Bettendorf,
Upon finishing these thirteen weeks, I was accepted in the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and found myself at the
About a third of the division were ex-ASTPers as the division had been raided for replacements. We "quiz kids" were greatly resented by the old- army types and that would not change much until combat put us all in the same boat. After another basic infantry training, we packed up and entrained for Camp Miles Standish,
More training and we boarded ship in
About November 1, we boarded ship at Southampton and docked at
We were stationed on a line running south from Malmedy through the
I had been in a rifle company at
We spend a relatively quiet month on line, as intended, watching the Germans across the way sawing wood, hanging out laundry, etc. and occasionally tossing a few mortar shells our way and we returned the favor.
The veteran 2nd Infantry Division was attacking pillboxes in the Siegfried Line, passing right through our lines. We were required to support them and to carry cases of ammunition, dynamite, and K-rations cross icy stream and snowy hills to a short distance from the attacking forces. On the return trip, we often carried litters with recent casualties.
Came December 16 and all hell broke lose. The early morning sky was lighted by searchlights, artillery fire was intense and it was evident our officers were alarmed nd confused. The attack on "Heartbreak Corners" had to be called off after many casualties and the retreat began.
We eventually found ourselves back on Elsenborn Ridge, a key position for preventing further German penetration. To get there, we had to pass through the "twin villages" of Krinkelt and Rockerath, described in stateside papers as "the two most valuable pieces of real estate on earth". These villages were held long enough by the 2nd Division to allow us to pass through and dig in on Elsenborn Ridge. To these brave 2nd Division soldiers, we owe our escaping a trip to German POW cages or worse.
We spent the next month on this ridge and I observed my 20th birthday there in a fox hole. Next we crossed the Rhineland, encountering German resistance along the way and ended on the
The next morning we passed over a ridge and spread before us was the most awe-inspiring and frightening panorama I ever witnessed.. A couple miles away was the
German artillery was raining on and about the bridge, frog-men were in the river trying to plant explosives, the new German jets were dropping bombs. The bridge was a railroad bridge, unsuited for truck and tank traffic.. In order to make it passable, large iron plates had been placed across the railroad tracks. As vehicles rumbled over these plates, they were gradually dislodged from the tracks. Engineers had to leave the relative protection of the towers of the bridge and manually lift these plates back on the tracks! Casualties were naturally high and the crews had to be replaced every fifteen minutes. Even so, some went out of their minds.
A single narrow road led from where we were to the bridge a mile or so away. Along this road was numerous vehicles on fire and in various stages of ruin. The field next to the road was covered with bodies covered by shelter halves. Tanks, trucks, jeeps, etc. were lined up awaiting their turn to cross.
At last came our turn, sitting on a pile of 57mm ammunition, our truck raced for the bridge, rattled across nd in a few minutes was under the relative safety of the bluffs on the eastern side of the
Gradually the bridge-head was enlarged, American forces surrounded the
Next the 99th was transferred from Hodge's First Army to Patton's Third Army and we went barrelingthrough Bavaria, Patton-style, one village after another., white flags (bed sheets usually) hanging from most houses in the hope we might not murder their family or violate their women, as the Nazis had told them. We often jumped from tanks, rushed into houses with panic-stricken inhabitants and shouted "eir, eir" (German for eggs). They came running with baskets and pails of eggs and some tanks must have had a thousand eggs inside. At each brief stop, out would come the frying pans ( also "liberated"), down would come the fence-rails and soon fried eggs were being consumed sans any bread of condiments.
We ended the war at
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