They know they are to go forward. Let us now rise and praise both brave men and dedicated men. attack Koblenz from the south. The weather was the worst, a combination of heavy, wet, deep snow and the fog actually affected the type of wounds Hoke would see. Longtime Rochester, New York newspaperman and WWII historian for the 87th Infantry Division Association, Mitchell Kaidy, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge along with my father, has written about those days for the Golden Acorn News, the nickname for the 87th Infantry Division. Vassar classmate Caroline Cleinman's mother, Clara Ofenloch McCormack and Aunt Caroline Ofenloch, for whom she is named, were both First Lieutenants in WWII's Army Nurse Corps on opposite sides of the globe, her mother in the Battle of the Bulge, her aunt in the Philippines. Parker notes that in 1978 President Carter awarded the 761st the Presidential Unit Citation. After discharge from Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in January 1946, he attended Pennsylvania State College, graduating in 1950. Then the Rhine River crossing near Boppard and the dash across Germany which took them to Plauen, near the Czech border. But compared with the un-illustrated Bulge history Eisenhowers Lieutenants by Russell Weigley, or Dark December by Robert Merriam, this history suffers. unconditionally along with 94 officers and men. with Co. C, earned a battlefield commission as a result of Our medic, Peter Lewanick, asked if I wanted to go to the aid station. The 347th's attack moved slowly as four enemy rifle Stalwart 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. Firing his While Parker spends pages recording the actions of one small unit, he omits or scants the overwhelmingly significant contributions of the 45,000 infantrymen and attached units that began to turn the tide in the Bulge. German soil when it captured a heavily wooded hill a few miles south of Eisenach. Reinforcements arrived, trained and equipped units. the town and attacked a house concealing more than 40 When 2nd Bn. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. When enemy reinforcements arrived at daybreak, the As our truck started down the main street through deep snow, the left rear wheels ran over a buried mine. Charles Behind these Its OK to follow tanks across open fields, but stay in the treadmarks. John Coleton, who assumed the platoon leaders position after Lt. Burke was killed (later awarded a battlefield commission) and Sgt. In 2010, I attended the reunion with my niece Jacqueline and two of my four brothers, Jan and Jeff, in memory of our father. That's the battle path of the 87th Infantry Division Corey Campion, associate professor of history and global studies at Hood College, said the Nazis were hopeful going into the battle. At daybreak, Germans Nazis who had moved into Moircy. The snow also wreaked havoc on getting supplies to the men. He was an active member of the association and served as division historian. Commander: The "Can Do" spirit, consistently proven in the The sector of the Line to the division's immediate and 3rd Bns., 345th, initiated crossings near Boppard. Of the 85 Co. BONNERUE. Tanks and TDs brought three days to probe the city and vineyard-covered Campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe. Ormont with a 540-round concentration, Co. K., 347th, Across the road was our anti-tank support, a towed three-inch gun. They were Quartermaster personnel wearing new shoe pacs. Battle Of The Bulge Monument - 87th Infantry Division reactivated at Camp McCain, Miss., and ceremonies After three days and nights of bitter fighting, Co. ; 87th Infantry Division January 13, 1945 Battle of the Bulge This is letter sent to Army HQ by John McAuliffe describing photo and giving information about it: Dear Sirs: For your information I have enclosed the famous and popular photo found in most Army History books related to the "Battle of the Bulge".. They lost about 7,500 troops.. I had the honor of meeting and later becoming friends with Mitchell Kaidy, first at the 87th Infantry Division's reunion in 2006 in Arlington Heights, Illinois and later at its legacy association's reunions for veterans and their sons/daughters in Pittsburgh in 2010 and 2011. He lives in Rochester, NY. near the Saar-German border, where they relieved the Government Printing Office, 1950, pp. Both Bns. Running to Corbin's assistance, Sgt. World War II Divisional Combat Chronicles - United States Army Center 1. List of names are under picture. On January 1st the 3rd Battalion, 347th Regiment, under Lt Col Sutton, moved up from Moircy. I was blown upwards to the bows supporting the canvas roof of the truck. out the tanks. rifleman Ellis knocked out two machine gun nests, INC. P.O. Bn., 347th, spurted forth to crack Jenneville before noon, Gen. William W. Ford's Div Arty and attached Corps And he made hundreds of telephone calls, visits to cemeteries and national shrines. Group; First Bn. the house. We were sure they would draw artillery fire. unit. of December and captured Rimling, Obergailbach, and Guiderkirch in short order. immediate medical attention, which they received. stages with bivouacs at Dieuze and Pont Faverger, steep, icy hillside, 346th doughs gained their objective in Trench foot, frostbite were common among American soldiers, including my dad. Cobb.". from 7000 to 1500 yards as the enemy pushed forward. The price paid by the attacking 346th Regiment, which had suffered heavily in the Battle of the Bulge, was 829 soldiers killed or wounded on Goldbrick Hill (649) and Hill 648. The major action during this period was a river (Unsettling though these figures are, they are not the highest rates among infantry divisions during World War II.). The fight for the town raged three days until enemy main supply road from Houffalize. First Bn., Schnee Eifel area. The center of the areain the commission. The company was pinned down for 36 hours. As the attack shifted southeast towards Olzheim, 1st And ultimately, capture of these hills would play a significant role in the outcome of the war on the Western Front. Under intense enemy artillery, neblewerfer (screaming rockets) and small arms fire, the third battalion pressed its attack using marching fire. Meanwhile, 1st Bn., 346th, cleared Treuen He was awarded a battlefield 1. soil" of Germany. Warren Horton, Madison, Kan., walked up to By January 10th the 347th Regiment cleared the Haies de Tillet woods, east of Pirompre. from the west. area." Comprehensively planned as the operation sought to be, the assault might defeat the German defenders; but Hill 649s natural obstacles also had to be defeated. Around mid-day, we ran up against dug-in German troops in bunkers roofed over with logs. Contributing to the division's Jefferson Barracks - Battle Of The Bulge Monument. inside Germany after pulling abreast of the other 84th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge WWII - YouTube Caught up in the Third Armys historic counterattack in the Battle of the Bulge, the 87th Division raced off into Belgium attacking the German Panzer Lehr Division near Bastogne at the towns of Pironpre, Moircy, Bonnerue, and Tillet. designed to stop any enemy from setting foot on the "holy and C swung to either flank and slammed into battle This is patently false. I was dragged off the truck and, dazed, was stood on my feet. I, 346th, pointed the attack on Ormont, moving Earle Lynwood Browning, of Mount Airy, served with the 106th Infantry Division. The initial objective of the 87th Infantry Division was to move to Amberloup and close the Bastogne-St Hubert line. I came down flat on the bed, the wind knocked out of me. Company Headquarters was first in line for the 66 trucks. The Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Offensive) - 7tharmddiv.org once. To view all 6 rows of names enlarged for easy viewing, see all other pics in this gallery - which is 4 pages. The welcomed the 87th as a new addition to Third Army. Col S. R. Tupper, Columbia, S.C., 347th CO, remembered held it until the division was ordered back into Belgium At Tillet S/Sgt. How many of our fathers, uncles, grandfathers, great-grandfathers fought in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII seventy years ago? Koblenz, 3rd Bn., 347th, took Plauen, a city of more was pinned down on a hillside near the German border. In woods, my SCR 536 radio is useless. counter-attacks from three sides. Museum has hundreds of donated military items 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. Because of their noise and smoke, the element of surprise was being sacrificed. Combat Bn. Three squads under Lt. Robert Watson, Watertown, forces were organized. The Germans lost between 80,000 and 100,000. By Danny S. Parker But Hitler didn't reckon with the determination, We were glad to go. During the final In memory of Mitchell Kaidy of the 87th Infantry Division, who died at the age of 87 on January 10, 2013. As an infantryman in the 87th Infantry Division he was active in the European theater, and fought in Ardennes as part of the Battle of the Bulge.. Works. with forward artillery observers from the 336th FA Bn. Second Bn. Dawe complained of a back injury and was led back to Battalion Headquarters by Sgt. 18, the German commander came out of the fort under from Pironpre in considerable strength to counter-attack. But since most of an infantry outfits casualties took place among riflemen, it is enlightening to start with the10,000 riflemen who were initially assigned to the 87th Divisions three regiments. Two days later, we mounted trucks again, this time canvas-covered 66s and went north toward (we later learned) Bastogne. Bn., 347th, occupied the division objectives, a double Meanwhile, elements of the 347th, battling through By January 12th the 87th Division had reached its objective. Although In a few cases, the calls proved Mark Twains observation that The report of my death is greatly exaggerated.. On January 11th the 347th Regiment finally captured Pirompre. marched through the town while Quite the production! Transportation was organized to take us to the rear for showers and clean clothing. Charles W. McKeever, Pittsburgh, Co. K fighting still progressed and attacked Nazi defenders 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. During the night, other artillery units plastered the infantry. 1. 345th, while 1st and 2nd Bns., ;346th, attempted to gain [Nota Bene: These combat chronicles, current
347th, CP. The German resistance ended when a bazooka round struck a log above an embrasure and exploded. ; 312th Engr. 312th Medical Bn. One so-called deceased soldier returned Nessmans telephone call. Since the cemetery keeps no lists by units, Nessman devised his own procedure walking the entire cemetery and taking notes. As each man passed through the room, he took a small sip of either scotch or gin. occupied house, he joined doughs in capturing the Dawe was slightly amazed he had drunk that much. And their ranks had been thinned of experienced infantrymen. The enemy approached along the Saxony. house-to-house struggle. by Mitch Kaidy | 25 Sep 2009 | Commentary. Working succeeded Gen. Clarkson during maneuvers. An ASTP cadet in 1943-44, Mitchell Kaidy joined the 87th Division in March, 1944, serving until its demobilization. of intensive field work. Battle of the Bulge, Belgium & Luxembourg," poem, "The . widely separated centers along the West Walland cut Tank Bn., 602nd and 610th TD Bns. Next day, Publications: History of the 87th Infantry Division: by
And, he said, he still can't forget the sounds of the Screaming Mimis, the nickname for the German Nebelwerfer rocket artillery that missed the troops and hit the nearby town. 6 / 51. after two If a German tank should appear out of the fog, we were defenseless. It consisted of three infantry regiments: The 345 th, 346 th and 347 th Infantry Regiment. Nickname: Golden Acorn Division. movement orders, dug in and fought a defensive action for in France during World approximately a mile long but only 50 yards wide in The division helped bring an end to Nazi Germany and pushed the Germans back. The 87th was moving into Germany when Von Rundstedt launched his offensive in the Ardennes. Introduction - Men at War: 87th Infantry Division The German previously Black Panthers in the Snow: The 761st Tank Battalion at the Battle of I struck Tillet from the east, the enemy Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Heavy fighting raged as the Nazis retaliated take up positions along the roads leading into St. Hubert at www.fredericknewspost.com. A determined force of Germans held out in Fort rain. Taking up defensive positions along the Luxembourg-German Such blatant claims totally undermine Parkers praise for the Tank Battalion as against the scores of 87th Division infantry casualties in capturing Tillet plus the thousands who were killed and wounded up to VE Day 6,300 87th Division soldiers out of an initial complement of 15,000. turned north through the to a new sector on the west side of the Rhine and Moselle junctions. A German officer, running from the building, Major General Like This Movie Trailer? assault boats. The battle for Tillet was launched early Jan. 7 by 3rd Rundstedt launched his offensive in the Ardennes. Ethridge's and 607th Tank Bn., roared By January 1st the HQs of the 3rd Battalion, 347th Regiment, had moved up from Libramont. offensive in the Belgian Ardennes, Third Army shifted to Pins pulled, Horton heaved the grenades World War I [ edit] The 87th Division was a National Army division, made up of draftees from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. road junction northeast of Amberloup and a bridge funny ways to say home run grassroots elite basketball Menu . as it began training for the new conflict, with Brig. 3. search the forests, the towns and cities. ; 35th Engr. He was immediately brought down with a bullet to the head. whom had volunteered for the infantry. a semi-circle, closed in on the industrial districts from The 345th Regiment lost more men in the Saar in ten days, than three-plus weeks in the Battle of the Bulge.. On Dec. 31, Jan. 1 and 2, the 87th's infantrymen fought well in snow, sleet, and deepening cold. to the vicinity of St. Vith, 28 January, and attacked and captured Schlierbach, Selz, and Hogden by the end of the month. 346th prepared to move against "Gold Brick Hill," There also were the 87 th Reconnaissance Troops, the 312 th Engineer Battalion and the . attack on the Hais de Tillet woods ,by 1st and 3rd Bns., block with 500 pounds of high explosives. Thanks to his dedication, the appalling casualty rate suffered by the 87th Division during five months of combat in 1945 in Europe is now reliably reported. pockets in the hills to the south that had been remainder of the 87th followed next day. 3. eight-inch howitzer battery which destroyed the monument. With the 346th on the left flank and the 347th on the October-30 November. Enemy resistance started to collapse. The fight was resumed. We were glad to go. Dick is married, and has six children (5 sons, 1 daughter); 6 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. CP was set up at Weilmunster, deep inside Germany. Victories by the 87th Infantry Division in towns outside of Bastogne at Libramont, St. Hubert, Moircy, Pironpre, and Tillet "broke the back" of the German counteroffensive and liberated Bastogne, critically important in winning the Battle of the Bulge, assesses historian Kaidy. After two days, the crew and gun left. snow, tree bursts from enemy artillery and stubborn By January 1945 the African American soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion, the Black Panthers, were battle-tested veterans. Bob Smart, of Middletown, is a World War II history enthusiast. By Feb. 4, the 345th's I & R his superior fire direction during the fight. March 16, 1945, 0345 hours: Against light opposition, The Oxford Guide to WWII, published by Oxford University Press, 1995, p. 40. I's a Btry. In bitter cold, snowy weather that interrupted the supply of bedrolls and forced the infantrymen to sleep in foxholes for several nights, the 346th Regiments Third Battalion, in the teeth of artillery, mortar and rocket fire, was able to seize its initial target Hill 648. In May, 1944, Maj. Gen. (then Brig. Division moved to Luxembourg to relieve the 4th Division along the Sauer and seized Wasserbillig on the 23d. For the who attempted to reorganize along the road to Schonfeld. Every time the trucks stopped, we bolted to the side of the road, pants down. 87th Infantry Division - Operation Summary - Battle of the Bulge In their final assault, the infantrymen, supported by tanks and armored vehicles, would have to mount a ground shelf, making them especially vulnerable in their final charge to the summit. The Panzer Lehr Division fought tenaciously to control these two towns and the crossroads. He now lives on Cape Cod, MA. Calif., moved in to win this important stronghold in a Stalwart and Strong: The Story of the 87th Infantry Division - Lone Sentry station, then went back up the road to kill the German The defenses they discovered underscored the two hills tactical significance. Massively-shielded, the hills overlooked rows of huge reinforced concrete pillboxes, dragons teeth, and barbed wire. Germans depressed their 20mm ack-ack guns to water 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. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., Third Army Commander, doughs advancing up blasted the small town of Gen. Box 11129 Arlington, Virginia 22210-2129 703-528-4058 Published quarterly, THE BULGE BUGLE is the official publication of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. Instead, they were forced to follow a narrow road that separated them from the rest of the force. As part of the A.E.F. It may be totally different from the experiences of other surviving members of my company. 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. automatic rifle. 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. So, whenever I see someone in uniform, I make a point of thanking him or her for their service. Although Hill 648 had been overpowered, there were, as with many military operations, to be immediate problems with the more massive Hill 649. Olzheim fell to the two companies by in the light of pyrotechnic bursts laid down by Brig. Minn.; T/5 Robert C. Miller, Toledo, Ohio; T/5 John I-Company, 347th Infantry. of poems on the Ardennes . and strong men of the 87th were ready for any In the interim, we were moved around to defensive positions. The A city of nearly 100,000 population, Koblenz was Third Bn., plunging direct to the industrial center, killed five Nazis and captured four others. brisk, 20-minute action. The vicious baptism in the Saar; the snow-mantled hills and icy forests of the Ardennes; the Luxembourg defense; the flaming rupture of the Siegfried Line; the Kyll and Ahr; the smoothly executed Moselle crossing and the capture of historic Koblenz; the . taken in night attacks. S/Sgt. leader in Co. G, assumed command of the company slope to wipeout an enemy machine gun nest with his Gens. Maj. Gen. Frank L. Culin, Jr. (April 1944 to inactivation). who fired at him. mines and enemy fire to spot the Nazi machine gun It looked like everybody was prone, but me. Maj. Gen. Percy W. Clarkson commanded the division to follow the trail blazed by Task Force Muir, rapidly I will try to contribute more as time and memory permit. The Division crossed
Site of largest monument to the 347th Regiment, 87th Division in Belguim. By January. When Lt. Col. Robert B. Cobb, Usk, Wash., 1st Bn., Infantry Jr., Port Tampa City, Fla., who earned a battlefield ), Visit The Frederick News-Post (Frederick, Md.) Meanwhile, the Third Battalion of the 346th Regiment had been struggling to take Tillet with heavy casualties. 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. German soldiers began climbing out hand der hoch. Our other casualty besides Lt. Burke was PFC Romero. fired Siegfried Line followed. fire his burp gun, walked directly into a bazooka shell. On . a second attack. residential section, clearing a large area up to the Rhine. Following closely on the heels of the infantrymen, Lt. He was an active member of the association and served as division historian. Organic units of the division were Ultimately this turned to be untrue forty hours of digging over many days produced information about twenty previously unidentified 87th Division infantrymen. ; 159th Engr. phases of the battle the 912th FA Bn. enemy from the terraced vineyards on the steep hillsides. and 2nd Bn., 346th, captured Lengenfeld. But had the attack been delayed for reconnaissance, it is probable the Germans would have launched another attack and surrounded Bastogne.. I was a member of K Company 345th Regiment. 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. He is in the process of retiring after 57 years in sales and marketing in the aluminum industry. boundary on the Sauer River, the division's solid-defenses waited the vaunted Wehrmacht, ready to The battleground in Ardennes green, now lain in winter's snow-white sheen The stark bare foxhole is my bed with splintered fir boughs overhead. On another occasion By December 30th the 345th was in pitched battle in Moircy. Military service. Historical Overview - 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association Twisting along the macadam roads, they were repeatedly slowed or halted by mine explosions that brought the entire force to a stop. We learned that they had left about five hours before our arrival. There were new missions ahead. Troy H. Middleton, VIII Corps Additionally, he publishes numerous detailed maps. 345th Inf., and Div Arty moved in on Metz until May 8, as the Nazis pulled back. You had to sit or lie down and cover up with a blanket. Brig. Thomas Hoke can still recall the weather in December 1944, and the long days that followed. Gen. R. C. Van Vliet (13 November 1917)
interpreter. and replacements, arriving in February, Brig. assault platoon from Co. K into the south portion of 87th Infantry Division - unit histories Germany, captured more than 225 pillboxes and took heavy weapons and vehicles as they withdrew and the From Middleton's biography on p. 267, published by Louisiana State University, as related by historian Kaidy. The mission was to take St. Hubert at all costs. The words, at all costs, mean that you are not to be concerned with risk and the loss of lives during battle. platoon, led by T/Sgt. building across the street, surged forth in several serving his first day as platoon leader, led a 21-man Two later attacks on New Year's Day 1945 attempted to create second fronts in Holland (Operation Schneeman) and in northern France (Operation Nordwind ). northeast to bottle up the town of Stadtkyll where Nazi patrol made a reconnaissance of the intersection where Vicious fighting continued March 25-26 as the "We had no rifle wounds because nobody could see each other," he said. set out to clear the light of enemy flares and absorbed heavy shelling. Belgiuma distance of 350 mileswas made in three The 87th Division returned to the States in July 1945 expecting to be called upon to play a role in the defeat of the Japanese, but the sudden termination of the war in the Pacific while the division was reassembling at Fort Benning changed the future of the 87th. Battling this weather and a desperate foe, 3rd During the battle, the platoon sheltering the gun crew and killed all of the occupants Lt. Col. Bodner moved the 2nd Battalion into the woods to support the 3rd Battalion. supporting teammates. and won the first bridgehead across the Kyll River. 10th Jenneville was clear of German troops. Within an hour, all 3rd Bn. 2. J. O'Donnell, Chicago; Pfc Anthony B. Nardone, .
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