The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Audie Murphy at Holtzwihr (1/26/1945) - Mar. 31st, 2004

World War II Magazine ^ | May 2002 | Daniel R. Champagne

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

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for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

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One-Man Stand at Holtzwihr

Audie Murphy earned the Medal of Honor and lasting fame during a fierce engagement near Colmar, France, and ended the war as America’s most decorated soldier.

2nd Lt. Audie Murphy

On a frigid January afternoon in 1945, Company B, 15th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, was attacked on the outskirts of Holtzwihr, France, by six tanks and an estimated 250 German infantrymen, who were determined to wrest the Bois de Riedwihr from the Americans. Certain that his decimated company could not withstand the German onslaught, First Lieutenant Audie L. Murphy ordered his men to fall back to safety deep in the forest. After expending all his carbine ammunition at the enemy, Murphy himself prepared to fall back. Suddenly, he spotted a .50-caliber machine gun on the turret of a burning tank destroyer. Knowing that his position had to be held at all costs, Murphy climbed on top and began firing the machine gun at the oncoming Germans. Native Texan Murphy, destined to become a postwar film star, made his courageous stand during the Colmar offensive, which eventually drove the Germans from their last foothold on French soil. The 3rd Infantry Division’s role in the offensive was to advance near the Bois de Riedwihr, a large forest in the northern sector of the Colmar Pocket that stretched between the heavily fortified villages of Riedwihr and Holtzwihr. Lieutenant Colonel Keith Ware, executive officer of the 15th Regiment, later recalled how imperative it was to secure the forest, explaining, “Its possession was of cardinal importance, as the woods dominated the German stronghold of Holtzwihr, the reduction of which was essential to the prompt accomplishment of the 3rd Division’s offensive tasks.”

On January 23, the 30th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, captured the woods and reached the outskirts of Holtzwihr and Riedwihr, where the Americans encountered 10 enemy tanks and tank destroyers accompanied by at least 100 infantrymen. The result was disastrous. Without cover and unable to dig foxholes in the frozen earth, the American unit was cut to pieces. Shattered, understrength and badly disorganized, the 30th was forced to withdraw from the Bois de Riedwihr.


This map is not an actual military tactical map and is found in Donald Taggart's book THE HISTORY OF THE 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION IN WORLD WAR II (no longer in print). The map was drawn as an attempt to illustrate the movements and general unit locations of the 3rd Infantry Division while also showing the shape of the Holtzwihr woods on the dates of January 29-30 1945. The year of this map is wrong and is a typographical error on the part of the publisher, not the web site. To amplify this point, it should be remembered that in January 1944, the 3rd Infantry Division was fighting in Italy not Germany.

The 15th Regiment was ordered to retake that same ground the next day. The subsequent fighting was so furious that the regiment’s Company B, among others, was decimated. With the exception of Lieutenant Murphy, all the officers were killed, and 102 of the company’s 120 enlisted men were either killed or wounded before they even reached their assigned position. By midnight on January 25, Company B had penetrated 600 yards into the woods and was in position north of Holtzwihr.

Within the hour fresh supplies reached the weary survivors of Company B. After the men were resupplied, they were ordered to move up to the south end of the woods, facing the village of Holtzwihr, and hold the line until relief came. Advancing through snowy darkness in the early morning hours, the men reached their assigned position before dawn. Once there, the weary GIs began a futile attempt to dig foxholes in the frozen ground.


3rd Infantry Division Patch

Murphy later recalled his men’s frustration: “This night seemed unusually long and the snow colder than I ever dreamed it could be. The sound of picks on frozen ground beat against my eardrum like mad. The 18 men left in Company B had been digging in that goddamned snow covered granite and the only benefit received from it was the exercise, which kept them from becoming stiff and immobile with the cold. And even when one stopped digging it was necessary to walk about to keep your feet from freezing.”

Murphy, who had taken over the depleted company during the night, feared a dawn attack and was concerned that his men could not stand up to an assault. “Strange, but it seems dawn breaking means more than any other time of the day or night, to an infantryman,” he said of that suspense-filled evening. “It is an accepted time to attack or be attacked.” Mercifully, as the overcast dawn broke, two M10 tank destroyers from Lt. Col. Walter E. Tardy’s 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion arrived just in time to support Company B’s position. But to the relief of Murphy and his men, the Germans did not attack at daybreak.

Murphy took advantage of the unexpected lull to begin forming his lines, using one tank destroyer and five armored vehicles from the 3rd Reconnaissance Troop to protect his right flank. Company A connected loosely with his left flank. The second tank destroyer selected a position approximately 40 yards ahead of the lines. Murphy then set up his command post in a drainage ditch 10 yards in front of the rear tank destroyer. He maintained contact with battalion headquarters, a mile to the rear, by a field phone.



Company B was “stretched across a butt-end of a large ‘U’ whose sides were formed by two great fingers of trees that led toward Holtzwihr,” Murphy recalled. The heavily fortified village was now in plain view over the rolling, snow-covered fields. The two tank destroyers sat astraddle a narrow dirt road that ran deep into the woods. Murphy knew German armor would have to advance along the roadway. Early in the afternoon, he phoned back to 1st Battalion headquarters for last-minute instructions. He was informed that the 2nd Battalion, 30th Regiment, had not yet arrived to reinforce his company. “Hold your position” were his orders.

[SAMWolf]

At 1400 hours on January 26, 1945, German armor and infantry moved out from Holtzwihr, preceded by an artillery barrage. “From my forward shallow emplacement I saw the counterattack forming with six tanks and about 250 foot soldiers garbed in white suits,” Murphy recalled, “so it would’ve been impossible to spot them sooner or any farther away than a mile. I alerted the men and ran for the field phone and called the artillery officer at battalion headquarters and arranged for 2nd Battalion to fire. I no sooner gave the order to fire than all hell broke loose. The Germans had started their preliminary barrage.” Private First Class Donald Eckman remembered: “You could see the pennants on the antenna of the German tanks....That got our attention right away....We also saw a huge sea of white infantry coming toward us.”


Looking South Out of the Woods From Audie's Point of View

The infantry belonged to the German 2nd Mountain Division, which had been transferred to the Colmar region from Norway. The men had been trained for operations in mountainous terrain. Individual companies of this division were brought down from Norway and fed into the lines as soon as they arrived. By committing this elite division to action at Holtzwihr, the German commanders demonstrated how vital they believed it was to hold a bridgehead west of the Rhine.

The German tactical objective was to gain control of the road that led from Holtzwihr through Murphy’s position and into the woods beyond the regimental headquarters. If successful, the enemy attack would clearly threaten the 3rd Division’s entire position. Murphy recognized the importance of holding the road at all costs.

Once the enemy came within range, Tardy’s tank destroyers opened fire. Unfortunately, their 90mm shells bounced harmlessly off the steel sides of the oncoming German armor. “I saw the enemy tanks get direct hits,” said Murphy, but the rounds proved ineffective against the heavily armored German tanks. Advancing and firing viciously, they knocked out a Company B machine-gun crew. Then the rear tank destroyer was hit by an 88mm shell that pierced its thin armor and killed the commander and gunner. The surviving crew members scurried out and retreated into the woods.

Looking North From A Nazi's Point Of View

Undaunted, the crew in the lead tank destroyer, after surviving several close calls, mounted an attack on its own. Staff Sergeant Joseph Tardiff and Corporal Robert Hines simultaneously blazed away with .50- and .30-caliber machine guns, cutting down the oncoming enemy infantrymen. Suddenly, however, the crew lost control of the tank destroyer when they tried to maneuver into a better firing position. The vehicle slid off the road and into a drainage ditch, leaving its main gun at a useless angle that prevented it from being trained on the enemy. Stuck fast in the ditch, the tank destroyer became a sitting duck for German fire. The crew climbed out and hastily retreated to the forest.

With both American tank destroyers out of action and large enemy infantry and armored forces moving on his position, Murphy realized that the remnants of his company could hold out no longer. He ordered his men to fall back to safety deep in the forest while he stayed behind, directing artillery fire. Private First Class Irving Kelly was reluctant to leave Murphy. “I remember being mad as hell when Murph told us to go back,” Kelly recalled. “We wanted to stay and fight by his side. I remember vividly that Sergeant Harold Corl and myself were the last two to leave.” Due to a technical problem with forward observer 1st Lt. Walter Weispfenning’s radio, Murphy remained at his post, directing artillery fire over the field telephone. “It was not a heroic act,” said Murphy. “I figured if one man could do the job, why risk the lives of others.”

He ordered fire directly on top of the advancing Germans, communicating target instructions to 1st Battalion headquarters while at the same time shooting at the enemy infantry with his carbine. “I loved that artillery,” Murphy recalled. “I could see Kraut soldiers disappear in clouds of smoke and snow, hear them scream and shout, yet they came on and on as though nothing would stop them.” The Germans had advanced to within 50 yards of Murphy when a nervous lieutenant from battalion headquarters inquired about the enemy’s position. Murphy replied, “If you just hold the phone a minute, I’ll let you talk to one of the bastards.”

After exhausting his carbine ammunition, Murphy was preparing to fall back when the .50-caliber machine gun on the turret of the burning tank destroyer caught his eye. Soon the fire would reach the vehicle’s fuel and ammunition, but Murphy knew the gun was his only chance to stop the Germans. He climbed aboard the tank destroyer and began spraying the big .50-caliber at the enemy. Private First Class Anthony V. Abramski later reported, “I saw Lt. Murphy climb on top of the burning tank destroyer while bursts of machine pistol fire from the advancing infantry battered against the hull and tread.”

Murphy knew that the .50-caliber would have no effect on the tanks, so he concentrated his fire on the advancing infantry. “I would not waste my ammunition on something that direct hits by 90mm shells could not slow down,” he said. “I concentrated on the foot soldiers, believing that the tanks would not advance very far without them.” Private Charles Owen, one of the 18 men left in Company B, watched in awe as Murphy raked the oncoming enemy. “Boy, he was effective on that .50-caliber,” said Owen. “I don’t know whether he’d ever had .50-caliber training or not. But the Germans were deathly afraid of .50-calibers; they had armor-piercing capabilities.”

Another observer, Sergeant Elmer Brawley, who witnessed the engagement from the fringe of the woods, added, “The German infantrymen got within 10 yards of Lieutenant Murphy, who killed them in the draws, in the meadows, in the woods-wherever he saw them.” Murphy’s deadly fire on the supporting infantry eventually forced the tanks to return to an area in front of the woods. “These tanks added their murderous fire to that of the Kraut artillery and small-arms fire that showered the lieutenant’s position,” Brawley said.

Audie Murphy recreates his stand in "To Hell And Back"

The billowing smoke from the tank destroyer, combined with the constant roar of battle, prevented the Germans from detecting where the machine-gun fire was coming from. According to Murphy, “With all the crackle of firearms and big shells exploding all around, they probably didn’t even hear my machine-gun fire, much less guess its point of origin.” Although the smoke provided some concealment, it also interfered with Murphy’s visibility, which allowed some enemy soldiers to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. He wrote: “When I first saw them, they had stopped in the drainage ditch directly in front of me and were frantically discussing something. I pressed the trigger and slowly traversed the barrel-the bodies slumped in a stack position.”

Suddenly, two 88mm shells slammed into the tank destroyer. The concussion and shock of the explosion threw Murphy violently against the turret, nearly knocking him to the ground. “Lieutenant Murphy was enveloped in clouds of smoke and spurts of flame,” Weispfenning recalled. Miraculously, Murphy managed to maintain his composure and continued to fire the machine gun. The only time he stopped firing was when he had to reload or relay firing instructions to artillery. Years later, displaying his characteristic dry wit, Murphy remarked: “I remember getting the hell shook out of me, but that was nothing new. I also remember for the first time in three days my feet were warm.”

Amazingly, his luck continued to hold when the gray clouds broke long enough for American fighter-bombers to assemble above the raging battlefield. After hearing the glorious sound of the approaching planes, Murphy had the artillery mark the German positions with smoke shells so the pilots could start strafing. The enemy attack, although slowed, still pressed forward, however. Once again, the infantry threatened to overrun the strongpoint, now held down by a single American. In a daring move, Murphy continued to call for artillery fire, even though it was falling uncomfortably close to him by that time. “I figured that I could luck it out of that barrage if the Krauts could,” he said.

M-10 GMC Tank Destroyer

With the renewed barrage, the Germans finally realized that someone had them zeroed in with artillery. However, they still could not locate the source of the machine-gun fire that was cutting their ranks to pieces. A small group of Germans managed to infiltrate the woods as far back as the 1st Battalion headquarters, but the majority of the enemy infantry began to fall back toward Holtzwihr. Without the protection and support of the foot soldiers, the German armor wisely left the field. “I can understand why the Kraut infantry missed me,” deadpanned Murphy. “But I can never forgive the German tank men for their poor marksmanship. It was real sloppy.”

Just as the Germans began to fall back, Murphy’s field telephone went dead. Exhausted and bleeding profusely, Murphy climbed off the burning tank destroyer and limped back into the forest. “I turned from the Germans and never looked back,” he recalled. “I was too weak from fear and exhaustion to care anymore.” Shortly after reaching the woods, Murphy heard the tank destroyer blow up, blasting off the turret on which he had been standing.

[SAMWolf]

Although steel and rock fragments riddled the field map that he had carried during the battle, Murphy had been incredibly lucky. His trousers were soaked with blood from an old wound, suffered the previous October, that had been reopened in the course of his frenzied ordeal. “Murph was a daredevil; he took chances that others just wouldn’t take,” recalled Brad Croeker, a Company B private. “He was too daring for most of us. His middle name was lucky.” Bill Weinberg added: “I think he was just willing to stick his neck out. But it was a matter of being careful, too. He took more chances than others, but he did it in a calculated way.”



When Murphy got back to his company, he helped organize a counterattack. In sworn testimony, Sergeant Brawley stated: “Lieutenant Murphy, refusing to be evacuated, led us in a strong attack against the enemy, dislodging the Germans from the whole area.” Murphy continued advancing until the men of Company B had reoccupied their original positions.

Frozen and exhausted, the GIs spent the rest of the afternoon holding their ground. “That night we lay among our dead comrades who fell that afternoon,” Murphy said. Croeker recalled: “We were right beside the Colmar Canal. After that bloody day was over, we went down to the canal to get a drink....The bodies were so thick, you had to push them aside to get a drink of water.”

Strengthened by replacements, the 3rd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, captured Holtzwihr on January 27. The Germans, disheartened by their lack of progress against the Americans, pulled most of their men and materiel out of the area. Except for small pockets of enemy resistance, the areas east of the Ill River and north of the Colmar Canal were clear of enemy forces by January 28.


Holtzwihr, France Memorial to Audie Murphy

On June 2, 1945, Lt. Gen. Alexander Patch, commanding general of the Seventh Army, presented Lieutenant Murphy with the Medal of Honor. The official citation reads in part: “For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate Lieutenant Murphy, but he continued to hold his position....His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. Lieutenant Murphy’s indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction and enabled it to hold the woods, which had been the enemy’s objective.”

Charles Owen recalled years later: “He saved our lives. If he hadn’t done what he did, the Germans would have annihilated us. We were already beat down pretty bad and about out of ammunition.”

For Murphy, the Medal of Honor was the crowning achievement of an illustrious combat career. By the end of the war, he had received every medal for valor that his country had to offer, including two Bronze Stars, the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, three Purple Hearts and the Legion of Merit-making him the most decorated American soldier during World War II.



After the war, Murphy returned to Texas, but the reluctant hero was invited to Hollywood in September 1945 by actor James Cagney, who had seen his photo on the cover of Life magazine. Murphy made more than 40 films, including To Hell and Back, The Red Badge of Courage and many Westerns. On May 28, 1971, a private plane crashed outside Roanoke, Va., killing the five people aboard, including passenger Murphy, 46.

Additional Sources:

www.arlingtoncemetery.net
www.audiemurphy.com
www.sky.cz
www103.sakura.ne.jp

[SAMWolf]

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B, 15th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division.

Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945.

Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex.

G.O. No.65, 9 August 1945.

CITATION: 2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods.

2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back.

For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50.

2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

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[SAMWolf]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[Diver Dave]

Falling in for muster.

Audie Murphy always looks soooo young, like all of us in high school.

Always reminds me of a young Ensign we had aboard our ship. Short and baby-faced. My diving mate, a 2nd class Boatswains Mate nicknamed him "Teaspoon" figuring his youthful looks, still hadn't mastered a fork. Proved himself to be tough as nails when the need arose.

With that MOH around Audie's neck, I can't imagine anyone calling him "Teaspoon."

[Professional Engineer]

Here Sir!

[archy]

With that MOH around Audie's neck, I can't imagine anyone calling him "Teaspoon."

That's Lieutenant teaspoon, sir...

And never mind General Patch. You know who Murphy REALLY got his MOH from? Iron Mike O'Daniel, personally.

On March 5, 1945, 1st Lieutenant Audie Murphy was called to Nancy, France by order of his Division Commander, Major General (MG) John "Iron-Mike" O'Daniel. On this day, MG O'Daniel presented to 1st Lieutenant Murphy the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star. After MG O'Daniel pinned the medals on Audie's uniform, he pulled out of his pocket a Medal of Honor. Without giving it to Audie, MG O'Daniel showed the medal to him and stated that General Alexander Patch, the 7th Army Commander, would soon pin it on Audie during a different ceremony. MG O'Daniel is holding the Medal Of Honor in the photo below.

Major General O'Daniel was appointed the 3rd Infantry Division Commander in 1944 while the division was still at Anzio, Italy. In the fall of 1944, he lost his only son, a nineteen-year-old paratrooper, who was killed in combat over Holland. He was highly respected and admired by all of his soldiers for his tough professionalism, ability to lead, and his relentless pursuit of the enemy. German Field Marshal "Smiling" Albert Kesselring, commander of crack German divisions which fought against the 3rd Infantry Division in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Southern France would later say that the 3rd Division was "the best division we faced and never gave us a rest." On June 7, 1971, MG O'Daniel (retired) was one of the many soldiers and dignitaries that remembered and attended Audie Murphy's burial service at Arlington National Cemetery.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Sam.

North American X-15 - First supersonic aircraft

[E.G.C.]

Good morning sam and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

Folks, please be sure to update your anti-virus software. Today's the day Norton updates their virus definition list.

[The Mayor]

As [Jesus] drew near, He saw the city and wept over it. —Luke 19:41

God always knocks loud enough for the seeking soul to hear.

[The Mayor]

Wow, that's one hell of a story.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone in The FOXHOLE

[CholeraJoe]

Wasn't the Bell X-1 piloted by Chuck Yeager the first aircraft to fly supersonic?

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on March 31:
1499 Pius IV [Gianangelo de' Medici], Italian lawyer/pope (1559-65)
1596 René Descartes France, philosopher (he thought, therefore he was)
1675 Benedict XIV [Prospero L Lambertini], Italy, Pope (1740-58)
1684 Francesco Durante composer
1732 Franz Joseph Haydn Austria, composer
1809 Edward FitzGerald England, writer (Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam)
1809 Nikolai Gogol father of 19th-century Russian realism (Dead Souls)
1811 Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen Germany, chemist (Bunsen Burner)
1837 Robert Ross McBurney 1st paid secretary of the YMCA
1837 Stephen Dodson Ramseur Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1864
1839 Nikolay Przhevalsky naturalist, explorer of east central Asia
1840 John Herbert Kelly Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1864
1844 Andrew Lang Scotland, author (The Blue Fairy Book)
1854 Sir Dugald Clerk inventor (2-stroke motorcycle engine)
1872 Arthur Griffith Irish journalist, founder of Sinn Féin
1878 Jack Johnson 1st black heavyweight boxing champion (1908-1915)
1892 Stanislav Wladyslaw Maczek Polish/British General-Major/commandant
1903 Arthur Godfrey New York NY, TV host (Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts)
1914 Octavio Paz Mexico, writer/diplomat (Salamandra, Topoemas)
1915 Henry Morgan New York NY, comedian/TV panelist (I've Got a Secret, Dragnet, MASH)
1922 Patrick J G McGee North Ireland, actor (Clockwork Orange)
1922 Richard Kiley Chicago IL, actor (Man of La Mancha, Endless Love)
1924 Leo Buscaglia Los Angeles CA, "Dr Hug", psychologist (Love)
1927 Cesar Chavez Yuma AZ, farm labor leader (United Farm Workers)
1927 William Daniels Brooklyn NY, actor (Dr Mark Craig-St Elsewhere, 1776)
1928 Gordie Howe Floral Saskatchewan, NHL right wing (Detroit Red Wings)
1929 Liz Claiborne Brussels Belgium, fashion designer
1933 Bob Simmons Fulham England, stuntman (double for James Bond)
1933 Shirley Jones Smithton PA, actress (Partridge Family, Elmer Gantry)
1934 Grigori Grigoyevich Nelyubov Russia, cosmonaut (Vostok 1 backup)
1934 John D Loudermilk rock drummer/vocalist (Language of Love, Norman)
1935 Herb Alpert bandleader/trumpeter (Tijuana Brass)/CEO (A & M)
1935 Richard Chamberlain Beverly Hills CA, actor (Dr Kildare)
1943 Christopher [Ronald] Walken Astoria Queens NY, actor (Deer Hunter, Brainstorm)
1946 Gabe Kaplan Brooklyn NY, comedian/actor (Welcome Back Kotter)
1947 César Gaviria Trujillo President (Colombia, 1990-94)
1948 Albert Gore Jr Washington DC, (Senator-Democrat-TN, 1985-92)/45th US Vice President, Alpha male, Honorary Freeper (1993- )
1948 David Eisenhower Eisenhower's grandson (married Julie Nixon)
1948 Mick Ralphs Hereford & Worcester England, guitarist (Bad Company, Mott the Hoople)
1948 Rhea Perlman Brooklyn, actress (Zena-Taxi, Carla-Cheers)
1950 Ed Marinaro New York NY, actor (Joe-Hill St Blues, Sonny-Laverne & Shirley)
1957 Patrick G Forrester El Paso TX, Lieutenant Colonel Army/astronaut
1974 Carol Ann Plante actress (Sara Henderson-Harry & the Hendersons)
1974 Nina Georgala Miss Greece-Universe (1996)

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Deaths which occurred on March 31:
1621 Felipe III King of Spain (1598-1621), dies at 42
1631 John Donne Metaphysical poet, dies (birth date unknown)
1809 Franz Joseph Haydn composer, dies on 77th birthday
1837 John Constable English painter/water colors painter, dies at 60
1850 John Calhoun dies at 68
1855 Charlotte Brontë English author (Jane Eyre), dies at 38
1877 Antoine A Cournot French mathematician (rule of C), dies at 75
1880 Henryk Wieniawski Polish violist/composer, dies at 44
1898 Edward Noyes Westcott US attorney/writer (David Harum), dies
1913 John Pierpont Morgan US banker/CEO (US Steel Corp), dies at 75
1931 Knute Rockne football player/coach, dies in a plane crash at 43
1944 Mineichi Koga Admiral of Japanese fleet, dies
1945 Hans Fischer German physicist (Nobel 1930), dies at 63
1945 Maurice Rose 1st US General in Nazi Germany, killed in action at 45
1961 Seerp Anema Dutch poet/writer (Modern Art & Degenerating), dies at 85
1967 Don Alvarado actor (Morning Glory, Big Steal), dies at 62

1980 Jesse Owens of 1936 Berlin Olympics fame, dies in Arizona at 66

1986 Harry Ritz comedian/actor (Ritz Brothers), dies at 79
1986 Jerry Paris director/actor (Jerry-Dick Van Dyke Show), dies at 60
1986 O'Kelly Isley US, singer (Isley Brothers), dies of heart attack at 48
1991 John Carter US jazz clarinetist (Roots & folklore), dies
1993 Brandon Lee US actor (Crow)/son of Bruce Lee, accidentally shot at 28
1993 Jose Maria Lemus President of El Salvador (1956-60), dies
1995 Carl M Story fiddler, dies at 78
1995 Selena [Quintanilla Perez] Mexican Grammy winning singer, killed by a fan at 24
1997 Edwin Alberian TV celebrity (Clarabell), dies at 76

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 MC KINLEY GERALD W.---DANBURY CT.
[CRASH ON TARGET SITE]
1969 CARPENTER RAMEY LEO---NORMAN OK.
[REMAINS ID'D 06/24/98]
1969 WHITE DANFORTH E.---STATE COLLEGE PA.
REMAINS ID'D 06/24/98]
1971 SALLEY JAMES JR.---COLUMBIA SC.
1971 TERRILL PHILIP B.---HARTFORD NY.


POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
1084 Anti-pope Clemens crowns German emperor Hendrik IV
1492 Queen Isabella of Castilia & Ferdinand of Aragon expels Jews
1547 Henry II succeeds François I as king of France
1644 Pope Urbanus VIII & duke of Parma signs Peace of Ferrara
1651 Great earthquake at Cuzco Peru
1683 Emperor Leopold I/Poland signs covenant against Turkey
1745 Jews are expelled from Prague
1796 Johann Wolfgang von Goethes "Egmont" premieres in Weimar
1808 French created Kingdom of Westphalia orders Jews to adopt family names
1814 Forces allied against Napoleon capture Paris France
1831 Québec & Montréal incorporated
1850 US population hits 23,191,876 (Black population: 3,638,808 (15.7%))
1854 Treaty of Kanagawa: Commodore Perry forces Japan to opens ports to foreign trade
1861 Confederacy takes over mint at New Orleans
1862 Civil War action at Island #10 on the Mississippi River
1865 Battle of Boydton, Virginia (White Oaks Roads, Dinwiddie Court House)
1865 General Pickette moves to 5 Forks, abandoning the defense of Peterburg
1880 1st town completely illuminated by electric lighting (Wabash IN)
1889 300 meter Eiffel Tower officially opens (commemorates French Revolution)
1896 Whitcomb Judson, Chicago IL, patents a hookless fastening (zipper)
1906 George Bernard Shaw's German version of "Caesar & Cleopatra" premieres in Berlin
1907 Romanian Army puts down Moldavian farmers' revolt
1909 Baseball rules players who jump contracts are suspended for 5 years
1909 Gustav Mahler conducts New York Philharmonic for his 1st time
1917 US purchases Danish West Indies for $25M & renames them Virgin Islands
1918 1st daylight savings time in US goes into effect
1921 Albert Einstein lectures in New York on his new theory of relativity
1921 British coal miners goes on strike
1923 1st dance marathon-NYC-Alma Cummings sets record of 27 hours
1923 French soldiers fire on workers at Krupp factory in Essen; 13 die
1926 German Special Court of Justice for state security disbands
1932 Ford publicly unveils its V-8 engine
1933 1st newspaper published on pine pulp paper, "Soperton News" (Georgia)
1933 Congress authorizes Civilian Conservation Corps
1933 German Republic gives power to Hitler
1939 Britain & France agree to support Poland if invaded by Germany
1940 Karelo-Finnish SSR becomes 12th Soviet republic (until 1956)
1943 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma!" opens on Broadway
1943 US errantly bombs Rotterdam, kills 326
1944 Hungary orders all Jews to wear yellow stars
1945 Tennessee Williams' "Glass Menagerie" premieres in New York NY
1948 Congress passes Marshall Aid Act to rehabilitate war-torn Europe
1949 Newfoundland becomes Canada's 10th province
1951 US tanks exceed 38º of latitude in Korea
1953 Department of Health, Education & Welfare established
1953 UN Security Council nominates Dag Hammarskjöld Secretary-General
1954 US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs CO, established
1954 USSR offers to join NATO
1955 Chase National (3rd largest bank) & Bank of the Manhattan Company (15th largest bank) merge to form Chase Manhattan
1958 US Navy forms atomic sub division
1958 USSR suspends nuclear weapons tests, & urges US & Britain to do same
1959 Dalai Lama fled China & was granted political asylum in India
1963 Los Angeles ends streetcar service after 90 years
1965 US ordered the 1st combat troops to Vietnam
1966 25,000 anti war demonstrators march in New York NY
1966 USSR launches Luna 10, 1st lunar orbiter
1967 Jimi Hendrix begins his tradition of burning his guitar
1968 LBJ announces he will not seek re-election
1971 William L Calley Jr sentenced to life for My Lai Massacre
1972 Official Beatles Fan Club closes down
1973 Ken Norton defeats Muhammad Ali in a 12 round split decision
1976 New Jersey Court rules Karen Anne Quinlan may be disconnected from respirator
1980 President Jimmy Carter deregulates banking industry
1981 1st Golden Raspberry Awards: Can't Stop the Music wins
1982 Rock group Doobie Brothers split up
1983 Earthquake in Colombia kills some 5,000 people
1985 El Salvador's President Duartes Christian-Democrats win election
1985 Wrestlemania I at Madison Square Garden New York, Hogan & Mr T beat Piper & Orndorf
1990 Dionisio Castro cycles world record 20 km (57:18.4)
1990 Riots began in London over the new poll tax laws
1991 Albania offers 1st multi-party election in 50 years
1991 Danny Bonaduce attacks a transvestite prostitute in Phoenix AZ

1991 Soviet Republic of Georgia endorsed independence; Warsaw Pact dissolves

1992 UN Security Council voted to ban flights & arms sales to Libya
1995 Federal judge orders injunction to end baseball strike
1996 1st Opening Day in history in March takes place in Seattle
1997 Pioneer 10, ends its mission

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Malta : Republic Day/National Day (1974)
Alaska : Seward Day (1867) (Monday)
US Virgin Island : Transfer Day (1917) (Monday)
National Middle School Month

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Religious Observances
Anglican, Lutheran : Commemoration of John Donne, priest

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Religious History
1787 English founder of Methodism John Wesley wrote in a letter: 'When the witness and the fruit of the Spirit meet together, there can be no stronger proof that we are of God.... Were you to substitute...reason for the witness of the Spirit, you would never be established.'
1816 Death of Francis Asbury, 70, pioneer Methodist bishop. Sent to America in 1771 by John Wesley, he saw the new denomination grow from under 500 members to over 200,000 by the time of his death.
1950 American missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: 'How the Savior suffered in the sinner's place! What tormented him in time menaces the sinner for eternity.'
1958 English apologist C. S. Lewis wrote in "Letters to an American Lady": 'What most often interrupts my own prayers is not great distractions but tiny ones things one will have to do or avoid in the course of the next hour.'
1976 American Presbyterian apologist Francis Schaeffer wrote in a letter: 'You must not lose confidence in God because you lost confidence in your pastor. If our confidence in God had to depend upon our confidence in any human person, we would be on shifting sand.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"All work and no play makes jack. And lots of it."

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Newspaper Headlines in the Year 2035...
Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

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New State Slogans...
Illinois: Please Don't Pronounce the "S"

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Female Language Patterns...
We're moving too quickly, REALLY MEANS,
I'm not going to sleep with you until I find out if this guy at the gym has a girlfriend.

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Male Language Patterns...
"Will you marry me?" REALLY MEANS,
"Both my roommates have moved out, I can't find the washer, and there is no more peanut butter."

[Darksheare]

He ordered fire directly on top of the advancing Germans, communicating target instructions to 1st Battalion headquarters while at the same time shooting at the enemy infantry with his carbine. “I loved that artillery,” Murphy recalled. “I could see Kraut soldiers disappear in clouds of smoke and snow, hear them scream and shout, yet they came on and on as though nothing would stop them.” The Germans had advanced to within 50 yards of Murphy when a nervous lieutenant from battalion headquarters inquired about the enemy’s position. Murphy replied, “If you just hold the phone a minute, I’ll let you talk to one of the bastards.”
"After expending all his carbine ammunition at the enemy, Murphy himself prepared to fall back. Suddenly, he spotted a .50-caliber machine gun on the turret of a burning tank destroyer."

He'd have been a great artilleryman, and for some odd reason I can see in my mind's eye a few seconds of thought going through his head like this: "Hmm.. out of ammo, what do I have, hmm.. rock, knife, nope.. nope... *eyes glance around* AHHH! FIFTY CAL!"

[skeeter]

There's some argument whether Yeager was first, or whether George Welch(of Pearl Harbor fame) beat him by a few hours by going supersonic(in a dive) first in a XP-86 Sabre.

Welch was by then a civilian test pilot working for North American.

[U S Army EOD]

I am a little confused by this article. It states that Murpy had three purple hearts. My understanding is once you have three purple hearts, you can turn tail, leave your men, put someone else in your slot and go home. After that you can always remind everyone how brave you were. Also if Hollywood won't make a movie about your exploits, you can return to the spot of the action and instuct one of your own crewmen to use your own camera while you re-enact the action. I heard this has been done by certain people, could you please explain.

[SAMWolf]

Morning DD.

Yeah, Audie Murphy looked more like a high school student than the typical image of the "grizzled war veteran". Proves hearoe's come in all shapes and sizes.

[SAMWolf]

Morning PE. Grabbing a quick meal and plugged in to check the thread. At least the weather has improved.