Bradford second from left, top row.
On To Germany
After fulfilling his duties at Fort Hood, Bradford left on a train to New York City in November. From there, he travelled by ship to Germany. It took seven days for him to arrive, most of which he was seasick.
He arrived at Kirch-Goens, a German airbase. Kirch-Goens became the home of Spearhead, the 3rd Armored Division of U.S. soldiers. Once he arrived, he was assigned to the 2nd MTB within the tank section. His assignment made him a driver of a medium ton tank.
There are four stations within a tank: driver, gunner, loader and commander. As a driver, Bradford had three periscopes to see out during combat.
“The tank drove like an automatic car. There was a hatch and I could raise my seat up, that way I could see out.”
Here is an example of one of the tanks used in Germany. Bradford would be above the star, looking out as he drove.
The tanks were impervious to most shells because of the thickness of the armor. There is a point at the front where if struck, the shells would bounce off, unless armor piercing shells were being used.
Bradford’s duty within the tank regiment, was to monitor the boarder between Germany and Russia.
“We could see the Russian tanks from the boarder. We were told if something happens, we were supposed to hold the boarder until the others could arrive.”
War Games
While waiting for the threat of invasion, the troops participated in war games in the large area surrounding the camp.
During one of the war games, it had snowed six inches and Bradford was driving the tank at an angle up a steep hill. The new commander on board, ordered Bradford to turn left and go straight up. With the steep climb and the snow, the large tank became like a sled. The tracks started to spin and the tank slid back down, Bradford unable to see behind him or steer.
“We finally came to a stop, the tank levelled off. The commander ordered everyone off but me. I asked what was going on and he said the tracks were four feet over the edge of a bluff. I said, ‘Am I driving it out?’ and he said yes. Then asked if I wanted to get out and look. I said I didn’t want to see how bad it was.”
Putting the tank in low gear, Bradford managed to pull the tank off the edge and everyone climbed back in. The commander told him he could drive it however he wanted to after that.
Stateside
After Bradford’s two years active duty were up, he moved back to his job in Kansas City. The warehouse job with Avon was waiting for him. After a short stint working at a bicycle plant in Little Rock with several other Clinton boys, he moved back to Kansas City with Avon.
Soon after the second move, he met his wife, Suzanne. They dated and he drove back and forth every other week to Clinton to see her until they married. Their life in the city didn’t last long before they moved back to Clinton to start their family.
The Bradford’s were blessed with four sons, three of which served in the military as well.
When I asked Wendell about patriotism in today’s world, he said:
“There needs to be more. American History needs to come back to the schools.”
He asserted that even during the draft, everyone knew they were going to go. It was expected and you went, you did your duty to your country.
I hope you enjoyed Mr. Bradford’s story of his military career. There will be more interviews in the posts to come. If you or someone you know would like to be honored this way, please add it in the comment section. Thanks!
