One Leg Gone, Other Leg Mangled, Iowan Fought On
By Wes Gallagher.
WITH U. S. 83RD DIVISION IN GERMANY,
Mar. 14 (Delayed) (AP)
If you had your right leg blown off and the other leg ripped to shreds after a direct hit with a tank shell ---
If you had been blown away from your machine gun and struck in the head with a shell fragment and everyone around you had been killed or wounded ----
If you saw a 40-ton German tank yards away from where you were lying and 20 German infantrymen moving up behind it ----
If all these things happened, what would you do?
This is what Sgt. Ralph G. Neppel, 21, of Route 2, Glidden, Ia., a machine gun detachment leader in the 83rd (Ohio) Division; did:
He dug his elbows into the street and painfully pulled himself 10 yards to his machine gun. Somehow he pulled himself into firing position with BLOOD SPURTING FROM HIS WOUNDS, and he started firing at the infantrymen while the German tank crunched to a halt alongside his position.
Anyone leaning out of the tank could have dropped a hand grenade on him, but no one did.

Kills Eight Germans.
Neppel killed eight Germans and drove the rest off before he slumped over his gun. The tank crew, frightened by the loss of protecting infantry, RETREATED WITHOUT FIRING ANOTHER SHOT.

The action occurred last Dec. 14 when Neppel's battalion of the 329th Infantry was assigned to clear the village of Birgel.
There was little difficulty accomplishing the task, but the roads were so heavily mined that tank destroyers and antitank guns could not be moved up immediately.

Attack Comes Quickly.
Neppel led one of several machine gun squads sent out to defend two main streets from a counterattack. He set up his gun at the corner of a building. The German tank attacked at once. It made a direct hit on the position, and a shell fragment severed Neppel's right leg below, the knee. Additional fragments broke the other leg and wounded him in the head. All his companions were casualties.
Cpl. Robert L. Gissler of Alton, Ill., trapped in the second story of house down the street, said Neppel's leg was "just flesh, that part which was not cut off," when he began his agonized crawl.

When the tank retreated, medical men carried the still conscious sergeant into a nearby, house. They gave him morphine and he lay for eight hours before being evacuated. Once during that period he insisted that a wounded fellow sergeant be removed first.
Neppel Is In England now, recovering from his wounds.

At present I'm assigned to the Unit Personnel section of an infantry Division, which is a part of Hodge's First Army. The division has been in combat for some time, having attacked through the main defenses of the Siegfried Line. Among the towns taken by the division are Ramscheid, Giesheid, Neuhof, Hellenthal.

We are now well inside Germany proper. The town we are now occupying is practically untouched by war, due to the fact that the Jerries left before we had to beat the town into submission. The civilians were ordered into one section of the town while we moved into the other part.
In closing I wish to thank you again for sending me the Monitor each week.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Ohlinger.

Memorial services for the 19 year-old airman were held at 8 a. m. Thursday, April 12, at Sacred Heart church at Templeton. Cpl. Wagner was born May 10, 1925, at Templeton. Shortly after his graduation from Sacred Heart high school in 1943, he enlisted in the army air forces.

Entering the service August 9, 1943, he received his first training at Buckley Field. Colo. Later he attended air-cadet college at Montana State college, Bozeman, Mont. and gunnery school at Yuma, Ariz. He completed his training at Muroc, Cal. He left the States about Dec. 15, 1944, and was somewhere in the Hawaiian Islands when he wrote the last letter received by his mother.

The letter was dated March 2nd.
Besides his mother, Mrs. Florence Coe, and sister, Joan Wagner, Cpl. Wagner leaves his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Trecker.
He was a member of Sacred Heart church and the Young Men's Sodality of the parish.

We take a 12 week gunnery course and then are shipped to Lincoln, Neb., where we are assigned to a field in which our transitional is taken. I passed all pressure chamber and night vision tests and so now am ready to begin my gunnery training.

We are now pulling K. P. and the officer was assigned to active duty with the Transportation Corps detail every day until school starts. For amusement on days we don't work we have a huge swimming pool, theaters, ball games, shows given by the USO, and dances. Weather is real nice for this sort of entertainment. Well, I better hang up, just wanted to give you my new address.
Will appreciate your sending the paper to me here.
Respectfully yours, Eugene.

Lt. Kohorst, 22 years old, a graduate of Sacred Heart high school at Templeton in 1939, was a post office clerk before entering the army Oct. 28, 1942. His parents are Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Kohorst.
They have another son, Second Lt. Eugene W. Kohorst, in the infantry.

Would like to extend my congratulations to Bill on bringing the guys through again this year. The record was really swell, only wish I could have seen a few of the games. Of course dad would write me all about it so at least through he and the paper was able to keep very well posted.

Glad to hear of the airport, am sure it will be a big asset to the community.
I now have completed my basic training and am waiting to be shipped to a gunnery school. You've probably been hearing of the very numerous B-29 raids lately; well, we have a few here and they're just plenty all right, big, powerful, and a very nice tool for the Japs. Well, better close for now but wanted to say hi to all my friends all over the country, wishing them all the success in the world.
Again thanks for sending me the paper, it's really swell.
As ever. Eugene.

He was taken prisoner at Faid Pass. During the time he was interned in the prison camp he lost 40 pounds but states that he was treated well. He was an interpreter since he was able to speak the German language, having majored in it in college.
His wife is the former Evelyn Elwell, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Elwell live 2 1/2 miles south of Manning. Lt. Ranck enlisted in the artillery at Urbana, Illinois.

A reception was held at the home of the bride's parents. Captain Anderson who is serving with the army air forces, has been stationed in the South Pacific for two years. He is in Australia awaiting return to the States.
Capt. Anderson is a nephew of Dr, and Mrs. V. R. Anderson of Manning.
He is well known here, having often visited here. He is a singer and many will remember the solo he sang in the Presbyterian church.
The Dr. C. I. Anderson, family lived at Manilla before moving to Harlan.

Now they blocked the road, damming up our column of tanks behind them. Nazis were dug in 100 yard's away on both sides of the road.

Sgt. George Duncan of Canton, Georgia led six men each carrying 50 pounds of TNT up to one tank. Jerries were pouring in a crossfire of lead from rifles and machine guns. Mortar and artillery shells were falling like rain. The engineers placed the 300-lb. charge under the vehicle's fuel tank, containing 100 gallons of gas, lit the, fuse and ran.

The TNT exploded with a terrific crash, tossing the tank into the field alongside the road and igniting the gasoline. With the shattered tank still fighting fiercely Sgt. Duncan and his men went up with a load for the second job. The enemy given light for more deadly aim were furious. The engineers did their job, came back, and the armor moved forward.
A member of the Sergeant's party was Pfc. Charles F. Anthofer of Dedham, Iowa.