by Ian Gardner
After Andros had gone, Miller assumed command of 3 Ptn. Later that night, during a battalion commanders’ meeting, Col Patch got up and told the handful of officers who were left that he was planning a possible attack the following morning. At that time, apart from Capt Walker, Willie Miller was the only officer left from H Co and he was not impressed by the order. When excited or agitated, Willie’s voice went up several octaves as he squawked, “Hell, sir, I’ve only got 11 men at my disposal – what on god’s earth are you expecting me to do with them?”
Jimmy Martin had been ignoring the symptoms of emersion foot for the last ten days because he did not want to leave his post or let anyone down. “Eventually my feet turned black, and on January 15, I asked Capt Doughty for permission to leave the front line and gingerly walked about half a mile to the nearest aid post. I later learned that another few days in theater and I would have lost my toes.” Despite the dreadful losses suffered by H and I companies, G Co still had 56 men available for duty. However, over the next seven days the company would lose a further 30 percent of its remaining strength (including Capt Doughty) to trench foot and other non-battle-related injuries. Jim Martin was evacuated to the United Kingdom by Norwegian hospital ship and spent several weeks in Cirencester, where an entire hospital wing was dedicated to emersion and cold injuries. “For many like me, the condition was so painful and sensitive that we were made to lie in bed with our lower limbs exposed. Any draft or movement, such as a nurse walking by, caused an intense burning sensation to the feet … which was pretty grim at times.”
Where dead men sleep
Finally, the regiment handed over control to the newly formed 17th Airborne Division, and 3rd Bn spent their first stress-free night under cover in a warm barn at Luzery. “When my jump boots came off for the first time since December 17, I found that my socks had completely disintegrated below the tops of my boots,” recalls Hank DiCarlo. “The dry hay in the barn felt softer and sweeter than any luxury mattress.”
By January 18, the regiment was in corps reserve at La Petite Rosière, 6 miles south of Sibret. Frank Kneller remembers being taken by truck to a frozen lake, where water was being pumped to a row of showers. “We took one look at the facility and refused to get off the vehicles. After many protests, eventually we were taken to a nearby town where we were allowed to wash and bathe in a proper bath house with hot water – the ultimate luxury.” It was here that Kneller was evacuated with advanced trench foot and was lucky not to have both feet amputated.
During this time around 500 men from the 101st were selected to attend a Silver Star ceremony at the main square (which had recently been cleared of debris) in Bastogne, hosted by Troy Middleton, Maxwell Taylor, Gerald Higgins, and BrigGen Charles Kilburn from the 11th Armored Division. Also in attendance was Mayor Leon Jacqmin, who, after delivering a short but emotional speech, presented Taylor with a flag representing the official colors of the city. Frank Marchesse and Alden Todd from F/502 were part of the small group chosen to represent their regiment still fighting at Bourcy. As the two men were walking through Foy, Todd stopped at the Chapelle Ste-Barbe and retrieved a small handbell from the ruins as a souvenir. Some 50 years later Alden returned the bell, which now sits in its rightful place on the altar.
In total five soldiers were honored on the 18th, including the commanding officer of 1/502, Maj John D. Hanlon, Lt Frank R. Stanfield, S/Sgt Lawrence F. Casper, and Pvt Wolfe. Before reviewing the troops, Middleton, Taylor, and assembled staff officers posed for the press beneath a sign on the wall of a nearby building. The sign, posted close to the main road junction, aptly summed up the siege experience: “This is Bastogne, Bastion of the Battered Bastards of the 101st Airborne Division.”
After a couple days’ pampering, the men were informed that they were moving to a defensive area in Alsace Lorraine. “Everyone thought we had just got out of one so-called ‘defensive’ position,” recalls Hank DiCarlo. “It was rumored that we were going to outpost a relatively inactive part of the line, but hadn’t they told us the same thing before Bastogne?”
Continuing bad weather hampered the First and Third armies’ advance, but by January 28, the enemy were pushed back to their original point of departure and the thrust into the Ardennes was declared officially over. During the coming weeks and months American and French forces attacked into Luxembourg and Germany, but the war was by no means finished for Hitler and his fanatical commanders.
Capt Fred Anderson reflects: “I Co went into Bastogne with 150 men and came out with 28. G and H companies fared little better.” Bob Webb adds: “After the final attack on Foy, Col Sink lost one of the best battalions he ever had and he knew it.” During the four weeks on the line at Bastogne the 506th PIR suffered over 40 percent casualties (although the 501st suffered the highest): 119 men were killed, 670 wounded, and 59 missing in action – total 848. The division as a whole lost 525 KIA, 2,653 WIA, and 527 missing or captured – total 3,705. Combat Command B lost 73 KIA, 279 WIA, and 116 missing or captured – total 468.
The Battle of the Bulge was arguably one of the most important events of World War II and signified the beginning of the end for Germany. The Wehrmacht had suffered some 110,000 casualties, while the total American losses had risen to 80,000, of whom approximately 19,000 had been killed. It was said that no other battle had caused so much American blood to be spilt.
Addressing the House of Commons in London, Sir Winston Churchill was quoted as saying, “This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever famous victory.”
The devastation to the civilian population was also immense, with around 2,500 people killed, and towns and villages such as Foy, Recogne, Noville, Wardin, Sibret, Chenogne, and Villers-la-Bobbe-Eau all but destroyed. Along with the massacres of US forces at places such as Malmedy and Wereth, 164 civilians were also murdered at Stavelot and Bande. So ended Operation Watch on the Rhine and the now legendary Battle of the Bulge.
9
“After the storm”
Alsace Lorraine and the Colmar Pocket – January 21–February 25, 1945
Alsace and Lorraine are two separate regions in France’s northeastern corner bordering Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and Switzerland. Alsace follows the river Rhine north from Basel, while Lorraine rises from the plains of Champagne before converging at the Vosges Mountains. Historically, most of Alsace was German speaking when awarded to France by the Hapsburg Empire. In 1871, after France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War, Germany annexed Alsace and the Moselle Department of Lorraine and reintroduced a program of forced Germanization. At the end of World War I the region reverted back to French control only to be re-occupied in 1940 by Germany, who over the next four years conscripted around 130,000 Alsatian men into their armed forces.
The Western Front, in early 1945, was divided into three army groups. Northernmost was 21st Army Group, under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. Omar Bradley and his 12th Army Group were situated centrally, with 6th Army Group commanded by Gen Jacob Devers to the south around Alsace Lorraine and the Swiss border. Devers’ group was part of a joint force comprising Seventh Army (XV and VI Corps) under LtGen Alexander Patch and the French First Army (I and II Corps) commanded by Général d’Armée Jean de Lattre de Tissigny.
Unlike some of the towns and villages further north, the French were initially unable to push the enemy back across the Rhine. Therefore, in late November 1944, the Germans forced a bridgehead along the western edge of the Black Forest between the ancient towns of Pfaffenhoffen, Haguenau, Colmar, and Basel. Before Christmas the Nazi war machine began to threaten the rear of George Patton’s Third Army and also Seventh Army. When Patton was redirected to the Ardennes, part of Seventh Army moved south to assist the French. During the early stages of the battle, the Germans tried desperately to break out and drive north to link up with their forces around Bastogne. The threat to the supply lines was real, and if the enemy had not been contained in Alsace then Gen Patton
would have struggled to maintain his push to reach Bastogne (which lay 125 miles to the northwest).
It was here in Alsace at the crossroad of Europe on January 1, 1945, that Hitler decided to reinstate his offensive. Operation Nordwind was similar in execution to Watch on the Rhine and generally became known to the Allies as “The Battle of the Colmar Pocket.” Commander-in-Chief West, Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Runstedt, who had been the driving force behind Watch on the Rhine, was completely opposed to this new plan. Subsequently, Hitler asked SS Commander Heinrich Himmler to take charge of the southern front with instructions to ignore Von Runstedt and report directly to him in Berlin. Hitler’s idea was to cut off the regional capital, Strasbourg, with two pincer movements from Haguenau in the north and further south at Colmar. Over the next three weeks the attack shifted back and forth before finally grounding to a stalemate near Strasbourg.
Firefighting in Pfaffenhoffen
After being relieved by the 17th Airborne, the 506th was placed in reserve by XVIII Airborne Corps at La Petite Rosière, a few miles south of Bastogne. On January 20, the 101st was temporarily attached to MajGen Wade “Ham” Haislip’s XV Corps and instructed to take over one of the more peaceful sectors of the old Maginot Line along the Moder valley in Alsace (allowing Haislip a better opportunity to exploit his divisions elsewhere). The regiment was mobilized and transported by truck to Diemeringen near Sarre-Union, 20 miles northwest of the small town of Pfaffenhoffen. Just like Bastogne the journey was cold and badly delayed by icy road conditions. With 16in of snow on the ground, the men were not looking forward to their new assignment.Ahead of the main body was the regimental IPW team led by Capt Alphonse Gion and M/Sgt Herman Coquelin, who had been tasked with securing billets in the villages of Diemeringen, Waldhambach, and Weislingen.
Traveling with the team was 22-year-old Dutchman Piet “Pete” Luiten, who recalls, “I came from the Stratum district of Eindhoven and had previously worked with 2nd Bn, 81mm mortar platoon, as their interpreter. By late September, I was promoted to ‘lieutenant’ and re-assigned to the IPW team before being wounded at Opheusden.” After spending several months in hospital, Pete managed to hitchhike back to La Petite Rosière, where he was able to rejoin the regiment. On the 506th payroll Luiten was still officially under the British 21st Army Group as part of the Dutch Free Forces Corps of Interpreters. “I rode down to Alsace with Capt Gion, who knew that my excellent command of German and French would come in useful over the next few days.”
With 3rd Bn stationed at Diemeringen (alongside Regimental HQ) the other two battalions were billeted nearby along a southeasterly line in the villages of Waldhambach (2/506) and Weislingen (1/506) – whereupon they were able to check and take stock of weapons, equipment, ammunition, and rations. Even before the regiment reached Alsace, information packs were distributed, reminding everyone that although this was “friendly” territory the area contained many civilians, for whom German was still their first language and who might also be sympathetic to the Fatherland. Despite these fears some people seemed more than happy to help the Americans, as Pete Luiten reflects: “Somewhere along the way I’d picked up a serious chest infection. I was surprised when one of the locals that we’d just given notice to vacate kindly made up some sort of alcohol-based linctus, which really helped me get back on my feet.”
Five days later the 506th PIR relocated 30 miles further southeast to Wickersheim-Wilshausen near Hochfelden. The three battalions were deployed within a 2-mile radius of Wickersheim, with 3/506 being sent to the village of Geiswiller. By January 28, the regiment was still in divisional reserve when it moved closer to the river Moder and into the villages around Ettendorf in preparation to relieve the 409th Infantry Regiment (IR) from the 103rd ID now led by Tony McAuliffe (part of XV Corps). Initially the regiment was sent to three small villages just southwest of Pfaffenhoffen. 3rd Bn went to Lixhausen and 1st Bn to Bossendorf, leaving 2nd Bn behind at Grassendorf.
The heavily depleted regiment was enhanced by A and F batteries, 81st AA Bn, and C Co (less 3 Ptn), 807th TD Bn. From here the paratroopers were deployed along a 1-mile-wide front, overlooking the river, between a set of partially demolished bridges east from Pfaffenhoffen to the village of Niedermodern.
The ancient and once prosperous town of Pfaffenhoffen is situated in the Val de Moder – a shallow valley spanning the river which usually, at its widest, is no bigger than a main road. The basic plan was to send patrols across to the northern bank and disrupt enemy forces based at la Walck (a northern suburb of Pfaffenhoffen), plus the surrounding villages of Kindwiller, Bitschhoffen, and Uberach. Uberach was on the regiment’s right flank and nestled along the edge of the Haguenau Forest. Overshadowing the northern banks of the Moder, the dense woodland covered a large area to the east as far as the eye could see.
On February 1, 2nd Bn was for the most part still in regimental reserve when 1st and 3rd battalions deployed onto the MLR. At the time Pfaffenhoffen was partly bandit country and virtually devoid of civilians, except for a few abandoned dogs and cats.
C Co set up its CP on the left flank at the railway station in the basement of a house that had once belonged to the stationmaster. The railway followed the Moder through the Haguenau Forest, crossing the river near Uberach, through Niedermodern, Pfaffenhoffen, and Obermodern, before turning northwest toward the Vosges Mountains at Ingwiller.
One rifle company from each battalion was sent forward to maintain an “Outpost Line of Resistance” (OPLR) beyond the raised road overlooking the river. Some foxholes had to be relocated to higher ground after they began to fill with water. “I was in charge of one makeshift squad,” recalls Manny Barrios. “There wasn’t much action at the time except for a big rail gun that fired a salvo every now and then.” Alsace Annie was believed to be a 15in artillery piece hidden somewhere along the tracks in the Haguenau Forest and had a long enough range to target Hochfelden where Divisional HQ were now located. “It’s strange but the sound those shells made as they flew overhead was really weird and scared the heck out of us,” Barrios added.
Col Sink established his CP in a schoolhouse at Ettendorf. The small town was equidistant between Grassendorf and Ringendorf, situated around a crossroads along another railway line that meandered northwest before connecting with Obermodern. On the first night, a woman who had private quarters in another part of the school shot herself through the mouth after being exposed as a German spy. The woman’s body was stored in a room next door to the S3 office where it remained for several days. It was a dramatic beginning to the redeployment.
Recently promoted to staff sergeant, George Allen, from the 101st IPW team, was posted to counterintelligence and recalls, “As predicted, any cordiality shown by the local population toward us seemed completely false. Despite this fact, enough information was gathered to uncover a small group of enemy soldiers who were trying to infiltrate the area dressed as civilians.”
Several German units had previously been identified across the river, such as the Infanterie-Regiment 937 belonging to 245.Volksgrenadier-Division, which was predominantly made up of boys and older men. Other than that, this sector of the German West Wall was relatively peaceful apart from the rail gun, sporadic mortar fire, and occasional enemy patrolling.
By February 2, as the snow began to thaw, it caused extensive flooding, turning the ground into thick mud. Long overdue, a large consignment of rubberized winter overshoes arrived. Although thankful, the men were upset by the delay as many serious non-battle casualties could have been avoided if the “shoepacks” had been more widely available at Bastogne.
Bob Dunning from the 81mm mortar platoon was sent to Strasbourg for emergency treatment when the bullet still lodged in his left hip became a problem. “The surgeon who removed the 9mm slug was from Kalamazoo and recognized me … small world, eh? We’d both been camp counselors for the Kellogg’s Corporation in Hastings, Michigan. Shortly after returning to the outfit I developed a dangerously high temperature and was diagnosed
with blood poisoning. For 24 hours the doctors at Soissons deliberated over removing the leg. Luckily my temperature, which had been just above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, began to reduce and saved my leg from amputation.”
Around the same time Bob Webb returned to the front line from hospital. “The doctors had sent me to a psychiatric ward, but my previous confused mental state (no doubt caused by the concussion I received in Bastogne) quickly cleared up. While in hospital, I bumped into Maj Charles Shettle, who was still recovering from his foot wound. After seeing one of the patients on my ward slashing his wrists with a razor, I just wanted to get out and return to the battalion. Shettle felt the same way and used his rank to commandeer a jeep so we were able to avoid any replacement depots and head straight back to the 506th in Alsace.”
Shortly after Webb returned to duty he was promoted to sergeant. “I hadn’t been back long when we had our first mail from home and received two packages from my girlfriend, containing drawing pencils, paper, food, a cake, billfold, Bible with metal case, and – best of all – a picture of Muriel in a snazzy blue leather folder.” Bob was a gifted artist and had been looking forward to receiving the drawing materials to help him pass the time, sketching portraits, which were much sought after by his friends and colleagues.
