It was cold in Germany the night our outfit was entrenched in a farm field. We had dug foxholes in the semi frozen earth, and it had been snowing all day. The whole area was white. You had your choice of digging a foxhole, or a slit trench. I dug a hole.
It was about eleven o'clock at night, and I was trying to nap. You know, holes might protect you from the wind, but they are 'burrr' cold. I was sitting there humming my favorite tune, "Gee, Ma I want to come home", when I heard the unmistakable drone of a German recon plane.
The plane circled above us a couple of times, and then dropped a flare. I think it was on a small parachute, and it came floating slowly down. The ensuing light was unbelievable. The light reflected off the snow and turned night into day. I could see the head and shoulders of all our troops sticking out of their holes. In that type of situation, you feel so vulnerable and defenseless, because the enemy knows exactly where you are. I felt like yelling out. "Send me a set of prints"!
But all I did was pull my blanket tighter around me, and thought "Oh, shit, why me?"