Deane Edward Brooke
Deane Edward Brooke was born in Leon, Iowa, but moved to Harrison County (MO) as a child.
He joined the U.S. Army in March of 1942, with Basic Training at Camp Cooke, California. He was assigned to the 5th Armored Division which was founded as an answer to Germany’s Blitzkrieg style of warfare.
Deane and the 5th Armored landed on Utah Beach on July 24th, and were in combat on August 2nd. They passed through Paris five days after its liberation and were greeted by cheering crowds. But they marched straight through Paris and on to Belgium.
They crossed the Aisne River, Somme, and Meuse, taking Luxembourg on September 10th. They breached the Siegfried Line on the 14th, entering the Hurtgen Forest, engaging in fierce battle, and later to the Roer River, then to the Rhine at Wesel. Soon after they crossed the Elbe River near Berlin, defeating a number of German units in the process.
The 5th Armored consisted of 3 Commands, A, B, and R. Deane was in the A Command. He was assigned to a halftrack as one of two gunners until such time he was promoted to Sergeant. He then commanded the halftrack.
Leaving Paris, they moved quickly through the Compiegne Forest, across the Oise, Aisne and Somme Rivers and reached the Belgian border at Conde. From there they turned east and advanced 100 miles in 8 hours. They received orders to cross the Meuse River, but met deeply entrenched German forces in the hills. His A Command captured the high country after intense fighting. Pontoon bridges were built to cross the river.
They encountered an older woman who said the Americans “must have a lot of money. The last thing you did at the end of WW1was build this bridge, and now the first thing you do is blow it up”.
The new duty of the 5th was “to be seen” by the enemy along a 4-5 mile line and to fool them into thinking they were a larger force than they actually were. They accomplished this by moving equipment to the line, slipping it back at night, and bringing the same equipment to the line the next day. It was the sort of tactic later used by General Patton, which caused the Germans to label them the “ghost army”.
The 5th then entered the Hurtgen Forest. This 50 square mile forest was very thick making it difficult to maneuver equipment such as the half-track, and snow was three feet deep. They came under intense artillery fire from the Germans, which splintered trees with shrapnel. Deane was hit in the ankle and was shipped back to Paris for treatment. Many were killed. After two weeks Deane was back with his unit. He voiced appreciation for the doctors and nurses.
The Battle of the Hurtgen Forest was the longest battle on German land, lasting from September 14, 1944 to February 10, 1945. The U.S. Army lost 33,000 men killed or incapacitated. The German lost about 28,000 men. Deane said there is no way to accurately describe the horror of that battle. Thick forest, deep snow, and bitter cold made life miserable for all. The fighting was “intense”.
On December 5th of the battle the 5th Armored was pulled back to Verviers. Belgium for a brief rest, becoming part of the 12th Army Reserve. But on the first of January they were sent back into battle. The Germans were slowly pushed back and the 5th moved forward, crossing the Roer River.
By then Deane had been promoted to Sergeant. After capturing a small village when everything was stopped by a 3-day blizzard. They encountered a mine field which destroyed several tanks. While waiting for the mine field to be cleared, one man jumped from a half track, landing on a mine which killed him.
After the minefield was cleared, they were ordered to proceed to a nearby apple orchard to search for the enemy. On the way they were halted and told that there were many machine gun placements in the orchard. They felt they would have been massacred.
They then moved to an area with a number of small houses. Deane was ordered to set up a defensive position. They moved forward about 100 yard to a more protected spot. Three German were spotted moving forward, each with “potato masher” grenades. Opening fire, 1 of the Germans was killed, another wounded, and the 3rd escaped. But they came under intense artillery fire which lasted all night. They felt lucky to have survived.
As they moved forward, they encountered bodies “everywhere”. They were Americans, Germans, and civilians.
They moved on to take the town of Monchengladbach. Afterwards they were advised “a column is approaching on your right”. It turned out to be the American 2nd Armored Division coming to “take” the town they had just taken.
From there they moved on toward the Rhine River and the German last line of defense. They moved forward as part of Operation Varsity. Americans began the offensive by landing 16,000 paratroopers behind German lines. The bridge had been destroyed, but pontoon bridges were built. They crossed the river, but encountered little opposition. They Germans were surrendering by the hundreds.
On April 16th, at Klotze, the 5th wiped out a German Panzer Division and moved forward, eventually linking up with Russian forces. A Russian soldier traded a pistol for a Mickey Mouse watch.
Deane returned to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis where he was discharged. He returned to Bethany where he met childhood friend Zerita Taylor. They were married in 1947 and Deane began farming until his retirement in 1990.
Information from World War II Memories by Harrison County Veterans; As told to Jan Smith, Interviewer, Researcher, Complier
