109th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion (Mobile)           The following is the narrative portion of the short unit history produced by the 109th AAA Gun Bn.  The diminutive book was published in a 5-1/4 by 4-1/4 inch size with drawings, but no photographs. The author appears to be 1st Lt. Robert L. Coulter, an officer from C Battery.  The volume was printed in Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany on 23 June 1945.        The 109th defended Luxembourg City during the Battle of the Bulge and was part of the massive antiaircraft build-up protecting the captured Ludendorff Bridge across the Rhine River at Remagen.    This history is presented in memory of the five men of the 109th who never returned home.  Pictured here is Richard W. Franke, one of these five soldiers who made the "supreme sacrifice." The photograph has been provided in memoriam by Mr. Franke's family.

THE HISTORY of the 109th AAA in GLOBAL WAR No. 2

DEDICATION

     To you, Men of the 109th AAA Gun Battalion, I dedicate this History that you cherish it as a record of yours and our events. Speaking for my officers and myself I wish to state that it has been a profound pleasure to serve with you throughout our various campaigns. Through the medium of this book I want you to take away our undying gratitude. Keep always in mind those who were not as fortunate as we; those who made the supreme sacrifice in defense of their Country. Let us not forget:
 

ALEX C. MATELWICK
SALVATOR W. ACCOLLA
RAYMOND W. BROWN
RICHARD W. FRANKE
GERALD H. MAECHLER

ELMER M. WHEELER
Major, CAC
Commanding
 

Index

INTRODUCTION     IN THE UNITED STATES     IN ENGLAND     ON THE CONTINENT    

COMMENDATION LETTER FROM GEN. TIMBERLAKE     MAPS

INTRODUCTION

     This History has been compiled from an authentic record of your combat action. All the places, events and incidences depicted herein are the results of your career as a soldier in World War II. The author has attempted to portray as accurately as possible this unit's course from its first activation up to the present day. The Military Sources used have been drawn from Morning Reports, Operation Logs, Battery histories and anecdotes and excerpts from Battalion files. A wealth of material has been acquired from impromptu talks with both officers and men. All have been rearranged and formed into this book for your general knowledge.
 

     The author wishes to thank Major Elmer M. Wheeler, Major Francis F. Fulton Jr., Captain George D. Witter and Technical Sergeant Victor S. Debs, and the entire personnel of the 109th whose cooperation has aided greatly in the completion of this book.

ROBERT L. COULTER,
1st Lt., CAC

THE HISTORY
OF THE 109th ANTIAIRCRAFT ARTILLERY
GUN BATTALION MOBILE
From 10 January 1943, to V-E Day, 8 May 1945

IN THE UNITED STATES

     Activation, when used in the army, should be interpreted as the molding of a fighting unit from a cosmopolitan group of "civils". All units are initially activated.

     Such was the case, when, on the 10th of January 1943, the War Department drafted orders and gave birth to the 109th AAA Gun Battalion. At this opportune time the Commanding Officer was Lt. Col. Clayton M. Ela and the heavenly locale, a camp in Massachusetts, called aloud Edwards (inwardly many other names). Twelve days later upon loan from the Reception Center, Fort Dix, N. J. came seven hundred and seventy-seven civilians in uniform, a collection of mechanics, businessmen, artists, machinists, etc. With such a group of men the nucleus took hold. Aye it did - and this is how:
 

     Immediately upon arrival began one of the weirdest stages in the history of man. A thing called a Training Schedule was inaugurated. Yea verily - we literally "began the Beguine". From the position of a soldier at attention to the pulling of breech blocks, and the firing of 90 mm guns, 50 cal. machine guns, First Aid lectures, training films, we unknowingly tasted our first "Dachau". The cadre dusted off "the good books" - the current Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Lamar C. Ratcliffe dusted off the cadre. In addition, we hiked, went on field problems, bogied up, bogied down, prepared for action, camouflaged, smelled Lewisite, pulled K. P., drank 3.2 beer, ate hamburgers and S.O.S., but above all we trained and what in hell for?

     On the 10th of May 1943, the Battalion Commander supplied the answer when he proclaimed from the stage of the Camp Edwards theater "You men are 'sojurs' now. The 109th can go anywhere, do anything, and stack up with any outfit". As far as going anywhere was concerned, the last days of May and early June were spent in packing, crating, and loading our equipment. Some were fortunate enough to draw three day passes, others had to sweat it out within the limits of the camp. The die was cast, however, and amid the uncertain rumors, dry runs, orders and disorders, the machinery for getting the hundred and ninth overseas was in motion.
 

     It was on a June morning, the 22nd to be exact, under the command of Major Elmer M. Wheeler that we bade adieu to Edwards and entrained for Camp Shanks, N. Y. - an overseas staging area. Detraining late in the afternoon, we soon were housed and launched into the turmoil of glamorous Shanks. Our precious crates were opened, inspected, and crated encore. We increased our personnel; we filled equipment shortages. Simultaneously overnight passes were issued. The wonder of it all - 45 minutes from Broadway.
 

     Into New York we went night after night, racking our splendid physiques, tearing down our marvelous constitutions. The cessation came. With it also arrived a "thorough physical examination". Trained were we thoroughly for we made it. There was nothing, save one alternative. We faced it courageously. On July 15, after several days of security confinement, the officers and braves of the 109th donned harness and field equipment and prepared for departure. By rail and water (Weehawken Ferry) the journey to Staten Island was accomplished. The band was there, fortunately no calliope. With an atrocious downbeat, it rendered Mr. Five By Five, Over There, and the Beer Barrel Polka. There was no fortissimo, no allegro, but merely a mechanical irony neither impressive nor consoling.

     At five minutes past four on the afternoon of the 17th of July, the Santa Elena, a member of the Grace Line, left New York Harbor in the midst of a huge convoy - port unknown. As the ship lifted anchor and set sail, everyone silently watched what might be and truly was for some the "last sight". Views such as the New York skyline, Statue of Liberty and the bridges were to be long remembered and cherished.

     The convoy was really grand. Carriers, destroyers, and ships of all types on the high seas were carrying Old Glory to free people lost in the darkness of slavery and barbarism. There, right in the middle of the Atlantic, you could see America, a symbol of might, union, and generosity. Aboard ship the 109th men did little but "shuffle the Boards", "throw the dominoes", sack off their New York flings, ogle the Nursing Corps, and chafe at the ship's housing facilities. Nine and a half days later, we viewed the gray coast of Erin and by dawn of the 27th we entered the Firth of Clyde, Scotland.

IN ENGLAND

     We disembarked at Gurock, Scotland amid the tumult of a happy populace. We astoundedly heard the nasal twang of the British, we saw the kilts of the Scots and enjoyed the melodious chants of their bagpipes, we began our tea sipping campaign which was to last for many months. All these we weathered unperturbed and soon after a monotonous train ride we arrived at our destination -the first of our overseas assignment.

     Here ours was a twofold mission, primarily the defense of two Army 8th Air Force Stations, secondarily the conversion of our troops into construction engineers. With the vim, vigor and resourcefulness of typical Americans, we accomplished both. Headquarters "C" and "D" Batteries occupied areas at Lytham not too far from the famed Blackpool. "A" and "B" set up to the south of Burtonwood not far from Liverpool. Protecting these depots for their great task was not very difficult; building billets and quarters was slightly difficult due to British Red Tape, supply shortages, and a preponderance of advanced training. Our morale should have been low, but it wasn't, for the "higher echelon" issued passes to such quaint hamlets as Blackpool, Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington and Southport. Simultaneously furloughs were meted out to London, Edinburgh and Ireland. Here also we acquired new phrases, expressions and words. We soon learned that "love" was a term of endearment - "Time Please" meant that the pubs were closing and "Roll Me Over" was a sequel to "Mademoiselle From Armentieres". We liked England or should I say some of us did, for many middle-aisled it assuming the burdens of matrimonial bliss.
 

     Come February 5, 1944, under the command of Lt. Col. Harrison F. Turner, we left the squalls of Lancashire and motored to Weston-Super-Mare on the Bristol Channel. It was here on the 10th of the month, we became an important cog in the First United States Army under General Bradley. The training program took on a new significance. The 109th was on the first team. The team which was later destined to break the West Wall and penetrate into the heart of the German Citadel.

     March Order came once again on the 27th of February and we moved in convoy to a more desirable location. Enroute our convoy moved so efficiently, our personnel was so alert, and the dress was so uniform that we received an initial commendation from the Army Commander - the predecessor of many more to follow. While at Nettlebed, near Reading, we polished off those last minute tasks necessary to round us out as an A-1 unit. We conducted practice A.A. firing at Whitby in Yorkshire, Amphibious exercises at Paighton, Devonshire and Field Artillery fire at Salisbury with the XIX Corps. Nothing more had to be done save the great day itself. This along with the rest of the world we awaited expectantly...

     Soon came the order to move. This was it. Instead of showing tense faces all seemed pleased that it had come. The "aplomb and savoir faire" and "can do" spirit characteristic of the unit had come to the surface and this time was made weighty by months of serious training. The unit moved to a Marshalling Area and from there embarked for the Normandy Coast to take part in what had become "the greatest show in the History of the World".
 

ON THE CONTINENT

     On June 11, 1944 - D+5 the batteries landed on "Omaha, Easy Red" beach. The mission a vitally important one, to protect and defend the beachhead at all costs.

     Immediately upon landing we dewaterproofed and set out to occupy positions. This was accomplished by late afternoon. None too soon was it done when the Luftwaffe, Goering's pride and joy, came forth to give us hell. Through our constant alertness, master gunnery and those of adjacent units they failed and immensely.

     On the 10th of July 1944 the Battalion, relieved of the Normandy Beach defense, was assigned three airstrips near Le Molay. Enemy artillery came close to our positions, but rendered no damages or casualties. From the 12th July until the Avranches breakthrough into central France about 20th August 1944, we moved forward progressively with the foxhole troops engaging enemy aircraft almost every night causing total destruction to those seen within our vision and seriously damaging many more that dared enter the ranges of our guns. Here we displayed our remarkable ingenuity, resourcefulness and knack for improvision. At places such as these Cartigny, Baynes, Le Molay, Molses, our Gun and Fire Control positions were the envy of any A.A.A. Gun Battalion. It was here too that Brig. Gen. Timberlake personally commended all Batteries for their "Hollywood Sites".

     Deployment was made from these picturesque sites to the vicinity of Vire through the ruins and rubble of the immortal St. Lo. It was in this vicinity that two of our Batteries were unable to occupy positions selected, the reconnaissance parties running into roadblocks and receiving small arms fire. On the 8th of August our mission was a Class III supply dump, located in the St. Sever Forest. Roads and terrain were heavily mined, but the combat wisdom and basic training of our men came to the fore and with mine detectors and bayonets the casualty rate was kept at a minimum. Here was set up the Provisional Trucking Platoon whose drivers and officers were destined to make supply history and shorten the course of the war. This, as we found out later, they did both capably and unflinchingly, under the peculiar name of "Red Bailers".
 

     During the Allied race across Northern France, the organization followed closely behind an armored spearhead to the famed river crossings on the Seine at Corbeil and Melun, twenty miles south of Paris. As is the case in most armored lightning attacks, it became necessary to clear the area of the disorganized enemy the tank onslaught left remaining. This the batteries performed with skill, efficiency, and a high degree of versatility as A.A. infantrymen taking many prisoners of war and killing some of the less persuasive enemy.

     On August 28th, the Luftwaffe attempted an all out raid on the three bridges spanning the Seine. Fast firing nineties filled the sky with deadly flak. Enemy planes screamed and moaned in their violent evasive tactics. Some fell uncomfortably close to our own positions, others scurried off typically with spurting engines, perforated wings and fuselages. The bridges suffered no injury.
 

     Here we paused and said "Au Revoir" to France. We were moving from the country of "Les Mademoiselles" to the country of "Ca va, ah oui, ca va". On September 4, 1944 we picked up our equipment and went to Namur, Belgium in the wake of both an armored thrust and the 1st Infantry Division. Our long Battalion serial moved rapidly through the battle of Mons which was yet raging and on to Fontaine Eveques, our Report Center. Officers and men of the unit will never forget the last twenty five miles of this march for it was here that hospitality reached its peak. From Fontaine Eveques through Charleroi and on to Namur, the highways and streets were cluttered with hysterical, hospitable, and thankful "Belgiques". Men and women alike, pretty maidens had one idea, to stop each American vehicle, kiss everyone of its grimy occupants regardless of rank, duty, etc., and bestow bottles of wine, beer, and flowers on their liberators. Our mission was the defense of engineer constructed bridges at the junction of the Meuse and Sambre Rivers.

     Our reconnaissance parties were the first troops to cross the Meuse at this point with elements of a 3rd Armored Division Tank Battalion. The following day, when the Batteries moved across in force, there were still bands of enemy in the fields. Again it was necessary to clear the woods taking a goodly crop of "supermen". It is remembered that gasoline was such a critical item at this time that the first night the tank of nearly every vehicle had to be drained in order to go into operations. Antiaircraft action during the period was moderate but our mission was completed successfully.

     The war, however, progressed and with its progress we found ourselves in the smallest of the United Nations, Luxembourg. We arrived there on October 21, 1944 and set up operationally primarily in defense of the capitol city, 12th Army Group Headquarters, an airfield, Radio Luxembourg and steel mills. The airfield mentioned above was the one upon which we knocked down a new Ju 188. It was being piloted by a Jewish civilian who had appropriated it as a means of escape. The story first appeared in the "Forty Niners", an intelligence publication of the 49th A.A.A. Brigade, and was later printed in nationally distributed news magazines. It was here at Luxembourg, where the 109th became a real triple threat in the Ardennes Salient. In addition to heavy antiaircraft action, the 90's were used as field artillery to fire at enemy concentrations across the Moselle River. Batteries also selected anti-tank positions and were prepared for a role as tank destroyers.
 

     The Germans hurled planes, shells and V weapons at us interdictingly, but, because of our superior training, the damage we sustained was slight. At one time four men were injured, three by shell fire, one by a V-1 buzz bomb which also damaged the Battalion Command Post.

     During the Bulge, the cool and capable Von Rundstedt had managed to cross the Moselle with his forces to come within 5000 yards of the capitol city. The Annals of Bulge history speak for themselves and, if you scan them closely, you will quickly note that Luxembourg City was never taken. This remarkable feat was performed with the loss of five of our ammunition trucks which were ambushed by the approaching enemy near Bastogne. All personnel escaped save one who was captured. Prior to the entry of the 5th U.S. Infantry Division, our unit and elements of a Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron were the only stalwarts operating in the critical sector of the enemy spearhead toward the city.
 

     Notable also is the fact that the Third U.S. Army moved through the narrow limits of Luxembourg City unhindered by bombing or strafing - the reason an obvious one, for the 109th engaged over one hundred separate evasive enemy raids scoring many direct kills and damaging many more.
 

     One boomerang caused much excitement among the troops. On Christmas Eve, one of the Batteries shot down an enemy plane which crashed and burned a cafe about 300 yards from the gun position. Three kegs of beer, previously purchased by the men for Christmas Day and the Chaplain's music box were destroyed in the fire. Though we were constantly threatened and our danger imminent, our morale wavered not, for the "Luxembourgeois" took us into their fold, dining and wining us like kings so much so that parting, when it did come, was such sweet sorrow.
 

     While Von Rundstedt and his Panzer Grenadiers were breathing their last at the Bulge, the reputed 109th marched out of the Duchy of Luxembourg on their way to Germany to make more war history. On a cold February morning the column moved slowly through the recently contested area of Bastogne, Houffalize, Malmedy and St .Vith to take up positions near Rotgen,
Germany. The date was February 5, 1945.
 

     After remaining there operationally for several days, the pins on the AA maps were once again rearranged. Soon we found ourselves east of the Hurtgen Forest near the shell of Hurtgen proper. Setting up amid treacherous minefields, mud and more mud, we were committed to a dual mission of antiaircraft protection of III Corps Troops and a field artillery support role concentrating fast and accurate 90 mm fire on the "well dug-in" enemy on the opposite banks of the Roer River. During this period we were subject to and did receive counterbattery fire, but with little appreciable damage. One mission required us to fire into the town of Soller very close ahead of the infantry. The shoot was a successful one with the result that the town was taken by the 1st Infantry Division without opposition. A remarkable incident occurred while firing at an enemy ammunition dump. The artillery observer reported from his plane "Mission completed". He then added "You not only blew the dump all to hell but from here it looked like the explosion brought down an enemy plane". Off we went with the crossing of the Roer instinctively waiting for the Rhine melee.
 

     Moving up behind the Ninth Armored Division tanks, the 109th was able to establish west and east river bank defenses of the recently captured Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on the Rhine. Truly the greatest antiaircraft show on earth since the Normandy beach, the Rhine job was an action-packed thriller from the start to finish with over 75 separate engagements in nine days. Here the unit lost a battery commander and his driver who were captured making the reconnaissance.
 

     Night after night the sky in the Rhine valley was aflame with flak and tracers hurled forth from the concentrated mass of AA guns, half tracks, M 51 Multiple mounts and air cooled fifties, all bent on the same purpose - the protection of the bridge. The bridge by a trick of fate remained only to collapse of its own accord.
 

     With the Wehrmacht in a complete state of collapse and the Luftwaffe completely driven from the skies, the 109th gunners ended their antiaircraft operations at 5:00 PM on the 20th of April 1945 near Kassel, Germany.
 

     On many occasions the Battalion furnished trucks for the "Red Ball". Twenty to twenty-five vehicles were on the road at these times, and we are proud of the fact that commendation after commendation was received for our efforts. Our drivers had no accidents and our vehicles were better maintained and in a better state of repair than those of any other unit. This can be due to the state of training and discipline among our men, for they were largely without supervision while hauling supplies for our army.

     Victory-in-Europe day, May 8, 1945, found the Battalion engaged in a security guard mission in the vicinity of Hersfeld, Germany. It is doubtful whether periods of hard work, outstanding devotion to duty, or endurance can be measured by enemy planes downed and ground gained. Nevertheless, an approximate score has been tabulated for history to examine. Of all the targets protected by this Battalion - airfield, troops, supply dumps, cities and other installations including the vital crossings of the Vire, the Seine, the Meuse, the Sambre, the Roer, the Rhine - not one was hit by enemy air action which is the perfect accomplishment of an antiaircraft mission.

     It is evident from the results contained herein that the activation of this unit by the War Department on that glorious day of January 1943 was not in vain and that the citizen-soldiers constituting the unit achieved their goal in the defense and support of their true democracy - the United States of America.

HEADOUARTERS
49TH ANTIAIRCRAFT ARTILLERY BRIGADE
APO 230
 

10 May 1945
Germany

SUBJECT: Commendation on Performance of Duty in the Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhine, and Central German Campaigns.

TO: Lieutenant Colonel Chase C. Coffey.
      Major Elmer M. Wheeler.
      Commanding Officers, 109th AAA Gun Bn
      APO 230, U. S. Army.
 

1. At the conclusion of our victorious campaign through Europe, I want to express my deep appreciation to you, and through you, to the officers and men of your hard bitten Battalion, for the outstanding drive, tenacity of purpose, and aggressiveness with which the 109th AAA Gun Battalion performed all combat missions.
 

2. Narrative.
 

a. The 109th AAA Gun Battalion landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, France on 11 June 1944, and fought its way into previously designated positions on the outer perimeter of the Beachhead. During the Allied race through France, Belgium, and Luxembourg into Germany, the Battalion moved progressively forward, sharing in the St. Lo breakthrough, the defeat of the German counter offensive at Vire, the defense of the vital crossings of the Seine at Paris, of the Meuse at Namur, and 12th Army Group Headquarters at the City of Luxembourg. When the German counter offensive of the Ardennes was launched on 16 December 1944, the Battalion was utilized as the anchor of the southern shoulder of the Bulge, and successively threw back concentrated attacks by German P.A.C., planes, and armor. The Battalion in its ground role successfully and successively supported the attacks of the THIRD U.S. ARMY that converted the "Ardennes Bulge" into the "Ardennes Bubble", taking a prominent part at Bastogne, in the Second Battle of Hurtgen Forest and the crossing of the Roer River. In this later action, supporting the attack of the 1st U.S. Division, a concentration of fire by the 109th AAA Gun Battalion on an enemy ammunition dump not only destroyed the dump, but a German Plane flying overhead in the resulting explosion. On 2 March 1945, the 109th AAA Gun Battalion was rushed forward to provide AAA defense for the Remagen Bridge, and other vital crossings of the Rhine against concentrated suicidal attacks of the Luftwaffe. The termination of hostilities found the 109th AAA Gun Battalion well on the road to Berlin, with the record that no objective defended by it, from the Normandy Beaches to the Elbe River had been damaged by aerial attack.
 

b. During the European Campaign the 109th AAA Gun Battalion had 459 planes; had 81 ground engagements, destroying 16 tanks, 250 armored and motor vehicles as well as innumerable bunkers, ammunition dumps, enemy occupied places, ground personnel, and capturing over 800 supermen.
 

c. The fighting instincts, esprit de corps and soldierly qualities of the officers and men of the 109th AAA Gun Battalion, during the most crucial battles of the European Campaign, redounds to the glory of the Battalion as a whole, and reflects the leadership, high degree of personal courage, and technical and tactical skill of Lieutenant Colonel Chase C. Coffey, and Major Elmer M. Wheeler, who successively led this battalion in the greatest military campaigns of history.

EDWARD W. TIMBERLAKE
General, U. S. Army

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