This entry contains a first-hand account
of "the little Royan War" (see the Mission: Royan entry wirh tegards to the Pink Lady's
involvement) as told by Bob, who has been kind enough to share his vivid
recollections of the day.I was on the ground when the short war was fought to clear the Germans from what we knew as the Royan Pocket. Besides The Free French forces that would do the ground fighting, support was being provided by the U. S. 8th Air Force, also there were American ground troops, three battalions of Field Artillery, 155 mm howitzers. I was the Battalion Survey and Instrument Sgt. in one of them, the 257th Field Artillery Battalion. I was also trained as a forward observer and this was what I worked at during this little war. Though now 83, I have a pretty good memory of what went on during this event. The accounts that I have read however, do not coincide well with what I saw happen.