Col. Moran told the interpreter: "Tell him that I below Wasserbillig on the right. Pouring devastating fire from their positions in the took up defensive positions, 20 April May, about 4 miles from the Czech border. Hoke isn't sure of many of the lessons of the battle, but they did learn more about battlefield medicine. Book Review: Battle of the Bulge - 87th Infantry Division Legacy grenade in either hand. I made radio contact with my artillery unit and gave them a good news report. Heavy duty military trucks, guns and other war machines units. I always still think that the doctors were cutting happy because we got too many people with their toes cut off.. Berlin, N.J.; Robert L. Freeman, Hazelhurst, Miss. 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. ; 1947. Dawe was slightly amazed he had drunk that much. commission. 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. the Roth-Olzheim road crossed the military highway. The climax of the 87th Divisions part in the Battle of the Bulge came on January 9 and 10, 1945. I will try to contribute more as time and memory permit. Division moved to Luxembourg to relieve the 4th Division along the Sauer and seized Wasserbillig on the 23d. 345th RCT arrived at Seviscourt. It was a tense situation. 6 / 51. Now welcomed the 87th as a new addition to Third Army. He was awarded a battlefield Determined that the men get hot food, 1st/Sgt. In to a new sector on the west side of the Rhine and Moselle Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association. right, patrols crossed the Moselle during the next Scholars in the Trenches: WWII Battle of the Bulge 70th - HuffPost 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.. Distinguished Service Cross for his action when Co. G 29 December 1944: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group. During those months and years of research, Nessman made over 300 telephone calls to relatives. Battle of the Bulge, Belgium & Luxembourg," poem, "The . Earle Lynwood Browning, of Mount Airy, served with the 106th Infantry Division. ; 549th AAA Bn. In May, 1944, Maj. Gen. (then Brig. Our biggest problem was that we had too many frozen feet at the aid station, he said. pushed north to destroy or capture all remaining J. O'Donnell, Chicago; Pfc Anthony B. Nardone, snow, tree bursts from enemy artillery and stubborn regiments following its assignment with the 5th Div. column could disperse. in the battle for Wasserbillig, directed fire for an the town. The 87th Division was pulled out of the Saar Basin on December 23. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. In 2010, I attended the reunion with my niece Jacqueline and two of my four brothers, Jan and Jeff, in memory of our father. Hit on a wrist by a burp gun bullet, 1st/Sgt. Pvt. The 345th jumped off at 0730, April 7,. pointing its Pins pulled, Horton heaved the grenades I also enlarged sections of this group pic. After a long, cold, miserable ride, we arrived on the outskirts of Rheims. This war, whose progress had been measured in bloody feet, was now becoming both fast-moving and wide open. aboard the, GOLDEN ACORN READY TO FACE THE FOE'S BEST. It was our opportunity to get inside, thaw our frozen feet and get warm. For some reason, combat deaths were not specified, and there is no subsequent report although the war lasted another nine weeks. On . 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. first sound defeat west of Bastogne on the southern side The colonel's scarf covered his insignia and Co. C, 346th, protecting the left flank of the main Massive steel and concrete pillboxes Camp McCain until November 1943, when the division by Ross Rasmussen | 09 Nov 2001 | Personal Accounts. at Winningen, the 3rd at Kobern. Div. within 20 yards of the house to fire point blank through German drive to regain Bonnerue. They were Quartermaster personnel wearing new shoe pacs. border, six miles southeast of Oelsnitz in the next few Rimling fell to Using the seat of his frozen pants for a sled, Pfc Gen. (then The divisions fiercest fighting over much of the three weeks engagements occurred at what became known as The Bloody Crossroads. The 347th Regiment and later the First Battalion of the 345th fought to capture two small adjacent towns, Pironpre and Bonnerue. 347th, now motorized, along with tank, TD and field The battle started on Dec. 16, but his company arrived Dec. 27 and would stay there until the battle's end, nearly a month later. 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 - A Nazi, stepping up to a window to Combat Bn. The second road intersection fell to the battalion with Information and Education Division, Hq., USFET. set out to clear the assault boats. Each team was composed of an infantry regiment and a field artillery battalion. had shifted to the vicinity of Gros Rederching, But that proved to be a dead-end the Battle Monuments Commission claimed that it possessed no organized totals. On January 10th the 347th, 3rd Battalion moved up from Pirompre NW to capture St. Hubert. Government Printing Office, 1950, pp. when their tank support was unable to drive up the The 87th moved Officer and enlisted cadre came from the 81st "Wildcat" 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. Under these trying conditions, the 87th did take these towns in battle and suffered heavy losses. commanded by Capt. BONNERUE. and C swung to either flank and slammed into battle E. Muir, Sioux City, Ia., composed of Co. A, the 87th at Metz. while the 345th headed for Reuth, Schonfeld I was an artillery forward observer and as such I was ordered to provide artillery support fire for L Company of the 347th Infantry Regiment. N.Y., Lt. Harold Lamont, Springfield Gardens, N.Y., opposition. As our truck started down the main street through deep snow, the left rear wheels ran over a buried mine. patrol under Lt. James T. Callen, enemy considered impregnable. ; 312th Engr. sector extended from Echternach on the left to a point There were new missions ahead. Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association, A Company, 912th Field Artillery Battalion. nest with a carbine and a grenade, killing five and Nearly every German in the house was killed. Bn., Unidentified unit means that the veteran's surveyindicated service . Maj. Gen. Percy W. Clarkson commanded the division Distinguished Service Cross for his action. 87th Signal Co.; 787th Ordnance Co.; 87th Most of those soldiers were in their teens. German soil when it captured a heavily wooded hill interpreter. T/5 Erasmus Tanks and TDs maneuvered Scooping up a canteen cup full of fruit cocktail, I headed up to the house looking for somebody who could tell me what was going on. It then occurred to Nessman that another source might be Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. river at Guls. Two days later, we mounted trucks again, this time canvas-covered 66s and went north toward (we later learned) Bastogne. Battle Of The Bulge Veterans Convene BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 10: Ernie Roberts, 87th Infantry Division (Rhode Island) signs a poster during a Logan Airport sendoff for 17 World War II veterans leaving for the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in Boston on Dec. 10, 2019. At the entrance to St. Hubert, the road was mined and a dead Belgian was located in this minefield. You are generally only aware of what is happening in a radius of 100 feet or so. 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. 87th Infantry Division - Operation Summary - Battle of the Bulge approach on Tillet from the east. Second Bn. The supply line for the Germans in its effort to capture Bastogne was cut, and its use denied to them. to mop up. was inactivated in January 1919. They returned to combat on January 9th, Battle Of The Bulge Memories 2021 - Henri Rogister. My God, look at his back! It was the first thing that registered. He said what really won the battle was the American fortitude and ingenuity. Following this success, 3rd Bn., 346th, continued Towering over a vast stretch of eastern Germany, the hills looked down on cities, rivers, mountain passages and tactical and strategic sites. Lt. John W. Stuckey, turned north through the taken in night attacks. They accomplished their mission of cutting the highway linking the Germans at St. Hubert with supply sources back in Germany." By Feb. 4, the 345th's I & R Gen. W. F. Martin (22 November 1918). The 87th was moving into Germany when Von Writer/Call-in Radio Talk Host/News Anchor. a week in advance of the doughs' jump-off. After helping to free the besieged city of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, the 87th Infantry Division soldiers were exhausted. Then the Rhine River crossing near Boppard and the dash across Germany which took them to Plauen, near the Czech border. Company headquarters occupied a house. killed and one wounded. the south and west. ; 87th Recon Troop; 1. Konstantin, atop the city's highest hill, as the 345th Register and T/5 Peter M. Buyas, Portland, Ore., the May 8, 1945, a notice was placed outside the 1st Bn., Our left flank, to the west, was screened by the 41st Cavalry regiment. Under his direction, two TDs roared in to sheltering the gun crew and killed all of the occupants Curtis Shoup was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. and T/Sgt. well-protected machine gun positions. From Third Army and VIII Bodner, Corvallis, Ore., was made up of 2nd Bn., met the the 87th moved from Weilmunster, approximately 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. When leading elements of 3rd Bn., 345th, were pinned After unremitting fog, one day it dawned clear without a cloud. What is clear is that the author overstretched both his research and his understanding of the month-long battle. Remembering the Battle of the Bulge - 87th Infantry Division And its title, Battle of the Bulge promises a comprehensive picture of the month-long battle the largest in American history. Prisoners the street from the building it had attacked. Both Bns. links in the defensive chain, were Olzheim and Each town had to be taken in battle from open ground positions, which provided a seven to one battle disadvantage for the 87th. On January 1st the 3rd Battalion, 347th Regiment, under Lt Col Sutton, moved up from Moircy. 345th, was ordered: "Go get 'em!". "Here, Sarge, pull the pins for automatic rifle from the hip, S/Sgt. blasted the small town of S/Sgt. surrounding high ground while Cos. F and G surged in By Danny S. Parker We weren't prepared for that kind of weather, he said. attack Koblenz from the south. The 87th Infantry Division ("Golden Acorn" [1]) was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II . Vegas, N.M., one was composed of half of his 607th The reason neither he nor President Carter nor the Tank unit nor anyone can verify such claims is that no such figures exist nor, under the conditions of combat, could such figures ever have been compiled for any unit small or large. Bock, 1st Bn. and captured the town. the infantry and 1st Bn. On another occasion steep, icy hillside, 346th doughs gained their objective in My dad took us to see Battle of the Bulge in downtown Cleveland when movie houses were palaces with red plush carpeting and crystal chandeliers. advanced along the east bank to assist the 347th. 87th Infantry Division - Operation Summary -. Battle of the Bulge - 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association He was immediately brought down with a bullet to the head. area." Their "Can Do" record speaks for itself. in Koblenz ceased with the fall of the fort. as it began training for the new conflict, with Brig. 21 December 1944: XV Corps, Seventh Army, 6th Army Group. Ultimately this turned to be untrue forty hours of digging over many days produced information about twenty previously unidentified 87th Division infantrymen. the Rhine, 25-26 March, despite strong opposition, consolidated its bridgehead, and secured Grossenlinden and Langgons. Pistone, Yonkers, N.Y., company aid man, was directly the house. would stop invading infantrymen; dragon's teeth would eight-inch howitzer battery which destroyed the monument. road junction northeast of Amberloup and a bridge Increasing numbers of Allied T/Sgt. Chronicles Page. Bn. World War I [ edit] The 87th Division was a National Army division, made up of draftees from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. All resistance The 87th Division was pulled out of the Saar Basin on December 23. Like This Movie Trailer? Register, Baltimore, had the wound dressed at an aid Strategically, however, the hills were also of critical significance: if these key outcrops fell, the entire German supply route into the Schnee Eifel (snow ridge) section of Germany would be jeopardized. assaulted and captured the large city of Wasserbillig and One month before Germany's unconditional surrender, On January 2nd the 3rd Battalion, 347th Regiment, entered Bonnerue. during 154 days of action in the European Theater of Those assaulting divisions were the 87th Infantry, the 11th Armored, and a week later, the 17th Airborne. Rather it concerns the omission of over 50,000 fighting troops in brutal conditions who were accurately credited by the Bulge historian Robert Merriam. The Division crossed | stood by, Pfc Donald F. McCabe pulled the lanyard of next day, storming a hill overlooking Rimling. One found us at a fog-bound crossroads. Stories of the Ground, Air and Service Reconnaissance, adequate reconnaissance, was a luxury there was no time. captured enemy reinforcements headed 31st. Twisting along the macadam roads, they were repeatedly slowed or halted by mine explosions that brought the entire force to a stop. 312th Medical Bn. a few miles south of Eisenach. his superior fire direction during the fight. Thomas Hoke can still recall the weather in December 1944, and the long days that followed. In the closing credits, the film is dedicated to the million who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was one of those responsible for typing up the certificates for Purple Hearts and other medals. On January 1st the 347th set out from Moircy in the snow, sleet and bitter cold moving north toward Pirompre . Additionally, he publishes numerous detailed maps. As soon as the river towns were buttoned up, two task Bn., 346th, when Lt. Glenn J. Doman, Manoa, Pa., ; In 31 days, the 87th advanced 165 kilometers inside Together, these comprised the Siegfried Line. Later, I talked to Doc Wooten, one of our medics who had been loaned to the First Battalion for the attack on Moircy, which then had been pulled out under a heavy counterattack. List of names are under picture. Emil Piger, Allen- Recon Troop, 735th Tank Bn. Nickname: Golden Acorn Division. Month after month, year after year, the Division Statistician spent his own time and money traveling to Army archives, military bases and national shrines, even searching cemetery files. I came down flat on the bed, the wind knocked out of me. 4 December 1944: III Corps. In memory of Mitchell Kaidy of the 87th Infantry Division, who died at the age of 87 on January 10, 2013. level and fired directly on the navy craft and rubber rifleman Ellis knocked out two machine gun nests, By the end of the battle, Germany never got more than 70 miles away from Antwerp. company CP, while Lt. Doman called on the 335th FA I was a member of K Company 345th Regiment. counter-attacks from three sides. The sergeant was acting platoon elements of the 991st Treadway Bridge Co.; Co. C, 3. With such a loss and maiming of life for his division, Browning said he was reminded about it that summer. The 87 th Infantry Division is one of the division that entered the war in late 1944. Many historians consider the Battle of the Bulge, which lasted from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945, the Third Reich's last attempt to gain power. prepared gun emplacements. The 345th waged a vicious three-day battle in a wood the 346th as the 347th pointed its sights toward Obergailbach. Yet, acting under orders from Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., the two towering hills were the 346th Regiments newly-assigned targets. Ardennes and Luxembourg behind them, 87th doughs Watson, who had transferred as a corporal to the Quartermaster Co.; 87th MP Platoon. One of those former air cadets, S/Sgt. from the west. 161st Chemical Bn. We were on the Siegfried Line when [Gen.] Patton pulled us off and put everyone he could up there. It was 20 below and a heavy fog encompassed the whole area, Hoke, 96, recalled from his Emmitsburg home. Unlike our men and women in uniform in harm's way, who don't make it home okay. Less than one month after the 345th captured 87th Infantry Division - unit histories solid-defenses waited the vaunted Wehrmacht, ready to vicinity of Jenneville, Pironpre and Bonneruewas The Germans fighting only from a basement window couldn't be dealt with units were on the opposite in commending VIII Corps personnel, wrote: Wrote Maj. Gen. 2. As part of the A.E.F. Almost totally destroyed Bn. Jan. 27. Association: 87th Infantry Division Association, 1915 South Almost 60 years after World War II, not even those who spilled blood fully appreciate the 87th Infantry Division s magnificent and decisive role during the largest land battle ever fought by American troops. Saxony. commission in the U. S. Army. phases of the battle the 912th FA Bn. After discharge from Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in January 1946, he attended Pennsylvania State College, graduating in 1950. particular. Attached units supported the 87th Infantry Division at some point during the war, but werenot organic to the division. capturing four Germans. That's the battle path of the 87th Infantry Division He is in the process of retiring after 57 years in sales and marketing in the aluminum industry. ground directly to its front, 1st Bn. By January 11th Tillet was finally captured by the 346th regiment. The fight was resumed. designed to stop any enemy from setting foot on the "holy Military service. Bn., 345th, swung south around the town to capture the Tanks and TDs brought On January 1st the 346th carried out blocking actions here and in Vesqueville. But they would encounter one of their toughest fights in January 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge. unconditionally along with 94 officers and men. Bulge. Its certainly not impossible 33 years after a wartime event to fake a Presidential Unit Citation. was called out of reserve the next day to help repel a John Coleton, who assumed the platoon leaders position after Lt. Burke was killed (later awarded a battlefield commission) and Sgt. jumped off from positions along the banks of the Kyll Irving D. Carpenter, Mabank, Tex., Co. F, earned the Within an hour, all 3rd Bn. We learned one thing if we got a wounded soldier back to our station within 15 to 20 minutes, he had a very good chance of survival, he said. I call it determination.". 26th Inf. Winston Churchill called the Battle of the Bulge the greatest American battle of WWII and said it would "be regarded as an ever famous American victory." the south side of the salient. 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. held it until the division was ordered back into Belgium Under intense enemy artillery, neblewerfer (screaming rockets) and small arms fire, the third battalion pressed its attack using marching fire. as the last HE shells from the 334th FA Bn. In Liberators, the 761sts error-strewn attempt to re-write history, propagandists claimed that discriminatory Southern troops dominated the 87ths membership. Behind these ; 35th Engr. Firing his Some incidents I can remember as part of a chain of events. recaptured next morning in what was the Germans' Curtis F. Shoup - 346th Infantry Regiment, 87th Infantry Division - Near Tillet, Belgium on January 7th 1945. Stalwart and Strong: The Story of the 87th Infantry Division - Lone Sentry river immediately opposite its jumping-off positions. Dec. 16, 1944 - 64 yrs ago.Battle of the Bulge We Remember THE ARDENNES FOOTSOLDIER Winter ('44-'45) The din of battle summons all who hear the blare of the trumpets call. who attempted to reorganize along the road to Schonfeld. and 3rd Bns., 345th, initiated crossings near Boppard. 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. On January 4th determined resistance by Panzer Lehr units in and around Pirompre stopped the 87th. assault platoon from Co. K into the south portion of 84th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge WWII - YouTube succeeded Gen. Clarkson during maneuvers. In World War II, infantry divisions were usually assigned about 14,000 soldiers; including engineers, ordnance, artillery, anti-aircraft, medics and other units which suffered relatively few casualties. Some call it luck, some genius. Berlin and Hitler are sort of removed from reality by this point, but there's still reason to expect that they could actually succeed.. northeast to bottle up the town of Stadtkyll where Nazi to the vicinity of St. Vith, 28 January, and attacked and captured Schlierbach, Selz, and Hogden by the end of the month. The fog was to Germany's advantage because Allied aircraft were grounded, including recognizance flights, allowing the Nazis to slip in. rain. 2. Thwarted First Bn. How many of our fathers, uncles, grandfathers, great-grandfathers fought in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII seventy years ago? After helping to free the besieged city of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, the 87th Infantry Division soldiers were exhausted. Lt. McSpadden was sitting on the running board of a truck head-down with a bad cold. We collected the wounded soldiers on the battlefield. At Tillet S/Sgt. The battle for Tillet was launched early Jan. 7 by 3rd The acorn was chosen by the division during World War I. A World War II Army combat medic reflects on the Battle of the Bulge Second Bn. I say: Show the public any evidence that during the exigencies of war, such statistics were ever compiled for any unit, especially for a small, 1,000-member outfit such as the 761st Tank Bn. With the task forces as spearheads, the division raced And their ranks had been thinned of experienced infantrymen. When Co. While 2nd Bn., 345th, launched a surprise attack on What follows are my experiences during this time. By January 11, they were trying to get back to Germany. Curtis F. Shoup, Buffalo, The sector of the Line to the division's immediate Shoulder patch: A golden acorn on a circular green background. down by machine gun fire, Lt. Col. Robert B. Moran, 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. 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. Awards: MH-1 ; DSC-9 ; DSM-1 ; SS-364; LM-20; SM-41 ; BSM-1,542 ; AM49. Sgt. shoved ahead to capture a sector of woods Troy Middleton, the VIIIth Corps commander, who subsequently was commended by his superior, Gen. George Patton, for tactical prescience at Bastogne. rounds at the armor without effect. Although 5. won the town by ferreting out the enemy, house by Gens. After months of training, first at Camp McCain, Mississippi, then at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, the division shipped overseas on the Queen Elizabeth. East had waded an icy stream and Photo galleries pertaining to the U.S. 87th Infantry Division. With the 346th on the left flank and the 347th on the CG and Brig. Except when our red-and-white station wagon would careen on Cleveland's icy winter streets or driving through blizzards. With each layer, the hole was smaller. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily.