The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Gen. Anthony McAuliffe at Bastonge - Dec. 22nd, 2002

http://www.thedropzone.org/europe/Bulge/kinnard.html ^ | Patrick O'Donnell

[SAMWolf]

That was a good movie. I enjoyed it.

[SAMWolf]

[SpookBrat]

Good Sunday morning to you all. Thanks for the *ping*. Yesterday's thread was great and I'll be back to read this one after my Sunday nap.

[SAMWolf]

Anecdotes From the Bugle

Robert M. Bowen
C Company
401st Glider lnfantry
101st Airborne Division

GLOOMY CHRISTMAS

December 24 and 25, 1944, were for me two of the worse days of my life. The 101st Airborne Division had been surrounded at Bastogne, Belgium since the night of the 20th, was short of ammunition and supplies, had its hospital captured, and was in danger of being overrun. I was an NCO rifle platoon leader in Company C, 401 GIR and my company was manning roadblocks on the western perimeter of the encircled city near Flamierge. We had repulsed attacks in our sector on the 19th, 20th and 22nd. On the 23rd the Germans came again early in the morning out of a heavy fog which hung over the bitter cold, snow covered hills wearing snowsuits and with tanks painted white.

They were from the 77th Regiment of the 26th Volksgrenadier Division, 14 tanks with infantry. Although the roadblock had a Sherman, a TD, a half-track and a 37mm antitank gun, a combination of misfortunes prevented their being much use. The Sherman was knocked out in the first burst of shelling, the antitank gun was frozen in the ground and couldn't be traversed to fire on the enemy armor and the crew of the half-track vanished. There was little support from division artillery because of an ammunition shortage, but our 88 mm mortars were a big help.

The division history devoted two short paragraphs to the action, making it sound no more than a patrol incident: nothing about the desperation, hopelessness and drama of the men who fought and died there that day. I was wounded about 1600 [4:00 PM] and put in a basement of a house just behind the MLR where the medics had set up an aid station. The roadblock fell just after dark. All the wounded and medics, the crews of the armor and a few men from Company C were captured, all that remained of the reinforced platoon that held the position. The prisoners were thoroughly searched, threatened with death, and finally marched to trucks which took them into St. Hubert for interrogation. When that was over they were put in the attic of a nearby house under the guard of young gefreiters with itchy trigger fingers.

We were hustled out of the house early the next morning to a captured American weapons carrier with an attached trailer. A biting wind blew over the chilling snow, piercing our inadequate clothing like a knife. We were hungry, cold, and depressed: hungry because we had been living off of one or two K rations a day for nearly a week: cold because many of us did not have overcoats, overshoes, gloves or mufflers: and depressed because after fighting debilitating campaigns in Normandy and Holland with their high casualty rates, this one in Belgium threatened to be the last straw to push us over the edge.

[ex-snook]

Thanks much for the considerable time and effort you made in researching and presenting things for all generations to reflect. I hope you have many 'gen X' folks following along. A generation that remembers the past is ready for the future. Well done. Thanks and regards,

[Darksheare]

No, I'm not sure where he was at in relation to Bastogne.
But, here he is getting a week's sleep, the hard way.
Those guys that were in Bastogne, they held out until being 'recontacted' by friendlies, right?
(Don't rightly remember the complete facts. I remember that the American commander said "Nuts" to teh German commander. I also rememeber the Germans tried real hard to take the place.)

[The Real Deal]

"If yer lookin for a safe place," he said, "just pull that vehicle behind me. I'm the 82nd Airborne. This is as far as the bastards are going."

Men such as this are able to overcome any fear that they may have. It is called courage, and can rub off on others.

[The Real Deal]

Good morning, Jen. How is your Dad doing?

[SAMWolf]

German propaganda leaflets were air-dropped or sent by rifle grenade canister, to float down over American lines. Unlike American leaflets, which merely told of the hopelessness of the German cause by citing statistics or testimony from Germans in captivity, the German leaflets targeted the worst fears of the GIs. Usually illustrated with provocative cartoons, the German leaflets carried diabolical messages playing on the fear that a soldier would not survive to see his wife and/or children again. Other big fears were being maimed or crippled, and that the wife was cheating with another man. Above is a type of leaflet shot over U.S. lines at Bastogne, Dec. '44.



From George Schulist comes this, the most famous of all leaflets dropped on the 101st at Bastogne. The text of this type was read in the movie Battleground (1950).

[SAMWolf]

Thanks ex-snook. I hope there's some younger folks out there who see these articles and that they help them realize what the price of their Freedon is.

[SAMWolf]

Yep. They held out until Patton drove up from the south and punched a corrider through to them.

Ironically the heaviest fighting came after the encirclement was broken.

[SAMWolf]

Good morning Raw Deal. Sometimes great events turn on o single unknown individual in the right place at the right time.

[OKSooner]

Sam, thanks for another most informative thread on The Bulge.

[The Real Deal]

There is no outfit in the world that can match the firepower of the United States Navy. Good moring, aomagrat!

[The Real Deal]

Good morning, Sam!

[Lo-Pro]

Hi guys - hellina -haven't seen you in a while, but then again, I've been busy!

Very interesting thread - thanks for all the detail, effort that went into this.

[OKSooner]

Sam, on December 18th, 1944, my dad was somewhere between Hosingen, Luxembourg(?) and Bastogne. He was with the 687th FABN, which supported the 28th division during its defense of the western wall in the first days of The Bulge. One battery (not my dad's) made it into Bastogne from the east and was temporarily designated "E" Battery, IIRC, of the artillery outfit at Bastogne. Dad spent the "seige days" of Bastogne hiding out in "some small town" south of Bastogne, close enough that he saw C-47's making air drops into Bastogne. After Bastogne was relieved, my dad's outfit was sent replacements, re-equipped and assigned to the 3rd Army. They went far enough east to meet the Russians in their Studebaker trucks. You won't find a better account of the first few days of the Bulge than Phillip's "To Save Bastogne".

[SevenofNine]

Good morning Freepers in Foxhole

Well while you guys hiding in Foxhole Israel was told by Dubya stay out of OUR War with Iraq okay Ariel Shaoron that being reported on World Tribune

Meanwhile back on Wash Post report that Israel gear up it Mass weapons to launch retatltion strike against Iraq just in case Saddam start his s***** with Isreal in response when we attack Iraq

You know the attack is coming

[top of the world ma]

I like all the films that depict our combat heroes in harm's way, whether they pass muster with the critics or not. The first one I ever saw was "A Walk in the Sun" and I've been singling out war films ever since.

[Lo-Pro]

Yes...."Senior U.S. officials told Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz that the U.S. has decided that Israel will not be involved in the war against Iraq even if Iraq launches a missile attack against Israel. Instead, the United States will provide for Israel's security should such an attack take place." but also..."They [the U.S.] are willing to give us all the necessary aid," Mofaz said according to Middle East Newsline. "I think the State of Israel is better prepared than it was in the past . . . if Iraq will respond with a missile attack against the State of Israel." Source: International Herald