Doing Wheelies with an M-8
By Harold Gardner
As I
recall this occurred during the spring of 1945. I had been on guard at a
narcotics warehouse in Naumburg, Germany. I was on guard with my very best
buddy Bob "Bones." Schueler We also had some troopers on guard
at a check point on the edge of town. When Bones and I left our Guard area
we decided to go out to the check point to see if the other troopers needed a
ride back to the house we were staying in.
They were not there so we assumed they had gotten another ride so we turned
around and headed back for town. We were in an M-8 Armored Car with Bones
driving and myself in the radio operators seat. Of course in the Armored
car front passengers sit low well below the top of the M-8.
It had been raining and you remember the streets were large cobblestones
with rounded tops which when wet were very slick. As we headed back to
town Bones who was known as a "wizard at the wheel."
was traveling at a pretty good speed down a sloped street. I
cautioned him that if he remembered there was a sharp curve at the bottom of
hill and that maybe he should lay off the gas just a little. His comment
was that we would bank the M-8 thru the ladies yard at the bottom. That's
exactly what we did. We hit the slick cobblestones and the M-8 went into a
90 degree turn and up a tall bank.
When we got to the top of the bank the M-8 lost it's forward momentum
came to a stop and rolled backward down the bank. The rear wheels caught
on the curb and the M-8 did a complete flip and rested on the 50 cal. ring mount
on the turret. I had enough sense to grab hold of the handle to close the
top when we buttoned up. I don't know what Schueler grabbed. Anyway
when I let go of the handle, and the m-8 being upside down I fell out on the
ground.
Bones was out of the M-8 and being the jokester he was, said, "Harry, now
would be a good time to grease it."
We got one of our buddies out with another M-8 and pulled it over on its wheels.
Of course the oil had drained out of the motor. They pulled it up to Bad Chosen
to the Recon motor pool for repair.
In the meantime I went up and went to bed and Bones stayed with his M-8 up at
the motor pool. Our LT. had gone looking for us he was O. D.
He found me in bed pretending to be fully asleep and found Bones up at the Motor
pool.
We concocted the story that since QM was hauling displaced persons through the
area a 6x6 forced us off the road and we had to take off for the bank. The
Lt said he didn't believe us but we stuck to the same story for quite some time.
After we had transferred to the 29th Recon here came our Lt to the
29th..We were down at our Recon club bending the elbows and the Lt. came
over and sat with us and asked us, "Do you two boys want to tell me about
how the accident happened." We were getting ready to start home so we
decided if we spilled the beans, about all they could do was give us some
company punishment and sent us home. I'll have more stories about old
"Bones" later.