WILLIAM GORDON MCLEES

U.S. ARMY, 12TH Armored Division,


66TH Armored Infantry Battalion


Interview by Johnnie Faye Taylor

Bill McLees is the son of James Maxie McLees, Sr. and Daisy Charlton Sullivan McLees. He was born and raised in Greenwood, South Carolina. Bill's father was a dentist in Greenwood. No doubt this influenced Bill's decision to go into the dental field after graduating from high school and attending Furman University.

When the United States entered into World War II in December 1941, Bill was a student at the Atlanta Southern Dental College in Atlanta, Georgia. He was too young to sign up for the draft when war was declared. However, as soon as he was old enough, he registered with the draft board. Bill was deferred until after graduation.

In February 1943, Bill graduated from dental college. He and the other graduates in his class were given commissions in either the Army or Navy. Bill went into the Army as a First Lieutenant.

His first orders were to report to Camp Pickett, Virginia for training. As Bill was leaving home, his daddy said to him, "Remember who your mother is." By that statement, he meant for Bill to behave himself while he was away in the Army.

Bill went through 6 weeks of indoctrination and training. Much of the training was in military protocol and the Army's unique way of doing things. The young men lived in barracks at Camp Pickett during training.

Next, he was ordered to Camp Campbell, Kentucky. Camp Campbell is located near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Before reporting to duty there, Bill was given leave.

At the end of his leave, Bill met his friend, Ace Parker, in Atlanta. Ace is also a dentist. The two young men were dressed in their best uniforms trying to look good and sharp. They traveled to Camp Campbell together via train. In those days, there was no air conditioning. The trains produced a lot of soot and cinders that came into the train cars by way of the open windows. By the time Bill and Ace arrived in Kentucky, they were terribly dirty. Bill remembers being as black as the Ace of Spades.

Finally, the two reached Hopkinsville. They found a small boarding house where they spent the first night. It was wonderful to get a nice, clean shower, clean uniforms and a good meal. The next morning, Bill was in the living room by himself when a retarded woman came in. She said, "You men must be something big in the Army". Bill replied, "Yes mam, we are. We are First Lieutenants." Ace heard him but didn't let Bill know until sometime later.

After getting their bags and suitcases together, Bill and Ace made their way out to the base camp. They reported in to the 12th Armored Division Headquarters. They were assigned rooms in the Base Batchelor Officer Quarters. Both men were also assigned to the Base Dental Clinic.

It was in those quarters that Bill first learned that Ace had heard his remark to the retarded woman at the boarding house. Ace would run up and down the hall by Bill's room yelling, "Yes mam, we are something big in this Army. We are First Lieutenants."

Bill was to take this kidding from Ace for sometime because of his youthful remarks.

Bill worked in the Dental Clinic at the base for about 5 or 6 months. He performed dental services on the soldiers' teeth, as it was needed. Many of the young soldiers had never received dental care during their childhood and had problems that needed correcting before going overseas.

Two months of maneuvers in Tennessee came next. During this time, Bill slept in bed rolls on the ground. The maneuvers took place in the Nashville area.

After the maneuvers, Bill's orders to report to Camp Barkley, Texas were received. This was about October 1944. Bill remembers how good it was to see the Pullman train. He had a bed with clean sheets on it for the 1st time in 2 months.

Upon arrival at Camp Barkley, Bill was assigned to the dental clinic. He was again serving the dental needs for men of the 12th Armored Division. About the time he got accustomed to Camp Barkley, new orders arrived.

Bill and the other men in his division were shipped out of Texas to Camp Shanks, New York. Camp Shanks is located about 20 miles north of New York City. They were only there a short time.

The division moved to the Port of New York where they embarked on the ship Empress of Australia. This ship was built about the end of World War I. It had been recommissioned several times and had become a troop transport ship for World War II.

The Empress of Australia sailed in a convoy of approximately 40 ships with their destination being England. The convoy had 2 destroyers in front and also 2 destroyers in the rear. Bill's ship towed logs that were used by the ship traveling behind them as a navigational aid at night. The logs created wakes that were white and made it easier to see the route of the ship they were to follow.

Bill remembers watching the destroyers in front of the convoy as they used a zig zag method of travel. The destroyers occasionally got very active in their forward patterns. This made him aware of the evasive steps being taken to get away from submarines that may have been lurking beneath the ocean surface.

One day while en route, they heard a German propaganda radio announcement. The Germans were announcing that they had sunk the ship, Empress of Australia. This, of course, was untrue.

After two weeks at sea, the ship was near Liverpool, England. The harbor was full of ships waiting to use the port facilities. Port use was determined by priority. A considerable amount of time was spent waiting to pull into port. The ship was well supplied with food and the men continued to eat well.

Finally, it was time to disembark. Bill and his division were moved inland to old English Barracks named Tidworth Barracks. They remained at this location for a number of weeks.

While at Tidworth Barracks, Bill and some of the men got leave to go to London. They were assigned lodging in the City and spent their days sightseeing. There was plenty of wartime excitement in London with many soldiers on the streets. Even the cabs had to observe the blackouts. Bill was amused at the people, their accents and the directions they were willing to give the soldiers. Their directions always ended with "You can't miss it". He also remembers the children approaching him and asking, "Have you any gum, chum?"

Too soon, it was time to leave England. They crossed the English Channel in an LCI (Landing Craft Infantry). The LCI is a flat bottom vessel that can be landed on a beach. Upon landing in the LeHarve area of France, Bill walked directly onto land.

The Army used 2 « ton trucks to transport the men inland to their destination that was about 75 miles from the coast. They were housed in a French Chateau on beautiful grounds. The Chateau had a moat around it. The furniture had been removed to make room for the officers of the entire headquarters of the 66th Armored Infantry Battalion. They slept on bed rolls on the floor. Food was served in the Army Mess located on the Chateau's grounds. The food was very good.

There was no fighting in the area and life was basically not too bad. Bill set up portable dental equipment. He did occasional routine work such as fillings and treating gum disease.

All good things come to an end so about early November 1944, it was time to move on. They were ordered to the Alsace Province of France where they were committed to combat. The Alsace Province is in the northeast corner of France.

During the time Bill's unit was in combat, he spent most of his time helping the medical officers. He bandaged wounds, gave plasma when needed and gave other assistance as needed. It was not possible to set up his dental equipment while on the move. They were in heavy combat much of the time. Bill slept in a pup tent the first few nights while in combat. Their food was mostly C Rations and K Rations.

Whenever possible, basements and/or buildings were found and used by the medical detachment. They set up Battalion Aide Stations in them. This was much more satisfactory than the portable units they had to use in the field.

Their worst time of combat was around Strasbourg, France at Steinwold Forest. The little town near them was Herrlisheim, France. The division was badly mauled but not defeated. Bill's routine remained about the same. He continued to assist the medical officers as they treated the wounded. There were heavy casualties and many injuries. It was quite a battle!

Christmas Day 1944, Bill and the other men in the 7th Army were located around Utweiler, France with General Patch's Army. This was some distance south of the Battle of the Bulge area. They were in a reserve position at that time. They could hear artillery fire in the distance.

The day was somewhat melancholy for Bill. He thought of home and then where he was located on the anniversary of Jesus' birth. Bill doesn't remember any special Christmas activities taking place in his camp.

The Battalion had a Chaplain. He came around to see the men and held religious services on Sundays. The services meant a lot to Bill and he appreciated the opportunity to meet and worship with men of faith.

Once during extreme fighting at Herrlisheim, the medical officer and Bill went forward to look for their commanding officer who was in a tank. They wore long green overcoats instead of the normally white coats that U.S. personnel usually wore in the field when there was snow on the ground. The two appeared to be Germans who also wore long green overcoats. They were nearly killed by an American with a machine gun. They lived to tell the story because they knew the password. It was a very anxious time for Bill.

Soon it became time to go into Germany. For a time, the 12th Armored Division was on loan to General Patton's Army. They crossed the Rhine River at Worms, Germany on a pontoon bridge under a smoke screen. This was on March 28, 1945. There was no opposition as they crossed the Rhine. Bill and the other men were thankful for that.

There was still rather heavy fighting after crossing into Germany but never like the fighting around Herrlisheim, France.

For 2 or 3 days, the Division moved night and day without stopping except to fight any resistance that came up or to refuel.

Bill's battalion took a bridge over the Danube River on April 22, 1945. This bridge was a cement bridge at Dilligeu. They put up a sign reading "You are crossing the Blue Danube courtesy of the 66th Armored Infantry Battalion". They were not allowed to take all the credit. The sign was changed to read "You are crossing the Blue Danube courtesy of the 12th Armored Division".

One day while Bill was outside, a group of German Prisoners came walking through the area. One poor soldier was drunk and just staggering along. Bill told the U.S. soldiers to put him on the back of a jeep. This was an important time for Bill. He realized he still had some compassion for German soldiers and the German people.

The war was finally over. The Army returned men to the States based on a point system. Bill had very few points. Points were given for a spouse, children and lengths of military service.

Bill stayed in Germany as part of the Army of Occupation. They went into German towns where they took over houses for the troops to live in while there.

In the town of Schwabisch Gmund, they found a dental office with modern equipment. Once again, Bill could practice his profession. Occasionally Germans would go to the dental clinic for service. Again, Bill felt compassion for them.

The battalion was able to house the headquarters personnel in satisfactory buildings. They had a very fine mess (dining facilities) with good German cooks. Bill became fond of the German Potato Soup that he had never eaten before that time. He also enjoyed eating the hard crusted rolls called brochen.

During the workday, Bill kept busy with his dental clinic. Movies were usually available at night. Bill had a camera and took pictures of area sights during off duty daylight hours.

After the war was over and during the Army of Occupation, Bill and his friend, Ace Parker, got leave to go to London. They traveled around and saw as much of England and Scotland as they could during their two weeks leave. Bill remembers how enjoyable the trip was and also how educational it was for him.

Bill moved to another town. Again a modern dental clinic was taken over by the military. The 2 star general had to get a fixed dental bridge replaced. It became Bill's duty to take care of the general's dental problem. Bill was young, just 24 years old. He had never had a patient of such importance. Being uptight and anxious, he started to work. After awhile, Bill successfully completed the job. He was very happy!

When Bill finally received orders to return to the States, he was near Stuttgart, Germany. Bill and several other men in his division boarded an Army ambulance for the trip to LeHarve, France. He called his parents to let them know he was coming home.

In LeHarve, they boarded a medium sized transport ship, the USS Lejuene. This time there was no convoy. Just a single ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean with very grateful troops on board. They had survived the war and their time in the Occupation Army. It was indeed, time to go home.

The ship made port in New York. Bill went back to Camp Shanks, New York for further orders. He was then sent to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina where he was processed out and discharged about July 1946. He had spent 3 years and 3 months in the Army. Bill received several promotions during his military time. He served as a Captain during his overseas duty and was discharged with the rank of Major.

Bill returned to Greenwood, South Carolina. He opened a dental office where he practiced dentistry. He again became active in his community.

He met Barbara Faye Hogan in Greenwood at a square dance. Barbara was working in Greenwood where she put out a magazine for Abney Mills. Bill and Barbara were married December 11, 1954 in Dudley Baptist Church, Dudley, Georgia.

Two boys were born to the couple. The boys were named William Gordon McLees, Jr. and Rubert Hogan McLees. They provide a lot of enjoyment for Bill and Barbara. Upon his graduation from Georgia Tech, Bill became an architect. Bert has worked for IBM since his graduation from Auburn University.

In 1968, Bill retired. He and his family moved to Dublin, Georgia. Bill has a very active retirement life. He has served as a director at the Bank of Dudley for over 25 years. He has managed Hogan Farm, served as president of the Cancer Society and is a member of the Dublin Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

Bill remains active in the First Baptist Church where he is a deacon, a member of the Townsend Sunday School Class, and the Men's Bible Study Group. He has served as chairman of the Board of Deacons, taught Sunday School and served on many church committees over the years.