In a broadcast via the BBC to the French, he said,
"We are waiting for the long‑promised invasion. So are the fishes."
A short time after the V‑1 attacks, despite the massive loss of life on the beachfront, the Allies drove back the Germans from the shores of Normandy and took out the launching pads for the V‑I rockets. The battles had raged from June 6 through June 27, and at times the German defense seemed almost invincible. They had stationed a row of four "pillboxes" which stopped the Allies in their tracks.
Finally at the end of June, soldiers were able to advance close enough to destroy them by tossing grenades through their ventilators. The two freedom fighters joined themselves to allied forces and discovered a tunnel in the southern quarter of Cherbourg. When smoke from Nazi gunfire spewed out, the Americans decided that they would blast the tunnel open.
Just as they decided to do that, a private emerged holding onto a white flag. He told one of the American commanders that General Carl von Schlieben was within the tunnel and wished to surrender. Jerry watched in delight as 800 soldiers emerged from the tunnel. A total of 30,000 German soldiers surrendered to the Allies at Cherbourg.
Even as the Allies advanced across Europe, Hitler continued bombarding London using V‑2 rockets. These carried the same amount of explosives as the V‑1, but they were faster and deadlier. They traveled at the speed of sound and it was almost impossible to detect their approach.
Before taking his leave of France, Jerry decided to backtrack with the Allies to enjoy the sweetness of taking Paris back from the Germans. The liberation began on August 25, 1944, when General Charles de Gaulle led a tumultuous parade through the streets of Paris, and that night church bells rang all over the city.
Despite the devastation Jerry found in London, he liked being in England. The British made a "Yank" feel special.
After the war ended he decided he would try and recapture his lost youth. He was still in his twenties and as far as he could see, he had two options. He could either return to Texas and join his mother on the farm, or he could begin a new life in England. He had reestablished contact with his mom and she was doing fine. The friend his father left managing the farm had been able to get it on its feet financially, and it was drawing a healthy wage for both himself and Jerry's mom. So, he decided that he would try living in England and if it didn't work out, he would return to the U.S.
After he had made his decision to stay, he applied for a job with a government construction company in London. There was no shortage of work, as London had to be rebuilt. It was physically hard work but the pay was good, and because he was single he was able to save most of his paycheck. It wasn't long before he had his own car and had moved to a better apartment in Wembley, on the outskirts of London.
To be continued...
