Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:02 | It was bitterly cold as Jim Sharp neared the front at the border between France and Belgium. As he settled into a foxhole which was, thankfully, already dug in the frozen ground, the sergeant taught him a phrase in German which he needed to know. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
Keywords : Jim Sharp Givet France Belgium Honsfeld German
Jim Sharp was working his father's farm when he found out that he wouldn't be drafted because of that. So he got his father to sell the farm and he entered the Army in 1944. His training was hurried because more troops were badly needed. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
During his basic training at Fort McClellan, Jim Sharp encountered a paratrooper looking for volunteers. He and two of his buddies signed up and went to Fort Benning for jump training but he flunked the physical because of an old football injury. His unit had already shipped out so he would enter the war as a replacement. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
When depth charges were dropped during his Atlantic crossing, Jim Sharp made a remark that was intended to be funny, but which started a lot of trouble. When he got to Le Havre, he couldn't believe the devastation that he saw there. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
No one was supposed to know where they were, but as the men of Jim Sharp's unit were marching through the darkness on their way to board a ship for France, a lone woman followed. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
Jim Sharp rode on a tank toward the village of Honsfeld in Belgium. Just as soon as he jumped off to join the attack, a German 88 blasted the tank and the blood began to run red in the snow. The Germans were better trained and had better weapons. This was going to be a real fight. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
After the battle at Honsfeld, Jim Sharp was surprised to hear that he would lead a patrol. I just got here. I'm brand new. The sergeant said not to worry, he would be right behind him. The Germans had been run out of the town, but there were some lurking in church steeples and basements. Unfortunately for them, there were also civilians hiding in the basements. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
It was in a burgermeister's office that Jim Sharp ripped a swastika flag from the wall and stuffed it in his pack. By the end of the war, it was autographed by all his buddies. He befriended a German woman who vented her frustration and anger over the war to him. She had lost a husband and a son. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
Jim Sharp was in Bavaria when the war ended. It was a very happy time for all the men. When he went out with a patrol to search for a water source, he found a family in a farm house that was perhaps too friendly. They were so friendly, he and his men had to sleep it off. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
