The 82nd Bn,
attached to the 113th Cavalry, entered Southern
Holland about September 12, 1944 and we cleared
about a dozen towns of German forces in the two
weeks that we were there.
Edward Husted was
in 1st platoon, B company, 82nd Engineer Combat
Bn: "We moved into Holland by way of Liege, in a
different Corps area, but where a bridge was
still intact. We moved first to Hoogeruts and
over the next two weeks liberated a number of
villages. Some of the names I remember...... Gulpen,
Berg, Roosteren, Illikhoven and we helped the
113th Cavalry clear out Maastricht...took a lot
of prisoners there! Sometime during our run Lt.
Campanale, I believe newly arrived from the
States, was assigned as platoon leader of B
company's first platoon. I was a squad leader
in that platoon. I served with him on our first mission inside Germany. At that time we were
attached to the 113th Cavalry and our mission
was to capture several towns just inside
Germany. On the morning of October 1, 1944
we crossed the border at Sittard into the German
village of Tuddern. The Cavalry in those days
carried only light tanks and A-Cars. We were
no match for the dug in Germans and their 88 mm
long barrel guns. We took a lot of casualties
that day and two men were missing in action when
we withdrew to let the heavy armour finish the
fight. A day or so later Lt Campanale was
transferred out to another 82nd company."
Lt. Campanale
became platoon leader of 2nd platoon, A company. On
Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1944, A Company
was clearing antitank mines from a roadway in Freialdenhoven, Germany just north
of Aachen. Mr. Buol Hinman, driver of Lt. Fry,
platoon leader of 1st platoon, A company, picks
up the story here:
"Lt. Fry lead the 1st Platoon of A Co and I
think Lt. Campanale led the 2nd or 3rd
Platoon. I was Lt. Fry's jeep driver in the
1st Platoon. It was Thanksgiving Day and we
were going to get real turkey dinners when
we finished our jobs for the day. We were to
clear a road of mines so the ammunition
trucks could use it to bring up the ammo to
the guns of the 2nd Armored Div. We found
five laid in a "X" pattern. We also found a
spot where our detectors really buzzed but
we couldn't find any mine by probing with
our bayonets. Lt. Fry even checked it.
We
pulled the five mines and three of them were
activated and exploded. Lt. Campanale had
come over from his platoon's work area to
see if Lt. Fry would take his 1st platoon
over to help his platoon finish their work
which was taking longer than expected. Fry
declined as he had promised his men that we
would go get our turkey dinners as soon as
we finished our job.
Our truck was backing up with the dirt to
fill the craters caused by the three
exploding mines. Lt. Fry sent me to go get
the jeep. The truck filled the first two
craters and was backing up toward the third
when I stepped to the side to let it pass. I
figured I was about a yard away from the
truck when it hit our undetected mine. The
inside wheel must have detonated it and the
outside wheel forced the blast up as it
caught me under the chin and in my face. It
blew it up to the front of the truck where
the driver of the truck just missed me as he
bolted from the truck cab. The Lts were
about ten yards behind the truck. Lt.
Campanale was killed instantly and Lt. Fry
died next to me in the aid station. We had
spoiled everyone's Thanksgiving dinner."
2nd Lt Joseph
Campanale
is buried at Margraten American Military
Cemetery, Plot I Row 5
Grave 14.
