European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse The officer had promised with confident largesse stripes could have 60 new jeeps. A gleam in his Eye Llewellyn had rounded up 40 bewildered frenchmen ordered 20 just As bewildered staffers to join them and the group had set off at a mad Pace for Cherbourg. They arrived in time signed Over the jeeps from the astounded transportation officer and headed Back to the capital. The staff would later come up with its own system of procuring transport. A a we a keep an Eye on the officers club and watch when some Guy showed up a said Price who had joined the Paris staff As picture editor. A if his jeep was still there at one in the morning or so wed steal it get it to our garage and paint a stars and stripes on the Side. Then wed have another jeep to get around in time the Paris stars and stripes had its own Fleet of giant Gumc trucks that supplied Central distribution Points All Over France and Germany. From there the paper moved by jeep and Small trucks until it reached the hands of its i readers. The bulk of the papers route Drivers were French a collection of fearless men who brought plenty of their native panache to the task of hustling the paper Down bomb damaged roads at hellbent speeds. As one Story goes a French Driver overturned his truck one Day killing his assistant Driver a Man named Renaud. Not knowing what to do the Driver put the body in the Back of the truck finished his deliveries and made the two Day return trip to Paris. Once there the Driver parked the truck and headed Home. When he returned to work on the evening of the following Day the Driver asked Jack Melcher the Paris transport officer what he should do with Monsieur Renaud. A what do you mean what should you do with him a Melcher demanded. A take him with a yes but a a i have More trouble with you frenchmen than you re Worth a Melcher snarled. A a what a the trouble with Renaud a a Monsieur Renaud is dead a dead a Melcher said. A where is he a a the is in the Back of the truck at the time the French labor ministry allowed Only 1,000 francs for a funeral and it took Melcher another three Days to raise enough Money for a fitting Send off. Finally a full week after his death Monsieur Renaud was buried with full honors 12,000 francs Worth much of it donated by stars and stripes staffers. The stars and stripes had run pictures of scantily Clad Young women from the very Start but it Wasny to until late 1944 that Ben Price came up with the idea of naming a a miss cheesecake of the year. Price polled the staff and settled on actress Toni seven whose picture was run in the Jan. 1, 1945, edition. The stunt got big play in the United states where most papers reported that gis on the front had made the Choice. The feature by the Way was continued each year until 1955, when army chaplains finally got it stopped. Toni seven in August 1944, 7th army units from Italy had staged daring Daylight landings in Southern France the so called a soft Underbelly of Europe a and stripes staffers from the Rome Oran and Sicily editions went in with them. A extra auks mvamn6 South Rahce a Ombon support 1 own at i nut met name pc 1 m Yonks British French in Fush initial of Lockwo said Watt Der inf Firth Naur ave a Cie Almo Tosca Hus to atm aah h a a. Bill Mauldin was the first stripes staffer to arrive having come ashore in the first wave with his old friends in the 45th inf div. By that time he had his own jeep a a gift from the 5th army a and head spent several Days hooking up Carburettor breathing tubes and other waterproofing before loading it on a Landing Craft for the assault. A of course i did no to even get a Hubcap wet Quot Mauldin said. A i just drove off the list right onto the Mauldin had done a weeks Worth of work in Advance to give the paper cartoons to run with its invasion coverage but All of them showed the landings taking place under Black explosion filled skies. Quot of course it turned out that they were Daylight landings in Southern France Quot Mauldin said a so i had a Little explaining to the rest of the stripes contingent had not yet arrived so when Mauldin heard that the 157th inf in was racing North for the City of Grenoble he jumped in his jeep and headed after the unit. A the idea was to catch the is and the Gestapo and All these other Fingernail pullers in the act a Mauldin said a to take the City before they knew what happened to Mauldin caught up with the unit just As it reached Grenoble and he quickly drove to the offices of the local newspaper. The staff of the continued on Page 29 up front by Mauldin a this la the town my Pappy told a saturday april 18, 1992 50th anniversary special edition a Page 27
