion aige station where the doctor examined me, and he said, ooh, you're unlucky GI. And that's when he explained to me how close I was to death at that instant when
I bullet hit me. Then they took me from there to uh another station where they addressed my wound, took X rays and everything else and confirmed where the bullet hit me. They addressed my wound and all and from there I went to a hospital in France and I was there for a while. Then after that I came home. The the war was over for me, I.
Said, I so thankfully it missed your femeral artery. How serious was the injury though.
Very sis. I was rehabilitated for quite a while. I remember I couldn't get up the walk for quite a while. I always laid in a position that was the least amount of injury to me that I was a little bit comfortable with. I couldn't straighten out my leg for a while. And once I was able to straighten out my leg, I think about six weeks or two months later, I can straighten out my left leg. I was a little bit better. I finally got up. I think it was about a month before I could get up out
of the bed where I was wounded. After I got up and I could walk a little bit, I think I was close on my way home.
That's Ernie Muger, a US Army veteran of World War Two who fought with the seventy sixth Infantry Division in France and Germany. Still to come. In our conversation, mister Moger reflects on his service and sacrifice. He also tells us about his powerful trip back to where he fought during the war, finding the grave of his dear friend
in what he said while standing there. But up next we'll hear more of Moger's story of service and his other combat experiences fighting town to town against the Nazis. I'm Greg Corumbus, and this is Veterans' Chronicles. This is Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in this edition
is Ernie Moger. He's a US Army veteran of World War II, fighting in the seventy sixth Infantry Division from the crossing of the Tsar River until he was wounded just before he was about to cross the Rhine River in nineteen forty five. In just a moment, mister Moger takes us along as he revisits the places he fought and finds the grave of a close friend who never made it home. But we pick up the story with Moger reflecting on the German sniper who wounded him and ended his time in war.
The best of my knowledge, one shot. You were saying, one shot, one kill. Well, I kept saying, you shot me, but you didn't kill me.
So it's not like there was consistent sniper fire happening.
No, because there was a Germany in that castle, and I was building in this building with the rest of my squad and what have you. I went out to relieve Harry on guard duty and there was only one shot fire, So I was out of the war. Now, the rest of my outfit, I don't know how I'm pure it went to cross the Rhine River into Germany. I was not there because of my injury.
Now, that narrow miss of the of the artery means you've had nearly eighty more years to live than if the bullet had been slightly different. Do you think about that, and if so, how do you think about that?
I certainly do, and how do I think about that? The man upstairs, he governed he told me, hurry, I'm with you. If you need help, ask me, And boy did I ask him for help. You wouldn't believe it. And he helped me. He helped me to survive. He helped me to live to ninety eight years old, which I am now thanks to him. If he calls me today or tomorrow, what have you, I'm ready to go. Of course, I've lived my life and I feel that I was one of the fortunate ones to live all
these years when I lost my buddies. On the first day.
Of combat, Sir, you mentioned a moment ago that you fought in about three months straight, yes, before being wounded. Yes, between that crossing of the Sour River and the day that you were injured. Talk to me about the combat that you experienced in between. What was that like?
Okay, several times we were under German fire and one thing that we learned in the army, and they taught us, if there's an enemy out there, like a sniper, what have you. My whole squad, in fact, the whole platoon would stand up and take their rifle and all we did we couldn't see the enemy, we would fire because we knew that the enemy was there and if the enemy was there, they would surely duck their heads. And
we took a lot of prisoners that way. Because you figure out a line of men all firing at the same time, you're not gonna wanna stand up, cause you'd be dead. That was what what's called line of fire. And we did that several times. We went through farms where they had land mines. That was another thing we had to endure. Now, what we had to do with land mines, we were taught this. We would take our bayonet, get on her hands and knees and probe the ground,
and all of a sudden you'd hit something. You say, oh, oh, sure enough, it was a landmine. Then we would go around it. But we would market so that the man behind me is coming up and you can see that market and say, oh, oh, there's a landmark there, and he'd do the same thing and go around it. However, when you're crawling or when you're walking and you don't see that landmine, and I've seen it happen, you step on it. The action of the landmine is going up
as you're standing and walking over it. And a lot of men were killed that way. The burst of the landmine was upward, and just picture yourself walking along and all of a sudden the land mine goes off, and well, the best particle of your body was lost.
And how frequent were those land mines?
Quite frequently, especially in the beginning when we first went through Germany, well and actually in France, because I was in France and Germany quite frequently. But we learned what to do and if there was a way of avoiding it, would we would go around the landmine. I think those three incidents where we were told where the landlines were. The first time they didn't because we were experienced it by ourselves. Then after that they w w they we
would mark the land mine. So whoever came behind us were free and they they they knew that the landlines were there, and they walked through cautiously and safely.
Now as you went from town to town, were there were there separate battles at each town.
Uh we had the sniper was the worst one. Then there was artillery. As I remember, most of the towns were under fire. But when we liberated the town, maybe a company before me liberated the town and it was safe. Then we walked through that town. But if the town was not liberated. We were ready for action because the enemy was in the buildings and we were outside in the field and we're advancing the town. They just could
see us and shoot us and kill us. It was difficult for us to see the building and where they were at the window. So there was a lot of that. They had the advantage.
They definitely had the advantage. So how did you counter that? How did you defeat them despite that advantage?
Well, most of the times we'd go around the buildings. If there's enemy fire from a particular building, instead of advancing for it, we'd go around and infiltrate through either the side or go all the ways around the back. Otherwise you were a dead pigeon, believe me.
And then did you have to confront them and climb stairs and that type of thing? Was it kind of around corners as you fought them.
Well, I took many prisoners. Fortunately were a group together. Well, there were human beings, and if they felt that they were under the advantage, we would approach them and first thing, they dropped their rifle and threw their hands up, and that means surrender. I don't know how true this is, but I heard of stories they threw their hands up. But there were some gew eyes would not take them prisoner, and you know what would happen then? Oh, I took
several prisoners. There was an incident where I was dug in. I had a foxhole and I heard this line with two There were two men talking and I was in a foxhole. We got many men in the foxhole and they're talking German. And I said to myself, oh, well, white man talking, So I said halt and I forget what the German word. World was?
Well up?
Want their arms? Believe me when I said ole, they just stopped in. They dropped their rifle rifles and we took them as po ws prisoners of war. And that was a happy day from me, rather than be getting shot of what have you?
What did you do with them after you took them prisoner?
After I took them prisoners, We took them down to I forget what depot. It was for t interrogation In other words, e w we W. I would turn them over to other GI's. Okay, there were per POW's and they w W. They was questioning him to get all the information that they can. Where did they come from? Did they come from a German army or platoon or what have you? Where's the enemy? Uh, that was very helpful because they were afraid and they would do all the information that will be w We were two scouts
of what have you? And behind us was my platoon, my German place. So we got the scouts. Now, when you get the scouts, they're in front of the platoon of what have you? You get those scouts and get him out of the way before the soldiers behind them get to know that their outfits was behind them. And what you do is get the two gis out of the way, try to make it as quiet as let the outs, the German offit move up. Then we will take them prisoners. Of course they didn't know we're there.
That's fascinating, absolutely fascinating. How did your friend do, the one that you were relieving on guard duty who was shot in the leg. Did he make it?
Yes, he did. In fact, Harry just died about two years ago. Oh wow, we were buddies. He was from the state of Washington. Corresponded with him for many many years. If you asked me to write the correct question, I will tell you a little bit more about Harry and myself.
Well, How did you get to meet Harry and how did you become close?
I met him in basic training and we just paid it off together. We knew what it was all about. When I first went in the army and they gave me my uniform, I was eighteen. I'm laughing now. I took the attitude man, I got beautiful uniform here. I was a kid. I was eighteen and nineteen, but I was proud of it. And then when I got overseas, the words I said was what the hell am I
doing here? I can get killed. But in the beginning in basic treatom when I got my uniform, I'm so proud of it, not realizing what was ahead of me.
And how did he react to it all?
Harry was the same way. Harry was wounded. We were both wounded serious enough that the war was over for us, and we both came home and I met him after the war. He was in the Washington state and we met New Jerseys together, Harry and I. I had some still pictures of Harry and I shaking hands and hugging each other after the war. After we met again.
How did you hear that the war had ended?
Probably on the radio other than that. I don't recall.
Were you back home by then or still in Europe? Oh?
No, I was home by then.
Last year you had the chance to return to Europe and visit the graves of people you fought alongside, including your friend Joey Guloh. Yes, what was that like? I've seen the video of you saluting his grave.
You have no eyes ere I knocked down, and I said, Joey, just as Ernie. We were basic training together, we were in the war together, and Joey, I remember first day in combat. You never made it across.
I was lucky.
I made it acrosse. And I said, I'm here kneeling for into you that you were wound. Instance the world was over for him, but we're dear friends again. I thank god that I made it across. He didn't, and I continued to fight as a young man. Scared. Damn right, I was scared. Did I want to die?
No?
I didn't want to die. I was sent there for a reason, and the reason was my country. My country called upon me. They needed help, and I was young enough to help them, and I did help them. My country's been good to me all these years since I was wounded. They took care of me my wound for many, many years. But the United States Army Medical Corps never turned their back on me. They knew what I did, and they were They said to themselves, he did all
this at a young age. Well, we're gonna do as much as we can to help him and get him physically fit for civilian life.
In addition to what you described at Joey Gulo's grave, yes, what else stood out to you from the visit to that cemetery or your overall visit to Europe.
When I stood by Joey's grave, Jojie greave was a single grade. As I stood up and I looked around, I I tell you it was unbelievable. That was Joey's grave. In fact, I saw my General General Patton's grave. His graver was at the head of the cemetery, d General George S. Patten Uh. He was a general of the seventy sixth Division, which I was a part of. And there was Joey. On the first day of combat, there was his grave, Joey Gulo with his Army saval number
on it. I now down there and I prayed, and I said to Joey, there's thousands of white markers crosses. You wouldn't believe you stand there, no matter how far you looked straight ahead. If you look to the left, you look to the right, nothing but graves. So my country sent a lot of Gis there, and they went there to say my country. I know that before they came and bombed our country, they all gave their lives. And there's a favorite saying of mine, and please pay attention.
I want to say it correctly. All gave some some gave or do you understand that? And that been with me all my life. And I looked back on these grades and I said, you gave, you gave all, you gave your life.
What are you most proud of from your service?
My country called for me, and it was honored for me to go. Did I know where I was going? Yes? I did. The war was on before me. Many Geniis were killed, and now they called upon me. I knew that I was going into the same aspect of what they went through. They fought for their country, They died for their country. And I said, here I am, and I and I repeated I s said to the Lord, save me if you can.
Uh.
I was young, I wanted to live, and he did save me. I guess I'm one of the chosen ones that survived. You have no idea again, how many cemeteries. There's not only one cemetery. There's several cemeteries with GI's young men, middle aged men, and even older men that never came home. It kept our country free. I remember that we did what we had to do, and I did.
What I had to do well, mister Muger, I thank you so much for your patriotism. I thank you for your time with us today, and I thank you most of all for your service to our country.
Thank you very much. I appreciate men like you pursuing all o the men like me to tell their story so that other people can hear it and listen to it and say, you know, war as hell. If we can avoid war, we should. Thank you very much.
Thank you, sir. Ernie Muger is a US Army veteran of World War Two. He served with the seventy six Infantry Division in early nineteen forty five as across the Sigfried Line. He was wounded and evacuated just before his unit crossed the Rhine River. I'm Greg Corumbus and this is Veterans Chronicles. Hi, this is Greg Corumbus and thanks for listening to Veterans Chronicles, a presentation of the American Veterans Center. For more information, please visit American Veteranscenter dot org.
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