In Their Own Words
Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 01:57PM LTC Cornelius G. Hinchy
U.S.Army
WWII and USAR
European Theater, Cuban Missile Crisis
WWII: F Company, 310 Infantry, 78th Division
Rhineland, Ardennes, Central Europe, Remagen Bridge
It was just luck the bomb didn't explode
The twelve previous patrols sent across the infamous Ludendorff Bridge had all been killed. Now Hinchy, only 19 years old, was ordered to take a patrol over the river into heavily guarded German territory.
After capturing several Germans, his patrol headed back, following the same path they’d walked through before. They had no idea they were walking through a mine field until Hinchy’s foot hit a shoe mine that popped up but didn’t explode.
The men continued on, retracing their footsteps across the Ludendorff Bridge. Breathing a sigh of relief that the entire patrol made it back successfully, his patrol headed towards their base in relief.
Hinchy’s superior officers watched in disbelief from their post - first, that the patrol made it back, prisoners and all. And second, that the bridge fell as soon as they crossed over.....
In Their Own Words briefly describes a specific historical story told during an APHA interview that is used as short stories for the media.
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