Combat Unit 128, composed of Lt Herbert E. King, S/Sgt Ellis Yarnell, Sgt Bruce Hawkins, Tec 5 William Williams, and Pvt Garland Ellis, left the company at Versailles, France under orders to report to Ninth US Army for assignment to a division. The unit was promptly assigned to the 26th Inf Div which had just stepped from the boat and was awaiting assignment to the line.

  The first unit work overseas was a detailed photo report on the removal of German mines on the Cherbourg beach area. The 26th Division Engineers were engaged in this task. After about six weeks our division was reassigned to Third US Army and moved to the front nearest Nancy. It was here that the unit heard their first gunfire. On the day the 26th jumped off the unit was recalled to the Ninth Army and assigned to the Second Armored Division. This famous hard-hitting division had cracked the Siegfried line near Geilenkirchen, Germany. Because of the supply problem Second Armored, like most all divisions at that time were in a static defensive position.

  On November 16, 1945, the division jumped off on the drive to the Roer, it was a difficult and bloody fight and involved the loss of many tanks and men. The unit worked hard and had their share of near-misses, and accomplished some very good photography. Sgt Yarnell, the unit NCO became ill and was forced to return to the company for a rest. Pvt Albert Katzer joined the unit on December 5th in Baseweiler, Germany, and became a stanch member of Unit 128. Sgt Hawkins became the Unit NCO and from then on anything could and did happen.

  On 16 Dec 1945 the Germans broke through in the Ardennes and on the 22nd the division was ordered to fight in the bulge. Christmas Eve was celebrated in Buy, Belgium. The evening was spent drinking beer accompanied by the caroling of buzz bombs, one of which nearly obliterated the unit by blowing a window complete with frame into the party, spilled Hawkins' beer and upsetting Williams no end. The divisions changed armies so the unit was assigned to the 84th Infantry Division. The unit joined them near Marche, Belgium, and spent New Years Eve on a crossroad, which the enemy was peppering with 88's.

  The 84th division was to drive south into the heart of the bulge and make contact with General Patton's Third Army, who were driving north from Bastogne. Unit 128 stayed with the division from the day they started until the day a thirty-three-man patrol from one of the regiments contacted a patrol from the 11th Armored Division, Third US Army, near Houffalize, Belgium. Sgt Hawkins represented unit 128 on the patrol.

  At Samree, an important stepping stone for the division, Hawkins and Katzer, while plodding around in the snow looking for pictures, were informed by a Lt that the best pictures could be taken at one of his machine gun positions located on a little knoll just outside of town. They started off in the general direction and while casually climbing the hill to reach the gun positions a salvo of "screaming meamies" announced their approach. They hit the snow and were completely bracketed by these missiles. Hawkins remembers hearing Katzer's camera start to grind during the sound of explosions, and upon looking up observed Katzer's face buried in the snow, with camera pointed in the general direction Grinding away. When the meamies stopped both photogs ran toward the gun positions hollering at the top of their voices to the gunners to move over in their foxholes. They were directed to a nice size hole right next to the machine gun position. Upon rising up to make conversation with the gunners they found they were also prospective small arms fire targets. Between bullets they were able to bob their heads up in accordance with the machine gunners and make conversation. They found that the machine gun crew, having no flank support, were preparing to retire to a better position, and so decided to make a run for the town. Katzer's classic words to Hawkins were, "You start and if you are still on your feet at fifty yards I will follow." The jaunt was made without a mishap.

  At the finish of the bulge the unit was called to the company for a rest which included a few days in Paris, where considerable progress was made to further William's relation with the fair sex. After Paris the unit was reassigned to the 2nd Armored, Ninth Army, for the Roer to Rhine push. The climax of that exposition was the capture of a Cognac factory intact by the unit. A unit of the 168th Signal Photo Co., which was taking over Ninth Army, relieved unit 128 from the 2nd Armored.

  Once more a trip to Paris, then to Third Army with a new member, Tec 5 Fred Ebers who was dubbed PO Ebers. Ellis was left at the company for a needed rest. The next assignment was the 65th Inf. div. which was spearheading one of Patton's drives across Germany, the principal strategy of this division seemed to be attack with Headquarters Company, if they couldn't handle it call in the Signal Company. If it was too tough for them, and if you could find one, bring up a regiment.

  One exciting episode was a sniper hunt in Neumarkt, Germany, a member of Unit 128 tells it: "A battalion, after spending two days in the process of taking Neumarkt, were quite convinced that the enemy had been driven off with the exception of a sniper or two. Unit 128, intact, decided the picture possibilities were ideal, and so started off with a rifle squad in search of snipers. The plan was to locate the sniper and then call for a TD to blow up the house. After a short hunt what was thought to be one sniper was located in a house standing in the middle of the block at the far end of town. Everyone did a belly crawl to a prospective house from which good observation could be obtained by the riflemen. After waiting two hours for a TD, which never did show up, squad decided to take matters into their own hands. First a couple of riflemen exchanged shots, then a mortar was brought into play, then all hell broke loose in our own backyard. It seems a Jerry self-propelled hiding somewhere down the block, so close we could hear the breech slam had opened fire on us. Everyone was in a panic, but the photogs took the prize. PO Ebers made a dive for the jeep to retrieve a much needed bottle of Cognac for his three colleges snuggling closely against the only stone part of the house. The trip was successful and after Hawkins had warmed his soul he dispatched himself to the back yard for a try at a picture of the SP gun. He returned almost immediately trying to catch up with his feet and ducking two rifle bullets which whizzed neatly over his head, much to the amusement of his three pals. PO, on an excursion to a nearby barn in search of a little more Soul-warmer, it was cold, was hurried into the doorway by a rifle bullet which cut the door frame just by his ear. We were dumfounded to see PO duck back out to shut the door. Needless to say his return trip was much more cautiously and rapidly made. The orders arrived for the squad to withdraw and let the artillery do the job. The withdrawal was made with only the loss of Williams' Graphic, which was recovered the next day."