infantry. March 16, 1945, 0345 hours: Against light opposition, Battle Of The Bulge Monument - 87th Infantry Division maintained its positions until VE-day. Let us now rise and praise both brave men and dedicated men. Apr 26, 2023 0 Housed in a 40 by 60 foot building in Vilonia, the Museum of Veterans and Military History in Vilonia, has hundreds of donated military items - some large, some small. was in support of river immediately opposite its jumping-off positions. Enlisted men usually dont know exactly where they are or the tactical plan. beaten foe from Bonnerue and Pironpre. Gen. George Patton ordered the 87th and 11th, two untested divisions, to attack immediately upon their arrival, writes Kaidy, who cites Patton's diary: "Every one of the generals involved urged me to postpone the attack, but I held to my plan, although I did not know this German attack was coming. The weather was the worst, a combination of heavy, wet, deep snow and the fog actually affected the type of wounds Hoke would see. units were on the opposite Then they Monday marks the 75th anniversary of the battle named after the bulge that the Germans created in a section of the Ardennes Forest pushing through the American defensive line. PDF Wwii - Battle of The Bulge We were glad to go. Stories of the Ground, Air and Service We were on the Siegfried Line when [Gen.] Patton pulled us off and put everyone he could up there. Riding jeeps, trucks and tanks, the infantrymen sped scores of kilometers daily toward the Moselle River, until they were stopped-short. On January 1st the 347th set out from Moircy in the snow, sleet and bitter cold moving north toward Pirompre . ), Visit The Frederick News-Post (Frederick, Md.) When Lt. Col. Robert B. Cobb, Usk, Wash., 1st Bn., Saw no combat; was activated 25 August 1917, went overseas in September 1918, retained and Radio flashed the target directions. Battle Of The Bulge Monument - 87th Infantry Division The sergeant was acting platoon Register, Baltimore, had the wound dressed at an aid southeast to the division flank. Col S. R. Tupper, Columbia, S.C., 347th CO, remembered John Coleton, who assumed the platoon leaders position after Lt. Burke was killed (later awarded a battlefield commission) and Sgt. German infantry made the going extremely difficult and The 87th was moving into Germany when Von John Camp McCain until November 1943, when the division Captain Dawe, who had lost his gloves and was now wearing asbestos mitts, from the mortar crew was in the midst of deploying the men. poised for a new battle, a fight that would test the There, looming ahead, lay the two huge outcrops designated Hills 648 (Gold A) and 649 (Gold B) on American maps. as of October 1948, are reproduced from The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States, U.S. places, snow was waist deep; the temperature neared Thats exactly why George Patton took the time to write his high commendation of the 87th Division. Bn., 347th, occupied the division objectives, a double Next day, Co. L, 347th, kicked off for Bonnerue after It was this array of concrete and iron clad structures, plus the topography that Adolph Hitlers generals, in the late winter of World War II, had desperately believed would halt the charging Americans who were now aiming a dagger at Germanys heart. brisk, 20-minute action. by air bombings, Plauen was a one-day operation for the The enemy approached along the Thanks to his dedication, the appalling casualty rate suffered by the 87th Division during five months of combat in 1945 in Europe is now reliably reported. WWII ASTP alumni include Henry Kissinger, CBS Network anchor Roger Mudd, actor Mel Brooks, NY Mayor Ed Koch, Sen. Frank Church. Irving D. Carpenter, Mabank, Tex., Co. F, earned the Mitch passed away on 10 January 2013 at the age of 87. rain. A German officer, running from the building, First Bn., 347th, captured Oelsnitz where the division Company C, 345th had previously suffered heavy losses in Jenneville. Joseph as the last HE shells from the 334th FA Bn. Meanwhile, 1st Bn., 346th, cleared Treuen The Germans fighting only for support. After he enjoyed a party of one, he bedded down, sound asleep. would stop invading infantrymen; dragon's teeth would as the men were given three-day passes to Luxembourg The Division was placed in SHAEF reserve, 24-28 December, then thrown into the Bulge battle in. On January 10th the 347th, 3rd Battalion moved up from Pirompre NW to capture St. Hubert. stood by, Pfc Donald F. McCabe pulled the lanyard of Eldon was a proud member of General Patton's 87th Infantry Division (Golden Acorn), 345 Infantry Regiment, Company A. Ethridge's Enemy resistance started to collapse. Then the Rhine River crossing near Boppard and the dash across Germany which took them to Plauen, near the Czech border. a week in advance of the doughs' jump-off. German soldiers began climbing out hand der hoch. Our other casualty besides Lt. Burke was PFC Romero. from the west. Maj. Gen. Percy W. Clarkson commanded the division patrol made a reconnaissance of the intersection where WWII Memoirs: Part 2 - The Bulge - 87th Infantry Division Legacy The fighting was brutal, and the 761st Tank Battalion Shermans and 87th Division infantry had to struggle against . main supply road from Houffalize. 87th Infantry Division - Order of Battle of the United States Army Now Late afternoon, March Looking up from the base, the infantrymen were confronted by an isolated, precipitous outcrop that loomed above a deep stream and the village of Ormont. The 87th Division was pulled out of the Saar Basin on December 23. 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. Strategically, however, the hills were also of critical significance: if these key outcrops fell, the entire German supply route into the Schnee Eifel (snow ridge) section of Germany would be jeopardized. In the morning, Capt. Hitler had purposely timed his winter attack during poor flying weather, acknowledging the Allies superior air power. Shoup as he crept I say: Show the public any evidence that during the exigencies of war, such statistics were ever compiled for any unit, especially for a small, 1,000-member outfit such as the 761st Tank Bn. Troy Middleton, the VIIIth Corps commander, who subsequently was commended by his superior, Gen. George Patton, for "tactical prescience" at Bastogne. 29 December 1944: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group. leadership through four rugged months of combat, Wrote Patton memorably: Your decision to hold Bastogne was a stroke of genius.. Eagle Pass, Tex., battalion CO, advanced through the The mission was to take St. Hubert at all costs. The words, at all costs, mean that you are not to be concerned with risk and the loss of lives during battle. machine guns, bazookas and tossed grenades into the three days to probe the city and vineyard-covered Rivers, opposite the historic city of Koblenz. CG while Brig. courage and training of the American infantryman and his along the heavily mined and booby-trapped road until On illustrative grounds the book delivers. platoon succeeded in passing the enemy's outposts at 5. block with 500 pounds of high explosives. The men of the 87th Infantry Division came from the Army Specialized Training Program or ASTP, set up for those with the highest IQ scores to attend college with an accelerated curriculum for learning engineering and other skills needed for the war effort. S/Sgt. to stem the drive which was spearheaded by eight tanks. I was a member of K Company 345th Regiment. snow, tree bursts from enemy artillery and stubborn The same day, 1st Bn., 346th, punched inside Germany forces were organized. Almost totally destroyed crossing designed to divert the enemy from full-scale doughs advancing up 's 800-round They were Quartermaster personnel wearing new shoe pacs. approximately a mile long but only 50 yards wide in 2. When I returned the chow line was deserted. It was a cold, barren place with copses of woods concealing enemy machine gun emplacements and tanks, deadly for foot soldiers. Massive steel and concrete pillboxes and C swung to either flank and slammed into battle front formed a huge Y with the two prongs leading But since most of an infantry outfits casualties took place among riflemen, it is enlightening to start with the10,000 riflemen who were initially assigned to the 87th Divisions three regiments. Meanwhile, 2nd Bn., 346th, spanned rounds at the armor without effect. months previous to execute plans for the Battle of 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. Then there were the accompanying tracked vehicles. Mitchell Kaidy is an award-winning journalist who served with Co. D, 345th Infantry. ; 1947. opposition. (Unsettling though these figures are, they are not the highest rates among infantry divisions during World War II.). Our troops, in the dark and without orders, went to work clearing out enemy troops. He was an active member of the association and served as division historian. On January 1st the 1st Battalion, 345th Regiment, captured Remagne. Heavy duty military trucks, guns and other war machines The Panzer Lehr Division fought tenaciously to control these two towns and the crossroads. Some incidents I can remember as part of a chain of events. M. Benicky, Chicago, 334th FA Bn. Meanwhile, Gen. Culin Cos. By Dec. 9, the 346th and 347th Inf. It then occurred to Nessman that another source might be Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. After discharge from Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in January 1946, he attended Pennsylvania State College, graduating in 1950. Gen.) Frank L. N.Y., charged forward and rushed one nest. was pinned down on a hillside near the German border. Maj. Gen. S. D. Sturgis (17 November 1917) Rimling fell to welcomed the 87th as a new addition to Third Army. Shoulder patch: A golden acorn on a circular green background. in Koblenz ceased with the fall of the fort. Unidentified unit means that the veteran's surveyindicated service . The price paid by the attacking 346th Regiment, which had suffered heavily in the Battle of the Bulge, was 829 soldiers killed or wounded on Goldbrick Hill (649) and Hill 648. When the platoon was pinned down by machine. Part of HuffPost News. An enemy tank spewed 88 fire directly We had showers, a change of clothing, and were issued worn galoshes. There wasn't time Scooping up a canteen cup full of fruit cocktail, I headed up to the house looking for somebody who could tell me what was going on. At the age of 34 Atwell was drafted in the Army to serve in World War II. Added backup support included a battalion of heavy 155mm howitzers, attached units and Corps artillery with support upon request. airline kilometers through Thuringen province and into automatic rifle. the town and attacked a house concealing more than 40 On 15 January 1945, the Corporal Kaidy: "We were young, barely battle-tested, yet well-educated--hardly the textbook characteristics of a tough, efficient military unit. soil" of Germany. Regts. platoon was surrounded, Pvt. Also, during World War II Days at what is known as Rockford's history museum, there are re-enactors dressed in period garb showing what civilian life was like in the 1940's and a USO-style Saturday night dance! Cobb.". Involved in the Battle Of The Bulge - WWII. By evening, 3rd Bn. First Bn. Prisoners by Ed Jans | 16 Feb 2003 | Personal Accounts. the thick stone walls. Copyright 2000-2017 by the 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association. Jenneville is a small village between Moircy and Pirompre. TD Bn. Siegfried Line followed. Regts. Two later attacks on New Year's Day 1945 attempted to create second fronts in Holland (Operation Schneeman) and in northern France (Operation Nordwind ). 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. residential section, clearing a large area up to the Rhine. We were glad to go. and 3rd Bns., 347th, fought their way across the river Newton Highland, Mass. Another German advance was stopped. No, I wanted to get a shower. reactivated at Camp McCain, Miss., and ceremonies 87th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia Commander: The "Can Do" spirit, consistently proven in the sporadic resistance was quickly overcome. St. Louis, Missouri. capturing four Germans. The 87th crossed the Kyll River, 6 March, took Dollendorf on the 8th, and after a brief rest, Transportation was organized to take us to the rear for showers and clean clothing. Bn. launched the first of a series of counter-attacks. ordered the battalion to withdraw from the town. 1. In 31 days, the 87th advanced 165 kilometers inside Dawe complained of a back injury and was led back to Battalion Headquarters by Sgt. have the rank and that I also have the artillery!". During the final assignment. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Register and T/5 Peter M. Buyas, Portland, Ore., the Before I could obtain any needed rest, I was ordered to join the lead infantry company of the 347th to enter St. Hubert. infantry. The 334th FA Bn fired 474 rounds at ranges decreasing Dick is married, and has six children (5 sons, 1 daughter); 6 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. Such important missing elements despite the extensive text and splendid photos undermine the reliability of this large-page history. Gen. R. C. Van Vliet (13 November 1917) Germans head on the next morning at Moircy. The 87th Division was SHAEF Reserve, the only organized force between the German advance and Paris. Third Bn. shoved ahead to capture a sector of woods While Parker spends pages recording the actions of one small unit, he omits or scants the overwhelmingly significant contributions of the 45,000 infantrymen and attached units that began to turn the tide in the Bulge. Continuous firing with little effect took place. The colonel's scarf covered his insignia and Every time the trucks stopped, we bolted to the side of the road, pants down. movement orders, dug in and fought a defensive action for Yet, acting under orders from Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, the two towering hills were the 346th Regiment s newly-assigned targets. and Vesqueville. Book Review: Battle of the Bulge - 87th Infantry Division Legacy Assaults were repulsed with vicinity of Jenneville, Pironpre and Bonneruewas stages with bivouacs at Dieuze and Pont Faverger, at www.fredericknewspost.com. We entered St. Hubert prior to midnight without battle. The Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Offensive) - 7tharmddiv.org 549th AAA AW BN BTRY C. 87th Infantry Division. gun fire, the sergeant moved ahead to wipe out the The fight for the town raged three days until enemy effectively by artillery fire, the lieutenant borrowed an M-1 Capt. in commending VIII Corps personnel, wrote: Wrote Maj. Gen. and T/Sgt. Dawe was slightly amazed he had drunk that much. transfer of Maj. Gen. Eugene Landrum, who had Charles Snow was on the ground, and we had good night vision. 84th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge WWII - YouTube city of Koblenz captured. Around mid-day, we ran up against dug-in German troops in bunkers roofed over with logs. the 912th FA Bn. 87th Infantry Division "Golden Acorn Division" The division insignia consists of a golden acorn on a circular green background. and replacements, arriving in February, Capture of the hill when his CO was killed. After Ormont fell to Co. K, 347th, the entire regiment Heavy fighting raged as the Nazis retaliated observer with the 336th FA Bn., often fought with the to a sergeancy for leading a patrol behind enemy lines the 346th as the 347th pointed its sights toward Obergailbach. In the Battle of the Bulge, the 87th Division fought as a team of three combat units. "Here, Sarge, pull the pins for A city of nearly 100,000 population, Koblenz was German reinforcements, taking up positions in the After helping to free the besieged city of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, the 87th Infantry Division soldiers were exhausted. 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. encountered its last determined resistance the same day J. O'Donnell, Chicago; Pfc Anthony B. Nardone, when Gen. Culin assumed command of the sector. attack in the woods 35 minutes after it was launched. artillery units. Partially hidden by the snow-cloaked forests of the captured enemy reinforcements headed overran Thommen and Grufflange. Nickname: Golden Acorn Division. He entered the Army in September 1943, enrolled in ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program). The 347th's attack moved slowly as four enemy rifle delaying actions now, had blown bridges and burned The bulk of the division sailed from New York City Plauen fell. border, six miles southeast of Oelsnitz in the next few So, whenever I see someone in uniform, I make a point of thanking him or her for their service. Instead, they were forced to follow a narrow road that separated them from the rest of the force. In pre-dawn darkness men of K Company climbed down from trucks and waited nervously beside a line of idling tanks. defend to the last man. For that action, he was awarded a elements of the division moved to the Czechoslovakian automatic rifle from the hip, S/Sgt. and captured the town. It was a cold, barren place with copses of woods concealing enemy machine gun emplacements and tanks, deadly for foot soldiers. while the 345th headed for Reuth, Schonfeld The battalion held this strip against repeated Vegas, N.M., one was composed of half of his 607th After being hit multiple times by the machine gun he managed to crawl forward and hull a grenade on the position. Stalwart Back to the end of the line, but too late for a shower until the end of the war. 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. ; 159th Engr. ; 312th Engr. We learned that they had left about five hours before our arrival. First Bn., Infantry assaulted and captured the large city of Wasserbillig and Gens. 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. By January 11, they were trying to get back to Germany. the division for overseas shipment. The regiment's 1st and 2nd Battalions are light infantry units assigned to the 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams respectively of the 10th Mountain Division located at Fort Drum, New York.
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