Edward Denzler was born in Jamaica, New York. He grew up during the Great Depression and happily attended art classes in connection with the Works Progress Administration established by President Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States]. But he also remembered being hungry and having to walk along the railroad tracks to pick up coal to heat the family home. His father worked for a German chemical company in New York, and endured discrimination even though he was an American born citizen. Denzler's first job was working in a drug store after school and before the war started he worked for a bank in New York City [Annotator's Note: New York, New York]. On 5 December 1941 he collected his pay and made the last installment on an engagement ring. When he went to his intended's home on 7 December, her father opened the door wearing a military uniform. He told Denzler that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], the country was at war, and he had been called up. Later that night, Denzler asked his girlfriend if she would marry him after the war was over, and she agreed. The next day, Denzler enlisted and in May 1942 he reported to Fort Upton on Long Island, New York for induction. He was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas for 13 weeks of basic training. While he was there, his fiance let him know that she didn't want to wait to get married, and took a train to Kansas where they were wed. His knowledge of horseback riding got him an assignment as an equitation instructor until January 1944, when the horses were taken away. Denzler volunteered for ranger training and was sent to California.

Edward Denzler relates some amusing incidents that occurred while he was training the cavalry troopers, a job he enjoyed. Moving on to the men of the Ranger group, Merrill's Marauders [Annotator's Note: 5307th COmposite Unit (Provisional)], Denzler mentioned that a number of them had been released from prison to serve; he knew a couple of them and regardless of their records, he knew he could rely upon them. He told a story of a patrol that still bothers him. During rounds, they picked up a Japanese soldier who had been left behind because he was sick. When they got him back to camp, a Neisei [Annotator's Note: first generation Japanese-American] interpreter interrogated him, and afterward a sergeant was ordered to take him to the rear. Within ten minutes of their leaving, they heard submachine gun fire, and the sergeant returned alone. There was no "rear," according to Denzler. When his training in California was complete, the Rangers prepared to deploy by ship, and Denzler was tasked with assigning bunks. An old salt advised him to pick himself one on top, by the ventilator and near the ladder. The choice came in handy when there was an alarm and he could be the first up on deck. The journey was fun and included crossing the dateline [Annotator's Note: the International Dateline] and boxing matches in which he participated. They sailed to Hawaii, but never got off the ship, then proceeded to the Fiji Islands. They were allowed off the ship to tour Suva, the capital, where the policemen all wore skirts. Denzler describes exercising aboard ship by traversing the length of the ship carrying sacks of oats on an unsteady deck. They were allowed off the ship again in Melbourne, Australia, then proceeded into the Indian Ocean, which Denzler said was, "the roughest water on earth." Their ship was chased by a Japanese submarine, which they outran, and safely arrived at Bombay, India [Annotator's Note: now Mumbai, India].

On arriving in Bombay, India [Annotator's Note: now Mumbai, India], Edward Denzler's group was taken to an airport where they were issued fatigues and weapons, and boarded a C-47 [Annotator's Note: Douglas C-47 Skytrain cargo aircraft] headed for parts unknown. They crossed India to Calcutta [Annotator's Note: Calcutta, India], where the plane refueled, and continued on to Burma. While looking out of the plane, Denzler could see ground explosions, but the plane was not attacked. He was still without assignment when he arrived at the area that became Camp Landis [Annotator's Note: in Kachin, Burma now Kachin, Myanmar] in August 1944 and the 475th Infantry, the MARS Task Force, formed up. The replacements were "welcomed" and he eventually became part of Company K, 3rd Battalion [Annotator's Note: Company K, 3rd Battalion, 475th Infantry Regiment]. For his first mission, Denzler was to take a patrol south of the city and report on any traffic on the river. After eight or nine miles' march through jungle, they had observed only ordinary river traffic; the only excitement was spotting a Japanese bomber, the only Japanese airplane he ever saw flying, which he reported. He recalled other exciting times, which happened mostly in foxholes, as they monitored different points along the trails. Denzler said he could hear the enemy and noted that some spoke English very well; they could fool a guy in a foxhole. There was a lot of "name calling" going on. But usually the Japanese came running in a group to attack.

Edward Denzler did a lot of patrolling and remembers one mission when his company [Annotator's Note: Company K, 3rd Battalion, 475th Infantry Regiment] went out with a Kachin guide who was supposed to know the trails. After some time on the march, the guide told Denzler they were "lost," but in time they arrived at the guide's village. Denzler was introduced to the chief, and invited to dinner. When offered the first serving from the communal pot, a monkey arm, Denzler declined, although some of his hungry men accepted. Another time, they were sent to look for a University of Michigan star athlete who had been captured, and although somebody else found him, Denzler's company found where he had been tortured. He had been tied to a banyan tree and riddled with gunshots to his entire body. Denzler said things like that really got him "upset." On another patrol, Company K "liberated" a Japanese ammunition dump. The missions were assigned on a daily basis, with the ultimate objective of keeping the Japanese out of India. The patrol Denzler remembers best was to escort a sergeant down to the Burma Road. Within a couple of miles of their destination, they waited while Japanese convoys moved toward Rangoon [Annotator's Note: Rangoon, Burma; now Yangon, Myanmar]. American planes mistook them for Japanese ground troops and Denzler said he "ate dirt" until the aircraft were called off. When they got up, the sergeant proceeded to blow a tremendous hole in the road, on which the battalions on the hills zeroed in. That night, two tanks drove into the hole, and a convoy of trucks that were following them all banged into one another. Mortars were sent screaming into the pile-up, and Denzler later learned that the Japanese lost 200 men that night. The sergeant was promoted on the spot. Denzel said the American had no tanks in the field, and the only artillery were guns that could be broken down easily and moved. But before he left Burma, he watched one of the new P-51s [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] fly by and was amazed at its speed. As for Japanese aircraft, Denzler didn't see, but heard the "clankety-clank" of an old aircraft the soldiers called "Bed-check Charlie" that was doing reconnaissance over the jungle.

The terrain was mostly jungle, and Edward Denzler remembers when the enemy ran a herd of wild elephants through the perimeter of their camp. The beasts did a lot of damage, but the troops had all jumped into their foxholes, and the elephants sidestepped them all. At night, he remarked, he could hear tigers and hyenas, and said there were pythons around that could swallow a man. They were also plagued by vicious insects, and suffered from malaria, typhus and dysentery. The Japanese would raid the American airdrops and Denzler remembers one night when they could hear the enemy dragging a heavy crate away. The next day, they found the opened crate undisturbed; the Japanese were not interested in the cargo of water purification tablets. On an occasion when the Americans "liberated" some tins of Japanese rations, they opened the cans to find fish heads. Denzler had a run-in with some Imperial Marines, some of them survivors of Guadalcanal, who were sent to occupy Burma. Denzler said they were big guys, and, like the Americans, were forced to live off the land, eating the indigenous rice, peppers, fish and bananas. Denzler had three harrowing encounters with the enemy, and said the horrors still come back to him. Denzel saw some of his comrades break down in the field.

In discussing the Battle of Mogaung, Burma [Annotator's Note: now Mogaung, Myanmar], Edward Denzler noted that most of the battles against the Japanese didn't last very long because of their suicidal charges. In the deserted town of Mogaung, where the enemy was entrenched, the Americans could hear the Japanese commanders getting their troops "revved up," drinking sake and chanting, "banzai, banzai, and banzai." They came "bursting out," in a hoard, and it was "turkey-shoot time" for the Americans. At other times, Denzler said, the fighting could be quiet, with the enemy creeping in the dark, fighting man-on-man with GIs [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] in their foxholes. Denzler said the Japanese usually initiated the attack because of their honor. Some of the officers were educated in the United States, and Denzler couldn't understand why they didn't realize that such tactics wouldn't work. The Battle of Myitkyina [Annotator's Note: Myitkyina, Burma; now Myitkyina, Myanmar], as far as Denzler was concerned, was a matter of digging the Japanese out of tunnels and caves. The British forces were there, and once Merrill's Marauders [Annotator's Note: 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)] arrived, the battle was won. Finally, all the Japanese surrendered or got away; there were no peace talks, no truces called, no papers signed. It lasted six months, however, fighting through the monsoon season, and the Marauder forces were sorely diminished. Denzler said that was why his group of replacements was so heartily welcomed. As for his weaponry, Denzler said he was a sergeant, and had access to everything but he usually carried a 30 carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] and a .45 pistol [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol]. The company had one BAR [Annotator's Note: Browning Automatic Rifle], and it was heavy, so the men traded off carrying it and he took his turns. He noted that it was a good weapon and is still in use today. While Denzler was there, the airfield was being lengthened with crushed rocks. There were no fighter planes at the time, only a couple of wrecked cargo planes and some damaged Japanese fighters. Denzler only saw two prisoners when they were taken to the river to bathe. One of them helped him light his pipe, and it was the closest he got to a live Japanese. Among the locals there was an old Chinese fellow, who wanted to turn one of the disabled cargo planes into a restaurant. Much later, Denzler ran into him again, operating a Chinese restaurant in Houston [Annotator's Note: Houston, Texas], and saw photos of an eatery the man had made in Burma from one of those old aircraft.

Talking about working with the other Allied forces, Edward Denzler observed that the Kachin Rangers had been Christianized by the British, and hated the Japanese. The Burmese population, initially, was committed to the Japanese captors, and believed the Allies would rape their women and kill their babies, so most of the towns were empty when the Americans arrived. The Naga hill men wanted everyone out of their country. Denzler got along well with the Chinese and ended his tour of duty in China. After Burma was secure, he and his patrol were flown across the Himalayas to Kunming, China to await orders. They learned they would be going to Wu Le Pi [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling], away from everything, to instruct soldiers of the Chinese Nationalist Army on the use of American weapons. The Chinese were no trouble; they respected authority. Denzler was issued an interpreter, a horse, and an orderly who was 11 years old and had been in the Chinese Army for three years; and he and his company replaced the local magistrate and his family in a home that included a cook and a housekeeper. Denzler used the courtyard of the house as an instruction area for the Chinese officers who became his understudies. Denzler goes on to describe his experiences during this portion of his Army career. Denzler and his men found out about the atomic bombs three days after the second one was dropped, and the general in charge of Denzler's mission threw a party, one that included a lot of toasts, for the departing Americans. The evening ended with Denzler rendering his impression of James Cagney [Annotator's Note: American actor and entertainer] singing and dancing to Yankee Doodle Dandy.

The impression Edward Denzler had of the Japanese soldiers he saw in Burma was that they were mostly young kids. Their weapons were very effective, particularly their sniper rifle. Patrols generally consisted of eight or nine men; there was always attrition from casualties or disease. GIs [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] in the field would not wear anything that indicated rank; the sniper would wait until he saw a soldier giving orders, and usually set his sights on killing the man in command. On one patrol, a soldier behind Denzler fired his rifle, and before Denzler could reprimand him for breaking silence, a body fell out of a distant tree. Denzler sent a few soldiers to recover any papers or maps from the body, but they came back empty-handed; the soldier had shot a monkey. Their position had been revealed and they had to abandon the mission. The high-ranking officers changed a few times while the troops were in Burma, and Denzler said he rarely had occasion to interface with them.

Asked how the war changed his life, Edward Denzler said it made him realize that what he had at home was like nothing else in the world. He knew he would die to protect it, and would do it again today. He felt it affected his future life, because it allowed him to finish his education and establish his career as an engineer. But he also wanted to give something back to his church, and became a minister. He also noted that the war boosted the economy, and increased the knowledge of the American population as a whole. The world, he said, was changed in that it was saved from domination by the Axis, but he feels the accomplishment has been forgotten. The only negative impact he could see was the jealousy of other allied countries. The war's losers made it out of the conflict in better shape than before. Until he wrote a book about the war, he never discussed it with anybody but veterans. He feels his grandchildren will benefit from the stories contained in The National WWII Museum, and be interested in what he did for his country.