"lost" battalion bestowed high honor

Transcription

T H E O FF IC IA L PU B L IC A T IO N
V O L U M E XX
•
NUM BER 2
V ETERA NS OF T H E B A TTLE OF T H E B U L G E , INC.
TH E A R D EN N E S CAM PAIGN
MAY 2001
"LOST" BATTALION
BESTOWED HIGH HONOR
[The fo llo w in g article a p p ea red
in
The
W ash in g to n Post,
F ebruary 24, 2001. The article
w as w ritten by S teven Vogel.]
The end w as in sight for A rm y Lt.
R ichard D urkee and his paratroopers.
A fter four days o f b itter fighting in
the frozen A rdennes during the B attle
o f the B ulge, the m en w ere closing in
on th eir final objective, a B elgian
tow n guarding a critical G erm an
escape route.
D urkee had m oved forw ard through
the deep snow to take out a G erm an
m achine gun nest on a b lu ff defending
the fortified tow n. He looked behind,
expecting to see his platoon m oving
up.
T here w as nobody save one
soldier.
"Send up the dam n m en so w e can
attack the tow n," D urkee called.
"Sir, I c a n ’t" the soldier replied.
"T hey’re all dead."
D urkee fell back to find that m ore
than 15 m en had been caught in
crossfire from G erm an m achine guns,
and th eir riddled rem ains w ere
strew ed in the snow.
"Oh, that w as terrible," D urkee, 82
o f C ollege Park (M aryland), said
recently, his voice shaking at the
m em ory. "There w as m y platoon,
body upon body."
[Lt. C ol W ood Joerg, show n in
s o u th e r n
F ra n c e
(1 9 4 4 ),
com m anded
th e
551st
B attalion.]
W hen the battle w as over, m ore than
four-fifths o f the 643 m en in the
551st Parachute Infantry B attalion
w ere w ounded or dead. The Lost
B attalion, they w ould later be called.
Y esterday, at a packed Pentagon
cerem ony, the Lost B attalion finally
received recognition. M ore than 40
veterans, including D urkee, w ere on
hand as G en. Eric K. Shinseki, the
arm y c h ie f o f staff, aw arded the 551 st
the Presidential U nit C itation, the
highest honor that can be given to an
A rm y unit.
"W e are in the presence o f heroes,"
Shinseki told the audience.
"A fter such a long period o f tim e,
it’s not
only
v indication,
it’s
v e rific a tio n
of
w hat
we
accom plished," said retired Col.
D ouglas D illard, 75, a Bow ie resident
w ho served in D u rk ee’s com pany and
spoke on b e h a lf o f the veterans.
U ntil now , the battalion received
little credit for its role in the B attle o f
the B ulge, the largest and bloodiest
land battle fought by U.S. troops in
W orld W ar II. A surprise G erm an
offensive through the A rdennes in
D ecem ber
1944
had
sent
the
A m ericans reeling and th reaten ed the
A llied advance in N azi-h eld Europe.
(Continued on Page 8}
VBOB
REUNION
ORLANDO,
FLORIDA
SEPTEMBER 29 TO OCTOBER 3, 2001
VETERANS OF THE
BATTUE OF THE BULGE,
INC.
P.O. Box 11129
Ailingtiifi. VA 22210-2129
7nS2B ^4 0 S S
Publishec
quarterty,
THE
BULGE tV G L E is the official
publicatio i of the Veterans of
the Battle of the Bulge.
Publishei/C hief Editor:
George Chekan
9th Infantry Division
C ontribuiing E ditors:
Robert F. Phillips
H istorica R esearch:
John D. Bowen
Associate Member
Ja m e s W. Hunt
1st Infantry Division
Demetri Paris
9th Armored Division
Two Years:
Frederick R. Carmichael
Fran>3es W. Doherty
A ssociate Member
Peter F. Dounis
O ne Year:
Sydney J. Lawrence
134th AAA Gun Battalion
Renato Victor Trapani
4268 Quarterm aster Truck
Company (Heavy)
Robert F. Phillips
•••••
HISTORICAL FOUNDATION:
ELECTEE' OFFICERS;
P re sid e n t:
John Dunleavy
737 Tank Battalion
Executive Vice P resid en t:
Louis Cunningham
10)th Infantry Division
Vice P resident/M em bership:
Thomas F. Jo n es
818th C('mbat MP Company
Vice P resid en t/C h ap ters:
Richard C. Schlenker
2i)th Infantry Division
P re s id e n t: William T Greenville
86th Chem ical Mortar Batta ion
Vice P re si( ent/M ilitary A ffairs:
Stanley Wojtusik
1(X)th Infantry Division
V ice Presic e n t/P u b llc A ffairs:
Ja c k Hyland
VBOB PAST PRESIDENTS:
Clyde D. Boden*
1981-84
Robert J. VanHouten 1984-86
George Chekan
1986-88
William T. Greenville 1988-90
Darrell Kuhn
1990-92
William R. Hemphill* 1992-93
William P. Tayman
1993-94
Grover C. Twiner
1994-95
Stanley Wojtusik
1995-97
George C. Linthicum 1997-99
*Deceased
CHAPTER PRESIDENTS
Treasurer:
William P. Tayman
8 'th Infantry Division
C orresp o n d in g S ecretary:
Dorothy S. Davis
57th Field Hospital
Recordinci Secretary:
John Bowen
Associate Member
•••••
A dm inistrative D irector:
Nancy M oison 703-528-4058
TRUSTEES:
Three Yesirs:
Richard G Guenter
5 1 1th Engim er Light Ponton Company
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BRIN' 3
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DUPLICATED.
610-921-2568
May, 21)01
President's Message
H ardly a w eek goes by th at I do not hear from som e planned
activity or dedication o f a m onum ent taking place in the name
o f our organization, som ew here in the U nited States. We often
h ear o f W W II outfits w hich are disbanding because o f lack o f
interest and low enrollm ent. I can assure that such is not the
case for the V eterans o f the B attle o f the Bulge. N ancy
M onson, our A dm inistrative D irector, assures m e that we are
gaining new m em bers each m onth and the level o f interest o f
our m em bers is high.
This, o f course, in m y view is
due to the fact that som e o f our
chapter presidents still have the
fire in th eir bellies to arrange
interesting m eetings, prom ote
com radeship and to think o f
additional w ays to get new
m em bers. In m any w ays, the
results have been astonishing.
W e are forever grateful for their
efforts.
A t this tim e. I ’d like to cite
som e specific exam ples:
In O rlando, Florida, H arry J.
M eisel, w ho in D ecem ber, 1999,
w as C hairm an o f the VBOB
John Dunleavy
C om m ittee to erect a huge statue
o f the A m erican Soldier in dow ntow n O rlando, w hich was
attended by over 1,200 people, has for m any years provided
excellent leadership in th at area. Mr. M eisel has not only
given o f his tim e and effort to our organization but has been
unselfish in other anonym ous w ays. H arry w ill be w orking
w ith Lou C unningham in p lanning the S eptem ber O rlando
Reunion.
A t the D ecem ber 1999 M onum ent D edication in O rlando, the
keynote speaker w as Brig. G en. W illiam E. C arlson (R et.) His
speech w as a m em orable one and w e are calling upon him to
again deliver in S eptem ber 2001. In addition. Brig. Gen.
(R et.) A lbin F. Irzyk, a battalion com m ander o f tanks in
"P atton’s B est," 4th A rm ored D ivision, has also inform ed me
o f his w illingness to be on hand and to help in any way
possible. W e are indeed honored to have m en o f such calibre
and ability.
R ecently, Jim H unt, o f C olum bus, M ississippi, w as chairm an
o f a m em orial com m ittee to erect a VBO B m onum ent at C am p
Shelby, M ississippi. Jim , a First Infantry D ivision veteran,
gathered together at C am p Shelby U .S. S enator T rent Lott, the
governor and other state d ignitaries all in the nam e o f the
veterans o f the B attle o f the B ulge.
On M ay 5, 2001, at M anassas, V irginia, the Freedom
M useum , com prising m ore than 60 o perating m ilitary vehicles
(W W II tanks, half-tracks, jeep s, etc.) w ill be on display for the
general public. It is ex pected that over 1,000 people will
attend this event and w e have been asked to give a talk on
W W II A rm ored W arfare. W e intend to take part in this event.
The next day M ay 6, 2001, D oris M. Form an, a VBOB
A ssociate M em ber and spouse o f S/Sgt W illiam J. Form an,
riflem an, 26th Infantry D ivision (deceased) w ill sponsor a
dedication o f a m em orial m o num ent for VBO B at Ft.
M onm outh, N ew Jersey. The A cting G overnor o f N ew Jersey
THE BULGE BUGLE
and general officers o f the post are scheduled to atten d along
w ith VBO B m em bers and citizens in the area.
Stanley
W ojtusik, V ice P resident o f V BO B, w ill take an active part in
the cerem ony. Mrs. Form an, w hose fam ily history o f m ilitary
service dates back to the R evolution, is highly co m m ended for
her loyalty and deep interest in this and other m atters.
N ot enough good things can be said concerning C hapter
P resident G eorge Fisher o f the Southeast C h apter o f Florida.
Several years ago, G eorge started w ith nothing and today has
approxim ately 200 veterans and w ives w ho attend their
m eetings. T hese m eetings are often luncheons at restaurants or
hotels. G eorge has involved the press and on one occasion had
U.S. C ongressm an C lay Shaw attend th eir function. G eorge
has assured m e that he w ill have 200 attendees at the
S eptem ber 2001 R eunion in O rlando. G eorge Fisher does a
good jo b for VBO B on a continuous basis.
R ichard G uenter, o f our E xecutive C ouncil and form er
com m anding o fficer o f the 511th E ng in eer L ight Pontoon
C om pany in W W II, assigned to T hird U.S. A rm y, is alw ays
available for his sound advice and steady hand. G uenter takes
part in all o f our E xecutive C ouncil m eetings and is constantly
thinking o f w ays to benefit V BO B.
Jack H yland, o f Pennsylvania, a form er ex ecutive in the
com m unications industry, and form er infantrym an w ith the
84th D ivision, can alw ays be co unted on for his w ise counsel
at our m eetings. Jack has a ton o f ex perience in m any areas
and we appreciate all that he has done for our organization.
Peter L eslie, o f the N ew Jersey C hapter, has done a
re m ark ab lejo b o f opening new chapters in the N ew Jersey and
N ew Y ork areas and nurturing them along so th at they w ill be
productive. Peter served in R ichard G u en ter’s com m and,
511th E ng in eer L ight Pontoon C om pany in W W II, and
continues to "bridge" into new areas for our organization.
1 could go on and on about the m en and w om en o f our
veterans group, concerning th e ir unselfish efforts for the good
o f the organization. T h eir efforts have been a source o f great
inspiration to m e. I consider m y jo b to be a "labor o f love."
W henever 1 think back about the exhausting toil and the
sacrifices m ade by our m en on a 24 hour basis from N orm andy
to the end o f the w ar, I consider it to be an absolute privilege
to be associated w ith such men.
Lou C unningham , G eorge L inthicum , and H arry M eisel w ill
be w orking dilig en tly to m ake our S eptem b er-O cto b erR eunion
in O rlando a success. N o horses w ill be spared and through all
o f our efforts, it w ill be successful. L et us all be proud to
represent our organization in all possible w ays.
Stay w ell and I look forw ard to seeing you in O rlando.
IN THIS I S S U E
3.
4.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
P resid en t’s M essag e
Letters to th e Editor
28th Inf. Division
S a g a of 99th Inf. Div.
M issing “Old Gloryr
A ttracted to Bob
602 Anti-Aircraft
R eport of C apt. Wm. Jarrett
26th “Y ankee” Div.
M onum ent, Melt)ourne, Fla.
VBOB Reunion - Orlando
21.
22.
24.
25
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
M em bers S p eak Out
Memorial A ddress
Reunions
Sot. Dan Turner
3rd Armd. Div.
Reflections
S tained G lass W indow
M anton S. Eddy
VBOB Certificate
VBOB Q uarterm aster
May 2001
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
W E FELT TH E IR PAIN
[E xcerpts] W e of th e 343rd M edical Battalion had th e painful [experience]
of treating th e w o u n d e d w ho c a m e to our station. Col. Mahr. our CO , and
all of th e nnem bers of th e e v ac u atio n sy s te m w orked d ay an d night
transferring th e w o u n d e d of th e B ulge to P arisian hospitals until th e end
of th e B ulge c a m e ... a n d th e w a r c a m e to a n end.
W e re c o g n iz e d th e pain an d m alice th a t w e had to put up with, th e pain
a n d suffering of th e th o u s a n d s of w ou n d ed , crying an d begging of the
w o u n d e d not to c u t off their a rm s or limbs. Now, at a g e 87, a s I recall the
p a in s of th a t battle, I often h a v e to cry.
C ould you ju st m ention th a t w e felt th e a c h e s an d p a in s of th e boys
a n d m en w e tre a te d w h e n th ey w e re in su c h agony.
V ic to r D iR u g g ie ro
343 MED BN
AN E R R O R ON T H E MAP
How m an y of yo u r m e m b e rs from th e 84th Division pointed out th e error
In th e m ap on p a g e 28 of yo u r F e b ru a ry 2001 edition? T he m ap sh o w s
M arche. Belgium , a t th e w e ste rn e d g e of th e Bulge to b e within th e
G e rm a n lines. In fact th e 84th Division w a s m oved from th e a re a of th e
R o e r R iver in th e 9th Arm y s e c to r to sto p th e G e rm an a d v a n c e before
M arche a n d th e G e rm a n s n e v e r e n te re d M arche.
A s a footnote, C a p ta in F rank Price, w ho w a s th e 8 -3 of th e 2nd
B attalion. 335th Infantry R egim ent, 84th Division, w a s involved after the
w ar a s a n e m p lo y e e of D oubleday an d C o m p an y in editing G en eral
E is e n h o w e r’s book Crusade in Europe. T h e m ap on p a g e 354 of th at
book, b e fo re publication, sh o w e d M arche within th e m axim um G erm an
p en etratio n in th e A rd e n n e s. F rank told m e in 1949 th a t he personally
had th e e rro r c o rre c te d an d a look a t th e m ap a s it a p p e a re d in th e book
s h o w s th a t M arch e is e x clu d ed , but ju st barely, from th e m axim um
G e rm a n pen etratio n .
A s a no te nf p o ss ib le interest, th e G e rm an 7th P a n z e r Division, which
in 1Q4D d rn v e th rn n g h M arche OH its w 3y to th e M eu se an d ultimately
through F ra n c e , w a s c o m m a n d e d by G e n era l Erwin Rom m el.
I very m uch enjoy reading e v e ry is s u e of The Bulge Bugle and sincerely
th an k you tor all yo u r efforts.
B e r n a r d W. L yon
84 INFO 3 35 INF HQ
C O R R E C T IO N
T h e article re g ard in g th e 3Rth C avalry R e n o n n a is s a n n e S q iiad rn n which
a p p e a re d on p a g e 27 of th e last issu e , sh o u ld h a v e sta te d th at A rthur V,
W hitely w a s with th e 1 0?nd C avalry G rnun, r^Rth C avalry SniiaH ron
(M ech an ized ). C o m p a n y A.
A rth u r V. W hitely
102 CAV G P 38 CAV S Q D (M) A
TIME TO L O O S E N UP
T h e F e b ru a ry issu e , 1 thought, w a s th e b e s t e v er. S urvivors of th e BoB
a re beginning to lo o se n up a n d tell their e x p e rie n c e s in g re a te r detail. It
is g re a t th a t th ey a re . b e c a u s e th e s e e x p e rie n c e s should not b e lost. W e
c a n learn m u ch from w h a t o n e c a n re ad b e tw e e n th e lines, a n d th a t is
th a t c o m m u n ica tio n s a n d Inform ation dow n to th e soldier w ho w a s to do
w h a t is req u ired of him is sa d ly lacking. T h e big picture is not related.
In s o m an y of t h e s e sto rie s , h ad th e m en know n m ore a b o u t th e w hy and
w h e refo r th ey could h a v e d o n e their jo b s s o m uch b e tte r an d m any lives
w e re lost th ro u g h "ig n o ra n c e .”
I w a s e sp e cially in te re s te d in th e sto ry of S a m P e te rs , of C o m p an y F,
2 nd Battalion. 3 28th Infantry R egim ent, 26th Infantry Division. After VE
day, I w a s tra n s fe rre d to th a t unit a s battalion c o m m a n d e r from being a
S -2 of C C R . 8th A rm ored Division, in co m b at. T h at unit w a s se le c te d a s
H onor G u a rd for G e n e ra l P a tto n ’s big sh o w of th e Lippizon h o rs e s in
V ienna, M ajor L eonard W ea k e le y , E xecu tiv e O fficer of th e 26th, w a s th e
overall c o m m a n d e r a n d w a s n e x t in c o m m an d . P a tto n had h ad th o se
h o rs e s re m o v e d from th e G e rm a n s b e fo re th e R u s s ia n s m oved in, th u s
sa v in g th e m for posterity . H e ro d e th e big w hite b e au ty th at Hitler had
p ia n n e a to give to j a p a n s m ronito a n e r tneir victory.
THH B U L G E R U G L E
I alw ays believed mv battalion w a s se le c te d b e c a u s e th e re w e re so
m any returned P urple H eart recipients in th e ra n k s
G e n era l Patton
h u g g ed ev ery o n e of th em with te a rs in his e y e s a s he w alked by them .
W hat an exp erien ce!
W e llin g to n S . S m ith
8 ARMDD
IT W A SN ’T A TYPO
!n the F ebruary, 2001, issu e of The Bulge Bugle or. p a g e 30, th e re \s an.
article a b o u t Lou V arrone. I w ould like to c o rre c t this article.
Mr, V arrone w a s a m em b er of th e 82nd A irborne Division during World
W ar II and he w a s not in th e 87th Division....
G ly n n L. A rrin g to n
82 ABN D 504 PIR HQ
[It wasn't a typo-it w a s a dumb mistake. Sorry.]
C O N CEN TRA TIO N CA M PS
In a partial re s p o n s e to Jo h n M. P a y n e ’s letter in th e F eb ru ary 2001 issu e
on p a g e 26.
Jo h n m entioned an e x p e rie n c e with a c a m p h e sa w in Luxem bourg, the
town of G re v en m a ch e r. O n e m an thought it w a s a G e s ta p o concentration
cam p. T h e G e sta p o did not o p e ra te c o n ce n tra tio n c a m p s (C C ’s), but did
h a v e m any terrible p riso n s an d delivered p riso n e rs to concentration
c a m p s. T h e G e sta p o w a s th e G e rm an S ta te Police an d norm ally took
o v er buildings for their p n so n s w h e re th ey tortured people.
T h ere w e re m any ty p e s of c a m p s u n d e r th e N azi s y s te m from G e sta p o
p risons, K o n zen tratin o slag ers
(co n cen tratio n c am p s), S o d e rlag e rs,
(sp ecial c a m p s) T ran sfe r c a m p s, A rb e itserz ie rh u n g sla g ers, (w orkers
e ducational c a m p s) A u sen k o m m an d o s, (work c a m p s) etc. in all about
5.000 c a m p s now listed in "D as N atio n also ziatisch e L ag e rsy ste m " by th e
International T racing Service.
For e a c h m ain co n cen tratio n c a m p th e re w e re h u n d re d s of su b c am p s,
ex am p le, D a ch a u with about 2 0 9 s u b c a m p s. I w e n t through m any of the
1.400 p a g e s but at this point h a v e not found th e c a m p you m entioned but
it m iyht be listcd UDder a n o th s r nSm c a n d rsp u irc s d e s p c r rs s s a rc h .
From w h at you m entioned a b o u t th e o v e n s. I w ould d isc o u n t w ork c a m p s
and 1 am leaning to p e rh a p s o n e of th e su b c a m p s of th e "StruthofN atzw eiler C C ’s. T his sy s te m w a s a m o n g th e w o rst type of c a m p s of
terrible brutality.
T h ere w e re a b o u t 50 c a m p s in th at sy ste m . T he
G re v e n m a c h e r a re a is n e a r th e 134 B uchcnw ald s y s te m plus 120 work
ca m p s, but th e re w e re a c ateg o ry # 2 a n d N atzw eiler w a s c ateg o ry #3.
G ra v e n m a c h e r sh o w s a G e s ta p o prison in th e a r e a an d m any n e a r by in
G erm any.
1 will continue se a rc h in g for yo u r cam p, but it w ould help a lot i f ! had
m ore information.
T h e m ain N atzw eiler c a m p is now a m u se u m in
sncc.
so m e kind an d is p o ssib le for a G e s ta p o prison but o v e n s norm ally w ere
not c o n n e c te d with them , s o th e o v e n s an d c h ick en w ire on th e building
d o e s c o n fu se things, N atzw eiler w a s w h e re th ey e x p erim e n ted on victim s
and I w o n ’t go into details but Dr Hirtz w a s in control from S tra sb o u rg
T h en they b urned m any of th e b o d ies, th u s I fee! this m ight h a v e b e e n
co n n e c te d . I’ll c h ec k with A aron Kornblum w ho did a sp e c ia l study on the
G e sta p o p riso n s ju st in c a s e . P r o c e s s of elim ination. T h ere is no s e t rule
of beh av io r for th e c a m p s at th e e n d of th e w ar. Up north at Halle on the
Salle in a G erm an Artillery b a s e , w e found a g a s c h a m b e r/sh o w e r room
an d o v en s.
I found o n e other bit of info.
T h ere w a s o n e tra n sie n t c a m p in
L uxem bourg called Fruenfburnnun th at collected 3 ,000 J e w s and s e n t
th em on to Lodz G hetto 1941-42 an d d e c la re d th e nation a s "Ju d e Frien,"
but this d o e s not fit your d escription a t all. If you h a v e any m ore
m em ories, p le a s e write m e, (# 4983 U.S. R oute 2. M arshfield. V erm ont
05658).
C u rtis R. W h ite w ay
99 INFD 394 INF 3 BN
WWII MEMORIAL
I am writing to co m m en t a b o u t th e letter in th e F eb ru ary is s u e written by
"U nsigned," criticizing th e co n stru ctio n of th e W W li m em orial.
His
a rg u m e n t is th a t th e m oney could b e b e tte r u s e d for d isa b le d v e te ran s.
He a lso w rote,
(C ontinued on next page)
M av 2001
(C ontinuation)
"O ur d e e d s s p e a k for th e m se lv e s ." T his latter is qu estio n ab le.
S e v e ra l m o n th s ag o , o n e of th e leading n e w sp a p e rs co n d u cted a poll of
th e se n io r c la s s e s of s o m e of th e best-k n o w n an d p restigious colleges
a n d universities in th e country a b o u t WWII. T hirty-three p e rc e n t did not
know w ho o u r e n e m ie s w ere.
Think, in a few y e a r s from now, th e s e young p e o p le and m any of their
p e e rs from o th er c o lle g e s a n d universities, will b e in im portant positions
in th e work place.
B e c a u s e w e, v e te ra n s , a re hum an, w e a re proud of our se rv ic e and
w a n t to feel it is a p p re c ia te d . But, th e M emorial will b e m ore th an that.
It will b e a p la c e of e d u ca tio n a l v a lu e to th e m any w ho will visit in the
y e a rs to c o m e , th a t th e e v e n ts th a t c a m e to h a p p en in this tim e period of
history, m u st n e v e r h a p p e n again.
S o m e o n e said; "No tyrant e v e r c a m e to pow er w ithout th e c o n se n t of
th e m a s s e s ." T his is true. E xam ples: T h e T yrant K aiser Wilhelm, WWI;
T yrant A dolph Hitler, WWII, th e tyrant w ho lead civilization to th e brink of
extinction. Now th e re c a n b e a b e tte r saying: 'T h e re c a n b e no tyrant
w h e re th e m a s s e s a re a p e o p le w ho a re not ap athetic; or p e o p le w ho
h a v e an intelligent in te rest in national an d international affairs."
At th e e n d of WWII, G e n era l Bradley said: "W e know m ore a b o u t killing
th an w e know a b o u t living.
W inston Churchill said:
"The terrible
T w entieth C entury." T o d ay th e world is a d a n g e ro u s place, o n e exam ple:
th e k now ledge to build a n d launch w e a p o n s of m a s s destruction. W hat
will this new T w enty-first C entury b e for our children a n d our
gran d ch ild ren ?
I m a d e a d onation for th e building of th e Memorial. B e c a u s e of my a g e
an d illness, it is unlikely I will s e e it built, but I am happy to know it will be.
P r e s t o n L. F itz b e rg e r
409 2 QM SV C CO
STILL W ILLING AND A B L E
T h a n k s for printing th e colum n on th e 38th C avalry R e c o n n a is s a n c e
S q u a d ro n (s e n t by A rthur W hiteley). I w a s supply s e rg e a n t for my T roop
A a n d my cap tain , William J. B uenzle, told Cecil C a rn e s from The
Saturday Evening Post th a t I w a s th e b e s t supply s e rg e a n t in th e ETO.
T h at w a s w hen w e b roke into th e Liberation of P a ris on A ugust 25, 1944.
I am 83 y e a rs y o ung an d still a b le to soldier if a s k e d by my country. I
joined th e arm y r e s e rv e s a fter d isc h a rg e in 1945. T hey picked m e up for
K orean in 1950 but while in training at C am p B reckenridge. Kentucky,
they told m e th a t th ey had too m any s e r g e a n ts an d s e n t m e to Stuttgart,
G erm an y to help th e 7th Arm y H e a d q u a rte rs with occu p atio n duties. I did
four and o n e -h alf y e a rs in WWII an d th re e in th e re s e rv e s . Y es, th e arm y
s ta y s with m e e v e ry day.
D avid A. L ev in e
38 CAV R E C O N S O D A
M O RE ON B R A D L E Y ’S "T H O U G H T S "
I didn’t intend to write you c o n cern in g G e n era l O m a r B radley’s "T houghts"
on th e re a s o n s for thinning out th e A rdennes-E ifle front in th e fall and
early w inter of 1944 ( The Bulge Bugle, No 3, 2000). H ow ever, with
P ro fe ss o r J e ro m e L ong’s letter {Bugle, No 1, 2001), th e d isc u ssio n s e e m s
to b e continuing, s o I will p a s s along to your re a d e rs w h at I h a v e learned
peru sin g se c o n d a ry s o u rc e s in prep aratio n for writing The Shock o f War.
T h ere is a c le a r indication in G e n era l B radley's first book of W orld W ar
II m em o ries, A Soldier's Story, th a t he w a n ted th e G e rm an c o m m a n d e rs
to go on th e offensive so m e w h e re along his front. H ere is w h at h e wrote:
"By ev en in g (of D e c e m b e r 16, 1944), it h ad b e c o m e disconcertingly
a p p a re n t th a t this w a s no dem o n stratio n . Eight new G e rm an divisions
had b e e n identified in th e attack. T h e e n e m y h ad c e n te re d his blow
a g a in st M iddleton’s VIII C o rp s front-deep in th e A rd e n n es, th e m o st
vuln erab le point in our entire Allied line.
"‘Well, B ra d ,’ B edel Sm ith (G e n era l E ise n h o w e r’s C hief of Staff) laid his
han d on m y sh o u ld e r, 'y o u ’v e b e e n w ishing for a c o u n te rattac k . Now it
looks a s th o u g h y o u ’v e g o t it.’
"I sm iled wryly a t th e recollection. 'A c o u n te rattac k , y e s, but I’ll be
d a m n e d if I w a n te d o n e this big.’" {A Soldier's Story, R an d McNally
p a p e rb a c k edition 1951, p p s 4 49-450.)
G e n era l B radley an d his Army a n d C o rp s c o m m a n d e rs w e re
u n q u estio n ab ly fru strate d in th e late fall 1944 by th e stu b b o rn G erm an
TH E BU LG E BUGLE
d e fe n s e s along th e Siegfried Line an d th e awful c a s u a ltie s this sta le m a te
w a s inflicting on their fo rce s in th e field, particularly th e infantry re g im en ts
that w e re taking th e brunt of it.
T hey m u st h a v e all given m ore th an a little thought to w h at m ight be
gained if th e J e rrie s w ould only c o m e out of their ho les an d cellars and
b u n k e rs an d try to ta k e ground. An initiative th a t w ould allow th e Army
Air F o rc e and Artillery to go to w ork on them . But from G e n era l B radley
on dow n, they didn’t s e e m to a d o p t se rio u s p lan s at any c o m m an d
ech elo n for preparing their ow n divisions in th e A rd e n n e s or e ls e w h e re for
a co o rd in ate d e fen siv e operation to ta k e a d v a n ta g e of su c h a b ra sh
G erm an m ove.
In fact, th e leading A m erican historican of th e Battle of th e Bulge, th e
late C h a rle s B. M acD onald is m ore th an a little critical of G e n era l B radley
on this s c o re and quite candid ab o u t th e failure of th e g e n e ra l to p re p a re
his com m and.
M cD onald reported in his A Time for Trumpets, his detailed history of
th e Battle of th e Bulge, th a t a few w e e k s b efore th e G e rm a n s stru c k
G en eral B radley told M ajor G e n era l K enneth
S trong, G e n era l
E isen h o w er’s intelligence chief at SH A EF, "he w a s a w a re of th e d a n g e r
in th e A rd en n es" and h ad "e arm a rk ed certain divisions to m ove into (the
a re a ) should th e e n em y a tta ck th ere."
M acD onald, how ever, could find no e v id e n c e in his thorough-going
re se a rc h th a t G e n era l Bradley e v e r issu e d o rd e rs, s e c re t or oth erw ise, to
his su b o rd in a te s to im plem ent a plan of action in th e e v e n t th e G e rm a n s
c o u n te ra tta c k e d in th e A rd e n n es.
In a se c o n d book of m em oirs w ritten in collaboration with th e journalist
Clay Blair and published in 1983, G e n era l B radley g a v e m ore d e ta ils on
th e p re p ara tio n s he m ad e , or claim ed h e m ade:
"I d is c u s s e d th e
possibility in detail with M iddleton (M ajor G e n era l Troy H. C O of U .S. VIII
C orps) of a G erm an spoiling a tta ck in th e A rd e n n es.
"W e m a d e p lan s to d e fen d a g a in st it," w rote G e n era l B radley. "If th e
G e rm a n s hit his se c to r, M iddleton w a s to m a k e a fighting w ith d raw al-all
th e w ay b a ck to th e M e u se R iver if n e c e s s a ry .
"W e c h o s e th e sp ecific d e fe n siv e positions h e w ould hold. S in c e th e re
w e re only a few ro a d s through th e a re a , w e th o u g h t our tactical air fo rc e s
could interdict th em with relative e a s e , further delaying th e G e rm a n s.
"Middleton w a s to v a c a te no g a so lin e or food d u m p s or anything e ls e of
v alue to th e e n em y within th a t line of w ithdraw al. If M iddleton w e re forced
to w ithdraw , h e w ould slow th e e n e m y a s m uch a s p o ssib le , an d I would
order re se rv e arm o red divisions (the 7th a n d th e 10th) a n d o th er units to
clo se p in ce rs at th e b a s e of th e G e rm an sa lie n t a n d cut him off." {A
General's Life. Sim on an d S c h u ste r, 1983, p a g e 354)
Again, M acD onald could find no e v id e n c e th a t G e n era l M iddleton a c te d
on B radley’s o rd e rs, if su c h th ey w ere. H e did not alert his division
c o m m a n d e rs to th e plan. (T hey w ould h a v e h ad to perform th e "fighting
withdraw al.") And further, M acD onald could find no e v id e n c e th a t Bradley
e v e r alerted M iddleton’s su p erio r, G e n e ra l C o u rtn ey H o d g e s, 1 st Army
C O to th e plan, nothing a b o u t th e fighting w ithdraw al, nothing a b o u t
keeping supply d u m p s out of th e a re a of a p o ssib le G e rm an strike.
Nor could M acD onald find e v id e n c e th a t G e n era l B radley inform ed
H o d g es a b o u t th e tw o e a rm a rk e d arm o re d divisions. Nor did h e inform
th e c o m m a n d e rs of th e s e divisions th ey w ould b e called on to m ount a
large- and d a n g e ro u s-c o u n te ra tta c k if th e G e rm a n s struck.
(S e e A Time for Trumpets, p a g e s 73-74, William Morrow, 1985)
In sh o rt d e sp ite th at G e n era l B radley w rote after th e w ar, it w a s obvious
to M acD onald th a t w h a te v e r c o n v e rsa tio n s h e had with M iddleton a b o u t
th e d a n g e rs of a G e rm an a tta c k in th e A rd e n n e s h e did nothing c o n c re te
to p re p a re for it.
T his is particularly disturbing given th e a m o u n t of intelligence on
G erm an p re p ara tio n s for s o m e kind of la rg e -sc a le a g g re s s iv e action along
th e A rdennes-E ifle b o rd e r in th e w e e k s b e fo re th e Null T ag (D -D ay) kick
off. C ontrary to th e g enerally a c c e p te d view th a t th e G e rm a n s had
su c c essfu lly c o v e re d up th e s e p re p a ra tio n s, m u ch h ard an d e v e n m ore
soft information w a s being re ce iv e d by intelligence sta ffs a t A rm y, Army
G roup, and SH A E F h e a d q u a rte rs.
In fact, a n o th e r highly re g a rd e d A m erican military historian, F o rre st C.
P o g u e h a s w ritten acidly, w e m ight ad d , "In an alyzing th e intelligence
situation before th e A rd e n n e s c o u n tero ffen siv e, o n e m ay well a s k w h at
additional information th e Allies w ould h a v e n e e d e d to p red ict th e
D e c e m b e r 16, 1944, attack." {The Supreme Command, U .S. G o v e rn m e n t
Printing Office, 1954, p a g e 371)
C harlie M acD onald sta rte d his m a s siv e job of re s e a r c h for Trumpets
with a high regard for
(C ontinued)
M ay 2001
(O oniinuaiionj
C jeneral B radley. By th e tim e h e finished writing, h e w a s no s o su re . I
know b e c a u s e h e told m e so.
J o s e p h C. D o h e rty
99 tNFD 393 INF 4 BN
[J. C. Doherty is the author of a three-volume history o f the battles
between the U.S. Vth Corps and the German 1st S S Panzer Corps
and 67th Infantene Korps on the north shoulder of the Bulge
southeast of Liege, Belgium. His history is entitled "The Shock of
War: Unknown Battles That Ruined Adolph Hitler's Plan for a
Second Blitzkheg in the West, December-January 1944-45]
N E W Y E A R ’S T O A S T
S e e in g y o u r notice, in th e N ovem ber, 2000, Bugle, to re m e m b e r our New
Y e a r's T o a s t to all w ho s e rv e d in th e Battle of th e Bulge, rem inded m e of
N ew Y e ar’s E ve, D e c e m b e r 31. 1944, on a hospital train leaving th e
C otton a r e a of Belgium . At 5 m in u tes to Midnight a G e rm an p lan e flew
o v e r a n d stra fe d th e train, a n d contin u ed on 20 m inutes for P a ris, F rance.
W h at a N ew Y e a r’s celebration!
T h a t's w hy a t o u r S e n io r C itizens Club a t 12 N oon Pacific tim e I got up
to s to p th e singing to offer a to a st. T h e article copied below from the
Sierra Madre .Mountain Views, Ja n u a ry 18, 2001, tells w h a t h a p p en e d :
"T he S e n io r C lub h a s had a b u sy y e a r with trips, c a te re d lu n ch eo n s,
g u e s t s p e a k e r s a n d sin g -a-lo n g s. O n e im portant e v e n t h a p p e n e d a t our
m eeting on D e c e m b e r 31st, N ew Y e ar’s Eve. Bill N ew bery, S e n io r Club
T re a su re r. WWII v e te ra n a n d m em b e r of VFW, s te p p e d to th e podium at
e x ac tly 12 N oon. H e a s k e d all p re s e n t to offer a to a s t to honor and
re m e m b e r all th o s e , w ho in 1944, w e re fighting th e h o rren d o u s Battle of
th e Bulge. T h e s e m en a n d w o m en w ho fought in vVvVM a te th e h e ro e s of
th e " G re a te s t G e n era tio n " an d d e s e rv e all th e ho n o r an d g ratitude a
grateful co u n try c a n offer. Bill N ew bery w a s th e re an d w e th an k him for
rem inding u s. H a ts off!"
[See Bill's request in the "Members Speak Out" Column.]
W . H. " B i i r N e w b e ry
75 INFO 290 INF H
W HAT A B O U T iviV B A T T A L iO N ?
W hy d o e s n ’t th e 8th A rm ored Division a n d 80th T ank Battalion g e t any
reco g n itio n ?
J ik e n B e rth o ld
8 ARM DD 87 TK BN SVC
A ND W H A T A B O U T MY O U TFIT?
\ really en jo y re ad in g The Bulpe Buole. but I k e e o lookina for so m e th in a
a b o u t m y outfit. 18TH CAVALRY R E C O N N A IS S A N C E SQ U A D R O N ,
14TH CAV ALRY G R O U P , T R O O P C, but h a v e y et to s e e anything.
R o b e r t G. B u n c e
18TH CAV R E C O N SQ D 14 CAV G P T P C
[When you (as members) want to se e something about your group, you
m ust sen d it to us. Your contributions are responsible for the contents
o f this newsletter. O f course, we cut and trim and do som e editing, but
the articles are sent by you. We do not have staff to research things, so
we rely on you entirely.]
NO T AGAIN
T his is in r e s p o n s e to a s s o c ia te m e m b e r Prof. J e ro m e H. Long, J o s e p h
B. Q u a tm a n , sp e c ia l a g en t. Army CIC, a n d D em etri P aris, 9th A rm ored
Division in th e F e b ru a ry 2001 Bulge Bugle.
T h e responsibility for th e "calcu lated risk" w a s G en. E ise n h o w e r’s, not
G e n . B ra d le y ’s, a n d E ise n h o w e r a d m its to it in his book Crusade in
Europe
C a lc u la te d is: to a s c e rta in b e fo re h a n d : form an e stim a te of; inclined to
re ck o n or e stim a te , e sp e cially for o n e ’s ow n interest; a n e stim a te of
probability. R isk is: a c h a n c e of e n co u n terin g harm or loss; to e x p o s e to
a c h a n c e of injury o r loss.
G e n . M arsh all’s o rd e rs to G en . E isen h o w er w e re to s e c u re a lodgm ent
on th e C o n tin e n t of E u ro p e, b re a k out a n d c lo s e to th e R hine. After the
uiiaui-i^cDsrul d u e in p i on niiiei s iife in ju iy , re s is ta n c e g ro u p s w e re told
THE B U LG E BUGI F
to lay off. Hitler w a s m o re im portant to th e Allies alive th an d e a d .
Hitler h ad linîtsd h:s c cm m u n ic aticn s to land lines s c ULTRA intsrccptc
pertaining to a n offensive w ere a lm o st non-existent. Vve h a d en te rta in ed
re sista n c e gro u p aid all a c ro s s F ra n c e. T h at reliable intelligence w a s
dwindling. A c o m m a n d er h a s to rely on his G se c tio n s. O ur G se c tio n s
had issu e d their a s s e s s m e n t of th e situation.
Now look a t a m ap.
W e controlled north of th e A rd e n n es.
We
controlled so u th of th e A rd e n n es.
G en . M arshall had o rd e re d G en.
E isen h o w er to c re a te a stra te g ic re s e rv e of tw o infantry and o n e arm ored
division e a s t of P aris. T h e 82nd a n d 1 0 1 st w e re R&R a t R heim s. W hen
you atta ck an e n em y on a b road front, h e m u st d e fen d on a b road front.
E isen h o w er an d Bradley s a w a n opportunity to e x e c u te a h uge
encirclem ent. To do this, m an p o w er w a s e sse n tia l. S eriously entertaining
the possibility of a G e rm an offensive, th e only a r e a available to Hitler w as
th e A rd en n es.
An intelligent c o m m a n d er a lw ay s stu d ie s terrain. T h e A rd e n n e s did not
contain o n e e a s t-w e s t road. V alleys, rivers, it w a s D ecem b er, fog, snow ,
rain. T o e x e c u te his e n v elo p m en t plan, E isen h o w er took a "calculated
risk" b a s e d on re p o rts from his G se c tio n s.
E isen h o w er an d Bradley m a d e p lan s to re a c t to su c h a p o ssib le
breakthrough. Hitler did not believe th a t w e could re a c t a s quickly a s w e
did. Hitler did not think th a t th e 82nd a n d 1 0 1 st could b e dep lo y ed a s
quickly a s th ey w ere. He did not believe th a t P a tto n could re a c t a s
quickly a s he did.
N ow .which B elgians do you b e lie v e? W hich P O W s do you believe.
R eliable intelligence h a s a sh o rt lived "shelf life." Hitler elim inated and
c re a te d divisions with a w a v e of his hand. Hitler w a s trying to d e c e iv e the
Allies. Prof. L ong’s vitriol is laced with m a y b e s, could, should, ifs and
m ights with nothing to b a ck up w h a t he w rites.
I do not u n d e rsta n d Mr. O u a tm a n 's sta te m e n t to th e o pening d ay of
Hitler’s offensive is in d ispute. D o e s he p o s s e s s inform ation th a t th e re st
of u s a re w rong in using D e c e m b e r 16th? H e s ta te s th a t th e bottom line
is th at th e United S ta te s practically a b a n d o n e d th e A rd e n n e s front.
W h ere d o e s he g e t this inform ation? T h ere is no d ete rm in e d th o u g h t that
no G e rm an w inter offensive w ould not ta k e place.
A s for Mr. P aris, th e re is m ore to Mr. C o le ’s book th an tw o se le c te d
p a g e s . My su g g e stio n is th a t you go b a ck a n d sta rt on p a g e 35 to 55 and
pay c lo s e attention to p a g e 50.
H o w a rd P e te r s o n
4 ARM DD 51 A I5 CCA
A S H O T IN THE ARM
I’v e b e e n a re a d e r of The Bulge Bugle sin c e th e beginning. I learn of
things th at h a p p e n e d c lo s e by. etc.. during th e battle.
I c o n sid e r all v e te ra n s in th e c o m b a t a re a , o n e w ay oi d nother, a sh o t
in th e arm tow ard victory.
I will n e v e r forget w h e n all of u s h e ard th a t th e S S h ad s h o t dow n in
cold blood th e 80 GIs.
J a m e s L. W h ic h a rd
VIII C O R P S HQ & HQ ARTY
JO H N W AYNE U B E R A L L ES
T h e Boston Globe recently p ublished an article (1/21/01) on WWII
G erm an P O W c a m p s located in th e N ew E ngland S ta te s an d included
c o v e ra tg e on th e Houlton. M aine c a m p w h e re I s e rv e d a s s e r g e a n t of the
P O W com p o u n d from July 1945 through N o v e m b er 1945.
T he Houlton P O W co m p w a s actually lo cated within th e Houlton Army
Airfield B a s e w hich h ad b e e n u s e d to ferry p la n e s to E u ro p e in th e early
d a y s of WWII. T h e b a s e w a s situ ate d n e a r th e C a n a d ia n b o rd e r a s w a s
th e tow n of Houlton itself.
A s th e w ar p ro g re s s e d , th e n e e d for th e airfield w a s re d u c e d , a s w a s the
n um ber of Army Air F o rc e p e rso n n e l sta tio n e d th ere . T h e s e red u ctio n s
in turn allow ed th e P O W c a m p to b e fa sh io n e d out of s o m e existing Army
b a rra c k s, m e s s halls, recreatio n room s, e tc .. with all s u c h buildings
forming th e c o m p o u n d e n c lo se d by high fe n c e s, b a rb e d wire, guard
tow ers, etc. S in c e my office w a s inside th e c o m p o u n d , I c a n a tte s t that
th e shelter, clothing, food an d o th er n e c e s s itie s fu rn ish ed to th e P O W s
w e re m ore th an a d e q u a te .
T h e PO W c o m p o u n d itself w a s run like a sm all military c a m p with
G erm an supply s e rg e a n ts , c o o k s b a rb e rs laundry w o rk ers, m edical
p erccn n c!, ctc.
{continued on next
Ma> 2001
(Continued from Page 6)
T h e b a rra c k s, b u n k s, b lan k e ts a n d s to v e s w e re esse n tia lly th e s a m e a s
th o s e u se d by th e U .S. airm en a n d so ld iers sta tio n e d at th e b a se .
Clothing for th e P O W s w a s u se d Gl clothing (se a s o n a b ly correct) with
large P.W . initials sta m p e d prom inently front an d rear.
P riso n e rs going to w ork on th e h u g e A roostook C ounty potato farm s,
c anning facto ries, e tc ., w e re loaded on tru ck s inside th e com pound and
w e re a c c o m p a n ie d by Gl g u a rd s to th e w ork site, on th e site and during
th e return to th e c o m pound. H e ad c o u n ts w e re frequent an d thorough
th roughout th e d a y both within th e c a m p an d a t th e w ork sites.
All work w a s voluntary, i.e., this w a s not forced labor. T h e harvesting
of p o ta to e s w a s labor intensive sin c e th e m ac h in e s sim ply dug up the
p o ta to e s an d left th em sitting on top of th e soil to b e picked by hand and
p ut in barrels. T h e fa rm s of A roostook C ounty w e re h uge in a c re a g e and
civilian labor w a s in sh o rt supply.
In m an y re s p e c ts , th e c a m p w a s run like a b u sin e ss. A rea re sid en ts
w ho em ployed G e rm an p riso n e rs on their potato farm s, tim berland, or in
their c anning fa cto rie s paid th e c a m p s m oney, w hich in turn w a s u se d to
co v e r th e e x p e n s e s of housing, clothing an d feeding th e priso n ers, a s well
a s stip e n d s for e a c h w orking prisoner.
I re m e m b e r th e discipline a t th e c a m p a s being fair, but strict. S o m e of
th e p riso n e rs sp o k e E nglish fluently an d w e re c o n sid ere d likely to attem pt
e s c a p e , p rom pted largely by periodic rum ors th a t th e p riso n e rs would be
s e n t to E u ro p e to d isarm m ine fields planted by their fellow soldiers.
C o n se q u e n tly , careful h e a d c o u n ts w e re required w hen th e p riso n ers
w e re leaving for or returning from w ork details, an d th e re w e re frequent
b a rra c k s in sp e ctio n s. W h en th e very few e s c a p e s did occur, th e military’s
s e a rc h w a s a s s is te d by FBI sp o tte r p la n e s from A ugusta. T h e sta n d ard
p u n ish m en t for e s c a p e e s , in addition to lo ss of s o m e privileges, w a s that
e a c h o n e w alked b a ck to c a m p from th e location w h e re h e w a s
re ca p tu re d . T o th e b e s t of my know ledge, th e lo n g est walk w a s about
eight m iles by a p riso n e r w ho h ad b e e n m issing m ore th an 4 8 hours.
T w o e p is o d e s in m y s e rv ic e a ssig n m e n t to th e Houlton AFB P O W c am p ,
o n e involving s o m e of th e Gl g u a rd s a n d th e se c o n d involving th e
G e rm an P O W s , m ay b e of interest.
I w e n t o v e r s e a s with th e 26th Y a n k e e Division an d se rv e d a s a rifle
platoon s e rg e a n t in F ra n c e , Belgium , L uxem bourg, G erm any, A ustria and
C z ec h o slo v ak ia , leaving my c o m p a n y on M ay 5, 1945 (two d a y s before
th e e n d of WWII in E u ro p e) to c o m e h o m e on points.
In a bit of a n "O. H enry" type tw ist of fate, th e s e G l's w e re e x -P O W s of
th e G e rm a n s an d m o st of th e m w e re from th e 106th Division, having b e en
c a p tu re d w h e n th e G e rm a n s s m a s h e d through in th e A rd e n n es in
D e c e m b e r 1944. T h e s e G l’s w e re by a n d large still bitter th a t they had
b e e n o v e rstre tc h e d , u n d ersu p p lied an d g enerally u n p re p are d a s newly
arrived in th e s e c to r for th e m a s siv e G e rm an tan k an d infantry atta ck in
th e Bulge.
T h e s e Gl e x - P O W s th u s b e c a m e th e jailers a t Houlton P O W cam p.
C ertainly th e d ifferen ce in th e tre a tm e n t th ey had received from th e
G e rm a n s w a s a t th e very low e n d of th e s c a le or indeed off th e s c a le
c o m p a re d to th e fine tre a tm e n t afforded th e G erm an P O W s a t th e
Houlton P O W c am p , w hich is th e only o n e with w hich I a m familiar.
Lastly in a light touch, th e G e rm an P O W s w e re show n m ovies on
o c c a s io n s a n d a s I w a s m aking th e ro u n d s inside th e com pound, I
sto p p e d by th e m e s s hall to c h e c k on s o m e particularly e x u b era n t
ch eerin g . T h e G e rm an p riso n e rs w e re w atching so m e Pacific w arm o v ie -a n d en th u siastically rooting for Jo h n W ay n e . S o m uch for erstw hile allies
w h en Jo h n W a y n e w a s u b e r alles!
J o h n M. G e a g h a n
26 INFO 101 INF 3 BN I
A FAMILY MATTER
I w a s with th e 160th E n g in e er C o m b at Battalion a t S a u e rla u te rn trying
to g e t s o m e tan k d e s tro y e rs a c r o s s th e S a a r River, if this could b e d o n e
an d direct fire put on th e pill b o x e s th e river could b e bridged, a n n o r could
m ove through th e d e fe n s e ring, ra c e up th e e a s t sid e of th e S a a r an d g e t
into th e Trier a re a w h e re m an y rail c e n te rs w ere, this w ould p rev en t th e
fo rc e s being a s s e m b le d for th e p ro p o se d B ulge offensive.
T his w a s h a p p en in g th e first tw o or th re e w e e k s of D e c e m b e r 1944.
T h e 160 pulled o u t of th e S a u e rla u te rn a re a an d m oved north to th e
Bulge hinge a r e a with th e 5th Infantry. T his m o v em e n t along with m any
o th e rs is w h a t is d e s c rib e d a s th e "P atton 90 d e g re e turn."
THE BULGE BUGLE
O n D e ce m b er 24th, my cousin, Jo h n Stonefield, w a s killed n e ar
B a sto g n e. Jo h n w a s a gu n n ery s e r g e a n t with th e 705th T an k D e stro y er
Battalion, th ey w e re a part of th e 1 01st A irborne Division d e fe n siv e line.
I w a s with th e 160 EC B until A u g u st 1945, c a m e hom e, a n d lea rn ed of
J o h n ’s d e m ise . Family m e m b e rs did not know m uch a b o u t his d e a th and
J o h n ’s fa th e r c h o s e not to talk a b o u t it.
A s th e y e a rs m oved on I often w o n d e red how I could find out m ore,
m o st of th e older family m e m b e rs had p a s s e d on.
I b e c a m e a m em b e r of VBOB a n d a t tim e s s a w in The Bulge Bugle that
information w a s often a s k e d a b o u t a buddy.
In th e M ay 1999 issu e of The Bugle, I re q u e s te d inform ation from
a n y o n e w ho knew anything a b o u t J o h n ’s d e a th th a t D e c e m b e r 1944 day.
It w a s a lm o st im m ediately th a t Bill Beigel, of T o rra n c e , California, w rote
m e and s u g g e s te d th a t I write for J o h n ’s "Individual D e c e a s e d P e rso n a l
File" (IDPF) at:
C o m m an d er, P E R S C O M
Attn; TA PC -PA O (FOIA)
Public Affairs
2 0 0 Stovall S tre et
A lexandria, Virginia 22 3 3 2 -0 4 0 4
I w rote an d th ey s e n t m e a s ta c k of c o p ie s a b o u t o n e -h alf inch thick, th e
following is w h a t I found in th e sta ck ; A list of p e rso n a l e ffe c ts a n d their
disposition. A lengthy report describ in g how john w a s identified by his
s h o e s iz e from th e o th er th re e in th e M-18, th e fourth crew m em b e r w a s
not injured. A m ap show ing th e location w h e re th e tan k d e stro y e r w a s hit.
T his w a s a t th e village of M ande St. E tienne, Belgium , D e c e m b e r 24th,
at a b o u t 21 hours. A "R eport of Burial" d escrib in g conditions of the
rem ain s w hich brought to th e c em ete ry . L etters a n d form s to th e p a re n ts
req u estin g w h e th er th e re m a in s b e b rought h o m e or left in U .S. military
c em etery . His p a re n ts re q u e ste d re m a in s sta y a t th e A m erican military
c em etery .
"D isinterm ent
O p e ratio n s
R ecord" outlines
rem ains
identification w h e n p lac ed In c o n ta in er an d s e a le d . A notification th a t th e
U.S. flag u se d during burial h a s b e e n fonA/arded to p a re n ts. L etter calling
attention to p a re n ts th a t th e c e m e te ry is H enri C h a p p el, Belgium , a n d
location of grave, a ls o th e "g rav e site" will carefully an d c o n se q u e n tly
m aintained in perpetuity by th e United S ta te s G ov ern m en t." A lso a
military funeral se rv ic e w a s c o n d u c te d o v e r th e g ra v e a t th e tim e of burial.
I w an t to th an k all th a t did su c h a fine job In putting th e s e things
together.
I a lso receiv ed a copy of a photo of w hat is believed to b e th e M -18 in
q u e stio n from T ony D’A ngelo, of W ellsville, Ohio. I a ls o receiv ed se v e ra l
p h o to s of J o h n 's g ra v e m ark e r from F ra n c is W alsh , G allow ay, Ohio.
T h a n k s to all you g u y s an d a lso th a n k s to VBOB for helping m e in getting
things started .
T his is indeed a family m atter.
E arl S to n e fie ld
160 E N G R CM BT BN
[See how much It m eans when you take the time to help those
who request infomiation. You're the best.]
'^ T U C F O e B lG K J P C .C S S A C C U S tS U S O F WOT
'OlSAtMAMfftsJT.TUArS
C iecU o5\-O vJA vV :.vA ^^0S*T^/
POLAhJO,BHUG\'JVA.UOLLAVsl\)
WITS OF WAR
May 2001
" L O ST "B A T T A L IO N
(Continued from Page })
O n Ja n u a ry 3 , 1945, th e 5 5 1 st sp e a rh e a d e d th e 8 2 n d A irb o rn e
D iv is io n ’s c o u n te r-a tta c k in th e n o rth e rn se c tio n o f th e G e rm a n
"b u lg e ," th e 6 0 -m ile s a lie n t th e G e rm a n fo rc e s h ad p u sh e d into
A m e ric a n lines.
T h e b a tta lio n w a s g iv e n th e ta sk o f c a p tu rin g th e to w n o f
R o c h e lin v a l, a k ey p o sitio n h o ld in g th e last b rid g e o v e r the
S alm R iv e r, th e last a v e n u e o f e sc a p e fo r th e G erm an a rm y in
th a t secto r.
D u rk e e ’s C o m p a n y A saw th e w o rst o f it, lo sin g 40 p e rc e n t
o f its m e n in th e first tw o d ay s. A s th e y re ste d in th e forest
on th e n ig h t o f .January 4 , th e c o ld w as g e ttin g w o rse.
"I w e n t a ro u n d an d to ld th e [n o n -c o m m issio n e d o ffic ers] to
m a k e su re th e m e n d id n ’t fall a sle e p , b e c a u se i f th e y did, th ey
w o u ld su re ly d ie ," D u rk e e said.
M o v in g fo rw a rd th e fo llo w in g d a y , D u rk e e ’s p la to o n w as
p in n e d d o w n b y a G e rm a n p o sitio n .
D u rk ee o rd e re d his m e n to h o ld fire, b e c a u se a n o th e r
A m e ric a n p la to o n lay in th e ir lin e o f fire.
D illa rd w as ly in g in th e sn o w w o n d e rin g w h a t th e y w o u ld do
w h en he h e a rd D u rk e e ’s o rd er: "F ix b a y o n e ts."
T h e b a y o n e t c h a r g e - h ig h ly u n u su a l fo r U .S. tro o p s in W o rld
W a r 11—c a u g h t th e G e rm a n s by su rp rise, a n d m o re th an 60 o f
th em w e re k ille d . "It s e e m e d lik e a life tim e , b ut it o n ly lasted
five m in u te s ," D illa rd said.
T h e p a ra tro o p e rs to o k R o c h e lin v a l on Ja n u a ry 7, an d A d o lf
H itle r o rd e re d a re tre a t th e fo llo w in g d ay .
rile m e n o f the 551 st h ad p a id a te rrib le p rice. 1 he u n it w as
so d e p le te d th a t th e A rm y so o n d is b a n d e d th e b a tta lio n ,
sh ip p in g th e su rv iv o rs to o th e r units.
T h e ir re c o rd s w o u ld b e lo st, th e ir a c tio n s la rg e ly fo rg o tte n ,
th e ir s a c rific e n o t h o n o re d .
T h is w as n o t th e ca se at y e s te rd a y ’s c e re m o n y as S h in sek i
a n d o th e r s p e a k e rs sa in te d th e "G o y as," th e n ic k n a m e b y w h ich
th e p a ra tro o p e rs w ere k n o w n .
M a n y c re d it th e b e la te d re c o g n itio n to G re g o ry O rfa le a . a
D istric t re s id e n t w h o se fa th e r se rv e d w itli th e 5 5 1 st. Pvt. A re f
O rfa le a w as th e m e s s e n g e r fo r th e b a tta lio n 's c o m m a n d e r, Lt.
C o l. W o o d Jo e rg , w h o w as k ille d in th e fig h t fo r R o c h e lin v a l.
B u t g ro w in g up, G re g O rfa le a h e ard no w a r sto rie s from th is
fa th e r. " I f you g o t him a little w a rm e d up, he w o u ld say, ‘A ll
m y frie n d s w e re k ille d aro u n d m e ’ a n d th a t w o u ld sto p all
c o n v e rs a tio n ," O rfa le a said.
A fte r h is fa th e r d ie d in 1985, O rfa le a , a w riter, a tte n d e d a
5 5 1 st re u n io n a n d so o n b e g a n in te rv ie w in g th e v e te ran s.
"T h e re w as a se n se o f w a ste a n d lo w -g ra d e a n g e r th a t th ey
h a d b een d e stro y e d w ith o u t a n y re c o g n itio n ," O rfa le a said. I lis
1997 b o o k , "M e sse n g e rs o f th e L o st B a tta lio n : T h e H ero ic
5 5 1 st a n d th e T u rn in g o f th e T id e at th e B a ttle o f th e B u lg e,"
g e n e ra te d m o m e n tu m to c h a n g e th at.
F o r D u rk e e , y e s te rd a y ’s h o n o rs fille d a h o le h e h ad felt fo r
56 y ears. "I h ad a fe e lin g in m y g u t - I ’ve g o t to tell th e w o rld
a b o u t th e se g u y s, th e s e g u y s fro m th e 5 5 1 st w h o fo u g h t and
d ie d , an d n o b o d y k n o w s w h o th e y w e re ," he said.
[V B O B re c o r d s th e fo llo w in g a c tiv e m e m b e rs w h o s e n 'e J
w ith th e 5 5 1 st:
M A X B. B R Y A N , W E S L E Y A .
R IC H A R D ,
S R .,
THOM AS
V.
TRENGROVE,
P A S Q V A L E J. C A SA N O V A , S T A N L E Y M. KARG OL,
A N D J O S E P H M . C IC C H IN E L L L J a
THE B U L O n BUGLE
28TH INFANTRY DIVISION
112TH INFANTRY REGIMFNT
HEADQUARTERS COMPANY
By Earl T. Cham ness
lO u r I'nanKs to Eari s son. Jim, jo r helping harl gel iiis story
to us. We have reproduced the portion related to the Hattie o f
the Bulge.]
...The 28th was destined to move again—destined for another job (the
Gloomy Hurtgen Forest). It is southeast o f Achen. D-Day for the
battle o f Hurtgen Forest was N ovem ber 2. 1944. H-hour was 090(>.
Snow blanketed the fields. Odds d id n 't favor the 28th. Terrain and
weather made support from heavy weapons impossible. Casualties
were heavy, and withdrawals were often necessary. Nearly 1.100
prisoners were taken.
By the end o f November, we returned to the sam e area the 28th
troopers had pushed to the Siegfried Line two months earlier. It was
quiet now. occasional artillery and m ortar fire disturbed the prevailing
peace. Line upon line o f (previously humming) pill boxes now
seemed lifeless.
Hut contact with the Germans for more than four months had taught
the "Keystone" men not to relax their defenses. Positions were
established with more care than ever before, manned with vigilance
comparable to Hurtgen Forest defenses. Wire entanglem ents were
laid, mines planted, and patrols probed with regularity. So quiet, so
peaceful, but ominous!
Uccciiibei 16. 1944, at about 5:30 a.m. yours truly was lying on a
kitchen floor by my telephone sw itchboard. I raffic had slowed so we
were trying to gel some shut-eye S m iH enly ail hell hrnWe loose.
Mortars coming in. shells going over head, and many guns firing all
over the place. The sw itchboard rang. I answered, but recognized it
was not an American speaking. Heinie had captured one o f my
phones!
Oui iicad :>cigeani shouted. "Close up board, iet s get out of here!"
So we put everything in a Jeep and trailer and took off across the
snow covered fields. I was in a Jeep and we came upon a captured
Aniei ican aiiiinunition convoy, .ierry had Just stopped the convov. so
our driver took us across some more snow covered fields till we got
out. Later we found our lines, were put in covered trucks and na<:<;eil
through Spa—a resort town.
We finally came to Rastogne. and since it was getting late, we were
told to bed down in a barn. German paratroopers were everywhere
and we were warned about them. We were so tired we went right to
.sleep ill tile liay.
I woke up about ,S ()0 a m and we im m ediately got ready to move
out. We were quite surprised by the size o f the m ilitary traffic at a
certain road Junction—tanks, big guns, everything!
Ierry had large search lights scaiiiiliig us. so we quickly got into 4x4
trucks and took o ff again. We traveled quite a while until we came
to a railroad. Each day that followed started and ended similarly. As
it turned out. I was lost from my outfit for about a week. In the
m eantim e, heavy fighting was going on all around us
The 28th eventually came together minus many o f our troops. I was
put to work trying to identify many o f the dead G l's. l)ut I nevei
recognized any o f them, fh is fighting becam e known as the Battle
o f the Bulge.
From there, we received orders to go to C olm ar—another hard
battle.□
May 2001
SAGA OF THE
99TH INFANTRY DIVISION
by Sid Salins
John W resinski and 1 were m em bers o f "H" Company, 393rd Infantry,
in the 81 mm m ortar platoon. Our 2nd Battalion having been attached
to the 395th Infantry Regim ental Combat Team, and this to support the
2nd Infantry Division in its attack north to the Roer River Dams in
Germany on the 13 th o f December. 1944, Three days later, we marched
right into H itler’s greatest counter-offensive, the bloody Battle o f the
Bulge, We began now to reverse our forward advance and form a
defensive corridor through which the forward elem ents o f the 2nd
Division could affect an orderly withdrawal. We extricated ourselves
down a crooked escape route between the beleaguered 394th Regiment
and our 1st battalion 393rd. Bone tired, weary and hungry, our
w ithdrawal began a series o f stopping, digging in, m oving out, stopping,
digging in and m oving out. Fortunately we were only bothered by
occasional random shelling and sm all arms fire (the main German
counter-attack proceeded on either side o f our right and left flanks).
Finally, we were ordered to stop our withdrawal adjacent to a secondary
road running east and west.
At this selected point Bob M ikesell, 5th squad leader, and I, 1st
gunner, dug out our m ortar em placem ent, followed by a two man
foxhole for ourselves. All others in the platoon, except one, John
W resinski, did likewise. A gainst "SOP" (standard operating procedure),
John seem ed to be wandering around aim lessly scrounging for an extra
"K" ration when Bob instructed me to "get on his ass and to begin
digging him self a foxhole." I did after which he retorted, "F— that s h ! I ’m tired o f digging! Move in, move out, dig in, move out! W e’ll
be here less than an hour at the most until they have us move out
again!"
John proved right. Just after dark, our battalion CO received orders
to move south in the direction o f the twin villages o f Rocherath and
Krinkelt where we would be hooking up with our two other battalions.
We rolled up our packs again, loaded m ortars and machine guns on our
shoulders and started trudging again through the steady light snow
toward our prescribed rendezvous point with our sister battalions. We
m aintained reasonable intervals between ourselves in a long winding
colum n and carefully stayed one or two tree depths inside the wood line
on our right so as not to be visible for the Germans who could be heard
on the high ground less than a mile on our left.
Now approaching the towns o f Krinkelt and Rocherath, some three
m iles from where we departed, we could hear louder crackling sounds
o f sm all arms and heavy artillery, not to mention the back and forth
creaking sound o f bogey w heels on the big G erman Tiger tanks and our
own over-m atched Shermans.
Obviously, one hell o f a fight was now going on to gain possession of
the valuable crossroads and com m unication centers in these twin
villages. Shortly, we could see less than a mile distant the town o f
Krinkelt com pletely lit up with flames, the entire dark sky turned
crim son from the fires. We worried about our 2nd Division buddies and
our other two battalions. How in hell were they going to be able to
suddenly detach them selves from such an intense occupation with the
enemy? Our "front line" CO, Lt, Col Peters, or "Pete," as he preferred,
had a bad taste in his mouth and sm elled a rat. Just suppose, he
thought, that "Goddam n Kraut comm ander" got into our comm unication
line, tried to decoy our unit to a non-existent friendly sister un it’s
m eeting place and set a neat little ambush by his panzers? W hat a
disaster that would be. Believing that help was on the way from us, our
1st battalion will refuse to extricate itself from Rocherath and will be
cut o ff from the left by the panzers and on the right by the inferno
ranging in Krinkelt. This will leave us sitting ducks for a direct assault
by two colum ns o f "king tigers" belching fire and tram pling over our
THE BULGE BUGLE
thin line o f human infantry.
Checking and rechecking through the com bat team com m ander back
to Division headquarters and General Lauer, the truth soon became
evident: those orders to move onto this area and vacate our previous
tem porary defensive line had been duped into our com m unications lines
by "Jerrys" using letter perfect English, part o f a master plan for
confusion and destruction. A com plete group o f English-speaking
Germans, specially trained for this endeavor, dressed in A m erican gear,
m isdirected traffic as "M Ps," We discovered this ruse in time! Our
column now came to an abrupt halt as we could see and alm ost feel the
flames o f Krinkelt licking at our heels. Ordered back from whence we
came, we reeled around 180 degrees and trudged along the exact path
we had just made, cold, tired, hungry, but frankly glad to be heading
away from the inferno that continued to rage in the twin villages. Our
return was twice interrupted by random enemy shell fire in the area
hoping to catch us o ff guard. In spite o f sustaining several wounded,
we were able to make our way back to those now good looking,
previously dug foxholes, about 3:00 a,m. We plopped bodies hurriedly,
grasping for a few hours’ sleep, oblivious to occasional stray rounds of
artillery and interm ittent sm all arm s fire em anating from the perim eter
outposts o f our new defensive position.
M ikesell and I had reset our 81 mm gun in place and slid down into
our foxhole when a serious am ount o f enemy shelling began saturating
an area about 100 or so yards north o f us. The sky lightened, the
ground trem bled and trees burst w hich told us that perhaps the Germans
discovered we were not fooled into the ambush. They apparently knew
we were returning to our form er positions and were now going to lay
it on us with com prehensive artillery!
Am idst this near chaos a fam iliar dog face appeared at the edge o f our
foxhole,,,it was John W resinski pleading, "I’ve got to get down before
they start shelling inside this road,,can you guys move over,,,please?"
"Hell, no!" Mike screamed, "God Damn you, W resinski,..we told you
we dig in every time we stop,, you were told that last evening—now get
the hell out o f her and start your own GD hole!" M ikesell was boiling
mad, alm ost to the point that John would get hurt in order to learn a
good combat lesson.
But for som e unknown reason, I became
somewhat em pathetic and I called out to John, "Cross the road ,.just on
the other side,,.that big old artillery em placem ent,.,around the perim eter
are dugouts...they’ll give you protection."
"I saw those little holes yesterday, Sid," John replied, "and they ain ’t
worth a shit!, .besides I ’m scared to go over by m yself, there ain’t
another GI dug in on that side!"
"Bull shit, W resinski,,.get your ass over there before a piece o f that
‘8 8’ busts you in the ass!" scream ed M ikesell, "Come on and go with
me, Sid, I can’t see a GD thing and I ’m not even sure where the
em placem ent is,,,,"
"Oh, for C hrist’s sake," I said, 1 clim bed out o f our hole and began
to lead him across the road, found and jum ped into the big gun hole and
pointed him to one o f the little hutches dug o ff the edge o f a big circle
and started to head back to my own accom m odation with Bob M ikesell,
The shelling traversed back in our direction and W resinski grabbed my
arm —"Stay here with me," I don’t know why but I said Ok and we
slithered into the shallow dugout. The artillery had som e plywood
boards used to crate big guns and those had regularly becom e portable
proofs for the narrow holes. Now, at least, we were covered, but we
had one big problem: W resinski was 6 ’2" and I 6 ’0", and as we lay
sideways in our cram ped dugout, our feet protruded into the big round
gun circle. "To hell with it I thought and closed my eyes exhausted.
Forty-five m inutes later, ju st before daylight we were awakened by the
rum ble o f those bogey wheels, A piercing round o f "88’s w histled over
our heads as a German tank neared. We heard a tank turret rotating
towards us, another round seem ing to skim the plywood over our heads.
W resinski crossed h im se lf "God, help us," he m urm ured, which caused
a terrifying fear to enter my mind. We d id n ’t dare move, obviously we
couldn’t see out, and so I pictured a giant Tiger tank com m ander
peering out o f his turret window
(C ontinued on P age 10)
May 2001
MISSING "OLD GLORY"
BRONZE STAR
AFTER SIX DECADES
Information submitted by:
Samuel Lombardo
99 INFD 394 INF I
In January, 2001, W IL L IA M D U D A S, 2N D IN F A N T R Y
D IV IS IO N ,
38T H
IN F A N T R Y
R E G IM E N T ,
2ND
B A T T A L IO N , C O M P A N Y G , received a Bronze Star for
courage in the B attle o f the Bulge.
Like so m any otiiers, D udas’ records w ere destroyed in the St.
Louis fire in 1953. Som eone contacted U.S. Senator Carl Levin
(D -M ichigan) and he pushed to have the records o f D udas and
the others reassem bled. This resulted in the determ ination liiat
D udas’ service in the battle w arranted a B ronze Star. D udas said
that he and tw o other m en are all w ho are still living out o f the
250-m an com pany he fought w ith during the Bulge.
Six w eeks in the B attle o f the B ulge created a yen on the part o f
Sam uel L om bardo to see "O ld G lory" again. He asked his
com m ander for one for he and his m en but w as told they could
not be authorized for one w hen the enem y was so close. Sarn
d id n ’t take this lightly and decided that they w ould m ake one.
T hey used a w hite surrender flag secured from a form er town
resident, found som e blue curtains and red pillow s and began
their labor o f love (fighting the pillow feathers all the w ay). A
sm all sew ing m achine w as procured and the m en w orked
diligently for tw o and o n e-h a lf m onths, as they follow ed the
G erm ans eastw ard.
BH| Dudas displays his Bronze Star, presented to him
Inst u)^^b fnr rQurnga
SAGA OF THE 99TH
Sam L om bardo (last m an on right) a n d the m en o f his
p la to o n w ho co n trib u ted to the fla g m aking, in March.
1945, a t A beilistadt, G ermany, w ith the regim ental fla g .
(Continued from Page 9)
rotating around the perimeter of the big circle and finally stopping and
uttering. "Achtung, Amerikannischer. f'ler einse, fier tsvie!"
Terrified. John whispered. "Can you turn your head eriough to see
out?"
"Hell no!" 1 said visualizing us getting blown to bits. "I’m not
moving! And don’t you dare! If that Kraut sees our motionless feet
he’ll take us for dead. We barely breathed. The bogey wheels rumbled,
squeaked; another burst of tire from the big gun shook earth into our
faces. Then another burst, but this time from more of a distance. Then
the next burst seemed to be further, at least 200 yards away Other
tanks rumbled by, but thank God they seemed to veer past us. A sliver
of daylight appeared in our hole. 1 gingerly eased my way out. feet
first, caught a glimpse of the departing tanks and relaxed. However.
Wresinski and I saw the "meat" wagons, quite busy, liauling dead and
wounded out of the area. The panzers had taken their toll, four of them
had surrounded our general area and poured shells in taking out a great
number of personnel.
The good Lord was with Wresinski and me on that cold winter night
and 1 have often wondered why.o
The urie-sided fiag w as the first A m erican n a g to cross the
R em agen B ridge and w as a m orale booster for the other G ls.
L om bardo rem em bers an A m erican new spaper called them the
"M odem B etsy Ross "
The flag is on display at the N ational Infantry M useum in Fort
B enning, G eorgia. □
PURPLE HEART STAMP
S enator W illiam J. L arkin, Jr., (N ew Y ork) has asked for your
help in a letter w riting cam paign to p etition the U.S. Postm aster
G eneral to authorize the creation o f an official postage stam p
displaying the im age o f "The Purple H eart" m edal. W rite to:
Dr. V irginia N oelke, C hairperson; C itizens Stam p A dvisory
C om m ittee, R oom 4474E ; U.S. Postal Stam p D evelopm ent; 475
L ’E nfant Plaza, SW ; W ashington, DC 20260-0010.
Y our letters w ill help to achieve this objective.
T hanks to S enator L arkin for his support o f this project and
asking us to h e lp .a
THE BULGE BUGLE
ths Bctttlc Of ths
S A V E U S S O M E M O N E Y ...C h e c k y o u r
m a ilin g la b el to see if y o u r d u es are due.
P rin tin g and m a ilin g r e m in d er s is q u ite
e x p en siv e. T h a n k y ou .
10
Mav 2001
ATTRACTED TO THE
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
"Hold on, sergeant." S-2 said; then returning he informed me thus,
"Sergeant, you have to be mistaken. We have no reports o f enemy
activity up and down the line." [1 have talked to a few sergeants who
were in like positions o f mine during the 55 years since this event, and
some tell me they also reported som ething o f what 1 did!]
The next morning, it was Sgt. M cGinnis and my turn to man our guns.
We took up two gunners with us and began our trek to our cam ouflaged
positions, turning o ff the road to go behind the hedgerows which formed
a solid wall to the rear o f our guns, and turning right at the cave o f an
anti-tank gun crew. My M-1 was strapped to my back [1 refused to
accept a pistol when 1 was told to trade it for my ritle] as I was carrying
a bag o f potatoes in one hand and a cup o f butter in the other. [It was
a long day on the gun and we usually read and cooked food, using our
K-ration waxed containers as sm okeless fuel. We each carried about 8
to 10 K-rations.]
As we came upon the anti-tank gun crew, I noticed the sentry fast
asleep at the entrance. 1 suggested to M cGinnis that we wake him. but
he thought they would get mad at us, so we let them ail sleep. Almost
half-way up the slope to our guns which were midway down the reverse
slope, we could barely see through the fog about 10 hunched bodies
moving toward us. We stopped dead in our tracks. Our m inds not
wanting to accept what our eyes were barely seeing.
"W hat the hell is that." 1 asked. M cGinnis suggested it was K
Com pany’s cooks delivering hot rations to fox-holed troops. We stood
there contem plating this when suddenly ten more hunched bodies
appeared on the left and ten more on the right, com ing at us in a sem i
circle. [They were hunched over carrying w eapons and amm o, not
breakfast.]
"L et’s get the hell out o f here," I shouted. N eedless to say, the other
three men were already acting before the words were out o f my mouth.
The two gunners ran wide, escaping the hedgerow so they could warn
the company; M cGinnis and I ran straight backw ards to try to alert and
save the anti-tank crew. [Our two m.g. guns, incidentally, had already
been silenced by the Germans.]
M cGinnis arrived first and began firing his pistol. 1jum ped right on
the sleeping sentry, shook him and shouted to wake up his men. I
crawled back out o f the entrance, unstrapped my rifle, pushed the safety;
but before I fired 1 saw a German hand grenade silhouetted on top of
the earth mound which formed the roof o f the cave.
Shouting, "Grenade!" 1 instinctively hit the ground. Too late for
McGinnis. The blast blew o ff my helm et and made me a bit groggy;
but the cold and danger restored my alertness im m ediately. The heinies
were charging in with bayonets. G rabbing my helm et and ritle, 1 made
my way to the hedgerow and wiggled my way through using my helmet
as a battering ram. N orm ally, one couldn’t get through such a tangle,
but 1 did. My rifle was hopelessly tangled and had to be left there. My
great coat was in shreds with all the brass buttons ripped o ff My
machine gunner’s gloves were in shreds; but 1 made it to the other side
and eventually back to regim ent where I and 39 other men were put on
a rear guard the next day, stopping a G erm an tank column o f 10 tanks
and a company o f infantry.
It may have been fate that I was finally attracted to the Battle o f the
Bulge; but fate treated me kindly; I survived when so many others did
not. There are two things I do not understand to this day: 1) How did
1 survive without a wound except for frozen toes, and 2) Who the hell
gave General Om ar Bradley the title o f "The S oldiers’ General"? This
guy, who gladly sacrificed so many o f us in his "gamble," did not
measure up to the likes o f M acA rthur or Patton, both o f whom had the
least num ber o f casualties within their various com m ands.n
By M urray Shapiro
112th Infantry Regim ent
C om pany M
[Excerpts] Com pany M suffered horribly in the Hurtgen Forest. I was
to experience only a sm all part o f the rest o f the fighting; but during
which I did pick up two valuable souvenirs. 1 was rushing through part
o f the forest during interm ittent enemy artillery fire. Trees were
splintered, fires everywhere. I passed a knocked-out German tank. A
kraut was draped over the turret, dead. His upper torso was bent over
toward the ground. Out o f his pockets dropped a thick aluminum spoon
and fork, neatly folded into a soft kit; and o f greater value, a German
rifle-cleaning kit with everything one needed, again neatly folded into
a com pact kit. I used them through most o f combat. I began to sense
im m ediately that we were a bunch o f am ateurs fighting a wellorganized, w ell-trained and w ell-supplied professional army.
From the Hurtgen we were sent to rest, recuperate, rearm and receive
replacem ents in the quiet [?] A rdennes Sector. By now I was a veteran,
and the new replacem ents looked up to me as the font o f combat
wisdom —ridiculous, o f course.
When we arrived in the A rdennes, we first were positioned as a m.g.
platoon along a ridge facing the Seigfried Line. It was snowing and
very cold. The ground was so solidly frozen one could not dig the fox
holes and slit trenches we were able to excavate in the Hurtgen. 1 asked
the 1st Sgt. who was em placing us where 1 would put my squad. "Right
here," he said. [Fortunately, when we had a chance to organize
watches, we were able to dig sm all caves in the rear, eventually
equipping them with m ake-shift fireplaces made from mud-filled Spam
cans; so when we were not on duty we could warm ourselves a bit.]
We, heavy w eapons men, and I suppose the artillery and other
supporting units, began to get com fortable, as much as we could. As
miserable as we all were, we felt good compared to the riflemen. Our
general, N orm an Cota, w anting to keep us alert and fit, used the rifie
com panies for scouting parties and to knock out an occasional pill box
on the Seigfried Line in front o f us.
My gun was part o f a section o f two. Sergeant M cGinnis and I
covered a gap in the lines between "K" and "L" company o f about 300
yards. W ith our cross fire, it was supposed that we could trap any
breakthrough there. We relieved our gun positions every evening after
dusk and before dawn. On the night o f D ecember 15, 1944, I was
taking the relief up with Sgt. M cGinnis. We had got used to the regular
gun fire o f burp guns, enem y artillery, m ortars, etc. Tonight, however,
was strangely different. One could still hear an occasional burp gun,
but artillery and m ortar fire were dim inished. Replacing the normal
sound o f battle was ju st raucous, solid noise. The Germans had brought
up loud speakers and were playing records o f ju st plain, loud noise. In
addition to this, our eyes were blinded by several searchlights whose
beams were directed directly toward us.
After we had put our two replacem ents at each gun, I told M cGinnis
to take the other men back to the com pany as 1 wanted to scout around.
I traveled as far to the left flank as I could to get out o f the searchlight
beams, took out my binoculars and counted four or five German tanks
moving up. I literally ran back to our company area and to the
captain’s large cave reporting what I had seen.
"W ell, sergeant, if you think it’s im portant, call up battalion S-2, and
report it." W hich I did im m ediately, cranking the phone set and getting
a sergeant alm ost at once.
"My captain wants me to speak to your officer." "Sir," I reported to
the officer when he cam e to the phone, "my captain wants me to report
to you what I have ju s t seen." [And so I did.]
THE BULGE BUGLE
...Big plans being made for the
Orlando Reunion. Make your plans
to be with us.
II
May 2001
602ND ANTI-AIRCRAFT
BATTALION, BATTERY D
night. W e visited a little pub in the cen ter o f the village before
retiring. W hile there, w e w ere told that the G erm an tront lines,
w hich was seem ingly som ew hat dorm ant at that tim e, w as ju st
a couple o f m iles deeper in the A rdennes. All during the night
we could hear sporadic gun fire and w e knew the G erm ans w'ere
close.
At the end o f the day on D ecem ber 14th, we had the two
trucks loaded w ith the tim b er that w as needed and, since it was
getting late in the day, I decided to spend the night tlieic and
return to M aastrict, the next m orning.
A rriving safely back in H olland that evening we unloaded the
lum.ber, not realizing that soon the place w here we picked up the
lum ber and lodged on the 14th and 15th, w ould be overrun by
the G erm ans on the 16th, as they began th eir offensive to
overthrow the allies.
It w asn ’t long after that, on January 5, 1945, the 252nd
E ngineer C om bat B attalion w as ordered to the front lines. We
w ere placed under the 9th A rm y (B ritish, 1 b elieve) and replaced
an infantry division that w as ordered elsew here. For six days we
sat in fox holes, on the banks o f the W urm R iver, protecting the
north flank o f the units engaging the G erm ans a few m iles to the
south. A lthough our losses w ere m inim al w ith three dead and
som e frostbite casualties, we served o ur to u r o f the A rdennes
well.
W hen the A llies finally broke out o f the G erm an offensive the
252nd w as draw n back to ivlaasirict, H olland, to pack up and
head north to the R hine River. One o f our m ain jo b s there was
to help the 1146th E ngineers build the fam ous Rhine R iver
bridge, w hich w as nam ed in ho n o r o f P resident Franklin
R oosevelt, w ho died just before the bridge w as com pleted in
A pril. .
A fter 45 years I decided to investigate w hy the 252nd never
received any recognition or received the com m endation ribbon
w ith the battle star for th eir part in the B attle o f the Bulge. In
1 9 9 3 .1 contacted the V eterans Personnel R ecords D ivision, in St.
Louis, to see if they had any records concerning the 252nd
E ngineers serving in the A rdennes encounter. T w o years later,
i received a letter from. them, saying th at they had no record o f
the 252nd E ngineer C om bat B attalion serving in the b a ttle o f the
B ulge, therefore, the unit received no credit for its part in it. (I
have this letter on file and the unit w as disbanded.)
T he sad ending to this tor>' is that the unit had soldiers who
lost their lives in the A rdennes encounter ju s t the sam e as other
units did and they got no credit. I believe this is a disservice to
those w ho served their country in this battle. I personally knew
a m an w ho served in a Signal C orps during the event w ho sat in
a plus hotel in L uxem bourg and his unit got credit for the
A rdennes
The reason that I feel we never received any credit or
recognition for service during this battle w as the fact that we
w ere attached and detached to so m any arm ies and battalions that
no one took the responsibility to see th at the 252nd E ngineer
C om bat B attalion did serve in the .^rdennes B attle o f the Bulge
w ith honor. I still have a good m em ory and "W e w ere th ere.”
I can rem em ber it very vividly because 1 b ecam e a Christian
w hile serving on the front lines.n
[R ich a rd w ould like to know i f a nyone can tell him the
nam e o f the village w here they p ic k e d up the lumber. I f
y o u can help, w rite to him at: P O B ox 14. Flora, Indiana
46929-0014.]
By James E. Rieford
D uring the fall o f 1944, our battery w as set up as defense for
L eige, B elgium . M uch o f the U.S. supplies w ere being shipped
into this area at that tim e. The G erm ans w ere sending m any VI
B uzz B om bs to this area to destroy as m uch as they could. O ur
unit consisted o f four 90 m m guns and four 50 cal w ater-cooled
m achine guns w hich could not be used in an area occupied by so
m any civilians.
I suppose som e one decided we could be m ore useful if we
w ere set up in an uninhabited area w here we could destroy these
VI B om bs as they passed overhead. O ur entire battery, w hich
w as a sem i-m obile unit, w as m oved to the A rdennes M ountains
early in D ecem ber and w e w ere able to destroy m any o f these
b uzz bom bs. U nfortunately som e one forgot to issue proper
c lothing and boots as the w eather turned very cold w ith m uch
snow around the m iddle o f D ecem ber. I’m sure our m ission was
successful and we w ere veiy lucky to get out wlieri only one
route rem ained open.
I did not keep a diary o f dates and m ovem ents o f our battery,
and w ould be interested in h earing from som e other m em bers o f
m y outfit. [See M em bers S p ea k O ut colum n f o r address.]n
THE MIGHTY
252ND ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION
WE WERE THERE
B v R i c h s r d LJ. C u r t s
In O ctober, 1943, I w as assigned to a new ly-form ed unit, the
252nd C om bat E ngineers, and sent to C am p G ruber, O klahom a,
for basic training in a new cadre o f non-com m issioned and
com .m issioned officers. W e w ere shipped to E ngland in A ugust
o f 1944 w here w e w ent through som e intensive training and then
crossed the E nglish C hannel w here we w ere dum ped out in
w aist-deep w ater,crossed the beaches, and w ent up through St.
M ere E glise w here so m any soldiers had given their lives three
m o n t h s e a r l i e r during the invasion.
B eing com bat engineers w e w ere trained in infantry as w ell.
The front lines had m oved north about 50 m iles. W e were
assigned the task o f rem oving personnel m ines from hedge rows
and fields so they could be used for staging areas for equipm ent.
In the process o f neutralizin g the m ine fields, our com panies lost
13 m en o f w hich one o f them w as a very dear friend o f mine.
A fter a w eek or so clearin g m ines, we w ere ordered to head
north, follow ing the front lines, rep airin g roads, building air
fields, and o th er dirty jo b s th at engineers do in w ar tim e. We
arrived in M aastrict-H eerlen, H olland, area in N ovem ber 1944.
W e took over a saw m ill and becam e engaged in felling trees
and cutting them into lum b er to build bridges. W e w ere billeted
in coal m in e rs’ barracks.
On or about D ecem ber 12, 1944, I w as assigned the task, as a
squad sergeant to take tw o heavy arm y trucks and travel south to
a sm all village in the A rdennes. T here w e contacted a sm all
lum ber m ill ow ner to m ake arrangem ents to bring back heavy
tim bers for som e bridges th at w e w ere to repair. We arrived in
this sm all village on the ev en in g o f D ecem b er 13th. W e were
b illeted in, as I rem em ber, a kind o f com m unity hall for the
THE BULGE BUGLE
12
May 2001
MFMRFRS SPEAK OUT
A R M O R E D IN F A N T R Y B A T T A L IO N , w rites with a puzzle
for you w hich resulted from a recent discussion he had regarding
the total num ber o f M edal o f H onor dual recipients. He reports.
The num ber seem s to be 19 or 20 based on the W W l exploits o f
one M arine Corps G unnery Sergeant C harles F. H offm an and
one G unnery Sergeant Ernest A ugust Janson. It seem s as though
they are one and the sam e. If one counts Hoffm an and Janson.
then the num ber would be 20, but if counted as one, then one or
the other received four M edals o f H onor and then it w ould be,
w hich one? Got the right answ er? W rite to H ow ard at: 195
Blossom Hill Road, San Jose, C alifornia 95123.
John R. Puckett w ould like to find a docum ented history o f the
254T H E N G IN E E R C O M B A T B A T T A L IO N . Do you know
w here he can get one. W rite to him at: 5192 W ellshire Place,
D unw oody, G eorgia 30338-3424.
A L L E N A. C R A M F .R , 11TH ARIVTORFD D IV IS IO N , 21ST
A R M O R E D IN F A N T R Y B A T T A L IO N , w rites to tell us w hat
a w onderful reunion he and several m em bers o f his unit had in
2000 [f you w ould like further inform ation, w rite to Allen: 29
B rookw ay D rive, Shrew sbury, M assachusetts 01545.
JA M E S E. R IE F O R D , 602 A N T IA IR C R A F T A R T IL L E R Y
B A T T A L IO N , B A T T E R Y D, would like to hear from anyone
w ho served with him or anyone who has inform ation on his
battalion. W rite to Jam es at: 5835 Lincoln Pointe Blvd.,
Evansville, Indiana 47715-6505.
C E C IL
D.
G IL L I A M ,
788T H
A N T I-A IR C R A F T
A R T IL L E R Y A U T O M A T IC B A T T A L IO N , B A T T E R Y A,
w ould like to know if anyone can tell him w here to get a history
o f his unit. He w ould also like to h ear from any m em bers o f his
unit and any one o f those transferred from the battalion to the
infantry in D ecem ber o f 1944. W rite to Cecil at: 2503 Earlcove
D rive, D allas, T exas 75227.
Joe W iniarz is researchinghis g randfather’s m ilitary history. His
grandfather was PV T W IL L IA M J. C L IF F O R D , 53RD
A R M O R E D IN FA N T R Y B A T T A L IO N . He w as killed in
action on 24 D ecem ber 1944 in Bigonville, L uxem bourg. He is
buried at the A m erican M ilitary C em etery in Hamm,
Luxem bourg. If you have any infom iation you can provide write
to Joe at: 2355 U.S. Rt 11, K irkw ood, N ew York 13795-1812.
N E IL L IT W IL L E R , 26T H IN F A N T R Y D IV IS IO N , 328T H
IN F A N T R Y R E G IM E N T , 2N D B A T T A L IO N , C O M P A N Y
E, w ould like to hear from anyone w ho rem em bers the follow ing
incident' W hile in M e.tv g etting ready to go to the Riilge, Fasy
C om pany, asked for volunteers for patrol duty. W hen they
arrived at the M on Schum an area, they put on w hite capes and
started patrol. In a short tim.e m.ortar fire hit. N eil w as taken
back to M on Schum an C orners w here the 2nd B attalion had an
aid station. T here w as so m uch enem y fire com ing in that it was
im possible to com e up w ith am bulances to evacuate the
w ounded. L ater on there w as a direct hit on the aid station,
blow ing a large hole in the ro o f killing 4, w ounding and
rew ounding several others. If you can help w rite to N eil at:
139U W est C oe R oad, R iverdale, M ichigan 48877.
W . H. " B IL L ” N E W B E R Y , 75TH IN F A N T R Y D IV ISIO N ,
290T H IN F A N T R Y R E G IM E N T , C O M P A N Y H, would like
to hear from anyone w ho served with him at W y, B elgium in the
fall/w inter o f 1944. W rite to Bill at: 454 East Highland
A vsnuc S icrrs
C slifo m is 91024.
Iris K night (form erly D rinkw ater) w ants to know if any o f you
w ere at N orton M anor C am p, Taunton, Som erset, U.K. prior to
D -Day. It w as a factory-type business with large num bers o f
young girls involved in laundering clothing. She sent a picture
o f Cpl. C herter (or C hester) [space d id not allow reprinting] who
w as am ong this group. If you can help, w rite to iris at; 4 Tom
Lyon R oad, Liskeard, C ornw all, PL 14 3UJ, U nited Kingdom.
If anyone can relate how R A Y M O N D H. M U IR , ‘^TH
A R M O R E D D IV IS IO N , 46T H IN F A N T R Y B A T T A L IO N ,
w as killed in action on 16 D ecem ber, 1944, please contact his
nephew , C harles R. A nderson, PO Box 62, W eym outh,
M assachusetts 02188.
John J. Hojnacki is looking for inform ation regarding the
circum stanccs o f a relativ e’s death in the B attle o f the Bulge.
He w as JO H N F. V A V R A , 5T H IN F A N T R Y D IV IS IO N , 11
IN F A N T R Y R E G IM E N T , A N T I-T A N K C O M P A N Y He was
killed on January 23, 1945, and is buried in Ham m Cemetery.
If you have inform ation send it to John at: 9500 R iver C om ers
Road, H om erville, O hio 44235-9763.
J O H N W E N Z E L , 201S T G E N E R A L H O S P IT A L , w ould like
to hear from any sta ff m em ber or patient. W rite to him at 23
South Point C ourt, B luffton, South C arolina 29910.
N A T IO N A L O R D E R O F B A T T L E F IE L D C O M M IS S IO N S
is trying to locate all m en w ho received a com m ission on the
field o f battle against an arm ed enem y. C ontact: J. A ngier, 67
O cean D rive, St. A ugustine, Florida 32080.
PA U L L. L E H M A N , 8TH A R M O R E D D IV IS IO N , 36TH
T A N K B A T T A L IO N , C O M P A N Y A, sent us a very interesting
story in; how ever, it w as not about the Bulge. He w ould like to
locate the follow ing from his unit:
IR W IN B R IG H A M ,
R O B E R T S H A W , W A L T E R B O Y D , O ’N E IL M IL E S , and
D W IG H T S M IT H . If you can help, w rite to Paul at: 106
K etners Road, Pottsville, Pennsylvania 17901.
C O R N E L IU S J . M U R P H Y , 32N D R E C O N N A IS S A N C E
G R O U P , is looking for anyone w ho m ay have served w ith him
He w as captured on D ecem ber 16th. D uring his capture he was
in Stalag X IIIA in L ukenw alde, G erm any. He w ould like to
h ear from anyone else w ho had a room there and, if possible,
obtain a picture o f the stalag. W rite to him at: 3 M allard Drive,
Jay Beach, L ew es, D elaw are 19958.
An r» DC'TC'DCOM .<xi-i A DiV4r»Dirr» n i \ / i c i r » M
G odfrey R. H arris, is looking for som eone w hom ay rem em ber
his brother, S T E P H E N L. H A R R IS , KIA, January 11, 1945.
Petite Langlier, Belgium . W rite to G odfrey at: 4209 Abbington
Court, W estlake V illage, C alifornia 91361-4504.
c ic x
(Continued on Page 24)
THE BULGE BUULh
21
May 2001
MEMORIAL ADDRESS
surrounded by German troops. The 101st put up such strong resistance
that the main body o f enemy forces was ordered by General Manteufel
to by-pass the town and continue their drive toward Antwerp. The
defenders were hampered by the foul weather which did not allow
American air support.
The rem aining attacking forces set four German officers to confer with
the American com m ander and brought a note saying that "the Americans
were surrounded and should surrender." signed by the German
commander. General McAuliffe sent back a note which said, "Nuts!"
signed by the A m erica commander.
On 23 December the weather cleared and German planes bombed
Bastogne. The w eather also favored A m erican planes which dropped
desperately needed supplies to the defenders o f Bastogne. Third Army,
commanded by General George Patton, sent elem ents o f the 4th and
10th Armored Divisions which broke through the attacking perimeter
and also brought relief to the 101st.
The German 1st Panzer Division found an opening in the American
lines and raced forward. SS Lieutenant Colonel Joachim Peiper, one of
H itler’s best and most daring officers, was in the forefront o f the enemy
advance.
At Trois Ponts on 18 December, U.S. engineers blew the bridges that
Kampgruppe Peiper needed to cross and effectively stalled his advance.
Another setback for Peiper, who desperately needed Amer-ican gasoline
to refuel his trucks and tanks, occurred when Belgian Fusilier guards,
with American assistance, denied P eiper’s troops access to a 1,000,000
gallon gasoline dump. They dug a ditch from the supply area to the
road and lined it with gasoline jerricans on the Stavelot-Spa road.
When the enemy troops approached, they set fire to the gasoline and it
was impossible for P eiper’s troops to cross.
Later, when the sky cleared. A m erica planes located a column of
Kampgruppe P eiper’s forces, dropped bom bs and strafed the German
troops. This was another effective delay that prevented Peiper from
reaching the M euse River.
On 2 1 D ecember in the area o f Elsenborn Ridge, SS Panzer grenadiers
fought fiercely but once again A m erican troops prevailed. They killed
800 German troops, destroyed 47 tanks and tank destroyers. The
defending A m ericans lost 250 men, 5 anti-tank guns. 3 Sherman tanks
and a tank destroyer vehicle. U.S. artillery fired more than 10,000
rounds in support o f the attack.
The 2nd Infantry Division, com m anded by M ajor General Walter
Robertson performed well beyond expectations in delaying the 6th
Panzer Army, the main attacking force. The attackers failed to open
three o f the five routes assigned by the 1st Panzer Corps which were
needed to cross the Meuse River, the first major German objective en
route to Antwerp.
Kampgruppe Peiper made a sizable penetration but its advance was
stalled by a powerful array o f A m erican artillery. However, Peiper
succeeded in making the deepest Germ an penetration o f the Ardennes
at La Gleize and Staum ont, about three m iles short o f the Meuse River.
By December 25th, Peiper’s forces were desperately short o f supplies
and gasoline and so badly beaten, that reaching Antwerp was totally out
o f the question. Hitler stubbornly dream ed that victory was still
possible because had com pelled the Allies to withdraw forces from the
main line o f attack in Germany in order to defend the Ardennes.
On 8 January 1945, Hitler finally conceded the failure o f his attack in
the Ardennes and authorized the support o f German troops.
A ir S u p p o rt:
Air Support by the B-26 M arauder medium bom bers o f the Ninth Air
Force was reduced by the serious snow falls which carpeted most of
Europe. Runways and taxi strips were constantly swept. Planes were
often bogged down on the runways and hauled out by tractors. Wings
accum ulated snow,
{continued on next page)
[The fo llo w in g address by D AV ID SALTMAT^, 638TH TANK
D E ST R O Y E R B A T T A L IO N and President o f the Long Island
Chapter, was presented on a chapter trip to West Point,
December 13, 2000, and includes Carl Christ ’s documentation o f
the air fo rce participation ]
Late in 1944, A dolf H itler was deeply touched by the heavy losses in
manpower, materiel and territory suffered by the German army and
planned a surprise attack in the Ardennes. Even though this had been
done before in 1914 and 1940, the Allies were caught off guard. Hitler
planned an offensive on 16 December 1944 using the 5th, 6th and 7th
Field A rmies with the objective o f splitting the Allied Forces, capturing
the Belgian seaport o f Antwerp and cutting off the allied supply lines.
The salient was a line from Monschau, Germany, south to Echternach,
Luxembourg, a distance o f 130 kilometers (or 84 miles).
Despiteoverw helm ingevidence, including air reconnaissanceand front
line division reports. Supreme Allied Headquarters and 12th Army
Group were operating under the delusion that the German Army was not
capable o f launching a m ajor offensive. Only Oscar W. Koch, G-2 o f
the Third Army, felt that Hitler would make a last-ditch offensive effort
to make up for his heavy losses. Generals Eisenhower and Bradley
believed that the end o f the war was near, that Germany was incapable
o f an offensive operation. They were proven wrong.
The G -2’s (intelligence officers) o f the various headquarters noted the
shift of troops from various places, but refused to believe that Germany
was capable o f making a strong counterattack. When the Ardennes was
discussed, everyone said it was too unlikely that an offensive would be
launched in that area. They disregarded the experience o f 1914 and
1940 and proved the old adage: "Those who fail to learn the lessons o f
history are doomed to repeat them."
On 16 December the enemy had a 3 to 1 advantage in manpower and
a 2 to 1 advantage in tanks and general artillery superiority. Hitler was
well aware o f the American advantage in air power, therefore he
planned an attack when the weather would be overcast. At 0530 hours,
before dawn, the German artillery started the invasion with a massive
bombardment, followed quickly with heavy infantry and armor attacks.
There were 250,000 G erman soldiers, 1,900 pieces of artillery and 970
tanks and self-propelled guns in the initial attack. Part o f the attacking
force were German paratroops in American army uniforms who were
dropped behind the lines. Field M arshall W alter Model was the German
Army Group commander.
The American First Army took the brunt o f the attack. At the time of
the German offensive, there were only 83,000 American troops with 394
pieces o f artillery, 242 tanks and 182 self-propelled guns. Increased
strength o f personnel eventually reached 600,000, when troops were
brought in from many sources, mainly Ninth and Third Armies. Called
the Battle o f the Bulge, it was the greatest batter ever fought by the
United States Army.
The Sixth Panzer Army expected an easy passage through the
American 99th Division but were surprised at the resistance they
encountered. The veteran 2nd Infantry Division added considerable
strength to the defending American troops but the new 106th Division
did not fare as well. Two regim ents were surrounded and captured. At
St. Vith, the 7th Arm ored Division and the remaining regiment o f the
106th formed a horseshoe-shaped defense and initially held the town.
In other areas the German attack was slowed by American troops who
fought valiantly and disrupted the Nazi timetable.
In the vicinity o f Malmedy, Belgium, 86 American prisoners were
executed by the troops o f Kampgruppe Peiper at the Baugnez crossroads
between Malmedy and St. Vith. This was known as the M almedy
Massacre.
Brigadier General Anthony M cAuliffe. acting comm ander o f the 101st
Airborne Division in the absence o f M ajor General Maxwell Taylor, was
in command when the division entered Bastogne. It was quickly
THE BULGE BUGLE
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22
May 2001
THE ATHEIST
M EM ORIAL ADDRESS
Death I view with object sorrow
blit walk with price and never cower
from shock. There is no power
that marks the fall o f man or sparrow
For puny lives those pray who can
in foxhole, dugout, trench and line.
N ot I! Such meanness is not mine.
I’ll live unbroken and die a Man.
(Cuniinuau from Pu^t: 21}
motors developed bugs from the cold and electrical systems in the
planes "shorted out,” The num ber o f m issions that could be flown
were limited. Only eight m issions could be flown in the month of
December. An additional six missions were flown in January until
the end o f the Bulge.
Railway and road junctions were the main objects of attack assigned
during the A rdennes Campaign to disrupt the enem y’s lines of
com m unication and cripple their lines o f supply and reinforcements.
Dawn on 23 D ecem ber brought improved conditions for flying. The
Ninth Bomber D ivision gave the order for the mediums to take-off
The bom ber crew s knew that their sorties were a m atter o f life or
death to the beleaguered Allied troops on the ground.
With the sudden re-opening o f the Allied air campaign and with so
many bombers in the air, fighter resources were stretched. Mediums
would have to brave the defenses alone. Some crews had never seen
an enemy fighter in the air. Two days before Christm as many of
them saw enough to last an entire combat tour.
One M arauder group with an escort o f fighter planes nearing its
target at Euskirchen Bridge was devastated by the Jagdwaffe. fhirtyscveii M aiaudcrs were shot down that day and 182 planes sustained
various categories o f damage. In addition, three Thunderbolts were
shot down. The day was the worst for the Marauder losses in the
entire war.
When w eather perm itted, the Ninth Air Force blasted the German
rail network.
Luftwaffe attacks dwindled under the renewed
tVorn Allied fighters Help from above—in more than one
sense—soon enabled the A llied ground forces to gear up for a tlnal
push into Germany.
In the A rdennes Cam paign, the Ninth Air Force B-26 M arauder
groups lost 49 planes, with a com plem ent o f six to eight men in each
plane, approxim ately 316 airmen Some were able to parachute to
ft rt <-vn
lilUllU^WU
IV/
r»« rl
C
41IVJ WVUUW VMptUtV.
I f vsTong I’m proven when comes death
to me, cursing weakness with ebbing breath,
A sacrifice worthy o f a king,
no repentant, sniveling, praying thing.
One who lived what he was born to be
without fear will face eternity
THE ATHEIST, OLDER NOW
Blessed at birth by what I once called chance,
poor but able, I gloried in the upward fight,
with intelligence, vigor, toil allied with right
To self I did my stature thus enhance.
I learned and lived a code o f behavior superior
to that o f lessor, weaker men at whom I sneered.
Godless, I soldiered with honor, nor death feared
For a self image, I gained much, all inferior
O f my strength and mind I made a god in youth.
N ow in age, a child, 1 seek Your truth.
Amidst the ashes o f accomplishment, destitute.
Dale Car.'cr, 106th Inf. Div.
rv> A
lllWl O A
WVoV41i>
V/
ads. Note: "Remember the C haplain 's admonition: "There are no athiests in
foxholes. ’’
prisoners o f war.
Allied air power played a m ajor role in the German defeat as part
o f the air-ground offensive. We are pleased to honor, on this day, the
18 W est Point graduates assigned to the 344th M arauder Group o f the
N inth Air Force. Prior to D-Day, three o f the 18 were to lose their
lives in com bat missions. O f the rem aining 15, seven courageously
led flights against the enem y during the Battle o f the Bulge.
The '^44th Romb is very' nrniid o f one o f West Point’s finest—M ajor
Lucius D. Clay, Jr., son o f 4-star General Lucius D. Clay, who tlew'
and led flights during the B attle o f the Bulge. He later became a ^
star genera! him self, follow ing in the footsteps o f his father....
On 25 January, 1945. the last o f the surviving German troops
retreated to Germany. The supporting American forces from the
Third and N inth A rm ies went back to their previous battle positions,
having accom plished their mission in elim inating the Bulge in the
Ardennes sector........
We are here today to honor and m em orialize the gallant men who
lost their lives in the air and on the ground in the greatest battle in
.American history. We also fervently recall the men who returned to
the United States and who have since passed away to join their fallen
com rades in the Kingdom o f Eternal Rest.
May the mem ory o f their courage and sacrifice live on forever.
Carl M. Christ. Ninth Air Force
D avid Saltman. Ninth U.S. A rm va
The Orlando, Florida, Reunion should be a big
one. Make plans to com e, you ’ll be surprised how
many new friends you will find and maybe some
old ones too.
THH BULGE BUGLE
'S o rr y , B uddy, w e c a n 't u se you. W hy d o n 't you try th e A ir
F o r c e !"
23
May 2001
REUNIONS
95TH INFANTRY DIVISION, A ugust 23-27. 2001. Biltm ore Hotel.
O klahom a City. O klahom a. C ontact: L ester Wolf, 8032 S outh 86th Court,
Ju stic e , Illinois 60458-1445.
2ND CAVALRY. O c to b e r 10-14, 2001, Baltimore, M aryland. Contact:
2nd C avalry A ssociation, P O Box 915, S o u th e a ste rn , P ennsylvania
19399.
106TH INFANTRY DIVISION, S e p te m b e r 6-10, 2001. Fairview P ark
Marriott, Falls C hurch, Virginia. C ontact: Marion R ay. 7 0 4 Brianwood
Drive, Bethalto, Illinois 62010. T elephone: 618-377-3674.
4TH A R M O R E D DIVISION, S e p te m b e r 9-15, 2001, Landm ark R eso rt
Hotel, Myrtle B each , S o u th C arolina. C ontact: 4th A rm ored Division
A ssociation, 1823 S h a d y Drive, Farrell, P e n n sy lv a n ia 16121.
109TH INFANTRY REGIM ENT. S e p te m b e r 5-8, 2001, Indian Tow n G ap.
Pennsylvania. C ontact: G e o rg e H. Bunnell. 175 C e d a r Drive - Berlin.
Barre. V erm ont 05641-1339.
9TH A R M O R E D DIVISION, 19TH TANK BATTALION, O cto b er 18-20,
2001, Louisville, K entucky. C ontact: R obert K eenan, 145 W e st Lincoln
S tre et, O regon, W isco n sin 53575. T elephone: 608-835-3033.
158TH E N G IN EE R COM BAT BATTALION. O c to b e r 14-16, 2001. Myrtle
B each, S outh C arolina. C o ntact: J a m e s Jo h n s o n , 5141 H ighw ay 78 Lot
61. S tove M ountain. G eo rg ia 30087. T elep h o n e: 770-982-8714.
9TH A R M O R E D DIVISION, 16TH ARM O RED FIELD ARTILLERY
BATTALION, A u g u st 2 8 -S e p te m b e r 2, 2001, L an caster, P ennsylvania.
C ontact: Harold T rethaw ay, 6 O ak S treet, W ilkes-B arre, P ennsylvania
18702. T elephone: 570-829-4792.
159TH E N G IN EE R C O M B A T BATTALION. S e p te m b e r 6-9. 2001. Holiday
Inn C e n tra l/G re e n tre e. P ittsburgh. P en n sy lv a n ia . C ontact: N elson Hilf.
432 R idgem ont Drive, Pittsburgh. P en n sy lv a n ia . T elep h o n e: 412-9211427.
10TH A R M O RED DIVISION, A ugust 3 0 -S e p te m b e r 3 ,2 0 0 1 , E xecutive Inn
W est. Louisville, K entucky. C ontact: L es Nichols, 9411 Springm ont
P la ce , Louisville. K entucky 40224. T elephone: 502-327-9188.
202ND E N G IN EE R C O M BA T BATTALION, J u n e 21-23. 2001.
Middletown. Ohio. C ontact: G ordon F. W ilson. 5931 D a y b rea k T erra ce .
Baltimore. M aryland 21206. T elep h o n e: 410-866-8291.
11TH A R M O RED DIVISION, A ugust 13-18, 2 0 0 1 ,K alam azoo, Michigan.
C ontact: 11th ARMDD, 232 8 Admiral S treet, Aliquippa, P ennsylvania
15001.
277TH FIELD ARTILLERY BATTALION, S e p te m b e r 28-29. 2001.
S o m e rse t. K entucky C ontact: J a m e s T. Holloway. 306 M urphy A venue,
F e rg u so n , K entucky 42533-9417. T elephone: 606-678-8897.
11TH A R M O RED DIVISION, 55TH ARM O RED INFANTRY BATTALION,
COM PANY B, S e p te m b e r 6-9, 2001, A m ana C olonies, Iowa C ontact:
G e n e F oster, 1401 -1 7 th A venue, Eldora, Iowa 50627. T elephone: 641858-2158.
300TH E N G IN E E R C O M B A T BATTALION. J u n e 14-17, 2001, Holiday Inn
S elect. D allas, T ex a s. C ontact: F rank N e u h a u se r. T elep h o n e: 214-3283005.
26TH INFANTRY DIVISION, J u n e 5-7, 2001, C a p e C o d e r R esort.
H yannis, C a p e C od, M a s s a c h u s e tts . C ontact: R obert R. R aney, 27
F o re st S treet, P e a b o d y , M a s s a c h u s e tts 01960-4138. T elephone: 978531-2257.
398TH E N G IN EE R (G S ) REGIM ENT, S e p te m b e r
19-22,
2001,
S a c ra m e n to , California. C ontact: R o s s H arris, 25 1 2 M im osa Street,
S a n ta R o sa . California 95405. T elephone: 707-579-1909.
30TH INFANTRY DIVISION, J u n e 4-8, 2001, C a p e May. N ew Je rse y .
C ontact: W arren C adiz, 154 M ontgom ery A venue. O c e a n sid e , New York
11572.
5 01S T PA R A C H U TE INFANTRY REGIM ENT, A u g u st 2-5, 2001. S h e ra to n
Park R idge Hotel, King of P ru ssia . P e n n sy lv a n ia 19406. C ontact: Clair
L. H e ss . 557 P o w derhorn R oad. King of P ru s sia . P e n n sy lv a n ia 194063053. T elephone: 610-354-9612.
35TH INFANTRY DIVISION, S e p te m b e r 26-30, 2001, R o se n P la za Hotel,
O rlando, Florida. C ontact: 35th INFO, P O Box 5004. T opeka, K a n sa s
66605.
6 31S T TANK D E ST R O Y E R BATTALION. July 19-21, 2001, Pittsburgh
Airport Marriott. Pittsburgh. P en n sy lv a n ia . C o ntact: F rank B raden. 161
S ta te S tre et. C oreopolis. P e n n sy lv a n ia 15108.
35TH INFANTRY DIVISION, 134TH INFANTRY REGIMENT. S e p tem b e r
27-30, 2001. C ontact: J a m e s Graff. 1146 100th A venue. Middletown.
Illinois 62666. T elephone: 217-445-2570.
635TH TANK D E ST R O Y E R BATTALION, S e p te m b e r 12-15. 2001. St.
Louis Marriott, St. Louis. M issoun. C ontact: R ichard C h a n e y , P O Box
189, Myrtle C reek. O reg o n 97457. T elep h o n e: 541-863-3016.
75TH INFANTRY DIVISION. S e p te m b e r 5-9. 2001. T h e Double T ree
Hotel, D enver, C olorado. C ontact: J a m e s W arm outh. 75th INFD, 6545
W e st 11th Street. Indianapolis, Indiana 46214. T elephone: 317-2413730.
705TH TANK D E ST R O Y E R BATTALION, S e p te m b e r 5-9, 2001.
R a d isso n Inn. C olorado S prings. C olorado. C ontact: F rank W. B rooks.
5229 R av en sw o rth R oad. Springfield, Virginia 22151. T elep h o n e: 703256-0868.
83RD INFANTRY DIVISION. S e p te m b e r 26-29, 2001. Holiday Inn
H am pton Hotel. H am pton, Virginia. C ontact: R obert D erickson, 3749
S ta h lh e b e r R oad, Hamilton, Ohio 45013-9102. T elephone: 513-8632199.
965TH FIELD ARTILLERY BATTALION, S e p te m b e r 2 6 -O c to b e r 3, 2001,
O rlando. Florida. C ontact: J o s e p h P a d g e tt, 6 P a r Drive, N ew S m yrna
B each, Florida 32168. T elephone: 904-427-1763.
SH A E F, O c to b er 12-15. 2001. G alt H o u se, Louisville, K entucky. C ontact:
SH A EF C om m unique. 223 0 S outh O verlook R oad. C lev elan d H eights,
O hio 4 4 106 T elep h o n e: 216-721-0921.
84TH INFANTRY DIVISION, A ugust 18-21, 2001. R a d isso n Hotel,
B ranson. M issouri. C ontact: Daryl Mitchell. P O Box 136. Nixa, Missouri
65714.
MEMBERS SPEAK OUT
86TH CHEMICAL M ORTAR BATTALION, May 6-10. 2001. S a n Ante
T ex a s. C ontact; J a m e s J. Doyle, 722 W e st 4 1 s t S tre et, H ouston, T e x a s
77018-5406.
W ayne D eV ries w o u ld like to hear from an yone w h o can g iv e
him inform ation on h is father, R A Y M O N D J . D E V R IE S , 9T H
A R M O R E D D IV IS IO N . R aym ond w as k illed in action on
D ecem b er 29th in B elg iu m . He had b een aw arded the Silver
Star. W ayn e w o u ld appreciate a n y inform ation so w rite to him
at: 3 W est End A v en u e, Suite 2 0 1 , O ld G reenw ich, C onnecticut
06870.
95TH MEDICAL G A S TREATM ENT BATTALION, A ugust 16-19, 2001.
C harlesto n Marriott, C h arlesto n . W e s t Virginia. C ontact: W alter G antz.
829 Palm Street, S cran to n . P en n sy lv an ia 18505. T elephone: 570-3479354.
THE BULGE BUGLE
(Continued from Page 2 I)
24
May 2001
FURTHER ON
SGT. DAY G. TURNER
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
artillery m ortar, and m achine gun fire nnrcned the retreating
enem y.
W hile 1 have no first hand know ledge o f Sgt. T u rn er’s death,
I can only relate my own experience occurring at the same
tim e and the com bat conditions that contributed to his death.
February 7th, at 0500 hours, 1st Battalion w ith C om panies B
and C, the assault units. We crossed the O ur R iver under
hazardous conditions—conditions aggravated by intense enemy
artillery fire.
O nce across we had to cross 200 yards o f open, plowed,
m uddy ground, and under intense heavy m achine gun fire from
the ridge top pillboxes, the m ortars and artillery would soon
begin.
By 1000 hours the rifles had cleaned out part o f the ridge top
knocking out several pillboxes and bunkers. Each pillbox had
to be dem olished or occupied because the enem y would try to
reoccupy them later. This required very close-in fighting
because o f interlocking fields o f the pillbox fire and open
trenches.
I rem em ber my platoon leader and 1 observing two o f our
m achine guns poring torrents o f red tracers directly into the
gun ports o f a pillbox from only 100 yards, keeping it buttoned
w hile the rifles approached with satchel charges. The next
thing I knew the Lt. was standing up and blazing aw ay with an
M-1 at the sam e target. This is the last 1 ever saw him! He
ju st disappeared from the line and he never returned—no
explanation.
The satchel charges did the trick and we could finally get in,
the w hole insides were burned to a crisp—nobody survives two
charges like that!
T his type o f action w as gOuig un all aciOis llic niige.
C om pany B, Sgt. T urner’s outfit, and C om pany C were to be
heavily involved w ith extrem ely intense conditions that would
last for the next seven days, until a bridge was finally
construction on February H th .n
From Vernon "Red" Frazier
80th Infantrv, 319 Regiment, Company D
In order to illustrate the battle conditions that precipitated Sgt.
T urner being aw arded the M OH and his later death, 1 have
taken in part from my personal jo u rn al description o f the
actions in w hich our units o f the 1st B attalion, 319 Infantry,
were involved.
I w as an instrum ent corporal in a heavy m achine gun platoon
(C om pany D), supporting a com panion com pany on the sam e
extended line w ith Sgt. T u rn e r’s C om pany B.
Starting January 6, 1944, our days o f intense com bat started
another phase in the SOth’s efforts in the reduction o f the
Bulge. W e opened with an attack and capture o f the V illage
o f G oesdorf, L uxem bourg.
C om pany B supported by
C om pany D ’s 1st Platoon attacked up a secondary road
m eeting heavy m achine gun fire, w hile we charged up the
m ain road into the center o f the village.
W ith the village secured by 1300 hours, the battalion was
ordered to advance and occupy a portion o f the V illage o f
Dahl, that had been taken by our 3rd Battalion.
Taken in part from the "A fter A ction R eport" o f the 3 19th
infantry':
"Dahl had been taken by the 3rd B attalion by 1400 hours and
tuv i j t
__^
4^__ --------
w a d vj i uî v. . u Lu i i i u v w i i u i i i
lu u a i n
and relieve units already in established positions in defense in
the north and northeast sectors o f the town.
"January 7th, the enem y launched a num ber o f probing
attacks, but w ithdrew after fierce encounters. January 8th, at
0500 hours, the enem y delivered preparatory' barrage lasting 45
m inutes. U nder this co v er an estim ated battalion o f infantry
supported by tanks and other arm or advanced lu assault tiie
position o f C om pany B. A w ithering crossfire from the tanks
assisteH the advance
D espite the apparent oven.vhelm ing
enem y forces. C om pany B delivered violent fire on the
attacking elem ents.
On the co m p an y ’s right fiank an estim ated com pany, forced
an outpost to w ithdraw to a house w hich becam e a strong point
in the defense. D espite the constant reinforcem ent o f the
enem y, the m en in the house w ith staunch determ ination
retained their position. T hey fought room -to-room and the
enem y suffered heavy casualties. Save for the squad leader, all
the defenders w ere w ounded—but enem y lost the initiative due
to th eir own casualties.
Due to the rolling terrain the enem y approached w ithin 150
yards and posed a threat to the defense line. Both sides rushed
in reserves. C om pany B com m itted its reserve platoon as the
Ciermans repeatedly pushed into the w eak point. C om pany
H eadquarters section w as rushed to the threatened flank and
won new positions. (C om pany C and our 2nd M achine Gun
Platoon w as brought up behind C om pany B ’s line and w aited
for co m m itm e n t-w h ic h proved unnecessary.)
H eavy attrition cost the enem y the attack and attem pted to
w ithdraw under sm oke cover, but the w ind dispersed the
sm oke screen and caused a disorderly rout.
M urderous
IHh HlJl.UL UtlULh
Urders from Headquarters?...
...Nah, Just some Poop from the Group!
Be assured that we at National are pleased as punch when we hear
from our chapters.
Now that we number about 8.60U members in 65 chapters, we are
indeed a going concern.
Serious recruiting in the northeast by our former National Treasurer
Pete Leslie has led to significant growth in membership and chapters.
That 1/4 to 1/3 of the chapters keep national informed of their
activities is greatly appreciated. We wish that more would do the
same.
Some report annually with year-end reports of elections, address
changes and activities. Others report regularly throughout the year by
form letters or newsletters of which there are many clever
publications.
We are happy to know what is going on out there in the "boonies"
and to share with others as we do through distribution of our quarterly
Board Meeting minutes to Chapter Presidents and article in The
Bugle.
Richard C. Schlenker
Vice President for
Chanters and Resions
25
Mav 2001
3RD ARMORED DIVISION
MEMORIES
I also rem em ber a couple o f other incidents in H ebronval,
Belgium . W hen our CP b ivouacked there, it w as very cold,
cold, cold. It w as have been 30 degrees below zero. I had m y
fingers frost-bitten w hile taking pictures, because I co u ldn’t
operate the cam eras w ith gloves on.
(N ow , to this day
w henever the tem perature gets below 60 degrees, m y fingers
get num b.) 1 also had to carry the cam eras underneath my
overcoat and com bat ja c k e t to keep the cam era shutters from
freezing. T here w ere not too m any buildings around w here we
could sleep w ithout freezing to death. I found one out
building. It w as a sm all w ooden b am about 10 feet square and
about 15 feet high. A ctually, it w as a cow shed. In this very
sm all cow shed, w as a stall w ith a bull in it. The bull was
N O T very happy either, w ith a stranger com ing in there. So
I d id n ’t stay in there too long. I decided to w alk around the
out-side o f the shed to look for any other possible place to
sleep for the night. W hen I got to the side o f the cow shed, I
saw a closed w ooden door up about 10 feet from the ground.
A fter piling up a few things to stand on, and reach that door,
I opened that w ooden door to have a look inside. It w as the
storage room for hay for the bull in the stall below . I clim bed
in there and bedded dow n for the night. It h appened to be
directly above the unpleasant bull. I d id n ’t think the bull got
too m uch sleep th at night, because he knew I w as still present
right up above him , and it m ade him nervous. O f course, I
w as a little nervous too w ith him being about tw o feet below
m e. I also kept w orrying about how m any rats or m ice w ould
be craw ling over m e in that hay pile. B ut one good thing
cam e from that cold, cold night. The heat from the bull
m anure (proper civilian nam e for it) kept rising up to w here 1
w as sleeping and kept m e as w arm as toast, w hile it w as 30
below zero outside. A nd th a t’s no b u ll.n
[The a ttached was received fr o m new m em ber M A R V IN
H. M IS C H N IC K , D ivision photographer o f G-2 Section,
3rd A rm ored D ivision H eadquarters.]
1 w as a m em ber o f the 3rd A rm ored "Spearhead" Division.
The division got its nicknam e because it w as the spearhead o f
the A llied A rm ies across the E uropean Continent.
The
D ivision under the com m and o f M ajor G eneral M aurice Rose,
who w as killed in action in Paderbom , G erm any, w hile leading
his m en. The division that spearheaded all the w ay from
V illers Fossar and St. Lo in France in June o f 1944 to Dessau
and the Elbe R iver in G erm any. The division that closed the
Falaize Gap in France and the R uhr Pocket in G erm any. (It
was not any o f G eneral P atto n ’s divisions or any part o f his
T hird A rm y, as has been m istakenly reported by some
historian.)
The 3rd A rm ored D ivision w as the first arm ored division to
enter B elgium , the first to breach the Siegfried Line, and the
first to capture a G erm an tow n (Roetgen). The Spearhead
D ivision w as the pride o f the 7th Corps C om m ander Lt. Gen.
Joseph L. "L ightning Joe" C ollins, and the U.S. First A rm y, at
first under the com m and o f Lt. Gen. O m ar N. B radley, and
later under Lt. Gen. C ourtney H. H odges. I m ention this,
because nobody seem s to know that it w as the U.S. First Arm y
that spearheaded across Europe. N obody seem s to ever have
heard the nam es o f M aurice Rose, or C ourtney H. Hodges.
Everybody seem s to think Gen. G eorge Patton and the Third
A rm y won the war. It’s tim e that people knew about a heroic
and creditable 3rd A rm ored D ivision, and about Gen. M aurice
Rose. I recom m end reading A ndy R ooney’s book titled M y
War.
I w as the division photographer o f the division headquarters,
Forw ard Eschelon during our participation o f the Battle o f the
Bulge, and also during the w hole liberation o f the E uropean
Continent. M y w ork w as published in tw o editions o f the
books titled Spearhead in the West, w hich is the history o f the
3rd A rm ored D ivision. One edition w as printed in G erm any
in 1946 during our occupation there ju st after the w ar ended.
The other edition w as an up-to-date m odel o f 1992. And also
in the book D eath Traps, by B elton Y. Cooper.
Going from the serious now to the lighter side. I’ll tell you
som ething a little hum orous as w ell as new sw orthy and a
personal m em ory o f the B ulge. O ur division had a CP
(C om m and Post) bivouac at the insane asylum at L iem eux,
B elgium , in January, 1945. In refreshing m y m em ory o f an
incident there, I rem em ber w alking through a long dark and
dank tunnel on the w ay to our kitchen truck to get chow. And
after chow, w e had to w alk back through the tunnel. A ll
through the tunnel w ere individual m ental patients scattered
about w ho looked at us as if w e w ere strange creatures from
the planet Mars. It gave us the feeling that they w ere in great
fear o f us, and perhaps suspecting that we w ould torture them .
O ur bivouac at the asylum at L iem eux w as also the place were
Cpl G eorge Stettinfeld and I had m ixed a batch o f hom e-m ade
ice cream that we m ade w ith snow in G eo rg e’s GI helm et.
Lem on flavored ice cream w ith the synthetic lem on pow der
(w hich we called "sym pathetic" lem on pow der) from our K
rations. A fter we ate it, G eorge rem em bered that he had
previously w ashed his feet in that very sam e helm et.
THE BULGE BUGLE
THE GREATEST ARMY
[Received from ED W IN A. CALFEE, 6TH ARM ORED
DIVISION, 50TH ARM ORED IN F A N T R Y BATTALION,
COMPANY B ]
This is the story of New Year’s morning of our attack on the
Germans to break through to Bastogne and the 101st which stopped
the Germans, We were supposed to have tank companies, but the
road was blocked coming up the hill of our attack point. We got
orders to go with what we had. We were the front of the attack. 1
put a squad of infantry behind each tank—we only had six. We went
for about half an hour when our tank passed a German bunker
machine gun which opened up on us. M yself and 13 men were hit
and down in the snow. An SS trooper came out and was going to kill
all—Sgt. Norman Phillips was killed and Arthur Hullihen was
wounded bad. Roy Neidig came out from the other side of the tank
and the German dropped his gun and asked for mercy. Roy pointed
to the men in the snow and shot and killed him. The tank backed up
and fired into the bunker, killing several. We took 12 prisoners. I
got on the outside radio phone and two tanks came up and two squads
of men. We got the wounded out to aid stations and most were sent
home. 1 was patched up and made it on to Bastogne. Then on to a
hospital in England. December 31 S t. Roy Neidig by himself went on
a patrol of our area. He saw a big tiger tank with a track off which
was still firing on us. He went back and got a big tank destroyed and
took them to it and they destroyed it. No officers were around: they
said they got lost. But, the whole company got there? I have
discussed this with my men and they remember that.
We were out numbered but not out fought. I know we were the
greatest army in this world.
26
May 2001
REFLECTIONS
by Joseph Zimmer
These reflections were given by the author at the M D /D C Chapter o f the Veterans o f the Battle o f the Bulge Association
meeting, on Sunday, 11 February 2001, at the Ft M eade G o lf ClubHouse. Joe served with Company B, 345th Infantry, 87th
Infantry Division. H is thoughts are shared with those who were unable to attend.
Here we are today, in early February 2001, well into the 21st Century. We discovered last December, that the year 2000 Census
tells us that we are a nation o f 281.4 million. Within those numbers are about 24 million veterans o f past wars o f the 20th Centurv'.
We Veterans o f World War II, Brokaw’s “Greatest Generation” and Ambrose’s “Citizen Soldiers,” and more recently Bob Dole’s
passing generation, are in that census number, to the tune o f 5 million men and women. An historian recently stated that perhaps
we were the gold standard o f America’s men and women Many sacrificed their lives, some their health and bodies. But all o f us
sacrificed time we could never make up. To paraphrase a p o p u l^ song o f the past to each o f we veterans o f WWII, “There will be
other songs to sing, another ftJl, another spring, but, there will never ever be another you.”
We marched into a hell toward a heavenly and nuble goal, we who fought in the Battle o f the Bulge. God is the author o f miracles,
and, how many miracles brought us home. We are this story’s author to be sure. It was a profound period o f our lives as we
learned responsibility for getting things done. Our trainers and our leaders tested us constantly and, wanted so much for us to
succeed and to become good at what w e had to do. It was like a trib d bond, and, sometimes very hard to get past. A bone
unexplainable, as a witness to the randomness o f life - all in the wink an eye - the constant question: why him and not me? It was
even more remarkable, when, you consider the varied walks o f life we came from, students, farmers, grocery workers, mmlmen,
plumbers or barbers to name just a few.
Stability, loyalty, commitment, trust were our watchwords, one o f every nine Americans at the time. It all was the largest
migration in our history - 8 million to west coast. Midwest, and south, a democratic cauldron. Two million women worked in
defense plants and 225,000 in shipbuilding.. Perhaps most o f us, if not all, would feel that, serv ing in the US Army, in the greatest
armed conflict in the history o f mankind, was the best accomplishment o f our litetmie - the penod of our manhood that mattered
the most
Poor is the nation that has no heroes. Poorer still is the nation that has them but forgets. But to many Veterans, it seems like they
are remembered, particularly m Washington DC, only on Veterans Day. Speeches are aii well and good, parading us for photo
oops or during political campaigns or events, do serve some noble purpose. Let future generations be reminded that courage, duty,
honor ars not lost values. That .^*merica is fore\'er grateful to our deceased veterans; those wounded who bear the scars o f Lheuui:>abi!iiy, ihc piisoiici o f war, the uiissing Still, aiid we who survi ved unscathed.
Our lives have a sound track. Many have passed on and our remaining WWII men and women, are joining them, says the VA, at
the rate o f 1,500 a day The spirit must live on Let us savor each day, the moments our chapter meetings and events give us, for
all too soon they’ll just be memories. Traditions are important, give us strength, even those under attack currently, like our
beloved Pledge o f Allegiance, our motto on our coinage, “In God We Trust,” our National Anthem. Where are those super
liberals, craaes, coming from, calling them violations o f our Constitution in some fonn.
It is timely and worth o f us, I believe, to mention our vwves, companions o r in today’s parlance, significant others, who are with us
today and keep us in good spirits and contented. Their caring and love sustain us. We continue to try to return the same to them,
as well, the quality o f life we enjoy. What a bulwark they are to get us through what w e experienced those many years ago. They
share our comings and goings and, there is a beauty beyond the senses in their beauty o f the spirit. Happy Valentine’s Day to you
all.
Congratulations to John Bowen as the recipient in December 2000, o f the first annual award o f the BOBHF, o f which I am a
member, for his contribution to preserving the history o f our battle. We are so proud o f you, John, a quiet man, who gets so much
done for our Chapter and National in such silent ways. Congratulations also to you and Mary Ann on the recent birth o f your
grandson The afternoon lingers on. It is time to say “Au Revior,” ‘til next we meet.
(The Editor appreciates J o e's comments a n d congratulations. JD S)
THE BULGE BUGLE
27
May 2001
New Challenge fo r VBOB
E arlier this year, M ajor G eneral R obert H. Scales, Jr., USA,
then C om m andant o f the U.S. A rm y W ar C ollege at C arhsle
B arracks, PA., invited the Veterans o f the Battle o f the Bulge
to place a m em orial stained w indow in the hall o f honor in
B liss H all, the conference center at the W ar College.
P resident John D unleavy and the executive board o f VBOB
accepted this invitation prom ptly and form ed a special
com m ittee headed by Stanley A. W ojtusik, Vice President
M ilitary A ffairs to develop this im portant project for our
organization. The com m ittee visited a num ber o f nationally
know n stained glass artists studios and has designed a window
that w ill have an honored place at the W ar College.
T he studio selected, the W illets Stained G lass Studios in the
C hestnut H ill section o f Philadelphia, is fam ous for the artistry
and quality o f their w ork . The m ost fam ous in the United
States is the m ain stained glass w indow in the C adet Chapel at
W est Point.
C ost o f the creation and installation o f the w indow , and the
cerem ony at the dedication in Septem ber, 2001, is
approxim ately thirty-five thousand dollars, and a drive is now
u nder w ay to collect the funds to pay for this im portant
m em orial. A letter has been sent to all VBOB Chapters, and
to m any businesses, seeking their participation in this project.
C om m itte C hairm an W ojtusik told the Bulge Bugle, "We
have sent letters to m any nationally know businesses asking
for their financial support, but we know from experience that
if this fund drive is to succeed, it is our VBOB Chapters and
m em bers that are our m ajor source o f fiinds. W e know we
can count on them ."
W hen installed it w ill jo in m em orial w indow s including
those com m em orating D Day, M OPH, W orld W ar One and
the G u lf War.
T hose w ishing to c o n trib u te to m ak e this m em o ria l a
re a lity can send th e ir checks to S tan ley A. W o jtu sik , Vice
P re s id e n t-M ilita ry A ffairs V BO B , c/o 9639 W issinom ing
St. P h ila d e lp h ia , PA ., 19114.
CaHhlc. !\'l
( arfixlr fi'ar ('n ih vt' Hlisx Half
Vutn
VBOB O fficers visit W a r College to survey site of
stained glass m em orial w indow shown outside of Bliss
Hall, w here the m em orial will be placed are; (L to R)
Col. T hom as Sweeney, USA (Ret) Professor a t th e W ar
College an d liaison to VBOB for m any years. Executive
VP Lou C unningham (106 ID), Executive V P -M ilitar\
A ffairs-Stan W ojtusik (106th ID), Past P resident
G eorge L inthicum (26th ID).
THE BULGE BUGLE
M IC H IG A N C H A P T E R M O N U M E N T D E D IC A TIO N - a t VFW' Post 2780,
T rav e rse C ity, M ichigan, J u n e 16, 2000. L eft side o f M onum ent (L to R)
F re d F a u lk n er, Jim W ibby, G uest from G ra n d R apids, W ayne M entier, Jim
P ekkala, M a u ry Cole. R i^ h t side o f M onum ent (L to R) F red K erb, H ow ard
R ed fern , W ilb e r M iller, C h a rle s Lewis, Tony Stefan, W illiam Nem ecek.
28
Mav 2001
D a y la u tc
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XVW|Â AXAbW<^ XX
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n \JTAT>
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X VUX MMX jr , ^Ôf
W )^X
M anton S. Eddy spearheaded Patton’s charge
across Europe, only to be relegated to obscurity.
By Harold E. Raugh, Jr.
j^ S a jo r Gcncrai M anton S. Eddy has
received the recognition he
deserved for his leadership, professional
ism, braveiy and batdefield successes. A.s
commander of the 9th Infantry Division
and later the XII Corps, Eddy played an
im portant but relatively unheralded role
tWI never
mander until the armistice in November.
His interwar assignments were typical of
most professional officers: student and
insU'uclor al die Infantry School; Resei-ve
Officers T raining C om m and (R O TC )
dut\'; a rw'o year posting to Schofield Bar
racks, Hawaii; and then assignment as a
Despite hh distingimhed sen’ice to Gener-al George S. Patton (left), the contrihtitions ofMaj.
Gen. Manton S. Eddy to Allied victoiy in World IVar II have largely beenfo-rgotten.
in the Allieil victories in N orth Africa and
Europe during VSbrld W ar II.
T he purpose of Gerard Phillips’ book.
The Making of a Pmfessiamd: Manton S. Eddy,
USA (Cireenwood Press, Westjiort, Cônn.,
2000, $65), is to help rescue this forgotten
American commander from the relative
obscuritv’ to which he has been relegated.
Born in 1892, Eddy joined the U.S.
Army in 1916 and was commissioned an
infantry second lieutenant two years later,
after America’s entrj- into W orld War I.
■Assigned to die 4di Lifaiiuy Division, Edd>
(by then a captain) deployed to France in
•May 1918 and saw combat as a machinegun company commander unril wounded
in action three months later, .\fter recuperaring, Eddy serv’ed as a battalion coni-
Student and instructor at the Army
Command and General Staff School.
It was during W ^rld W ar II that Eddy’s
leadership qualides became apparent.
.-After service as a regimental commander
in the 44th Infantry Division, he was pro
moted to brigadier general in March 1942
and assigned to the 9th Infantr\- Division
at Fort Bragg, N .C . Only four months
later, he received his second star and be
came the division’s commander. During
the invasion of N orth Africa in November
1942, Eddy commanded die Provisional
CJorps of the W'estern lask Force. Six
weeks later, he rejoined the 9th, which
was still consolidating when the Gemians
attacked Kasserine Pass in Februarv' 1943.
Eddy helped restore the situation after the
initial German breakthrough. T he 9th
next fought in Sicily, and, in November
1943, it redeployed to England to prepare
for the invasion of France.
Its mission was to land on June 10,
1944, and to serve as the VII C orps’
reserve. Eddy came ashore at U tah Beach
on June 8, and shortly after his division
landed, he relieved the faltering 90th
Division. Eddy was then directed to cut
off G erm an forces in the C herbourg
Peninsula and to seize the vital port cit^’.
'Fhis was arguably Eddy’s finest hour. He
aggressively led his soldiers, effectively
employed superior firepower and maneuv'srsvl His cornnitirivi through ths
and deadly hedgerow country^ toward
(;herbourg. In recognition of his leader
ship and heroism during the actions to
seize the cit>', Eddy was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross.
Eddy coiiUnued ill command of the 9th
unril he was promoted to take charge of
the XII Corps in Aug>ast 1944. His new
command frequendy spearheaded the
lightning advances of Lt. Gen. George S.
Patton’s T hird Army as it charged across
Europe and crossed the Rhine. T he pace
of the adv'ance, howev'er, took a toll on the
XII Corps’ commander. W ith victor}' in
sight, Eddy was diagnosed with lifethreatening high blood prcssuTc snd wss
relieved by Patton less than three weeks
before die end of die war in Europe.
Eddy’s absence from the victory cele
brations, according to Phillips, is one of
the reasons that he has been forgotten.
His military career, however, was not
over. After a medical examination, Eddy
was allowed to return to duty in 1946. He
received his third star in 1947 and retired
in 1953 after 37 years of service. Nine years
after his retirement Eddy passed away.
In his book, Phillips relies heavily on
Eddy’s diary and information provided by
five of the general’s wartime aides. WTiile
such half-centur\'-oId reminiscences are
valuable, their credibilitv’ and accuracy'
need to be watched carefully. One other
weakness is the author’s extensive use of
imattributed quoted dialogue.
58 VV'ORI.D \V .\R II FEB RU A RY 2001
Eds. Note: Gen. Eddy's X II Corps’ consisted o f the 4th and 6th .4rmd. Divisions, the 35th and
THE BULGE BUGLE
29
May, 2001
VETERANS OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE CERTinCATE
The Veterans o f the Battle o f the
Bulge Assn is proud to offer a full color 11"
by 17" certificate, which may be ordered by
any veteran who received credit for the
Ardennes Campaign. It attests that you
participated in, endured and survived the
greatest land battle ever fought by the US
Army You do not have to be a member o f
the VBOB Assn in order to order one but
V E T E R A N S O F T H E B ATTLE O F T H E B U L G E
you must have received the Ardennes credit.
jff, fff nt^n. iAftf
This beautiful certificate is produced on
parchment-like stock and is outlined by the
full color WWII insignias o f the major units
y
/ant/
that fought in the Battle o f the Bulge
■‘ihr ■'Untt/f itj' t/tr
/y /A. ■Mniht/
•J.mff
starting with the 12th Army Group followed
/H
numerically with Armies, Corps and
Divisions and the two Army Air Forces. We
wished that each unit insignia could have
been shown but with approximately 2000
units that participated in the Bulge it was impossible. However any unit which served in the Bulge would have been attached to or
reported through one o f the unit insignia depicted. You may want to add one o f your original patches to the certificate, when you
receive it. Units were researched in the Official General Order No. 114 for Units Entitled to the ARDENNES Battle Credit and will be
the basis for sale o f this certificate. The unit insignias shown are also those used in the design o f the Battle o f the Bulge Memorial
Conference Table dedicated and on view in the Garrison Library at Ft Meade, MD (open Mon & Wed 12:30-3:00 PM The requests
to date have been overwhelming, therefore we would request that you allow approximately 3-4 weeks for delivery.
A Special Certificate is available to spouses or children o f those who made the Supreme Sacrifice in the Battle o f the Bulge or
who died o f wounds received in the Battle o f the Bulge. The individual request should have the date and place o f death and be certified
by the family requestor or by a buddy who was present. Multiple copies o f the same certificate may be ordered if you have a number
o f children/grandchildren. Rank or command during the Bulge is preferred. It will be abbreviated to the WWII or three character
standard The certificate will be shipped rolled in a protective mailing tube. Please be sure to place your name, service number and
unit as you would like it to appear on the certificate. The unit name should as full as possible as you want someone reading it to
understand what unit you were in We will abbreviate it as necessary. It is important that you type or print this information. The unit
must be one o f the 2000 units authorized for the Ardennes Campaign credit. The cost of the certificate is $15.00 postpaid.
Unfortunately we do not have any more frames available at this time. John Bowen is presently trying to arrange
with other suppliers who will produce these special sizes in quantities of 100. This may result in a higher frame cost. Our
previous order had to be for 500 frames which took over three years to sell and resulted in the non use of a garage where they
were stored. We will keep you posted.
isa
m
B
VETERANS OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE CERTfflCATE ORDER BLANK
I request an 11" x 17" Certificate and certify that I received credit for the Ardennes Campaign during my military service. I have
enclosed a check for $15.00 for the Certificate. Please include the following information that I would like on the certificate:
First Name
Last Name
MI
Senal Number
Rank (Optional)
OrgamzationiCompany, Battalion and/or Regt, Division
□Killed in Action________________ Location___________
date
□POW
□Died o f Wounds
place
date
dates
Camp
MAILING INFORMATION:
Name
Apt No.
Street Address
City
State
Zip + 4 Code
VBOB Member:
Yes
No
Telephone Number (In case we need to call you)
not a requirement
Signature & date
Make chcckj out to VBOB for S15.00. O rdcn shouM be mailed to VBOB Certlfleatc, PO Box 11129, ArHngton, VA 22210-2129. Qnestiwis can be directed
to John D. Bowen, 301-384-6533, Certificate Chairman.
01/08/99_________
THE BULGE BUGLE
30
May, 2001
VBOB QUARTERMASTER
APRIL 2001
Please ship the following item s to:
N am e:__________________________
(first)
(phone #-witl call only if there is a problem)
Oast)
Address:
(r>o.)
(street)
(zip)
(state)
(city)
Quantity
Total Pries
Item Description
Price Each
VBOB Logo P a tc h - 3"
$ 4 .5 0
$
VBOB Logo P a tc h - 4 "
$ 5 .5 0
$
VBOB Logo D ecal - 4 "
$ 1 .2 5
$
VBOB W in d sh ield Logo - 4 "
$ 1 .2 5
$
VBOB Logo S tic k e rs (1 0 ) - I'A "
1 0 fo r $ 1 .2 5
$
B aseb all C ap w /3 " VBOB Logo P a tc h - Navy only
$ 1 0 .0 0
$
$
(XXL and XXXL - see prices)
$ 2 5 .0 0 iM, L & XL)
$ 2 6 .0 0 for XXL
$ 2 7 . 0 0 for XXXL
VBOB Logo Lapel Pin -
$ 5 .0 0
$
M in iatu re VBOB Logo M edal w /R ib b o n (pin o n ty p e )
$ 8 .5 0
$
W in d b re a k e r w /4 " VBOB Logo P a tc h (N avy only)
Please circle size (they run s Utde snug}: M
L
XL
XXL
XXXL
SUver to n e
or
G old to n e
$ 1 6 .0 0
$
Silver tonv
or
Gold tone
$ 1 6 .0 0
$
VBOB License Plate Fram e w /L ogos - W hite plastic w /Black printing
$ 5 .0 0
$
VBOB 1 0 0 S h e e t N o te p a d w /L o g o - "77)/s Note Is From... A Veteran o f the
Ssitla o f the Sulyv'^ - W hilo p a p o r w ith Bluo p rin tin g
$ 3 .0 0
$
VBOB Tote Bag - 18** x 15" natural (off-w hite) color to te b ag w ith navy
h a n u la s afid lafy o navy V8CB luyu
$ 8 .0 0
$
VBOB Logo Belt B uckle -
{Pfeass circie chotcs;
VBOB Logo Bolo Tie -
iPiease circie choice)
Make Checks Payable to "VBOB" - Mall Orders to VBOB-QM, PO Box 11129, Arlington, VA 2 2 2 10 -2 1 2 9
OTHER MONIES WITH QM PAYMENT
Please allow 3-4 w eeks for delivery
Shipping and Handling:
$0.00 to $5.0 0 - $ 2.00
$5.01 to $ 1 0 .0 0 - $ 3 .0 0
$10.01 and over - $ 4.0 0
Please add an additional $ 1 .0 0 to regular shipping and handling for all items shipped outside the USA.
Cost of Items:
S&H:
$.
Total:
$
Office Use Only - Do Not Write Below This Line
Date Mailed:
Date Received:
P a u m o n t-
H ash
THE BULGE BUGLE
T h firk
C h ftrk N n
MD
31
May, 2001
N on-P rofit O rg.
U .S. P o s ta g e
PAID
A rlington, VA
P e rm it No. 4 6 8
VETERANS
of the
BATTLE
of the
BULGE
liililiiilliiilliiilliilliiiillliiiliiillilliiiiliiilililliiil
P .O . B o x 1 1129
A r lin g t o n , V ir g in ia 2 2 2 10-2129
LC 0071
LIFE
N EIL B R O W N T H O M P S O N
5 2 5 PA TR IC IA CT
O D EN TO N MD 2 1 1 1 3 - 1 7 1 6
A D D R E S S C O R R E C T IO N R E Q U E ST E D
FORW ARDING a n d RETURN
PO STA G E GUARANTEED
MAY, 2001
TIME TO BLAST OFF
FOR THE VBOB REUNION
IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA
SEPTEMBER 29 TO OCTOBER 3, 2001
■--------- Detach and M a i l ------------------------------OFFICIAL U SE ONLY
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
VETERANS OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE
P.O. Box 11129, A rlington, Virginia 22210-2129
Do not write above this line
Do not write above this line
A nnual D u es $15
□
N ew M e m b e r
□
R enew al - M em ber #
Name,
________ Birthdate _
Address _
. P hone{
)_
City____
-Zip.
All new members, please provide the following information:
Campaign(s)________________________________________________________________________
Unit(s)to wtiich assigned during period December 16, 1944-January25,1945 - Division________
Regiment_____________________________________________ Battalion_____________________
Company_____________________________________________ Other________________________
Make check or money order payable to VBOB
and mail with this application to above address:
Applicants Signature,

"lost" battalion bestowed high honor

Transcription

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