August 6th, 1944
On August 6th, 1944, a column of reconnaisance vehicles from the 121st Squadron of the 106th Cavalry Troop encountered enemy resistance on a small side road near the town of Ahuille, France. Being under heavy enemy small arms fire, these forward elements called for tank support. The following relates the story of what happened with the arrival of these men of F Company, 121st Squadron in their M5A1 light tanks and the skirmish that subsequently occurred. This account is taken directly from the unit history of the 106th Cavalry Group (pgs. 27-29):
"The 1st Platoon, commanded by 1st Lt. E. Murphy, proceeded down the road ahead of the recon elements, firing at enemy positions and installations in the hedgerows and on the high ground to the left of the road. The road bent sharply to the left, and the platoon continued to attack down the road.
The first three tanks were completely around the curve, when the lead tank, driven by T4 Morris Ott, with the platoon leader, Lt. Murphy, was suddenly hit by point blank fire from an anti-tank gun. The shell hit just above the bow gun instantly killing the assistant driver, Pfc. Robert Crookshanks. The driver, Ott, and Lt. Murphy and the gunner, Tony Doto, were seriously wounded by shrapnel and the blast of the shell. Lt. Murphy and Doto dismounted immediately from the disabled tank, believing that Ott had also been killed. The tank began to burn.
The column of five tanks was now halted, and the first three offered perfect targets for the German gun. It was utterly impossible to turn around on such a narrow road with high banks on both sides. The Germans had let us proceed to within point-blank range of their weapon, cleverly camouflaged as it was.
The crews of the next two tanks, being trapped on the narrow road and unable to maneuver around for a shot at the enemy gun, also dismounted. The second tank, commanded by Sgt. Robert Hawkins, was also hit by the gun, but not until everyone was out. Arthur Andrade, the gunner, thought quickly and turned the turret gun so that the driver and assistant could escape.
The third tank, commanded by Sgt. Charles Copley, was also trapped on the
road and had to be abandoned by the crew. The crews of the three tanks took
shelter behind a stone building about one hundred yards in rear of the tanks. At this
time the road was under fire from German rifles and machine guns. Lt. Murphy,
seriously burned and hit in the leg by shrapnel, and Tony Doto, also burned,
were both suffering from shock. They were given first aid treatment by
Hawkins, McKinney and Sgt. Fields, the platoon sergeant. The rest of the
crews guarded the rear of the building to prevent a surprise attack by the
Germans. The driver Ott, who was thought trapped in the burning tank,
escaped by using his fire extinguisher and joined the others at the stone
building. He was hit in the shoulder as he climbed from the tank.
The German infantry were now closing in, so it became necessary to evacuate as soon as possible, and the road, although under fire, was the only route of escape. The two seriously wounded men could not walk alone, and Lt. Murphy was supported by Robert Hawkins and Herman Waters, followed by Sgt. McKinney carrying T4 Ott. The fourth tank, commanded by Paul Occhiogrosso and driven by Jesse Dubbs, maneuvered into position and covered the withdrawal with fire. The small arms fire was intense as the German infantry began to attack, and the road was being constantly swept, but the tank crews escaped to safety. Later that day, elements of the 79th Division attacked over the same ground, and found 150 dead Germans who had fallen to our guns during the entire fight."
As the photograph above indicates, Robert Crookshanks' comrades returned to the site of this engagement and buried him along the side of the road. Local citizens subsequently placed flowers to commemorate his sacrifice for their freedom. In 1945, the U.S. Army removed Crookshanks' body from this temporary resting place, and it was brought to California for burial.
August 6th, 1994
Fifty years later in 1994, the local authorities in Ahuille held a ceremony to commemorate the Allied
soldiers who had died to free their homes from Nazi oppression. Among those present
were French war veterans, numerous municipal councillors, Councilor General M. Trocherie, and
the mayor of Courbeveille, M. Treton. Joining them was an army detachment from the 38th Laval Regiment.
Remarks were offered by mayor Eugene Le Gendre of Ahuille. As part of the
ceremony, a minute of silence was observed in honor of Pfc. Robert Crookshanks. A plaque
devoted to his memory was also unveiled. This is attached to front of a WWII
memorial already in place in the town that commemorates local Frenchmen who
died in the war.
Postscript: Robert Crookshanks today lies buried in a cemetary outside of San Francisco,
California. Each year, Dianne and John Baczynski, who have adopted his gravesite,
see to it that flowers are placed on his grave each Memorial Day.
Many thanks to Jacques-Andre Aubry, a resident of Ahuille, France who has done a
great deal of background
research for this story, and also provided the photographs that appear on this page. He has
been writing a history of this incident, and would
be very grateful for any correspondence from anyone who has additional
information to share with him, especially about the men from the First Platoon of F Company, 121st
Squadron who were engaged in this battle. He can be
reached at jacquesandre.aubry@free.fr.
You may also contact Monsieur Aubry by writing him at 56, rue de Concise, 53940 AHUILLE, France.
