Banks, Les
Posted on 14 September, 2021 by in Veterans By Name, B
Face to face Interview
Typed September 27, 2019
Page 95 Notebook 3
Les Banks: Born 1924: 90 INF DIV, 358 REC “D” Co
Les was a 30 cal, water-cooled machine gunman. Drafted April 1943, basic training at Camp Blanding in Florida. Then Little Rock for advanced INF training at Camp Robinson. Then in April 1944 by Liverpool, then to Normandy at Omaha Beach, about June 15th, 1944. He fought in the hedgerows for about 3 weeks. Les was in Patton’s 3rd army. Then at Falise Gap at the East and South end when they closed, (the 90th) it off. Les was about 400 yards away in July 1944. Then to Paris but was pulled out so the free French could open Paris. 10-15% of the 90th division casualties were from friendly fire. The 90th got into a skirmish with 10th M.T division, short but very violent. About August 1944, they fought a lot of at Metz, France where they ran out of gas. Les received a silver star when he fired from a 76 mm tank destroyer, killing 2 German tanks and turned a German columon around. From Metz, he turned south into Germany about 15 miles by the seaside line. Then at the Battle of Bulge, they set up a defence position, then to outskirts of Bastogne, Belgium. Then they, (90th) were sent North and a little West, to close off a German retreat back into Germany. Very tough fighting and very cold with snow. Les was wounded by an 88 north of Bastogne by a tank who was firing at Les who was alone on an outpost with a 30cal machine gun. The German tanks destroyed American tank destroyers so that he was shot in the left leg and left ankle but continued to run to our lines. Then his own troops started firing the German tanks were Tigers, Les thinks. 15 badly wounded men were back by where Les was alone. The Germans told the medic to go back for an ambulance to come pick up the 15 that were badly wounded. I do not have Les on DVD. I only knew him for a short time at Bet-Mar where I lived in the winters. Les stuttered so he did not want to be interviewed on DVD. I do have notes in my spiral note book of Les Banks. I wished he would have allowed me to interview him on DVD. Les had many very interesting memories of WW II hitting Omaha Beach about one week after. the initial landing on about the 15th of June 1944.