The Pittsburgh Press (April 23, 1945)
Americans and Russians make contact by radio
Yanks find Red soldiers talk just like G.I.’s – voices of Soviet troops becoming louder
By Robert Vermillion, United Press staff writer
WITH U.S. TROOPS, beyond the Elbe (April 22, delayed) – The Americans and Russians made contact deep in Germany today – by radio.
Hour by hour, the Russian voices have become louder and plainer. And the Russians have heard us, but are not yet sure they believed us.
The first contact was made this afternoon after a liberated “liaison” officer named Prissjaschnjun broke in several times and called the Russians.
“Who are you? Identify yourself and your commanding officer,” came back the answer.
Contact fades
Prissjaschnjun was trying to figure out the answers when the radio contact faded.
That was the first time the advance U.S. and Russian forces talked with each other, although the Yanks have been listening to the exchange of messages among Soviet troops.
And the astonishing thing to every Doughboy who can understand 10 words of Russian is that the Soviet G.I.’s sound just like American G.I.’s.
A dozen or more men can be found clustered around every vehicle which can muster a translator.
‘Talking just like us’
“Whadda they say now, Joe?”, the G.I.’s demand when they hear the Russian voices.
The translator bends over his set, combs out the static and relays the play-by-play:
“They’re talking just like us. One of the guys is telling Ivan ‘Hey, wake up,’ and Ivan’s telling him ‘All right, all right, I’m awake.’”
Then the translator waits awhile until the Russians start talking again.
Gives translation
That’s a couple of code names talking to each other – you know like “Blackjack Red from Blackjack: Power six wants to know how close you are to objective Haddock.”
The G.I.’s smile in amazement.
“Well, whaddya know – just like us.”
No longer do they feel they are about to meet men from Mars.
Reconnaissance elements, with Russian-speaking G.I.’s, are already poised to follow up that radio contact and the 329th Infantry Regiment is getting a task force ready to follow the reconnaissance.
Junction imminent
Although the closest approach of the Russians to the Ninth Army is still uncertain, everything indicates the junction should be imminent.
The 329th Infantry’s reconnaissance and intelligence platoon, which is standing by to slash from the bridgehead toward the Russians, is headed by Lt. Sam Magill of Ashtabula, Ohio.
It is the same outfit which brought in 20,000 Germans from south of the Loire River last autumn.