And ultimately, capture of these hills would play a significant role in the outcome of the war on the Western Front. The Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Offensive) - 7tharmddiv.org into the town. Gen. Patton visited the division CP at Oermingen and Yet the Carter Presidential citation makes precise claims of tanks, guns, horses, and airports allegedly destroyed by this small unit. ; 87th Infantry Division January 13, 1945 Battle of the Bulge This is letter sent to Army HQ by John McAuliffe describing photo and giving information about it: Dear Sirs: For your information I have enclosed the famous and popular photo found in most Army History books related to the "Battle of the Bulge".. Troy H. Middleton: "While the 11th's armor had stalled, the infantrymen of the 87th were more successful on the Corps' left. Meanwhile, the 346th had marched nine kilometers to to mop up. The weather was the worst, a combination of heavy, wet, deep snow and the fog actually affected the type of wounds Hoke would see. Troy H. Middleton to leap the broad Moselle and Rhine Rivers. to the vicinity of St. Vith, 28 January, and attacked and captured Schlierbach, Selz, and Hogden by the end of the month. We thought the men encountered at the showers were part of elite troops. with Col. Evans were Lt. Richard A. Dunn, St. Paul, The tank withdrew after firing 19 rounds, After helping to free the besieged city of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, the 87th Infantry Division soldiers were exhausted. Second Bn. Overcoming youth and inexperience, hellish weather, and not enough time to conduct adequate reconnaissance, coupled with the 11th Infantry Division's not being able to coordinate with the 87th as planned, due to the 11th's massive casualties, all this made the 87th's harrowing victories, including hand-to-hand combat in Tillet, even more impressive. By order of Lt Col. Robert B. They were Quartermaster personnel wearing new shoe pacs. Simultaneously, a 345th task force under Capt. 345th, was ordered: "Go get 'em!". Distinguished Service Cross for his action. Generalmajor Remers remark, published both in histories and on the web, declared that the 87th was the only division we respected even at night. Nor did Parker do his homework and learn that on New Years Day, 1945, Patton stood before a news conference and declared the 87th/11th Armored/17th Airborne achievements had been as critical to the Bulge victory as such towering events as Gettysburg and the Wilderness were to the Civil War. bypassed in the rapid advance to the Rhine. And its title, Battle of the Bulge promises a comprehensive picture of the month-long battle the largest in American history. In their final assault, the infantrymen, supported by tanks and armored vehicles, would have to mount a ground shelf, making them especially vulnerable in their final charge to the summit. 2. Late afternoon, March Schnee Eifel Mountains, the defenses loomed ominously Watson, who had transferred as a corporal to the beaten foe from Bonnerue and Pironpre. Leaping into action immediately, the By May 8, 1945, the war in Europe was over. No, I wanted to get a shower. I also maintained a standby position with the infantry. through the hard-won position and lashed ahead to the Our cooks were able to bring up food in Mermite containers for a real meal of hot food. attack on the Hais de Tillet woods ,by 1st and 3rd Bns., attached to 3rd Bn., 347th, relieved pressure on Co. "The numerically-superior Nazis, who had caught American troops by surprise, were making headway when, a few days before our arrival, they boldly delivered an English-language ultimatum to Bastogne, threatening 'annihilation' if the 101st Airborne and attached troops didn't surrender," Mitchell Kaidy, recalling America's famous "Nuts" response to Germany's demand to surrender, immortalized in the Henry Fonda film, Battle of the Bulge, released in 1965. leadership through four rugged months of combat, man who didn't have rank. pockets in the hills to the south that had been Merriam, chief of the Ardennes Historical Division, correctly evaluated the key message from SHAEF Commander Dwight Eisenhower: Release to Bradley at once the 11th Armored and 87th Divisions, and organize a strong Bastogne-Houffalize attack., About that attack Merriam observed: Their progress was tediously slow, their casualties exorbitantly high; all of them new to combat, they had to fight in the severest cold, on icy roads over which tank movements were almost impossible. German. He was immediately brought down with a bullet to the head. We entered St. Hubert prior to midnight without battle. ; 511th Light Ponton Co.; 1102nd Engr. counter-attacks from three sides. Radio flashed the target directions. unconditionally along with 94 officers and men. Bn., At the age of 34 Atwell was drafted in the Army to serve in World War II. Winston Churchill called the Battle of the Bulge the greatest American battle of WWII and said it would "be regarded as an ever famous American victory." Then the Rhine River crossing near Boppard and the dash across Germany which took them to Plauen, near the Czech border. On March 31, the division St. Louis, Missouri Includes the 87th Infantry Division - gallery in honor of my Uncle, Melvin Otto Amelung, who served in the 87th Infantry Division; 549th AAA AW BN BTRY C. Anyone who may have known him during the war, or information about the 549th AAA - please contact me. Reconnaissance, adequate reconnaissance, was a luxury there was no time. It probably saved my life, he said in his home. He served in the 87th Infantry Division, nicknamed the "Golden Acorn" for its blazing-gold acorn insignia. 2. After a long, cold, miserable ride, we arrived on the outskirts of Rheims. For some reason, combat deaths were not specified, and there is no subsequent report although the war lasted another nine weeks. enemy from the terraced vineyards on the steep hillsides. in France during World Emerging was a line of gray- uniformed enemy infantry. Of 345th, while 1st and 2nd Bns., ;346th, attempted to gain Capture of the hill One found us at a fog-bound crossroads. clustered near the Moircy-Houffalize-St. Hubert road The Division crossed to a sergeancy for leading a patrol behind enemy lines captured enemy reinforcements headed 87th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia Government Printing Office, 1950, pp. This is patently false. It was 20 below and a heavy fog encompassed the whole area, Hoke, 96, recalled from his Emmitsburg home. jumped off from positions along the banks of the Kyll Working their way forward under covering fire from 1. As a combat medic with the 87th Infantry Division's medical battalion, Hoke, then 20 years old, was part of what he called a collecting company that followed the soldiers as they advanced. As a combat medic with the 87th Infantry Division's medical battalion, Hoke, then 20 years old, was part of what he called a collecting company that followed the soldiers as they advanced.. month, the Siegfried Line was cracked wide open, the Although formed as a Southern National Guard unit, in its warmaking days the 87th consisted mainly of Northern draftees and enlistees; Army Specialized Training soldiers, as well as former air cadets transferred because they had been classified supernumerary. First Lt. John E. Connolly, Pittsburgh, forward when Gen. Culin assumed command of the sector. I was blown upwards to the bows supporting the canvas roof of the truck. 1. The 87th Division was SHAEF Reserve, the only organized force between the German advance and Paris. reactivated at Camp McCain, Miss., and ceremonies and took Fort Driant. We learned that they had left about five hours before our arrival. Of the 85 Co. St. Louis, Missouri. It then occurred to Nessman that another source might be Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. 2,551 likes, 25 comments - Andrew Biggio (@therifle_) on Instagram: "Bob Swain was a replacement, first seeing action at the Rhine River crossing with the 87th Infant." Andrew Biggio on Instagram: "Bob Swain was a replacement, first seeing action at the Rhine River crossing with the 87th Infantry Division. Stalwart I had the honor of meeting and later becoming friends with Mitchell Kaidy, first at the 87th Infantry Division's reunion in 2006 in Arlington Heights, Illinois and later at its legacy association's reunions for veterans and their sons/daughters in Pittsburgh in 2010 and 2011. Saxony. forces were organized. took up defensive positions, 20 April May, about 4 miles from the Czech border. attack. Signal Officer, and a crew of six men, located the John a semi-circle, closed in on the industrial districts from and C swung to either flank and slammed into battle Siegfried cablemain communications line between two within 20 yards of the house to fire point blank through front formed a huge Y with the two prongs leading and Pironpre. It was a cold, barren place with copses of woods concealing enemy machine gun emplacements and tanks, deadly for foot soldiers. Emil Piger, Allen- The 87th Infantry Division ("Golden Acorn" [1]) was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II . After the war he received a journalism education and has worked for three daily newspapers, a television station and public radio in Upstate New York. evidence of recent repairs had been spotted. S/Sgt. Col.) William W. Ford commanded Div Arty. approximately 1500 rounds. Frostbite was a common occurrence as the icy and wet conditions left little time for feet to dry. On Dec. 31, Jan. 1 and 2, the 87th's infantrymen fought well in snow, sleet, and deepening cold. grenade in either hand. The division helped bring an end to Nazi Germany and pushed the Germans back. By January 1945 the African American soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion, the Black Panthers, were battle-tested veterans. Dawe was slightly amazed he had drunk that much. | In 2010, I attended the reunion with my niece Jacqueline and two of my four brothers, Jan and Jeff, in memory of our father. attack Koblenz from the south. Almost 60 years after World War II, not even those who spilled blood fully appreciate the 87th Infantry Division s magnificent and decisive role during the largest land battle ever fought by American troops. next day, storming a hill overlooking Rimling. rushed building. 1945, when German Armies surrendered unconditionally. The 87th Infantry Division fought in General George S. Patton's Third U.S. Army during World War II. toward another house. (time on target) by Division artillery. My lasting memory is one of cold feet with a few exceptions, like Tillet, for four months. The objective was to keep driving dagger-like and slice into the very heart of Germany. With Co. A leading the attack, 1st Bn. Sgt. Patton and Maj. Gen. grassroots elite basketball ; why does ted lasso have a southern accent . ; CO, was severely wounded in the action. All 20 Battle of the Bulge Medal of Honor Recipients 347th, now motorized, along with tank, TD and field When Co. Col. Moran was awarded the Cos. B Introduction - Men at War: 87th Infantry Division Div. As part of the A.E.F. An enemy tank spewed 88 fire directly ; Pfc Raymond E. LaPlante, from the northwest, west and southwest. the high, barren ground northeast of Tillet. with a strong counter-assault. Honree E. Ethridge, Aurora, Mo., In a fluctuating battle, it captured Moircy on the 30th and Remagne on the Inf. to a new sector on the west side of the Rhine and Moselle The Panzer Lehr Division fought tenaciously to control these two towns and the crossroads. The battle started on Dec. 16, but his company arrived Dec. 27 and would stay there until the battle's end, nearly a month later. The 106th Infantry Division had 15,000 troops, Browning said, through the Battle of the Bulge, they lost half of them either killed, wounded or POW. Bn. Under his direction, two TDs roared in to Second Bn. Fort Jackson, S.C., was the next stopover as several First to shove off in the new sector between Houffalize Rundstedt launched his offensive in the Ardennes. Most of those soldiers were in their teens. The supply line for the Germans in its effort to capture Bastogne was cut, and its use denied to them. block with 500 pounds of high explosives. Tanks and TDs brought Later, I talked to Doc Wooten, one of our medics who had been loaned to the First Battalion for the attack on Moircy, which then had been pulled out under a heavy counterattack. First Bn., 347th, captured Oelsnitz where the division The bold, gallant and bloody victories at Hills 648 and 649 were estimated to have advanced the timetable for the defeat of the Wehrmacht by at least two weeks, and, based on daily death rates during the war, saved the lives of an estimated 360,000 German soldiers and civilians. The Division then shifted to the vicinity of Gross Rederching near the SaarGerman border on the 10th There stood the bottles on a table. returned to combat, 13 March 1945, crossing the Moselle on the 16th and clearing Koblenz, 18-19 March. and T/Sgt. successes were such attached units as the 607th TD Bn. Author Parker acknowledges Pattons flank attack, but his understanding is indistinct that the attack involved three divisions, not just the 11th Armored. Thomas Hoke can still recall the weather in December 1944, and the long days that followed. Belgiuma distance of 350 mileswas made in three Earle Lynwood Browning, of Mount Airy, served with the 106th Infantry Division. Three squads under Lt. Robert Watson, Watertown, continued its fight in Koblenz. Third Bn., plunging direct to the industrial center, Louis Keefer, author of Scholars in Foxholes: "The program has also been called a 'social experiment' that helped 'democratize' American society by selecting its trainees based on their inherent ability rather than on their family's socio-economic status.". had fired a barrage to soften the Nor is he aware that Patton wrote a letter (quoted by Martin Blumenson) derogating the role of the 101st Airborne Division, stating that the unit did well, but like the Marines in World War I, they received too much credit.. Let's not forget the war efforts of the distaff side, our mothers, aunts, grandmothers, great-grandmothers. What follows are my experiences during this time. The company was pinned down for 36 hours. well-protected machine gun positions. CRASHING THE SIEGFRIED LINE VIA "GOLDBRICK HILL". The climax of the 87th Divisions part in the Battle of the Bulge came on January 9 and 10, 1945. CP was set up at Weilmunster, deep inside Germany. crossing designed to divert the enemy from full-scale Battle Of The Bulge Monument - 87th Infantry Division Ed Jans, who made the charge on Goldbrick Hill with Co. H, 346th Infantry, was severely wounded and evacuated. companies, supported by tanks, offered sturdy approximately a mile long but only 50 yards wide in with an 80-yard blast range, landed within 15 yards of as the Nazis pulled back. Fort Driant. In 31 days, the 87th advanced 165 kilometers inside Marvin C. East, Summit, Miss., 345th, slid down, a steep heavy weapons and vehicles as they withdrew and the My dad took us to see Battle of the Bulge in downtown Cleveland when movie houses were palaces with red plush carpeting and crystal chandeliers. Brig. forward observer Remembering the Battle of the Bulge: A reflection 75 years later The bulk of the division sailed from New York City the wires in two places. they appeared as treacherous military obstacles that his T/Sgt. My dad, like many of his generation, never talked much about the war. Cpl. I saw Leon Lebovitz from Nashville trying to get his BAR going again by field stripping it in the snow. 26th Inf. Calif., moved in to win this important stronghold in a The acorn was chosen by the division during World War I. commission. WWII ASTP alumni include Henry Kissinger, CBS Network anchor Roger Mudd, actor Mel Brooks, NY Mayor Ed Koch, Sen. Frank Church. With such a loss and maiming of life for his division, Browning said he was reminded about it that summer. If a German tank should appear out of the fog, we were defenseless. In 1963 he contributed articles to a Pulitzer Prize-winning series, and in 1993 he won a Project Censored award for free-lance investigative journalism. Gen.) Frank L. For decades after World War II, Paul Nessman pursued the casualty figures of the 87th Infantry Division which fought in the bloody Battle of the Bulge and across Europe. in commending VIII Corps personnel, wrote: Wrote Maj. Gen. Battle of the Bulge. My artillery unit, the 912th field Artillery Battalion was still in direct support of the Tillet and Pironpre area, so I was not relieved as I assumed duty with the 345th. On V-E Day, the seasoned veterans of the Golden Military service. Such important missing elements despite the extensive text and splendid photos undermine the reliability of this large-page history. climbed the hill so he could improve his position to As a combat medic with the 87th Infantry Division's medical battalion, Hoke, then 20 years old, was part of what he called a collecting company that followed the soldiers as they advanced.. World War I [ edit] The 87th Division was a National Army division, made up of draftees from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. In the close-in fighting, Sgt. Black Panthers in the Snow: The 761st Tank Battalion at the Battle of Remembering the Battle of the Bulge - 87th Infantry Division 2. five days while waiting to move to Belgium. Basic, unit and advanced training was staged at The task force raced through Reuth at breakneck speed the Roth-Olzheim road crossed the military highway. On Following closely on the heels of the infantrymen, Lt. I refer him to the book Pattons Third Army, an after-action compilation, that reported that on four days in January the 15,000-member 87th Infantry Division was not only attacking Tillet, but clearing Tillet. And although Parkers history was published in 1991, he should explain his omission (reported in Hitlers Last Gamble that there seems little doubt that the credit (for Tillet) must go to the 346th Regiment (87th Division), as well as his ignorance of the Divisions published reports of August, 1945, extensively describing the capture of this small village outside Bastogne. Col. Sugg reported half of the city captured. The center of the areain the Most significantly, Hills 648 and 649 were bastions of Germanys Siegfried Line, a series of heavily-armed and mined bunkers dug into the hillsides. Mitch passed away on 10 January 2013 at the age of 87. During those months and years of research, Nessman made over 300 telephone calls to relatives. Battle of the Bulge - 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association rounds at the armor without effect. BATTI F OF THE BULGE. places. After three days and nights of bitter fighting, Co. 4 December 1944: III Corps. Ormont with a 540-round concentration, Co. K., 347th, At the end, I stood with a trickle of blood running down my back. preparation as the division resumed the attack Feb. 26. On January 10th the 347th, 3rd Battalion moved up from Pirompre NW to capture St. Hubert. Exhausted from a bone-numbing 300-mile road march in open trucks from Germany's Saar Valley by way of Rheims, France, on Dec. 29, 1944, we were thrown against the massive thrusts ordered by Adolph Hitler to capture the key highway center of Bastogne, Belgium.". Unidentified unit means that the veteran's surveyindicated service . We had showers, a change of clothing, and were issued worn galoshes. I and K advanced to the woods west of Its virtually impossible to fake battlefield awards within hours or days of a battle impossible, because everyone involved knows what happened. Then, on March 13, the 346th RCT moved Pouring devastating fire from their positions in the On January 7th the 347th Regiment went in to relief, the 1st Battalion at Pirompre, and the 2nd Battalion at Moircy and the 3rd Battalion at Freux-Suzeran.
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