The spark plug thief
How a sergeant kept a tank battalion rolling
My goodness, it’s been quite a last few days, so many interesting things — to me at least — that I’m going to number them so I don’t get them mixed up but the moral of the substack is that World War 2 is not ancient history but is very much a part of the lives of families that had a veteran who served.
1) I got a call from Clark Mazure. Clark was me before I was me, in a manner of speaking, in that he was the first member of the Nextest Generation to go to a reunion of the 712th Tank Battalion — I don’t remember the year he said but it was just a Service Company reunion — his father was Sergeant Frank Mazure, a member of the company — and it was so well attended that it sparked the interest in having future reunions. I never met Clark’s dad but his mother, Eleanor Mazure, came to several reunions and I interviewed her at one of the “mini” reunions.
Clark is 75 and lives in Oregon, and doesn’t have a computer or a cell phone, but he’s thinking of getting a computer because he’s a gun collector and almost everything is transacted online. No computer and no cell phone, he’s like one of those tribes in the depths of the Amazon that have no connection with the outside world. I hesitated to encourage him to get online because he would be a prime target for scammers.
Nevertheless, we had a great conversation reminiscing about some of the veterans we both remembered, like Forrest Dixon. Forrest was Frank’s boss. Forrest once told me Sergeant Mazure was the “best thief I ever had.” He explained that when the battalion was about to go into combat, he mentioned to Clark’s dad that he could use some extra spark plugs. The crews were not supposed to leave the tanks idling, but he knew that wasn’t going to be obeyed, because they might have to go on a moment’s notice, and the idling would foul the spark plugs.
The next day, Clark said, his father showed up with 764 spark plugs. The tanks had radial engines and needed nine plugs apiece, Clark said. As the plugs fouled, they would be replaced while the fouled plugs were cleaned. “That may have gotten some people killed,” Forrest Dixon said, but it may have saved a lot of lives as well.” I asked him what he meant and he said that if the tank wouldn’t run because the plugs were fouled, it couldn’t go on a mission where it might get knocked out. At the same time, that mission save many infantry lives.
Clark also said his father told him Forrest said Sergeant Mazure saved his life. I suspected I knew the incident he was talking about and I was right. It was during the battle at Mairy, France on Sept. 8, 1944 when a battle broke out between the battalion and the German 106th Panzer Brigade. Clark said his father and then-Captain (later Major) Dixon were sleeping under a tank in maintenance area when two German tanks approached. The engine had been removed from the tank, and Sergeant Mazure’s crew was supposed to disconnect the electricity. As the service personnel ran for cover, Forrest climbed into the tank and, the way he modestly put it, he went to traverse the 75 millimeter cannon and was sure it wouldn’t move because the electricity was supposed to be disconnected. But he heard a whirr and the gun traversed. In other words, his sergeant’s crew disobeyed an order and in doing so saved his life, because he was able to line up a shot and singlehandedly knock out the lead German tank, whose crew surrendered.
2) Andy Schifler commented on my last Substack, Once Upon a Time in the Siegfried Line, and asked if I knew the circumstances of his father’s Silver Star. So I revisited the transcript of my 1995 interview with Andy Schifler (Andy’s dad) and there it was. I reprinted it in the comments section but I’ll reprint it here as well, as there are so many events and accounts in my interviews that don’t find their way into my books, even though I did include some passages from Andy in “Tanks for the Memories.”
This is from my transcript of the interview:
AE: Yeah, he (Russell Loop) lives in Indianola. I was going to give him a call. I met him. This was a Bronze star that you got?
AS: Silver. It tells you on that paper. [It was the Silver Star.]
AE: I'll read this again, and you tell me what you remember of it. You were describing it before. "April 25, 1945, in the vicinity of Schafferei..."
AS: ...When they hit the building on us...
AE: "A tank platoon was counterattacked by 50 SS troops...":
AS: I don't know how many there were, all I know, I comes running around the back, round out in the open...Well, I figured, if they're gonna get us, they're gonna get us one way or another. I knew there were, our infantry was behind me and I knew the other tanks were maybe 100 yards away from where we were. So I went around and got into the, clear enough, because there was big fire, I mean you could see, the building got hit, that's how I got..."
AE: The building got hit...
AS: And I jumped without shoes or anything, I jumped out. I figured, you'd better get around. I did, and I got in the tank, and I drove out, and must have scared half of them, and I swung around and I went back and I picked up the lieutenant and Fletcher.
AE: Fletcher?
AS: Fletcher. He was my assistant gunner. Driver and gunner. (Hugh H. Fletcher from Afton, N.Y.).
AE: Now the tank that was hit, was anyone killed in it?
AS: That was, no, one hit, and one was on fire. Two of them got damaged out of that. And the other three tanks, the one I saved, and the two on the corner from the other...
AE: Had people been in the tank when it was hit?
AS: No. Nobody was in the tanks. They were trying to attack that night. See, they figured they could get, hit, do some damage. They must have known the Army company of infantry was over on that side, they come from the wooded side. Somebody was on guard, I don't know if Horn was on guard of something, because you can't do nothing, you don't know at night, it's dark, and when they started, then you got the lights, because the tank was burning...
AE: "Okay...'At risk of his life, Technician 4th Grade Schifler raced through a hail of fire...'
AS: Don't ask me. I tell you, there's miracles, you wouldn't believe. I was sitting in the tank and the guy was in the foxhole, and the medics was walking, was running up and down. The guy in the foxhole was killed, none of the medics that were carrying the guys got hurt. It's, nature or something takes care of you. Figure that. You'd be surprised how some of this happens. Your mind's nowhere, you know, to fight or that, your mind is, get out and get that, before they burn them or damage everything. you know, you don't, there's no idea of you're gonna do this, that's why it's buddy-buddy in the Army. If nobody went out, we would have lost all three tanks, and maybe got killed.
AE: But it was you that went out?
AS: Well, I was right there. You know, I already had it figured. I figured when I put the tank in that barn, if something happens, we've gotta move. It sure happened.
Thanks again.
3) In transcribing an interview, I always wondered how to signal a speaker’s emotion. In a narrative, I might write “He said with a laugh.” But in a transcript, I would just write (laughter). In 1994, I visited Wes Harrell in Hobbs, New Mexico. Wes’ wife sat in on the interview, and I only identified her in the transcript as “Mrs. Harrell.” I was primarily interested in Wes’ role in the battle of Pfaffenheck, March 16, 1945, in which four members of C Company’s second platoon, including 18 year old Billy Wolfe, were killed. Wes was the driver of the tank in which Billy burned to death.
In 2018, I got an email from Earl Battey of Plano, Texas.
My Uncle is William Wesley “Wes” Harrell whom I know you have written about in these books and maybe others. He served in Company C of the 712th from Normandy thru Germany. He was a Sherman tank driver and lost two tanks in battle that I know of that you wrote about. He never spoke about his service. I only learned about it shortly before his death back in 2003.
I am putting together a shadow box for future generations of my family to remember him as both of his sons (my cousins) have already passed – neither of them ever had children. His wife (my father’s sister, Laverne) is now in a nursing home in Hobbs, NM and probably will not be with us much longer. I want to finish the shadow box so she can see it. It will have the flag from his military funeral as well as the medals he was awarded, photos, his dog tags, T/4 patches, a certificate from the 712th Tank Battalion Association, etc. One thing I would like to have but haven’t found anywhere is a 712th Tank Battalion patch. There is a picture of the triangular 3rd Army insignia with 712 on the top of the triangle on the 712th Tank Battalion Association certificate that honors his service which he received from them on April 24, 2003. Were there 712th Unit Patches and if so, do you know where I might find one? I have not found one on ebay or online anywhere.
I wish I had spoken to Uncle Wes more about his service but like so many it just wasn’t something that he spoke of. My childhood was spent reading military history books of those that served in WW2. I was in my late 30’s before I even knew that I had a hero in my own family. I know Uncle Wes never would have considered himself a hero, but he always will be one of mine.
I told Earl that to the best of my knowledge, as it came up in my interview with Paul Wannemacher and Orlando Brigano, there was no official 712th patch, but while the battalion was stationed at Amberg after the war in Europe ended, some members of the battalion (including Brigano) had a German woman embroider the 712 on an Armor patch. I explained that to Earl and included a transcript of my interview with Don Knapp, who was Wes’ tank commander for much of the war.
Then, just the other day, I got the following email
My name is Heather Parks. I would like to clarify that Wesley had a daughter, JoAnn Parks with Vada Hazel Allen. His first wife. She lived in Oklahoma. JoAnn was my mother in law. Wes had two grandchildren, Glenn Parks and Starla Sweeney. I don't know why that wasn't mentioned as they used to spend summers in Hobbs with thier grandfather. They loved him very much. I would like to communicate with you more but as for this hour I must get some rest. Please fill free to respond. Also could you give my email to Laverne's nephew. I would like to speak with him. Thank you.
So here you have grandchildren from a veteran’s first marriage wanting to know more about their grandfather’s service. I had no idea that “Mrs. Harrell” was Wes’ second wife, although apparently the subject was briefly touched upon and I paid no attention to it when I transcribed the interview other than to note parenthetically that either she or her husband laughed. I had asked Wes when he got married and he said when he got out of service, and Mrs. Harrell said they married in 1952
AE: Were you married during the war, or after?
Mrs. Harrell: We got married in '52. He had another one then (laughing).
WH: No, I didn't get married until I got out of the service.
So apparently Wes married and had a daughter after the war, and the indication that Laverne Harrell found something amusing about that might suggest he was divorced, but as I skimmed through the transcript, there was no doubt in my mind that Wes must have had post traumatic stress syndrome. This is his citation for either a Silver or Bronze Star (I’m not sure which he received)
William Harrell, T-5 infantry, 712th Tank Battalion, for heroic achievement on 28 November 1944 in the vicinity of Furweiler, Germany. During the battle in the town the tank driven by T-5 Harrell was immobilized and the tank commander wounded by enemy fire. Technician fifth grade Harrell without regard for his personal safety subjected himself to intense fire and evacuated the wounded man to a place of safety where medical aid could be administered. Returning with a replacement tank, he went forward with his platoon and aided in taking the objective. His heroic achievement was in accordance with military tradition.
And this is his recollection of the incident
We was going into this town, and a artillery shell hit my tracks, and at the time I was driving unbuttoned [with the hatch open], and I had ODs on [olive drab fatigues], but I had them khakis with the suspenders on, and when it hit, why, it raised me up out of, it raised me up in the turret, and when I started to get out, them khakis fell down. I never did find them suspenders. When I reached that seat my head was still there, man, it was so much tension. When I got out and started to run, but Knapp, he couldn't, or...
AE: It might have been Knapp, or Green, Larry Green? [Actually, I’m not sure who it might have been. At the time of the interview, I thought he was talking about Larry Green, Sergeant Green was killed on March 14, 1945 and Furweiler was in November].
WH: It might have been Green. He couldn't get out of the tank. And I run back, and they was, shells falling up around us, and I run back and I helped him out and I helped him to a building.
I don’t even know if Wes’ nephew is even still alive, but I forwarded his email address along with a transcript of the interview.
