(If you wish to print this display of my experiences, there are no links to other pages within the story.)
The
Service Diary of German War Prisoner #315136
Der
Militardienst Taschenkalender
des Kriegsgefangnen #315136
Sergeant
John P.
Company M, 423rd Combat Infantry Regiment
106th Infantry Division
Army of the
Squad
Leader, First Platoon, Second Squad
Heavy Machine Gun
The 106th Infantry Division
UPSETTING
THE GERMAN TIME TABLE
The battle is known to the American soldier as The
We were known as the Golden Lions, because of the shoulder insignia we proudly wore. We were ready, we thought, to handle whatever came our way. We were young, brave and with honor. We have no reason to apologize to any person, State or Nation for the way we conducted ourselves in battle.
The Golden Lions of the 106th Infantry Division, due to the surprise attack, may have taken a few faltering steps in those snowy winter days of mid December 1944. Yet, as the German High Command soon realized, those young Golden Lions were capable of recovering and fighting fiercely.
As after action reports of the
Hitler's orders were to bypass all pockets of major resistance. His main
objective was
His first objective, in the 106th's area, was to take St. Vith and its network of roads. He underestimated the time that it would take to overpower the Golden Lion Division.
Entrenched high atop the Schnee Eifel, the 422nd and 423rd Infantry Regiments of the 106th Infantry Division were bypassed on the North and south flanks. However, they chose not to stay in their positions. Instead, they withdrew and engaged the enemy, who had closed the pincers behind them at Schönberg. In doing so, they kept the enemy occupied during the crucial hours at the start of his counter offensive.
The delay which resulted from their action, combined by the stubborn
resistance of the 424th Infantry Regiment to the South, blunted the enemy's
drive. The Germans burned precious fuel, wasted troops and lost time that would
never be recovered.
In the final analysis their resources and time ran out.
The days lost and the men sacrificed, cost the Germans
more than they had bargained for.
The 106th's resistance contributed to an early finish of World War II.
Winter
1944-
This
year also, Spring will come
to beautify the earth.
The
glory in each icy clod
even now awaits its birth.
Spring
will come to this hurt land.
Its face will then be gay.
This
splendor latent in each bough
will swell, then burst and sway.
Winter
yields each year to Spring
its natures rule, so be it.
Even
this year Spring will come
and some of us will see it.
The poem above
from
"Before the Veterans Die"
In Memory of:
it’s author
Dale R. Carver (Died 14 Oct 2001)
formerly: Ammunition & Pioneer
Platoon Leader
1st Lt., 424th Combat Infantry Regiment
Headquarters 3rd Battalion
106th Infantry Division
Awarded the Silver Star for gallantry
in action against the enemy.
The
Service Diary of a German War Prisoner #315136
Author John P. Kline
published and edited by John P. Kline
© Copyright by John P. Kline 1987-2002
On December 16, 1944 the German Armies under Field Marshal Gerd von
Rundstedt mounted a massive counteroffensive, historically known as the "Battle
of the Bulge." The Germans called it Wacht am Rhein, The rest
of the Europeans The Ardennes Offensive or The
Battle Ardennes .
The springboard for this counter offensive, started
with a thrust through the
The 106th Infantry Division, when they
caught the brunt of the German offensive on
-- Had been on the Continent only 15 days.
-- Had been placed in a
"quiet" sector for orientation.
-- Had the youngest troops (average age
- 22) of any American Division.
-- Had been in their front line
positions only 5 days.
-- Had no prior warning the Germans
were preparing to attack.
-- Occupied a front line that covered
at least four times the normal distance.
So fierce was the German onslaught that the 106th
Infantry Division had the dubious honor of being hit by a greater concentration
of enemy strength than any other American Division in the war. In a single
brief engagement the 106th suffered more losses than any other American
division in World War II.
Two of its three Regiments the 422nd and
423rd Infantry Regiments, isolated from other Allied troops, were
liquidated within three days after the German Offensive started. Its third
regiment, the 424th, continued to carry the banner for the 106th and fought
proudly through to the end of the war.
Early in January of 1945, Secretary of War
Henry L. Stimson announced the casualty list for the 106th Infantry
Division. The totals - 416 men killed in action, 1,246 wounded and 7,001
missing in action. Over 60 percent of the division's personnel were dead,
wounded or captured. Actually the 106th Infantry Division suffered 641 Killed
in Action from the start of the Battle of the Bulge until the end of the
fighting war.
Captured December 19, 1944, on a hill overlooking
Schönberg, Belgium, I was one of the 7,001 that was missing in action. During
my captivity I kept a diary. Eighteen pages in length, the diary was stored in
a cigar box for all these years, along with a few MIA telegrams, V-mail
letters, and other war memorabilia. Occasionally, I looked through the old
cigar box and leafed through the diary. Each time thinking that I should make
it more readable, by putting it to print.
I finally decided to preserve the information
for my family and grandchildren.
The old diary has enabled me to revive my
memory and retrace my steps. I have been able to preserve the events of those
days for history and my family. Other historic events since World War II
have brought back memories of those days.
One such event was the return of the
American prisoners from Vietnam. The sight of the returning prisoners walking
down the ramps, to meet their loved ones, brought my emotions to the raw edge.
It reminded me of the day in 1945 that I returned home as a liberated prisoner.
On that day, I stepped off a Greyhound bus to walk and run 12 blocks to my
home. There, to join my wife, my 9 month old son and my parents. That was a day
that I shall always remember. The last few months, (this was written
1987) as I have searched my memory and expanded on my dairy, have not been
without emotion. In my mind, many of the episodes and happenings of those days
once again became real.
In 1977 after 34 years of marriage, my first
wife died of Cancer. She had, in August of 1944, delivered our first son. Then,
in December 1944 she suffered through news of the collapse of the 106th
Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge. Then along with my
parents suffered the suspense of the "Missing in Action" telegrams.
Finally, rejoicing with me in a happy return. Later, she gave me two more sons.
Our sons, in turn, gave us four handsome grandsons. Then one granddaughter, one
step granddaughter and one step grandson. (1999).
A photo of Bettie and I before I went to service in
1943.
A trip to Shakamak State Park, Indiana just before leaving for service in the
Army
I did remarry, in 1978...... Margot, a
native of Frankfurt, Germany - a resident of the U.S.A. since 1951 . She brought
to me two more wonderful grandchildren. Margot and I have spent many hours
talking about the war and how it affected our lives. We have a common interest
in reading about World War II. Our personal library contains nearly as many
books about the war, as do the local libraries.
Margot, a War Orphan, suffered many hardships
during the war. Bombers buried her for two days under a shoe store where she
worked after school. Her father, a railroad crewman, was killed on a troop
train. Her mother was killed in their home during a bombing raid.
Margot and I went back to Germany in 1980. It
was my first trip since the war, and her second. We traveled from Luxembourg up
to St Vith, Belgium then east to Schönberg. We stopped, for a very short time,
on the Schönberg-Bleialf Road, where I was captured. It was near what I thought
to be the hill in the woods where the Germans took me prisoner. It was cold,
cloudy and raining. I had not prepared myself with proper maps. I had not
prepared myself for the psychological impact of returning to the battle area.
We stood on the road for about five minutes. My heart was pounding. I had to
get out of the area.
That evening we dined at the Gasthaus Zum Dom
Stein, a lovely restaurant in Trier, Germany. During dinner Margot said
"John, while we on the road outside Schönberg, you looked as if you were
in a trance. Did it bother you that much?" It did, for I was
remembering the events of December 19, 1944. 1 was trying to recall what the
area looked like then. I could see the soldiers on the battlefield. I could
hear them calling for medics. I was sure I was near the woods where so many
were killed. I could visualize Germans in white snow suits and camouflage.
Because of the passing of time the forest looked different. The trees had
grown, hiding the lightly covered slope I remembered. I was confused, uncertain
and could not understand my emotions. I had to leave. I could not stay. In my
anxiety I forgot to take pictures while standing at the foot of Linscheid Hill,
southeast of Schönberg. Yet, during our three week journey I took over 600
photos, but none of the village of Schönberg or the battle area by the woods.
Margot's time for trauma was to come. We
continued our journey down the Mosel River from Trier to Bernkastel-Kues. Then
on to Koblenz, to cross the Rhine using the same bridge that I walked across on
my way to Stalag 12-A, Limburg an der Lahn, Germany.
From there we continued to Frankfurt. After
checking into the Hotel Intercontinental - Margot and I visited the area
where her home had been bombed. The outline of the basement of her former home
still could be seen - the house had been razed and cleared from the area in the
ensuing years. Then nearby, to visit a Lutheran Church, the place of her
baptism. Across the street was the rebuilt school she had attended as a young
girl. Behind her school and across a playing field was another large building.
Margot told me that was where Horst, her younger brother, had attended school.
The next day we found Horst. Tears still come
to my eyes when I think of the reunion of Margot and Horst. Margot had not seen
him for 32 years. We found him by looking for his name in the
Margot Mayer
Margot had just discovered Horst. She lost track of him in 1945 and had never
been able
to locate him, until our trip together back to
We visited with Horst, and his wonderful wife
Ericka, then continued our journey through
Horst died in 1988, from complications of a
heart problem. I am happy that Margot is able to remember him as a grown man.
She can now live with the thought that they had once again been together as
brother and sister.
Some day I am going back to Schönberg. I now have more knowledge of the area
and the battle. I want to visit the Schnee Eifel. Then I want to
take the roads to Halenfeld, Oberlascheid and Radscheid. Most important, I want
to walk through the woods on Linscheid Hill. Maybe I can find that place in the
woods, where I looked over the valley, listening to the cries of
the wounded, the sounds of incoming artillery, and lived through
Hell..........
(Footnote:
1995)
I
returned to
Sadly they lay under the ground, as the results of a war that should have never
been...
(Footnote 1999 )
This September 1995 German/American meeting was so successful that we were
invited back in May 1999. The German Bundeswehr Military Reserve,
How true that is 55 years later.....
John
Formerly Sergeant Squad Leader
2nd squad, 1st Platoon,
M Company, 423rd Infantry Regiment
106th Infantry Division, WWII
E-mail:
Home Page: http://www.mm.com/user/jpk
Originally transcribed from the 1944 diary in June 1987.Various and ongoing
additions and corrections 1999-2000
Left:
The front page of the original notebook paper given to me by an English
soldier.
Right: Part of the transcript I had penciled in as the opportunity arose.
I kept these notes hidden under my clothes. I was only searched once and they
were not discovered. All in all, the
original transcript used 15 pages of handwritten "reminder" notes. I
amplified on some of the finer parts when I got back home and my memory was
still sharp. As I gained more knowledge, after getting home, I amplified some
of the writing to be consistent with the reported "happenings" of the
time. Every time I read this diary, it brings back sharp memories of my
experiences. I hope you enjoy reading them (my experiences) and it helps you
understand how a soldier must have felt under these circumstances...
John Kline
From my original Diary:
I was drafted into the United
States Army, at the age of 18, one week after completing my High School
education.
Born
My father was orphaned as a teenager, his
parents have been hard to trace, but we have traced them back to
1943
Induction physical examination
I was inducted into the Army at a swearing in ceremony
at Fort Benjamin Harrison -
05/43-08/43
Three months of Infantry Basic Training. Company B, Seventh Infantry Training
Battalion Camp Wheeler, GA. Qualified as "Expert Rifleman"
with a score of 193 (the second highest score in the training battalion) on
Married Bettie Lue LaFollette, daughter of Milton and Edna LaFollette of
09/43
I was sent to
This was especially difficult schooling
for me, for I graduated from a small high school Near
1944
I was transferred to the 106th Infantry Division,
I learned, later, that this division had
lost over 600 officers and 6,600 enlisted men to the replacement process. Many
of these men were involved in the D-Day landings in
Asked for transfer from Motor Pool to Company and was assigned to 2nd gunner,
2nd squad, 1st Platoon. Sgt Smith was our Squad Leader.
Hospitalized,
Wife delivered our son, John Theodore.
Released from
Appointed acting squad leader, 2nd squad, 1st Platoon, M Company. Squad Leader
Sgt. Smith sent to Replacement Depot.
From my Service Mementos:
My Last Will and Testament was signed by Pfc John Paul
I was promoted to a rank of Corporal.
Wet down stripes (a custom after
promotions, you go out and try do drink up the town) "Wet
Down your Stripes"
Appointed Squad Leader
Promoted to Sergeant, 2nd Squad, 1st Platoon
M Company, 423rd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division
Dominic Damore 1st gunner, Lloyd Breeden 2nd gunner.
Left Camp Atterbury, by train, early Monday morning.
Arrived Camp Myles Standish, near
Left
We left
Arrived at
We left
We arrived at
We were fortunate have quarters in the Press
Room, atop the Main Grandstand -overlooking the finish line on the track. Below
us in front of the Grandstand building, was a picturesque recreation building.
It was used for administrative purposes when the track was active. It had a
lounge, and a pool table. We enjoyed it.
Some of our troops were billeted in metal "Quonset" huts, a
building that looks like a very large steel culvert pipe sawed in half,
horizontally lying on its side. The Quonset huts were scattered throughout the
area near the grandstands.
We spent many hours in training marches, over
the hilly countryside, while here. There was little physical evidence of the
war, except the encampment area mentioned before. There were munitions stored
along the roads in protective bunkers. During one of our many training marches,
we came across the remains of an English bomber, lying scattered across a hill
top. From what we could see, this area had not been damaged by the German
bombers.
Though the training was tough, we did get a
few evening passes into town. To me, as a country village boy,
The steeplechase track was on the edge of
town. When we did have a pass we could walk into the town. Of course, it was
always filled with soldiers. There were a few places to eat, and food was not
plentiful. We probably had more than the local townspeople. I remember going
into town for dinner one evening. After a couple of warm glasses of ale in a
Pub, I found a little restaurant on a side street. It had quaint little
embroidered table clothes. It was relaxing, but the meal was sparse. I don't
remember what I had to eat. I have a great distaste for lamb, so I am sure it
was not that.
Most of our free evenings were spent walking
the streets, having a few beers and trying to find some familiar face. The town
was always "loaded" with soldiers. Little wonder the British were
glad when we all went home.
In a letter to my wife on this date I wrote:
"I went to a double feature movie last night. Calling Dr.
Gillispie and Lend Me Your Ear were playing. I became
bored and returned to quarters to listen to the radio. Charlie McArthy and
Edgar Bergen were being featured. I am listening to the ABC Armed Services
Network. It's sure nice to hear American songs. Bing Crosby just finished
singing Dreaming of a White Christmas. That song will never get
old. We listen to a lot of songs and news from the Armed Services Network. M
Company is on guard detail. I was lucky
and missed out on it. Not much going on this evening. Love
Shown as from "Somewhere"
I don't see how I am going to write tonight. The fellows are playing cards
and arguing about the North and the South. Doesn't make much difference, we are
all Yanks to these people over here. We put our patches on yesterday, so it
won't be long till we can tell where we are. ... Just saw The Song of
Bernadette and The White Cliffs of Dover. Both were
good.... Came back to quarters to play a little Pinochle, I don't play Poker
anymore... How is Teddie (our son) tonight? I haven't received the pictures
yet. I sure would like to see him. I'll
bet he is sweet. He ought to be, look at his Ma and
Right now I am listening to Glen Miller on the Armed Services Radio. I went
to
Another letter sent: Hi Sweet, How's the little gal. I just received three
boxes. I got the fruit cake, candy bars and a box of caramels. Boy, it sure was
nice to receive a box from home. I even smelled the paper to see if I could
smell a little bit of
We have been very busy lately, Tonight, I
am Battalion Charge of Quarters (CQ). I ate about fifteen minutes early today
and the First Sergeant stuck me with this duty till 0200 tomorrow morning. We
took a little trip yesterday on some detail. Saw a lot of the countryside. The
towns over here are real quaint. The homes and business buildings are all built
of stone. All the streets except the main street are without sidewalks. The
houses extend right out to the edge of the street. I have to admit the homes
over here are very pretty. The countryside is beautiful. The beer is bitter,
and it doesn't take much to set you on your can. Well Sweetie, better close for
now ...... Remember to send me a pair of one-finger mittens (trigger finger
open).
We occasionally were assigned work details
away from camp. I recall traveling through the country side in the rear of a
4X4 truck, to get supplies from another base. On another day off, I hitched a
ride to an English base nearby and visited with some of the troops there. There
were a lot of Quonset huts, I spent most of my time in their recreation hall.
There was little difference between the English compound and ours. I did find it
interesting since this was my first visit with troops, other than American.
We were issued the new, longer style field
jackets with tighter cuffs and a draw string around the middle. That evening I
volunteered to go into a nearby Pub and bring back some Fish and Chips. Since I
did not have a pass, I sneaked through a hole in the perimeter fence and walked
to a nearby Pub. Fish and Chips are always wrapped in newspaper for carry out.
On the way back I was caught in a rainstorm.
The newspaper containing the fish and chips was soaked. I stuffed the bundle
inside my jacket and made my way back across the track to our billet. It took a
lot of work to get the grease out of my new field jacket. The Fish and Chips
were very good. My squad applauded my heroics in saving the chips. Then they
took a couple of English pound notes from me in the evening craps.
After a heavy training schedule, we went by train to the
Arrived in
We were happy to reach the temporary harbor at
If you entered the
Arrived at Field J-40 (a staging area) near
We bivouacked in our two man pup tents for
the six days we were at J-40. It rained, at least once a day. We were never
able to get completely dry and comfortable.
Left J-40 combat loaded with jeep, driver and 1st gunner early morning. It was
getting colder. We had the jeep top up and the side curtains on. We kept warm
by using our new liquid fuel cooking stove. It was a small stove, enclosed in
an aluminum canister about the size of a large thermos bottle. Some men used a
can filled with sand and gasoline to keep warm. As we traveled along the French
road towards
As we entered St Vith, Belgium, older, established troops gave us the
normal "new kid on the block" salutations. They yelled at us, "You'll
be sorry" and other similar phrases, some not so nice. We set up
bivouac in woods on the edge of town. The large pines, looking like huge
Christmas trees made the woods quiet, warm and very beautiful. The silence and
peaceful surroundings of the pines and snow, was pleasant. Especially
after the week near
We left the woods near St Vith for front line positions. Our destination
was a defense line in the
We took over positions held by the 2nd
Infantry Division and exchanged much of our new equipment for their old. The
exchange was to be made as quickly and quietly as possible. The 2nd Division
was being transferred to
Historians and military strategists, argue that the Schnee Eifel positions
should never have been occupied. They say that it was impossible to launch an
offensive from there. They argued that the positions presented no defense
against an assault from the east. This the Germans proved, on Dec 16, as they cut
off our positions by attacking around the north and south ends of the Schnee
Eifel. They, the crystal gazers, were right. A static defense line was not the
answer for a thinly spread force. Any penetration through our lines would
result in disaster.
M Company, 423rd Regiment, was assigned
positions along the front line to support the rifle companies. An Infantry
heavy weapons company, like ours, is equipped with 81 mm mortars and water
cooled 30 caliber machine guns. A rifle company, is equipped with automatic
weapons and mortars that are only 60 mm mortars and air cooled machine guns.
Our duty was to support the various rifle companies of the 3rd Battalion, 423rd
Regiment. They were, I, K and L Companies. Such was our deployment along
the tree covered ridge atop the Schnee Eifel.
The
We completed our changeover with the 2nd
Infantry Division as darkness came. We had no time to become acquainted with
the territory around our new positions. Because of that, and since we
were new and inexperienced troops, our first night was unforgettable. We
were facing, for the first time, an enemy that we only knew from newsreels and
training films. It was a sleepless and anxiety filled night.
I can personally confirm that a snow covered
tree stump will actually move. That is, if you stare at it long enough - and if
you are a young, nineteen year old machine gun squad leader peering, into the
darkness, towards the enemy through a slit in a machine gun bunker. Every sound
was amplified. Every bush could be an enemy crawling towards you. Your eyes
grow bleary from staring into the darkness. You are happy when the relieve crew
shows up. The next day, you take a good long look at the stump that moved
during the night. You take note of all unusual objects, and then things start
to settle down.
There were two gun emplacements (bunkers) for
my machine gun squad. One was higher on the hill, and the other a couple of
hundred yards down the slope. When we first moved in, our gun position was in
the lower bunker. After the first night we were asked to move back up the
slope, to the alternate bunker. For what reason, I don't know. We did
appreciate the move, for the alternate bunker was much warmer and drier. As in
the lower bunker, there were "trip lines" running from the
bunker down into the forest and through the barbed wire. The lines were
attached to hand grenades and flares. Then, they were placed in their
shipping containers and attached to tree trunks. If we detected movement
in the area beyond the barbed wire we could pull a trip line. This would cause
a grenade to explode, after it was pulled from its container. A flare could be
ignited to light up the area in the same manner. Our field of fire was good,
but very limited. The 2nd Division had cut down a lot of trees and cleaned out
the brush. However, the forest still offered the enemy excellent cover.
I remember one day being convinced that I
could see a vehicle, in the woods, several hundred yards down the hill. The
contours of the hill and the thick forest were playing games with my
imagination. When I looked at it from another vantage point, the illusion
disappeared.
There was one rifleman to the left of my
bunker. He was entrenched in a log covered foxhole. According to members of the
patrols, this rifleman was the last person between my machine gun emplacement
and the 422nd Regiment. The 422nd Regiment was reported to be several hundred
yards north on the
We left the bunker area twice daily to eat
our meals in a mess tent. It was back of us, to the West, on the opposite side
of the hill. To get to it we had to walk along a trail, through a clearing, and
down the other side. The Germans had the clearing zeroed in. As we crossed the
clearing, we had to be prepared to hit the ground in case they decided to
harass us. The 2nd Division's squad leader that I relieved, said two men had
been killed crossing the clearing a few days ago. Our daily trips to the mess
tent were something to look forward too. The food was good and the Mess
Sergeant seemed to be friendlier since we have moved up to the front lines. I
did enjoy those meals, there were generous portions and we could chat with the
others and get brought up to date on the local news.
History shows -- The
Battle of the Bulge" started at 0530 on the morning of
My division, the 106th
Infantry Division, suffered over 416 killed in action, 1,246 wounded and 7,001
men missing, in action in the first days of the
Our company commander set up
his headquarters in one of the enormous Siegfried Line bunkers. The bunker was
not completely demolished, as they usually were. The underground rooms were
intact and accessible. He had taken a room several flights down. The command
bunker was on a crest of a hill. The firing apertures faced west towards
German activity was reported along our front
on the 17th (remember the Bulge started on the 16th). The commander
called me back to the command post. He informed me that I should be prepared to
move my gun to his area to protect the command post. While visiting with him, I
noticed that he was very nervous. His 45 Colt pistol was on the table, ready
for action. Our Master Sergeant, who was also present, seemed equally
concerned. Later I was to learn the reason for their anxiety. I suspect, in
retrospect, that they had been made aware of the German breakthrough, yet did
not yet know the importance of the news.
While in the vicinity of the command post bunker,
I watched a U.S. Army Air Corps P-47 Thunderbolt chase a German Messerschmitt
(ME 109) through the sky. They passed directly in front of us. Our area being
one of the highest on the Schnee Eifel, gave us a clear view of the surrounding
valleys. The P-47 was about two hundred yards behind the ME-109 and was pouring
machine gun fire into the German plane. They left our sight as they passed over
the edge of the forest. We were told later, that the P-47 downed the German
ME-109 in the valley.
As it turned out, my machine gun was not
moved to the command post. During the night of the 17th we heard gunfire, small
arms, mortars and artillery. We also could hear and see German rocket fire to
the South. The German rocket launcher was five barreled and of large caliber.
The rocket launcher is called a "Nebelwerfer." Due to their design,
the rockets make a screaming sound as they fly through the air. Using high
explosives, but not very accurate, they can be demoralizing if you are in their
path of flight.
On the morning of the 18th I was instructed to report to the mess tent for a
briefing. As I was walking to the tent I noticed two German prisoners being
guarded by an American GI. They were setting under a tree near the mess tent.
During the briefing we were told that the
Germans had broken through our supply lines. This rumor turned out to be true.
However, we were not informed of how grave the situation was. The facts were,
as you will read later, that we were cut off from the rest of the division early
in the morning of the 17th. The artillery and rockets that we had heard to the
south, were sounds of the battle that was taking place at Bleialf, a small
village on the road between Prüm and Schönberg. The 423rd Anti-Tank Company who
had that defensive area had been thrown out of Bleialf on the 16th. They used
all available troops in the area and pushed the Germans back out of Bleialf,
only to be overrun again on the morning of the 17th. They were overpowered by
the tremendous numbers of German troops heading northwest up the
Bleialf-Schönberg road. The Germans had closed the pincers behind us, at
Schönberg. We were like a boulder protruding from the middle of a stream. This
proved the military strategists to be correct. A mountain is not the place to be
when you have no support.
But, I
am getting ahead of my story....
We were told to eat a big breakfast
because we were going to hit the road. We were ordered to head west and join
with the rest of Regiment. We, presumably, were to make our way to St. Vith.
The cook made stacks and stacks of pancakes. We all ate like it was our last
meal. Little did we know that this would be our last decent meal for the next
four months. We then prepared to leave our positions taking only the bare
necessities and as much ammunition as possible. Our personal gear was in
our duffel bags, stacked near the mess tent. We left them there, thinking that
we would retrieve them later. I had an old Kodak Autographic camera in my
duffel bag. It had been given to me as a gift by a high school classmate. I
always regretted the loss of that camera. One of my active hobbies after the
war was "photography."
We left our Schnee Eifel positions, heading
west towards Schönberg. I was in my squad jeep, with my driver and gunner. We
were traveling between columns of troops that were afoot. At that time I was
not familiar with the names of the villages or towns in the vicinity. In my
studies after the war I read that we evacuated from the Schnee Eifel positions
west through Halenfeld. Then we took a right fork at Oberlascheid to
(This special note was added during the update of this
diary in March 1993.) In 1987, I
read a book written in 1985, A Time for Trumpets, by Charles B. MacDonald. He
had written another book just after the war, Company Commander, which was about
his infantry company that fought in the Bulge. He was the youngest company
commander in the European Theater of Operations in World War II. He had spent
five years prior to publication researching the battle, traveling to the area
and gaining information from many of the participants.
His book explained in more detail what
happened during the
Eventually, from April 1987 to this date,
March 1993, I have located or accounted for 77 of my former buddies from
"M" Company. Of this number 10 have passed away. One of those that I
contacted early in my search - 1987 - was Colonel C.C. Cavender, the Regimental
Commander of the 423rd Combat Infantry Regiment, of which "M" Company
was a part of. I was privileged to have the Colonel as my roommate at the 106th
Infantry Division Association's 1990 Annual Reunion in
Colonel C. C. Cavender told me that we, the
3rd Battalion of the 423rd Regiment were attempting to get to Radscheid to
assist the 2nd Battalion of the 423rd Regiment. They were engaged in a
fire-fight along the Bleialf-Schönberg road during their attempt to cut the
road which had been taken by the Germans. He told me that originally the two
regiments were to march south of Schönberg and make their way back to St Vith
to join the rest of the division in a defense situation. Instead of assisting
the 2nd Battalion Colonel Cavender received orders to move the 3rd battalion to
the right of the 2nd battalion and head it toward Schönberg. The route was to
be through the hilly woods, later identified as "Linscheid Hill"
southeast of
Colonel Cavender, after the war, received
much criticism for moving the 3rd battalion to the right around Puett. In a
recent conversation, October 1989, with him, he said, "Those were the
orders I received from General Jones." He then told me more about the
battle at Bleialf. He formed a provisional battalion, the 423rd Anti-Tank
Company plus a mixture of men from other units. This provisional battalion
threw the Germans back on the 16th, only to be thrown overrun again on the
17th. After moving into the Schnee Eifel front line positions he, Colonel
Cavender, inspected the whole area, including the area around Bleialf.
Accompanying him was his counterpart, Colonel
Boos, the 2nd Division's Regimental Commander. Colonel Cavender expressed
concern to him, to about the open corridor from Prüm to Schönberg. It was
defended by a thin line of troops. He was concerned, as had been his 2nd
Division counterpart that, in case of an attack there was a lack of secondary
defense. His fears turned out to be true. He asked Colonel Boos what
reserve or "backup" resources were available and Colonel Boos
replied, "None."
When the Ardennes Offensive broke, the
Germans poured around the Schnee Eifel from the South, through the Prüm Corridor.
They then closed the pincers by joining with the Germans coming into Schönberg
from the North along the Andler-Schönberg road.
In November of 1989 Colonel Cavender sent me
two packets of his personal papers. These are mostly personal letters from 423rd
Regiment friends and from a few of the division officers. He had to explain,
after the war, his reasons for his strategy during the first three days of the
Bulge, and also explain the reason he surrendered his regiment on
It seems, at least to me and some of my
buddies, that the Prüm Corridor, the area that the 423rd Anti-Tank Company was
defending and the Losheim Gap, the area that the 14th Cavalry was defending,
were left open for a purpose. Could that be true? Were we part of a calculated
risk, or were we setup? It looks as if we will never know. (After much study,
after the war and into 1999, I do not believe we were "Set Up." I
simply think that our Army and Corps Commanders were over confident that the
war was about to end.
I, personally, can relate what we were told
as we left the Schnee Eifel to march to the rear towards Schönberg
After the war I learned that on
The 423rd Regiment's Anti-Tank company at
Bleialf, on the South edge of the Schnee Eifel, had been overrun on the 16th by
troops from the German 18th Volksgrenadier Division. A miscellaneous group of
troops, including the remains of the Anti-Tank company had recaptured it. Then
on the 17th the 18th Volksgrenadiers made a final plunge and once again broke
through Bleialf. They were pushing towards Schönberg, a few miles to the
Northwest. We were to see them hit our backside during the night of the 18th
and 19th as we overlooked Schönberg from Linscheid Hill southeast of the town.
Both German units, those from the North down
the Andler-Schönberg road and the ones on the South on the Prüm-Schönberg road
had converged on Schönberg. They had closed the pincers. By that action the 422nd
Regiment, and my regiment, 423rd Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division were
trapped in the
German units involved in the battle:
The 18th Volksgrenadier Division was formed in Denmark Eifel
area. [The 106th Division was not at full strength. They probably were at less
than 12,000 men. They had 5 days experience on the front line].
The Fuhrer Begleit Brigade, under control of General der Panzergruppen Hasso
von Manteuffel, was built around a cadre of troops from Hitler's headquarters
guard. It included a tank battalion from the Gross Deutschland Panzer Division
(still on the Eastern Front). It was strongly reinforced with assault guns
[large caliber guns mounted on tracks]. They were equipped with 88mm and 105mm
pieces from the 460th Heavy Artillery Battalion.
It should also be noted that even though there were many young German troops
and some fillers from other branches of service, the German unit commanders
were veterans. The 106th Division commanders were, with a couple of exceptions,
facing the enemy for the first time. The complete surprise of the attack, the overwhelming
numbers of German troops and the static position of our two regiments atop the
Schnee Eifel eventually led to our defeat and capture.
Our column did not come under fire until we were near our destination, a
heavily wooded area (Hill 504) southeast of Schönberg. As we approached the
logging trail, near Radscheid, we were shelled by German 88's. My driver drove
the jeep into the ditch on the right side of the road. A bazooka-man had
hitched a ride on the jeep over the right rear wheel. As we hit the ditch, his
weapon fell apart. The rocket fell out and landed in the mud along side of me,
where I had fallen. Fortunately the bazooka rocket did not arm itself. As I
picked myself up, I noticed a pair of German binoculars lying in the ditch. I
picked them up and hung them around my neck. They were probably left there by
German troops who had been patrolling in this area. I have often thought,
"What if they had been booby trapped?"
A point where my memory fails is that I
cannot remember what happened during the night of December 18. It would have
been logical to set up defensive positions and sleep in shifts, which we
probably did. However, my mind is completely blank about the events of that
night. M Company men I have met in recent years, 1988 and 1989, tell me that we
spent most of the night trying to get our jeeps out of the mud. The number of
vehicles on the road and an unusually warm spell caused the fields to be very
muddy. The weather turned much colder and stayed that way until after the end
of January.
Company M, 423rd Regiment, my unit, was
assigned to support L Company, a rifle company, who were preparing to enter
Schönberg. They were advancing down the slope, attempting to enter Schönberg
along the Bleialf-Schönberg road which was several hundred yards in front of my
gun position, in the edge of the woods. The town and area was infested with
Germans, but from my position I saw no sign of them. I saw little, except the
roof tops of Schönberg ahead of us, and a few of our troops on the slope below
us.
A rifle company to our rear, I Company 423rd
Regiment, was waiting on orders to proceed down the hill in support L Company.
It was about 0900 when we were suddenly hit by very heavy artillery fire. It
seemed that all hell had broken loose. The shells were exploding all around us,
on the ground and in the trees. Men were screaming for Medics. I heard during
the day that M Company's Commander, Captain Hardy, had been killed and the Executive
Officer, Captain Wiegers was blinded by a tree burst. There was a terrible lot
of confusion at that time. I thought to myself that the officers could be from
one of the rifle companies. That was not so, it was our officers that were hit
by tree bursts.
Captain James Hardy, M Company Commander, was killed by the very first
tree burst as the German shells landed in the woods around us. Captain Wiegers,
M Company Executive Officer, although hit, was not blinded. I learned in 1988
that he rode a tank out of the officer's camp, Oflag 13C, Hammelburg, during an
attempted break-out. "Read the book about Patton's raid on the Hammelburg
Oflag, where he tried to rescue his son-in-law". The name of the book is Raid.
Hammelburg was about 80 miles behind the then existing front lines.
Most of our officers ended up
being held at Oflag XIII-C (13C). After the aborted attempt by Patton to
liberate the camp, the Germans put all the officers on the road, marching in
the direction of
During the day,
The first hostile artillery barrage, at 0900,
was unbelievable in its magnitude. It seemed that every square yard of ground
was being covered. The initial barrage slackened after forty-five minutes or an
hour. I could hear the men from K & L Companies, on the slopes below,
screaming for medics. Shortly after that the shelling started again. The woods
were being raked throughout the day by a constant barrage of small arms and
artillery fire. We were pinned down in the edge of the woods and could not
move. I found some protection in a small trench, by a tree, as the shelling
started. It must have been scooped out by one of the riflemen the night before.
The front of the trench, pointing towards Schönberg, was deeper than the back.
My feet stuck up above the ground. I suppose that was the reason I suffered a
leg wound. At one point during the shelling, I heard a piece of metal hit the
ground. It was a large jagged, hot, smoking piece of shrapnel, about eighteen
inches long and four inches wide. It landed a foot or two from my head. After
it cooled off I reached out and picked it up. I don't think it was a mortar or
an 88mm shell. It might have been flak from an antiaircraft shell.
I read in 1987, in MacDonald's book, that the
Germans had many antiaircraft guns (88s and 128s) with them during their
Ardennes Offensive. They were for protection in case the weather turned better.
They knew for sure that the Allied air support would eventually come. The
German antiaircraft gun is capable of being used to support ground troops. This
is done by elevating the guns downward, and firing timed bursts or tree bursts
into the trees that explode on contact. There is very little protection as the
fragments rain down from above.
They also had 20mm antiaircraft guns, mounted
on quad mounts and half-tracks. They were fired into the tree tops, and
sometimes at point blank range, causing severe damage to our troops. The tree
bursts, exploding high in the trees, were hard to hide from. They caused many
casualties. There is no doubt that they were used to our disadvantage.
The weather was overcast and foggy and did not turn to
the better until December 21st or 22nd. The sky cleared and it got much colder,
as we were then walking, as prisoners, back into
We had very little artillery
support. I learned after the war that the 423rd's artillery support, the 590th
Field Artillery to the rear, was overrun by the Germans troops that were
fighting westward towards Schönberg along the Bleialf-Schönberg road. They
fought as "Infantrymen" but as they learned after the war, were not
eligible for the "Combat Infantry Badge."
On the Schönberg Hill, rifle companies,
mortar and machine gun squads were being pinned down in the woods. In the
confusion, caused by the demoralizing artillery fire, they were being separated
from each other. The 422nd and 423rd Regiments lost track of each other. The
day was going bad. There were no targets in view, at least from my point of
view. The Germans were waiting for their artillery to neutralize us, before
they moved. With the ravaging artillery fire, and no chance of counter
artillery, we were literally sitting ducks. There was some action on the edges
of the perimeter. From my position I could see two German tanks. They were
scouting around the area, in the edge of the woods near Schönberg. One of them
threw out a smoke grenade. I was not able to identify any German infantry
troops, prior to being captured. I learned later that the tanks I saw were
mopping up troops that were pinned down in the fields and road below. Most of
the action occurred early in the fight, between the rifle companies below us
and the Germans across the road.
K & L Companies, in trying to push into
Schönberg, were caught in the ditches and fields. It was their men that I could
see and that I could hear screaming for help. They were being ripped to pieces
by the tremendous artillery barrages. Unfortunately, my machine-gun was placed
too far back of the infantry company as they attempted to get into Schönberg.
Normally, we would have moved forward, but the same artillery that was
destroying L Company was also hitting us. At the same time German troops coming
up the road from Bleialf were hitting us from the rear. This trapped the
reserve company (I Company) who were preparing to come forward to assist K
& L Companies.
In 1987 I acquired a list of the 106th
Division members belonging to "The Veterans of the
He said, "I" Company was being
slaughtered. A sniper was killing a lot of them. We had spotted the sniper,
nearby, in a clump of bushes. The range was too short for the elevating
mechanism. My squad leader (mortars) was trying to elevate the mortar, by holding
it vertically. He was killed by a bullet in the temple. Another mortar man and
I grabbed the mortar and dropped three shells in the area of the sniper,
killing him." Songer, like myself, was captured. He ended up at Stalag
IV-A, Hohenstein, near
From Norman Gruenzner's Postal History of
American POWs:
Songer asked, " Were you in the prison
train that was bombed on Christmas Eve?" My answer, "No, I was in a
small barracks in Dockweiler, east of Gerolstein, on Christmas Eve. We were not
put into box-cars until 30 December, at
The German troops advancing from the
Southeast, along the Bleialf- Schönberg road were the ones who took over our
artillery battalion.
I remember throughout all the shelling
watching a Tech Sergeant, I thought from one of our mortar platoons, walking
and running through the woods giving orders. He was trying to get troops
moving. The mortar, antiaircraft and artillery fire was fierce. Trees flying
through the air, shell were bursting every where. I hope he made it. He was a
very brave soldier, but was exposed to fierce, ravaging artillery fire.
At one point, as I looked to the right along
the edge of the woods, I saw six or eight ground bursts, probably 88's. They
hit in a small area along the tree line where several soldiers were trying to
find protection. One of those men was hurled through the air and his body was
wrapped around a tree trunk several feet off the ground. There were continuous
cries from the wounded screaming for Medics. The woods and open areas on the
slope leading to the road, was littered with dead and wounded. Some time
between 1600 (
As the history of this battle shows, we were
surrounded on all sides by German troops. They were heavily armed, with many
mortars, antiaircraft guns, assault guns and artillery pieces. They were being
reinforced by more and more troops from the Southeast and there would have been
no possibility of reversing the battle situation. We disabled our weapons by
breaking them on tree trunks or by taking them apart and throwing the parts in
different directions. After that the Germans led us to a clearing in the forest
and directed us to throw down our equipment. E.g.: ammo belts, packs,
hand-grenades and trench-knifes. I quickly disposed of the German binoculars
that I had found earlier.
We were lead in a small column down to the
Schönberg-Bleialf road in front of the rifle companies. There were Germans on
one side of the road and Americans on the other. They had been facing each
other, in a fierce fire fight, from ditch to ditch. There were many dead, both
Americans and Germans. The wounded were still crying for help. As we approached
the Schönberg road, it seemed that hundreds of Germans rose up out of the
field.
There was a German truck burning in the
middle of the road. Behind the truck was an American infantryman lying in the
middle of the road. He was dressed like an officer, but with no insignia, as
would be normal in combat. His was wearing his winter uniform, a heavy winter
coat, ammo belt and canteen. He was lying on his back, as if he were resting.
The body had no head or neck. It was as if somebody had sliced it off with a
surgical instrument, leaving no sign of blood. All my life I have had flash
backs of that scene and I still find it hard to believe. I always wonder how it
happened. He was the only soldier, either American or German that I saw laying
on the road. There were many wounded and dead in the ditches and fields as we
were led out of the woods.
The Germans then walked us in columns to
Bleialf (recorded in my diary as "St. Beliath) where they herded us
into a church court yard. I probably recorded the church name by mistake. It
had turned dark and the temperature was dropping. Most of us were without
overcoats. We had only our field jackets and our winter issue of "Olive
Drab" uniforms with long johns. I recall that I wore two pair of pants, my
long johns and my field jacket. We had to sleep on the ground. I remember how
nervous I was. Every little sound was amplified. I wondered what was going to
happen to us when day break came. We had nothing to eat since early morning,
December 18th. (remember - the pancakes).
Captured
Left Bleialf at
There was much evidence, in the area, that a
large scale battle had taken place. I remember as we were leaving Bleialf
walking through a small village. It could have been outskirts of Bleialf, or
some small village nearby. There were German troops in American jeeps. They
were opening ration boxes and meat cans. They were eating our Christmas dinner.
My guess is that this had been our battalion supply depot. As we walked through
the area, I was surprised to see my jeep with four Germans in it. I was
positive it was mine. I had personally painted my son's name,
"Teddie" on the jeep, and the name was there. There had been had been
a real shoot out, with hand to hand fighting. There were dead Americans and
Germans lying in doors, ditches and hanging out of windows. The infighting must
have been fierce, for some of the bodies were on top of each other.
As we left the town and just before we made a
slight right turn that led us into the country, I saw a two story stone
building. Its upper floor was occupied by several young women, who waved at us
through the open windows as we went by. I have often wondered if they were
brought along by the Germans. The road we were on eventually took us through
Prüm, Germany, the town that I could see from our positions on the Schnee Eifel.
We ended up that evening sleeping in an open field near Gerolstein, Germany.
12/21/44
At Gerolstein we were awakened at 0600, and given our first food since
breakfast on Dec 18th. They fed us hard crackers and cheese. Seven men to one
can of cheese. We left Gerolstein during the evening.
12/21/44
Arrived in Dockweiler Dries 2300. Billeted in an old German barracks. During
the three and one-half days there, we were fed one ration of very weak potato
stew. We received two bread rations of one loaf split between five men, one
ration of cheese and one small can between four men. We were each given two old
German Army blankets. They were old and worn, but did give us some warmth. They
would prove to be lifesavers as time went on.
12/22/44
During the night the road along side the barracks was strafed and bombed. We
could not see the target, but in the moonlight the plane we could see that it
was a British Spitfire. The English usually flew night missions, the Americans
flew during the day. The weather was clearing and cold. There were many planes
in the sky, so we will probably be moved during the night, to avoid the
possibility of being strafed.
12/23/44
No reason given for our delay. Someone said there had been a lot of prisoners
taken. Maybe they were not sure what to do with us because of the large
numbers. I am sure, from what I can see, we were clogging their transportation
system.
12/25/44
Christmas Day Dockweiler Dries: On the march by 0630, marched all day
and night, no water, or food, except snow.
No Christmas, except in our hearts.
12/26/44
We stopped at a cluster of farm homes about eight miles north of Mayen. We are
billeted in one of the barns. No food.
I notice that here, in Europe, that the farms are not laid out the same as they
are back home. You can walk through the country for several miles before you
see any farm buildings. In the States there is a farm every half mile or so. In
Germany you always see several farm homes and barns clustered together, as if
they were built that way for protection. Many of them have a common courtyard
arranged around a square, with each family living in buildings on opposite
sides of the square. Maybe a "throwback" from the old "feudal
system."
12/27/44
Koblenz: We arrived here in the afternoon. We were fed soup and bread
served from a portable kitchen. Koblenz is a big city. It has taken a lot of
punishment from bombings. We were walking in groups of about 500. I was on the
left side of our column, next to the street curb. There was a uniformed German
photographer taking pictures of our group, as we walked by. I noticed he used a
Leica camera. A civilian, dressed in a business suit walked over to the curb
near me. He made a loud remark, and then hit me along side the head with a
brief case. The guards made him get back. They told us that the civilians were
very upset because of the recent bombings. Maybe the civilian had lost some of
his family. Later, I thought this might have been a staged protest for
propaganda purposes. Why would there be an Army photographer there with a
business man, alone, with a column of POWs marching by.
We were billeted in one of three large brick
barracks (which I remember being just on the south edge of Koblenz). They were
three stories in height. Somebody said they were part of a former officer
training center. We were forced to take all of the beds out of the three story
building and store them in a large building across the street. When we were in
Dockweiler Dries we had been issued two old gray German army blankets. We slept
on the floor using the blankets. It was at least out of the weather.
12/28/44
As we entered the barracks area, yesterday, we noticed antiaircraft guns on the
hill back of the barracks. At 1430 (2:30 PM) bombers began to bomb the rail
yards near us. The guards herded us into the basement. Many of the bombs fell
around our barracks. Fortunately, there were no direct hits. We counted fifteen
bomb craters around the buildings. It was very cloudy and overcast. It had to
be American planes bombing by radar, for the practice was that Americans bombed
during the day and English by night.
12/29/44
Again at 1430 the antiaircraft guns started firing. We were bombed again. This
time the guards would not allow us to go down into the basement. I was in a
room on the third floor. Again bombs fell around us. They were hitting very
close by. The window frames blew into the room and crashed on the floor. The
window glass shredded and flew into a million pieces. To protect myself I
huddled in a corner on an inside wall covering myself with my two blankets.
When the dust settled, the blankets were covered with shredded glass. The
double window frame was intact, but on the floor. There were only three of us
in the room. Fortunately the window frame had missed us. After the raid we all
went outside, to see what happened. There were bomb craters all around the
area. The bombers had been aiming at the nearby railroad yards, but hit in our
area. The building across the street, where we had stored the beds, was
completely demolished. It was a pile of smoking rubble. As we stood watching,
the one remaining corner post and wall of the building fell to the ground. So
much for the German beds that we were not allowed the use of. Our high ranked
noncommissioned officers asked for a meeting with the German guards. Our
noncoms insisted that they could not keep us in a place of danger. They told
the Germans, if they did not voluntarily take us out of town, we would walk out
on our own, as a group. The guards were as frightened as we were. They agreed,
but told us that we would have to walk all night, over 25 miles, without
stopping. The noncoms agreed to that and we prepared to leave Koblenz on a
forced overnight march.
12/29/44
1700 - Darkness had set in when we left Koblenz. We crossed the Rhine over a
wooden bridge that had replaced the one that had been bombed. We turned right
after we crossed the Rhine River bridge. Then we followed a road to the left,
up into the hills. We walked until 1030 the next morning. One of the toughest trips
so far, 40 kilometers with very little stopping. When we did stop we were not
allowed to get off the road. The guards were afraid we would try to escape. It
had turned very cold and the two German Army blankets did little to ward off
the cold. But, as thin as they were, the blankets kept us from freezing. There
was no water, so we ate snow. Some of the men were developing diarrhea.
We had traveled at night most of the time
since leaving the front lines. The roads were narrow and rough. There were many
German troops and vehicles, including tanks, moving in the opposite direction,
towards the front. In the blackout conditions it was difficult to see how large
the towns and villages were. You could be walking along on a valley road and
the silhouette of the hills with a building on the skyline, would give you the
impression you were in a large town. The German troops, in particular the tank
troopers, would not give way for our columns. It was a matter of just stumbling
along, following the man in front of you.
12/30/44
Arrived Stalag XII-A, Limburg, Germany 1030 in the morning. This was a large
prisoner transit camp. Large circus style tents and what seemed to be adequate
food. We were still not registered as Prisoners of War.
From Norman Gruenzner's Postal History of
American POWs: World War II, Korea, Vietnam [State College, Penn.: American
Philatelic Society, 1979]. Stalag XII-A was near Limburg am Lahn. It was
a permanent camp for the British and Italian prisoners. In November 1944, there
were 1,500 Americans in camp. Later this figure rose to 3,026. The total camp
population now was 20,357.
I learned in 1987, that 63 officers had been killed in a 23 December 1944 bombing. They had been placed in a concrete block building in Stalag XII-A, Limburg, Germany. The