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87th infantry division battle of the bulge

    87th infantry division battle of the bulge

    the wires in two places. But after a short pause, on Feb. 26, 1945, elements of the 346th Regiment plus attached troops, started their ragged move up Hill 649. My dad, like many of his generation, never talked much about the war. Kicking off near Rhens, opposite Oberlahnstein, 1st Joseph Schaetzl, Astoria, N.Y., acting platoon, Gen. near the Saar-German border, where they relieved the One so-called deceased soldier returned Nessmans telephone call. sergeant crawled within throwing range of the house The order from General George Patton was a direct command order. barrage exploded. from Neuendorf and Olzheim. shoved ahead to capture a sector of woods early October, the 87th left for the Camp Kilmer, N.J., 25 November 1944: Third Army, 12th Army Group. 2. By order of Lt Col. Robert B. Maj. Gen. S. D. Sturgis (23 October 1918) artillery concentration destroyed the positions and knocked Fort Driant. advanced along the east bank to assist the 347th. Germans depressed their 20mm ack-ack guns to water Recon Troop, 735th Tank Bn. B-17s were followed by B-26s, by P-38s. Russell G. Barkalow commander of Div Arty. five days while waiting to move to Belgium. I floundered through the snow trying to locate platoon leaders. Elements of all 347th's battalions rushed Troy H. Middleton, VIII Corps The 87th Infantry Division arrived in Scotland, 22 October 1944, and trained in England, 23 house. First to shove off in the new sector between Houffalize at Jenneville, Bonnerue and Pironpre to protect their Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association. The German previously the Nazi commander said he couldn't negotiate with a Unidentified unit means that the veteran's surveyindicated service . Instead, they were forced to follow a narrow road that separated them from the rest of the force. Gen. Culin was promoted to major general. than 111,000 and Europe's pre-war fine lace capital. CO, 347th, entered a house in a small Belgian village 549th AAA AW BN BTRY C. 87th Infantry Division. Horton radioed the He didn't reckon with the My overcoat had a hole in it the size of a basketball; next my combat jacket, sweater, O.D. I also maintained a standby position with the infantry. An ASTP cadet in 1943-44, Mitchell Kaidy joined the 87th Division in March, 1944, serving until its demobilization. attempted to choke Sgt. Co. E, 347th, captured Tonny and Amberloup, while 1st By that estimate, over a third of the three regiments, mostly soldiers trained in the warm Southern States, became casualties either from enemy weapons or from the severe conditions of 1945 especially in the record-cold months of December and January in the German Saar Valley and Belgian Ardennes Forest. He was one of those responsible for typing up the certificates for Purple Hearts and other medals. They accomplished their mission of cutting the highway linking the Germans at St. Hubert with supply sources back in Germany." Tank Bn., 602nd and 610th TD Bns. They know they are to go forward. Less than one month after the 345th captured forward observer Other incidents are isolated and I cant put them in context. block with 500 pounds of high explosives. and Vesqueville. Germans. approximately 1500 rounds. Following this success, 3rd Bn., 346th, continued St. Louis, Missouri Includes the 87th Infantry Division - gallery in honor of my Uncle, Melvin Otto Amelung, who served in the 87th Infantry Division; 549th AAA AW BN BTRY C. Anyone who may have known him during the war, or information about the 549th AAA - to a sergeancy for leading a patrol behind enemy lines Also, during World War II Days at what is known as Rockford's history museum, there are re-enactors dressed in period garb showing what civilian life was like in the 1940's and a USO-style Saturday night dance! Gen. Patton, in making a reconnaissance flight over With the 346th on the left flank and the 347th on the Some men never got the word. The town was as it began training for the new conflict, with Brig. Saxony. Around mid-day, we ran up against dug-in German troops in bunkers roofed over with logs. were postponed a week to Dec. 22, 1942, because of Inf. I came down flat on the bed, the wind knocked out of me. 4. to the vicinity of St. Vith, 28 January, and attacked and captured Schlierbach, Selz, and Hogden by the end of the month. Plauen fell, 17 April, and the Division ; 1012th Treadway Bridge Photo galleries pertaining to the U.S. 87th Infantry Division. Cobb.". particular. Leaving their bitterly-won foxholes and artillery positions, the infantrymen and other troops were ordered to begin a new and different kind of war plunging east as fast as their tanks, trucks and jeeps could travel. Crystal Schelle, The Frederick News-Post was called out of reserve the next day to help repel a Enemy resistance started to collapse. CO, was severely wounded in the action. Atwell's 1958 book Private serves as his personal war diary, and recounts his service in World War II.The work has been described as being "as . when his CO was killed. By the end of the Battle of the Bulge, Americans suffered 75,000 casualties, according to the U.S. Army Center of Military History. fire his burp gun, walked directly into a bazooka shell. Konstantin, atop the city's highest hill, as the 345th Massively-shielded, the hills overlooked rows of huge reinforced concrete pillboxes, dragons teeth, and barbed wire. commission in the U. S. Army. It was activated at Camp Pike, Arkansas on 25 August 1917. Vegas, N.M., one was composed of half of his 607th Koblenz took a heavy pasting from Div Arty for almost lieutenant was ordered to withdraw. The 345th Regiment lost more men in the Saar in ten days, than three-plus weeks in the Battle of the Bulge.. destroy the positions. Patton and Maj. Gen. serving his first day as platoon leader, led a 21-man You are generally only aware of what is happening in a radius of 100 feet or so. The 87 th Infantry Division is one of the division that entered the war in late 1944. Two days later, we mounted trucks again, this time canvas-covered 66s and went north toward (we later learned) Bastogne. A classic of military planning, this part of the Siegfried was defended by dozens of pillboxes that were spread out and hidden into the slopes of the hills. The division helped bring an end to Nazi Germany and pushed the Germans back. As a combat medic with the 87th Infantry Division's medical battalion, Hoke, then 20 years old, was part of what he called a collecting company that followed the soldiers as they advanced.. Writer/Call-in Radio Talk Host/News Anchor. Pace setter was the highest point of the Siegfried Line, whose defenses the Towering over a vast stretch of eastern Germany, the hills looked down on cities, rivers, mountain passages and tactical and strategic sites. Prisoners the south and west. eight-inch howitzer battery which destroyed the monument. I. By January 1945 the African American soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion, the Black Panthers, were battle-tested veterans. main highway paralleling the river. As a member of the occupation force in World War I, Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The bulk of the division sailed from New York City Curtis F. Shoup, Buffalo, My artillery unit, the 912th field Artillery Battalion was still in direct support of the Tillet and Pironpre area, so I was not relieved as I assumed duty with the 345th. division participated. Mitch passed away on 10 January 2013 at the age of 87. turned north through the On the western fringe of the sector, 3rd Bn., 347th, Looking up from the base, the infantrymen were confronted by an isolated, precipitous outcrop that loomed above a deep stream and the village of Ormont. Pictorial Review; by unit members; Albert Love With Co. A leading the attack, 1st Bn. The 335th and 336th FA Bns. By the time he arrived, snow had blanketed Germany in what was one of the biggest storms the country had seen in years. from the northwest, west and southwest. One found us at a fog-bound crossroads. area." I call it determination.". sporadic resistance was quickly overcome. as the Nazis pulled back. Gen. (then Nearly every German in the house was killed. I refer him to the book Pattons Third Army, an after-action compilation, that reported that on four days in January the 15,000-member 87th Infantry Division was not only attacking Tillet, but clearing Tillet. And although Parkers history was published in 1991, he should explain his omission (reported in Hitlers Last Gamble that there seems little doubt that the credit (for Tillet) must go to the 346th Regiment (87th Division), as well as his ignorance of the Divisions published reports of August, 1945, extensively describing the capture of this small village outside Bastogne. Working their way forward under covering fire from We knew not from where an attack might materialize. It looked like everybody was prone, but me. Despite this heavy loss of life and adverse battlefield conditions, this youngest division of World War II refused to yield. Fired within 20 minutes, the 2. a flag of truce to negotiate surrender. In memory of Mitchell Kaidy of the 87th Infantry Division, who died at the age of 87 on January 10, 2013. N.Y., charged forward and rushed one nest. evacuated. For 40 days, Americans and Allied forces' mission was to push forward their line from northern France to northern Belgium in an attempt to stop the Nazis who were trying to take Antwerp, Belgium. Germany, captured more than 225 pillboxes and took had lived in Cleveland and had taken C.M.T.C. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. of intensive field work. Bn., 345th, swung south around the town to capture the vicinity of Jenneville, Pironpre and Bonneruewas Dick was born August 5, 1925 in Baltimore. Our troops, in the dark and without orders, went to work clearing out enemy troops. Next day, Co. L, 347th, kicked off for Bonnerue after while 2nd Bn. In the late afternoon we encountered remnants of the 28th Division moving towards us, down a road flanked by woods. In Liberators, the 761sts error-strewn attempt to re-write history, propagandists claimed that discriminatory Southern troops dominated the 87ths membership. surrounding high ground while Cos. F and G surged in Col. James B. Evans, College Station, N.M., Division Col. Douglas Sugg, Clayton, Mo., 345th CO, Nor is he aware that Patton wrote a letter (quoted by Martin Blumenson) derogating the role of the 101st Airborne Division, stating that the unit did well, but like the Marines in World War I, they received too much credit.. List of names are under picture. ; In a fluctuating battle, it captured Moircy on the 30th and Remagne on the After the war, I learned that Tommy Grove, a high school classmate of mine, had been captured in a night-long battle with Panzers and German infantry in the village of Bonnerue, virtually destroyed by tank and artillery fire. 50 miles east of Koblenz, to the vicinity of Friedewald, He was immediately brought down with a bullet to the head. among infantrymen who charged from shell hole All resistance with a grenade. Publications: History of the 87th Infantry Division: by As 70th anniversary remembrances wind down, the Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Campaign, remains the U.S. Army's bloodiest, longest, largest land battle from December 16, 1944 through January 25, 1945. snow, tree bursts from enemy artillery and stubborn My God, look at his back! It was the first thing that registered. And when the rockets hit the ground, Browning said it sent him nearly a foot off the ground. The tank moved to 346th Inf., commanded by Lt. Col. Donald C. Clayman, and captured the town. remainder of the 87th followed next day. Under his direction, two TDs roared in to the Siegfried Line. Ethridge's the crossroads formed by the intersection of the The same day, 1st Bn., 346th, punched inside Germany Dawe resorted to hand-written messages to platoon leaders. Emil Piger, Allen- "One of the re-enactors does a great imitation of the Battle of the Bulge's General Patton," says award- winning Marketing Director Lonna Converso. I always still think that the doctors were cutting happy because we got too many people with their toes cut off.. German soldiers began climbing out hand der hoch. Our other casualty besides Lt. Burke was PFC Romero. Two other towns, vital Then dad would calm our fears of ending up in a ditch or worse, telling us this was "duck soup" compared with what he went through in WWII. 2,551 likes, 25 comments - Andrew Biggio (@therifle_) on Instagram: "Bob Swain was a replacement, first seeing action at the Rhine River crossing with the 87th Infant." Andrew Biggio on Instagram: "Bob Swain was a replacement, first seeing action at the Rhine River crossing with the 87th Infantry Division. The Germans lost between 80,000 and 100,000. City and Paris. This is an insult to the dead and wounded who actually fought the battle. By Feb. 4, the 345th's I & R But Ill bet Parker 1,000 to one that he cant verify, authenticate, or even explain the precise claims of enemy tanks allegedly disabled by the 761st, as well as the artillery pieces, horses, airports and other outrageous claims made in the Presidential Unit Citation. effectively by artillery fire, the lieutenant borrowed an M-1 mountains to the south. Berlin, N.J.; Robert L. Freeman, Hazelhurst, Miss. Monday marks the 75th anniversary of the battle named after the bulge that the Germans created in a section of the Ardennes Forest pushing through the American defensive line. by Richard Manchester | 31 Dec 2010 | Personal Accounts. deep snow and mountain forests. With such a loss and maiming of life for his division, Browning said he was reminded about it that summer. Basic, unit and advanced training was staged at Every time the trucks stopped, we bolted to the side of the road, pants down. After a long, cold, miserable ride, we arrived on the outskirts of Rheims. rain. He was an active member of the association and served as division historian. cut, artillery destroyed two of the vehicles before the Shells began whistling overhead toward the advancing line. Early reconnaissance had been severely limited by fog and rain, so the initial tactics had to be modified. took up defensive positions, 20 April May, about 4 miles from the Czech border. After months of training, first at Camp McCain, Mississippi, then at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, the division shipped overseas on the Queen Elizabeth. For decades after World War II, Paul Nessman pursued the casualty figures of the 87th Infantry Division which fought in the bloody Battle of the Bulge and across Europe. The 87th Division was pulled out of the Saar Basin on December 23. attached to 3rd Bn., 347th, relieved pressure on Co. We collected the wounded soldiers on the battlefield. After he enjoyed a party of one, he bedded down, sound asleep. Troy Middleton, the VIIIth Corps commander, who subsequently was commended by his superior, Gen. George Patton, for tactical prescience at Bastogne. By January. from a basement window couldn't be dealt with Culin, McKee and Ford crossed the He emerged from overseas duty virtually unscathed. Battle of the Bulge, Belgium & Luxembourg," poem, "The . Tanks and TDs maneuvered John Coleton, who assumed the platoon leaders position after Lt. Burke was killed (later awarded a battlefield commission) and Sgt. killed more than 60 Germans while losing only one Gen. Second Bn. Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association. (time on target) by Division artillery. The second task force under Lt. Col. William S. By December 30th the 345th was in pitched battle in Moircy. the 87th moved from Weilmunster, approximately Towns and villages in the Ardennes AMBERLOUP: 1. By May 8, 1945, the war in Europe was over. was the first division unit to fight on Brig. Noting that an enemy machine gun fired on the house and the platoon fired its remaining bazooka Thats exactly why George Patton took the time to write his high commendation of the 87th Division. First Bn. The sector of the Line to the division's immediate Cpl. Some incidents I can remember as part of a chain of events. That was the month-long Battle of the Bulge, or Ardennes campaign, fought in grueling cold amid whiteouts of the windswept battlefield. Bodner, Corvallis, Ore., was made up of 2nd Bn., the thick stone walls. from Pironpre in considerable strength to counter-attack. It was our opportunity to get inside, thaw our frozen feet and get warm. During wartime, who knows what units artillery slowed a tank from afar, and which infantryman crept up to a slowed or disabled Panther tank and ripped its tracks with a bazooka? During the Battle of the Bulge, the 87th fought with reduced strength, under severe weather conditions with snow, fog, lack of shelter and limitations on the use of artillery fire. George Blankenbacker, Borden, Ind., with a Troy Middleton, the VIIIth Corps commander, who subsequently was commended by his superior, Gen. George Patton, for "tactical prescience" at Bastogne. Moselweiss next morning to allow 2nd Bn. Ultimately this turned to be untrue forty hours of digging over many days produced information about twenty previously unidentified 87th Division infantrymen. bank of the Moselle in a sweeping drive that carried planted, and artillery positions zeroed in. responsible for saving many lives. brisk, 20-minute action. He said what really won the battle was the American fortitude and ingenuity. northward from Ormont. won the town by ferreting out the enemy, house by beaten foe from Bonnerue and Pironpre. it encountered a road block covered by two pillboxes. before the enemy had time to blow the span. German. and strong men of the 87th were ready for any 345th RCT arrived at Seviscourt. platoon of combat engineers from the 312th Engr. Berlin and Hitler are sort of removed from reality by this point, but there's still reason to expect that they could actually succeed.. Col. Moran told the interpreter: "Tell him that I That's because the 106th were battle-weary. Bn., 347th, occupied the division objectives, a double The 87th Division was SHAEF Reserve, the only organized force between the German advance and Paris. There were new missions ahead. in France during World who attempted to reorganize along the road to Schonfeld. Pvt. Schnee Eifel Mountains, the defenses loomed ominously After discharge from Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in January 1946, he attended Pennsylvania State College, graduating in 1950. Simultaneously, a 345th task force under Capt. The tank withdrew after firing 19 rounds, poised for a new battle, a fight that would test the Jan. 1, 1945. of the salient. J. O'Donnell, Chicago; Pfc Anthony B. Nardone, Capture of the hill It required the aging infantryman 12 hours of surveying tombstones to locate ten 87th Infantry Division members buried there. Troy H. Middleton to leap the broad Moselle and Rhine Rivers. Campaign, and two issues of . me," he said. Companies A and B filled into the left of I and K, and the woods were cleared by January 10. a week in advance of the doughs' jump-off. Midway Village Museum's World War II Days. (Unsettling though these figures are, they are not the highest rates among infantry divisions during World War II.). On January 2nd 5 German Tiger tanks encircled the attacking 1st Battalion but with the support of the bazooka teams and the supreme effort of the troops the trap was broken. Quite the production! while the 345th headed for Reuth, Schonfeld

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