Milton Susman

ASN:35068171

FROM POLAND TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

by Milton Susman, Age 78

World war II Veteran - Milton’s story:

“In 1933 my father Izzy came to the U.S. with no money to try to make money for his family so he could get us out of Poland. He worked hard, and when I say he worked hard nothing at all like you picture. He was working in a lumber yard where every day the workers would buy gloves so they would not get splinters in their hands he would not buy them he saved that 5 cents at lunch he would not buy lunch he would eat leftovers think of him as u might but soon you will learn this man is a hero.

Well izzy worked really hard here and there saved every penny sent us money every month or so to make a long story short he was responsible not just for my family but for most of my village that came to the U.S. before the Germans invasion, or else, I and them would be dead. It was in the middle of July in 1939, a few months before the German army came to Poland. That is when we left Poland to go to the U.S. We were lucky that we were able to leave when we did. My father had already been here for 8 years and he was a business man.

I was amazed by everything here it was a different world. I remember being in New York in a car, the traffic pattern amazed me the car stops the car goes the big buildings the lights it was amazing. Well, we drove form there to Cleveland Ohio, then it took 2 days there were no freeways back then. When I arrived I went to school in Shaker heights Ohio, I could barley even speak the language. In 1943, I volunteered for the U.S. Army even though I was not a citizen. I was in the 82nd airborne division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Then, they shipped us to Africa and from there to Italy and from there we went to England. And in England we were being trained for the invasion of Normandy.

We the 82nd Airborne were dropped in Normandy 20 miles inland. The invasion started early Tuesday morning June 6th where we advanced and faced battle for the first time. The first week we were all surprised, it was very rough the Germans were every where. They would dress in American uniforms and they had American tanks. They were firing at us from the back, we thought that the American artillery were firing short rounds. It was the Germans that were firing at us.

It was very cloudy so the United States Air Force was not able to come and help us. The Germans had by then the 101st airborne surrounded (Battle of the Bulge) completely. The Germans sent a delegation under a white flag asking them to surrender. They told him you go back to your general and you tell him he is nuts. They got confused and thought that was something you eat. And naturally us Americans did not surrender. And thanks to General Patton, who at the time was south of the Third Army, came to the rescue and did it in one third of the time that all the other generals thought it would take him. He saved them. By that time the Germans were running out of gasoline and that is when we started to attack. We started to push them back and then they started to surrender they lost a lot of their people. Then, we were headed west. All the way towards Berlin.

Well war was cold and bloody and I came back to the U.S. and married a beautiful girl named Gert. We met around the time I joined the army. We kept in touch with love letters to each other. We had four beautiful kids, 3 boys and a girl whom I am very proud of. Now, I have 11 grandkids and 2 great grand kids. The world has changed before my eyes very fast.”   

Photo Gallery

A-Battery 319th Glider Field Artillery 82nd Airborne Division - Epinal, France - June 1945

Post-War Photos

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Photos courtesy of the Lepkowski family, Louis Tansky and Joseph Covais, author of BATTERY

Company Morning Reports

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STL Archive Records

Milton Susman, 87, died August 1, 2010. God bless this hero.