REAL WAR STORIES.

This portion of the "Real War" and the subsequent over the weekend postings are basically anecdotal and true; not blood and guts.  

The German counter attacks failed, and four days later they began to retreat. We began to move, often cross country, in the knee deep snow. We were now the left flank of the 3rd Army and where wheeling north-east to come in contact with the forces under Montgomery coming from the north. 

Our Division liberated many small towns including  Flamierge, Flamizoule,  Bertogne, and.  Houffalize. I also think Saint Hubert which was on the armies’  borders. For logistical purposes during the later part of the Ardennes campaign, the 193^rd, was attached to the 101 Div on our right.

Airborne divisions do not have armored vehicles or even heavy guns other than the 75 mm sawed off or pack canon. Rocket launchers were just beginning to be supplied to us. We were happy to have attached to us the separate 761st tank battalion, a now famous black Afro-American unit.  They were crazy men who would run their tanks full blast down icy hilly village streets and lock the tread on one side to make a 90 degree turn at a corner. Often they had to bounce off a building to make the turn. They were replaced by Co.C 15^th Tk Bn (6^th Armd.Div).

As we advanced against the Germans we saw great numbers of vehicles and artillery that had been abandoned during the retreat from the initial German attack. Both the 106^th and 28^th (the Pennsylvania National Guard) divisions had officers with us, reclaiming their abandoned property.

At one point our regimental colonel (known as the Greyhound) appropriated an abandoned armored vehicle. He proudly led the column in it until a land mine blew off a tread. During that time, he had the entire regiment in column following his command vehicle along ridge lines in the deep snow.

Often the column would stop. One time Father Combs a priest from the tri-cities area of New York said to me “Doc, what is that damn fool doing? Trying to get us killed?”

A Southern Baptist minister was also assigned to our regiment. He traveled everywhere in his Jeep with his driver who would play his folding organ at services. During combat he was fearlessly out among the fighting troops comforting the wounded.

Once I was ordered to set up an aid station in a small town (I don’t remember the name) which I was assured, had been secured. Therefore, I moved in with one jeep and a few aid men into a house along the main street.  About an hour later we noticed the point of A company coming down the street. Apparently, we had been the first Americans into the town.  Another time; for several days we had been driving up and down a well traveled snow covered road before a jeep triggered a buried unexploded mine.

The snow was knee deep and the cold so severe during the Bulge that many of the troops suffered from frostbite. The American troops in Europe had not been issued adequate winter equipment, especially snow boots and gloves. Their availability would have prevented the massive amounts of frostbite that we encountered. Indeed we did not get “Artic gear” until we were at the end of the Ardennes campaign. 

Since the manpower in the “trenches” (out in the open or in foxholes) was being drastically depleted, we were finally ordered not to send anybody to the rear who could still function despite potential loss of frost bitten fingers or toes. To this day I am bothered by a large toe that suffered mild frost bite encountered during that period.

 We were issued gloves and scarves knitted by American Red Cross volunteers. I had a scarf that must have been knitted by an enthusiastic volunteer who was so engrossed in her work that she did not know when to stop. I could wrap it around my neck twice and both ends still reached my boots.

 It was so cold that we, like the Germans before us, used every building that we could find as shelters and the rooms for latrines. No one wanted to be caught dead by a sniper with their pants down.

Our rations were cans of C rations, similar to today’s canned Chef Boyardee or Campbell Beans or Meat Stew. Most of the time we ate C rations cold not heated. Very often we ate the K rations. The latter were in small cans and looked like today’s meat pate or cat food. Some of our favorites were the chopped egg and the devilled ham. K rations did not have the laxative effect of the C ration. The other packaged ration, for emergencies use, was D rations, a very highly concentrated chocolate bar that caused diarrhea if too much was eaten.

When we received a hot meal it came up from the rear to each company or platoon after dark. Of course it was served in the dark. By this time most of us had lost at least half of our mess kits and some utensils. The spoon was the most important one not to lose.  I can’t recall many intact kits in our outfit by the end of the campaign. It was not unusual to have mashed potatoes, stew, or gravy and chocolate pudding in one mass. Truly the term mess kit was appropriate 

When we had the opportunity to wash or shave our helmets doubled as wash basins. Despite, the Geneva Convention rules, we Medics quickly covered over the large red crosses painted on our helmets. They made too good an aiming target. Front line officers also hid their rank insignia.(cont.)