The
following was compiled by Staff Sgt. Fred Rouse of the 10th Armored
Division as a record of his trip across Fortress Europe. Towards the end of the war, he went back
through morning reports to get places and dates and then added his own
recollections. In editing this piece, I
have tried only to correct typographical errors which were introduced during
the scanning process in the hope of giving this to you in its purest form. Mr. Rouse would have me mention that many of
the typo’s are due to his use of a German typewriter. I have also made a few minor edits to grammar
or spelling in cases where the words were unrecognizable due to any number of
issues in the document’s creation.
Below
I hope you find a very compelling story from a very different view point. This is the story of a wire-man in the
spear-head of Patton’s Third Army. It
begins the day Mr. Rouse was drafted and ends during occupation and contains
all the drama, horror, and emotion of combat from the viewpoint of a man who
took soldiering seriously. I hope you
find it as enjoyable and enlightening as I have. Should anyone have any questions, comments,
or information about the participation of the 10th Armored Division
in any the described conflicts, please send them to me at Matthew.Creelman@Verizon.net
. I will be eager to hear anything that
anyone has to offer.
(Note: The below is the property of Matthew Creelman
and may not be referenced or reproduced without written consent from me. I know you won’t, but you gotta say it
anyway.)
WIRE SECTION OF DIVISION
ARTY 10th ARMD DIV.
Field Wire Cheif - S/Sgt Frederick G. Rouse
Field Wire NCO'S - Cpl Leland A. Hanes
Wisconsin
Ave.
Cpl Leslie L. Pounds
Foxworth, Miss.
Cpl John Mital
Head Lineman T/5 Daniel R. Bonney
T/5 Edward B. Alquist
T/5 William L. Burdette
Winona,
T/5 Casper Kubisch
Linemen PFC Charles R, Reed
6311 N.
Washington, Blvd.,
PFC James M. Zoltak
1201 Lincoln Ave. W. , Milwaukee, Wiscinsin
PFC Melvin
2101 Fourth
Ave., Sacremento, 17,
PFC Paul H. Brown
PVT Alexander George
PVT Arthur Seltsam
11 Berkshire, Place, Irvington, New Jersy
Switchboard 0pr’s T/5 Clyde Lonzo
PFC Joseph Myers
Box 143, Towaco, New Jersy
Truck Drivers T/5 Lloyd Torgerson
PFC Ajax R. Newman
1102 Virginia Ave S.W., Washington, 4 DC.
FIELD LINEMAN (641)
Field wire Cheif
Field Wire NCO
Lineman
Work as member of team laying, maintaining, and taking
up the wire or cable of a telephone or telegraph communication
system.
Runs wire along the ground by guiding it from a wire
reel of a truck. Fastens wire to poles, stakes, or trees and carries
it across roads or other obstructions by burying it in a shallow
ditch or suspending it from trees, telephone poles, or lance poles.
Locates and determines the cause of line trouble such as opens,
shorts, and grounds by testing wire at intervals. Makes appropriate
repair, such as splicing breaks and cutting out defective wire and
splicing.
May operate a portable field telephone switchboard. May establish
telegraph circuits by superimposing them on existing telephone circuits,
using repeater coils. May drive telephone truck.
Equipment used includes wire cutters, pliers, wire insulators,
climbers, lineman’s belt, wrench, hammers, reel cart and reel, friction
tape, loading coils, field telephones, switchboards, and repeating coils.
SUMMARY OF TERMS
OP - Observation Post for Arty Foward Observer
OP - Command Post
Arty - Artillery
Bn - Battalion
Btry -
Armd - Armored
Div - Division
CQ - Charge of Quarters
KP - Kitchen Police
Regt - Regiment
BC - Battery Commander
Krut - Germany Soldier
Inf - Infantry
Eng - Engioneer
TOT - Time On Target, all shells hit at the same time.
FA - Field Artillery
Comm - Communication
Maj - Major
AAA - Anti-Aircraft Artillery
Cubs - Small Planes for Observing
Crew - Four men and a truck for wire laying or repair.
FDC -
Ammo - Ammunition
OD - Olive Drab
Telephone Directory Code Names
Cluth -419 FA Bn.
Coilspring - 423 FA Bn.
Choo Choo - 420 FA Bn.
INDEX
Page (3) Combat Time, Award, Battle Experience and Trip TO Front
Lines
Page (4) Vionville, France –
Page (5) Petite Hettange, France –
Page (6) Kirsch, France - Schondorf, Germany –
Page (7) Laundsdorf, France Continued
Page (8) Kopstal, Luxembourg – Beidweiler, Luxembourg - Newdorf,
Page (9) Nommern, Luxembourg -
Page (10) Morhange, France - Loupershouse, France –
Page (11) Peral, France – Beuren, Germany - Bilzingen,
Page (12) Irsch, Germany - Pellingen, Gremany
Page (13) Marishof, Germany – Pfalsel, Germany – Fohren, Gremany
Page (14) Ober Zerf, Germany – Rappweiler, Germany -
Page (15) Sangerhof, Germany - Kaiserlautern, Germany -
Page (16) Mannheim, Germany – Heidelberg, Germany – Biberach,
Page (17) Assemstadt, Germany -
Page (18) Crailsheim, Continued –
Page (19) Crispenhafen, Germany - Kirchsall, Germany – Ohringen,
Germany –
Page (20) Riegenhof, Germany – Alfdorf, Germany -
-
Page (21) Feldststten, Germany - Ehingen, Germany - Erbach,
Page (22) Ulm, Germany - Frickenhausen, Germany - Westendorf,
Germany, -
Rettenbach, Germany -
Germany (Bavaria)
Page (23) Bad Tolz, Germany -
My Army Life
By S/Sgt. Frederick G. Rouse, 32131826
Div. Arty Wire Sgt
10th Armd Div.
I was drafted into the army on the 28th of May, 1941 from
Elmira, New York. On the same day I took my physical at Buffalo,
New York. After passing the examination I took the oath, was
sworn in. Later the same day I was transported to my first army
post, Fort Niagara, N. Y. My address here was 1213 Reception
Center. It was here I took appitude tests to see what branch of
the service I was to be placed. On the 6th of June my shipping
orders came in. On the 8th of June I arrived at my new home the
Armored Force Replacement Training Center,(AFRTC).
At the (AFRTC) I was giving my first lessons on the art of
using the army equipment correctly, taking care of it and how to
defend my self with it. It was a tough life on us fellows right
out of civilian life. There were long hikes, drilling and all
sort of obstical courses with full field on our backs. In a few
weeks time we were getting pretty hard and use to the army way
of life. While at the training center I got my complete basic.
And like seventy five percent I disliked the army very much.
Every one had to take a code appitude test for radio operator.
The ones that passed were then sent to radio operator's school
at the same station. I passed. Also at (AFRTC) all of us had to
learn to drive all army vehicles used in the Armored Force. This
part of my training I liked very much because I like to drive any
thing. Learned to drive tanks, trucks, half tracks and peeps. It
was for most of us our first chance to see a tank let alone driving
one, it was thrilling.
On August the 2nd I was
transfered to the
same station. This course lasted until November 1st at which time
I graduated. During the time of the course we my wife and I desided
to get married when I completed the school. So naturaly I was very
anxious for the course to end. The other catch was I did not know
which Armd Div. I was to be sent. The last end of Oct. we were told
where we would go after graduation. I hit the Jack pot I was sent
to the 4th Armd Div. at Pine Camp, New York.
Upon leaving Fort Knox we took a two day train ride and
arrived to the Black River RR station at the edge of the Pine Camp
post. We were then sent to our respective units. I was sent to
the 35th Armd Regt. (tanks). I had asked for Artillery. I was with
the tankers for three-days in which I was in one of the tanks which
took part in a picture staring Walace Berry, “ Keep ‘em Rolling “
The second day there I asked for a furlough was turned down because
I was then told I was getting transfered to the Arty which I had
asked for at my induction station.
November 6 I reported to the Ammunition Train of the 66th F.A. Bn.
(Regt then now a Bn.). My first morning there I got the courage to see
the Btry Commander for a furlough to get married and Winnie had already
made all the necessary arangments for the date of Nov. 15th . Permission
was granted. My furlough Nov. 10 on a Monday I was given permission to
leave at Sat. noon a day and a half a head of time. Sat. evening Nov. 8th
I arrived home my first furlough and wedding I was as happy as a lark.
Had a wonderful time before the wedding and a heavenly time afterwards,
these memorieswill never be forgotten. I was lucky and spent my first Christmas
in the army at home, due to the fact I went over the hill, but
recieved no after effects. I was on guard the after noon that the
Japs sturck Pearl Harbor!
(2)
The T.O. of an Armd Div. was then changed. Three Bn’s. of
Arty instead of two Regt’s. I was transfered to the new Bn. then
being activated. On the 6 of January I arrived at my new home
“B” Btry of the 94th F.A. Bn. It was here I put my radio knowledge
to work. on the 13th of Febuary I got my first promotion I made
T/5. Almost every week end I spent in the arms of my beautiful wife,
lucky me! This made the army pass by quickly for five months...
On the 10th of June I was notified I was going to leave on
cadre for the 10th Armd Div. at Fort Benning, Ga. Arrived there on
the 12th. My new address was Btry “C” of the 423rd F.A. Bn. I got
an other promotion on the 8th of July to T/4 as radio operator. We had
instructions on how to teach the fillers when they arrived which
was not until the first week in November. Durning that period the
cadre had to pull guard, CQ and KP. I had two furloughs also during
that time. 16th June to 22nd June and also August 17th to 26th due to
illness of my Father. Returning from last furlough I brought my wife
back with me. On the train I had an attack of appendicitis. We went
to our appartment and from there I was taken to the post hospital
at Fort Benning. Was operated on the the same night, Winnie stayed
all night at the hospital, slept in the operating room. I was re-
leased and got a furlough to recuperrate from September 14th to 23rd.
My wife and I spent thoes wonderful days in our appartment. Winnie
returned home a few days after the furlough ended. On the 14th of
October I recieved the bad news that my Father had passed away. I
left for home the following day. Had trouble getting there ran into
a flood in Virgina, lost twelve hours. It was a sad affair. Return-
ed to camp 21st. Our fillers arrived the work started, took basic
all over while giving the fillers theirs. The Division went on
manuvers in Tenn. in June of the following year. I left the Division
to go to school again at Fort Knox, Ky. Arrived there
this course was radio electrician. After eleven weeks of class room
and pratical work I passed the course with high marks. Returned to
to Camp Gordon, Ga. the new home of the 10th Armd on the 16th of
September 1943. I did a lot of servicing of Bn. radio equipment for
the regular Bn. electrician whom had to much to handle, this was
and is very interesting work I like very much. Always something more
to learn and something different. In March of 43, 18, I got another
furlough and also one in September from l5th to the 29th. This
year was completely filled with new tatics and tests except for the
new Btry: Hq. Btry Div. Arty. Which was activated the third week of
March. I was transfered to this Btry as Div. Arty Wire Cheif. On the
24th of same month I left for Fort Sill, Okla. I arrived there on
the 25th to start a course on repair of all signal equipment. The
school work was very interesting and the time went by pretty fast.
We lived in little huts which held six men apeice. Before going to
the new Btry I was promoted to buck Sgt, as communication cheif of
“C” Btry. While at school my last promotion came through and I was
made S/Sgt. one of my Jobs at school was section marcher. I completed
the course on the sixth of June the third highest in the class. When
I returned to my outfit, they were all ready prosessing equipment
for our trip to combat. We had just a few more problems and every
thing was prosessed for movement. In 44 before leaving I had two more
furloughs one was in March, 1st to 10th, the other July 25 to Aug 7.
on Sept. (6th) we left Camp Gordon got to P.O.E.,
on the 7th of Sept. Here we took our over seas physical every one
passed O.K. We also got our ship drill here and last minute instruct-
ions. We boarded our boat the 12th at N.Y. the same day we started
out the harbor and ran into a sand bar. The boat could not get off
so we were put on river barges and taken to the liner the Brazil.
We traveled two thirds the way across with one Destroyer escort,
after six days out we caught up with the rest of our convoy which
had left the day we went adrift. The first day with the convoy a
German sub was sunk.
The 22nd of Sept. we got our first look at the White
Cliffs of Dover. Stayed off shore over night and left for France the
morning. On the 23rd we disembarked at Cherbourg, France. It was late
at night and raining like hell, had to stand on the dock (what was
left of them ) for a couple hours before our trucks arrived. We ended
up at Le Theil, France.
Following is list of combat time and country in which it
took place.
(1) France- Seprember 23, 44 to
(2) Luxembourg- November 8, 44 to
(3) France- November 11, 44 to
(4) Germany- November 21, 44 to
(5) France- November 30, 44 to
(6) Luxembourg- December 17, 44 to
(7) France- December 28, 44 to Febuary 20, 45
(8) Germany- Febuary 21, 45 to Unkown ?
Awards!
(1) Bronze Star
(2) E. T. O. ribbon
(3) Battle Star January 25, 45 (Battle of Germany)
(4) June 27, 45 Total of Three Battle Stars First one changed
1. Battle of the Ardens ( Germany Break Through)
2. Battle of the
3. Battle of
Battle Experience
September 23, 1944-
This was our stageing area. We were here for one month while
we got our equipment in condition for combat, after its trip across
the pond. This was a contious job for the month but we also had to
take hike and other training. One of my crews and I laid our first
wire in Euorpe. We laid a wire net on Kangeroo Beach here the Division
Arty was calibrated, and also the 76's on the tanks were calibrated
there. This was the worst mud hole I had ever Been in my life, we
had to swep the streets and we also had to use air field mats to
walk on. We were all anxious to leave there for combat it was so
darn miserable. We were then put in the American Ninth Army which
was then being formed. October the 19th we were put in the Third Army
because Patton wanted more tanks. We left for battle
Trip
October 27, 1944 we spent the night at Falaise, France. This
was a little ways from St. Lo so therefore we seen a lot of the
after effects of battle, it was by far a pretty eight.
October 28, 1944 the night was spent at Danville, France.
This was a grave yard of British equipment. The night was cold and
miserable. I had picked up an Army cot, which I tried setting up
in a pup tent. I found out that they were not ment for each other
I slept about one hour all night.
October 29, 1944 we stayed in the outskirts of Paris, France.
The people were glad to see us at leaste they seemed that way they
were also hurting for cigarettes. They offered any price for a pack
of American cigarettes. The streets were lined with people when
went through, mostly females.
(4)
October 30, 1944 the night was spent in a Pine Forest at
the edge of Begeres Les, Frannce. It was chilly this evening and
it seemed like a thousand bon fires were in the area. The whole
Division was in this area. Here we started to run into a lot of
Refugees on the road from here to the front. October 31 and November
1st ( my birthday) were also spent on the road. Slept in woods these
nights due to enemy air craft.
November 2, 1944 we pulled into Spoonville, France. It was
in this area we heard our first shell fire both enemy and friendly.
It gave all of us I guess a scarey feeling I guess I know it did
this GI. Late this evening we drew our first ammunition for our
small arms. We also had our first taste of foreign beer it was more
like dish water than beer. Movement orders came late that night.
COMBAT
November 3, 1944-
Early this morning the Btry Comdr, my self and two of my
wire crews left for our position on the line. We relieved an Arty
Group. I took over eighty five miles of wire they had on the ground
this was a tough job taking over wire some one else had laid. I rode
the front for three hours reconnoidering the wire. We worked until
late that night getting the wire working. The next morning I had
to take a crew to Goerz, France right in front of Fort Driant Metz.
Here I linked up all US OP's and had two switchboards to take care
of the traffic up there, had three trunk lines to my rear boards.
Left one crew there for trouble shooting. Things were quite that
night. Had to shoot a lot of trouble the next day. Following night
had to go to foward board to repair it and shoot trouble for one
of our Bns. wire men who were all screwed up. Ended up at a pill box
the Inf were using for a company OP. The BC had met me in Goerz
after I had finished the trouble shooting. He and I left there in a
jeep and ended up in a Arty OP which was also a pill box. The
Foward Observer and the BC wanted me to lay a wire line to the next
OP so they could have communication between the two. My heart was
in my throat because I would have had to go through the enemy lines
twice to get to the other 0P. An Inf officer whom had his OP in the
same pill box refused to let them send me. I was the most relieved
person in the world. Returning to the Btry we had a little trouble
because enemy patrols were active. When we got back to the Btry
every man in the Btry was on guard with the exception of two of my
wire crews who were left to trouble shoot. We had a lot of it that
night. We also got our first taste of the fammed German 88's and
150's. We Slept very little that night, it seemed every one coming
in was labeled for me or the wire men sleeping in the same barn
with me. I got my opinion of war right then it was hell and very
little sleep. The enemy guns that were firing at us were at Fort
Driant, could not knock them out the fortification was to thick. We
were under this same gun fire for the whole time we were in Vion-
ville. We recieved our combat bed rolls while in this area. Left
this area on the November 8, 1944 we had had our Battle of Enock-
ulation.
November 8, 1944
this town was four miles from the Mosell River. I had close
to seventy miles of wire on the ground here, contious trouble. The
nights were very dark and rain most of the time. Very hard for trou-
ble shooting. My wiremen and I got very little sleep. Arty played a
big roll here. I never saw so much Arty in one area before, it
was contious TOTs on the Kruts on the other side of the river.
This kept up for five days before the Inf. and Tanks crossed the
river. The bridges
were all knocked out and every time the
would build a new one the Kruts would pour in an Arty consentration
and the Eng. would have to start all over. My old BC got killed
here, Capt. Nasoff. He was up at an OP and he steped on a mine. It
was here I saw my first enemy air craft, just an air observer. Most
of the CP’s I had wire to were in big bunkers of the Maginot Line,
(5)
our CP was in a house and the switchboard and wiremen stayed in a
barn. Every time it rained the water would run in under the door our
bed rolls were wet most of the time. Most of the wiremen got a touch
of trench foot including my self. Trench foot is caused by wet cold
feet for a long period of time. It is a burning sensation as well as
painful. Got men to aid station and caught it before any were lost
to a hospital. Caught some enemy 88's but were very lucky no cas-
ulities. On the 15th we pulled out of our position and headed for the
river but were sent back because the dough boys were having a lot of
trouble on the other side. Returned to old position and poured Arty
all night.
November 16, 1944 Petite
Crossed the Mosell River on the morning of Nov. 16th at ten.
When we pulled into Petite Hettange it was the worse sight I had ever
seen in my life. There were dead Germans all over the place, half of
them, pieces and every part imagineable every where you looked. While
laying wire the PWs were loading them on to old beat up German trucks,
tanks were moving up and running over the bodies still in the road and
squashing them down into the muddy road. It sure showed the fight the
Krauts put up here, they lost. Very little counter btry fire here a
lot of small arms mostly Berp guns. Had very little wire trouble here.
Saw our first enemy tanks still burning, tankers still drouping out
the turrets burned to death. Our tanks broke lose and were going to
town. This made our Arty Bn’s move up therefore our wire had to be
extended, kept us pretty busy. One of my Cpls got a Luhger off of a
dead Krut officer.
November 18, 1944
Left early this morning to catch up with the tanks and Arty
which had been on the move all night. Caught up with them at Monneren.
Pulled in here at noon traveled all morning. Just as we pulled into
town three Stuka’s let us have it, strafed the whole Btry, no casul-
ities. Out of no where two P-47's came forced the Kruts over an Anti-
air Craft Btry they got two of them and the 47's got the other one.
Our dough boys were still fighting a couple streets up. All kinds of
guns were still firing like mad. The Germans left so fast they left
some of their vehicles behind. This was where I picked up the Chevie
truck. Had a lot of trouble with this trap because the Germans were
low on gas and used kerosine, the carburater was not adjusted for gas.
The body was very low slung and would hit on the under carriage on
the roads the tanks had tore up and made big ruts. It still came in
handy for carrying some of my much equipment. We picked out our billet
it was a big barn. The hay mound was big enough to hold my complete
section of ninteen men. Pulled our trucks into the barn. Like a train
whistle on a clear night came that familiar whistleing of enemy Arty
coming in. The first rounds landed in the street, then they came
closer to the Btry billets. We were standing in the doorway of our
barn when they sounded closer, the next two were closer they landed
right in our bed, the hay mound. Tore the roof off, came through to
the ground floor killed two cows and a big bull, knocked one of my
men in under one of the wire trucks colder than a hunk of ice. We had
no casulities, it was close because the whole section was in the barn
when the shells landed. of course we changed billets for the night, we
found an other barn. Our Arty pounded the Kruts all night. Taking
this town was our objective, we had got in back of the Germans in
Forts of Metzq in a matter of days Metz fell to the Inf of two Div’s.
After three days of contious firing our arty on the enemy we pulled
out all the towns in that vicinity we on fire the shell fire. War was
hell for the French because these were their towns.
(6)
November 21, 1944
Early on this morning we left Monneren, traveled most of
the day and arrived at Kirsch. Things were pretty quiet that day.
It rained most of the day, right after supper I got orders to lay
wire to the Div. Arty Bn’s and to Corp. Sent each crew to different
Bn’s I went with the one closest to the enemy, I could not let my
men think I was yellow. When we arrived at our destination it was
darker than all hell and still raining cats and dogs. We were there
no longer than ten minutes when the Kruts counter attacked. We were
all dam scared but fired at any thing we could see moving. Were held
up for an hour, had the wire to get in every one needed arty and
could not get it until we got the wire in. Got the wire in early in
the morning. We were wetter than cloths in a washing machine. Went
to bed in a big barn where I had the switchboard set up. Got up the
regular time the next morning. Had no wire trouble after it was in.
Left this position an hour after breakfast.
November 22, 1944
We arrived at Schndorf at mid day. We were the first of
the Third Army troops, (Division) to enter Holy soil of Germany, as
Hitler called it. Our CP was in a nice house and for a change so was
the rest of the Btry. Had plenty of wire on the ground, in Miles I
don’t know. Also had Bo'Que (beaucoup) the trouble with the wire. A crew and I
were laying a line to the 423 FA, tried to take a short cut over a
hill instead of around it. Of course we were following a trail some
peep's had been using. Was using the Chevie as a reconoidering veh-
icle and got it stuck. Tried to pull it out with the 3/4 ton wire
track and got that stuck. Had to send a man back on foot to the Btry
to get an other truck. Waited two hours for him to return, had him
send my 21/2 ton out on the line by going around the hill when he
got to the area. After the third truck arrived we got that stuck
trying to get one of the other's out. There we sat with three trucks
stuck and my only other track was out laying the line we started.
It was while on top of this hill we saw our first German Buzz Bomb.
When they went over our head they looked just like they were going to
land right on our hill but they didn't. We worked and we worked and
finaly got one of the trucks free. After a couple hours we had them
all free and returned to the area the line had been completed by my
big truck. Enemy Arty knocked our lines out all night so got none of my
favorite pass time, sleep! Our lines were knocked out all through
combat by two causes. One our tanks, any tracked vehicle for that
matter, and second the cause that gave us more work while repairing
was enemy shell fire. With shells it would go out in four or five
places at one time. And a hell of a lot of times the shells would
still be coming in while we were repairing the line or lines. Our
troops were having a hell of a time trying to get through the Seig-
fried line. Every time one of our tanks would assualt one of the
pill boxes they would get knocked out. We lost a lot of tanks, for
seven days our tanks tried but could not get through neither could
our dough boys or the dough boys we were working with. We were relie-
ved by a cavilary out fit. Left there to try to get to the rear of
fortifications.
November 29, 1944
The Btry left Schndorf early in the morning. I was to pull
out with them but had a flat tire on the Chevie and had to repair it,
the comm chief, plus a wireman and my self stayed back to fix it. In
no time we had it fixed, before leaving for our new area we took
some target pratice on wire insulators on telephone poles. We were
hitting them every shot glass flying all over. One of our Maj came
out of the house next door. We thought that all the officers had left
with the Btry. Did we get hell! On the way to the new area we had
two more flat tires, were we feed up with that trap by then. Gave it
to the mantence section before we left the next area. Arrived at
(7)
Laundsdorf, France our new home for how long we did not know. Layed
wire most of that afternoon and way into the night. There was very
little enemy activity the first day and night. Had a fair ammount of
trouble the next day with the wire due to a lot of troop movements.
Was taking it easy in the evening , about nine o'clock I got a call
from the switchboard room that "Clutch" was out. Clutch was the 419
FA Bn. of our Div. In order to get to them on our wire line we had to
go parallel to the Kruts and were exposed to there fire, both small
arms and Arty. It was dark as all hell out and of course it also had
to be raining. I asked for a couple volinteers I got none so I had
to draft one of my Cpls, the Comm cheif. The three of us left! Let
me tell you its a damm funny feeling to drive down a road with no
lights and you can hear shooting coming from all directions. A person
can not help but think the next one is for you. Were damm close to
the enemy when we found the trouble, we thought! Fixed one break tried
to check the line but it failed to work. Then the fun started! Started
to check on foot and all hell broke lose, Berp guns, rifles and them
damn 88’s. We hit the mud in a ditch, laid there for twenty minutes
and it stop liked it started. Kept on checking but failed to find
the trouble and the line was needed for counter btry fire. We came
to the conclusion it was up on the poles where the trouble was, went
in the direction towards our OP where the line started on the poles
went up three poles the line was alright, I got to the top of the
fourth poles had safety belt around the pole checking the line when
all hell broke lose! I thank God I'm still a live, shells were burst-
ing all around us and me perched on top of a poll. Every part of me
was shaking. It was on this pole where the trouble was I fixed it and
it did not take us long to get back to our shanty. Could not sleep
all night. Had to get up early the next morning to shoot trouble on
the "Coilspring" line, 423 FA Bn. of our Div. Found the trouble at a
cross road just out side their OP. Was on the top of a pole when a
flight of Flying Forts passed over head. Just as they passed over the
front lines the German AAA opened up on them. One of them was shot
down. It rained most of the time we were there. Had plenty of trouble
every day while in this area. The next night Cpl. Hanes and my self
had a scarie night, left at ten o’clock darker than coal out to fix
the line going the 423. Drove half way on the line, left the truck
and followed the line on foot. We came to some “Z” trenches and had to
crawl on our hands and feet, we did not know what was around us, we
heard something fall into the water in the trench. We thought our
goose was cooked, all it was, was some dirt we had knocked into the
water. We found tke trouble and fixed it, shells had knocked it out.
We were on edge until we got back. I was driving and almost drove in
to a pond that’s how dark it wasp just had to feel the way with a truck
That is the biggest trouble with being a wireman, over half the work
is done in total darkness. The next day three of us went looking for
better routes for our wire to save trouble. We found a good road we
thought so kept going on it. The first thing we knew a peep was com-
ing up behind us fast as the devil. When he caught up with us he told
us to stop, we did! The driver then told us we had passed the front
lines and the Kruts were a little ways a head of us nothing between
us. We got out of there quicker than hell! Before the day was over we
found a good road to use, had wire trouble that day. The next morning
went out and relaid our longest lines. The road we picked went through
some thick woods, these woods were filled with dead Germans in awful
shape. Our arty dad done this to them, we were then proud of our arty.
Just before one gets to the woods a big tank trap had to be crossed
and in plain sight of the enemy, we were lucky had no trouble with them
Was shooting trouble on the “Coilspring” line the next morning the
Kruts opened up. They were shooting 150's direct at us again fixed the
line with no casulities. Things went pretty good until the next mor-
ning. Went out to fix a line we had to an Arty Group in the same town
with “Coilspring”. They were working one way and we the other, they
got to the top of the (hill) in sight of us, a peep was right behind them in-
it was Sgt. Frances. We got to within a hundred yards of them we were
fixing the break which was there. All of a sudden the 150's opened
up on us. A direct hit, hit the wire truck of the group killed the
(8)
two wiremen, Sgt Francis got wounded had his peep smashed. He was only
out of action a few days. On the afternoon of the only Sunday with
good weather five of us went to the front at Fitten to pick up some
civilian radios for the Btry. While there the Kruts threw in a few
of their 88’,t damaged their own town but no damage to any one there.
one of our “Cubs”, was observing over head the German 88’s which is a
dual purpose gun fired at it, it didn’t take Capt. Moore long to head
for home. That is all I am able to remember about the Area. Left on
the morning of the 17th of Dec.
December 17, 1944
We arrived late in the evening, there was no wire to be
laid because we were on the way to the buldge. Most of the Btry slept
in an old theater of which my crews were part of. Had trouble with
some of my men, there was a beer joint next door with plenty of beer.
Some of them had to much. Got them to bed except thoes who went on
guard. I was sick due to an injury recieved at Laundsdorf, when I
jumped from a pole under fire. About two o'clock in the morning we
heard enemy aircraft over head, in a few minutes they went away, but
not for good. In a half an hour they returned with bombers! This was
our first bombing. It is much worst than Atry fire. The bombing last-
ed for an hour. I sure feel for the people who were getting the same
thing the complete war. We got through the night safely!
December 18, 1944 Beidweiler, Luxembourg (Buldge)
Arrived at midday. Had chow and started laying wire all
over the place. Had lots of wire on the ground here. None of the
enlisted men realy knew how bad the situation was. Was trying to lo-
cate one of our Bn’s, maps were scarce. Ran into my old BC Capt.
Magnuson and asked him for directions. I followed them and we ended
up going through the front lines and in no mans land again. An out
post stopped us or we would be dead ducks today. I had wire to every
body and their brother. We had more than our share of trouble here
when were not fixing wire, we were laying it. The Germans started a
counter attack in the 419th area, they were holding a sector of the
front lines. It was here the Division first used the Posit fuse. This
fuse has a little radio in it (transmitter) which puts out a Signal
and when this signal comes close to any thing it automaticily sets
the shell off. The best kind of air burst any one can get because it
acts the same way with the ground. When the Kruts started their att-
ack the Bn. threw in concentration after concentration of this type
shell. Let me tell you there was dead Kruts all over the place and
they got no where with their attack. At this time our combat Command
CCA left for Bastone at took a beating but saved the day for our
troops in that area. The night before we left this position the 94th
Inf Div. moved in to take our sector. They dug in all around us, that
was as far as the German were to get. I still had wire out in front
of this position seven miles. And when we pulled out the next day
we had to pick up the wire as our Bn’s pulled out and the Kruts
were on our tail. We had no casulities. The people were scared be-
cause they could see what was going to happen. Left early the next
morning.
December 20,1944
The Btry left to regroup in Newdorf but two of my wire
crews and I stayed in Beidweiler to pick up wire and keep in what
the Fire direction needed. By now the Germans were advancing but
slowly. Our tanks gave them a lot of trouble. At this time the rest
of the Btry was enjoying ice cream in the city of Luxembourg. The
Fire direction and my wiremen left this area Dec. 22.
(9)
December 22, 1944 Nommern, Luxembourg (still buldge)
Arrived here in late after noon after riding parallel to the
front lines, a half mile from it at times. Got word that the Germans
were going to use gas! Most of the wiremens gas masks were in the big
wire truck in Luxembourg including mine we were sweating. Pulled into
a sector the Ninth Armd was holding they were all shot up. We kept one
of their FA Bn’s in place of one of our Bns which we had in Bastone.
This was their first action and every little noise they heard at their
out posts they would call for an Arty concentration. There was about a
foot of snow on the ground very easy to see at night which made shoot-
ing trouble at night easy. One night a tank went over a bank and broke
every line there. We went out to fix it after we were there a few
minutes there was a least fifteen wire there from all different outfits
also repairing their lines. It was quite a job finding the right pairs.
The next night we had to got to the front lines to repair a line to
an attached outfit and we did not know where the line went because we
did not lay it. Spent hours finding the line and hours more finding
the trouble. And it was plenty cold and we were tired from lack of
sleep due to so much work. This sane day the rest of the Btry caught
up with us. This was a really noisy sector big guns a mile in back of
us (240’s) 155's a quarter of a mile in back of us and our own 105's
in our yard. These guns kept firing all the time. The 423 changed their
position and we had to lay them a new line. This was a lulu the enemy
shot every thing at us when we passed a road junction which was on our
route. Used mostly commerical lines which meant a lot of pole climbing
and that is far from fun when you are a perfect target up in the air.
Got the line in but had a lot of trouble because the 88's knocked out
a lot of poles. We were complimented on the way we kept in communicat-
ions in under fire. We spent Christmas here! Had a good chow, chicken.
But food was hard to keep warm in a mess kit out in the cold, but we
were all thankful to be able to eat it. Had one line down a railroad
track next to a stream a I'll be a sun of a gun if the tanks didn't
go over their and knock it out. On the 27th I had to make a line route
map of all my wire which I did. Late that afternoon the Sixth Armd. Div
moved in to relieve us because we were badly shot up, don’t forget the
Germans were using all they had but lost. We pulled out the next mor-
ning early.
December 28, 1944
Arrived late in the afternoon. We were billeted in an appart
ment house. It was not a bad set up. All of the Division was here
except CCA which was still in Bastone. The Div. came here to regroupe
and recieve replacements. We were far from a fighting Div at the time.
We had a scheduel of classes and that old army stuff. Lots of checking
of our vehicles. Every other day we had a show in a big room on the
top floor. Two men were allowed on a day pass each day. I had one and
just loafed around. We white washed our trucks while here so they would
blend in with the snow. The Btry had a tour of the Metz forts which
we had helped to take. They were plenty big, the Germans had made
factories out of a lot of them because they were hard for aircraft to
get at. We saw the guns that gave us our Battle Enockulation. 150’s.
Spent New years here! Spent almost a month here and we were all anxious
to get back to the front, this type of army life no longer appealed to
us. Went to Mass in the big Cathedral of Metz, it was very impressing.
The city of Metz was pretty well smashed by our airforce and Arty.
The people were very hungry and hung around our mess (kitchen) at
every meal. We were allowed to go to their beer joints the beer was
like water but we drank it. When we took dismounted drill in the street
which was every day the people would watch us by the hundreds, they
also liked to watch our formal retreats, I had to take a course in
recording mine fields while here. We left here on the 17th of January
for destination unknown.
(10)
January 17, 1945
This was a one night stand. Before arriving here we rode all
day and it was colder than hell. Getting here the Btry traveled in a
convoy by its self. We were billeted in an old house, no windows in it.
Also no stoves we all froze and were glad when morning arrived. At
this point we were a long ways from the front. There was about two
foot of snow on the ground here. The wire section picked up its Mascot
here which was a little dog. From here on the dog had a home it stayed
with my switchboard operators. Left early the next morning, that is the
advanced party which was my complete wire section and the fire direction
team.
January 18, 1945
At noon on the 18th we the advanced party pulled into our
new location at Loupershouse, France. This was a hole in the wall
every thing was shot up perty bad, billets were hard to get. The
Fire Direction had to use a shot up school house, second floor and
the kitchen set up on the first floor. The Btry was spread out all
over the town, which gave the wire section a lot more work because
we had to put in a party system all over the town beside laying all
our other lines. Right after we arrived in this war torn town we set
out to lay our first line. The crew and I were to meet the BC in a
town about eight miles away, we used a map and found a shorter way
than the main road. We met the BC alright. We were showed where one
of the Bn’s was going to set up their CP so we started our line. We
laid a fast line but a good job. When we returned the BC asked us
the route we used I showed him on the map. What did we do but go
right through a mine field and we didn't even know it, we were very
lucky. Before all the crews got through we had around forty miles of
wire on the ground. There was plenty of trouble with it. One of the
lines which three crews had to work finding where it went was about
twelve miles long. We took this line over from another outfit two
of them infact. It took us more than a day to find exactly where It
ran. We had to know this in order to shoot trouble on it. After being
there a week or so we decided to lay the long line over because we were
having a lot of trouble with it. The line we put in place of it we put
in the air most of the way account of the snow on the ground. Was
working on a poll in one of the towns this line went through, came
back to the ground and some one yelled "Fritz" I turned around it
was my buddy from home, which I was drafted with. So after that I
spent a lot of time in this town so I could see a lot of my buddy.
We sure enjoyed visiting. He was a mess Sgt, so one day when he was
taking chow up front I went with him. Went to the furtherest outpost
a machine gun. Could see the Kruts as if they were next door neigh-
bors. I wanted to shoot one but an officer would not let me, they
at the time were not shooting at the Germans so the Germans were not
shooting at our boys. It was here we got our first beer ration and
that American beer sure tasted good. Our Division could not do much
fighting due to our losses in the Ardens. So the Corp. didn't comm-
it us. We were in reserve while here. I fixed up my switchboards to
work with 110 volts to save the generators on the boards. The Twel-
veth Armd Div relieved us on the morning of the 11th of Jan. We pulled
out as soon the Btry was ready for march order.
Febuary 11, 1945
To Metz we returned in late after noon of the 11, Feb. We
got our same billets as we had the time before. They were in a hell
of a shape, some signal outfit had been in them and ruined every -
thing. To get lights we had to rewire the whole building, all the
stoves had been broke and could not be repaired. It was plenty cold
outside. By the end of the second day we had the place liveable again.
We had pretty much the same schedule to follow as the first time at
Metz. The Btry went swimming at a big, indoor pool, also took showers
in the same building. It was the first swim I had had in a couple
years. We had to take the white wash off the trucks because the snow
was off the ground where we were going. The Division finally got the
replacements we had waited for since the Ardens. They took a refresher
course on tank tactics, then we left. Departed on the 18th.
Febuary 19, 1945
Got here in late afternoon. Layed wire all night. I only
had two wire crews with me. We had no mess with us either so we ate
at Inf mess. They sure had good chow. The whole Division was in this
area getting for a big push on the fortified Seigferid Line. For two
nights and one day our arty kept pounding the forts between Borg and
Wochern. This was where the Division attacked, and the attack was
sucessful. At this time the rest of the Btry moved up to Wochern, we
pulled out the next day and leap frog them and setting up an advanced
OP.
Febuary 21, 1945
I left with my two wire crews passed the Btry and got to
the town alright. On the way the Inf. were still fighting the Kruts
a hundred yards from the road, dead all over the place, in fact there
was so many dead we had to drive over the top of them to lay our wire.
And our wire had priority over all, the orders the Col. gave us. Was
sniped at while up on poles again, it was a good thing some of thoes
Kruts were bad shots. This town was not even an over night stand for
three of my wire crews and myself. One of my crews got lost, so an-
other crew and I went looking for them. Found them straighten them
out. I then checked in to the board and got orders to lay a line to
Bilzingen from the 423rd, we already had a line from them to the spot
where I had just checked in. So we continued the line.
Febuary 22, 1945
We finished the line at four o'clock in the morning to
our new CP. This place was just a cross road and a few houses. Was
shooting trouble the next day when one of our tankers got shot in
the head by a sniper, another tank saw where the shot came from. It
was a church steeple. The tank got his 75 on it and let go no more
sniper or steeple. Fixing the same line at night and got caught in
an Arty barrage, scared to death but lived through it. The rounds
were coming from German guns on both sides of us. There was gun
blasts in every direction one looked. The next morning I had to take
a wire crew to Ayl, Germany on the Saar river. We were setting up a
foward CP there. This was one hell of a spot, mortars, rifles and
arty let us have it here. Got my lines layed had to leave one man
for shooting trouble the rest of us returned to btry area. Everv day
I had to go up there and shoot the trouble in Ayl because the wireman
left was not finding it. The cheif of staff of the 10th was killed
here. The Germans had mines all over this place one had to be careful.
our engineers took a hell of a beating trying to put a bridge across
the Saar River. It was impossible to cross here so this crossing was
faked and we crossed at Saarberg. The reason the crossing was so very
tough was because the Germans had a fortified line on the other side
(12)
in the kills. We lost a few tanks making the crossing. I left early
morning of the 1st of March to get my wire in before the Btry came
into position.
March 1, 1945
Pulled into this battered town and the first thing I saw
was three of our tanks still burning. Found a building for our OP
and started to lay my wire. Before the first line was in the rest of
the Btry arrived. Got all our wire in before dark for a change. The
Engineers were blowing up the pill boxes as soon as they were taken
so the Kruts could not get back into them if they pulled a counter-
attack. All was quiet that night. In back of our OP there was a big
German Royal tank on top of a stone fence, it had got up there and
could not get off and was knocked out by our tanks. The next morning
the enemy arty came in like it was never going to stop. Yards away
from me I saw men blown to bits, wounded. This was a slaughter for
us. It really put one in a fighting mood, some of my friends in the
423rd got killed. This barrage knocked out our only line that could
give counter btry fire on the German guns. So I was given a direct
order by the Col. to get that line in at once! Could not locate any
of my wire men to help me. The shells were still coming in but I got
the line fixed, the enemy btry was knocked out. I’m sorry this all
took place in one day. We left here on the 2nd, left most of the
Btry in Irsch.
March 2, 1945
I left Irsch laying wire to Pellingen. We got as far as
a cross roads out side of 0ber Zerf. We got pinned down in a slit
trench by enemy small arms and machine guns. For hours we had to
lay there or get shot. We could not shoot back our guns were in the
truck ten yards from us, its a good thing the Germans didn't know this.
It was light out when we got pinned down and it was pitch dark out
and we were in the same hole. After dying a thousand deaths in that
hole a gas train of ours came up the road. In the gas train every
other vehicle was a tank. Two of the tanks covered us while we got
in our truck and got in there convoy. Early the next morning we ended
up at a Pill box our CP with out a line to the rear CP. Set out lay-
ing a double line to the 423rd and 420th. Got over to the 420th and
started toward the 423 with the wire. That familiar sound was coming
toward us again, of course this time I was on top of a pole. These were
German tanks firing at us, the fellows ran and left me sitting up on
the pole in my lonesome. Came down and hit a hole in the ground and
as soon as their target was gone they stoped firing. Started working
again, they started in again. It took hours to get to the 423rd,
after getting there, we started out with a double line from there to
our CP with the lines. Got just out side of the 423rd CP and they let
us have it again. Had to work under fire in order to get communicat-
ion to be able to fire back at them. Got two miles on the dirt road
toward our CP in open country and on a little hill. We saw some gun
blasts down in the valley and the worst sound I ever heard coming
through the air, we hit the dirt behind our truck! They hit thirty
yards from us they were Nebelwerfers simlar to our rockets. They
stop firing in about ten minutes but thoes ten minutes seemed like
hours! Started in again and ran out of wire so I sent a man back to
our CP on foot. While waiting a bunch of our tanks came up the
road also Inf. They went in and cleaned out right where we had been
had a ring side seat for this phase of the war. Saw three of our
tanks go after a big Tiger Royal, they got him but two more appeared
over the crest of the hill, our tanks went after them and chased
them out of sight. We then got orders to pick up the wire that we
were moving up again, picked it up and caught up with the Btry at
Pellingen. It was dark and the rest of the Btry was all ready there
(13)
and they had had chow. Was told to put our truck behind our billets
after we ate. We ate! I had to go into the CP and report the German
guns we had seen fire directly at us. It was then to late to put our
air observers in the air. Cpl Capablo was guiding the truck into the
lot behind the house it hit a big Teller mine, by this time I was in
our billet. The explosion was teriffic sounded like a 240 had landed.
Was the first one to get to him, at that moment it looked to us if his
foot and half his leg was blown off. Put a turnikit on him to stop the
bleeding. He had holes all over both his legs from the mine. Also gave
him pills to stop infection. Stayed with him in the rain until an
ambulance arrived. He is still in a hospital some where in the states.
They saved both his legs! The truck and all the equipment on it were
a complete loss. The track was thrown about ten yards and completely
empty when it landed. The driver was not hurt, why no one knows! We
left this position the following morning. Corp was laying us a line
that night up the same road we had advanced to. They hit a mine also,
killed three of there wire men! Threw a big two and a half ton track
all the way across the road into a field. Every thing was a loss. Div
was also laying us a line up the same road, same night! They hit a
mine with a half track two injured no one killed. Every part of the
Div lost heavly on our advance from Irsch to Trier.
March 3, 1945
Got here at three o'clock in the afternoon. Marishof was a
big Chateaux on the outskirts of Trier. The city was in too much
ruins to got billets for the whole Division. Had wire all over the
place, including two eight mile lines, also plenty of trouble with
them due to a large amount of troop moments. A person can not come
close to realizing the damage our air force did to all the big cities
of Germany. The l0th Armd took this city all by its self no matter
what the papers read. Stayed here for three days to regroup for an
other attack. When we got the other side of Trier we ran into the other
Div that was to help us take it.
March 7, 1945
The advance party left Marishof early in the morning and
we went to Pfalsel. This town was about half in ruins. Picked out
the best in the town for billets for the Btry. The Comm Cheif and I
had a beautiful three room apartment to our selves. The best set up
we had ever had since in combat. Had a lot of lines but most of them
were short lines for a change. We had to cross to the other side of
the Moselle to get to this town. We were then starting up the north
bank. In general things were pretty quite in this area. Stayed two
days and the advance party left first.
March 9, 1945
Pulled into this town the dough boys and tankers were still
fighting for it, so we had to wait until it was cleared before pick-
ing out our billets. On route to this town we passed a hospital town
the Kruts had declared an open city, waited till our tanks got there
and opened up on them with 88's from inside buildings that were marked
as hospitals. Also women were manning some of the guns. We picked out
our billets and got all the locals in before the Btry arrived. By the
time they got there the front had moved up the road six miles and so
did our FA Bn’s. We then had to lay fairly long lines to them. The
forward crew and I took the longest line which was the 423. We traveled
parallel to the front line for three miles, the front was an Arty front
Could see both our guns fire and also the enemy. The Germans lost a
hell of a lot of equipment all through this sector. Stayed here for
two days.
(14)
March 12, 1945
Returned to our old billets, got our equipment in shape for
another meeting with Hitlers boys not supermen! Almost all of the Corp
Arty was sitting in this sector firing like mad. The guns were so close
to our barn which was our billets sleep was forgotten. The second night
back the Kruts counterattacked in the area of Pellingen which we had
taken nine days before. Our Btry was the closest troops to Pellingen.
The enemy was reported to have self propelled guns our biggest weapon
was a fifty calib. machine gun. So we requested from Div some tanks
and got them. Had all the Arty that could adjust on the cross roads
a half mile from our CP adjust on this point. The enemy had to advan-
ce up this road in order to get at us. The Division then sent some of
our Armd Calv. to Pellingen, they wiped out the German patrol and got
the town back. The advance party stayed for three days. Got replace-
ments on all my equipment lost when the one truck hit the mine. On the
15th at two o'clock in the morning I was woke up and told to get one
of my crews ready we were pulling out as soon as we were ready.
March 15, 1945 Ober
Was on the road at three o'clock in the morning pitch dark
out. I took two crews with me instead of one. Going down a steep hill
my truck went into a ditch and hit a tree, had to have the other truck
pull us out. We drove until five thirty it was still dark. Had to lay
wire as soon as we hit there, continued until midday. Took a nap and
had to repair one of the lines. While repairing the line the rest of
the Btry passed through the town and continued
forward. At
started picking up the wire, passed General “Ike” and Patton on the
road. At five o'clock sent one of the crews to catch up with the Btry.
At eight O'clock I left with the other crew to catch up with the Btry.
At midnight we caught up but luckly because we didn't know where we were
going or wwere the Btry was.
March 16, 1945
When we got there the Btry was billeted in a school house.
The Germans were surrendering like mad. Dead all over the place, lots
of Krut tanks knocked out. The wire was all laid when we arrived there.
The next morning Sgt Walz and I left to pick a route for the Btry to
advance on. Came upon a group of vehicles so we passed them and came
upon a road block. The Inf had just knocked out two machine guns and
had not taken the town were to move into yet so we returned to our
present position. The Kruts counterattacked in the sector of one of
our gun batteries but repelled the attack. Stayed here two days.
March 18, 1945
The whole Btry marched as a unit. Traveled all day, passing
columns of Kruts on foot which had surrendered. The roads were covered
with dead horses wagons and dead Germans. Most of the people were very
surprised to see American troops. At four o'clock we stopped in a little
town moved into a school house. We found Germans all over the place
scared to surrender, even found them in locked in toilets. Did not set
up here. Took the whole wire section on ahead. On the way out of town
saw a big tunnel filled with dead Germans. Came to a big affair of
buildings, about a hundred yards ahead on the crest of a hill were our
tanks. Some were firing as fast as they could a couple others were bur-
ning. Down in the valley the Germans had anti-tank guns. We pulled in
to this bunch of buildings and set up a CP. The Kruts started shooting
Arty at us, that was not bad enough our own Arty was shooting air burst
(15)
at the Kruts but were going off over our heads. All we held in this
area were the roads, the enemy still had every thing else. We went up
to where the tanks were and watched the action. Machine guns were fir-
ing from all directions. Went back to the btry and had chow. We had all
our local lines in waiting for the go signal on the trunk lines. About
nine o'clock I got the go sign, had to link up all the units near by
in a party system. Got them all in except the last one, 776 FA our
155 Bn and the enemy started a small counterattack. But it was repelled
with not to much trouble. The complete crew including my self were very
uneasy the whole time we were out because with only the roads in our
hands we expected some so called supermen to ambush us any time. Got
the communications in with just a few more gray hairs added. The wire
section got its fifth truck here a Ford which I converted into a mobile
switchboard installuation. Made our job much faster in this phase of it.
Some of us fellows went snooping around the celar the next morning and
found tunnels leading to pill boxes out in the woods. The Germans had
used this place for an Army HQ. Got a lot of enemy signal equipment
from here and turned a lot in to our Signal Co. of the Div. Found a
well equiped Btry of German 150's in the woods to our rear, there was
not a thing from preventing them from firing on us. Instead they gave
up with no trouble. They could had played plenty of hell with us by
firing direct, the Btry was lucky! We left this place around noon time
as our tanks had found a hole and were going like mad with nothing
giving them any opposition. We had to stay up with them in order to
give them fire when they needed it. So we followed!
March 19, 1945
Rode continuously until six O'clock. All along the roads
was German equipment knocked out by our tanks, over fifty per-cent of
it was still burning. By the number of PW's it looked like they were
surrendering by the Bn. All the wire we laid here was the Btry locals
which were used in case of an attack durning the night. Civilians were
scared to death. Very quiet all night. Got up early the next morning
and painted the Ford truck OD in place of the camouflage paint the
Germans used. We didn't want to get shot up by our own troops. We
left here about ten o'clock the same morning.
March 20, 1945 Kaiserlautern
(Kaisermuhle),
We were following a dirt road for hours and then we hit the
German superhighway. This was a military highway of six lanes, also
very straight with over heads over cross roads. It was on one of these
over heads that the 10th and 6th Armd Divisions crossed. Stayed on the
superhighway until we hit Kaiserlautern. Put in our locals for guard
purposes. Got orders from the Col. to go back to one of the towns we
passed through and pick up a load of Conyac he found. He left a guard,
so I went back and picked it up and me a nondrinker. The wire section
took a swell house for our billets, had lights, runing water, bath
tub and a electric stove that worked. We stayed here for four days an
we took advantage of our modern fixtures. Some of my men went out and
raided chicken coops, we had eggs every way. Also found some sugar in
the house, the Comm Cheif and I made fudge for the section. We had a
good rest while here and of course a lot of hangovers from the Conyac,
but not this GI, I don’t drink any more. Our rest came to an end on
the 24th.
March 24, 1945
Riding got very monotonous, we rode the whole day, we first
came to Landau. Street fighting was still going on, civilian were
firing from windows at our troops. We got plenty of PW's here, the
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officers could not find decent billets here so we went back to a
Chettoug just outside of Edenkoben. On our march we saw the biggest
tanks any of us had ever seen. There were two of them, one of them had
sixteen direct hits from our seventy six's and it didn't knock either
of them out. The only reason we captured them, because they ran out of
gas. We stayed in this Chettoug for four days. We were then trying to
get a bridgehead across the Rhine. Our Arty fired with out a let up.
We had our first movie in a long while. One of the boys in the Btry
got shot through the heart by one of the our boys who was cleaning
a German gun he had picked up. We had to turn in our German guns, except
our issue. Had to do a lot of mantanince on our vehicles.
March 28, 1945
The advance party left early in the morning. Crossed the
Rhine at Worms ten fifteen in the morning. Went right up to the front
lines, but it was a mistake. Fighting was going on all over the city
and we drove right up on a Krut machine gun on the other side of the
cannal. We got out of there in no time flat and went to the other side
of the city where we got billets for the Btry. German dead were laying
all over the streets, very little trouble from the civilians. Had a
pretty good set up here. Had to search the houses for enemy troops
and weapons. Found a lot of wounded in houses the civilians were taking
care of them. The Comm Cheif hurt his leg while trying to get some
eggs out of a hen house, fell two stories. The city was in bad shape,
most of if smashed from our bombers. Very little wire here Just stayed
two days.
March 31, 1945
It only took us a couple hours to get here as it was not
very far from Mannheim. Our Arty Air observers had knocked out seventy
enemy Arty Pieces, 88’s in this small sector. Heidelberg was in darn
good shape, very little damage. Every day while there the enemy air-
craft would try to do damage to the bridges our Eng. had put in. It
was here I got the German flag off of a pole in front of one of the
houses we picked for billets. It was fun to kick out the rich Kruts
from their homes and Americans move in. The reason it was fun was
because it was this type of people that helped support this war for
the Germans. All the wire we had on the ground here were short lines
in the city, all our units were also in the city. On the second day
the advanced party left but returned the same day as we could not
get to the next position yet. Made it on the second attempt. At Heid-
elberg mostly things were quiet.
April 3, 1945
Arrived here late in the afternoon. Passed a lot of Kruts
on the road who wanted to surrender but we did not have the time to
fool around with them. Our Cp here was set up in a school house, the
Med. were also using it for an Aid station. My wire section was bill-
eted in a bakery. Laid wire all night, enemy action was very heavy.
Losses were heavy. Ran out of wire and had to use combat wire and
just had enough of that. Rained all night. The whole Corp Arty moved
up in this sector. The enemy put plenty of arty on us this was known
as a hot corner. We were then trying to take Heilbron, and the Germans
didn't want to give up the town. They realy fought for it. We could
not take it by direct assualt so an Inf Div moved up take our place
and hold it, the armor was to take a swing to their rear. On the
second day we left.
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April 5, 1945
The advance party left early in the morning, drove all
day and ate on the march, “K” rations. About four o'clock in the
afternoon the Col. met us and told us to follow him. Our tanks were
meeting very little trouble so the advance was very swift. Our party
then took a different road than the task force. On this different
route we took two towns, a force of four vehicles. We did not like
the idea because our biggest weapon was a thirty calib. machine gun.
Met the task force at Assemstadt. At this point the Germans didn't
know if they were coming or going. The advance party stayed just
over night. And laid wire most of the night, it was still raining.
we left early the next morning the rest of the btry stayed there for
three days.
April 6, 1945
Again the advance traveled all alone. Tried to follow the
route of the task force, which of course is tanks in our case. We
had to go cross country. My wire truck was so heavly loaded it got
stuck in the soft ground and one of our bigger vehicles had to get
us out. At the time we didn't know that the enemy was all around us
and had attacked our tanks when they had gone through the same place.
Fate got us through okay. We caught up with the task force and rode
next to the point. The civilians gave us a fight in every town, so
we called for White phosporus and burned some of their homes and
they then gave up willingly. Late in the afternoon the task force
reach Crailsheim. We could not go any farther because everything
was low on gas. Stopped here for the night we thought to give our
supply trains time to catch up with us. Put in some local lines and
also trunk lines to the 420 FA Bn. This part of the task force had
moved back to the next little town because there were not enough
places for billets for all in Crailsheim. The tanks and dough boys
and also a few Eng. stayed there. Things in general were pretty quiet
all the first night. Right after chow the first morning Maj Childs
called me into FDC and told me I had to get a line to the task force
headquarters which was CCA in Crailsheim, also told me we would not
move that day because our supply trains could not get through to us
and the enemy had us cut off! The wire was very important because
it was the only way any one could get fire when they needed it. I
took my crew and went to CCA Hq. Started to lay the line and the
Kruts decided to let us know that they were still around. 88's came
pouring in. Laying wire is a slow job if done right we were trying
to do it right. Moving slow laying our wire and we began to notice
that all the other traffic on the road were traveling at a break
neck speed. Then it came, planes from every where! shooting up and
down the road like mad and dropping cluster bombs. It took hours
before we got the line in. When we returned was notified that we
had another line to lay. We were almost out of wire so I talked the
this outfit to lay half of it, they did. When all the wire was in
the FDC told me that the enemy was all around us, that was the rea-
son for the speed of all vehicles going in and out of Crailsheim.
Also told me not to shoot any trouble with out a five man crew, I
only had a four man crew with me so I had to use the complete crew
when ever shooting trouble. We had plenty of it. Three o'clock the
next morning Col. Taylor told me our line going into Crailsheim was
out. Got the crew up and the way we left. All of us were thinking
the same thing, will we get back? We lost no time driving black out
at that. The line was good at the edge of Crailsheim so we started
checking through town, German rocket were coming in and had been
coming in since midnight we were informed at CCA. The rockets had
knocked off the roofs of half the town and our wire with them. Had
to put in a new section through half the town, got it fixed. CCA
then told us they were going to change the location of their CP
because things were to hot at their present position. Laid another
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section and by the time we got it completed it was time for breakfast.
Returned and were eating when we got another air attack. They were
trying to knock out our gun batteries. Killed five men. We failed to
knock any of the planes down, they were to fast, jet propelled. Our
47's were even to slow for them. The attack lasted for hours and our
wire got tore all to-hell from their cluster bombs. We worked all day.
In the mean time every thing that tried to get to us got knocked out.
We were running out of food and shells of all types. Two o'clock in
the morning had to repair our line to Crailsheim again. Line again was
good all the way to Crailsheim. Started on foot through town, got two
blocks of their CP still good. We then leaped to their CP. Their switch-
board operator told me they didn't dare to fix the line because it was
broke in an open field and they could not find the wire because the
field was full of booby traps our Eng. put in their. My Cpl and I went
out their to fix the wire we knew where it laid because we put it their
was fixing the break when all hell broke lose. The Kruts counterattacked
in that sector. They came in shooting every thing they had. It seemed
like years to us trying to get out of that field, booby traps and the
enemy on our tail. We got back to a tank which pulled up to the edge
of the field. Then we opened up with our weapons, didn't want to do it
when we were out in the open because they would have gotten the both
of us. In two and a half hours they gave up and went back the attacked
had been repelled. We fixed the wire and went home. Laid down at seven
were back up in ten minutes. Another air attack, got to chow at nine.
Every house troops were in was used for an OP thats how close the
enemy was to us at all times. In the middle of the afternoon we got
word that Col. Lubberman was dead shot through the heart while trying
to get up to us. He was the Arty Commander. Our present position got
to hot so we moved to another town. Maj Childs and my crew were the
first in the town, had no trouble. I had to get all the wire in before
any of the outfit could move in. Was out of wire so I had ride all over
this sector with my wiremen hunting for commericals and we found them
got all communications in the 420 th and what elements of our Btry
that were there moved over. The enemy aircraft found us right off the
bat, we got all they had again. We were down to our last fifty rounds
of machine gun ammunition, out of food, are arty ammo was gone! Late
in the afternoon a flight of C47’s came with supplies. They were escor-
ted by twenty P47's. They landed at the Airport in Crailsheim. We had
to fight our way to get to the planes. The enemy held all the ground
around it. One of the C47’s was knocked out by morter fire. We were so
low on food we were eating what we could steal from the civilians,
mostly eggs. I got a pair of German field glasses here. I took them
away from a wounded soldier, he was using them at the time. He was
watching his own troops from a window of the house the were using for
a hospital. It got to hot for all, on the night of the 11th we fought
our way back out. Our Arty killed more than three thousand Germans
here by firing TOT’s. That is why we ran out of Ammo. This was the
worst part of the war for me I would not go through it again for a
couple hundred points, and I want ten more points damm bad! The reason
we got trapped was because the foot Inf could not keep up with us. They
were still taking town-our rear troops were all ready occupying.
April 11, 1945
This was a half night stand, arrived about midnight. Our
billets were still occupied by civilians, got to bed about one thirty.
The following morning we met our new Arty Commander, Col. Metzger.
A shower unit was in town so we took showers that morning and got
some clean clothes. We found out why we were so lucky getting out of
Crailsheim. Our Arty had knocked out a German Regt CP killing all the
Officers, the enlisted men didn’t know what to do. They sit in the
woods and watched us pull out. Got this information from a PW. Had to
load my truck up again with Ammo, wire and rations. We left this town
right after chow. The Btry marched as a unit.
(19)
April 12, 1945
Got here about four o'clock in the afternoon. We moved into
the field for the first time since Normandy. Got all the wire in by
seven o'clock and had no trouble with it all night. Firing was going
on all night. The btry Commander was so scared he slept in a culvert
all night. After chow in the morning I took my big truck back to the
Signal supply we were hurting for wire. Got back in time for dinner.
We pulled out right after chow.
April 13, 1945
Arrived here about three o'clock in the afternoon. Started
to lay lines to all our Bn’s and attached Arty. Was coming acrossed
an open field trying to put the wire in a safe place and also save
some wire at the same time. We were spliceing the wire when a whistle
went by my head, a sniper took an other shot at me. He didn't miss me
by much! I hit the ground and finished the splice, told the truck
and the rest of the crew to take off as fast as they could. The wire
was rapped around my foot and it pulled me along the ground. Got up
and started to ran to the truck which was then moving. The sniper took
another shot and just then the wire got caught on the buckles on my
shoes and down I went again and I believed the wire saved my neck that
time. Had no trouble with our wire here. It was one hell of a hot
night and I had to take one of our radio stations to a hill. The reason
I had to take it was I had been to the spot before in the day laying
wire. Got back to the Btry about one o'clock. The enemy countar-attacked
the following morning but it was repelled with little loss. Stayed
here two days and nights. Our town was a good target for the enemy
because some of the buildings were still burning and we stuck out like
a sore thumb. Our troops also used artificial moon light the second
night. Big search lights shinning in the sky makes the battle area
just as bright as if the moon were out full blast. That night our troops
played hell with them. Took our objective in the middle of the night.
We moved out the next morning.
April 15, 1945
The advance party got here around nine o'clock in the AM.
The town was full of dead Germans both troops and civilians. The civ-
ilians fought with the Army here, that is why it took us two days to
take the town. TOT's from our Arty knocked the hell out of the town.
When we left two days latter it was still burning. Our stay here was
pretty quiet. Had lots of wire out but very little trouble, so I had
time to fix the switchboard truck up real good. Got lumber out of the
lumber yard which was next to our billets. I forgot taking Kirchsall
the Atry led the way, we were in front of both the tanks and Inf. The
Division was regrouped and took off again.
April 17, 1945
One of our Arty Bn’s led the way and we followed, the town
was to small for even a Btry so we moved in to the field. Got all the
wire in before supper. Had a big Arty duel here with Kruts, but they
were silenced in less than an hour. One of our Bn’s was fifteen miles
away from us, with another task force. I was sent to find them. I
took a peep and went looking found them at eleven o’clock, to far to
lay wire for a one night stand. When I got there, they were catching
hell from 88’s and could not locate them, they took a beating all
night. I got back to the outfit after midnight. By this time our heavy
stuff had moved up, it was too noisy to sleep that night. Was glad
morning arrived! The advance party left early in the morning.
(20)
April 18, 1945
The advance party went on by its self and passed the whole
task force. Picked our billets and layed wire to spots here and there
where our Arty Bn’s were to pull into. Used a lot of Commericals here.
Latter in the afternoon the task force passed us up. The rest of the
Btry caught up. Things moved so fast that night we laid more wire all
over the country extending lines as our Arty moved up. When we retur-
ned to the outfit early the next morning the 100 Inf D1v and tanks
were dug in all around our Btry position. Div was laying us a line and
hit a mine with their half track, no one hurt. The vehicle was beyond
repair. We moved right after dinner to a town I don't remember the
name. Only laid a couple lines here. Was filling up one truck with wire
from that had broke down and could only run in front wheel drive. The
88's put a barrage on us I tried to get to a cellar but got caught on
a barbed wire fence and could not get lose. I stayed hanging on the
fence for five minutes before I got lose. The barrage lasted for about
twenty minutes. I didn't want to tare the cloths to much because it
was the only pair of pants I had at that time because my other pair
burned up in the wire truck that hit the mine. I never got them replaced
until the war was over. We left this position around five o'clock in
the afternoon.
April 19, 1945
We got here and had chow about seven o'clock. Our lines
here were very short. All of the HQ's were in the same town with us.
CCA was in a big beautiful castle, while we were in an orchard. The
Div got hundreds of prisoners here. Enemy Arty let us have it all night
but just a few rounds now and then, not a barrage! Big stuff moved up
all night. Things were pretty quiet most of the night. Left right after
chow in the morning, the advance party.
April 20, 1945
We drove all morning, had “K” rations on the road and kept
moving until mid afternoon. We put in our locals and short lines in
first. By then the Btry had pulled in and we had chow. While eating
supper the Krut jet-propelled planes came over and bombed and strafted
our town. They were trying to get some of our gun batteries but they
failed. At seven o'clock I was notified that we had to get a line to
one of our Bn’s that had moved up. The FDC was in a hurry for the line
so I put three trucks on it, it also was a long line about eleven miles.
The truck working the middle took a wrong rode and ran into the Kruts
with no casulities came back up the road with their tail between their
legs like a scared dog. In three hours we had the line in and working.
The Comm Cheif and I used a peep to direct the work and keep the three
trucks on the right road after that. On the way back we ran into a
German patrol, we had very little trouble with them because we out
numbered them by a lot. The worst part was they got away. The German
jets were over head all night. Early in the morning the advance party
took off on another mad dash.
April 21, 1945
The advance elements drove all morning with the head of the
task force. The P47's made things easy for us they smashed every thing
the Germans had on the roads. Our route of advance was full of dead
soldiers and horses. Some of our tanks are equiped with snow plows
on front. These were used to clear the road, just pushed everything
off the road so the rest of the colum could pass. We came to the city
(21)
of Kirchheim and ran into a lot of enemy resistance. These were the
troops trying to get out of a trap Stuttguard. Late in the afternoon
the task force had them under control and a lot of prisioners taken.
German ME109's and P47’s were dog fighting most the afternoon right
above us. Our first billets did not suit the officers so we moved to
the other side of town. We didn't stay there an hour because things
got to hot and we were the only troops exposed to the Kruts. We moved
back to our original billets. These billets were German WAC barracks.
The Comm Cheif and my self got two SS officers from behind the billets in
some woods. We then took a group of men and had to clean out a small
settlement, got some troops out of there. We laid wire to our Bn’s and
finished about eleven o'clock that night. One line took us passed one
of our Inf out posts. Our Arty blasted the Kruts all night, both shells
enemy and our Arty were over our heads all night. We had a lot of guards
that night. We left early the next morning.
April 22, 1945
The advance party left early but had to return because our
next town was not taken as yet. Pulled out again right after noon chow.
Drove for three hours, hit our first snow. We hit the snow when we got
on top of a big mountain and it was cold. Got to Feldstatten around four
o'clock in the afternoon. It was ten o'clock in the evening before our
wire was all in. Thousands of PW were taken here, also the civilians
gave us a fight here. On the way we passed the 100th Inf. doughboys on
the road. While passing them we hit a hell of an Arty barrage, some of
the doughs were hit. We picked two of them up and took them to an aid
station. One of them had a hole in his stomach and his inards were hanging
out. We never found out if he lived on not. We had a front seat on a
battle. Some woods behind our CP was filled with Kruts. Our tanks moved
out with doughboys on them. The Inf set up some mortars behind the crest
of a hill and zeroed in. The tanks advanced towards the woods, the Kruts
were dumb or scared and opened up on them with their Panzerfaust (same
as our Bazooka). When this happened the mortors, tanks, machine guns,
small arms and Arty opened-up on them. In less than an hour the woods
were cleaned out and plenty of dead Kruts. We left here the next day.
April 23, 1945
The Btry marched as a unit. We arrived here in mid afternoon.
As soon as we got into the town we were fired on by tanks. They were
French tanks. They didn't know we had taken the town, were just ready
to take it them selves. Had trouble leaving this place because the
French had taken a bridge and would not let us cross until their Div
had crossed. So we stayed in the town over night. Had very little wire a
on the ground. Had a quiet night.
April 24, 1945
The advance party left early .
We rode parallel to the
all morning. Moved into a big castle but was put out it was put off
limits to all troops. So we moved into Erbach. Had four or five lines
but used commericals on all but one. Had no trouble. No action except
for enemy planes over head. Left the following day still traveling on
the north side of the Danube.
(22)
April 25, 1945
The advance party took off early as usual. Took over a big
home on a cliff on the edge of the Danube at the edge of Ulm. The Kruts
held the other side of the river. We used the top floor for an OP and
raised hell with the enemy on the other side. Threw in a barrage and
we could see the Kruts fly in the air. What was left tried to run away
we tossed air burst at them and finished them all. We took a hell of
Arty barrage from them receiving all the shells in the Arty area. I had
to lay a line to one of our Bn’s and the only way I could get to them
was to go over the top of a hill. We started up almost got to the top
they opened up on us, came back down until the firing stopped tried again
after three attemps we made it. Got to our Bn and in came the 88’s, it
took us five hours to complete the line. All night the biggest Arty dual
I had ever saw went on it was impossible to sleep. The city of Ulm was
almost smashed to the ground. We left the next morning.
April 26, 1945
The advance party took off and crossed the Danube at ten in
the morning. With very little action we traveled all day and came to
Frickenhausen. By now the Germans were giving-up by the Regt. We stayed
in an orchard all night, laid no wire, because we had no idea how long
we were going to stay, our tanks were still moving. We got our first
veiw of the Alps from here. The P47’s made the last of the war very easy
for the ground troops. The roads were filled with knocked out German
equipment. I left at six o'clock in the evening on pass to Paris. The
Btry stayed all night.
April 27, 1945
The Btry drove all day again to stay up with the task force.
The Comm Cheif took my place on the advance party. When they hit this
town they took 27 germans one was a full Col. He didn't want to give up
the Comm Cheif fired eight rounds at his feet and he changed his mind.
Very little actiong stayed over night.
April 28, 1945
The Btry drove all day as a unit. The enemy gave very little
trouble, and were giving up so fast we, “the task force”, could not
handle them. The Btry stayed here for two days, waiting for orders to
move up. No wire was laid.
April 30, 1945 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (Bavaria)
Moved in and took over the best hotel in town, "Banhof". Wire
was laid to all the Bn’s. The next day the Germans in this sector gave
up, we were told the Tenth was through fighting in the ETO. From there on
the Btry worked the same as in garrison, still are doing the same. The
1936 world Olypicss were held here, the winter sports. Had a very good
set up there. A show right across the street, close to the post office.
The Division HQ is still in Garmisch. I returned to the Btry while here.
I also was awarded the Bronze Star in the "Banhof" hotel. We were out
ranked by Div and had to move out and the Div Signal Co moved in. Their
present billets were to small for their Company. Was still in Garmisch
when the war was officialy over. We left on the 14th of May.
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May 14, 1945 Bad
We moved into a small hotel, it was not big enough for the
Btry so we also used a house. Had a lot of guard posts here. Third
Army HQ moved into this town. In a few days we were out ranked again
and had to move. We had no place to go at that time so the Arty Commander
pulled his rank on one of his Bn Commanders and we took over one of their
billets, which was at Walchensee. We moved again!
May 19, 1945
Arrived in the morning, put in all our locals which are still
in. It is on a nice lake, our hotel I mean. Have a good set up. The Div
is now being redeployed, had lost most of the men. We had some PWs
working for us. Cpl Hanes and my self built a ball field which is the
best in the DIV. The Division championship game was played on it. We
spend a lot of time on it. We also built a diving board two rafts one
with a small diving board on it. The PWs under our orders built a boxing
ring. We also built a volley ball court. Also have speakers all over the
building because we only have one radio. All in all the set up is very
good. To see a movie we have to go to Kockel which is ten miles from
here but we ran a truck when ever we can get ten men to go. We have no
idea how long we will stay here. So that takes us up to date which is
August 4, 1945.
THE END