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November Drive - The night after we left Nancy we heard that "Bedcheck Charlie" had been knocked down over the airport while on his 170th mission. It came as almost unbelievable news, for the appearance of this particular enemy recon plane each night had become as much a part of the natural scheme of things in our minds as the appearance of the sun each dawn. At 1300 on November 11, with chains on all vehicles, we were ready to move in the deep mud, but at the last minute we were ordered to remove chains. Two hours later, "C" Company pulled out, the last of the battalion to leave, passing through Agincourt, Jeandelincourt, Nomeny and bivouacking at night in Reuves, 33 miles from the airport. On this trip, after dark, a peep in which Lt. Beaumeister was riding missed the treadway on a bridge over the Seille river at Nomeny, and Mauer, the driver, stopped the little vehicle straddling the treadway, one wheel between, the tracks, the other off one side and the chassis resting on the track. At Reuves, men slept in various places -- some in a church, some outside, some in trucks and others in the town washplace. In the morning, buildings were checked, and we moved inside. Dead animals were everywhere, and a few GI's and Germans had not yet been removed. The evidence of battle was prominent, and some souvenirs were found by seekers in buildings which had been partially destroyed. In the late afternoon of the second day, a call came over the radio from the front lines to the effect that the general's tank wasn't running right and to send up a couple of men to change the regulator and generator. In response, Sgt. Rozich, Clark and F. A. Johnson drove in a peep about 18 miles to the place where the tank was, in territory which had been liberated only that day. Shells were coming in as the men worked on the vehicle, and when darkness came, they had to proceed by feel since no light could be used there. After finishing the job, it took them two hours to get back to camp, driving without lights over roads which were honeycombed with shell holes. All three were shaking "with patriotism" when they arrived at the company area. Much work also was brought into the company here, but it was cleared up in time to enable the organization to move on the third day, so at 1305 on November 14, the convoy moved back through Nomeny, Secourt, Slogan, Luppy and Bechy to bivouac in Flocourt after a trip of 125 miles. Here, the amount of work coming in even increased, most tanks and other vehicles coming to the shop having been damaged by enemy action, and Service Section was kept busy patching 88 holes. In the cases of the tanks, most of the projectiles had passed through the turret or the basket, injuring or killing some of the crew. Cleaning of the turret in order to check and repair the guns, traversing, elevating and stabilizing equipment was the work of the Artillery Section. Stanley P. Stutcki, the stabilizer man, was occupied all the time here with electric power traverse systems and stabilizers, while Andy Bettina, the little man from Chicago, assisted without ever commenting.  Flocourt, where the 155's boomed night and day and prime movers hauled in the work One of the most memorable events was the regular passage over our heads of projectiles from 155mm guns, two of which apparently were firing northeast toward Metz. At times they were fired at 10-minute intervals, each round producing two reports. The first rattled windows, and the second, either the concussion, echo or the projectile passing over, was louder and jarred buildings almost to the point of collapse. At Flocourt we saw our first snow on the Continent. It was very light and had disappeared by the second day. Everyone was issued combat pants, and many got combat hats from Baker's truck -- off the record. From Flocourt the company moved November 22 at 1400 to Morhange, a distance of 16 miles, through Bechy, Han-sur-Nied, Vatimont, Arrincourt, Destry and Baronville. A factory was occupied by part of the company for quarters, and behind it, a row of houses held more men, while two buildings down the road housed the Maintenance, Supply and Service Sections. Our kitchen, in the basement with a rear approach, served a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, and everyone got nicely filled with the meat, dressing and trimmings. Then, in good condition for a long afternoon of rest, we went right back to work. Lindberg, Boehmer, Schulik and others made trips to the Field Artillery battalions where their services were required. Supply Sgt. Baker and the quiet man who did the work, Behnke, had the job of arranging for laundry, and were trying to locate a laundry outfit up forward one afternoon when they saw someone dodge behind a burned-out tank. Seeing that whoever it was circled to keep behind the tank as they passed, they stopped, and while Baker kept his .45 in readiness, backed their peep. When they got very close, an American aviator, recognizing the vehicle as American, stepped from behind the tank. He was Lt. Hoyght, from the state of Indiana, navigator on a B-24 which had crashed at 1 a.m., and, lost, he had feared he was behind enemy lines. It then was 2 p.m., and he was very glad to see Americans. His parachute was rescued from a tree, little damaged, and several men got silk souvenirs from it. The company officers stripped him of his clothes and possessions for souvenirs, and he wound up wearing a pair of OD trousers and shirt and a pair of GI shoes, but he was so thankful to have been rescued that he was more than willing on all trades. Taken to the Nancy airport, Lt. Hoyght stayed two days, and the day after he was found a party went back to his crashed ship where they discovered the body of the tail gunner, burned so badly that he was recognizable only by a ring and bracelet. Wrapped in a blanket, the body was evacuated. On our second night, just after bedtime, a tremendous explosion occurred, rocking everything in the area. F. A. Johnson was sleeping on the bench of the Electrical truck for convenience in starting the generator for kitchen lights next morning. He decided that our heavy artillery must be set up close until pieces of debris started peppering the top of the truck. Then he spent the rest of the night on the floor. Another explosion occurred near the medics, a quarter of a mile away, and the following morning Speck Ellison discovered on the floor of his truck a piece of shrapnel which had come through during the night. Talk was that is had been "outgoing mail" -- mostly to build our morale, but after the second night, we were thoroughly convinced that it was "incoming." An ammunition and fuel truck was hit in the Service Company of a line outfit a half mile from us, furnishing our loudest report as well as two Maintenance and Service Section jobs the next day. Later, we learned that a 15-inch German railway gun had been firing. Also adding to excitement here on the second night, a .50 caliber machine gun cut loose at about 7 p.m., sounding as if a vehicle was coming down the road spraying both sides. Lights went out, most men hit the floor, and grabbed guns, and some headed for basements. Venturesome souls who ran to the doors found everything quiet, and it was later learned that Jack Straver had used the kitchen truck machine gun to "warm up" a Heinie plane flying over. In this vicinity, the Recovery Section had its first real job -- dragging a tank out of an extensive mine-field in which were encountered box mines of a new variety, about three feet long and containing 12 pounds of TNT. Sgt. Barslow used the detector along with engineers, and all waited until a path had been blasted clear. Present were Sgt. Taylor, Saylor, Funk, Cooke and Strickhauser, Cpl. Remmers and Scierra. During all this time, the Germans had their 88's zeroed in and were sending in airbursts, but no one was injured. Here, we received our last pay of 1944 and our last in French money. Several press photographers, representing newspapers in the States, took numerous pictures of "C" Company men working on various vehicles to be reproduced in the hometown papers of the men shown. This was our second visit from the press, pictures also having been taken of our work and personnel while the company was at Nancy. |
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Lixing Les St. Avold - On December 3 at 1505, the company moved out toward Lixing Les St. Avold through Berig Vintrange, Bertring and Freybouse, passing within German artillery range for several miles. During frequent halts, we heard heavy artillery firing and saw many of our fighter planes strafing and bombing, apparently hitting enemy artillery positions. Arriving in Lixing to support line outfits approaching the Saar Valley, especially around Sarreguemines, we were billeted in the northwest section of the town in a long double row of four apartment buildings, three floors high. All sections were kept busy here with maintenance and repair work, but there were a few minor fortifications of the Maginot Line for those who could find time to explore. We received our first issue of the OD knit sweater, and now everyone had combat pants and overshoes, so the weather could turn cold -- which it. did. The last few days at Lixing all were below freezing, but there was no fuel problem, for practically every vehicle which went out for a roadtest came back laden with coal or wood for the section of the crew working on it. Also, a cup of coffee was always within reach, for everyone usually had a pot on the stove for the outside men when they came in to get warm. Jonas, who had gone one morning around the middle of September from the Orleans area to the dental clinic at Paris for a filling, was finally returned to the company with clean clothes, including overcoat. This made him stand out in a group, but in a few days he resembled the rest in appearance; gone was all that spic and span cleanliness and newness of clothing. Our kitchen and garbage cans were swamped by civilians seeking leftovers, and it was a risky business to carry out a pan containing food or coffee, for you might land on the bottom of a pile, a possibility for which each member of the kitchen force could vouch. Fights were started between the civilians over small scraps of food, and anything could be had in trade for something to eat. More than one person wound up in a six-by-six garbage pit, impelled by the force of a struggling mob. Non-fraternization, now that the German border neared, was stressed. Seaborn Harris, after many months in the kitchen as a cook and later in France as a ration distributor, transferred to the Second Maintenance Section to begin his career as an army mechanic. Four-day passes to a rest area in Nancy were begun, very few men getting there under the arrangement, On guard one night, Sgt. Bartels heard the sound of a wireless in operation, and, checking with the half-track, he found the company set not on. The sergeant of the guard, later known as "Seven-Peep" Selvage, organized a posse, made a search, but found nothing. The whole performance was repeated the following night, but the operator must have decided to quit or move, for that was the last heard of the mysterious set. The following day Max Silvers and Dahl captured a suspicious German civilian who was believed to have operated it. He was sent to a PWE. At Lixing, Clark began to lighten his load -- Geman [German] ammunition, hand grenades and other explosives -- using a nearby firing range to dispose of part of it. He put a steady stream of ammunition through a German M-42 machine gun. As the first box of ammunition cleared, S. A. Peterson slapped on another, and the gun roared on. After the third box, the barrel was cherry red and the gun too hot to handle -- completely burned out. Almost nightly, we lay listening to a plane, wondering if it might be "Bedcheck Charlie." Sometimes it was one of those German recon jobs, but more often the droning noise increased in colume [volume] until there could be no doubt that the RAF was out on another night bombing mission. The roar would become tremendous, continuing sometimes for 30 minutes, a procedure characteristic of the RAF. One night we watched flashes made by bombs exploding in Saarbrucken. |
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Up to Metz - At Lixing, we heard of Von Rundstedt's counter attack in Belgium and watched the news closely. Then, on December 24 at 1300, we pulled out for Metz in support of CCR, as a member of SHAEF Reserve. That was, we learned, a short-lived reserve. Passing through Guessling, Faulquemont, Mainvilles, Han-sur-Nied, Remilly, Lemud, Coucelle and Ars, we arrived at Metz at 1630. Convoys were being strafed on this road, so we were constantly on the alert. At one stop we watched a big group of our bombers go over and return from a run on the Bulge base. The day was crisp and cold, below freezing, and we were quartered in buildings at Metz. Mishaps on the move caused work in the shops. Having been in SHAEF Reserve 11 hours, CCR was put on the line north of Luxembourg, flanking the Bulge. "C" Company did not move until the 26th, but the rush of the occasion knocked us out of our Christmas dinner, first planned for the 26th.  Metz, on the way up to the Bulge Christmas Eve produced several displays of fireworks over the city as German planes struck at a bridge and supply dumps. They were still intent upon carrying forward their attack and breaking through completely. Work continued at night under cover of big warehouses, and although lights were often extinguished while enemy planes were overhead, work went right on as soon as they had passed. Christmas Day was uneventful. We did not get our Christmas dinner, but a few packages did come in. However, such packages had been arriving for a month, and, contrary propaganda notwithstanding, were to continue straggling in for a couple more months. But we had a tree, just as at home, one found by F. A. Johnson who also had collected decorations and a rigged-up electric light system. The tree was placed in a window for everyone to see. |
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Luxembourg - At 1100 on December 26, with the weather still cold, we moved out of Metz and travelled 60 miles to Steinsel on the northern outskirts of Luxembourg City, passing through Vigy, Bettelainville, Luttange, Kedange, Buding, Cattenon, Roussy-le-Village, Everange, Frisange and Luxembourg to arrive at Steinsel at 1620. A company of the Tenth Armored Division's 130th Ordnance was there, and rumor circulated that we were to stay, two or three at a place, in private homes, but things didn't turn out that way. Captain Gilbert told the section chiefs that the 130th would leave next morning and we would take their billets. For that first night, however, we were to told to go to private homes and ask for places in which to sleep. The people, Captain Gilbert had said, were friendly, and we found this to be true. Most of them spoke "Luxembourgeese" which they insist is not German, but those who knew German could converse with them. At first the people offered lodging for one, two or three, but when we convinced them we did not need beds and blankets, they were glad to take five or six. The lady of the house always was anxious to prepare food, and was greatly pleased with the excess rations we furnished to provide a good meal for the family and ourselves. Good cooks, they made GI food (10-in-1 rations) taste excellent. They also were pleased with the soap for mama, cigarettes for papa, candy and gum for the children, the latter becoming friends very quickly. These people were excellent hosts, building and keeping our fires for warmth, furnishing washing facilities and hot water and talking with those of us who could understand. Most GI's awakened to find break-fast waiting for them. Just before noon we moved into our other billets in a beer hall. All sections were in the dance room with a connecting door to the bar. The beer was not too good. Card games flourished at night in the beer hall, and some hard drinks were available, also a small amount of wine. Our Christmas dinner was served the second day in Steinsel at 1430, everyone getting a piece of turkey, Immediately thereafter, many men had to go out to line outfits. It had snowed the night before, and the weather was cold, roads icy. However, everything went on as usual. Some got to see Luxembourg again, and all agreed that it was a beautiful city, full of the most friendly and likeable people we had yet seen in Europe They dressed well too. In the city, we met one man who was an American veteran of the last war who had met and married a Luxembourg girl and now lived there with his wife and children.  On the way to Luxembourg City New Year's Eve was spent in the city's beer halls where large crowds of civilians were out to celebrate, playing cards and singing, and more wine that [than] usual was available. At midnight, the Luxembourgers stood and sang their national anthem. We weren't sure what it was, but after a moment's hesitation, we stood until they had finished. They smiled, bowed, and thanked us, the men shaking hands and several of the girls made the rounds with a New Year's kiss. "Bedcheck Charlie" -- there always was one -- paid us several visits, and very few nights passed without a display of tracers and explosions. In fact we had an explosion one day which made many men wonder if an air attack was on. It seemed that Sgt. Clark wished to thaw some ice from a gas tank which he had drained the night before. Applying heat from a blowtorch brought good results. He got rid of the ice, both ends of the tank and most of the middle. Here, George Bowmaker saw his brother who was a member of the Fourth Infantry Division which also was stationed just outside the city of Luxembourg. |
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Belgian Bulge - We were all pleased with our billets, but like all good ones, we had to leave them on January 2, 1945, when we started out at 1000, passing back through Luxembourg City, which we were to see again, then through Chappellen, Steinfort and Arlon to Stockton where we entered a Belgian railroad roundhouse which was by then partially back in operation. Again we requested and received billets in private homes. More people here could speak French. Snow still covered the ground, and more was falling. A Corps Headquarters engineer outfit had its eyes on the roundhouse during the two days and three nights we spent there, and we were waiting to see who would win. It wasn't "C" Company, so we moved on January 5, but before we left, Moose Hartman furnished us with a little entertainment. Dressed in new clothes, he proceded [proceeded] to fall into an engine pit, the bottom of which was covered with six inches of dirty oil. During our short stay in the roundhouse, there was a wreck on the nearby railway line during a blinding snowstorm when a GI train smashed into the rear of a Belgian train, compressing one of the Belgian cars into a pile of wood and steel. CWO Kennyon, S/Sgt. Kirby and T/3 Peterson were detailed to cut passengers free with an acetylene torch. Thirteen persons were trapped inside, and had it not been for the prompt work of these three GI's, many would have frozen to death. As it was, one old man was killed instantly, two more died at a hospital, and some of the other ten were saved by first aid administered by our company medic, Brumer. While treating 18 patients for shock, he gave several shots of morphine to ease pain, set and bandaged one man's leg, and helped evacuate all by stretcher to ambulances. The first day, three German planes came over, and two were shot down. The many engines on the line, some not yet repaired and others under steam, ready and in use, made good targets. By now the Bulge was pretty well checked. At 1300, we moved out, travelling seven miles through Arlon to Metzert. Tanks were having a hard time staying on the roads which were more slippery than ever, with more snow constantly being added to that already on the ground. Two tanks, repaired and sent out, were overturned in route, and had to be brought back. Many men in the company made numerous trips back to ordnance depots for new or reclaimed equipment. These jaunts were anywhere from 50 to 200 miles in length and, in this below-zero weather, it was really cold and hard work keeping steel-tracked vehicles on the icy roads. Several accidents occurred, but no one was injured.  "Tanks had a hard time staying on the roads" The Armament Platoon did several days work for the 128th Field Artillery just past Bastogne, part of which was still under German artillery fire, and shells dropped within 300 yards of where they were working. The worst part of the job, however, was the 30-mile ride over ice and through temperatures which had everyone half frozen at the end of the trip. Here again we stayed in homes where the people were very pleasant and helpful, providing us with coffee, heat and breakfast at the beginning of each day. The women also offered and performed laundry service for us. We gave them rations, and everyone was happy. There was much work in the shops during our stay at Metzert, so much that when the company moved, Platoon Headquarters and the Artillery Section stayed back for two days. These people were very friendly, more speaking French than at previous places. They told us many stories of unpleasant German treatment and behavior. Several men in the company found girl friends during our stay there. One afternoon, a B-26 crashed in a field less than a mile away, many civilians and GI's rushing to the scene. S/Sgt. Carmosino and T/4 Jarboe walked to within 50 feet of the burning wreckage to take pictures. They had just turned and started away when two of the plane's 500-pound bombs went off simultaneously, hurling them to the ground and injuring some of the civilian onlookers. The two "C" Company men, though badly scared, were unhurt. The explosion broke numerous windows, and caused a severe jar in the company area. Bowmaker, Wipp and Such had just arrived on the scene when the bombs exploded. One of the plane's propellers slamming into the ground ahead of the peep in which they were riding caused the trio to scatter. Bowmaker squeezing his chubby figure under the vehicle, Such making tracks for a safer locality and Wipp diving behind a six-inch tree. Just then one half of an engine landed about 20 feet away, showering them with snow, dirt and gravel. Some new Ford tanks with 76mm guns were issued to the division at this time. Not having been processed by Army, they required the work of Evacuation Section and the Armament Platoon. In sub-freezing weather and outdoors, these men unpacked and cleaned the gun tubes and parts. A few more were done at Metzert, but the detail under Lt. Hagberg, with Buzz Saflin the enlisted man in charge, moved north to Martelange to complete the processing of other tanks. Reuven made the round of the company to collect all the blowtorches he could pry from the "cold" men. These were valued for their numerous uses among which were heating, cooking, thawing frozen turrets and cleaning cosmoline, the removal of which cold weather made a very tough job. |
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This Won The War - An Evacuation crew, composed of Barslow, Fronczak, Scierra and three tankmen, made a trip to Esch. After arriving and unloading, they were on their way back to the mover to get clothes and equipment at about 8 o'clock in the morning. Their thoughts were full of the possibility of an all-day pass, and undoubtedly many interesting plans were turning over in their minds. At that point, however, one of those war-winning MP's stopped them before they could get to their clean clothes, and they wound up in jail under the charge of improper uniform -- no guns, hats or belts. A major referred to Joe Fronczak as a "zoot suiter" in appearance. So they spent their precious free time from 8 o'clock in the morning until 4 p. m. in jail. WO Fitzsimmons signed for their proper conduct as far as uniform was concerned to get them out when it was time to go back. Then, everyone had a dish of "no-good" ice cream and left. |
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Winter And Work - Bonicwski took Bozyk's place hauling rations for Division Trains, a job which kept him busy and also happy since he could get "beaucoup" eats.  Snow-covered road to Bastogne from Metzert One night about 9:30 p. m., the civilians, first to detect a buzz bomb, rushed outside, and we followed to watch one sail over the area and on out of sight. No report on its landing ever came through.  Busy Bastogne road intersection three miles from Marvie Sgt. Baker received and issued the new enlisted man's sleeping bag. Many did not take nor use one, for it was much smaller and lighter than the regular sleeping bag, and some felt it was too binding for sleeping. By then, nearly everyone had made a bedroll from canvas, and had in it from four to 12 blankets. Those who used the army's idea of a "sack" for enlisted men in their regular bedroll found, after they got used to the close quarters, that it added warmth. This was a welcome feature too, for several times during our stay, the temperature was reported below zero, down to 14 degrees below once. Because of the severe cold, tools were brittle, and there was more breakage than usual. The first "C" Company man to return to the good old U.S.A. on furlough was Slim Bauman. He left while we were at Metzert. At 1050 on January 24, the company moved, Artillery Section leaving late on the 25th and Platoon Headquarters early the following morning. The route led through Attert, Martelange and Bastogne to Marvie, about three miles east of Bastogne. No civilians had returned to this town yet, so the sections were quartered in houses, nearly all of which were ventilated by at least one shell hole. The snow was deeper than ever and the weather cold, a fact for which we were thankful for once because of the presence everywhere of dead animals. The company was again swamped with work, and, at at Metzert, all turrets had to be thawed by blow-torch before they could be checked or turned by maintenance men prior to the changing of an engine. It was at Marvie that Devoe acquired his "roadster," a turretless medium tank which proved its worth many times by pulling equipment out of traps and moving disabled or stuck vehicles in convoy. Due to the great amount of work at this time, mechanics were transferred from other sections to the maintenance platoons. T/3 Willie Williams was moved from Evacuation to Bowmaker's section and Strickhauser from Evacuation to Campbell's section. Many souvenirs were to be found in the adjoining woods where the Germans had been dug in when time fire ripped the trees to shreds, causing the enemy to abandon much equipment and many dead. On the bodies of the latter were found many pistols as the snow melted with the first thaw which started January 31.  One item of German equipment in the Marvie district |
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[Officers and Enlisted Men] [Web editor's note: When the hardbound book was published, images of Officers and Enlisted men for each unit were not separated out in the Table of Contents. They were located here in the book. I have separated these images in a separate page in each unit so that they will be easier to locate. The content in this section is as originally published in the book. M.D. -- 6/10/2024] |
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Tragedy - Tragedy struck the company at Marvie before the thaw, however, when the roads were still icy and traffic heavy. Under such conditions, a 3/4-ton weapons carrier in which Cpl. Quentin Ducet was riding skidded and rolled down an embankment in the Effel Mountains close to Martelange. Cpl. Dulcet lost consciousness in the accident, never to regain it. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at an army emergency hospital, the company losing a man whom everyone considered his friend. T/Sgt. Henry Boehmer, in the same truck, received a fractured skull, severe lacerations of the face and the loss of an eye. His other eye also was injured, but as of last reports, he had improved greatly and was well on the road to recovery. Sgt. Lynn Cole, third man on the fatal ride, sustained slight bruises, but was able to be returned to duty immediately. |
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Bronze Stars Blossom - At Marvie the first bronze stars were presented. Lt. Beaumeister, Lt. Bocan, T/Sgt. Bowmaker and T/Sgt. Mangum receiving the awards from the hands of General Grow. T/Sgts. Ellison, Campbell and Taylor were given the Certificate of Merit. Within two days after the thaw, all snow was gone and mud and slush prevailed. It was then that we discovered leaks in the roofs of our billets. Also discovered were more carcasses and a large quantity of German and some GI equipment. So a police detail commanded by Lt. Braun was organized for the collection of ammunition, hand grenades and duds. Clothing and field equipment made another pile, and civilians dragged off the dead animals. But such work was still unfinished, for an odor lingered and grew with the rising temperature. S/Sgt. Selvage, "Jersey" Servello and a crew got the job of picking up all dead enemy soldiers, taking the remains from burned vehicles and evacuating them. "Jersey" was a very quiet man for nearly a week.  Prime mover and turretless tank "eyeing" each other; Devoe's "roadster" looked like this tank Saflin was transferred to Small Arms Section, and Burd to Evacuation, and one morning Covington was discovered back in the kitchen. Kvart took Bartels and Churchill out to salvage some artillery parts from knocked-out tanks in a field up front, and while Bartels was hard at work inside the turret, Churchill, unable to sit still, poked his head out. He noticed, about 200 yards away, the business end of a German bazooka facing him. A loud shout got the attention of the bazooka man, one of a trio from the First Army who had found three German bazookas and were going to try them out on the abandoned American tank. This time Bartels was glat [glad] that Churchill was fidgety. He had not poked his head out of the turret 30 seconds too soon. Upon first arrival in Marvie, the Armament Platoon had been assigned quarters in a cafe. All windows were out, wiring was "kaputt," and the floors were covered with old mattresses and straw. A hard day's work put the place in living condition with a stove, clean floors, radio and latches on windows and doors. It looked pretty good, and Battalion Headquarters thought so too that night. After a hard struggle, our CO lost, and we had to move next morning with all our fixtures which we carried from place to place. Next we took a building formerly occupied by an 86th Cavalry unit. The owner of that house returned and attempted to oust us from one room at a time, but at least we outranked him. Lost to the company here by transfer was Henry Malaney. During our stay, the Recovery Section made numerous trips from line outfits to Esch with medium tanks. Additional armor was being welded on the front and turrets in preparation for cracking the Siegfried Line. Many experiences of an exciting nature but no casualties were encountered on the winding roads, still deeply drifted with snow and still very slippery. The men really had their hands full, as it was no easy job to handle one of those prime movers which weighed 70 tons when loaded. |
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Luxembourg Again - The Bulge was rapidly being eliminated now, so on the 14th of February at 1230, "C" Company left Marvie for Eschweiler, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, by way of Bras and Darenback, arriving at 1400.  Eschweiler chow line - There was plenty of mud Here, we occupied rooms in houses also inhabited by civilians, but we found ourselves not exactly guests. Many of the natives appeared to favor the Germans who had lived there a few days before. We were told by at least one that the Germans wiped their feet of mud better than we did. This only brought more mud and less wiping of feet.  Swastika-painted American medium tank near Wschweiler. It was one used by the Nazis in their winter lunge Again the company had a lot of work, including the mounting of three 76mm tubes in Jumbo tanks, a job which kept Johnny Cline and McGuire busy at their winch for hours. A detail went to Brussels for vehicles, and the pass list for Paris and Brussels got up to the 37th man. Early one morning, we lay awake for two hours listening to a tremendous artillery barrage which preceded a dawn attack. Buildings shook, and only the determined and deaf really slept. Special Service set up a theatre at Wiltz, four miles away, and three times a day a truck driven by Kilkenny took men to the movie. While at Eschweiler, we were first authorized to send home captured enemy weapons, provided they were not firearms small enough to be concealed on the person or parts thereof. Boxes soon were started and several were mailed from here. This was only the beginning of box building and gun mailing, for which Clark incidentally holds the record, |
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"Onto The Home Grounds" - On February 27 at 1230, "C" Company pulled out, passing through Wilweriltz and Hosingen to cross the German border at Dasburg, passing over the Our River on an Engineer bridge. Just across the bridge, a sign told everyone that we were "now entering Germany by courtesy of the United States Sixth Armored Division." At and around the bridge were a large number of knocked-out German tanks and other vehicles. Across the bridge, the road wound up a long, steep hill, and along this road, German vehicles were pushed aside, some having rolled to the bottom of the hill or part way down. All buildings were demolished, and the road was rough with battle scars. Moving through what was left of Dasburg, we went on to Dahnen for our first bivouac on German soil. The company was well spread here with the kitchen, maintenance sections and Supply Section staying in a long building -- once a dance hall -- at the end of a big field occupied by maintenance sections for a workshop. The orderly room, shop office and Headquarters Section were in two battered buildings at a crossroads on the other end of this field. Behind them on a side road, the Armament Platoon and Radio Maintenance occupied a small field. Service Section had the next field away from the CP where they worked and slept in puptents. On down the road, a quarter-mile hike from the chow hall, Second Echelon Section occupied the next building.  Knocked-out German equipment littered Our river banks  Engineer bridge across the Our river Work in this area also was heavy. It rained frequently, and the once-beautful [beautiful] sodded field soon was churned into a sea of mud. We had a little MP duty, all except the maintenance sections pulling 24-hour guard on a bridge at the bottom of a long booby-trapped field, a mile or so away. Visible were humps on hills, marking Siegfried Line installations which some men found time to inspect. Appearing insignificant and not formidable, the fortifications were defended by thick concrete walls, so thick that the inside was surprisingly small compared to the outside dimensions. There was little firepower in evidence, no big guns there. Payday coming here, with invasion marks the legal tender, gave everyone some difficulty in paying or collecting debts made in Belgian or French francs. "C" Company's second man to go home on furlough, T/3 Joseph L. Such, left just after the first of March. The furlough schedule promised to get everyone home in 15 to 17 years, even the T-5's PFC's and privates in the company. More German trailers were picked up and made serviceable for peeps. This and the continual addition of "do-dads" to the officer's peeps kept Service Section busy. Many men took advantage of opportunities to make trips back to the Our River crossing to snap photos of the scene, especially the Sixth Armored Division sign there. |