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Back To France - As things turned out, "C" Company at this time was to go no further into Germany than Dahnen. According to rumor, Gen. Grow was at the Riviera, and things were due to happen. At 1500 on March 10, we left Dahnen and Germany to go into the Seventh Army -- in reserve, at least at first. Moving back through Dasburg into Luxembourg, we proceeded through Hosingen, Ettelbruck, Mursch and Luxembourg City, the latter for the third time. Going on through Thionville, we skirted Metz, thence south through Pont-a-Mousson and from there east through Buchy and Delme to Amelecourt, one mile east of Chateau Salins.  Captured German field piece at Amelecourt, France The road turned off at the edge of Chateau Salins where there was so much traffic that Lt. Hagberg and Albert Kvart, waiting at the turn, did not catch the front of the column which then circled in Chateau Salins and went on to Amelecourt, arriving at 0130 on March 11. Serisky, coming down the road just at dusk, lost sight of the vehicle in front of him. Coming out of a town, he turned off the main highway onto a narrow side road. A half mile later, the rest still following, he stopped, and half an hour was spent in turning and relining vehicles. The entire southwestern move being secret, other GI's asked questions provoked by the painted-out lettering on vehicles and by the covered shoulder patches. After spending the first night in the best possible places, we moved next morning into billets. Then the work began to come in, more work in less time than ever before. Everyone labored long and hard in an attempt to get everything finished by the night of March 14. For the first and only time during the existance [existence] of the company in the ETO, we had American beer, each man getting two bottles. A percentage of the company was allowed during our time at Chateau Salins to revisit the city of Nancy, but to their dismay, they learned that the Seventh Army had "domesticated" the town. Everything had calmed down. Regardless of all the work to be done, supplies to be procured and rest needed, all trucks, by army order, had to be washed and cleaned. "Morale of the troops was excellent." We were brought three medium tanks on which to install rocket tubes, contraptions called "pipe organs" having 60 tubes, each as large in diameter as a 105mm gun, which proved to be catches for all limbs and high obstacles on the road. Few moves were made without damage to the tubes and mounts of the rocket launchers. Lt. Beaumeister paid the hospital a short visit, but returned before we left Amelecourt. Here the division had its third bowl formation which all men could not attend, but those who did go heard a talk by Gen. Grow which pleased and excited them. They liked the manner in which he depicted the situation, possible resistance and orders to get through and keep on going. |
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Through The Line - On March 19, "C" Company moved once more toward the German border and the Siegfried Line. Leaving at 1145, the convoy passed through Baronville, Gros Tenquin, Hellimer, Puttelange, Sarralbe, Sarre Union and Rahling to bivouac in a field (the first time since September) near Bining, France, an area known to us as Singling from the name of a nearby village. It lay amid a network of Maginot Line fortifications which were explored and photographed while were were there by members of the company with time on their hands. One of the forts, which faced a long, clear slope down toward the German border, was seven stories deep with connecting passages. Puptents were again the order, and few souvenirs were found. All night we could see artillery flashes to the north. The division was rolling. That meant "C" Company had to get on the move to keep up with CCR, so at 0830 on March 21, the company moved out through Rohrbach and Bitche, the latter having been taken two days before, and crossed the German border to pass through Zweibrucken and Homburg into a field bivouac just beyond that city. Beginning that day, we saw confusion everywhere; German soldiers walking back along the roads, trying to find an American PWE, officers, on a few occasions, marching back whole platoons of their men. Zweibrucken was the most completely destroyed city we had seen. As we passed through the streets in which one lane had been cleared by bulldozers, the only upright structure was a church steeple, and it was perforated by artillery shells. The city still burned. Back off the highway at the edge of some woods, on the far sides of fields and at the feet of ridges, there were always wagons of personal goods, bright blankets, women and children, the latter taking refuge from battle.  Maginot Line fort near Singling, France  Siegfried Line dragon's teeth Homburg was in little better shape. As the company passed at 1300 through the town which had been taken that morning, vehicles were still burning, bodies lay in the ruins, and bulldozers were just clearing a lane through the center of the street for military traffic. People looked bewildered. Some smiled at us, some had no expression, and others looked angry. At one corner, GI's, working out of a distillery, handed two bottles of wine to each truck as we passed. We bivouacked at 1445 in a field alongside a high, wooded hill from which Mangum and Jarboe, scouting through the woods, took three prisoners -- just kids who had been in the army only 14 days, they said. We had been parked only a few minutes when the Second Echelon men noticed that they were being surrounded and closed in on from all sides by men carrying flat GI tires. Brandt, Breighner and company toiled far into the night on the tire repairs. A large German trailer was picked up here, intended possibly for the kitchen if it could be used, but it was later discarded for a bigger one. Next morning, we had an early breakfast, and moved out at 0845 on a march which paralleled the main road, passing through Halpsuhl, Hutschenhausen, Ramstein, Weilerbach, Rodenbach, Siegelbach, Eifenbach, Otterbach, Otterberg and Lohnsfeld to an area on the outskirts of Dreisen, a vicinity where all of Division Trains gathered and we heard the Sixth Armored had reached the Rhine. Work again was heavy during our four-day stay, but time was found to send home more guns. Amphibious equipment rolled by all night.  "Zweibrucken was the most completely destroyed city we had seen"  White flags flying in surrendered town There were patches of woods all over, and it became commonplace to see a few Germans come out with a white flag. The crew of a tank which was in for repair captured one SS major on a creek bank. The tanks with the multiple rockets were again in for repair. This happened after each trip. Another event marking the stay here was the shooting of a deer by the hunter, Tangora, who paid with a six-by-six-by-two-foot hole. |
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Rhine Crossing - The night of March 25, some of the men saw a flare dropped about 8:30 p.m. by a plane north by a little east of us and some distance away. At first, we thought of a buzz bomb, but more flares came, and we felt sure that they were being dropped over the Rhine crossing which units of the Sixth Armored were using that night. There were more flares than we ever had seen before, and even though they were about 20 miles away, the sky was very bright, so bright that the black puffs of ack-ack could be seen at times. Stabbing the glow of the flares was a concentration of tracers which filled the sky, and it seemed impossible for any plane to be in that area and not get hit. Very thick 40mm ack-ack could be seen and heard, and heavier 90mm guns also kept up a constant pounding. This lasted for about an hour. For the rest of the night, planes droned overhead, one at a time, and though most sounded like Heinies to us, some were Black Widows. Most of Trains had moved out, and on March 26 at 0818, "C" Company did likewise, going back through Dreisen, then through Marnheim, Kirchen-Bolanden, Alzey, Dernheim, Undenheim and Knogunheim to Deckheim. Traffic was very heavy, and at a sharp turn our convoy was broken. Mangum stopped an armored car, and while a lieutenant was giving him hell and telling him we couldn't cut in, the rest of the company pulled out on the road. Just before Deckheim, the convoy moved into a field on the left side of the road at 1040 to await clearance for crossing the Rhine which came from the bridge a 1145. There were three bridges, but two were not in full operation since the preceding night's enemy air activity. Our clearance was for 2 1/2-ton trucks and smaller over one of the two bridges that had been out of commission.  "The smoke lifted and the bridge (across the Rhine) came into plain view" At 1400, we moved out through Deckheim, and as we entered Oppenheim on a steep downgrade, we got our first glimpse of the Rhine. It was a little misty, and the river was partially hidden by a smokescreen. We moved slowly, a few yards at a time and then a 15 or 20--minute halt, finally approaching the bridge. The smokescreen hid it, but just as we reached its immediate approach, the smoke shifted, and the bridge came into plain view. The Rhine was a little disappointing. To us, it was not a large river, but compared in size to our smaller ones. Passing on through Gersheim, close to Darmstadt, we bivouacked in a field. |
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Booze With A Bang! - While waiting for clearance for the Rhine bridge, Lindberg, Hartman and Stutcki stayed at the Engineer CP to bring back the word when we could cross, and while there, a colonel suggested that they get something to eat. Near the kitchen, Lindberg ran into his nearest approach to heaven, a wine celler which once had belonged to a princess. Heaving a ham sandwich away, he made a mad dash downstairs into the basement where, on hands and knees, he inspected all shelves. There were bottles dating back to 1934, and a few older ones. While the more practical Stutcki and Hartman were getting a box, Lindberg filled his combat trousers with bottles. "To hell with the chow -- this only happens once in a lifetime!" he said. The other two carne back to find him hardly able to walk, both trouser legs filled with 10 to 15 bottles of wine. Report of the cellar spread through the company, and Capt. Gilbert authorized a trip to bring back one bottle per man. Booze continued to flow, and the supply was swollen by a trainload of German rations secured by Battalion. There was much brandywine, enough for five or six bottles per man, and one bottle was issued each man in "C" Company, along with instructions to drink sensibly, not to become drunk, and to drink only after working hours. Barrels of pickles also were found, and distributed to the kitchens of the battalion. So, having been warned against drunkenness, "C" Company, in typical fashion, staggered into the next area, with the exception of those men who had passed up their liquor rations, and the remaining unissued bottles of brandywine were destroyed, as it had been said they would be in case of such "goings on."  Capt. Gilbert smashes the last of the brandywine rations |
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Race Through The Reich - On the 27th, Lello was "loaned" to Headquarters Company as a radio operator, remaining there until we reached Jena. On the 28th at 1330, the company moved away from the Rhine to circle east of Frankfurt and go north 17 miles through Trebur, across the Main River, through Gros Gerau, Morfelden and Langen to a field northeast of Frankfurt-am-Main. The first field we entered was very deceptive, appearing as a nice, well-sodded meadow, ideal both for work and sleep. But to our dismay, when numerous trucks began to sink to their axles, we discovered there was water beneath the sod. Aftr [After] a couple hours of hard work winching the trucks back onto the road with wreckers, we moved a mile and camped in a drier field. From here we could clearly hear the artillery bombardment of Frankfurt about five miles away. Everything was moving fast now. Refugees lined the roads. German soldiers, disarmed, walked back, trying to find someone to accept them as prisoners, but no one had time nor facilities. At 0925 March 29, the company was back on the road, passing Sprendlingen, Offenbach, Muhlhum, Hochstadt, Bischofsheim, Niederdurmelden, Rendel, Alein Karben, Burggrafenrobe, Friedburg, Dorheil and Deinfurth to pull into a field at 1435 for a bivouac. Some tents were up and others rising when the rumor grew into a fact that we were leaving, and back onto the road we went. While passing through Friedburg, our column was halted for a few minutes, during which time Joe Knight, standing on his truck, spied a German ordnance truck behind a high fence. Testing and finding the gate of the fence open, he called others to search his discovery. Being practically run over in the rush of his comrades, he arrived at the vehicle just a little too late. Everyone else had a pistol, saber or some trophy, and Joe returned to his truck sadder but wiser. Leaving at 1528 hours, we passed through Rochenburg where, on a sharp curve, the door of a shop truck, against which Jim Hanes was leaning, flew open, dumping him out. Hanging to the door handle, he was thrown partially clear of the trailer, but it ran over his legs. Badly bruised but suffering no broken bones, he was back on the job in a few days. After Rochenburg, we turned onto the super highway, headed north, and bivouacked beside the highway just past Greidel. While passing through Friedburg at about 30 miles per hour, we came upon an infantry battalion digging in and setting up their defense. All machine-gun posts and positions were pointing in the direction in which we were heading. They were just as surprised to see us come along as we were to see them digging in. Apparently they had reached their objective and dug in as usual, even though the front was miles ahead, but, not knowing that, we thought we were again "spearheading" a drive as we did on the way to Brest when the infantry followed to clear areas through which we had passed. No sooner had the trucks stopped than the men were again off to find souvenirs. It was discovered that the burgomeister's was the place to go, for he collected all firearms, knives, sabers, bayonets and cameras. Flags and emblems also would be there, and he could be encouraged to hustle more. In his absence, a burgomeister substitute was appointed in one town. As we watched heavy traffic on the Autobahn, a recon Club plane circled and landed in our area. Having been lost, the pilots spent the night with the company, and in the morning wanted to know whether or not we could spare enough gas to fill their tank. "It probably will take eight gallons," they warned us. The third man, William H. Calvert, left early one morning about this time on a furlough to the States. He left on such short notice that he had gone before hardly anyone knew he was departing. Thomas Hansen volunteered to help in the kitchen during the absence of Calvert. Men bringing up new light tanks and halftracks caught the company here. On March 31 we had to move again, entering the super highway at 0915 and travelling 33 miles to Alsfeld. Then turning to secondary roads, we continued north 21 miles through Edurdorn, Zella, Ziegenhain, Leinefeld and Verna, bivouacking in a field near this town where we had to process the new tanks. There was much work in the shop, and we got paid again in invasion marks after going back through Luxembourg and France and again up through the Siegfried Line.  Eschwege airport scene At Verna, the kitchen got its last and largest trailer. A paint job made it look good, and O. G. Carrol decorated it with a train of places through which we had passed. Frank Rzapiella, the company carpenter, built shelves and "do-dads" in it, and Carmosino's Diner now was a first class field kitchen. It was here that Salisbury finally caught the company. He had been driving an M-4 tank in our convoy, a tank which broke down before crossing the Rhine. Bridge traffic prevented his rescue by the movers immediately, so he had the tank repaired, after a wait of several days, at another ordnance outfit. Then, travelling 311 miles alone, often lost and without food or gas, he finally made his way to our area. Lt. Braun was detached for eight days to Division Headquarters, leaving Verna with Roush to act as liaison officer between G-4 and Division Ordnance. Rain started to fall the second day, and our area soon was a mudhole, a condition which promoted our departure from the fields where bad weather impeded work. On the fourth day here, an infantry division supporting the Sixth Armored finally caught up with us and proceeded to clean out the woods which bordered our area. They captured 26 Germans and killed a few. Leaving at 0930 on April 5, we moved through Verna, Homberg, Morshausen, Malsfeld, Spangenberg, Pfieffe, Wald Kappel, Reichensachsen and Eschwege to the Eschwege airport. Another area was picked for "C" Company, but the unit had to remain at the airport to finish some work, and in the meantime the area designated for "C" Company was occupied by a service unit of the 86th Cavalry. Two days later, we heard that this Cavalry unit was attacked and almost wiped out by 11 tanks and 300 infantry troops. Our own area started out "warm" too. The armored spearheads had raced through fast the preceding day, and German troops were still in many of the towns. So, on the afternoon we arrived, we got a good view of artillery trying to shell the enemy out of two towns less than a mile and a half away. We saw enough to indicate that the front wasn't too far ahead as far as we were concerned, so for the first night an extensive guard was posted, a guard which included three light tanks and machine gun outposts with medium tanks in readiness for action. An ack-ack outift [outfit] lined the far side of the airfield in defensive position. In two towns at the two far corners of the field, there was sporadic firng [firing] during the night. |
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Meal With "Mail" - Next day at noon our mess hall, filled with men, was cleared in a space of time which put all fire drills to shame. A shell was heard coming in -- no explosion -- and everyone was tense. Then came another, this time with an explosion, and the hall was almost clear of men before the sound died away. Wojtaszek sneaked back to grab some bread and jam and then took off before another shell could sail in. Shortly thereafter, a third round did crash in, but everyone was under cover by then. After the chow hour, two artillery officers came to the Artillery truck and asked if we had seen or heard any shell bursts in the territory. They were shown a hole 60 feet behind the truck, and shrapnel fragments -- still warm -- were inspected by the officers who said they came from a shell between 150mm and 170mm in caliber. At 1400 another shell burst 50 feet to the side of the same truck, pockmarking a wooden fence near the vehicle but not damaging it. The neighboring ack-ack artillery unit moved, and one of the artillery officers who had visited us earlier came back to advise the Armament Platoon to move its trucks and quarters. One of the shell bursts scared Strayer, Guthrie and others who were working on a tank near where it landed. |
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Infantry Action - Late the second day there we watched the infantry take a town, and next morning the second of the two which our artillery had shelled was taken by the foot troops. Through field glasses, we watched our artillery knock out a bridge. That morning, Russo, Peterson and Tangora, souvenir hunting, crossed in the first wave of infantry, their aim being to get trophies while the bodies were still warm. Being veterans of combat, they stormed houses while the "new infantry division doughs" hugged ditches and walls. Suddenly it dawned upon our heroes that there were shooting Heinies in the town, so they "advanced" back toward the company, double time. |
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Odds And Ends - Jack Rosenstein and Mike DeRose were after mail, at the APO, when the Germans counter attacked, cutting their return route. Coming upon a spot where 88's were landing, the pair had to make a 50-mile detour to get back to the company. Due to our rapid advance, food rations were not reaching us, and consequently chow was scarce, so Baker, Behnke and Buddie went in search of a captured German food warehouse. They found plenty, but on the way back, they ran into an area near Mulhausen, retaken by the Germans. This, they reassured us, was a mistake, and they cut their visit very short. Someone in the company contacted Kirby's brother, so he, Russo and Johnson took a ride to see him, "As usual," Johnson says, Kirby took the wrong road, and wound up in Kassel -- then only 75 percent in American hands. Getting out of there in a hurry, they went down the autobahn for two hours, finally locating Kirby's brother. Tools which were usable were acquired from a big warehouse on the airport, a warehouse loaded with all kinds of tools, stock, canvas and miscellaneous equipment. Military caps, fur jacket liners, lamps, blankets, canvas tarps, developing equipment and goggles were among the host of articles acquired for use and for souvenirs. Once more Fish was swamped. This time he was making tents and lean-to's for better sleeping quarters in the field. During the last two days at the airport, we watched an endless stream of C-47 planes come in with gas and food and leave, often carrying freed British servicemen who swarmed the area. They were very much interested in our equipment and news of the war -- as well as our cockiness and achievements. One major offered to pull security guard in the rear of the billets, but said he was afraid our elaborate tank defense "on the active side" was a different kind of war from that he had known four years earlier. |
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Langensalza - Four days finished our work here, and on April 9, the company moved at 0900, passing through Eschwedge, Reichenrachen, Hoheneiche, Dataerode, Weissenborn, Burschia, Heldra, Wendelhausen, Diedorf, Heyrode, Ober Doral, Mulhausen, Hongeda, Grossingottern and Langensalza to an airport near the latter town.  German planes (Ju-88's) at Langensalza  "Suddenly the Nazi planes stopped coming over and C-47's began to land." German air activity was very heavy. The airport had been attacked 14 times in two days. "C" Company had been off the road only a few minutes when the men, watching from the field, saw German planes working over a road, dropping numerous anti-personnel bombs and strafing. One large bomb came down near us. Ack-ack fire was intense. On arrival at the airport, wreckers pulled German planes from the hangars so the structures could be used by us for shops. Everyone got beds from barracks which formerly had housed slave laborers who now were being evacuated. At the request of an ack-ack colonel, we had orders not to fire on enemy planes because there was sufficient anti-aircraft for the job and we were wasting .50 caliber ammunition (hard to get just then) by continuing to fire after the planes were out of range. This request later was modified with the advice to fire only while the ack-ack was firing and to quit promptly when the range became too great for effective shooting. Several planes were knocked down here, and we saw at least one parachute descent. One of the raids came just after chow one evening at a time when Parkins, the whistle-blowing first sergeant, (Is anyone going to work?) was the only man left in the wash line. One anti-personnel bomb landed 20 feet away from him with the result that he had to have a slit in the seat of his trousers sewed. The fragment, however, didn't slice deep enough to injure more than his dignity, thus depriving him of the Purple Heart and five points. Others in the area, including Albig, Franzak and Ellison, said the blast and fragments all went toward the washline and Parkins. Albert Wilson, who had left us at Camp Cooke for the air force, showed up here in the 76th Infantry which was mopping up, and told about his continual surprise at finding "C" Company always in the town his infantry unit was supposed to take. This, however, was the first time he had visited his old outfit. Bowmaker, Lorch, Axelrod, Rozich and Wisneski had a brush with what was left of the Luftwaffe one day when they went out after three tanks. Taking cover from a strafing plane behind a building on their way to get the tanks, they saw the building riddled and felt the blast of bombs exploding in a nearby field, but they came through safely. Two days before we left Langensalza, the airport from which these last bothersome Heinie planes came must have been knocked out or captured, because we suddenly saw no more of them, and C-47's began to land at Langensalza. Lt. Braun and Roush returned to the organization while we were there. |
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Near The Russians - Leaving Langensalza at 0900 on April 12, we proceeded 71 miles through GroB Vargula, Straubfurt, Sprogan, GroB Bremback, Bad Sulza and Camburg to a field bivouac. Two days later, James H. Mann came to the company, and joined the Parts Issue Section. While we were in bivouac, Lt. Bocan and Gibbons were up forward doing liaison work at Zeitz. While they were cooking a meal in a kitchen, an 88 shell came through a wall to land in the hall of the building - a dud. The Heinies had the building zeroed in, but no one was hurt - just scared.  German prisoners digging garbage pit near Camburg  Der fuhrer's face on a peep near Geithain James W. Cotton came to "C" Company from Headquarters Company to work in the Supply Room. We were now halfway across Germany with little distance separating us from the Russians. There were many visits, off the record, to Camburg, and here Bozyk got the wanderlust again, and was put under guard after a civilian accusation. Work was still heavy here in the field where we spent six days before moving on. More prisoners were taken by members of the company, Chick Selvage staying up all one night with two he had collected. On April 18, the company moved out at 0900 and went 51 miles through Zeitz, Altenburg and Roda, bivouacking just beyond Geithain. On this trip, we crossed the Leipzig-Dresden highway about halfway between the two cities. The area was high and very windy, and here at our furthest eastward point of penetration, we heard artillery fire for the last time on the Continent. Guard on Bozyk continued here. In this field bivouac east of Geithain, we were told that temporarily -- we hoped -- we would do occupation work and at the same time support units in our area with maintenance. George Lightbody took over Kvart's job as peep driver here, continuing as Lt. Hagberg's driver until the vehicle was turned in. |
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Altenburg - Then on the 21st we moved back through Geithain, Roda and Altenburg to Muselwitz to support units in Zeitz and Altenburg. Here, we set up quarters in railroad buildings and a factory which made "no weapons or direct war materials." In it, by the way, we found unfinished artillery blocks in machines on the benches. We were instructed not to destroy the property, but here was one violation of this order in the drafting room. Ducky -- officially known as T/4 Gerould -- company armorer, got a haircut here, and the barber, in the same state of sobriety or otherwise as Ducky, did not stop cutting when The Duck turned his head to talk. Lt. Braun was transferred from "C" Company to Battalion Headquarters, and Berry also left here, transferred to Special Service to work with picture shows for the division. Guard was very heavy, causing men in the factory building to put in two hours every night and one hour each day. These men were not sorry when on the 25th "C" Company moved again, going through Altenburg and Munsa to the Altenburg airport. At the airport, vehicles were lined up outside the hangar to drag out German planes. Captain Gilbert had come ahead to lay out a floor plan of barracks, marking rooms for each section and the number of men to stay in each, so he took the section chiefs up to assign the rooms, and they in turn brought up their sections. For once, billets were occupied with no confusion. The "chicken" started immediately with a schedule calling for formal retreat from Monday through Friday, and Trains held parade formations Saturday mornings. Since landing on the Continent in July, there bad not been a day off nor a morning free for sleep; we had worked seven days a week. Now the time had come when we could have Sunday off -- so we got up and went to the shops. However, work was called off about 2 p.m., and from then on, Saturday afternoons and Sundays were free time. We considered it earned, and needed a rest from the routine, a break in monotony, more than the physical respite. One day we were told we had to move about 150 miles toward Nuremberg in the area where the Fourth Armored Division was located. Everyone prepared, and we were on a 24-hour alert. Then, at the last minute, the move was called off. Boniowski returned to the company from his ration job with trains, and from then on complained about the small quantity of food he received. Roll call each morning became another feature until the Sunday rest was initiated, and after that six morning roll calls per week was the rule. On the second day, a German plane appeared. All ack-ack guns were trained on it, but the pilot dipped his wings and lowered his wheels so the anti-aircraft guns did not fire, but allowed him to land with their guns tracking him. It turned out to be a fighter, the pilot of which had decided he wanted no more war. A few days later, another German plane something like our Cub came in to surrender in a like manner. Small Arms Section made an inspection tour of all the outfits we were supporting at that time. Elsner -- friends called him "Schlitz from Milwaukee" and combing his hair was a tremendous task -- always was on time and very quietly got more done than most people. For him, machine guns, which they were timing, just fell together. Mangum and Ellison shot a big deer which made some very tasty steaks and later "mouseburger." Having found a stream with fish in it, Sgt. Harry Whip was in his glory, and spent much time along its banks. Lt. "Radar" Stoltz, another angling enthusiast, went on many fishing trips, never failing to return with a long string of Mauser rifles, shotguns, bayonets and sometimes fish. Although he had been in the battalion since Chaffee, Lt. Stoltz was new to "C" Company, joining the unit at the Altenburg airport. Slim Bauman, only man in the company to leave on a furlough to the States and return, came back here with a load of highlights on that overseas place which we consider home. Buddie had left from Muselwitz with Captain Elliot for a Military Government job. He turned up for a few days at the airport, only to be spirited away in a few days back to his post.  "C" company made a good showing in volleyball at Altenburg "C" Company made a good showing in volleyball and softball competition organized at the Altenburg port. Here, the company's ammunition and high explosive dump was turned in -- that is, the electric truck was unloaded -- and Baker, after giving Clark a thorough tongue lashing, had the stuff hauled away. More ratings came out on May 1 as Visnick made staff sergeant while Bartels, Artillery; Hyre, Maintenance; C. A. Peterson, Service Section, and Reidennauer, Platoon Headquarters, made technician, third grade. Albig, Parts Issue, was elevated to sergeant. Marvin Silvers, watch repairman; Szezpanowski, Platoon Headquarters, and Tangora, Instrument Repair Section, made technician, fourth grade. Athey, Borinski, Chevarris, Churchill, Friar, Goldsmith, Gregal, Maron, Guy Moore and Smith made technician, fifth grade. T. B. Moore changed from Evacuation Section to help out in the kitchen, taking the place of George Grow who left for home on furlough. At a battalion formation, Lt. Col. Raymond B. Graeves made a short talk, outlining our possible future and complimenting us on past performances. Then Maj. Wood said a prayer for the five men of the battalion, including one from "C" Company, who lost their lives during the European campaign.  Waiting for that physical exam at the Altenburg theatre and beer hall The night before the war ended, touched off by a burst from ack-ack batteries, "C" Company let loose an array of tracers and noise to celebrate the end of hostilities. Many flares were seen, while machine guns and M-3's ("grease guns") made a loud racket. Captain Gilbert, roaming the halls, soon had things quiet again. Sortly after the war's end, a thorough physical examination was conducted by the company and battalion. Another feature of the Altenburg airport stay was the acquisition by Broadhead of an accordion with which Wissner took great pleasure in entertaining the troops. |
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In The Clover - Moving May 14, the company proceeded for the fourth time through Altenburg and thence through Zelerno, Langenburg, Bad Mostritz, Eisenberg and Jena to the top of a clover-covered hill. All along the route, most of which followed the autobahn, refugees were thick, and the personnel of the company had a good time shouting and waving to numerous pretty girls along the way. Trucks that day made two trips back to the old area, once for tables and chairs and again for beds. We were now in puptents, set up in an administrative bivouac, with a company street between the rows, The motor park was an extension of the company street with vehicles lined on both sides. Before we left Altenburg, the point system had been announced in detail, and here we all had our point-score cards filled out and were given two more bronze battle stars for our ETO ribbons -- for the Northern France and Central Germany campaigns. Now that the war was over, we had to review training received back in the States and attend "must" movies. Parkins supervised the digging of a latrine, which, with the addition of a screening canvas, erected in a high wind, was a beauty. It should have been good for a month, so we moved two days later. |
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Jena - Pulling out at 0900 on June 17, we moved seven miles to the Jena airport where once more trucks were parked outside while a hangar was cleared. There were rooms on both sides of the hangar in which Platoon Headquarters, First Maintenance, Second Maintenance, Evacuation and the shop office force were billeted. Service Section, the Supply Room, Parts Issue, Armament Platoon, Second Echelon and the Orderly Room took the second floor of a stone barrack, but the air force outranked us, so Second Echelon had to move into a hangar and the rest into a wooden barrack. All this happened on the third day there. The barracks were full of filth, straw, dirty lockers and dust, enough junk that half a day was required to sweep it out. Then Captain Schmitt was called to inspect the bedbugs and lice, but he recognized none. A Lysol solution was sprayd [sprayed] inside, after water under pressure from the decontaminator, and puptents were used one night while the resultant fumes wore off. For the following ten days after moving into the barracks,everyone except a few men with leather hides had numerous bites. Lice were seen, but we were winning out. When our rations were cut 10 percent for displaced persons -- 20 percent by mathematical error -- the bugs couldn't survive on us, and we were left in sole possession of the barracks.  Those "sanitary" Jena barracks for enlisted men When the first call for 85-point men came the last part of May, T/Sgt. Brown A. Mangum, Sgt. Edward A. Peterson, T/5 Russell Rambo and T/5 Cesarrio Chevarrio were selected to start the long journey toward home and discharge. A few days later, all men over 40 years of age were entitled to submit applications for discharge, and Bettina, practically moving into the company orderly room, haunted the place. Ritchy, McConnell and Steller also made application with high hopes of soon becoming civilians. Fraternization with displaced persons was now permitted, and "C" Company made a great stand. The hill was long and steep into Jena -- about a mile and a half down and three miles back up. To determine whether a girl was a displaced person or a German, the following rule was found most satisfactory: If she was pretty, she automatically was a displaced person as far as most men of the company were concerned, but some, more cautious, questioned any maiden about whom there might have been a doubt. When asked if she was a German, if she answered "Nein," everything was all right. Chocolate, gum and all other varieties of sweets became scarce in the company. Berry, still with Special Service, was spending his spare time in comfort in a private room which was part of a theatre in the town of Apolda where the "must" movies were being shown, all personnel having to see them in shifts. These movies were of little interest to the men, but now we had our own movie house on the post, and could see a different show every night. Various other forms of entertainment were made available, including the Broadway hit, "Junior Miss," which we saw at Apolda, and a musical show at Weimar with an all-German cast. In addition, a few stage shows appeared at our own theatre. Bob Hogan, who had left us in England, returned to the company the day we arrived at the airport.  "C" and "A" Companies hold a dance in Jena hangar with displaced persons a[s] partners During the last week in May, "C" and "A" Companies held a dance for enlisted men in the hangar occupied by the air force. Present as dancing partners for the soldiers were about 75 girls, brought by truck from displaced persons camps, and those men who could speak Polish, German, Russian or French had no trouble finding a partner for the evening. Music was furnished by one of the division bands, and free beer was on tap, with sandwiches for those wanting them. "C" Company officers made their appearance as a "warm-up" for their own dance which was held the following night. Trucks were sent through Weimar to the Buchenwald concentration camp which the men had an opportunity to tour, taking many photos. An extensive training and athletic program was begun here with many men enjoying the favorite American sport, baseball, while the rest who didn't care to spend their energy on the athletic field enjoyed lovely hikes, plus miles of close-order drill and road marches.  At Jena, trout fishing became a popular sport -- one of them, that is Trout fishing became the most popular sport, and trucks were authorized to convoy personnel to nearby streams where those who had professed their prowess as fishermen were able to display their talents. Many stories were brought back about the "ones that got away." On one of those trips, Pete Gallagher showed some life when, returning via a back road in a 3/4 ton truck, the vehicle came upon a bridge bearing a sign which read, "Bridge unsafe for heavy military traffic." Leaping out of the rear of the truck, he sustained a skinned shin, and then had to run to catch the vehicle which had negotiated the bridge crossing in perfect safety. Here, Pete ended his job as peep driver for Lt. Henke when the excess peeps in the company were taken away, so he joined the busy staff of the Supply Room. "Mam" opened his beer and wine cellar in the kitchen, keeping these beverages available each evening and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The beer, without alcohol, quenched thirst which the foul-tasting water there couldn't touch, but the wine was different, and many can verify that the day following overindulgence in that liquid "wasn't funny." Mam sold the beer, but when the profits reached a certain point, beer was free until the profit had been used up. Albert Wilson, who had left the company at Cooke to join the air force and who had been one of the unfortunates transferred from the air force to the infantry, pulled strings and rejoined our company here, after nearly two years absence. Also returning from a ten-day furlough in England, which began at Altenburg, was Campbell. A few days after his return, Cole left on a similar furlough. Both Taylor and Getsin came back from seven-day furloughs at the Riviera which also had begun while the company was at Altenburg airport, and Baker left early in June for a visit to the Riviera. Also leaving and returning from a Riviera furlough at Jena was Captain Gilbert, in whose absence Lt. Beaumeister acted as company commander. |
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Ratings And Rumors - Here we learned which armored divisions were, slated for the army of occupation, and were relieved to find that ours was not one of them, but we soon saw men being taken from the Sixth Armored Division to fill vacancies in others. New ratings coming out here included the following: Don Bulow, technical sergeant in charge of Instrument Section; John A. Hakes in Artillery and Richard McGuire, Second Maintenance, technician, third grade; Krygowski, Artillery, Strickhauser in Evacuation, Wisneski in Platoon Headquarters and Zagarecki in First Maintenance, technician, fourth grade; Barclay, Harrold, Hughes, Arnold Johnson and Frenczak, technician, fifth grade; Tangora, Instrument Section, Zappone, First Maintenance, and Toms, Second Maintenance, technician, third grade; Jeffcoat, Parts Issue, Russo, Service Section, and Curry, Platoon Headquarters, technician, fourth grade; Ehrhardt in Instrument Section, technician, fifth grade. Around the middle of the month, the first of the company personnel to be redeployed to other outfits left. They were George White and James Guthrie, who were sent to an engineer outfit which was scheduled for an early departure for the Pacific war. A few days later, Luczak left for the Second Armored Division. A couple of the fellows had recurrences of old ailments and were evacuated. Harry Wipp, with severe headaches, went to a hospital for x-rays. Told he had an injury behind his right eye, he was sent to Paris for an operation. Broadhead too was hospitalized when his trick knee gave out, and so was Shaw when a finger which he had split became infected and he was sent to an evacuation hospital near Rheims, France. Substitutes were named to replace key men under 85 points if the latter should be transferred. Hyre was named as understudy for Parkins, and Lorch for Kolarcik. Leonard Reuven became substitute mess sergeant, and spent the last few weeks at the Jena airport familiarizing himself with the other side of the line. Max Silvers went in for Cole in the last quarter. Rumors probably were more numerous and more changing than ever before. They covered all possibilities and many absolute impossibilities. Something within the scope of these rumors was bound to happen, however, and someday we felt sure we would get the official OK on the fourth and fifth stars to which we apparently were entitled but on which there had been no official pronouncement.  Gen. Grow replaces rumors with facts at the last bowl formation, held at Apolda while the company was at the Jena airport It developed on June 28 that rumors had been right in one respect at least, for on that day a list of 98 names was posted, men who would be transferred to the Third Armored Division with hopes of remaining on the European Continent not later than February, 1946, and then returning to the States for the balance of their army careers. In addition, it was rumored that several company officers were going to the Third Armored. As for the remainder of the company, less than half, about 30 excepted to be shipped to the States for discharge because of their high point scores, but the remainder of the men really were bewildered about their future. Only time held the answer. Thus, a company of men, together for three years and four months, was being scattered to the four winds, and it was expected that not more than a very few ever would get together at some future date to rehash their many wartime experiences. The subjects of bitching in the past seemed less real, and the things to boast about assumed a larger perspective. |
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The Last Bivouac - But before breaking up, "C" Company, with the whole battalion, made one last move on July 1. Having been alerted at 2 p.m. June 30, we left the Jena airport at 3 a.m. the following morning. Passing back through Trains area, we went through Weimar to the autobahn on which we travelled nearly to Frankfurt, turning off at Bad Nauheim to Hanau through Grossheim and then northwest to an airport where we. bivouacked. It was a tiring trip, and many drivers dozed. One got into difficulty. Buck Ehrhardt, driving Lt. Bocan, went off the road with his peep and ended up on a rockpile with all four wheels spinning in the air, apparently in a spot where only a wrecker could put a peep. The lieutenant, sustained a bad facial cut which required a few stitches and a little time to heal. On the morning of July 2, another list of men was posted, and those on it were alerted for transfer. This included about 15 men from the company, and now those remaining with less than 85 points were very few, for the two last battle stars, about which there had been doubt for some time, had become official on June 30, increasing the number of men with more than 85 points. Rain blessed our bivouac, the last with the company intact, and was still falling on July 6 when about half the personnel climbed aboard trucks bound for the Third Armored Division. This was the fork in the road which would split the column for good. The men didn't like the idea, but it was just one more army order which had to be obeyed, the last for Co. "C" of the 128th Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion. |
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THE END.
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