Davis, Russell, St. Helena Parish, Louisiana
File prepared by D.N. Pardue and submitted by Inez Bridges Tate.
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Submitted to the LAGenWeb Archives
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From "St. Helena Vets Remember World War II: Personal Interviews
With World War II Vets", published by St. Helena Historical
Association, 1995.  Compiled and edited by Inez Bridges Tate and
reprinted with permission.

     Russell Davis (Bean) was born and grew up on a dairy farm

in the Hillsdale Community.  He attended school at Woodland and

after school worked on his parents' dairy farm.  He was nicknamed

by a cousin and it "stuck".  Everyone knows him as Bean and he

has even received mail addressed to "Bean Davis."

     Bean was drafted on November 27, 1943, reporting to Camp

Beauregard, near Alexandria, Louisiana.  Basic training was at

Fort Ord, California.  He then took amphibious training at

Fort Ord, California, then was sent to Camp Shelby, Indiana.

     He then left from New York to go overseas, going first to

Scotland then into England.  Bean was among the troops to invade

France on D Day, June 6, 1944.  This vast armada of ships was

stunning to the eyes of the Germans who did not expect invasion

at these points.  They soon opened fire on the Allied forces.

His outfit landed on Utah Beach, which was the easiest of the

two landing points.  Surviving the initial invasion, his outfit

pushed inland and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in the

Ardeene Forest.  It was here his outfit, the 106th Division, was

overrun by the Germans and he along with others were taken pris-

oner at 4:30 in the morning on December 18, 1944.  He recalls

the extreme cold weather but said he had more clothes than he

could carry.  When captured, the Germans took his overcoat,

gloves and woold cap that was worn under his helmet.  They walked

to the camp and each time they moved to another camp, they were

forced to walk.  They were first taken to Stalag No. 3, a prison

camp in Austria.  He was later moved to a second camp which was

a work camp.  Here he sawed logs in a nearby forest.  With the

Germans realizing the end of the war was near, Bean and fellow

prisoners were moved to a third camp.  It was here they were

liberated by the Russians on April 23, 1945.  They were flown to

France and then traveled from La Havre, France by hospital ship

to Norfork, Virginia.  Bean was wounded and received the Purple

Heart.  While in Germany, he saw Kenion Thompson, a friend from

home.

     Reflecting on his prison time, Bean said they were not

treated very well.  They were only fed once a day and this was a

thin, watery potato soup.  At the time of his capture, he weigh-

ed 145 pounds.  When he was liberated, his weight had dropped to

90 pounds.  After fifty years, it is still difficult for him to

talk about his time as a prisoner of war.  This is understandable.

     From Norfork, Virginia, Bean traveled by train to Camp

Blanding, Florida, separation center, where he received his dis-

charge on October 22, 1945.  Returning to his native St. Helena,

he went into the dairy business.  Like many returning veterans,

he participated in the on-the-farm training and received small

compensation for this from the Veterans Administration.

     He and Miss Doris Connolly were married on April 2, 1949.

They have two children and one grandson.  Doris is a nurse and

continues this work but now on a part-time basis at St. Helena

Parish Hospital in Greensburg.  Bean has retired from dairying

and due to poor health, his activities are limited.  They are

faithful members of Hillsdale Baptist Church located near their

home.

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