Byline: 

“The enemy (Germany) is at present fighting a defensive campaign on all fronts; his situation is such that he cannot stage major offensive operations.” December 15,1944 Field-Marshal Montgomery

The Battle of the Ardennes was the greatest American battle of the Second World War. The American Army suffered 80,000 casualties and took away the American opportunity to reach Berlin before the Russians. Nevertheless, we will never forget the courage of the men who despite being outnumbered, outgunned, encircled, frostbitten, and undernourished stopped cold the German advance.

The Russians were the great victors of the Battle of the Bulge. The American delays enabled the Soviets to reach Berlin prior to the Americans. It allowed Stalin to apply his theory that he explained to Tito.
”Whoever occupies a territory, and as long as his army can advance, is able to impose his system”. Russian advances in 1945 into German territory allowed then control over East Germany for some forty-five years, and strengthened their negotiating cards at Yalta with Roosevelt and Churchill.

On the Night of 15th-16th, the German army sprang a surprise attack on the weakest front of the Allies. Their goal was to push aside three American divisions, push on across Belgium to Antwerp. German success would have split the British and American forces. Cut off from supplies, the British would be decimated and the Americans forced to negotiate. The battle for Bastogne, also known as the Battle of the Bulge, was the final throw of the dice for Nazi Germany. Fortunately, Hitler threw “snake eyes” after several weeks of very bitter fighting.

In launching the German offensive, Hitler hoped to force the Allies to negotiate an armistice and avoid war on his country’s territory. He committed a major error, and fruitlessly destroyed his last forces and weakened his eastern front. But perhaps he was no longer thinking of the future.

Before Germany could advance meaningfully, they had to take Bastogne for the city possessed a significant number of roads leading through Belgium. Winter conditions with significant snowfalls required road transportation. General Bayerlin, commander of Panzer Lehr said: “ Bastogne must be taken. If not, it will remain an abscess in our lines of communication. We must clear out the Bastogne area and then advance.”

I was fortunate enough to spend the first two weeks of July with two members of Easy Company (Don Malarkey and Buck Compton) of the 101st Airborne Division. The presence of this elite paratroop division reflected both the confidence of General Omar Bradley in their fighting ability and the desperation of the situation. That is, this division was used in an uncharacteristic defensive operation against an attacking army, which was employing substantial armored elements. This was in contradiction to the doctrine of the airborne troops, which were to be used only in surprise attacks against predetermined areas to the enemy’s rear. Despite the strangeness of the situation, the paratroops handled themselves brilliantly. After thirty days of fighting, Easy Company was relieved. Of the one hundred and forty seven men who entered Bastogne, only sixty-three could walk out. The rest were killed or wounded! 

For several days, Buck and Don relived their wartime experience. Don and Buck could precisely discuss the deployment of the antagonists.  We literally walked through the grounds where they dug foxholes to get some protection from the German shelling. Don and Buck spoke candidly that they lacked appropriate winter clothes, boots, ammunition, food and above all water. For several weeks every waking moment and every step teemed with tension. Moreover, during much of the early fighting, the Germans had surrounded them. Nevertheless, they truly believed that ultimately through a combination of planes and tanks, they would be relieved. If not, they were prepared to die in order to stop the German advance.

My younger colleagues spent three hours scouring for shrapnel. For my efforts, I was rewarded with some of the best pastries and chocolates in the world!!

I thought it would be educational to share the following communications.
 

December 22, 1944

Headquarters 101st Airborne Division

Office of the Civilian Commander

What’s Merry about all this, you ask? We are fighting—it is cold and we are not home. All true but what has the proud Eagle Division Accomplished (Screaming Eagle was the symbol of the 101st Airborne Division) with its worthy comrades the 10th Armored Division, the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion and all the rest? Just this: We have stopped cold everything that has been thrown at us from the North, East, South, and West. To have identifications from four German Panzer Divisions, two German infantry Divisions, and one German Parachute Division. These units, spearheading the last desperate German lunge, were headed straight west for key points when the Eagle Division was hurriedly ordered to stem the advance. How effectively this was done will be written in history; not alone in our Division’s glorious history, but in World history. The Germans actually did surround us, their radios blared our doom. Their Commanded demanded our surrender in the following impudent arrogance:

December 22,1944

“To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne:

The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. Here German armored units have crossed the river Ourthe near Ortneuville, have taken Marche and ….in German hands.

There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. Troops from total annihilation: that is the  honorable surrender of the encircled town. I order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.

If this proposal is rejected….are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. Troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two-hour’s term.

All the serious civilian losses caused by this Artillery fire could not correspond with the well-known American humanity.”

December 22, 1944

The German Commander Received the following reply:

To the German Commander:  From the American Commander, A.C. McAuliffe 

NUTS!

From the American Commander A.C. McAuliffe

“Allied Troops are counterattacking in force. We continue to hold Bastogne. By holding Bastogne we assure the success of the Allied Armies. We know that our Division Commander, General Taylor will say: “Well done!”

“We are giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present and being privileged to take part in the gallant feat of arms are truly making for ourselves a Merry Christmas.”

On December 24,1944 the skies cleared up enough for the besieged troops to receive some needed food and medical supplies. On December 24, 1944, 160 C47 Dakotas dropped 100 tons of material in the morning, and completed their task despite heavy fire from German flak. Nevertheless, the men still had to forage for food. The men ate frozen potatoes that had to be cut with a bayonet.

On December 25, the Germans began their attack at 3 AM. They felt they needed to take Bastogne by 8 o’clock at the latest; otherwise, it would be impossible to continue to fight once Allied air power can into action at daylight. 

On December 26, the 4th Armored Division arrived. While heavy house-to-house fighting continued for another two weeks, the German offensive thrust was permanently stalemated. By the end of January 1945, the Germans were back to where they had started on the 16th of December.

10/6/2020

Normandy

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force

“You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade…. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.” Dwight Eisenhower, June 6, 1944

“We stand Alone”-Currahee

In 2003, I was fortunate enough to share my 59th birthday with Don Malarkey, Buck Compton and Wild Bill Guarnere. These men are members of E Company –the “Screaming Eagles”—the most famous company of World War II. In the following months, I spoke to our common friend Vance Day about the joy of visiting Normandy with them. In addition to Normandy, Vance planned and executed a two-week trip that sought to replicate the fighting experience of Easy Company. Our final hurrah should be a trip to Toccoa, Georgia where members of Easy Company trained and bonded. We should march up Mount Currahee, the 1,000-foot mountain that the men of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment had to climb daily. “Currahee” an Indian word meaning, “We Stand Alone,” became the motto for Easy Company.

It can be said that D-Day, June 6th, 1944, is one of the most important days in military history. Failure at D-Day could have meant either two things-both bad for Western Civilization. In the one case, the Soviets and Nazis could have signed a negotiated peace agreement leaving the vast European continent under their respective domains. In the other case, continued Soviet success would have encouraged Stalin to maintain his troops in an occupied territory far beyond the lands collectively called the Iron Curtain. That is, Stalin in essence perceived the communist realm to include all territories occupied by the Red army or his surrogates.

The Normandy invasion required a huge armada, including 1,200 fighting ships, 4,126 land craft, 804 transport ships, and hundreds of amphibious and other special purpose tanks. The Allied invasion force, consisted of 156,000 soldiers (23,000 airborne) primarily from the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, assaulted the Normandy beaches and began to drive back the German occupying forces from Western Europe. The Americans landed at code-named Utah Beach and Omaha Beach.

Success at D-Day literally was the “Beginning of the End” for Germany. The establishment of a second front meant Germany must deploy significant troops on both their Eastern and Western frontiers and ended any Nazi hopes that they could ward off defeat by establishing a truce with the Soviets. Within eleven months after D-Day, the Nazis unconditionally surrendered. 

The allied victory on D-Day was the result of many acts of heroism. Some of the individual acts are remembered. Some are not. In order the capture the American victory at an engagement called Brecourt Manor, a documentary should be completed over the next few months.  Twelve members of E Company scored a significant victory at Brecourt Manor over fifty well-fortified Germans 

Five hours before the invasion began, C-47s and gliders made drops of paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions into the peninsula with the objectives of disrupting German lines of communications and defenses. We visited their landings near the town of Sainte-Mere-Englise.

During the morning of November 6th, the Allied forces at parts of Utah Beach were taking indirect fire from a batter of 4 105 mm guns just inland. These guns were situated in a field to the north of an estate known as Brecourt Manor. It was imperative that these guns were taken out.

Twelve men of Easy Company led by Lt. Richard Winters successfully defeated a force of over 50 German soldiers, and destroyed the four guns. Last summer, a West Point instructor said to a group of us  “The attack was a unique example of a small, well-led assault force overcoming and routing a much larger force. The high morale of E Company, their quickness, audacity, and bravery demoralized the German forces and convinced them that they were being besieged by a much larger force.” The grandson of the French farmer who owned Brecourt Manor welcomed our group back to their farm. Only a privileged few have the opportunity to visit this site because it is privately owned. For their gallant services, Don received the Bronze medal and Buck received the Silver Star. 

American success at Utah beach conformed to expectations; however, the German resistance as Omaha Beach was formidable. In order to secure the later, American rangers had to scale the 100-foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc and capture the German strongpoint. From this point, the Germans had a perfect view and using machine guns and 155-mm cannon could effectively prevent the American effort to move inland. The American ranger force suffered some 75% casualty rate to secure this strategic German strongpoint. Looking down from the German position, one would think this fortification was invincible and the Americans would sustain 100% casualty rate. 

Our final stop was at the American Military Cemetery of Colleville/St Laurent that dominates Omaha Beach. This cemetery is a focal point for people of many nations to pay their respects. In this cemetery are the graves of 9.386 Americans who died in the Normandy campaign, and a further 1,557 names of the missing are inscribed on its memorial. Eloise, Buck and Don laid a wreath in memory of their friends and relatives who have died serving our country. After the playing of the Star Spangled Banner and Taps, many people came up to Buck and Don, and shared memories and feelings with them. Needless to say, we were all emotionally touched by the experience.

The next morning we visited the Caen Memorial that traces 20th century history from World War II to the Cold War. In the afternoon we traveled to the Pegasus Bridge north of Caen captured during the night of June 5th and June 6th by the Allies by the British 6th Airborne Brigade whose emblem is the flying horse Pegasus. At the American cemetery at Colleville, we met a distinguished veteran of the British 6th Brigade who shared some reminisces with Eloise and myself.

In conclusion, the opportunity to share my trip to Normandy with veterans and history enthusiasts was particularly enjoyable.

Dachau, the First Concentration Camp in Germany

“Dachau, 1933-1945”, will stand out for all time as one of history’s most gruesome symbols of inhumanity. There our troops found sights, sounds, and stenches of horror beyond belief, cruelties so enormous as to be incomprehensible to the normal mind. Dachau and Death were synonymous.” Col. William W. Quinn, 7th U.S

“The day is over, April 29,1945. For the rest of my life I will celebrate this day as my second birthday. The day I received the gift of my new life.” Diary of an inmate

“National Socialism and Christianity are irreconcilable.” Martin Borman, Hitler’s Secretary

I recently returned from a two-week trip that sought to replicate the important battle engagements of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division. Our group of some twenty-five people was stimulated by the presence of two members of Easy Company, Buck Compton and Don Malarkey, as well as the youthful enthusiasm of our teen-aged members who sought constantly to improve their extensive knowledge about World War II. Irrespective of age, all of us felt that Dachau should remain as a testament of the inhumanity of man

Dachau, established in March 1933, remains a symbol of inhumanity. Located outside of Munich, it served as a death camp until April 29, 1945. Over that time span, almost 250,000 prisoners were transported there from some thirty countries--Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, Holland, Germany, and other countries under Nazi occupation. Given the large number of people involved in the transportation of victims, the manufacture of the crematoriums, the employment of slave labor to produce munitions, and the extensive Nazi record keeping, I remain convinced that a broad number of Germans were aware of its horrors. One of its prisoners, Dr. Sigmund Raschler, conducted “medical experiments” upon Dachau inmates until his arrest in 1944. In his attempt to receive a Ph.D. he wrote his thesis on his experiments and sent them to leading German universities. Raschler for some reason antagonized SS Chief Heinrich Himmler and was imprisoned for “kidnapping babies.” He was shot in the back of the head three days before the camp was liberated in order to silence him.

When the camp opened, only known political opponents of the National-Socialists were interned. Social Democrats, Communists, and Monarchists who passionately opposed each other before 1933 found themselves together behind barbed wire. By 1939 the concentration camps were filled with a broader group—Jews, Jehovah Witnesses, homosexuals, racial inferiors, resistance leaders, and even clergymen who resisted the political coercion of the churches. That is, the goal of ardent Nazis was to destroy Christianity in Germany, and substitute the old paganism of the early tribal German gods and the new paganism of the Nazi extremists.

I am going to paraphrase the comments of the Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemoller who was imprisoned in Dachau. That is, Martin Niemoller who risked his life to oppose the Nazis would frequently end his speeches or sermons with the following thoughts.

“When the Nazis arrested the Communists, I said nothing; after all I was not a Communist. When the Nazis arrested the labor union activists, I said nothing for I was not a union activist. When the Nazis arrested the Jews, I said nothing for I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up because I was a Protestant.  When the Nazis arrested me, there was nobody left to speak up for me.”

Over its twelve- year existence, Germany became dependent upon the production quotas of its concentration inmates. Production goals and quotas were maintained at the SS main office in Berlin. Camp officers were encouraged “to replace sick prisoners” with healthy ones in order to meet quotas

Dachau was an important prototype for future concentration camps. For example, it was the first camp to use a crematorium in order to deal effectively with bodies. Heinrich Himmler in his desire to develop SS science, employed SS physicians to use prisoners as human guinea pigs. For example, about 1100 prisoners were infected with malaria in order to find a cure for the disease. Dr. Sigmund Raschler introduced decompression champers to simulate conditions to which prisoners were exposed when their planes were destroyed at great heights. Prior to killing prisoners, the Germans confiscated artificial limbs, glasses, shoes, and clothing.

The first free distribution of food by the American Army had catastrophic results: hundreds died, as their systems could no longer digest such an abundance of unfamiliar food. Also to check the typhus epidemic, the Americans placed the camp under the strictest of quarantines.

In the mad scramble to hide the horrors of Dachau, the SS forced thousands of prisoners on a death march where many were shot when they could no longer walk. Nevertheless, when the American army liberated the camp there were some 7,000 prisoners. The joy of the prisoners was infectious with many rushing to the roll-call square. The individual national flags of the prisoners, which had been secretly prepared, were hoisted alongside the white flag of surrender

10/6/2020

Operation Market Garden September 19 to September 26 1944

“A Bridge Too Far”

I recently returned from a two-week trip that sought to replicate the important battle engagements of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division. Our group of some twenty-five people was stimulated by the presence of two members of Easy Company, Buck Compton and Don Malarkey, as well as the youthful enthusiasm of our teen-aged members who sought constantly to improve their extensive knowledge about World War II.

The Battle of Arnheim, also known as “Market-Garden” consisted of two parts. “Market” entailed the capture of the bridges over the rivers and canals between Eindhoven and Arnheim by American, British, and Polish troops. “Garden” involved the simultaneous advance of British ground troops. This plan, the brainchild of Field Marshall Montgomery, was intended to enable allied forces to advance allied forces across the Rhine, and then occupy the Ruhr area, thereby depriving Germany of a major portion of their industrial capacity. This optimistic plan envisioned a quick movement toward Berlin, thereby ending World War II by Christmas 1944.

Although from a military perspective, Operation Market-Garden failed to achieve its objectives, my memories focus on the love and affection still held by the population of the Netherlands for the allies. During this part of our trip, Buck and Don enjoyed almost celebrity status, with ordinary people constantly thanking them for their sacrifices in trying to free Holland from their Nazi oppressors. The Dutch did not focus on the terrible casualties inflicted on their homeland resulting from this failed operation. I feel that the words of a monument dedicated to the Netherland populace established fifty years after this battle reflect these sentiments.

TO THE PEOPLE OF GELDERLAND (NETHERLANDS)

50 Years ago British & Polish Airborne soldiers fought here against overwhelming odds to pen the way into Germany and bring the war to an early end. Instead we brought death and destruction for which you have never blamed us.

This story marks our admiration for your great courage remembering especially the women who tended our wounded. In the long winter that followed your families risked death by hiding Allied soldiers and airmen while members of the Resistance helped many to safety.

You took us then into your homes as fugitives and friends. We took you forever into our hearts. This strong bond will continue long after we are all gone.

1944-September-1994.

Each year on the anniversary of the Battle of Arnheim, the Dutch government financially aids surviving veterans of this battle to return. At the cemetery, Dutch children plant flowers at the gravesite. One child is assigned a specific gravesite. Once a year, new generations of Dutch school children are given the responsibility for the grave’s upkeep.

The worst part of battle was that Arnheim was never reached despite all the men who gave their lives.  Total casualties were approximately 17,200 (casualties include dead, wounded, and missing). The British suffered more losses than on D-Day. 

The Dutch Resistance helped the Allied troops, especially during the escape of those who had to stay behind. These Dutch civilians risked their lives should the Germans discover these allied soldiers. The inhabitants of Arnheim and the neighboring villages were ordered to leave their homes. German units arrived in Arnheim in November 1944 with orders to plunder the empty houses. All household goods were transported to Germany. 

Why did Market Garden fail? Untested radio communications, bad weather, and Intelligence’s failure to place the 2nd SS Panzer Corps in Arnheim. The biggest problem of all was that the plan did not properly plan for contingencies. That is, everything had to be carried out on a tight schedule, and if anything were delayed, the whole plan would fall apart. 

General Montgomery never acknowledged the absolute failure of Operation “Market-Garden.” He called it 90% successful and said: “ In my prejudiced view, if the operation had been properly backed from its inception, and given the aircraft, ground forces, and administrative resources necessary for the job, it would have succeeded in spite of my mistakes, or the adverse weather, or the presence of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps in the Arnheim area. I remain Market-Garden’s unrepentant advocate.” This writer subscribes to the sentiments of the husband of the Queen, Prince Bernheim: “The People of the Netherlands cannot afford such a victory.”