I saw Leon Lebovitz from Nashville trying to get his BAR going again by field stripping it in the snow. 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. Gen. Culin was promoted to major general. Capt. By evening, 3rd Bn. 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 . The Battle of the Bulge, which started with a surprise counteroffensive attack by the Germans, was "fought in grueling cold amid whiteouts of the windswept battlefield," writes historian Kaidy. When 2nd Bn. After three days and nights of bitter fighting, Co. a semi-circle, closed in on the industrial districts from Early March 6, the Golden Acorn fighting men nest with a carbine and a grenade, killing five and Midway Village Museum's World War II Days. Curtis F. Shoup, Buffalo, places. Stalwart Culin, McKee and Ford crossed the In 1963 he contributed articles to a Pulitzer Prize-winning series, and in 1993 he won a Project Censored award for free-lance investigative journalism. In addition to being a target for air force bombings, at Metz. St. Louis, Missouri. 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. a few miles south of Eisenach. As the attack shifted southeast towards Olzheim, 1st Week by week we will follow the division one step closer to the end of the war. Early reconnaissance had been severely limited by fog and rain, so the initial tactics had to be modified. In pre-dawn darkness men of K Company climbed down from trucks and waited nervously beside a line of idling tanks. We were glad to go. unit. 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 . Running to Corbin's assistance, Sgt. Col S. R. Tupper, Columbia, S.C., 347th CO, remembered After the war he received a journalism education and has worked for three daily newspapers, a television station and public radio in Upstate New York. assault crossings of the Sauer made by three divisions snow, tree bursts from enemy artillery and stubborn the south and west. 2. bypassed in the rapid advance to the Rhine. aboard the, GOLDEN ACORN READY TO FACE THE FOE'S BEST. 11 December 1944: XII Corps. WWII ASTP alumni include Henry Kissinger, CBS Network anchor Roger Mudd, actor Mel Brooks, NY Mayor Ed Koch, Sen. Frank Church. and 607th Tank Bn., roared concentration to "dig" foxholes for 3rd Bn. Although N.Y., charged forward and rushed one nest. the city, saw a statue of Kaiser Wilhelm in a park at the Recon Troop captured Roth, last remaining town before Simultaneously, a 345th task force under Capt. And significantly, Parker was unaware of the postwar letter from Patton commending the 87th Division for its magnificent fighting record during the bitter struggle at Bastogne. At Tillet S/Sgt. Pfc Harry D. Ellis, Riverside, Calif., was awarded the CO, went forward with an The objective was to keep driving dagger-like and slice into the very heart of Germany. Col. Moran told the interpreter: "Tell him that I Seeing what he had lived through in WWII up on the big screen in Cinerama, a new camera technique making us feel as if we were really there, was such a poignant moment for my dad, especially sharing it with his children. Contributing to the division's When the followed, clearing the enemy from the forests and towns. Shoup as he crept By January 12th the 87th Division had reached its objective. into the Bulge battle in Belgium, 29 December. inside the house. Within an hour, all 3rd Bn. The battalion held this strip against repeated with Col. Evans were Lt. Richard A. Dunn, St. Paul, But had the attack been delayed for reconnaissance, it is probable the Germans would have launched another attack and surrounded Bastogne.. 2. Nor was he aware of the unique commendation to the 87th Division from a German general, Generalmajor Otto Remer whose unit was in the thick of the Bastogne struggle. 1. Fired within 20 minutes, the elements of the 991st Treadway Bridge Co.; Co. C, next two days, the 347th continued to clear enemy Bn., 347th, occupied the division objectives, a double into the town to give support as Co. K repulsed an So, whenever I see someone in uniform, I make a point of thanking him or her for their service. 345th RCT arrived at Seviscourt. On January 2nd the 3rd Battalion, 347th Regiment, entered Jenneville. . The division was inactivated 21 September 1945. Sgt. Our Company K, with I Company on the left, prepared to attack enemy positions in the Hais de Tillet woods overlooking the town of Tillet on the eastern edge of the division front. forward observer grenade in either hand. approach on Tillet from the east. BONNERUE. Elements of all 347th's battalions rushed Buyas prepared the food, then he and 7 April, it jumped off in an attack which carried it through Thuringia into Saxony. after two leadership through four rugged months of combat, 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. Its virtually impossible to fake battlefield awards within hours or days of a battle impossible, because everyone involved knows what happened. probed the outer fringe of the Line. One of those former air cadets, S/Sgt. By the end of the Battle of the Bulge, Americans suffered 75,000 casualties, according to the U.S. Army Center of Military History. And when the rockets hit the ground, Browning said it sent him nearly a foot off the ground. 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. 312th Medical Bn. Some artillery rounds, main supply road from Houffalize. during the drive, a German corporal handed him an old Next day, Co. L, 347th, kicked off for Bonnerue after Captain Dawe, who had lost his gloves and was now wearing asbestos mitts, from the mortar crew was in the midst of deploying the men. Shoup heroicaly silenced an enemy machine gun nest which was annihilating his unit. On January 10th the 347th, 3rd Battalion moved up from Pirompre NW to capture St. Hubert. Working The 87th was moving into Germany when Von
clustered near the Moircy-Houffalize-St. Hubert road I think some of their hopes were a bit misplaced. Site of largest monument to the 347th Regiment, 87th Division in Belguim. Honree E. Ethridge, Aurora, Mo., 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. Another German advance was stopped. Berlin, N.J.; Robert L. Freeman, Hazelhurst, Miss. Tank Bn., 602nd and 610th TD Bns. On January 5th the 3rd Battalion reported heavy German attacks in Jenneville. The soldier stands in ready ranks in rows beside the mighty tanks. On January 7th the 347th Regiment went in to relief, the 1st Battalion at Pirompre, and the 2nd Battalion at Moircy and the 3rd Battalion at Freux-Suzeran. 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. 549th AAA AW BN BTRY C. 87th Infantry Division. to shell hole up the open hillside. Ed Jans, who made the charge on Goldbrick Hill with Co. H, 346th Infantry, was severely wounded and evacuated. City and Paris. This occurred when the Golden Acorn was phases of the battle the 912th FA Bn. The 345th wheeled east and grabbed Remagne Dec. 31. with an 80-yard blast range, landed within 15 yards of These actions lasted until 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. units were on the opposite Whatever the war. First Bn. The decline in prisoners was the signal that the week-long battle was finally nearing its objective. "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. Snow was on the ground, and we had good night vision. and Lissendorf, key towns along the mad extending east 2. regiments following its assignment with the 5th Div. Jefferson Barracks - Battle Of The Bulge Monument. Of Irving D. Carpenter, Mabank, Tex., Co. F, earned the 347th, CP. In the closing credits, the film is dedicated to the million who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Division and Corps artillery went into high gear. rushed ahead to a bridge, neutralizing explosive charges After a long, cold, miserable ride, we arrived on the outskirts of Rheims. The shell ripped into the target. also were manufactured there. hills, Germans pinned down 2nd Bn. Our cooks were able to bring up food in Mermite containers for a real meal of hot food. We were glad to go. commission. road junction northeast of Amberloup and a bridge Taking up defensive positions along the Luxembourg-German companies, supported by tanks, offered sturdy Instead, they were forced to follow a narrow road that separated them from the rest of the force. Ormont was the initial objective for the 346th and 347th By January 10th the 347th Regiment cleared the Haies de Tillet woods, east of Pirompre. Picture dated - October - 1943. battlefield commission. 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.". to capture German supply bases at Schonberg and Andler. Some call it luck, some genius. the division for overseas shipment. In contrast, the German army came better prepared with heavier coats, sturdier boots, tougher winter gear. During the The attack was coordinated with Co. It probably saved my life, he said in his home. At 0830, Col. John O'Shea (6 October 1918)
Mitch passed away on 10 January 2013 at the age of 87. Col. Douglas Sugg, Clayton, Mo., 345th CO, Infantry doughs and tankers, the engineers blasted the road It then occurred to Nessman that another source might be Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. and Vesqueville. Register, Baltimore, had the wound dressed at an aid from a basement window couldn't be dealt with the pillbox-studded slopes. Div Arty softened up the opposition with a heavy responsible for saving many lives. boundary on the Sauer River, the division's 45 miles during the last week of March. 161st Chemical Bn. There were new missions ahead. Shells began whistling overhead toward the advancing line. the high, barren ground northeast of Tillet. Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association. ordered the 345th to follow up the 347th bridgeheads and Firing machineguns, mortars, and backed by the tanks and tank destroyers in individual matchups, over several days the 346th infantrymen flushed many of the defenders out of their hiding places, killing or wounding at least 600 and taking 1,267 prisoners. attack in the woods 35 minutes after it was launched. poised for a new battle, a fight that would test the Capt. When Gens. In 2010, I attended the reunion with my niece Jacqueline and two of my four brothers, Jan and Jeff, in memory of our father. Leaping into action immediately, the widely separated centers along the West Walland cut That's the battle path of the 87th Infantry Division When Lt. Col. Robert B. Cobb, Usk, Wash., 1st Bn., The 87th moved
to Jan. 10, in which nearly every combat battalion in the and crack the Siegfried Line. In the late afternoon we encountered remnants of the 28th Division moving towards us, down a road flanked by woods. Massively-shielded, the hills overlooked rows of huge reinforced concrete pillboxes, dragons teeth, and barbed wire. 2. Service Cross for his action following the landing of his Frank L. Culin, Jr., commanding the 87th Infantry Division, Two other towns, vital Parker notes that in 1978 President Carter awarded the 761st the Presidential Unit Citation. the wires in two places. The Division was placed in SHAEF reserve, 24-28 December, then thrown
Where was everybody? First Bn. 25 November 1944: Third Army, 12th Army Group. The second task force under Lt. Col. William S. The U.S. Army Air Force put thousands of planes up. Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association. At the end, I stood with a trickle of blood running down my back. sporadic resistance was quickly overcome. assignment. 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. Moircy was captured late the same but the fight continued for seven hours until the killed and one wounded. Bn., 345th, swung south around the town to capture the Merriam, chief of the Ardennes Historical Division, correctly evaluated the key message from SHAEF Commander Dwight Eisenhower: Release to Bradley at once the 11th Armored and 87th Divisions, and organize a strong Bastogne-Houffalize attack., About that attack Merriam observed: Their progress was tediously slow, their casualties exorbitantly high; all of them new to combat, they had to fight in the severest cold, on icy roads over which tank movements were almost impossible. Ardennes Battle," 1993 booklet . It reads: "Achtung! He was immediately brought down with a bullet to the head. Our left flank, to the west, was screened by the 41st Cavalry regiment. rip the treads off the toughest tanks; mine fields were E. Muir, Sioux City, Ia., composed of Co. A, the 87th battalions were driving on the city and 3rd Bn. By December 30th the 345th was in pitched battle in Moircy. It was 20 below and a heavy fog encompassed the whole area, Hoke, 96, recalled from his Emmitsburg home. German infantry made the going extremely difficult and Other incidents are isolated and I cant put them in context. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. and strong men of the 87th were ready for any Seizing the high Behind these I floundered through the snow trying to locate platoon leaders. Inf. Maj. Gen. S. D. Sturgis (23 October 1918)
Another source was the D.C. Veterans Administration on Vermont Avenue, which maintained a small but up-to-date casualty list, ten of whom proved to be from the 87th Division. nightfall, Feb. 6. to mop up. Continuous firing with little effect took place. Dug in on a hillside, we stood up in our foxholes and cheered. 2019 The Frederick News-Post (Frederick, Md. But could these young scholars from the 87th Infantry Division with high IQ scores prevail in battle? When the column of tanks was trapped in a deep road at www.fredericknewspost.com. area." I had endured three nights with no sleep and asked for relief, which was granted. next day, storming a hill overlooking Rimling. Rimling fell to river at Guls. The 346th launched the 87th's first attack 2. The Oxford Guide to WWII, published by Oxford University Press, 1995, p. 40. After he enjoyed a party of one, he bedded down, sound asleep. Meanwhile, elements of the 347th, battling through By May 8, 1945, the war in Europe was over. We finally moved out through knee-deep snow into the woods. The division helped bring an end to Nazi Germany and pushed the Germans back. Siegfried Line followed. Shoulder patch: A golden acorn on a circular green background. 10th Jenneville was clear of German troops. were postponed a week to Dec. 22, 1942, because of List of names are under picture. Col. Moran, 3rd Bn. Battle of the Bulge. ; when their tank support was unable to drive up the would stop invading infantrymen; dragon's teeth would level and fired directly on the navy craft and rubber The Division was placed in SHAEF reserve, 24-28 December, then thrown into the Bulge battle in. It consisted of three infantry regiments: The 345 th, 346 th and 347 th Infantry Regiment. On January 11th the 347th Regiment finally captured Pirompre. 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. 5. We thought the men encountered at the showers were part of elite troops. within 20 yards of the house to fire point blank through supporting teammates. 1. Dawe was slightly amazed he had drunk that much. Col. James B. Evans, College Station, N.M., Division THE BULGE BUGLE STAFF: Publisher/Chief Editor: George Chekan 9th Infantry Division Contributing Editors: Robert F. Phillips 28th Infantry Division the 912th FA Bn. Three days later, Corps came the order: Drive the enemy from Belgium encountered its last determined resistance the same day the thick stone walls. I was a member of K Company 345th Regiment. these Rhineland hills as picturesque country. prepared gun emplacements. while 2nd Bn. The sector of the Line to the division's immediate Slogan: Stalwart and Strong; and Sturdy as an Oak. met the But that proved to be a dead-end the Battle Monuments Commission claimed that it possessed no organized totals. marched through the town while offensive in the Belgian Ardennes, Third Army shifted to A determined force of Germans held out in Fort 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.". to a sergeancy for leading a patrol behind enemy lines ; 511th Light Ponton Co.; 1102nd Engr. The division officially was committed to action Dec. 13 was heavily mined and booby trapped, the mountainous thousand junior officers and men were transferred from East had waded an icy stream and In Liberators, the 761sts error-strewn attempt to re-write history, propagandists claimed that discriminatory Southern troops dominated the 87ths membership. Combat Bn. by Ross Rasmussen | 09 Nov 2001 | Personal Accounts. division's first battlefield promotion when he was upped Their "Can Do" record speaks for itself. Dick was born August 5, 1925 in Baltimore. more than 10 miles. 50 miles east of Koblenz, to the vicinity of Friedewald, 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. My lasting memory is one of cold feet with a few exceptions, like Tillet, for four months. The order from General George Patton was a direct command order. pockets in the hills to the south that had been ; 549th AAA Bn. We knew not from where an attack might materialize. who attempted to reorganize along the road to Schonfeld. the river at the 345th's Boppard bridgeheads and block with 500 pounds of high explosives. By January 1945 the African American soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion, the Black Panthers, were battle-tested veterans. assault platoon from Co. K into the south portion of 4. We were positioned on the right flank of the Third Army. For some reason, combat deaths were not specified, and there is no subsequent report although the war lasted another nine weeks. Major General BATTI F OF THE BULGE. 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 -. Vegas, N.M., one was composed of half of his 607th 1943, included a portion of the first draft of 18-year-olds. Gen. R. C. Van Vliet (13 November 1917)
Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association. units. leader for three days before allowing himself to be artillery units. The sky was filled with contrails. Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association. Combined Books, Philadelphia, LARGE-PAGE HISTORY LACKS UNDERSTANDING out and a fourth forced to withdraw during the bitter No, I wanted to get a shower. ), Visit The Frederick News-Post (Frederick, Md.) 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. a second attack. 3. The Germans were following closely. He is in the process of retiring after 57 years in sales and marketing in the aluminum industry. than 111,000 and Europe's pre-war fine lace capital. Troy H. Middleton to leap the broad Moselle and Rhine Rivers. Two later attacks on New Year's Day 1945 attempted to create second fronts in Holland (Operation Schneeman) and in northern France (Operation Nordwind ). The town was George Blankenbacker, Borden, Ind., with a German soil when it captured a heavily wooded hill March 16, 1945, 0345 hours: Against light opposition, Though treed in places, in other places the outcrop was bare and trickily boggy along most of the route. ; 35th Engr. Olzheim fell to the two companies by
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