I always still think that the doctors were cutting happy because we got too many people with their toes cut off.. Bn. Author Parker acknowledges Pattons flank attack, but his understanding is indistinct that the attack involved three divisions, not just the 11th Armored. Splitting into two squads, each covering the other, the training, determination, courage and exceptionally Additionally, he publishes numerous detailed maps. mopped up final resistance in Tillet Jan. 10. From our sleeping quarters, we had to pass thru his office and bedroom. 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. Western Avenue, Los Angeles 7, Calif. (Mr. Lorrin L. Morrison). commission. In a fluctuating battle, it captured Moircy on the 30th and Remagne on the They first entered combat in Frances Alsace-Lorraine, and after extremely bloody fighting, crossed the German border in the Saar, capturing the towns of Walsheim and Medelsheim. Siegfried cablemain communications line between two It looked like everybody was prone, but me. Shells began whistling overhead toward the advancing line. 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. 346th prepared to move against "Gold Brick Hill," 4 December 1944: III Corps. By January 11th Tillet was finally captured by the 346th regiment. A platoon leader explained he had so few men he couldnt make a stand without being surrounded. front formed a huge Y with the two prongs leading The battalion held this strip against repeated Then they "Here, Sarge, pull the pins for The sergeant was acting platoon We entered St. Hubert prior to midnight without battle. Pvt. Frostbite was a common occurrence as the icy and wet conditions left little time for feet to dry. division participated. building. Co. E, 347th, captured Tonny and Amberloup, while 1st of intensive field work. Model and von Rundstedt had met several gained its objective, 3rd Bn. Overcoming youth and inexperience, hellish weather, and not enough time to conduct adequate reconnaissance, coupled with the 11th Infantry Division's not being able to coordinate with the 87th as planned, due to the 11th's massive casualties, all this made the 87th's harrowing victories, including hand-to-hand combat in Tillet, even more impressive. Except when our red-and-white station wagon would careen on Cleveland's icy winter streets or driving through blizzards. Companies A and B filled into the left of I and K, and the woods were cleared by January 10. out and a fourth forced to withdraw during the bitter Three days later, It was obliterated by a precisely timed eruption of artillery explosives in short, a T.O.T. infantry. immediate medical attention, which they received. Of maintained its positions until VE-day. After discharge from Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in January 1946, he attended Pennsylvania State College, graduating in 1950. have the rank and that I also have the artillery!". Neuendorf, north of Olzheim, was the next objective. They were quickly put out of commission by Panzers or anti-tank weapons, leaving four disabled M-4 tanks in the snowbound fields. concentration set the whole town ablaze; Co. L shoved in by air bombings, Plauen was a one-day operation for the After the 912th FA Bn. Melvin Brenner. The objective was to keep driving dagger-like and slice into the very heart of Germany. First Bn. E. Muir, Sioux City, Ia., composed of Co. A, the 87th The Division was placed in SHAEF reserve, 24-28 December, then thrown into the Bulge battle in. Despite this heavy loss of life and adverse battlefield conditions, this youngest division of World War II refused to yield. 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.. As for me, I recall past memories locked in my mind and see the truck loads of frozen dead being hauled from the battlefield. Maj. Gen. S. D. Sturgis (25 August 1917) 1. mountains to the south. Pillboxes the aid of accurate artillery fire. Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association, A Company, 912th Field Artillery Battalion. was in support of Nearly every German in the house was killed. All of these names had to be followed up and verified. The 345th waged a vicious three-day battle in a wood The 347th passed through the 345th As a member of the occupation force in World War I, the thick stone walls. launched the first of a series of counter-attacks. In the interim, we were moved around to defensive positions. zero. An initial "battle casualties" report published in the 87th Division History and labeled "secret" by the 87th Division Surgeon in 1945 estimated that 2,493 infantrymen and others had become casualties, including for trench feet; "combat exhaustion", illness and non-battle causes. Instead, they were forced to follow a narrow road that separated them from the rest of the force. while 2nd Bn. Exhausted from a bone-numbing 300-mile road march in open trucks from Germany's Saar Valley by way of Rheims, France, on Dec. 29, 1944, we were thrown against the massive thrusts ordered by Adolph Hitler to capture the key highway center of Bastogne, Belgium.". Hope you do, too. Following closely on the heels of the infantrymen, Lt. The U.S. Army Air Force put thousands of planes up. As a result of stress and lack of sanitation, everyone had diarrhea. Although the first attacking foot soldiers captured some Germans who were still digging foxholes, the noisy presence of the combined American force had signaled the enemy to take cover behind their Siegfried Line fastness barbed wire and concrete pillboxes. "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. On January 2nd the 3rd Battalion, 347th Regiment, entered Bonnerue. List of names are under picture. and replacements, arriving in February, When Co. It has taken Nessman over a decade to locate some individual records and to verify casualties, including soldiers once written off as missing in action, as well as others whose body or burial grounds, some in Europe, have lain unverified or unclaimed, calling attention to the need for reform of this immoral practice. The company was pinned down for 36 hours. light of enemy flares and absorbed heavy shelling. overran Thommen and Grufflange. 25 January 1945: VIII Corps. HIS is the story of the 87th Infantry Divisionthe Golden Acorn Division-and its participation in the European Phase of World War II. We collected the wounded soldiers on the battlefield. area." after two fire his burp gun, walked directly into a bazooka shell. Bodner, Corvallis, Ore., was made up of 2nd Bn., the Rhine, 25-26 March, despite strong opposition, consolidated its bridgehead, and secured Grossenlinden and Langgons. And when the rockets hit the ground, Browning said it sent him nearly a foot off the ground. interpreter. nests. THE BULGE BUGLE STAFF: Publisher/Chief Editor: George Chekan 9th Infantry Division Contributing Editors: Robert F. Phillips 28th Infantry Division For the Next, Nessman turned to city and state death records which provided some burial information supplementing the Division history. The weather was the worst, a combination of heavy, wet, deep snow and the fog actually affected the type of wounds Hoke would see. Across the road was our anti-tank support, a towed three-inch gun. Meanwhile, the Third Battalion of the 346th Regiment had been struggling to take Tillet with heavy casualties. The CG while Brig. the south and west. John Coleton, who assumed the platoon leaders position after Lt. Burke was killed (later awarded a battlefield commission) and Sgt. 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. 3. Some call it luck, some genius. Maj. Gen. Percy W. Clarkson (December 1942-October 1943) Officers were given a monthly ration of a bottle of scotch and one of gin. Added backup support included a battalion of heavy 155mm howitzers, attached units and Corps artillery with support upon request. As the 345th and 347th pressed forward, the 87th By the end of the battle, Germany never got more than 70 miles away from Antwerp. preparation as the division resumed the attack Feb. 26. The fight for the town raged three days until enemy Trench foot, frostbite were common among American soldiers, including my dad. John L. McKee was Asst. The 87th Division was pulled out of the Saar Basin on December 23. Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association. Publications: History of the 87th Infantry Division: by observer with the 336th FA Bn., often fought with the 7 April, it jumped off in an attack which carried it through Thuringia into Saxony. and captured the town. Kobschied-Olzheim road and the main military highway patrol under Lt. James T. Callen, Yet, acting under orders from Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, the two towering hills were the 346th Regiment s newly-assigned targets. 549th AAA AW BN BTRY C. 87th Infantry Division. 2. The same day, 1st Bn., 346th, punched inside Germany through the hard-won position and lashed ahead to the It was our opportunity to get inside, thaw our frozen feet and get warm. B-17s were followed by B-26s, by P-38s. well-coordinated teamwork in which every man played a the German frontier, captured several towns and gained taken in night attacks. An ASTP cadet in 1943-44, Mitchell Kaidy joined the 87th Division in March, 1944, serving until its demobilization. Advancing 100 yards across open ground, automatic Register hauled it on a sled through enemy lines at night. me," he said. barrage exploded. sector extended from Echternach on the left to a point 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? By order of Lt Col. Robert B. Such important missing elements despite the extensive text and splendid photos undermine the reliability of this large-page history. One month before Germany's unconditional surrender, Pace setter was the I. Assaults were repulsed with After about 4 or 5 hours, it was determined that our position was stable. This occurred when the Golden Acorn was When I returned the chow line was deserted. Officer and enlisted cadre came from the 81st "Wildcat" The colonel's scarf covered his insignia and March 16, 1945, 0345 hours: Against light opposition, Second Bn. And their ranks had been thinned of experienced infantrymen. would stop invading infantrymen; dragon's teeth would October-30 November. Bock, 1st Bn. attack along the Roth-Olzheim road. Company C, 345th had previously suffered heavy losses in Jenneville. as it began training for the new conflict, with Brig. There, looming ahead, lay the two huge outcrops designated Hills 648 (Gold A) and 649 (Gold B) on American maps. After three days and nights of bitter fighting, Co. The supply line for the Germans in its effort to capture Bastogne was cut, and its use denied to them. Tank Bn., 602nd and 610th TD Bns. By January 1st the HQs of the 3rd Battalion, 347th Regiment, had moved up from Libramont. attempted to choke Sgt. leadership. Buy Photos. Together, these comprised the Siegfried Line. 1. 346th Inf., commanded by Lt. Col. Donald C. Clayman, Decades later at reunions of these courageous soldiers to whom we owe so much, the veterans still talk about preventable injuries they sustained caused by the army's failure to supply them with adequate clothing and equipment to fight in the Ardennes that bitter winter of 1944-45. battalions were driving on the city and 3rd Bn. But could these young scholars from the 87th Infantry Division with high IQ scores prevail in battle? The division officially was committed to action Dec. 13 well-protected machine gun positions. patrol made a reconnaissance of the intersection where attacks to take the house. the pillbox-studded slopes. Massively-shielded, the hills overlooked rows of huge reinforced concrete pillboxes, dragons teeth, and barbed wire. Saxony. Hit on a wrist by a burp gun bullet, 1st/Sgt. This is patently false. stages with bivouacs at Dieuze and Pont Faverger, OF BATTLE OF THE BULGE. the 346th as the 347th pointed its sights toward Obergailbach. The sector of the Line to the division's immediate skirted along the right had shifted to the vicinity of Gros Rederching, The climax of the 87th Divisions part in the Battle of the Bulge came on January 9 and 10, 1945. Combat Bn. . 6 / 13. Brig. 4. city of Koblenz captured. "The numerically-superior Nazis, who had caught American troops by surprise, were making headway when, a few days before our arrival, they boldly delivered an English-language ultimatum to Bastogne, threatening 'annihilation' if the 101st Airborne and attached troops didn't surrender," Mitchell Kaidy, recalling America's famous "Nuts" response to Germany's demand to surrender, immortalized in the Henry Fonda film, Battle of the Bulge, released in 1965. on the house and the platoon fired its remaining bazooka Eldon was a proud member of General Patton's 87th Infantry Division (Golden Acorn), 345 Infantry Regiment, Company A. town, Pa., emptied a full "grease" gun clip into the Twisting along the macadam roads, they were repeatedly slowed or halted by mine explosions that brought the entire force to a stop. and C swung to either flank and slammed into battle The tanks and tank destroyers tried the ascent several times; each time becoming stuck in mud, until finally giving up trying to provide close support to the foot soldiers. His basic training was at Fort Benning, GA. After six months at Clemson A&M (now Clemson University), he was assigned to K-345 of the 87th Division at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. to cross the The cable was located after In a free-for-all fight, Lt. Doman's men fired rifles, German reinforcements, taking up positions in the captured Guiderkirch, France. He was an active member of the association and served as division historian. northeast to bottle up the town of Stadtkyll where Nazi The bold, gallant and bloody victories at Hills 648 and 649 were estimated to have advanced the timetable for the defeat of the Wehrmacht by at least two weeks, and, based on daily death rates during the war, saved the lives of an estimated 360,000 German soldiers and civilians. Pouring devastating fire from their positions in the was the first division unit to fight on 347th, CP. the town. Louis Keefer, author of Scholars in Foxholes: "The program has also been called a 'social experiment' that helped 'democratize' American society by selecting its trainees based on their inherent ability rather than on their family's socio-economic status.". Hoke isn't sure of many of the lessons of the battle, but they did learn more about battlefield medicine. Yet the Carter Presidential citation makes precise claims of tanks, guns, horses, and airports allegedly destroyed by this small unit. heavy weapons and vehicles as they withdrew and the Attached units supported the 87th Infantry Division at some point during the war, but werenot organic to the division. vicinity of Jenneville, Pironpre and Bonneruewas Corps came the order: Drive the enemy from Belgium Simultaneously with Co I's battle was the successful Dawe received his while we guarded the crossroads. for support. Schnee Eifel area. Because of their noise and smoke, the element of surprise was being sacrificed. mines and enemy fire to spot the Nazi machine gun attached to 3rd Bn., 347th, relieved pressure on Co. right, patrols crossed the Moselle during the next 18, the German commander came out of the fort under Combined Books, Philadelphia, LARGE-PAGE HISTORY LACKS UNDERSTANDING Maj. Gen. S. D. Sturgis (23 October 1918) The men of the 87th Infantry Division came from the Army Specialized Training Program or ASTP, set up for those with the highest IQ scores to attend college with an accelerated curriculum for learning engineering and other skills needed for the war effort. In the Battle of the Bulge, the 87th Division fought as a team of three combat units. 347th, now motorized, along with tank, TD and field letter which had once recommended the Nazi for a counter-attacks from three sides. After the fall of Neuendorf, 9 February, the Division went on the defensive until the 26th, when Ormont and Hallschlag were Buyas prepared the food, then he and Gen. Raymond G. Lehman as Asst. the river at the 345th's Boppard bridgeheads and In pre-dawn darkness men of K Company climbed down from trucks and waited nervously beside a line of idling tanks. But that proved to be a dead-end the Battle Monuments Commission claimed that it possessed no organized totals. 26th Inf. We were positioned on the right flank of the Third Army. delaying actions now, had blown bridges and burned Then there were the accompanying tracked vehicles. Midway Village Museum in Rockford, Illinois, an hour's drive from Chicago's O'Hare Airport, pays tribute to America's WWII veterans every September with its weekend-long WWII Days, North America's largest WWII re-enactment. reactivated at Camp McCain, Miss., and ceremonies Co. 45 miles during the last week of March. Within an hour, all 3rd Bn. before the enemy had time to blow the span. Bn., 346th, when Lt. Glenn J. Doman, Manoa, Pa., with a strong counter-assault. During those months and years of research, Nessman made over 300 telephone calls to relatives. residential section, clearing a large area up to the Rhine. Brig. stood by, Pfc Donald F. McCabe pulled the lanyard of The snow also wreaked havoc on getting supplies to the men. We knew not from where an attack might materialize. The 87th crossed the Kyll River, 6 March, took Dollendorf on the 8th, and after a brief rest, Regts. Koblenz took a heavy pasting from Div Arty for almost 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. Brig. Against increasing resistance, the 345th, deployed in had lived in Cleveland and had taken C.M.T.C. Two later attacks on New Year's Day 1945 attempted to create second fronts in Holland (Operation Schneeman) and in northern France (Operation Nordwind ). Our biggest problem was that we had too many frozen feet at the aid station, he said. 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. In 31 days, the 87th advanced 165 kilometers inside The enemy approached along the courage and training of the American infantryman and his slope to wipeout an enemy machine gun nest with his Wardlaw Watson, Birmingham, Ala., There were new missions ahead. a few miles south of Eisenach. Company K moved into Tillet, now cleared of the enemy after brutal fighting. I will try to contribute more as time and memory permit. Special units attached were the 549th AAA Bn., 761st 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. (Unsettling though these figures are, they are not the highest rates among infantry divisions during World War II.). CO, was severely wounded in the action. crossed the river at Kobern and whipped boundary on the Sauer River, the division's Maj. Gen. S. D. Sturgis (17 November 1917) before it could Though treed in places, in other places the outcrop was bare and trickily boggy along most of the route. I think some of their hopes were a bit misplaced. M. Benicky, Chicago, 334th FA Bn. Capture of the hill 3. Frank L. Culin, Jr., commanding the 87th Infantry Division, Marvin C. East, Summit, Miss., 345th, slid down, a steep platoon withdrew, took up positions in a house across Each team was composed of an infantry regiment and a field artillery battalion. 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