親愛的人們
I'm told that you were probably never informed that I was anything other than "missing in action." Chances are that you also failed to receive any of the letters I wrote from Germany. That leaves me a lot of explaining to do -- in precis:
我被告知，你們可能從來不曾知曉，我是“在行動中失蹤”的。很可能你也從未收到我從德國寄來的任何一封信件。我不得不在摘要里好好解釋一番:
I've been a prisoner of war since December 19th, 1944, when our division was cut to ribbons by Hitler's last desperate thrust through Luxemburg and Belgium. Seven Fanatical Panzer Divisions hit us and cut us off from the rest of Hodges' First Army. The other American Divisions on our flanks managed to pull out: We were obliged to stay and fight. Bayonets aren't much good against tanks: Our ammunition, food and medical supplies gave out and our casualties out-numbered those who could still fight - so we gave up. The 106th got a Presidential Citation and some British Decoration from Montgomery for it, I'm told, but I'll be damned if it was worth it. I was one of the few who weren't wounded. For that much thank God.
1944年12月19日，希特勒最后一次不顧一切地突襲盧森堡和比利時，將我們打得潰不成軍，我成了戰俘。七個狂熱的裝甲師團襲擊了我們，切斷了我們與霍奇斯第一集團軍的聯系。我們側翼的其他美軍師團想辦法撤退了：我們只得留下來繼續戰斗。可畢竟刺刀難敵坦克：我軍的彈藥、糧食和醫療用品都用完了，傷亡人數遠超存戰斗力的士兵——所以我們放棄了。有人告訴我，第106師團因此獲得了總統表彰，甚至還獲得蒙哥馬利授予英國勛章，但如果值得的話，我倒不如去死。我是少數幾位沒有受傷的人。感謝上帝。
Well, the supermen marched us, without food, water or sleep to Limberg, a distance of about sixty miles, I think, where we were loaded and locked up, sixty men to each small, unventilated, unheated box car. There were no sanitary accommodations -- the floors were covered with fresh cow dung. There wasn't room for all of us to lie down. Half slept while the other half stood. We spent several days, including Christmas, on that Limberg siding. On Christmas eve the Royal Air Force bombed and strafed our unmarked train. They killed about one-hundred-and-fifty of us. We got a little water Christmas Day and moved slowly across Germany to a large P.O.W. Camp in Muhlburg, South of Berlin. We were released from the box cars on New Year's Day. The Germans herded us through scalding delousing showers. Many men died from shock in the showers after ten days of starvation, thirst and exposure. But I didn't.
就這樣，一路上不眠不休、不吃不喝，我們憑借堅定的意志前往林貝格，我想，大概有60英里的路程，我們在那里給槍上膛，每輛狹小、密閉、冷氣逼人的箱式車內擠著60個人。那里沒有衛生設施——地板上都是臭氣熏天的牛糞。我們甚至找不到一處空隙躺下來休息。有一半人睡覺時，另一半人就得站著。我們在路上顛簸了幾天，就連圣誕節也不停歇地前往在林貝格側線。圣誕前夜，英國皇家空軍轟炸并掃射了我們那列沒有標記的火車。他們殺了我軍大約150人。圣誕節那天，我們喝了點水，慢慢地穿過德國，來到柏林以南的馬爾堡(Muhlburg)的一個大型戰俘營。元旦那天，他們才將我們從車廂里放出來。德國人用滾燙的滅虱噴劑把我們趕出去。許多人在經過十天的饑餓、口渴和暴曬后，因為這些噴劑死于休克。而我僥幸活命。
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