17 September 1944

V-MAIL

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

Belgium

17 September, 1944      1800

Dearest darling Wilma –

Happy New Year to you sweetheart, – and to the family – and I hope this is the last one we have to spend apart from one another. Somehow dearest, I miss you awfully on the Holidays – and tonight is no exception. I sure could kiss and hug you to a fair-thee-well or is it fare-thee-well? In any respect – I’d love to be doing just that right now, dear – and very, very hard!

Excuse the V-mail, darling. This time it is not due to being hurried – but to the weather – which all day has been unpleasant. I waited until now – but I finally had to start because it will be dark soon. We went back on the old time – last nite and it now gets dark early

I will be unable to attend services tonite – but I’ll do my darndest to go tomorrow and do some real concentrated praying – for you, your folks and family – and mine. Until later – sweetheart – I’ll say ‘so long’ – and remember, dear – my sincerest and everlasting love is yours alone –

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about "A Bridge Too Far"
Operation Market Garden - Part I

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Drop sites and Starting Points

Most of the writing about Operation Market Garden was written on a site called "Remember September '44".

In early September 1944, Montgomery, in order to maintain the momentum of the Allied movement from Normandy towards Germany, conceived an operation to outflank the German "West Wall" defensive line. Montgomery persuaded Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower that his daring plan of forcing a narrow corridor from Eindhoven northward to Arnhem and establishing a bridgehead across the Rhine River held the promise of causing a German collapse by the end the year. Montgomery's Operation Market-Garden, the biggest airborne operation in our history, consisted of two parts.

The Market part of Montgomery's operation was to lay a carpet with the First Allied Airborne Army to seize seven canal and river bridges in Holland as well as the very important bridge, in terms of supply across the lower Rhine, at the town of Arnhem. The Garden part of the operation was to have the British XXX Corp's Armored Division rapidly move 60 miles along the narrow corridor crossing to secure the captured bridges and join the airborne forces in Arnhem

Three main advantages were expected to be achieved:

• Cutting the land exit of the Germans remaining in western Holland,
• Outflanking the enemy's frontier defences, the West Wall or the Siegfried Line, and
• Positioning British ground forces for a drive into Germany via the North German plain.

The 17th of September was the so called "Day Zero" of the operation. Before the actual airborne landings took place the Allies bombarded German positions so that the paratroops could be dropped with less risk. Around 0900 in the morning the air-raid warning sounded in Arnhem. The 2nd Tactical Air Force bombed German barracks and anti-aircraft positions.

British 1st Airborne Division

From airfields in the U.K. paratrooper units from the First British Airborne Division, including the Polish 1st Parachute Brigade, left in 145 U.S. transport planes and 358 British tow planes towing 354 Gliders all to land near Wolfheze. the British 1st Airborne Division had to secure the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem.

First British Airborne Division's Operation

Major Gough’s Reconnaissance Squadron was ordered to occupy the Arnhem bridge by following a path along the railway, but ran into Sturmbahnführer Kraft’s training battalion near the railroad and the Wolfhezerweg. Meanwhile, the 1st Parachute Brigade's three battalions continued their advance towards Arnhem, each battalion by a different route. Lt. Col. John Fitch’s 3rd battalion followed the 'Tiger' route. Near Hotel de Bilderberg, they came upon Kraft's battalion. Due to this hold-up they didn’t reach Hotel Hartenstein until after sunset. Lt. Col. John Frost’s 2nd battalion followed the 'Lion' route. They were delayed in Oosterbeek by a welcome from the Dutch people and arrived at the railroad bridge too late. The Germans had blown it up. Then they were attacked by German machine-guns and armored cars. B-Company started to fight back, while A-Company continued their advance. The second target, the pontoon bridge, was partly down so they couldn't reach the southern bank of the river. Finally, they were able to reach the last target, Arnhem’s traffic bridge. But they could only take the northern access road and failed to cross the bridge because of SS groups defending the bridge’s southern access road. Now 2nd battalion’s approximately 600 men were surrounded and cut off. Lt. Col. David Dobie’s 1st Battalion followed the 'Leopard'. There they had to fight the 9th SS Panzer Division and suffered many losses. They heard that the 2nd battalion had reached the bridge, so they deviated from their planned route and went southwards but failed to join up with them. Like the 3rd Battalion they only reached the outskirts of Arnhem.

U.S. 101st Airborne Division

The American 101st Airborne Division was transported by 424 U.S transport planes and 70 towing planes with gliders. The U.S. 101st Airborne Division had its drop zone near Eindhoven, Best, Son, St-Oedenrode and Veghel. The 101st had to secure the bridge over the Wilhelmina canal in Son, the bridge over the Dommel in St-Oedenrode and the bridges over the Aa and Zuid-Willemsvaart canal near Veghel.

American 101st Airborne Divisions' Operation

501st Regiment of the 'Screaming Eagles' jumped near Veghel. By 1700, they had captured two bridges intact and set up a strong roadblock south of Veghel near the village of Eerde. Their operation was accomplished successfully. The 502nd Regiment landed in the triangle of Son-Best-St. Oedenrode. They encountered some light resistance at St. Oedenrode, but the bridge across the Dommel was taken intact. Another target of the 502nd Regiment was the bridge near Best. If this bridge could be taken General Taylor would hold two bridges across the Wilhelmina Canal; this one and another at Son. Taylor was told that only a few German units were settled at Best. Since the bridge was only a secondary target only one company was sent. They ran into strong resistance. Reinforcements were sent, but the battle ceased when the night fell. The 506th Regiment was to take the most important bridge in the Eindhoven-area, the swing bridge at Son. Immediately after landing, the three battalions approached the town in two ways. The first battalion was in front and went southwards. The rest of the 506th Regiment followed the main road through Son. It took about an hour to eliminate German resistance before they could advance. It was an hour too long. The Germans had had the time to blow up the Son bridge. Two other bridges had been blown up by the Germans several days earlier. A footbridge was constructed and a defense line was set up south of the Wilhelmina canal. Eindhoven, which according to the plan had to be taken this day, was not reached.

U.S. 82nd Airborne Division

The American 82nd Airborne Division left in 480 U.S transport planes and 50 towing planes with their gliders. The bridges over the Maas at Grave and the Waal at Nijmegen were the targets of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division; they were dropped near Groesbeek and Overasselt.

American 82nd Airborne Division's Operation

The drop zones chosen for the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division were rather far away from the selected targets because German anti-aircraft guns were near the bridges. Troops of the 505th Regiment entered Groesbeek and continued towards the Maas-Waal canal bridges. 504th Regiment landed near Overasselt. The 2nd battalion landed to the south at Grave, 700 meters from one of the bridges that had to be taken. They surprised German troops and took the bridge with hardly any resistance. The rest of the 504th Regiment had to take the bridges over the Maas-Waal canal. They succeeded in securing the Heumen bridge and made contact with the 505th Regiment. The two other bridges were blown up by the Germans just before the arrival of the American troops. It had been hoped that all bridges over the canal could be secured, but one bridge was enough to ensure the advance of the XXX Corps. Now only one target remained, the bridge at Nijmegen. German troops prevented the Americans from taking that bridge. However, the Americans succeeded in blocking Nijmegen’s access roads. The 82nd Airborne Division’s first day was successful. All of its objectives, except one, had been achieved.

British XXX Corps

Meanwhile, the British XXX Corps Armored Division began their advance from the South. Both the XII Corps and the VIII Corps were to give side cover to the advancing XXX Corps. This corridor (the red line on the map) was named 'Hell's Highway' because the route was very poor. There was only one road leading to Valkenswaard and Eindhoven which made the whole operation very difficult. Just over the Belgian-Dutch border the advance got bogged down because of German anti-tank guns. In no time several Sherman tanks were knocked out of action. Only after help from RAF Typhoon fighter-bombers did the British succeed in crushing the German resistance. The advance continued slowly, and on Operation Market Garden’s first day, the XXX Corps only reached Valkenswaard, not their intended target, Eindhoven. Operation Garden was already behind schedule.

From cgmiki on YouTube:

16 September 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

Belgium

16 September, 1944      1300

Dearest sweetheart –

I started to write you a V-mail because we’re off on a storm again – but we’ve been delayed for 30 minutes – so I started this. If I end abruptly, dear, you’ll know why.

I received one more letter from you – 22 August and very sweet and sentimental. We do see eye to eye, dear – and I don’t see how we can miss hitting off a very happy life together.

Yesterday p.m. I went looking for a radio and believe it or not, I found one. They are scarcer than anything you can imagine – especially battery sets. I found one – an R.C.A. and it plays well. I had to pay 4000 francs for it – that’s $80.00 and I’ve already been offered $20.00 profit by at least 3 different men. I’ve already written you I believe, darling, that I asked my father to get me one. If he has already done so – it is all right – because I can get rid of this one without any trouble at all. And besides – this one I have is for battery only and he may send me the combination type.

You know, dear, I got a good laugh in one of your recent letters. You mentioned you had been discussing things with Nin one day and of all things to discuss you mention the subject of arguments. What struck me funny was your decision that they are nice to have because making up is such good fun. I think you’ve hit on something there, sweetheart – and no doubt we’ll have our arguments, too. The only thing you didn’t mention – was a time limit. That’s important. First we have the argument, then a time limit for pouting – depending on what we were arguing about – and then – oh boy, we enjoy the end of the argument!

Oh – the enclosed post-card picture was taken by the proprietor of the place where I had my work done. He also give me a picture of Hitler superimposed riding on a Pig and made me promise I’d put it in the window of the jeep – which I did of course. The other snaps are from back in France and should make a total of 15 I’ve sent you. Let me know, darling, as you receive them. I have a total of 52, I believe, to send. That’s all I had on hand.

Hello, dear! Love from Liège, Belgium - September 1944
[Greg is in the passenger seat.]

My sincerest love,

Greg

P.S. Love to the folks –

G.

Route of the Question Mark


[CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE]

(A) Romsee to (B) Welkenraedt (17 Miles)
11 to 16 September 1944

September 16... Welkenraedt. A Nazi plane, shot down in a dog fight, almost crushed our field, and the Belgian farmers tried to spread manure all over our area to fertilize it, and the days were getting shorter, so we'd listen to the BBC nine o'clock news on Capt RENKIN'S radio and then go to bed.

* TIDBIT *

about Humanizing...

Two soldiers were mentioned in today's excerpt from The Route of the Question Mark. Here is a little about each.

The Nazi Pilot

The Nazi plane shot down was flown by Obergefreiter Hermann Hillebrand, who was reported to be Killed-In-Action during aerial combat "with a P-47 or a P-38" at Schinnen, by Welkenredt, Belgium, 16 kilometers southeast of Aachen. He was buried at Lommel, Belgium. He had been flying a Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Hillebrand had been awarded the "Fighter Operational Clasp in Bronze". The "Bronze" clasp was awarded to German aviators for 20 operational flights.

Here is a picture of that clasp (shown in silver)

The man with the radio

William Stewart Renkin, a general contractor and architectural draftsman, was born June 16, 1913 in Pittsburgh, PA. He served in the African/Middle East Campaign as well as the European Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes and Rhineland Campaigns and was awarded 6 Battle Stars and the American Defense Medal. He was married to Genevieve Conklin in New York in 1942 and had three children: William M., Elizabeth "Betty" and Genevieve "Jenne". A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army, Renkin retired as captain for the 213th Regiment, Coastal Artillery. William S. Renkin died in February of 1979 in Lancaster, PA.

Here is a picture of William Stewart Renkin

William's son, William Matthew Renkin, born in October of 1946, was the last of eight generations, all with the first name of William, to serve in the U.S.Army. He served for thirty years, from two tours in Vietnam to a Pentagon position in computer mapping for Desert Storm. Master Sgt. Renkin died in July of 2005 at the Lebanon VA Medical Center, following a brief illness.

Here is a picture of William Matthew Renkin

William S. Renkin's daughter, Betty, retired from the U.S. Army as a Sergeant. His other daughter, Jenne, is a former nurse's aide, a published author of some of the local history of Lancaster, PA and one of the original guides for the Historic Lancaster Walking Tour, begun in 1975.

15 September 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

Belgium

15 September, 1944       0950

My dearest sweetheart –

Nothing pleases me much more these days than letters from you in which you plan for the future. I do the same and it’s so comforting to realize that we think alike along important lines. The fact is we have several things already settled – and despite the fact that I’ve been away a long time, we were engaged through the mails etc. – we are closer and more settled than a good many couples who have known each other for years, got engaged and then wonder – what next? I’ve known dozens of such instances and so must you, no doubt.

Starting from the beginning – let’s take stock – so to speak. I know I love you, need you, want you and I’m positive you’re the kind of wife I’ve always wanted. You feel that I’ll make a good husband and I know you love me, dear. Well – that’s a good beginning and a necessary one. A good many couples get that far. How do we differ? Well – sweetheart – in the 1st place, I’ve got a job – or profession. That’s very important – because we’ve got to live and we’ll assume the job will give us security. I’ve had a crack at it and despite the war – it won’t be like starting new. What else? Well – we know where we’re going to settle down – i.e. – in Salem – so that’s another thing we don’t have to ponder over.

As I see it, darling, we have to decide the following: the actual date of our marriage, the actual spot where we’ll live and the site of my office – and dammit – that shouldn’t be too tough to take care of. And with those things settled we can sail right into a long and happy lifetime together.

I’ve analyzed the situation in matter of fact terms, I know – dear – but I see no harm in that. I just want you to feel that when you’re planning things – that you’ve got something to back up your planning. All we need now, sweetheart, is an end of the war and a speedy return home!

The enclosed snaps, dear, speak for themselves – and don’t tell me I cut my hair too short! A good many of us, by the way, have gone all summer with hair practically all off.

Darling – of course I was jealous when I read about your ‘date’ – but as long as he’s going to China or some place – I don’t mind too much. I guess you know I’m a jealous sort of person, dear – but with reason, I hope. I believe you once told me you were jealous by nature – although you’ve never actually shown it to me.

Although I don’t know Mr. Tofias – I’m very sorry to read about his heart trouble. He undoubtedly had more than just angina – probably a Coronary Thrombosis. From what you’ve written about him in the past – he sounds like a pretty swell guy – and I do hope that for his own sake and that of his family – he pulls thru. Who is taking care of him, by the way?

I had gathered in the past that Nancy and the Rowes didn’t hit it off too well. That’s too bad – of course I’ve known about Verna and the Fines right from the start. Verna made Irv feel quite badly in the early days – by the way she treated – or responded to his folks. No doubt there are two sides to the story – but it’s unfortunate nevertheless. I do hope and pray our set-up will be different. I kind of think it will. I’m not too difficult to get along with, neither are you – and neither are our folks. In addition to all that – we’ll be 20 miles away – which for most young couples – is a good thing. Anyway – that’s one thing I’m not worrying about, dear.

Darling – I’ll have to stop now and do some work. I’ve got to hand in a report on my 3 day inspection with C Battery. Keep your spirits up, sweetheart, enjoy your job while it lasts – because I’ll be coming home and taking you away from it one of these days – and then we’ll be together for always. Love to the folks and

All my sincerest love,

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about The Rhineland Campaign Plans

The red dashed line shows the Allied position on 15 September 1944.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

The red colored areas show the Siegfried Line.
The long blue river from Holland to Switzerland is the Rhine.
Allied Armies and Generals are in Blue Boxes, Germany's are in Red.

From Rhineland, a U.S. Army Center for Military History brochure written by Ted Ballard comes this information:

In September 1944, the long-awaited final victory over Nazi Germany seemed close at hand for the Allies. In the East, the Red Army moved inexorably towards the German frontier. In the skies over the Third Reich and the occupied countries, Allied air power wreaked havoc on the Wehrmacht, German industry, and lines of communication. In the West, three Allied army groups stretched from the North Sea to Switzerland-poised for the final assault against the Nazi homeland.

The mood in General Dwight D. Eisenhower's Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), was almost euphoric. General Eisenhower's intelligence officer predicted that victory in Europe was "within sight, almost within reach." The First Army chief of intelligence was even more optimistic, declaring that it was unlikely that organized German resistance would continue beyond 1 December 1944. Others, however, believed that the Germans remained unbeaten. Col. Oscar W. Koch, the Third Army intelligence officer, was convinced that the German Army, far from being routed, was playing for time and preparing for a "last-ditch struggle in the field at all costs."

Events soon proved Koch correct. Instead of a quick dash into the heart of Germany, what awaited General Eisenhower's armies was an exhausting campaign in horrid weather against a foe whose determination was steeled by the belief that he was fighting for the very survival of his homeland. As SHAEF plotted its next moves, 200,000 workers frantically labored to strengthen the German West Wall defenses, and the Wehrmacht prepared to contest the Allied advance in places like Arnhem, Aachen, the Huertgen Forest, Metz, and the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. The Rhineland Campaign was about to begin.

Montgomery, Bradley, and Patton agreed that the enemy was in disarray and that the time was ripe to exploit his confusion with bold action. Montgomery argued for "one really powerful and full-blooded thrust toward Berlin," by his army group, as a quick, sure way to end the war. To support his coup de grace, the British commander wanted Eisenhower to halt operations in the south and concentrate all available resources in the 21 Army Group. Bradley and Patton, equally anxious to make the main Allied effort, wanted to rush three corps across the Rhine near Wiesbaden, Mannheim, and Karlsruhe to force a rapid conclusion to the conflict. Eisenhower, in personal command of the forces on the European continent since 1 September, remained unconvinced that victory would be so simple. Worried that Germany still had substantial reserves, he believed that a single "pencil like thrust" into the German heartland would certainly be destroyed; instead, Eisenhower favored stretching the enemy everywhere. Enemy resistance, he pointed out, had clearly stiffened as the Allies approached the German frontier, and Allied logistical difficulties had become steadily more critical.

The rapid advance had taken its toll on both men and materiel, while the absence of a major port in the north created severe shortages, particularly in fuel. Indeed, the drive toward Germany was clearly stalling for want of adequate logistical support. Most of the supplies and reinforcements for Eisenhower's forces were still coming ashore across the invasion beaches, a precarious situation given the vulnerability of these unsheltered facilities to bad weather in the English Channel. Although the excellent port of Antwerp had been captured virtually intact on 4 September, it remained unusable because the Germans still controlled the Schelde estuary, the sixty-mile-long waterway that linked Antwerp with the sea, and thus blocked access to the harbor. The Mediterranean French ports had also fallen into Allied hands, but would take time to rehabilitate, as would the entire French rail and road system. With fuel and ammunition running critically short, Allied offensive power was limited.

Eisenhower directed that Montgomery, recently promoted to field marshal, take his 21 Army Group, along with part of the U.S. 12th Army Group and the First Allied Airborne Army, and push over the Rhine in the north. He charged the 12th Army Group (composed of the First, Third and newly operational Ninth Armies) with capturing Brest (in western France) and executing a limited attack to divert German forces southward until Montgomery had established his bridgehead over the Rhine. After the northern bridgehead was secured, the Third Army would advance through the Saar Valley and establish its own crossing sites. Eisenhower also tasked Montgomery to clear the approaches to Antwerp, thereby opening that vital port for Allied use. After securing the bridgeheads across the Rhine, the Allies would seize the Ruhr and concentrate forces for the final drive into Germany.

14 September 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

Belgium

14 September, 1944       1100

Dearest sweetheart –

First of all I answer your most recent letter 1st. I received a whole harvest of mail from you yesterday – the last dated 5 Sept. I think Drew Person will be wrong, darling, although the Lord knows – there’s no reason why the Germans should still be fighting. They are hopelessly licked. But Hitler will not quit unless I miss my guess. He will have to be destroyed 1st – either by himself or by someone else. Now – darling – “them’s” my news and mine alone. You know Army officers are not supposed to express military news unless they are entirely personal.

Secondly – and I should have put this first – Congratulations on your job. I knew you’d get it – if it were at all available. For I figured they must like you pretty well at R.C. – and why not? Anyway, dear, I am glad and I know it must be very satisfying to you to realize that you’re getting paid for your effort. And 37 bucks – to be common – is darn good salary. Hell – it’s about as much as I’m making! I really am happy for you, though, sweetheart – and proud, too!

By the way – the enclosed shots are the first I was able to get. I’ve got more – but I’ll send them out a few at a time. They ought to make a good scrapbook after the war. If my folks want any – you can give them the negatives – although most of them are just snaps of scenes in passing through. They were taken in all sorts of weather and conditions and a good many won’t come out – I know. Incidentally – if my hair seems worse than when you remember it, darling, it’s because I wear it practically clipped to the skin all the time. It’s much cleaner when you’re in the field. I don’t know how much of it will grow out – but that will really be something to look forward to!

The jeep “Wilma” – has as yet been unduplicated throughout France and Belgium. There just ain’t two like you, dear! The German car has not had a name painted on it. If we ever get some paint – its name will be “Wilma, Too.”

I got letters from Mary, Bea Caplan, Irv Fine, the Reverend Bill from Sherborne, a girl I met at his house, and a very sad one from Mrs. Kerr in Salem. Her daughter Arlene’s husband, died as a result of a fall. He was due to be inducted some time in Sept. It was a terrible blow to the family and I have to write a letter of condolence to them today. Gosh – sometimes you’re safer in a war zone!

I’m glad Labor Day week-end is over and my folks are back. My father’s last letter said that they hadn’t been in contact with you as much as before because of the lack of telephone. Now you can keep in closer contact with them again and they with you, dear.

Your dreams of our future together, darling, are wonderful – and jibe wonderfully with mine. There isn’t a thing I can find fault with in your plans – and I, too, hope we can get married as soon as I get back – in the Army or out. And then we’ll love, love and love!

I’ll stop now, darling – a couple of things to do and I’ll write again tomorrow. My love to the family and

All my everlasting love to you

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about Breaching the Siegfried Line

From Mission Accomplished - The Story of the Campaigns of the VII Corps (published in Leipzig, Germany by J.J. Weber in 1945):

Under orders to reconnoiter the defenses of the Siegfried Line, the 3d Armored and 1st Infantry Divisions crossed the border into Germany on September 12th, reached and probed the outer line of fortifications. On the following day, the entire VII Corps threw its weight northeast to crack the defenses of the world-famed West Wall in the area south of Aachen. Enemy delaying action was determined, but was soon overcome, and our tanks and infantry moved through the rows of tank traps into the pillbox defenses. Here the enemy fought stubbornly from as many pillboxes as he could find personnel to man, but many of the fortifications were found undefended, their machine guns still in place. This, then, was the decisive effect of our intercepting the German Seventh Army back at Mons. The German soldiers who were meant to man those guns and defend those bunkers were now on their way to Allied prisoner of war camps, their part in the fighting finished, their job left undone.

By the 15th, VII Corps units had penetrated the Siegfried Line in three places and were advancing inside the defenses south and east of Aachen. Resistance was scattered but determined. The enemy was doing his best to bolster his defenses, but he couldn't stop the VII Corps. In fact, it took a much more powerful factor to halt that drive, but halt it did.

13 September 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

Belgium

13 September, 1944     1200

Dearest darling Wilma –

At last two letters from you – dated Aug 27th and 28th – and I was interested in your comments on the Germans and their tactics. You cannot imagine darling just how rotten they were until you speak to people who were a witness to the atrocities. I won’t go into details – because I don’t like to write such things – but it was terrible. And you can understand after a while how these people hate the Germans with such intensity. Last nite we were coming thru town at dusk; A crowd was gathered around a truck carrying a man with hands held high. There was jeering and taunting and I stopped to ask what was going on. The man was a collaborateur who was a tip-off man for the Gestapo. I asked what they were going to do to him and a woman said “What does one do to a traitor?” They were taking him off to shoot him and I didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him. The poor Belgians were having enough trouble as it was without having to put up with their own traitors.

Belgian Resistance workers
with a Nazi collaborator

In that connection – I met two Jewish gentlemen yesterday p.m. I was surprised because I didn’t think there were any around – but this is a big city. Both showed me their identification cards – stamped with a large Jűde on it and their yellow stars of David which they had now taken off their coats. Again – the stories they told were horrible and they couldn’t speak too highly of the Belgians and how wonderful they had been in trying to protect them and others who were chased all over their country.

I finally found a place that develops films and I hope I can get some of my rolls done. I believe I have almost 7 of them and undoubtedly some of the pictures won’t come out because some were taken from a moving jeep, or on cloudy days etc. – but I hope enough of them come out to make it worth while. If they do – I’ll send them thru to you a little at a time, darling, so that if a letter goes astray for one reason or another – we won’t lose them all. I’ll send the negatives along too and you can give a set to my folks and they’ll be able to develop whichever they please. This planning may be a bit premature – but I hope not.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

"Pontoon Bridge at Liège, Belgium at site of destroyed bridge -
taken from back of jeep - after crossing. September 1944
City (350,000) is divided by the Meuse River."


"Another one of the destroyed - but not completely
down - bridges at Liège. September 1944"


"Another Cathedral - I don't know where"

You have been seeing a lot of Verna – haven’t you? I’m glad you like her – because she is a difficult person to know. Apparently she likes you too or she wouldn’t be spending so much time with you, dear. Of course – I can understand that. As for 20 years from now and your being young to me – have no fear about that, sweetheart. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll always love you. I am the sort of person who really loves one person and that person is you, darling. That’s all I want and need.

Although you painted a pretty tough picture of Irv (Nin’s husband) having a hard time with his 12 days off – forgive me, darling, if I don’t feel too badly. After all – he will get his 12 days off. We don’t get leaves here – and now I’m speaking for all the men and officers – not for myself. It’s they I feel sorry for. I ride around a great deal, see a lot, get a chance to look into some shops etc. – and it all must sound quite nice. It is, dear, but only for me – because I happen to be the battalion surgeon and get off on the slightest pretext. The colonel never questions my going and I do just about what I want and when. It is not so for the others. They have been stuck at the C.P. ever since we landed and the only towns they have seen are the ones we pass in convoy – and of course – we travel right on through. Without trying to be mean about it all – have Irv see the Chaplain and get a T.S. slip. Now – don’t I sound like a gruff old b- d. I’m not really, dear – so forgive me?

I should close now and go get some lunch or I’ll miss it altogether. It was swell hearing from you again, darling, and to read that you still love me. I do love that thought. I can say, only, that my own love for you deepens with every passing day – and as far as our future in my mind is concerned – it is a “fait d’accomplis”. It certainly will be wonderful – darling and I’m living for that. For now, love to the folks and

All my sincerest love

Greg

P.S. Enclosed is to supplement your reading of “Paris Underground”. It is real. Note the satire of the address of the “Libre Belgique”. It was headquarters for the Gestapo and the publisher “Peter Pen” – was poking fun.

Love

G.

12 September 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

Belgium

12 September, 1944      1000

Dearest sweetheart –

I was unable to write you yesterday because I was traveling most of the day, dear. I am now with another battery – visiting – this one is headed by Captain Morgan who is an old-timer with our outfit and an old friend. He’s got a swell wife and a cute baby. They live in New Jersey and after the war – we’ll have to look them up too.

George Morgan is a peculiar sort of fellow; he is either very morose and dull – or the exact opposite – he rarely strikes a medium. I’ve always gotten along with him – although many of the officers don’t. One thing about him – he always seems to end up with more adventures of one sort or another – than anyone else I’ve ever met up with dear – and that includes myself. Back in France he tied himself up with some of the Maquis – a band of about 60 men and two officers and they have followed him ever since. If his battery is near a wooded area where some Germans are known to be hiding – he sends the Maquis out and they hunt them down with a vengeance. When I arrived here late yesterday p.m. the 2 officers and Morgan were discussing the 8 German SS soldiers that had been shot in the last area. We had supper together – the officers eat with the battery – the 60 men eat off the land. They are all just what you’d imagine to be – a rough lot, oddly uniformed – with all sorts of guns, pistols, light machine guns and grenades – and all intent on one thing – killing Germans. They haven’t taken many prisoners – from what I can gather and they sure are looking forward to getting into Germany. This is, of course – only a small group – dear, but take it from me – all over Europe there are thousands like them – from France, Belgium, Holland Poland and Italy – following the American and British Army and ready to take some revenge for all they suffered. Almost anyone of them can tell a tale of atrocity from his home town and all you have read in the papers in past years – as far as I can see, darling, is true. The Germans are barbarians and even now – when they are not in the driver’s seat – they are continuing some vile acts.

Well – how did I get started on that? I’ll be with this battery for 2 more days and then return to the battalion C.P. When I left battalion yesterday – there had not been any mail for 4 days – but they went out for it – so perhaps tonite I might get some. I hope so, dear – because it seems like a whale of a long time since I had a fairly recent letter.

This Postcard came from Huy, a Belgian town passed through by Greg:

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Huy. The Meuse River and Le Chateau Fort on postcard...
and today

And here it is Rosh Hashanah coming up next week and last year I was in the States – although I believe I was home only one of the days and saw you! It all seems like a long long time ago, sweetheart – and yet I’m not complaining because after all – in the past year – the Lord gave me you, sent me across the sea in safety and apparently has watched out for me up to now. I don’t know where I’ll be able to pray this year – but one way or another I will and if the Lord hears me – He’ll keep us for one another – and darling – that’s what I want more than anything else.

I’ll stop now, dear; Morgan just came in and I’m going out to see a couple of gun sections with him. I’ll write again tomorrow and until then so long. Love to the family and give them my best wishes for a Happy New Year.

All my deepest love –

Greg

P.S. Enclosed is an obvious satire, sold on the streets of one of the cities we passed thru –

Love,

G.

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* TIDBIT *

about German Atrocities as Reprisals

While this story is unlikely to be related to Greg's tale of the Maquis fighters working with George Morgan, it is a story worth telling as such events occurred too often... Most of this particular tale was excerpted from George Duncan's "Massacres and Atrocities of WWII" web site.

On September 5, 1944, a unit of Belgian Marquis attacked a German unit at Bande, in the Wallonia area of Belgium, killing three soldiers. Two days later the American troops arrived in the area and the Germans retreated. Three months later, during the Ardennes Offensive, the village of Bande was retaken. On Christmas Eve, a unit of the German SD (Sicherheitsdienst), the officers of which said they were sent especially by Himmler to execute members of the resistance, set about arresting all men in the village. The younger men, aged 17 to 30 years, 35 in number, were taken away to a place apart from the older men. They were questioned about the events of September 5, then lined up in front of the local cafe. One by one, they were led to an open door and as they entered a shot rang out. An SD man, positioned just inside the door, fired point blank into the victims neck and with a kick sent the body hurtling into the open cellar. After twenty had been killed this way, it was the turn of 21 year old Leon Praile who decided to make a run for it. With bullets flying around him, he escaped into the woods. Meantime the executions continued until all 34 men had been killed. He then fired a volley of machine gun bullets to make sure that they were dead.

On January 10, 1945, the village of Bande was liberated and the massacre was discovered. From Nigel De Lee's Voices of the Battle of the Bulge (David & Charles Publishers, 2004) comes Ninth Parachute Regiment private Ernest J. Rooke's account of that experience:

"We were taken to a building where we saw the victims – rows of young men laying on the straw on the floor. The bodies were frozen stiff – it was a gruesome sight. Every man had been shot at the back of the neck behind the ear. It looked as if the murderers were probably standing just alongside the victims when firing the fatal shots. I was deeply shocked by what I saw, as were my comrades. Most of us had seen other victims of war – we had seen crushed bodies, men who had suffered severe injuries, but this was callous, calculated killing of young men – civilians. As we talked with the villagers, we tried to show by gestures and the few words of their language we knew just how they felt. We could only shake a hand, put an arm around a shoulder.

Even if we had a command of their language, we would have found it impossible to find words to express our feelings. After the bodies had been identified (and this must have been a most distressing task for the relatives), soldiers from our battalion placed the dead young men in coffins draped with the Belgian flag. A few days later the coffins were taken in our transport to the village church and then to the little cemetery on the outskirts of the village. Sections of our battalion acted as pallbearers; others followed the relatives in the procession; others carried the coffins into the cemetery. The victims were buried together; later their bodies would be transferred to family graves.

A Belgian War Crimes Court was set up in December 1944. One man, a German speaking Swiss national by the name of Ernst Haldiman, was identified as being a member of the execution squad. He had joined the SS in France on November 15, 1942 and in 1944 his unit was integrated with other SD units, into No. 8 SS Commando for Special Duties. Haldiman was picked up in Switzerland after the war and brought to trial before a Swiss Army Court. On April 28, 1948, he was sentenced to twenty years in prison. He was released on parole on June 27, 1960, the only member of the SS Commando unit that has been brought to trial.

11 September 1944

No letter today. Just this:

Route of the Question Mark


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(A) Saint Gerard to (B) Romsée (55 miles)
7 to 11 September 1944

September 11... Romsee. It was near Liege, and the 90 mm's in the next field brought down a German plane the first night we were there. Capt ELLIS was injured in a fall from his motorcycle. We found a German warehouse and got ourselves a fine collection of blankets and mattresses. We had a shower near a coal mine, and one night we had ice cream.

* TIDBIT *

about Crossing the German Border

From The Siegfried Line Campaign written by Charles B. MacDonald for the U.S. Army's Center for Military History (1990) comes this:

The shadows were growing long as five men from the Second Platoon, Troop B, 85th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 5th U.S. Armored Division, V Corps, U.S. First Army, reached the west bank of the Our River. To cross and claim credit as the first patrol on German soil, their commander had told them, they would have to hurry. The men made only a hasty inspection before starting back. An hour later the report of their crossing was on the way up the chain of command. At 1805 on 11 September 1944, the report read, a patrol led by S. Sgt. Warner W. Holzinger crossed into Germany near the village of Stalzemburg, a few miles northeast of Vianden, Luxembourg.

Sergeant Holzinger's patrol preceded others only by a matter of hours. In early evening, a reinforced company of the 109th Infantry, 28th Division, crossed the Our on a bridge between Weiswampach, in the northern tip of Luxembourg, and the German village of Sevenig. Almost simultaneously, southeast of St. Vith, Belgium, a patrol from the 22nd Infantry, 4th Division, also crossed the Our near the village of Hemmeres. Men of this patrol spoke to civilians and, to provide proof of their crossing, procured a German cap, some currency, and a packet of soil.

On September 11, 1944, Colonel Lanham of the 22nd
(far left) tells General Barton (seated behind the wheel
of his jeep "Barton Buggy") of the crossing into Germany.

The crossing of the German border on 11 September was another strong draught contributing to a heady optimism with which Allied troops and their commanders were reeling. Operating along the Channel coast, the Canadians already had captured Dieppe and the 1st British Corps of the First Canadian Army was putting the finishing touches to the conquest of Le Havre. The Second British Army had overrun Brussels and Antwerp, the latter with its deepwater port facilities almost intact. The First Army had taken Liège and the city of Luxembourg. The Third Army in northeastern France was building up along the Moselle River and already had a bridgehead near the Lorraine city of Metz. Having successfully landed in southern France on 15 August, the two armies in the south soon would become part of a single western front. During 11 September a patrol from the Third Army made contact with French units from the south near Dijon.

Most of the fighting immediately preceding the crossing of the German border had been pursuit warfare. The Germans were on the run. Except for the Third Army, which had been handicapped for five days while bearing the brunt of a general transportation shortage and gasoline drought, the Allied drive had reached its zenith during the, period 1-11 September. During these eleven days the British had traveled approximately 250 miles, from the Seine River to the Belgian-Dutch border. The First U.S. Army had taken time out near Mons, Belgium, to bag about 25,000 Germans in a giant pocket and make an abrupt change in direction. Still, they had covered approximately 200 miles. By 11 September the Allies had reached a general line which pre-D-Day planners had expected would be gained about D Plus 330 (2 May 1945). The advance thus was far ahead of schedule, some 233 days.

A most encouraging feature of Allied success was that casualties had been lighter than expected. Exclusive of the forces in southern France, Allied casualties from 6 June to 11 September were 39,961 killed, 164,466 wounded, and 20,142 missing, a total of 224,569, or a little more than 10 percent of the total strength committed. Since the landings in Normandy, the Germans had lost approximately 300,000 men, while another 200,000 were penned in various redoubts.

Despite an acute shortage of ports, Allied build-up in men and matériel had been swift. By the afternoon of 11 September a cumulative total of 2,168,307 men and 460,745 vehicles had landed in Normandy. General Eisenhower, who had assumed direct operational command in the field on 1 September, controlled on the Continent 26 infantry divisions (including 1 airborne division) and 13 armored divisions (not including a number of cavalry groups and separate tank battalions). Of this total the British and Canadians had furnished 16 divisions (including 1 Polish armored division), while the Americans had provided 23 (including 1 French armored division).

As soon as General Eisenhower assumed direct command of the forces in southern France, he would gain 3 American infantry divisions (not including an airborne task force of approximately divisional size), 5 French infantry divisions, and 2 French armored divisions. The total for the Western Front would then be 35 infantry and 14 armored divisions. In addition, 2 U.S. and 2 British airborne divisions, 1 Polish airborne brigade, and a British air portable infantry division were in Supreme Headquarters reserve.

General Eisenhower's 49 divisions were opposed, theoretically, by about 48 infantry and 15 panzer-type divisions, plus several panzer brigades. As noted by Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt, who on 5 September began a second tour as Oberbefehlshaber West (Commander in Chief West), these forces actually existed only on paper. While Allied units were close to full strength, hardly a German division was. Most had incurred severe losses in both men and equipment, and many were badly demoralized from constant defeat in the field. The equivalent of five divisions had been corralled in the Channel Islands and the coastal "fortresses." Rundstedt estimated that his forces were equivalent to about half the number of Allied divisions. Allied superiority in guns was at least 2½ to 1 and in tanks approximately 20 to 1.

The disparity between forces was less striking on the ground than in the air. Operating from bases in the United Kingdom and France were 5,059 American bombers, 3,728 American fighters, 5,104 combat aircraft of the Royal Air Force, and additional hundreds of miscellaneous types for reconnaissance, liaison, and transport. The enemy's one tactical air force in the West, the Third Air Force (Luftflotte 3), had only 573 serviceable aircraft of all types. In the entire Luftwaffe the Germans had only 4,507 serviceable planes, and most of these had to be retained within Germany to contest Allied strategic bombers.

Allied strategy, as expressed in pre-D-Day planning at Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), looked toward the ultimate objective of Berlin; but on the way the Allies wanted an economic objective, which, if captured, "would rapidly starve Germany of the means to continue the war." This was the Ruhr industrial area, the loss of which, together with Belgium and Holland, would deprive Germany of 65 percent of its production of crude steel and 56 percent of its coal. The widespread deployment of the Allied armies on 11 September reflected General Eisenhower's pre-D-Day decision to go after the Ruhr and Berlin on a broad front. Later to become known as the "broad front policy," this concept was not appreciably different from the time-tested military strategy of multiple parallel columns.

The true German situation was perhaps most aptly described by one of the few voices of caution raised on the Allied side during the halcyon days of pursuit. On 28 August the Third Army G-2 had put it this way:

Despite the crippling factors of shattered communications, disorganization and tremendous losses in personnel and equipment, the enemy nevertheless has been able to maintain a sufficiently cohesive front to exercise an overall control of his tactical situation. His withdrawal, though continuing, has not been a rout or mass collapse. Numerous new identifications in contact in recent days have demonstrated clearly that, despite the enormous difficulties under which he is operating, the enemy is still capable of bringing new elements into the battle area and transferring some from other fronts ....

It is clear from all indications that the fixed determination of the Nazis is to wage a last-ditch struggle in the field at all costs. It must be constantly kept in mind that fundamentally the enemy is playing for time. Weather will soon be one of his most potent Allies as well as terrain, as we move east to narrowing corridors ....