James Q. Townley
4th Beach Battalion

THE HEROIC ACTIVITIES OF SEAMAN SECOND CLASS ROBERT DANKE AT THE SALERNO INVASION

ROSTER OF PERSONNEL INVOLVED

DANKE, Robert S2c V6
FOLLMER, George BM1c M2
THOMPSON, Charles W. Lt. MC USNR
THOMPKINS, James Woodrow HA1c V6
DESHOTELS, Philip P. PhM3c USN
WEISE, Clarence Herman PhM3c V6
JOHNSTONE, Elmer Ruel HA1c V6
DENEEN, Richard M. Cox V6
GUNNELLS, Clarence L. Sgt. 531st Eng. Shore Regt.
BENTLEY, Everett Judson Lt. D(v) USNR

On D-Day of the invasion of Fortress Europe, Plt. C-7 of the Naval Fourth Beach Battalion landed on Yellow Beach at about 3:30 AM under the daylight glare from those brilliant German chandelier flares.

We were clearing the beach of obstructions, setting up communication centers and medical stations. During these early morning hours, there was relatively little enemy fire. However, soon after daybreak, the beach was virtually shut down because of enemy 88MM fire from the tanks, small arms snipers and machine gun fire.

In midmorning (at approximately 10:00 AM), a wave of nine landing craft approached the southern end of Yellow Beach near the outlet of a small stream.

The intense enemy fire turned the landing craft back, but a British LCM carrying an estimated 45 soldiers received a direct hit from a German 88mm shell fired from one of the Panzer tanks which were using the ancient earthen aqueduct (several hundred feet behind Yellow Beach) as a shield to hide behind.

The landing craft was helpless and drifted shoreward until it lodged on an outer sandbar about 100 yards off the beach opposite where our foxholes were located in the lee of the first grassy hummock of the beachhead.

At about 10:30 AM, from his foxhole next to Robert Danke’s, Sgt. Clarence L. Gunnells called to Danke to ask if he could hear the calls for help coming from the stranded landing craft.

The writer’s foxhole was only a few feet south of their foxholes from which their conversation was easily overheard. Gunnells urged Danke to go with him out to the landing craft to see how many soldiers were still alive and if they could help.

In spite of the continuing heavy artillery fire, small arms and machine gun fire, nonswinuner Danke (wearing a life preserver) accompanied by Gunnells swam out to the boat. Their efforts to remove the two surviving, severely wounded soldiers was unsuccessful because the water was too deep.

So Gunnells suggested that Danke go after a line to tie to the boat so that they could try to tow it to shallower water. Danke started to swim back, but meanwhile, on learning of the problem, Bos’n George Follmer had procured a line and swam out to the boat and joined Danke and Gunnells in their efforts to save the injured soldiers.

It was at this moment that another shell hit the landing craft setting it on fire and injuring Gunnells with the shrapnel. After the three of them had towed it part of the way to the beach, other members of our 4th Beach Battalion commandeered a truck and hauled the landing craft to the water’s edge.

Disregarding his injuries, Gunnells climbed into the landing craft and with the help of an unidentified Army doctor, lowered one of the wounded soldiers into the arms of Danke and Thompkins and the other soldier into the arms of Deshotels and Weise.

The wounded soldiers were carried to shelter under the bank of the small stream where Plt. C-9’s Doctor, Lt. Thompson, C-9’s Corpsman Johnstone and C-7’s Corpsman Thompkins gave them plasma and prepared them for evacuation.

The extreme physical and emotional stress in Danke’s efforts to save these wounded soldiers reached his limit. He then barfed and collapsed on the beach. He was carried to the writer’s foxhole by Corpsmen Deshotels and Weise. Danke stayed in my foxhole until midafternoon recovering from this experience . . . through several air raids. During one air raid, our foxhole was strafed. This continuing enemy fire kept the beach closed until after dusk.

The writer strongly urges that Robert Danke’s recommendation by his Commanding Officer for the Navy Cross Commendation be given favorable consideration in view of his complete disregard for his own safety in his heroic efforts in rescuing these wounded soldiers.

Dr. Thompson made the statement in his medical report of the incident that these men voluntarily exposed themselves to small arms sniping, machine gun and enemy artillery fire as well as to the very real possibility of explosions from the gas tank of the burning boat. Their action undoubtedly prevented the wounded soldiers from perishing, according to Lt. Thompson’s report.

Respectfully submitted,

James Q. Townley,
Editor, 4th BB Newsletter