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It's probably fair to say that virtually no-one in the UK these days will have heard of Ernest Taylor Pyle - Ernie Pyle, legendary WWII correspondent.
I hadn't, until I saw various mentions of him in Hemingway's letters ( Hemingway, of course, was jealous of Pyle's exploits and reputation ).
I found a little secondhand book today called 'An Ernie Pyle Album' published as a tribute in 1946.
Pyle had a difficult life, dogged by illness, overwork and a difficult marriage. But WWII saw his career reach a peak and he became a household name in the USA - following the action in London, Tunisia, Sicily and Anzio. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1943 and was in the thick of the fighting in Normandy - even surviving the 8th AF bombing which killed Geberal McNair. Fatigued, he went home but returned to the action in the Pacific in early 1945.
On 18th April that year, he was shot through the head by a Japanese machine-gunner on Ie Shima. A memorial was erected stating simply :
'At This Spot The 77th Infantry Division Lost A Buddy. Ernie Pyle. 18 April 1945'.
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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson
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