William Epperson was born in Trinity, Texas in 1923. The population of the city of his birth had not grown over a 50 year time span. His family expressed gratitude to Epperson in not maintaining the family in that small town. That portion of Texas is referred to as the "yellow dog Democrat" part of Texas. Epperson attended his wife's fifth birthday party. They married on 31 December 1942 in order for Epperson to gain an exemption that year. His wife preferred for him not to mention when they were married, but he caveats that with the joke that they were only five years old at the time. It was an East Texas tradition. Epperson was raised in the community of Trinity where his father was a part owner of a sawmill. As such, the family did not suffer the extent of deprivations that the Great Depression brought to many other families. The saw mill was the second largest mill in the South with the largest being in Bogalusa, Louisiana. The mill was called the Texas Longleaf Lumber Company. Epperson played football and became a letterman at 13 years old. He was a large boy for his age. The family was fortunate because of their financial position. The high school he attended was small with few students. It was a good experience. He learned things the hard way. Near the end of the Depression was tough times for many people. People today do not realize how tough it was during that time. Epperson and his sisters had little opportunity to get into mischief. Children learned to be good citizens at that time. This is something not always taught today. Epperson was attending school at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas when he heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On Sunday morning, 7 December [Annotator's Note: 1941], word got out in the dormitory about the attack. The angry young men banded together and decided to go downtown and join the military. There must have been 60 or 70 of them headed to the Army or Navy recruiters. They felt that the Japanese had stuck a dagger in their backs. After they had gotten part of the way there, they decided to hold up and wait on joining up. Instead, they went back to the dormitory and decided to go to sleep. He finished that year at Southwestern and then transferred to the University of Texas with the goal of attending law school. Things started getting nasty and Epperson went to the Air Forces recruiter. The recruiter told him that he would need to take a physical. When Epperson's overbite was examined, he was told that the bite could cause him to cut a breathing air tube in two. Besides that, he had trouble with the vision test. He was not accepted into the Air Forces. With no Marine recruiting station available, only the Army was an option. Epperson knew he did not want to be in the infantry, but about that time, one of his roommates came up and told Epperson about ERC, the Enlisted Reserve Corps. The roommate had been promised that he could graduate from college and probably have a rear assignment after graduation. Epperson joined a long line to go enter the ERC. Afterward, the Army called on 606 of the ERC men from the University of Texas alone. They were given a two week period of furlough at home before they had to report to Camp Wolters [Annotator's Note: in Mineral Wells, Texas].

William Epperson reported to Camp Wolters [Annotator's Note: in Mineral Wells, Texas] and found that many of the men were very intelligent people. Despite their level of intelligence, the men were told they could not get into any other service but the infantry. The infantry training schedule, with gear laden 14 mile hikes, was reduced from 13 to ten weeks. From Camp Wolters, Epperson was sent by troop train to Camp Shenango, Pennsylvania. After a couple of days of outfitting there, the men were sent to Camp Shanks in New York. The next destination was to be the docks for a voyage to North Africa. There was a large convoy of over 130 ships with the battleship Texas [Annotator's Note: USS Texas (BB-35)] protected in the center of the convoy. Two ships were sunk but both were cargo not troopships. Epperson's troopship docked in Oran, Algeria. They were told that they would be going across North Africa in a troop train to be assigned to units in Tunisia. The trains were called 40 by eights. This meant that either 40 men or eight horses could be transported in a boxcar. Over 40 men were placed in a car. Epperson found that half the men could lie down and sleep while the other half would stand. The troops alternated their way across doing this while the train traveled about ten miles per hour. The natives in the local population liked the barracks bags carried by the troops. The locals could cut a hole in the bag and wear it like pants. Each bag brought about 30 dollars. By the time the trip to Tunisia was completed, most of the barracks bags had been sold. Another premium item to sell was mattress covers. Although they brought a lot of money, Epperson had none to sell. It took four days to cross the top of Africa in the train. The battles were done in North Africa, but the men felt they had been rushed through training in order to be cannon fodder. That was the big term at the time, Cannon Fodder. From there, the men were assigned to various groups. One man in Epperson's group was from Shreveport. The man was named Claude Cunningham so he was placed in front of Epperson in the line for assignments. Private Cunningham was assigned to 5th Army headquarters. Behind Cunningham came Epperson. Epperson was then assigned to be a replacement infantryman in the 45th Infantry Division. Just that small variation in the luck of where you were placed in a line could make a huge difference in your random selection for future service.

William Epperson was in Tunisia for a brief time before boarding a small troopship bound for Italy. The ships departed at night and headed for Salerno. The invasion had begun two days earlier. The activity at the landing area was still brisk. Epperson was assigned in to Company A, 1st Battalion, 179th Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. While he was in headquarters, he heard the shelling and was frightened by that. It was at that time that the company commander asked if anybody could type. Epperson indicated that he could. His father had suggested that he learn to type in high school so he could always get a job. It would be a benefit to him latter. Epperson was happy to hear that he would be placed in company headquarters. He found out that it was nice to be in headquarters, but if the platoons got into trouble, the headquarters personnel were first to be called to assist them. Later he was assigned to another company because he could type. Soon afterward, he would be off on night patrols. He dreaded that more than anything else. He was assigned to Company D. Two weeks into the progress up the boot of Italy, he was on a rocked terrace. Olive orchards were on all the steps going down. The men were told to dig in. Shelling began. The Germans were throwing Screaming Mimi mortar shells at the Americans. There were many tree bursts. The men had dug a hole beside the rock wall. There were five of them in the hole but only two men walked away. The others were killed. Epperson felt he had been called out for a good purpose. The advance from Salerno through the mountains of Italy represented the second hardest days in the Army for Epperson. It was so rugged through there. There was no sleep. There were no rations. The 1st and 3rd Battalions went 42 days and nights without a hot meal or change of clothes. If a trooper pulled off his sock, it would stand up. Italian locals helped with their donkeys to transport supplies to the troops who were locked in. In three weeks, the battalion took more casualties than anywhere else in Europe. Many people were sick. Jaundice was rampant. When Epperson's outfit reached the Volturno River, they were relieved and taken back to Naples. The men knew something was going to happen. Perhaps they would be going to England to cross the English Channel. No one knew what was next. This period was a hard time for Epperson as he was diagnosed with jaundice, amebic dysentery, and a concussion wound from combat. There were no fragments; nevertheless, Epperson was airlifted to North Africa. Epperson had claustrophobia but was put on a stretcher at the top of the plane. He could not see outside. The aircrew was talking about how two hospital planes had been downed by the enemy. Epperson was anxious on the flight, but they made it to the 300th General Hospital in North Africa. He was there for over two weeks. At the point of release, the doctors used his rear end to typify a perfect case of recovery from amebic dysentery. He posterior was viewed by both male and female doctors and nurses. His colon was described as being nice and pink. Epperson was grossly embarrassed, but he got over it. Replacements were needed in Italy. He was transported quickly to Naples in a fast Italian cruiser. German submarines were lurking so Epperson asked one of the crew where the safest place on the ship was. The sailor told him that if he went under a gun turret and into the protected area, it would be safe. Epperson did so and had five or six inches of steel between him and the exterior. That rapidly moving ship had no escort crossing the Mediterranean between North Africa and Naples. The voyage only took 13 or 14 hours. Reaching Naples, Epperson heard that they would be readied for another invasion. He thought it would be transport to England, but he learned that the objective would be in Italy possibly near Naples.

William Epperson and his outfit [Annotator's Note: Company D, 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division] were loaded on ships and became part of the invasion of Anzio. The ship in the center of the convoy was the battleship Texas [Annotator's Note: USS Texas (BB-35)]. The ship would fire its huge guns at the enemy positions. The offshore trajectory of the shells would fly overhead. Seconds later the impact could be heard. The Germans, meanwhile, had a 16 inch gun mounted on a railcar. It would be pulled out of a cave at night and fire on the invasion troops. It was protected from the Allied air forces that way. The Germans preferred to target the American hospitals. As a result, many of the wounded would be transported back to the Naples area because they were not safe within the Anzio perimeter. During this time, Epperson was with Company D headquarters, but he would be loaned out to Company A or Company C. Company A was deployed in a location referred to as The Factory. It was a very hot area. Epperson learned that the Germans were serious when they fired on the Americans. They were shelled day and night. Rations were not available for three days. Months later in Munich, the battalion commander was named Michael S. Davison. Davison would become a good friend of Epperson. The commander sent a memorandum commending the men for their participation in The Factory action. Epperson sent the letter home, and it was published in the local paper. He felt lucky to survive that action. Epperson would return to company headquarters. Major Davison knew Epperson and wanted him to returned to battalion headquarters and become S1 sergeant or operations sergeant. Epperson agreed. He was in a safer place with that assignment until he later reached the Alsace region. He learned from Anzio how he could go to the Italian people and obtain cloves of garlic to add to the C rations canned ham and eggs. Otherwise, the rations were awful without the added flavor. The taste of C and K rations was not good. Epperson's division returned to Naples for troop replacements and exercises. They knew something was up. They headed out on a huge armada of troopships. There were LSTs [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] and LCIs [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft, Infantry]. On his LCI, Epperson carried a map case over his back as the operations sergeant. The case looked like a golf bag over his shoulder. He was assigned to a West Point trained, ramrod commander named Colonel Davison.

William Epperson reached Southern France. His division [Annotator's Note: the 45th Infantry Division] experienced very little resistance. The divisions on the left and right, the 3rd and the 36th, were exposed to more action than the 45th at that point. The LCIs [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft, Infantry] were shallow draft vessels. They only went up to about 100 to 150 feet of the shoreline. Epperson followed Colonel Davison [Annotator's Note: Colonel Michael S. Davison was the battalion commander and Epperson was his operations sergeant] as he marched onto the beach. Epperson was running behind Davison when he noticed the commander stepping to one side. Epperson went straight ahead and stepped into a shell hole. He fell and got all the battalion maps wet. Davison had choice words for Epperson after the incident. In later years, Davison confided to Epperson that he was only kidding after the incident. There was hardly any fighting for Epperson in Southern France. There was an occasional potshot but very little otherwise. Using new maps, the battalion proceeded toward the Grenoble area. There, the outfit [Annotator's Note: 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division] was pulled back and then the fun started at a place called Meximieux. It was north of Lyon and had a population of about 15,000. Epperson and the 1st Battalion were involved in the Battle of Meximieux. During the fighting, Headquarters Company plus Company A and part of Company C held off the 13th Panzer Division in defense of the town. It was one of the turning points in the battle for Southern France. The Germans were advancing up the western side of Southern France and the Americans were going up the eastern side. Whenever they collided, the fighting was intense. The successful defense of Meximieux by the Americans saved the town. The citizens were very grateful and named streets, schools, and other landmarks for General Davison [Annotator's Note: Davison would later be promoted to general but was a colonel at the time of the Battle of Meximieux]. On the first trip to the city, the citizens were out on the streets and passing out bottles of pink champagne. A Sergeant Major friend of Epperson named William Harrison "Snake" White recommended Epperson for promotion to Sergeant Major. Davison, knowing Epperson, agreed to the advancement. The battalion advanced to Soye, France [Annotator's Note: Soye-en-Septaine]. It was about 30 kilometers away. There was an undiscovered portion of a German panzer division located near Soye. It had come up the western part of Southern France. The panzer outfit was advancing through the town. As the Battalion Sergeant Major, Epperson would have to assign replacements to companies during the night according to who needed them them most. Epperson went about assigning 23 new replacements the night before the combat at Soye. He assigned all but two of the 23 men. One of the two was from Kentucky and the other was from Kansas or Missouri. The man from Kentucky could neither read nor write. Later, Epperson would write all of that man's letters on his behalf and then read the return mail from his wife, parents and friends to the Kentuckian. The German panzer unit entered the town of Soye with nine tanks. On point was a Tiger tank [Annotator's Note: German Mark VI main battle tank, also known as the Tiger]. The Tiger was a tremendous tank with an 88mm gun. When an 88mm shell whistles by, it was enough to make your hair stand up on end. The second replacement who had not been posted to any company walked out in the middle of the street and knelt down and fired his rifle grenade at the Tiger. The tank had been shelling the aid station even though it had a visible Red Cross. The crew of the Tiger started bailing out of the damaged vehicle. The infantryman who had stopped the Tiger was given a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and a free trip home. Snake White had pushed Epperson into his job as Sergeant Major so that White could take a commission. There was pressure on many of the men to take battlefield commissions because officers were needed. It was good that Epperson had learned to type because it likely saved his life. He did not want a commission because he knew multiple individuals who were killed right after acceptance. Epperson did not have time to receive the newly promoted lieutenant's gold bars before they took command. As Sergeant Major, he had used adhesive tape colored with iodine to signify their rank and place the tape on the new officer's helmet and collars. Before the actual insignias came in, many of the young officers had already been killed. [Annotator's Note: A break is taken as Epperson becomes emotional at the memory of the loss of the young men so quickly.] Epperson felt it to be an honor to take Snake's place. It required the right temperament and personality to take care of the guys. Epperson maintained a close relationship through the years with Colonel Davison. Upon his passing, Davison was buried in the West Point Cemetery. General Davison came to the reunion of the 45th Division in Oklahoma. At that time, Epperson had the honor of introducing him. Davison's son was a West Pointer who retired as a lieutenant general. His name was Michael Davison, Jr. His third brother was a helicopter pilot in the Air Force named Vaughn Davison. Both of Michael, Junior's sons were West Point graduates who became Marines. There may have been a degree of disappointment due to that. Epperson remained as Sergeant Major for the battalion through France. Progress was quick until rivers blocked them and until Alsace-Lorraine. Alsace-Lorraine was occupied by Germany and France intermittently through the years. It was noticeable in Germany and Alsace that the morning after a shelling, the population would be in the streets clearing the rubble. This was in contrast to that witnessed in Italy where the rubble remained all over the place. There were slight contacts with the enemy until the 45th came into the end of the Battle of the Bulge. That major battle had mainly occurred further north.

William Epperson entered the lower part of Germany after crossing the Maginot Line. It was called Wingen and was on the Moder River. Further down, there was a small town called Wimmenau. Combat there was referred to as the Battle of Wingen-Wimmenau. The Germans were failing in the north on their advance so they had decided to move on the Americans in a more southerly direction where there would be less artillery. [Annotator's Note: The German Ardennes Offensive, also known as the Battle of the Bulge, stalled in later December 1944. This assault was in January 1945.] Epperson's regiment [Annotator's Note: Epperson served as Sergeant Major of 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division] moved into Wingen. They were told that they would move further south to Wimmenau on the Moder River. It was anticipated that the enemy would attempt a breakthrough there. Experiencing significant fatigue, the headquarters group rested in a bar and proceeded to remove their clothes to relax and sleep for a bit before moving on. They woke up the next morning to tracers going over the top of the bar. It was time to move. An SS mountain division, SS Nord, had ridden bicycles from Denmark to reach the location. They had surrounded the American position and began firing on it with tanks and bazookas. Epperson was doing the job of the S1 battalion sergeant since he had been evacuated. He was charged with maintaining the map board which included the daily password and pass indication. A grenade was attached to it to destroy it rather than having it captured. The map was burned after the grenade was removed. Soon it was obvious that the Americans were surrounded so they surrendered.

William Epperson found the SS troops he faced at Wingen to be younger than the Germans they had fought prior to that battle. After being surrounded by the enemy, some of the men of the headquarters outfit wanted to escape. Two who tried were killed during their attempt. Epperson did not want to experience the same fate. The American officer in charge said the best thing they could do was to surrender. The captives were surprised to see the SS troops who captured them. Most of them looked like teenagers. That caused the Americans to have second thoughts about their decision to surrender. The Americans were separated. As the ranking non-com [Annotator's Note: non-commissioned officer], Epperson was put with about 19 men. Officers were put in another group. The enlisted men were taken down the block and held in the cellar of a three story house. The guards were nice to their captives. The Nazis realized that they were completely surrounded. The prisoners did not understand that at the time. Elements of the 45th and 80th Infantry Divisions were around the town. The SS troops knew they must behave themselves. The Americans were there for three nights. Epperson would be asked each night to pick out a burial detail to take care of both German and American dead. Epperson would lead the detail and dig in the frozen, extremely hard earth. The Germans shared their rations and water with their prisoners. After three days, American tanks came into the city and started firing into the top of the building where the prisoners were kept in the cellar. The ranking non-com for the enemy came up to Epperson and said they would surrender to the prisoners. He explained to Epperson what was happening. The Germans pulled out all their pistols. Epperson obtained four pistols from the enemy. There were three Lugers and one P38. The rifles were put down just as the cellar door opened above. A young American voice told those below to come up and become his prisoners. Epperson replied that he was American and that his group had captured German prisoners and had them with him. The voice above said no matter, they should come up. Epperson asked his name. Lieutenant Carmichael was the man speaking. He had been an officer for five days. Epperson said he was coming up but hold his fire. Although he understood what the lieutenant was doing, it made him angry. Epperson told Carmichael that he had promised his prisoners that they would be treated fairly since they took care of the Americans during their captivity. He warned Carmichael not to try anything funny because he, Epperson, had four pistols on him. The young officer demanded that Epperson give him the pistols. Epperson refused to the point that he insinuated that he would shoot the officer if he tried to get the souvenirs. Epperson eventually sent the guns home. He still has some but has given some away. There were six enemy prisoners captured in that cellar. Epperson personally took them to regimental headquarters in order to protect them. He did not want the Germans to be harmed because they had protected the Americans. There is a book on the incident called Seven Days in January. After that incident, the whole battalion was relieved.

William Epperson was awarded the Bronze Star for his action in Soye, France [Annotator's Note: Soye-en-Septaine]. Epperson witnessed a junior officer getting the Silver Star for doing less than he did in the combat. He has reconciled with that irony. The action commenced with Epperson rounding up cooks and truck drivers at the battalion headquarters [Annotator's Note: 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division] in the little town of Soye. The men went down a back alley to hold off any enemy infantrymen advancing with the German tanks. There were only a few enemy troops that they encountered. Epperson always went by the rule that you only fired on someone when you knew what they were going to do to you. Nevertheless, there was one unidentifiable man slipping between boxes in an alley they were overlooking. Not knowing if he was a soldier or civilian, Epperson drew a bead on him and shot him in the face. The unknown man turned out to be an enemy soldier who could have gotten one or more of the men with Epperson. The commendation for Epperson's Bronze Star read that he enlisted the help of various rear echelon troops and proceeded to overwhelm several enemy positions. Epperson's lieutenant received the Silver Star though he may not have participated sufficiently in the action to deserve it. Perhaps Epperson should have taken the commission when it was offered to him earlier. [Annotator's Note: Epperson was a battalion Sergeant Major during his combat in Southern France. He was offered a battlefield commission because of the rapid loss of front line officers during that part of the war but did not accept the promotion offer because he had seen far too many young officers get killed before they had even had a chance to get their officer's insignia for their lapels or helmet.]

William Epperson and his battalion [Annotator's Note: 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division] were relieved after Wingen-Wimmenau and moved swiftly across Germany. The 45th Division overwhelmed numerous pockets of resistance. One of the major points was at Nuremburg. Epperson only learned later that Nuremburg, along with Munich, were the cradles of Nazism. That was true particularly of Nuremburg. There was hard fighting by the tenacious defenders of Nuremburg. That included women, children and civilian men. By the time the Americans reached Munich, the people were much less obstinate. From there, it was a fast pace forward for the Americans. The people in Southern Germany were harder people to deal with than those in Northern Germany. Epperson found that to be the case even through the years of visiting Germany. The division moved through small towns and experienced small fire fights. As the Americans proceeded through multiple routes across Germany, they neared the Russians coming in through Bavaria. The word Dachau had not been one that Americans were familiar with before they came upon the camps. As they approached Munich, the men of the 45th were warned that there were German Panzer groups that would be tough to handle. Epperson's battalion S1 was also commander of Headquarters Company. He was Harold Weissehenne, which translated as white hen in German. That man was an individual who thought he knew everything. He actually did not know anything. The battalion moved out from Gershoen [Annotator's Note: town name not confirmed] and merged onto the very efficient Autobahn in route to Munich. After linking up with the Autobahn, the 45th had its vehicles, tanks, artillery, and troops on the highway. The traffic jam was a mess. After their arrival in Munich, Epperson's group had the jobt of acquiring headquarters for regimental and battalion command on the northwest side of the city. Weissehenne pulled out his map and attempted to discover a detour out of the traffic congestion. He got the party lost and ended up close to the camp at Dachau [Annotator's Note: Dachau was the earliest of the Nazi concentration camps]. He had headed in the opposite direction about 20 miles north of Munich. The MPs [Annotator's Note: military police] told Weissehenne that his party could not pass through the internment camp because there was still a battle going on there. The GIs got turned around and finally reached Munich the next morning. The northwest side of Munich was quiet. There were apartments surrounding the streets. Although all the windows were closed, someone would occasionally peak out of a window. The GIs did not know if someone would take a shot at them. Epperson was in the second of two jeeps moving through the streets. His vehicle had a .30 caliber machine gun mounted on a stand in the back of it. No one shot at them from the windows but the gunner in the jeep was prepared. Epperson's group was some of the first Americans entering the city. Hitler's summer home in the city was selected as the regimental headquarters. Not all the GIs knew how valuable souvenirs would be later. Some of Hitler's personal items were collected in the headquarters. In later years, Epperson lost the item he had obtained. Regimental command was glad the spot was selected. They probably looted many items they discovered that were related to Hitler. Battalion headquarters was a smaller house down the street. It was almost like a palace. Epperson had enough points to return home. He was the battalion Sergeant Major and had to look out for all the others so he was not allowed to return home until later. Epperson started home by the end of July [Annotator's Note: July 1945]. He was lucky because many of those who went home early were later called up for the war in Korea. Colonel Davison had left for a promotion to brigadier general in Sixth Corps. Colonel Krauss came in as the new battalion commander. The new commander strongly suggested to Epperson that he should consider a promotion to lieutenant. Epperson was not the least bit interested in the opportunity to advance. He was ready to go home. If Epperson had taken the promotion, he likely would have returned to the United States for retraining and transfer into the Pacific for the fight there. It was a smart move. Epperson took care of all the men who were under him while he was in Munich during this period. It was a good life. He could get out of bed when he wanted and the food was always good. He heard about the German surrender after he had been in Munich for six or seven days. He read about the end in a paper printed by the 45th Division. Two other divisions had moved south as part of the 45th moved into Austria. Everyone except Epperson got to see Hitler's hideaway at Berchtesgaden or go on trips to Paris. Epperson had to take care of business in Munich. Nevertheless, it was a good life despite missing the side trips. When he came home, he went through Southern France to Bordeaux. He was attached to the 14th Army which he knew little about. He came home on a troopship. It was quite an experience. In Germany, before he reached Nuremburg, he discovered bombed out railcars with expensive cameras. No one really knew what they had at that point. No one had access to any film for the cameras. On the trip home, a doctor offered Epperson one tenth of the actual value of the camera. Not knowing any better, Epperson sold it to the officer. That was a souvenir that he lost. He arrived in the United States through New York harbor. He was transferred to San Antonio and given leave. He returned to Camp Fannin in Texas where he was discharged in October [Annotator's Note: 1945].

William Epperson received two Purple Hearts for being wounded. Epperson felt strongly that women in the service would not be a good thing. Under fire, men have to do things in the protection of their shelters that would be embarrassing for women to see. There were three weeks in Anzio where the men were under fire near Mussolini's Canal where they had to live like moles. They could not expose themselves to enemy fire. There were many KIAs [Annotator's Note: Killed in Action] and wounded that could not be removed. Aid stations were targets for the enemy. The Allies may have done the same thing. It was a rough life at Anzio. That time and the fighting in the Italian mountains were Epperson's toughest experiences. Fighting armor near Aprilia and its factory after the breakout was tough. The Americans were fighting on a flat plain without the benefit of armor to back them up. There was no cover for the advancing GIs except that found in the factory. Evacuation of wounded could only be done under the protection of night. Men would die on the spot as a result. Anzio was close to being lost several times with the Germans surrounding them. Enemy fire fell on the beachhead from all directions in front of them. General Davison [Annotator's Note: General Michael S. Davison] was a good friend of Epperson. Later in life, the general admitted that the beachhead was close to being abandoned. What held them in place was the tactical position it held compared to the Germans to the south. The breakout from Anzio was wild. General Clark [Annotator's Note: General Mark Clark] got the troops into a situation that was perilous for them. Clark's objective seemed to be to ride a jeep into Rome as the liberator. He or his strategists made a lot of mistakes in Italy. The 36th and 3rd Infantry Divisions got kicked around near the Volturno River in Italy. Dozens of guys were killed unnecessarily. On the beachhead near Rome, the Germans knew what the Americans planned. The factory at Aprilia was a savior for the beachhead because the Americans held their ground despite the heavy casualties. After the breakout, there was dust everywhere as everyone tried to get to Rome first. Clark was the first one there. Rome was an open city when the Americans entered. The people were relieved their war was over. The Pope had tried to help the Jewish people as much as he could without having the Nazis eradicate the Vatican. The Romans enjoyed the Americans entering their city.

William Epperson and the 45th Infantry Division completed their mission in Italy and moved on to operations in Southern France. In France, he found that the civilians he came in contact with were friendlier to the American troops than individuals he encountered in Italy. He found the French would welcome the GIs. This was particularly true when they encountered groups of the Free French fighters. The members of the resistance would even hug the GIs. They thanked them for their efforts. When Epperson and his wife returned on the 60th anniversary to France, they made reservations for a fancy restaurant in Paris after riding the bullet train there. Upon arriving at the restaurant, people were in line in front of them. They remarked to the young female maitre de that they had been to a celebration in Meximieux and that he was a veteran. [Annotator's Note: Meximieux was the site of a fierce battle fought between the Germans and the 45th Infantry Division.] He also commented that they were from Texas. The young woman made a disparaging remark about George Bush and told the Eppersons that their reservation had been taken by others and showed them to the exit. Epperson was so angered by the event that he felt like physically accosting the woman. His wife warned him against it because he could be jailed as a result of the incident. The reaction by the maitre de best represented to Epperson the difference between Parisian French and the citizens of the rest of France.

William Epperson saw the concentration camp at Dachau while he was stationed in Munich. The first attempt had been unsuccessful, but later while garrisoned in Munich, he did go closer to the camp. He went there while "Snake" White [Annotator's Note: William Harrison "Snake" White was a Sergeant Major friend of Epperson who had recommended Epperson for promotion to battalion sergeant major] of Company A [Annotator's Note: Company A, 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division] was overlooking the inmates after the first assistance group from the 40th Division Infantry withdrew. It was hard to understand why the local population said they knew nothing of the occurrences in the camp. In hindsight, if the civilians would have spoken up, their lives would not have been worth much. White forced the local citizens to come to the camp and carry the bodies out to the village for all to observe what was going on behind the wire. Some of the American soldiers did things that were not favorable. Some participated in the wholesale killing of the Nazi guards. The reactions could not be justified but were understandable given the horror of the experience. The inmates of Dachau were mainly Yugoslav. The camp had been set up as the first internment camp of the Nazis. It was set up originally for male political prisoners. Gypsies were also held there. Before the Americans arrived at Dachau, some of the more educated and skilled inmates were withdrawn to another nearby camp [Annotator's Note: there were numerous sub-camps in the region associated with the main camp of Dachau]. Inmates were still in the camp when Epperson was near the camp. He never actually went into the camp. There was too much to be done in the camp and unassigned visitations were not acceptable. Epperson never got closer than 300 to 400 yards of the camp. The American guards prevented closer examination. While in Munich, Epperson found that the citizens treated them with indifference. Billeted in a four story home, the home owners stayed upstairs and out of the way of the Americans. They could only be sighted a few times each week. They would not speak when they came down. They could have been afraid to speak. It could have been different in other locations in the city. Three regiments of the 45th garrisoned the city of Munich. They each found the breweries in their assigned area. The troops had hot beer in a canteen cup for breakfast, lunch and dinner. [Annotator's Note: Epperson chuckles at the memory.]

William Epperson matured during the war. Many men showed the effects upon them after they returned home. It was not as noticeable then as it is now. In college, Epperson would wake up at night and tell his wife, Sarah Belle, that there was a fire outside. When she would ask where it was, it was only the result of his wartime experiences. His most significant trauma in combat dealt with fires. Fires were everywhere. Many men today have significant issues with their trauma. The issues could be the result of several factors, but they are not fake. Some things are more shocking than others. When Epperson was first in combat in Italy, a tree burst exploded over him and four other men. Epperson and one other GI walked away without a scratch. Three other men were killed. After crossing a ravine, a lieutenant was seen who had half his body missing. He was begging for help. He was still alive. The men were told to leave the severely wounded officer for the medics. They could not stop to aid him. Epperson never understood why they could not have taken the man with them, but in hindsight, the officer never had a chance to survive. He probably died minutes after Epperson and the others left him. Some men would go to pieces over such incidents. It was not that Epperson was hardened, but he could take that type of episode better than some other men. There was a man from West Virginia who gave the appearance of not fearing anything. When he saw someone killed or wounded, he would go to pieces. Another man could take anything. It all depended on the individual and how he read and reacted to the circumstances. The first time Epperson took a life in combat, it bothered him for days. The more time he was in combat, the more he was hardened to it. Some people never got over it. Many men were evacuated, but the medics could determine if they were putting on a show or not. The medics could evaluate who would be no good in the future for the fighting unit. They would be more of a liability than an asset to the other men in the outfit. In those cases, the men would be sent to the rear and assigned to companies that were non-combat. Epperson would see men looting, but he was largely afraid to do so. The only two times he did so were when he found a camera in a damaged railcar, and when he picked up a drafting set from a German general's house. He knew the general had no further use for the set because he had been killed in Alsace. He also obtained a Nazi flag and several other trinkets. While in Italy, Epperson saw GIs march enemy prisoners down a hill or mountain and shoot them in order to extract their gold teeth. Epperson could never bring himself to do that no matter who they were. It was shocking. He could see the Germans doing that but those were American soldiers. As battalion Sergeant Major, Epperson would assign new men to companies. Five arrived at once. Two were from Kentucky and three were from West Virginia. None could read or write though they were in good physical shape. Epperson would write for one of the fellows. Even though Epperson had come from a small town, he could read and write. He could not understand how individuals could not do the same. While in Italy, the British had Gurkha troops from India under their command. They were afraid of nothing. They would build fires at night and the Germans would shell them as a result. They carried a long, curved sword with them. If asked to allow someone to view the weapon, before they resheathed it, they had to cut a wound on their hand. They were great people. The Nisei [Annotator's Note: the 442nd Regimental Combat Team] combat team was feared most by the Germans. With their small stature, they would walk quietly and sneak up on the enemy. German prisoners would comment on how cold blooded they were. The Nisei were good fighters. There was no impact by the service on Epperson's postwar career. He had wanted to go to law school, but didn't. His father had been a lawyer but had not practiced. The son went to business school instead. Epperson learned to appreciate things around him more as a result of his wartime experiences. He developed certain fears. He would never wrong anybody. He would always respect people except when it came to politics. These could have been taught at home or learned through his service years or a combination. He took advantage of the GI Bill for his education at Sam Houston State University. He lived in an efficiency apartment on campus for 30 dollars a month. His wife worked in a shipyard office during the war. They were married before he went into the service in 1942. After the war, she went to work for the Texas prison system and traveled around as a counselor. She heard words, names and places she had never heard before. The women in prison knew more curse words than any man. Without exception the women inmates would proclaim that they killed their man because they loved him. [Annotator's Note: Epperson laughed.] During the war, Epperson received mail and packages. After he became battalion Sergeant Major and after the war, mail was censored very little. The men responsible for the editing merely initialed the mail or package and sent it on without reviewing it. That was how the pistols got home. They went right through the mail. [Annotator's Note: During the battle of Wingen, Germany, Epperson captured several Germans and confiscated their pistols the shipped the handguns home.] Epperson sent quite a bit through the mail and initialed it to authorize it to pass forward. There were even things for General Davison [Annotator's Note: Colonel, later General, Michael S. Davison].

William Epperson gives presentations to various groups of different ages about his wartime experiences. He often is astounded at how little people know about the war. He filters some of the stories of Dachau [Annotator’s Note: the Dachau concentration camp near Munich, Germany] in consideration of the younger school listeners. The work that The National WWII Museum is doing to further the education of the population of the events of the war is beneficial. It is a good thing to detail all the history we can in order for future generations to understand what brought the world to this point in time. The Museum must expedite obtaining the personal stories from those who participated in World War 2. People should visit the Museum. College students and those older have not been fully educated beyond the highlights of what went on in the war. In the beginning, Epperson's generation did not say anything about their experiences in the war but they are beginning to open up about it now. Epperson and Snake White [Annotator's Note: William Harrison "Snake" White] are making lots of notes and sharing recollections with each other to save the information for posterity. The two men share memories and help each other remember details that are obscure but still there. Details can be remembered in this fashion. Grisly memories of the deaths of individuals in combat are discussed. One individual was killed by friendly fire while crossing the Rhine or some other river. An antitank unit was firing flat trajectory across the river. It was hitting a dike and exploding back on Epperson, Snake and the rest of the assault troops. One man had a round explode directly above him and was killed. The only thing that could be found of him was his hand with a ring on it. It was Epperson's job to remove the ring and send it back to his family. Snake remembered not only the details of the assault but also the man's name. Epperson has captured that information as a result of their collaboration. Some men do not remember any of those details. It is important to put much of the information down before its lost.