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Snow At Sampont - Throughout our week-long stay in the city we were receiving news of the climatic battle and offensive thrust by Von Rundstedt's elite troops then sweeping through Belgium and Luxembourg. The "Battle of The Bulge" and bloody Bastogne, to be famed as the Alamo of this conflict, were more than words and something to be read of -- the first great enemy blow and bid for a stalemate in the West was underway. With the division engaged in the mighty counterblow to stem the avalanche of Nazi armor and put an end to enemy power for all time, the Ardennes Forest struggle was at its peak. On December 30, 1944, prepared to take our part with elements of the Third Army, we moved north across France into Belgium, 59 miles to Sampont. The column halted for three hours in the rural community of Meix-le-Tige until favorable billets could be found at Sampont. Headquarters Company occupied most of the homes at Meix-le-Tige and we awaited new billets. The route of march had been subjected to Jerry air attack, but no aircraft appeared as we moved on. We remained overnight in the homes of cheerful and most hospitable folk after rounding up some men who had been left behind, hurriedly preparing a bit to eat when the company got underway on several minutes notice. It was extremely cold and the first snowfall blanketed the wide expanse of the countryside. In groups of two to five men, we occupied the rooms and beds so graciously given up by our hosts. Rumors of enemy penetration had proven to be the fact and it had been determined that enemy patrols had infiltrated the woods not many miles away. Allen Raines recalls how a tearful youngster, alone in the house he entered, exhibiting his fear at the sight of a soldier, began to collect all valuable material possessions and remove them from sight. The boy, terrified of the Germans, then entered the barn to herd the livestock away. He was consoled only when his parents returned and they happily informed him we were Americans and no harm would come to them. Many of the townspeople had very little food and we shared our K and 10-in-1 rations with them over the family table. Our bombers were in flight in great strength Sunday, December 31, as we planned to leave late that afternoon. A number of the boys attended religious services conducted in French and Luxembourgois for the understanding of a community speaking both languages. It was our first service in a house of worship and the spontaneous enthusiasm of the men was evidenced in the collection plate. We recall Tony Ladzinski dropping in a paper note to include a contribution from a group who hadn't any coins. We were later informed our donations were in great excess of the usual weekly collections and the priest would be too demanding of his flock thereafter. The company CP had been housed in a corner cafe directly across the road from the church, but our stay was being terminated. |
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Attert - Attert, Belgium, 12 miles northeast astride the Arlon-Bastogne Highway, housed a scant 300 civilians as we moved into its narrow streets, before their small homes and onto their fields late in the day, December 31. Our kitchen and CP established themselves at crossroads and easily accessible houses wherein they were soon operating with the greatest efficiency, while we were welcomed into the homes before which we had stopped. Every family was to treat us with the greatest consideration and kindness, as one of their own, during the three-week period spent here. New Year's Eve passed amidst pleasant family gatherings as a bloody conflict raged almost within the very back yards of their homes. The snow and ice of a Belgian winter covered the fields and highway, sole supply route into Bastogne. Casualties among personnel in columns moving north and south over N-4 had been severe as enemy artillery fire east of our position at Attert was concentrated upon the road. Service and engineer troops were busy each day, clearing and sanding the now dangerous, snow-packed and ice-covered routes over which passed a continuous stream of vehicles and supplies. In the evenings we sat about the family table and radios discussing the favorable developments and blow to Nazi hopes, reassuring the residents who had not long before awaited to see German columns return to their streets and homes. It was comfortable indoors as the stoves blazed away; their lack of fuel was no problem after our arrival. Truckloads of coal were obtained from the freight cars in the Arlon yards and unloaded at a distribution point in town, if not at each home by the men billeted there.  A billet at Attert Under the most adverse working conditions on snow-covered fields, the company serviced and repaired for further duty the record number of 42 medium tanks and completed over 55 other major repair jobs. The extreme cold would not be an obstacle! It had been overcome despite all hardships just several miles away and we endeavored to equal the courage and performance of those men who had fought through it. Through the initiative of Captain Johns and Lt. Bragg, shop officer, a collecting point was established at Hollange, southeast of Bastogne, from which damaged or knocked out vehicles could be evacuated to the company area for repair. Such a forward point would faciliate [facilitate] the return of weapons to the combat units where all maximum strength of materiel was most essential. The work performed there earned them the commendation of combat command leaders and recognized the planned system of recovery and evacuation as one of the closest stages of Ordnance support to line elements. Lt. Shaffer, with Sgts. Umbower and Turner, and the entire Evacuation Section numbering 17 men were now tirelessly working at Hollange while the rest of the company remained at Attert. These men had been told anything might develop, so they all took a turn guarding those snatching a few hours sleep beside the three prime movers, two wreckers, and tank retriever. At one time Heinie paratroopers had dropped less than a mile away from them, but they weren't aware of the danger until later informed. Further ground attack was not imminent since the route had been cleared, but the area was still being shelled by the Krauts and their aircraft were persistently overhead.  "Winter playland" -- shop grounds at Attert Back at Attert, a company scare proved to be a training problem -- in the midst of war. A recon outfit, pulled from the line for a rest, was given the mission of locating our CP and determining the strength of the troops billeted there. We were the object of their reconnaissance one dark night and our guards had the hell scared out of them until it was disclosed the boys were playing at war. On one occasion, Turner, Givens, McGill, Woods, Machika and Rodgers were occupied in retrieving six tanks halted in a snow-covered mine field. The men worked to remove them without the thought of personal safety and the threat underfoot. They succeeded in evacuating all but one tank which could not be removed. The vehicles were winched to the road by the retriever and then loaded upon the movers for transportation to the company where our mechanics would soon put them into service once again. Givens, operating an M-25 mover, struck a mine; there was a terrific roar and one wheel was torn from the axle as he escaped injury. Another eventful day, Lts. Bragg, Shaffer, WO Patterson and Sgt. Marquard rode to the vicinity north of Margaret to spot some knocked out equipment. Marquard was in a tank attempting to remove a periscope sight when the area came under Kraut artillery fire. With each shell burst he turned from his work to crouch low down in the turret. With the repeated motion of ducking out of danger and taking a turn with a screw-driver to loosen the sight, he finally got it out. At Hollange one day, Lt. Shaffer and Walter George, his trusty aide de camp and driver, were sought by a Belgian woman who informed them someone was "hiding out" at her house. The men went along with her, guns in hand and prepared for a struggle, only to discover a fellow GI wearing the not too familiar uniform of the paratroopers. He was a member of the 101st - Airborne Division who had remained here until he could rejoin his outfit. But the woman, unaware of his identity, was not too certain. The men reassured her and returned the "Joe" to Bastogne. Thus ended another "enemy hand-to-hand encounter."  New "76" at Attert Enduring the three week's rigors at the collection point, Hozie "Stogie" Pennington and "Long John" Moore had added to their labors when they completed long and deep slit trenches. "Snort" Heiser with an ample ration of onions and cigars never gave a thought (?) to the tide of battle and acted as if he hadn't an enemy in the world. The danger from mines and boobytraps was ever present. Moore pointed out one of the devilish devices to Rodgers after the latter had almost stepped upon it. Rodgers, a newcomer, had joined us at Attert where he was almost immediately assigned to the Evacuation Platoon and "Siberia." He stated that "Ump" first impressed him as another Wallace Beery -- with his gruff manner, outwardly tough, but good natured and harmless. Sgts. Turner and Umbower were later to receive Silver Star awards for their excellent performance and direction of their section in exhibiting the greatest initiative and perseverance under all conditions throughout the entire campaign. The chow line at Attert was being sweated out despite the cold -- Stanley was pulling hair from his head as the inflated lineup included nearly 300 men. Company personnel strength had been greatly increased by the crews awaiting the repair of tanks and vehicles, and a number of "guests" riding the highway halted at our crossroads kitchen to make further inroads upon our allotted rations -- they ate like lions on a meatless Tuesday. Receiving a well merited New Year's gift, Lt. Wurst turned in his gold bars for silver spurs on January 9. The order was retroactive to New Years Day, and we presume the bars were worn in the interim. Lts. Shaffer, Krebaum and "Trouble-On-The-Farm" Novak, at one time, moved to Warton, east of Bastogne, to recover whatever equipment they could salvage from eight tanks knocked out in that vicinity by a Nazi mobile gun. As they were removing the trailers and machine guns for our use, they were subjected to a barrage of fire. All thought of obtaining the material quickly vanished for the time, as they made a hurried departure for safer ground. A group of tank drivers, drawn from all the sections, returning from the Ordnance depot at Metz, encountered some trouble maneuvering the new weapons up the steep Longwy hill and over the icy roads. Migler's tank caught afire in Arlon, but he labored to bring it under control. Of the string of 16 tanks, four made an appearance at one time within the shop area at Attert. The holiday spirit had thoroughly saturated the First Automotive Platoon -- some 30 men billeted in a retired priest's home -- the largest in town. Their host awakened one morning to discover an equal number of bottles drained of sacramental wine. Noting "Pete-GI" Prorok, he inquired if the men were still thirsty since some stock yet remained untouched. He never complained of the loss and regarded the affair as a good joke well written off by lend-lease. While the Automotive Platoon had its thirst quenched at the old priest's home, Waller of Parts Supply, billeted with a younger priest near the church, had a spy scare. The cure liberally granted Waller something to drink and then began to question him most thoroughly about our company strength, type of work and destination. Waller, now fully aroused and suspicious of the priest's motives, informed Lt. Lewis, who thereupon had him questioned. Nothing came of the incident and the cure was tabbed OK but too curious. Waller hated to move out and leave a good bed, and even the ample liquor stock could not induce him to remain.  Enemy truck near Warton Ricci and Koch were feted at a birthday party planned by the people who were graciously tolerating them, but neither one dared reveal his age. An occurrence which might have had tragic consequences passed as just another event of the day. Krajna, while busy at work repairing one of the tanks now closely parked in the snow-covered shop area, accidentally slipped and fell upon the foot pedal of the gun's firing mechanism. The men working on the weapon hadn't been informed by the gun crew that a shell still remained in the breech. There was a resounding explosion as a DUD shell ploughed across the field to strike Cpl. Warren's peep. A front tire was torn to shreds and the front end of the peep ripped out. No one at work on the field was injured, but the sole topic of conversation the remainder of the day was their very close brush with the angels, "Only dud that gun ever fired," remarked a crew member as our boys resolved to inspect all gun chambers before undertaking any work in the future. At the outskirts of the town, Coyner, Matz, Kymick and Filogomo were successfully disassembling a 155mm howitzer piece belonging to an attached artillery battalion supporting the division. The gun had fired more than the maximum number of shells and the men were replacing the burned out tube of a weapon the dimensions of which were beyond our echelon of Ordnance repair. However, the snow and size of the gun did not deter them, and they completed the change to the satisfaction of the gun crew and serviceability of the piece for future operations. The Instrument Repair Section and Small Arms men were readying new guns and instruments for the recently arrived tanks now being prepared for line duty. Inspection tours of vehicles and weapons not yet on the shop grounds were "hot" affairs. One day Zemsta, Register, Lovera and Kobezak ventured forth from their work tables at Attert to put the "all-seeing eye" to an M-7 of the 696th Field Artillery attached to CCA. The piece's position was receiving a shower of "incoming mail" while the men remained low on the straw-covered gun deck -- the sleeping place of the 105 gun crew. They did little inspecting that day, and returned to the company. When clear skies appeared, our bombers and fighters left vapor trails of crisscrossed patterns as they battered fleeing enemy forces now routed to the Luxembourg border and a hopeful retreat east to their homeland for another stand. We'll not forget the kindness of the people of Attert who housed us as their kin, and many were saddened at our departure January 22, 1945. |
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Bastogne - Battered Bastion - The company moved north along the snow-covered highway to Bastogne, 19 miles, by platoons at short intervals of time. Due to the heavy traffic conditions over a poor road surface the plan was most practicable. The snow and ice-tinseled trees bordering the route presented a scene, the like of which hadn't been observed by New Englanders since leaving home. Lt. Lewis had scouted through the devastated town for billets in those few buildings remaining upright in a shambles of shattered masonry and timbers. He was lucky enough, to our satisfaction and comfort from the cold, to find quarters for most of the company. Some men remained at Attert until sleeping places became available when other troops left the sector. Ankle-deep snow blanketed the fields where our vehicles were parked and the shop grounds were selected on the left side of the highway leading to the town square.  Town Square at Bastogne Power and water facilities were non-existent in the community almost totally deserted by its former residents. Those having stoves in their rooms had them roaring, while others undertook an immediate search in the debris, determined to provide for a cold stay. The sub-zero weather was the most intense we had experienced in many a day. Cellar wood piles completely disappeared as our fires blazed forth. The five-day stopover at Bastogne passed quickly as former residents reappeared in small numbers to carry on in the crumbled ruins of their town. There was some Nazi nuisance artillery fire to the east of us and we had reports of a buzz-bomb descending near the area. Many men collected some items of souvenir interest to recall their stay in Bastogne in later years. Red, green and yellow parachute silk scarves were being sported about after having been cut and fashioned from the numerous chutes found in the fields when the snow melted. They had dropped supplies in and around the town several weeks before to relieve the beleaguered garrison then blunting the blow of the Nazi attack. Hogarth still had his headache with the gas truck, and by now was talking to himself. From the outset of our entry into France, upon returning from the beach-head dump with a full load, he learned he had been designated as the "orphan of the company." He was thereafter shunted off to the far corners of each bivouac for convenience and security purposes.  The main road at Bastogne On one occasion he inquired the location of the dump from the "Old Man," who was unable to disclose the site. Lt. Krebaum suggested a refueling point some 25 miles northwest of Bastogne, Hogarth rode around almost the full day seeking the place, but couldn't discover any gas. Upon his return, he nearly blew his top to learn a dump had been established about 500 yards from the CP. A miraculous bit of luck came between Hilger and an award of the Purple Heart one day. He had completed repairs to a tank and was on a road test for a final check-up before returning the vehicle to its unit. As he swerved to the shoulder of the road to avoid an oncoming truck, his track struck a mine buried in the snow. The tank was thrown across the road but he escaped unhurt. The bogie suspension system was destroyed and the bottom armor plate buckled. There were no further repairs and the weapon was replaced. |
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Sainlez - On January 27, the column moved six miles southeast from Bastogne to Sainlez, Belgium, a village housing not more than 75 families before the attack. Most of its homes were now torn and gutted skeletons wherein those remaining had sought refuge. The village priest had remained to counsel those still alive and administer the last rites of his church to the 35 inhabitants who had been victims of the aerial bombardment. They were temporarily interred upon the church premises as the cure sought the aid of Lt. Wurst to acquire caskets in Arlon for their burial in the village cemetery. The "flying kitchen" was installed in the old school house and at chow time we made our way through the mud and slush from houses down the road wherein we were billeted. On several occasions some men were heard to exclaim, "the chow wasn't worth the distance walked" and they resorted to home cooking of hoarded rations or a chicken who dared cross their path. But the civilians falling in at the rear of the queue for whatever remained had no complaints. They had no bread and very little, if anything, to eat until our arrival.  Village street at Sainlez Enemy small-arms ammunition was scattered about and Nazi Panzerfausts, pineapple-like versions of the bazooka, lay in the fields and near the blasted homes. Late one afternoon Johnson fired a "whistling flare" and scared hell out of a good number of us who believed it was an incoming shell. Capt. Johns took a hand in simulating an attack when he disposed of some deadly Panzerfausts at the risk of injury to himself. The Jerries themselves feared the use of this weapon because of the back-flash of flame which might consume them as well as their target.  GI scrap heap outside Bastogne There were no volunteers for the "stiff-disposal detail," but Revnyak, Murphy, Woods and Russell collected nearly a dozen of the former stalwarts who were disposed of by our QM personnel engaged in this undesirable work. Each evening the priest joined a group billeted in his home, swapping stories until time to retire. He was a "regular guy" and a loyal Belgian patriot and active resistance worker. Repair and service of all vehicles and armament continued as heretofore and the nasty weather passed almost unnoticed as all continued their excellent work. Service Section welders were at Marvie -- an adjacent village -- with "C" Company. They were busily at work there, welding 2 1/2 inches of additional protective armor plate to tanks of units we were supporting. Captain Johns said he was told by 69th tankers that the modification proved highly satisfactory and effective -- at 400 yards, despite the plates being blown from a tank by enemy fire on one occasion, there had been no complete penetration of the armor. The Evacuation Platoon was operating 24 hours a day as they effected the transportation of 43 tanks from Bastogne to Sainlez and to Esch, in Luxembourg, approximately 40 miles south of us. Rumbling over the poor roads out of Ettelbruck and Luxembourg City, Givens ran his mover into the deep mud. To extricate the vehicle it was necessary to remove a transported tank, get the mover on the road, and then reload the tank - all in the darkness of night. |