European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse The Sta its situation a Mauldin said a because Patton had just done something else stupid saying that we should use nazis As administrators in occupied towns because they were experienced people and the nazis were just another political party As far As he was concerned like the republicans and the democrats. A so he was already in deep a and now on top of it to pick on this Small helpless cartoonist it was too much. A anyway Butcher thought est offs idea was great. If it turned out to be a disaster they had t lost anything. If it turned out to get everybody laughing which it had the potential to do then it would de Fang the entire Butcher implying All the while that Eisenhower was behind the idea managed to convince Patton to see the stripes cartoonist and Mauldin spit shined and shaved properly uniformed and with Windshield securely Down headed for Patton a Headquarters in Luxembourg. After being detained by 3rd army maps a those Pesky trip tickets again a Mauldin was finally ushered in to see the general. A i saluted but he got up and came around the desk Shook my hand and greeted me warmly. For the next forty five minutes i was treated to the military history of the world including Why the russians weren to Worth a Damn after they slaughtered All their officers a Mauldin said. Will Lange a time life correspondent who a come up from the Paris press Pool was waiting for Mauldin when he finally emerged from Patton sinner Sanctum. A what happened in there a Lange asked. A i did no to change his mind a Mauldin said a and he did no to change when Langer a account of the meeting appeared in print Butcher called Patton and read it to him. When he got to the part where Mauldin said the general Hadnot changed his mind Patton exploded. A a that a it a Patton said. A if that Little 1$&% Ever shows up around Here again in a throwing his ass in still the meeting had accomplished its goal. Patton never again threatened publicly at least to prevent delivery of the stars and stripes to 3rd army readers. A everybody ended up getting a big laugh out of it the three Striper meeting the three Star a Mauldin said. A it was funny which is what it deserved to be. But what other army could that happen in a i was just very Lucky to be in the right a v o. Phi Concrete tank traps called a a dragon a Teeth a on Hitler s vaunted Siegfried line. File Ralph Martin one of the Mediterranean staffers who had decided to remain with the Paris operation was covering the 9th army shortly after it had broken through the Siegfried line and pushed into Germany. The event was historic enough to warrant Winston Churchill a presence and the British prime minister was flown in to inspect the huge Concrete tank traps that made up part of the famed German defensive line. Martin and a Lone signal corps photographer were the Only newsmen present at the event. A sure enough Churchill arrives with about 20 carloads of generals and we All paraded along these tank traps inspecting them a Martin said. A and i was standing right next to Churchill when the time came to relieve ourselves and i could see the glint in his Eye when he said a lets do it on the Siegfried line a a so there was this whole line of generals and Churchill and me All doing it on the Siegfried line. It was one of the most historic moments of the entire War because Here was the line that Hitler had said was impenetrable that was going to protect an Empire that was going to last one thousand years. There have been a More symbolic picture than Churchill peeing on it. A of course they did no to allow the photographer to take the Churchill heroine crossed in North by three Allied armies rom Alt i a Mim St mtg Arrit Dkl my airborne t rooms 9tli, Charles Kiley who a helped open the it age edition was assigned to cover Eisenhower a Headquarters in Rheims France in Early 1945. The Job proved to be fairly routine with the exception of one memorable night when the associated press flashed a news bulletin based on rumours that the War was Over. Moora the managing editor in Paris reached Kiley about Midnight and the reporter went directly to Ike a Headquarters. He arrived just As the general was returning from a late night poker game. A i confronted him with the Story but he did no to seem to know anything about it a said Kiley now retired in California. Quot we went inside and he had his British aide Call London and Check it out. After a while the aide returned and said there was nothing to it. A it was while we were waiting Lor this information from London that Eisenhower turned to me and said it a be a helluva War if it was Over and i did no to know about a a radio the old Man Well be late on account of a thousand mile Mauldin a cartoons rarely amused Patton. When the German defense along the Rhine collapsed in March 1945, stripes Paris Headquarters decided it was time to open an edition in Germany itself. Frankfurt although still in nazi hands was the obvious spot for the paper since Eisenhower had his Eye on the City a . Farben building As his future Headquarters. On March 25, Moora rounded up Ben Price de Clark Jack Raymond and Carl Konzelman and the team flew off for Germany in a c-47. They landed near the ruins of Mainz then headed for Frankfurt in a pair of jeeps they a brought along. Their provisions consisted entirely of two portable typewriters a shortwave radio a Box of pencils and a Case of l and a rations. Continued on 77 saturday april 18, 1992 50th anniversary special edition a Page 35
