THOMAS F. DEE, JR.

     Thomas F. Dee, Jr. of Potosi, was Corporal in the U.S. Army's Company F, 88th CAV RCN Squadron of the 8th Armored Division during World War II.  He served in the European Theater of Operations.

      "I was a gunner in a light tank,"  Dee recalls.  "As we were pushing to the final approach to the Rhine River, we observed the German officers coming out of a house and get in a German jeep.  The tank commander said don't let them get away.  I stopped them with one shot.  A little later, we opened their briefcase and found some map overlays of the area across the Rhine from us, showing locations of all their gun emplacements. 

      "There was a rush back to our headquarters.  Copies were made and given to artillery observers and taken airborne in light planes.  The maps were identified as being very accurate. 

     "The Army then began moving in some 100 battalions of artillery.  When they were set up and two divisions were ready, they began shelling across the river at 2 a.m. and continued until 6 a.m. - while engineers were building a 'Bailey' Bridge.  The bridge was finished by 6 a.m. and the two divisions were moved across the Rhine, a river about the width of the Mississippi.  The move was made without losing a man, thanks to the little maps we captured." 

     Dee, a member of V.F.W. Post 6996, explained a 'Bailey' Bridge was a series of heavy rubber rafts fastened side by side.  aluminum tread-ways are then added to the top of the rafts so vehicles could drive and men walk to the other side.