07 January 1945

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

7 January, 1945        1300

Wilma, darling –

Well – last night was Saturday and so this must be Sunday afternoon but somehow it doesn’t seem quite like it. I don’t know exactly why. It has been persistently cloudy, foggy and raw outside and that hasn’t helped us one bit, as you can easily imagine. Everything seems stagnant – just as if it were the middle of the winter, and my gosh! – it really is, isn’t it? There are now flurries again today – and I suppose we just can’t expect any decent weather until the Spring.

Last night was extremely dull and all of us just sat around and talked. I played three or four games of cribbage with one of the boys – and that was about all. The night, as well, was quiet. This morning the sick-call was quiet, too, but I expect some patients in – a little later this afternoon.

Say, before I forget it, will you do me a favor darling? Eleanor’s Birthday is February 14th and I can’t get her anything from here, of course. If you could send her some chocolates in my name and also get her some gift of some sort, I’d appreciate it a whole lot. I had a blank check made out, signed – and then I tore it up because it’s just not a good idea to send checks like that in a letter. I’d rather wait until you tell me what you spent and then mail you a check for the correct amount. Get her anything you think she wants and have it signed ‘Happy Birthday, Harold’; ditto for the chocolates. I’ll thank you now, dear, for the trouble.

And that reminds me – how did we make out on a gift for Stan and Betty? Did you finally get one and if you did I want to know my share. Include the amount on what you spent on Eleanor’s gift and I’ll send you a check for the total.

I was so glad to read you had received the perfume – and so close to the correct time. It was pure hypothesis as regards time – when I had it mailed – and I hoped you liked it. When we came thru France we traveled too swiftly to buy anything, and the day I got to Paris – buying anything was out of the question. But I did manage to get to Chalerois – in Belgium and get just about the last bottle in a parfumerie. It seems that every G-I over here had about the same idea. I have since looked several times – but what they have now has been diluted with water and the popular brands just don’t exist anymore. You might write me the names of a few of the desirable ones, though – and I can keep my eyes open.

The paperweight and calendar – were just free riders, dear. I had them – the calendar since way back in France – and I just thought I’d send them along. The eagle I found on the desk of a luxurious office in a town when we first hit Germany. It was the office of the Nazi Party in town and the paperweight was evidently some trophy or prize given to one of the occupants of the office. I liked it – so took it. Anyway – I’m glad you liked the perfume and that it wasn’t broken. You know – you must have quite a collection of junk that I’ve sent you ever since I hit England. What are you doing with it all, dear? And by the way, how’s the clock running – if at all? I’ve got another trophy to send you – a dagger, no less – but darling it’s significance is only as a souvenir. I’ve had it for some time but I didn’t know whether or not I could mail it. I think it is allowed now. It’s beautifully steeled, has a scabbard, is engraved with “Alles für Deutschland” – on the blade and of course has the Nazi seal on the handle. I’ll have it packed in the next few days and send it out. After the war, sweetheart, we’ll have to have one room for trophies – or junk – as you may see fit to call it.

Well, that’s the story for now, dear. I’m going over to see if there was any mail today. It’s been 4 days now, I believe, and I could do with a couple of nice letters from you, believe me. Hope you’re having a nice day now back home and I sure would give a lot to be sitting in your living room now, with you by my side – just as we used to do. But surer than shooting – I’ll be doing that again and we’ll be happy. Love to the folks, sweetheart. So long for awhile and

All my deepest love,

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about Two Battalions Heading for Houffalize

Here is more of Sgt Theodore DRAPER's story of the 84th, with photos from various places on the internet:

2nd Battalion, 333rd Infantry

The turning point of the entire action probably came on 7 January 1945, not where we had to fight the hardest but where progress was still relatively easy. That day, the 2nd Battalion, 333rd Infantry, was sent out to capture the vital crossroads where the La Roche Road and the Houffalize Road meet. The weather was miserable. A snowstorm whipped up during the attack. Nevertheless, by 0930, the crossroads were ours. Prisoners, frozen, hungry, and disorganized, were picked up in small, wandering groups. They said they were surprised again. An attack in such harsh weather was completely unexpected. Our interrogators heard that story almost every day. As soon as we captured the crossroads, the enemy was deprived of the only two first-rate roads to the east, the La Roche Road and the Houffalize Road.

Partly because German resistance above the La Roche Road on our right flank was so much stronger than on our left, we were able to cut the road first on the extreme left of our zone at the crossroads. As we gained full control of the road, we continued to move from left to right. Next, one of our task forces came down from Amonines to Dochamps and from Dochamps we launched the attack on one of the enemy's positions, Samree. The trip from Amonines to Dochamps was the same, old story. The road, though the best in the sector, was so icy and narrow that the tanks were held up repeatedly.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES

US Tanks near Amonines, Belgium - January 1945

Road blocks, which took about two hours each to reduce on the average, some small-arms fire but this time very little artillery, represented the enemy's main effort to hold us up. Mine fields and trees felled across the road by detonating TNT charges, antitank guns and tanks, were effective sources of enemy resistance. On 7 January, we were able to move into Dochamps.

2nd Armored Division entering Dochamps, Belgium
January, 1945

Dochamps, Belgium, Today

One incident was symbolic. After we had spread out in the village, a German tank with 60-80 infantrymen suddenly pulled out from behind the church and made for Samree. Our tank destroyers could not fire a shot because their turrets were frozen, striking example of weather conditions which lessened the effectiveness of our mechanized equipment and threw the main burden of attack and defense on our infantry. Samree was seemingly impregnable. It was perched on an 1,800-foot hill.

Amonines to Dochamps in Valleys
(A) Samree on a hill

First we had to take two other hills, northeast and northwest of it. Our troops had to move through 1,500 yards of rolling ground in knee-deep snow. The enemy had perfect observation every inch of the way. To tell the truth, it was hard to see how we could make it.

1st Battalion, 334th Infantry

The battle of La Roche is a good example of the battle of supply and the battle of stamina which every Battle in the Bulge was. The roads to La Roche were particulary bad, the hills particulary high and the woods particulary dense. A few tanks and trucks turned the snow on the roads into ice and the trouble started. The Doughboys depended more than ever on the Engineer and Artillerymen. The main attack was launched from Devantave by the 1st Battalion, 334th Infantry. The first objective was Marcouray. Over a hundred guns softened up the village for five minutes.

Marcouray, Belgium Today

Then, at 1500, 7 January 1945, the infantry jumped off. The ground was rocky and steep. It was snowing again. Thirty minutes later, all German resistance in Marcouray was overrun. We found that the enemy positions were carefully prepared. Snow was a natural camouflage. Fortunately, we were achieving tactical surprises and much of the preparation was wasted. As prisoner after prisoner told us, the weather and terrain were so bad that our infantry was simply not expected. That is one compensation for "impossible" conditions - they are apt to lead the enemy to drop his guard. The enemy's surprise at Marcouray was shown by the equipment he was forced to leave behind. We picked up 36 vehicles: eight half-track, two command cars, six U.S. jeeps, six civilian type cars, five six-wheeled reconnaissance vehicles, five U.S. tanks, two German 1½-ton trucks.

06 January 1945

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

6 January, 1945       1330

Dearest darling Wilma –

I’ve had a kind of busy day today and this has been my first opportunity to sit down and try to concentrate for a few minutes anyway. No mail yesterday or today because the A.P.O. is moving, I guess.

Last night was quiet. Bruce and I challenged the Colonel and Hi Morley to a 3 rubber game of Bridge and we had our ears pinned back losing 2 out of 3 of the rubbers. But it was fun and time-consuming. We’re not playing so much now because our present set-up has us spread out quite a bit and we don’t care to walk around between spots very much at night. Coming back last night we were challenged at least ten times. It’s very essential to know the password these days.

I like reading your ideas about love in one of the letters I received from you day before yesterday. You say that seeing me happy and content will make you so, too. Since I feel the same way, sweetheart – it ought to be ideal. You ask me a question that’s very difficult to answer, darling, the one about my previous ‘love’ for any other girl. Yes I am older than you and presumably more experienced therefore. The ‘other girl’ – I don’t recall at all so I can’t answer that. I feel certain I didn’t love her. I don’t know how to describe exactly how I felt about Alice. It’s a long time since she was fresh in my mind, too. To be perfectly frank, dear, I thought I loved her towards the end of the time I was seeing her and I was no youngster then. To be true – I was attracted to her physically more than anything else – and that plus the fact that it was so convenient to see her – made her seem indispensable at that time. But had I truly loved her – I believe I would have married her, religion or not – and the fact that after 4 years I was able to stop seeing her and see the light, makes me think that it couldn’t have been love. Love is something I certainly can’t describe. To me it’s like a result, the effect rather than the cause. How did I know I loved you? I don’t know the answer dear; I just felt I did. I liked you the very first time I went out with you – and not only because we had fun that night. You appeared to me immediately as the girl I’d always wanted and never met before. I felt I loved you not long afterwards for the way you reacted to me, the way you laughed, carried yourself; for your ideas on life, for your maturity despite your age. I like to dance with you, talk with you, sit beside you, kiss you. That’s loving someone. I’m sure, sweetheart. I’ve never felt differently since – despite our separation – and I know I won’t change.

I was a little surprised at your statement that Mother B thought I was not quite warm enough – especially when I address your folks as “Dear Folks”. To me, dear, that’s just about the warmest expression ever – and it’s what I’ve always used when writing my own folks. But I think in the long run, darling, that Mother B will know I do feel warm to your folks and it’s more than that.

It’s getting late, dear and I’ll have to run along and get some supper. Hope to hear from you tomorrow. For now, love to the folks – and so long.

All my eternal love

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about the Counter-Offensive Continues

Here is more of Sgt Theodore DRAPER's story of the 84th:

By the time we took Devantave, it was clear that the original plan which gave the infantry a supporting role was not working out. The terrain and the weather were against it and they won. The victory of the elements gave the Infantry the main job. The Ardennes neither lacks roads nor is rich in roads. A British source has estimated that 13 separate first-class roads cross the Ardennes from Germany to France. There are perhaps three secondary roads for every first-class one and numerous trails. But so many pass through long stretches of woods, so many teeter on the edge of cliffs and wind up and down and around the inescapable hills. In May, too, the possibilities of resistance in the Ardennes would be immense.

In January, in snow that keeps piling up from the ankle to the knee, from the knee to the waist, only a little effort is necessary to turn possibilities into realities. All vehicles have to stick to roads to get anywhere, only more often than not they cannot stick to roads because they are constantly sliding off. The next best thing is to proceed slowly and carefully but then your vehicles may miss the jump-off by hours and the infantry has gone off alone. Is it curious that a terrain that is considered too tough for a tank is never considered too tough for a Doughboy? As a result of the problems which arose in the first four days for the armor, after Devantave was taken, more clearly defined zones for the armor and the infantry began to emerge.

From Devantave, the 2nd Armored Division, with the 335th Infantry still attached, veered off more sharply to the southeast to get to Samree through Dochamps, while the 84th Infantry Division assumed responsability for the drive southward to La Roche and for the La Roche Road as far as Samree. One thing stood out again. When nothing else moved, the Doughboys moved and they moved long and often. And what was it like for them? It took a good two hours to get through the frozen crust of earth. It took two or three hours more to get down as far as three feet. Not only was digging a foxhole a job in which a whole day's energies could be consumed, but it was practically impossible to dig a really good foxhole at least five feet deep.

GIs digging hasty foxholes near Berisment.
For the soldier in the foreground it was too late.

The weather continued to get colder and colder until it went well below freezing and stayed there. This meant there was only one thing worse than not sleeping - and that was sleeping. The quickest way to freeze is to lie still. Men went to sleep in overcoats - when they had them - and woke up encased in icy boards. It was practically impossible to bring up supplies and rations in anything but half-tracks. Water congealed in canteens. Frostbite was as dangerous as all the Krauts and their guns put together. The Doughboys who went into Devantave fought 96 hours without a break and they were not through by a long shot. We took Consy the way we took most of the strong points - by going around it.

Two sharpshooters of G Company, 290 Infantry Regiment,
US 75th Infantry Division provide cover near Devantave

When we took Devantave on 6 January 1945, we outflanked Consy on the left. Then we sent two battalions into the woods west of Consy and the enemy was squezzed out in the middle. He did not choose to hold even this commanding position at Consy at all cost. By 7 January 1945, Consy was virtually cleaned out though the woods on the right flank were not completely safe for another two days.

Road to Devantave Today

05 January 1945

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

5 January, 1945         1330

My dearest sweetheart –

We finally got a trickle of mail thru yesterday p.m. and I got seven letters, six from you and one from my Dad. They were all in the period between 16 and 23 November and contained a great deal I was anxious to hear about. The letter from my Dad – although cheery as usual, didn’t exactly fool me. He and my mother seemed lonely from the way he wrote and in addition – he sounded tired. I do wish he didn’t work so damned hard. I’ve just completed a letter to him advising him to take it easier, sell less and relax more; but my father has never been like that and I don’t suppose a letter from me will change him.

I’ll try to answer your letters in sequence, darling. I have before me your letter of the 20th of November. At that time there was a good deal of excitement about the “big push”. Boy does that ever seem like ancient history now! Yes – we were in it – but I’m sorry we disappointed you, darling – but it was tough warring.

Both your letter and Dad A’s mentioned Irving’s operation and it really came as a surprise to me. I never did understand his first attack and apparent rapid recovery. I hope he’s well now and back to practice – but convalescence in gall bladder cases is often rather slow. It must have been a little tough for Ruth for awhile.

Thank Barbara for her little note – inserted in one of your letters and for her concern for me, dear. And ask her where she learned such fluent German? I laughed at your remarks about looking at the ads and wanting to buy slippers, robes etc. for me. I almost bought a pair of slippers for myself the other day, but I couldn’t quite make it. Yes – in the past I did buy things I knew I wanted. I hate to shop. I usually know what kind of shoe or suit I want, try it on and if it fits – it’s a sale. But I can’t imagine being as callous about gifts as you mention Arthur to be. And I can less imagine my buying for myself – someone else’s gift to me.

That reminds me – I sent out a couple of more packages to you today, sweetheart – nothing much – but I don’t want to lug it around. One was a book of photos I came across in Stolberg. It was an album depicting scenes taken from the Graf Zeppelin when it circled the world some years ago. I was going to try to cut the photos out and then decided to send the whole thing back.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES

Front Cover of Book which measures about 13.5 inches by 9.5 inches


Frontispiece


Introduction... Translation Anyone?


This page shows 8 of the 265 photos in this book

The other is a men’s toilet set I got a few days back. I don’t remember whether or not I mentioned it to you. It was sent me by a former patient of mine who now lives in Chicago. I have no use for it here. But I did remove the hair brush, darling, just to play around with the hair I have left. It would be senseless to send the brush home and then return some day and find I have no hair left to brush. Don’t you agree?

It seems as if my timing on your Birthday Card was good. It was pure guess work, though. I’m glad you liked it, dear. As I remember it – I bought it a long while ago back in Liege. And I was lucky to find it – by the way, because Birthday cards and such – just don’t head the priority list in Europe these days.

Darling – one of my boys just came over to get me and I have to trot back to the Dispensary to do a little work on someone. It was so swell hearing from you again – no matter the date – and I know that you still love me as much as I love you – as strongly, as warmly – as expectantly. My love for now to the folks, sweetheart.

And all my deepest love

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about the Graf Zeppelin

The information that follows about the Graf Zeppelin was extracted directly from the blog Airships developed and maintained by Dan Grossman of Atlanta, Georgia.

First, a letter from a reader of the Airships blog helped explain where the book that Greg sent to Wilma originated...

My mother who is also German, Swiss tells me her parents who were heavy smokers collected cigarette coupons from a particular brand (still not sure which but probably out of business long time ago like the zeppelins) and would cash the coupons in for the pictures to fill the album which was also provided by the cigarrette company.

Now, some of the history of the Graf Zeppelin as researched by Dan Grossman.

Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin, (July 8, 1838 - March 8, 1917), was not only the innovator and driving force behind the construction of the first zeppelin airships, he also piloted and commanded most of the early ships himself. Certainly the most successful zeppelin ever built, LZ-127 was christened “Graf Zeppelin” by the daughter of Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin on July 8, 1928, which would have been the late count’s 90th birthday. By the time of Graf Zeppelin’s last flight, nine years later, the ship had flown over a million miles, on 590 flights, carrying thousands of passengers and hundreds of thousands of pounds of frreight and mail, with safety and speed. Graf Zeppelin circled the globe and was famous throughout the world, and inspired an international zeppelin fever in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Graf Zeppelin made the very first commercial passenger flight across the Atlantic, departing Friedrichshafen at 7:54 AM on October 11, 1928, and landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey on October 15, 1928, after a flight of 111 hours and 44 minutes. The ship carried 40 crew members under the command of Hugo Eckener, and 20 passengers. The ship’s first transatlantic crossing almost ended in disaster when it encountered a strong squall line on the morning of October 13th. Captain Eckener had uncharacteristically entered the storm at full power — he was known to reduce speed in bad weather — and the ship pitched up violently in the hands of an inexperienced elevatorman. Eckener sent a repair team of four men — including his son — to repair the covering in flight.

Eckener also made the difficult decision to send out a distress call, knowing that he was risking the reputation of his brand new ship, and perhaps the entire zeppelin enterprise. The distress signal was soon picked up by the press, and newspapers around the world ran sensational stories about the looming destruction of the overdue Graf Zeppelin on its maiden voyage.

The emergency repairs were successful, but the ship encountered a second squall front near Bermuda. Graf Zeppelin made it through the second storm, even with the temporary repairs to the damaged fin, and reached the American coast on the morning of October 15th. After a detour over Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, to show Graf Zeppelin off to the wildly enthusiastic American public, Eckener brought his damaged ship to a safe landing at the United States naval base at Lakehurst, New Jersey on the evening of October 15, 1928. Graf Zeppelin was overdue, damaged, and had run out of food and water, but Eckener, his crew, and his passengers were greeted like heroes with a ticker-tape parade along New York City’s Broadway.

From Greg's Book, the North American Flight in 1928

After two weeks of repairs to the damaged fin, Graf Zeppelin departed Lakehurst on October 29, 1928 for its return to Germany. The return flight took 71 hours and 49 minutes, or just under three days; the ocean liners of the day took twice as long to carry passengers across the Atlantic.

In 1929, Graf Zeppelin made perhaps its most famous flight; a round-the-world voyage covering 21,2500 miles in five legs from Lakehurst to Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen to Tokyo, Tokyo to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Lakehurst, and then Lakehurt to Friedrichshafen again. The Lakehurst to Lakehurst voyage had taken just 12 days and 11 minutes of flying time, and brought worldwide attention and fame to Graf Zeppelin and its commander, Hugo Eckener.

From Greg's Book, Route Around the World in 1929

By the summer of 1931, after many pioneering flights which demonstrated the airship’s impressive capabilities and captured the enthusiasm of the world, Graf Zeppelin began regularly scheduled commercial service on the route between Germany and South America. Graf Zeppelin crossed the South Atlantic 18 times in 1932, and made a similar number of flights in 1933.

The Graf Zeppelin was recruited as a tool of Nazi propaganda remarkably soon after the National Socialist takeover of power in early 1933. Only three months after Adolf Hitler’s appointment as chancellor, the Propaganda Ministry ordered Graf Zeppelin to fly over Berlin as part of the government’s May 1, 1933 celebration of the “Tag de Nationalen Arbeit,” the Nazi version of the May Day celebration of labor.

Later in May, 1933, Graf Zeppelin flew to Rome in connection with Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels’ first official meeting with the fascist government of Italy; Goebbels invited Italian Air Minister Italo Balbo to join him on a flight over Rome. In September, 1933, Graf Zeppelin flew over the Reichsparteitag congress at Nuremberg (the “1933 Nuremberg Rally’) to dramatically herald Hitler’s appearance before the crowd.

In 1935 and 1936, Graf Zeppelin’s schedule was almost exclusively devoted to passenger and mail service between Germany and Brazil, with crossings back and forth almost every two weeks between April and December. Over its career, Graf Zeppelin crossed the South Atlantic 136 times; it was first regularly scheduled, nonstop, intercontinental airline service in the history of the world. Throughout the remainder of its career Graf Zeppelin was ordered to make numerous propaganda flights, occasionally in concert with LZ-129 Hindenburg after that ship was launched in 1936.

Graf Zeppelin was over the Canary Islands on the last day of a South American flight from Brazil to Germany when it received news of the Hindenburg disaster in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Captain Hans von Schiller withheld the news from his passengers, and told them of the disaster only after the ship’s safe landing in Germany. Graf Zeppelin landed in Friedrichshafen on May 8, 1937, and never carried a paying passenger again. The ship made only one additional flight, on June 18, 1937, from Friedrichshafen to Frankfurt, where she remained on display — all her hydrogen removed — until she was broken up on the orders of Hermann Goering’s Luftwaffe in March, 1940.

04 January 1945

V-MAIL

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

4 January, 1945       1600

Dearest Wilma –

I had a swell dream last night – namely that I was home again; not only I, but my whole outfit. Not bad, eh? Do you believe in dreams, darling?

Just got back from Charlie Battery where I spent part of the day. Was supposed to be there the last three days but just couldn’t make it. The days are pretty short and there’s lots to get done. When I finish writing this I’ve got to dash over to Group Hq. and visit a sick Colonel there.

By the way, dear – I sent two packages out today. One is a gift I received from the Salem Hosp. The other is a large album of photographs of a journey once made by one of the Rothschilds. I don’t know if the latter will get through.

It snowed all day today – and although the hills here and the woods are beautiful – the effect on the war effort is more important. Nothing to do about it.

All else well, Sweetheart and I hope you’re keeping in good time. Remember I love you – and you only and that’s my constant thought. S’long for now –

Always yours

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about the Counter-Offensive Begins

Beginning on 23 December 1944, for five days the weather had favored the Americans, in the air and on the ground. Superior numerically in tanks, the Americans benefited more than the Germans from the sure footing the big freeze provided for armor. Then, on 28 December, came clouds and overcast followed, a day later, by arctic air from Scandinavia, heavy snows, blizzards, and greatly reduced visibility at ground level. Vehicular movement was slow, the riflemen exhausted themselves wading through the drifts, and the wounded-those in a state of shock - died if left in the snow for more than half an hour or more. This was the state of the weather when, on 3 January, the Allies began their final counterattack.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES

Greg's location at Aisne, Belgium is marked by
the Red Dot within the red ellipse.
This map was found on Emerson Kent's
World History for the Relaxed Historian web site

Aisne, Belgium, where Greg was set-up, was within the zone of the 84th Infantry Division, as can be seen on the above map. A few veterans remember the 84th action and tell of wounded being taken back to the Battalion Aid Station. Perhaps Greg was treating some like these.

Wounded near Aisne

Sgt Theodore DRAPER of the 84th remembered this:

The terrain in the Ardennes is like a jigsaw puzzle. Somehow all of it fits together but somehow all of it can be taken apart and the pieces fall into the oddest shapes. Each hill and wood is like a separate compartment and tactically each one becomes a distinct problem. In this rolling country, there is commanding high ground in almost every mile so that an overnight withdrawal from one hill of defense to the next is relatively easy. The villages and fragments of villages - the toughest "village" to take in our offensive had a single house - are invariably astride the roads and inevitably become enemy strong points.

The German Bulge was hit from three sides. The third Army came up from the south, from Bastogne. The First Army came down from the north, from both sides of Manhay. A British Corps attacked from the west, from Marche. To get the whole story, then, at least three large phases have to be covered. The main effort, however, was made by the First Army, from the north.

But the main effort was assigned to the 2nd Armored and 84th Infantry Divisions - both La Roche and Houffalize were in their zone of advance. We - the 2nd Armored Division and the 84th Infantry Division - were attacking on a front about nine miles wide. Although originally planned as armored offensive, with the infantry in support, the battle of the Ardennes Bulge quickly became an infantry attack primarily, with the armor used only as the ground permitted.

D-day was 3 January 1945. H-hour was 0830. From early morning the roads were icy. The temperature shot down till the ground was like steel. Tank treads slipped and slid as if the tanks were drunk. Every time a tank skidded, a column was held up. Sometimes the tanks skidded just far enough to block the road.

3rd Armor, 7 January 1945
Waiting while tank that had slid across the road is cleared

The main objective that day was Devantave, beyond a cluster of woods and a hill. The tanks could not get through the woods and our infantry had to push ahead.

290th Regiment in Woods, January 1945

We got through the woods safely and one company stepped out to cross the hill. Eighty-eights were waiting for them. Eighty-eights and rockets and mortars swept the hill and crashed into the woods. We had to pull back. Light tanks were used to evacuate the wounded; nothing else was possible in the snow.

At 1500, we again tried to take Devantave but again we could not get over the hill. We withdrew for the night.

S/Sgt Willard H. (Bud) FLUCK of the 84th Infantry Division, HQ Company, 333rd Infantry Regiment remembered this:

It took a few days to get re-organized, but on January 3, 1945, the 84th was paired with the 2nd Armored while the 83rd was paired with the 3rd Armored for the start of our-counter-offensive to choke off the tip of the German penetration. Our pincer move was to start at Manhay and end at Houffalize where we were to meet the Third Army coming from the south, only about half our distance. The following days are confused in my mind, for we seemed always on the move from one short stay here or there to another place with a name.

The next day it snowed and kept on snowing. Roads became almost invisible, and vehicles slid into ditches. Tanks made the hard surfaces slick as ice. In a blinding snowstorm our E and F Companies launched an attack to take and secure the La Roche Road. No tank support. The snow was too deep and the terrain too difficult for them. An F Company patrol secured the vital crossroads where the La Roche Road and the Houffalize Road met. This feat had deprived the enemy of the only two first-rate roads to the east, and has been considered the turning point of the Ardennes operations. The enemy had been taken completely by surprise.

It was near here that a patrol of eight of us were sent to bring in a group of about 35 or 40 German prisoners being held by two GIs. I was the third man, sent along as interpreter. We waded through waist deep snow for some distance and then onto bare ground which had been blown clear. The Lieutenant, in the lead, saw the Germans just inside a grove of pine trees and started into the grassy area.. There was an explosion and I felt a puff-of air on my face. The sergeant two steps ahead of me had stepped on a German Shu mine and lost his foot. I backed out; the lieutenant re-traced his steps and got out. What to do? He ordered two of the biggest men to get the sergeant out. There was another explosion and another foot gone, while the third man had shrapnel up and down his right side. The second man was laughing. He was going back to a nice warm hospital bed. The lieutenant called for a jeep and they were all taken back to the Battalion Aid Station.

03 January 1945

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

3 January, 1945       1040

Dearest sweetheart –

I couldn’t write either you or the folks yesterday so don’t keep on the look out for a letter postmarked 2 January, dear.

1115

I didn’t get very far that time – so I’ll try again. We were pretty busy yesterday and not only that interfered. I’m now writing this in a small room which is sleeping and living quarters for four of us and which ordinarily would be just enough for a small bedroom. We got settled here last night, amidst slippery roads, snow, sleet, ice and frost. What a war! What a war! But we’re managing one way or another and it could be worse. The turkey which we were supposed to have New Year’s – I think we’ll finally have tonite. The kitchen crew just hasn’t had time enough to get them roasted – so they’ve been lugging them along.

I wonder how the news must sound to you at home, dear. We read in the Stars and Stripes that news of the breakthrough came as a shock and that War Mobilizer Byrnes is doing this and that. Over here – we feel it’s about time. There doesn’t seem to be any doubt that things were just sliding along in the States and that a good bit of available men – just managed to stay out of the Army. The difference in Germany has been that everyone is in the Army or doing something to help the Army. That’s why Germany has managed not only to hang on – but to fight back. She has her old men and young boys holding the line in less important spots and her soldiers concentrated where they can do the most damage. This is purely my own opinion, but I think we can use a bigger Army if we hope to get anywhere. The enemy is just not going to quit – he has to be whipped and we need a lot of soldiers for that job. I suppose I sound like a gloomy gus. I don’t mean to, darling, but that’s the way it appears to me at this point.

Well – to change to a more pleasant subject, sweetheart, I got two letters from you, enfin, day before yesterday; one was written 17 Nov, and the other – my most recent from you – was dated 9 December. I also got a swell letter from Dad B and knowing he doesn’t like to write, I appreciated it all the more.

In your earlier letter – you mention Eleanor – and your inability to understand her at times. Well – first of all – I can’t defend her, if that’s the word, because I don’t know her myself well enough; I’ve been away from home too much in the last several years. I can say, though, that I’m sorry you feel the way you do about her, but that’s the way with the world, I guess. There’s no guarantee that when two people are in love – that their brothers, sisters, cousins or relatives will also be compatible or suited. It would be nice if it did work out that way, but I guess it doesn’t often, because I know a good many cases in which it doesn’t. Take Verna’s brother, for instance. As I remember him, he’s a prime ass and I believe Irv has very little use for him. Well – we’ll see how things work out. Certain it is – that with me being away – it’s not the easiest thing in the world for you – or my folks either. As a matter of fact – from here – it seems very difficult and I think that all in all, you’ve done well. Were I around to explain and clarify a good many things – I think things would be much smoother. When I get back – I’m sure I’ll be able to help.

I enjoyed your enclosed copy of an “Information Circular” – and I’ll be damned if it isn’t pretty typical. If you think you get some queer ones – you should see what we have to put up with from time to time. The trouble – more often that not – is that the people writing that stuff – haven’t the vaguest idea of what things are actually like in practice.

But talking about rotation reminds me of something. I’ve probably mentioned corresponding with a couple of fellows in Italy. One of them is an M.C. with an AA outfit. They were in the African, Sicilian and Italian campaigns and he has been overseas for 2 years . Well – he is now in the U.S. – home.

1820

Been gone all day, sweetheart – and just finished supper. I’m kind of tired and I’ll close for now. I’ll finish the above. The M.C. was transferred to the States and went back by plane. Some new ruling in the 5th Army allows doctors over 35, with 2 yrs service overseas – to be reassigned home. Kind of lets me out, darling, but what the heck – I want to see this through – anyway.

Will try to write tomorrow, dear. Hope all is well at home. My love to the folks – and

All my everlasting love to you

Greg.

* TIDBIT *

about War Mobilizer Byrnes


James F. Byrnes, "War Mobilizer"

Greg mentioned that The Stars and Stripes wrote of "War Mobilizer Byrnes doing this and that" following the German breakthrough. James Francis Byrnes was born on May 2, 1882 in Charleston, South Carolina. He left school early to work, but studied law in his spare time. This "self-taught lawyer" was admitted to the bar in 1903 and entered public life as a prosecutor in South Carolina in 1908. Byrnes, a Democrat, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1911 and served there until 1925.

In 1924 he lost the Democratic primary to run for the U.S. Senate, but was elected to that body on his second try in 1930 and was subsequently re-elected in 1936. As a Senator, Byrnes helped push many of Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" measures through Congress. Although he later criticized some of FDR's programs as too radical, he remained on good terms with the President and later played a large role in supporting FDR's foreign policy by helping repeal the Neutrality Act and win approval of Lend Lease.

In 1941 Byrnes was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but resigned a year later to become the Director of Economic Stabilization. With the United States deeply involved in the Second World War, his major concern was the control of domestic prices, rents, wages and services. Byrnes oversaw the economy from every angle – from regulating farm wages and food production to regulating the sale of shoes. His goal in regulating the economy was to assure that armed forces fighting abroad were sufficiently equipped. He also kept close check on those in the economy who had selfish aims in mind and sought to make great profits off the war.

As World War II escalated, Byrnes was appointed the Director of the Office of War Mobilization, developed by Congress. It was from here that policies originated and programs were planned for the war. All the war agencies which were connected with the production, procurement, transportation, and distribution of both civilian and military aspects of the war were governed by Byrnes. Because of his close involvement with President Roosevelt, he often was called the "Assistant President."

Cartoon by Willard Combes
Published 21 February 1945

Byrnes accompanied Roosevelt to the Yalta (Big Three) Conference in February 1945. In July of that year, three months after FDR's death, President Harry S. Truman named Byrnes Secretary of State he accompanied the President to the Potsdam Conference the same month.

On September 6, 1946 Byrnes held his famous "Speech of Hope" in the Staatstheater in Stuttgart, Germany. This speech repudiated the Carthaginian peace foreseen for Germany in the Morgenthau Plan, and held out for the Germans the prospect of eventual prosperity and an honorable return to the community of nations. Moreover, in the speech Byrnes committed American forces to Europe for as long as any of the other occupying powers remained in Germany. This speech set the tone of American post-war German policy.

After leaving Truman's cabinet in 1947, Byrnes served as governor of South Carolina from 1951 to 1955. James F. Byrnes died in Columbia, South Carolina on April 9, 1972.

Here is an Associated Press article published in the Nashua (New Hampshire) Telegraph on 3 January 1945

[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

Here is a transcript of that article:

(Associated Press)

  Here, in brief, are War Mobilizer Byrne's new ideas for the home front:
  That 4-F's should be drafted for limited military service or war jobs if present manpower controls fail to do the needed job.
  That Congress should pass legislation backing up War Labor Board orders.
  That larger draft calls will have to come in the next few months; reconsideration of farm deferments may be required.
  That work of reconverting to civilian production must be shelved "until our military men tell us they have enough."
 

(Sterling F. Green)

  Washington, Jan 2 (AP) - Drastic manpower proposals, edging closer to the "work or fight" act which lawmakers have long avoided, were thrown today into the battle on the home front.
  Advanced by James F. Byrnes, the program would force 4-F men into war roles and put statutory teeth into manpower rules if present labor controls fail to spur the nation's ourput to eeded levels.
  The suggestions, made by Byrnes last night in his first report as director of the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion, are still merely threats. They are, moreover, at the mercy of a Congress which has shown reluctance to interfere with a man's freedom to choose his jobs.
  But war agency officials prophesied that the whip-cracking document would add momentum to the home front effort merely be disclosing the sternness of enforcement measures which the administration is willing to support.
  Flatly predicting that larger draft calls in the next few months would aggravate the manpower shortage, Byrnes proposed stern measures for 4-Fs not doing essential work.
  He proposed that Congress make it possible to induct them all, then assign them "to do things they can do" despite their physical impairment.
  This might mean limited service in the Army, Byrnes said, or steering the inductees into jobs in critical war plants - by which means the government could see that they staryed in war work.
  Congress could decide, he said, whether the latter should stay in uniform and whether they would be working for the government or for the was contractor.
  Striking at agricultural deferments - which he said cover "the largest remainng source of young men for military service" - Byrnes said it was necessary to reconsider the standards by which youthful farmers are deferred from military duty.
  For the present, professional baseball and football need not fear a ban like that on horse racing, he indicated. But he declared bluntly that he believed medical re-examination should be given to 4-F athletes who "prove on the football field ever Sunday their physical prowess."
  He advocated that Congress at once give the War Labor Board power to make its decisions "mandatory and legally enforceable in the courts," as a means of checking work stoppages. Seizure of firms for non-compliance frequently is an inadequate remedy, he said, and imposed on government "onerous responsibilities of running private business."

02 January 1944

No letter today. Just this:

Route of the Question Mark


CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES

(A) Failon to (B) Aisne, Belgium (16 miles)
23 December 1944 to 2 January 1945

January 2... Aisne. The cold uncomfortable houses, the mess-hall by the stream, and the CP a mile away from everything. The miserable inhabitants of this town, and the half-man, half-woman stalking around with a brick under his or her arm. The epidemic of colds, and Capt [Stanley A.] SARGENT using all his maps to keep us informed of the progress of the battle.

Aisne, Belgium with Stream
(From Google Maps)

* TIDBIT *

about Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay

Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay

Born in London into an old Scottish family on 20 January 1883, Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay entered the Royal Navy in 1898 and saw extensive service during World War I. Reaching Flag rank in 1935, he retired three years later. Coaxed back by Winston Churchill in 1939, he was promoted to Vice Admiral and given command at Dover. In this position, he masterminded the British evacuation from Dunkirk in May-June of 1940. Within the underground tunnels beneath Dover Castle, he and his staff worked for nine days straight to rescue troops trapped in France by the German forces. “Operation Dynamo” lasted from 26 May to 4 June 1940 and evacuated 338,226 British and allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk.

Churchill and Ramsay planning for Dunkirk

Knighted for his efforts, Ramsay soon became an expert at amphibious warfare and was instrumental in developing the plans for Operation Torch in North Africa (1942) and the invasion of Sicily (1943). With the end of the latter campaign, he was given command of naval forces for the invasion of Normandy. Overseeing Operation Neptune, Ramsay effectively led the naval element of the D-Day landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944. As Allied troops stormed ashore, Ramsay's ships provided fire support and also began aiding in the rapid build-up of men and supplies.

As the invasion date had neared, Ramsay had defused a potential conflict between Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the British Sovereign, King George VI, when Churchill informed the King that he intended to observe the D-Day landings from aboard HMS Belfast, a cruiser assigned to bombardment duty for the operation. The King, himself a seasoned sailor and a veteran of the battle of Jutland in the First World War likewise announced that he would accompany his Prime Minister. The two were at civil loggerheads until meeting with Admiral Ramsay who flatly refused to take the responsibility for the safety of either of these two luminaries. Ramsay cited the danger to both the King and the Prime Minister, the risks of the planned operational duties of HMS Belfast, and the fact that both the King and Churchill would be needed ashore in case the landings went badly and immediate decisions were required. This settled the matter and both Winston Churchill and King George VI remained ashore on D-Day.

In September of 1944 Ramsay began advocating for the rapid capture of Antwerp and its sea approaches as he anticipated that Allied ground forces might outrun their supply lines from Normandy. Unconvinced, Eisenhower failed to quickly secure the Scheldt River which led to the city and instead pushed forward with Operation Market-Garden in the Netherlands. As a result, a supply crisis did develop which necessitated a protracted fight for the Scheldt. Ramsay's last operation was the Allied attack on Walcheren, which allowed the port of Antwerp to be used bythe Allies.

On 2 January 1945, Ramsay, who was in Paris, departed for a meeting with Montgomery in Brussels. Leaving from an airfield in Toussus-le-Noble, his Lockheed Hudson crashed during takeoff and Ramsay and four others were killed. He was 62 years old.

01 January 1945

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.

1 January, 1945       1030

Dearest darling Wilma –

First of all – a Happy New Year, dear and many many more! Considering the fact that it’s 1030 now and I’ve been up for three hours you might think I had a good night’s sleep. You’re wrong, I didn’t. It went something like this: at about 1500 everyone was inviting everyone else to have a drink – so that by chow time – we were all feeling pretty high. Earlier than that – I had been invited to dinner at noon at the home of a patient. I didn’t want to come but the husband and wife insisted. Well we got to talking about New Year’s Eve and how we celebrate it in the States; over here everyone visits everyone else and they told me that there’d be several of the village’s people in to visit the Colonel. I told them – in my best French – that we were going to have somewhat of a private brawl. To become tight over here – if I haven’t already told you, dear – is “faire le Zig-Zag” or “devenir Zig-Zag”. Anyway, they said peole would come in anyway. And they did!

After supper – I went back to the Dispensary and opened a bottle of J. Jameson Irish Whiskey I’d been saving for my own boys – and we stayed around until the bottle was finished. I then went over to Hq. where the officers were working on a “punch” – and that’s putting it mildly. It turned out to be a cross between my own “Purple Jesus” – and a hitherto unknown to me concoction called a “Dead Duck”. The result was explosive and at 2200 we were flying, singing, dancing around. And into this mélee suddenly came eight or ten women, a few with their daughters – young (about 20 or 21) and a couple of fathers. I don’t know what they could have thought of the Americans, but we quickly realized the only way out was to offer them a drink. They had never had anything like this before and soon a few of the women were a bit tipsy. They stayed until midnight and we all sang Auld Lang Syne – and I was back home with you, sweetheart, way, way back. Won’t it be something, dear, when we actually celebrate a Holiday together?

Well – we headed back for the C.P. where we sleep – it was now about 0030. On the way down the Colonel suggested a game of Bridge. That was a surprise because he certainly looked as if he were ready for bed. But we played Bridge, drank some Benedictine and got to bed at 0400! So you see, sweetheart, we did our best to celebrate comme les Americains.

I could have slept later – but I thought it better to get up and take care of things here. Aside from the fact that one eye keeps shutting and I look as if I were in third degree shock, I feel fine, dear. I’ll probably be able to get a nap this p.m. I’ve had so much rest though – that a little lack of sleep won’t harm.

S0 there you have New Year’s Eve 1944. What will ’45 be like? Let’s hope and pray we’ll see the next New Year in – together, darling. Right now that’s all we can do is hope. Most important of all is the fact that we love each other and will go on loving each other. We’ll have our celebrations together one day and then it will be for always, sweetheart.

For now, so long, and my love to the folks.

All my sincerest love –

Greg.

* TIDBIT *

about TIME Magazine's "Man of the Year"

This article appeared in the TIME magazine issue January 1, 1945, Vol. XLV No. 1, under the heading "A Letter From The Publisher, Jan. 1, 1945."

Helping us pick the Man of the Year for our first January cover has become quite a tradition with subscribers—so you might be interested to learn that the whole thing began because the first week of 1928 was so dull.

No one had done anything newsworthy enough to put his picture on TIME's cover, so somebody suggested we stop looking for a Man of the Week and pick a Man of the Year. This was an easy choice: Charles Augustus Lindbergh, who had soloed the Atlantic in only 33 hours and 39 minutes, was the hero of 1927.

The Man of the Year idea caught on with a bang and, somewhat surprised, we decided to make it an annual event. The choice is in no way an accolade, nor a Nobel Prize for doing good. Nor is it a moral judgment. (Al Capone was runner-up in riotous, bootleg 1928.) The two criteria are always these: who had the biggest rise in fame; and who did the most to change the news for better (like Stalin in 1942) or for worse (like Stalin in 1939, when his flop to Hitler's side unleashed this worldwide war).

Fifteen different men have been chosen in 18 years—with one man picked three times and one man twice.

For 1928 we passed up Herbert Hoover, just elected President, because that year was the businessman's year and Walter P. Chrysler was his symbol. When Business crashed in 1929 we passed by Hoover again, skipped over Explorer Byrd and Peace-Pacter Kellogg in favor of Owen D. Young, back from Paris with his plan for settling Europe's troubles under his arm.

We turned down Bobby Jones, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler (who had just mobilized an unexpected 6,401,210 Nazi votes in Germany) to make Mohandas K. Gandhi Man of 1930. He was in jail when his selection was announced in TIME—for launching civil disobedience to get the British out of India. Next year was "a lean year for everybody," as old Ramsay MacDonald put it: Man of 1931 was Pierre Laval, picked for having steered France prosperously through 12 months which had meant breadlines in almost every other land (Laval hasn't had a good year since).

Franklin Roosevelt was picked in 1932—for winning a landslide election on a program of government economy. He was Man of the Year again in 1934, but not for economy. (That year Mussolini, Harry Hopkins and Huey Long also rated high in reader nominations.) In 1933 came NRA dministrator Hugh Johnson — then flying high with the Blue Eagle.

Man of 1935 surprised some. We picked him because that year he had "carried his country into brilliant focus before a pop-eyed world." He was Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, Power of Trinity I, King of Kings, Elect of God, Light of the World, Conquering Lion of Judah. Man of 1936 was a woman—Wallis Warfield Simpson—and 1937's choice was a couple: Generalissimo and Mme. Chiang Kaishek.

No one but Hitler could be Man of 1938, but despite Hitler's victories Winston Churchill proved himself Man of 1940. Franklin Roosevelt was chosen for the third time in 1941, after Pearl Harbor made him America's sixth wartime president. And maybe you'll remember that General George C. Marshall held the place last year, as the man who, more than anyone else, could be said to have "armed the Republic."