亲爱的人们
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，你们可能从来不曾知晓，我是“在行动中失踪”的。很可能你也从未收到我从德国寄来的任何一封信件。我不得不在摘要里好好解释一番:
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，希特勒最后一次不顾一切地突袭卢森堡和比利时，将我们打得溃不成军，我成了战俘。七个狂热的装甲师团袭击了我们，切断了我们与霍奇斯第一集团军的联系。我们侧翼的其他美军师团想办法撤退了：我们只得留下来继续战斗。可毕竟刺刀难敌坦克：我军的弹药、粮食和医疗用品都用完了，伤亡人数远超存战斗力的士兵——所以我们放弃了。有人告诉我，第106师团因此获得了总统表彰，甚至还获得蒙哥马利授予英国勋章，但如果值得的话，我倒不如去死。我是少数几位没有受伤的人。感谢上帝。
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.
就这样，一路上不眠不休、不吃不喝，我们凭借坚定的意志前往林贝格，我想，大概有60英里的路程，我们在那里给枪上膛，每辆狭小、密闭、冷气逼人的箱式车内挤着60个人。那里没有卫生设施——地板上都是臭气熏天的牛粪。我们甚至找不到一处空隙躺下来休息。有一半人睡觉时，另一半人就得站着。我们在路上颠簸了几天，就连圣诞节也不停歇地前往在林贝格侧线。圣诞前夜，英国皇家空军轰炸并扫射了我们那列没有标记的火车。他们杀了我军大约150人。圣诞节那天，我们喝了点水，慢慢地穿过德国，来到柏林以南的马尔堡(Muhlburg)的一个大型战俘营。元旦那天，他们才将我们从车厢里放出来。德国人用滚烫的灭虱喷剂把我们赶出去。许多人在经过十天的饥饿、口渴和暴晒后，因为这些喷剂死于休克。而我侥幸活命。
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