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203rd AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion (SP)
Since the activation of the battalion on November 15, 1942, the personnel have demonstrated that they had one determined idea in mind, that of defeating the Axis Powers quickly and decisively. Throughout the period of training, both in the States and in England, that determination did not waver, as was attested to by the high standard of perfection attained in final tests prior to actual combat.
From the time the battalion crossed the channel to meet Jerry face to face, there has been no weakening in your determination. From Cherbourg, through France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and well into Germany, you have met Germany's best under any and all conditions and have in each instance acquitted yourselves in a highly commendable manner.
George C. McFarlin Lt. Col., CAC Commanding
Index
INTRODUCTION ACTIVATION AND TRAINING OVERSEAS NORMANDY
NORTHERN FRANCE RHINELAND ARDENNES CENTRAL EUROPE MEMORIAM
Sudden relaxation from the tension of an omnipresent enemy was still a
strange but wonderful feeling, and for the first time since activation
day, way back in November 1942, the hustle of training and the strain of
combat had ceased.
As we
go to press the Battalion is engaged in a security role in the Saalkreis
of Saxony, a rural peaceful section of Germany with rolling fields and
tiny picturesque villages. We are comfortable and clean and rested, but
our thoughts are on the future and hard on home.
The
point system has just been announced and everyone is adding and wondering
and trying to anticipate his fate. The Battalion has just completed its first retreat parade in two years and according to General Hasbrouck "It wasn't too bad, considering".
The latest tunes being served up from the BBC and the AEF broadcasting station in Luxembourg are "Serenade for Strings", "Don't Fence Me In" and "I walk Alone".
In
fact it is D + 375.
The
committee which arranged this publication hopes that for you as for it,
many memories will he aroused in reviewing the scenes and the notes of our
travels. Photographs shown here were taken by amateurs and were submitted
by personnel from all Batteries to illustrate the narrative. The story,
which because of space limitations is brief, by no means includes many of
the individual experiences of the Batteries or personnel. However this
book should act as a guide to refresh our memories, and to give our
families and friends an organized picture of the where, when, and why of
our lives during that exciting period when censorship cloaked our
movements and those of the Ghost Division.
When
the half tracks of the 203rd Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons
Battalion, Self Propelled, rolled to a halt on the shores of the Baltic
Sea, it marked the end of a long trail, which had its beginning almost
three years before and some six thousand miles away. It was a long road
and a hard one from Fort Bliss, Texas to the Baltic Sea, and now that the
journey was over, the men of the Battalion recalled the sweat, toil, rain,
mud, cold; the endless convoys, the uncertainty, the fear, the heartbreak,
the utter exhaustion of mind and spirit; buzz bombs, K-rations foxholes,
and complete subjugation to military discipline for the past three years.
Multitudinous memories of the past cluttered the mind; recollections,
which with the passing of time would fade into the limbo of forgetfulness,
so that one day even the most imaginative would hardly believe that these
things had happened. Yet nothing would ever be so real!
The
story really begins when the Battalion was activated as the Second
Battalion of the 608th Coast Artillery Regiment on the 15th of November
1942 at Fort Bliss, Texas. The officer cadre assembled at Fort Bliss
towards the end of October to await the activation of the unit, and upon
activation, Lt. Col. (then Major) George C. Mc Farlin assumed command of
the Battalion.
With
the arrival of the enlisted cadre and fillers, the Battalion was formed,
and ready to embark upon the first phase of training by the first of the
year. The men came from all parts of the United States: from Brooklyn,
from New York, from Ohio, Virginia, Texas, New Mexico, Massachusetts, and
Indiana. Fresh from civilian life, with no previous military experience,
the men entered into this new life, not without misgivings, but full of
enthusiasm.
Fort
Bliss was an ideal training camp. Men worked long hours in the hot sun of
the Texas desert learning the fundamentals of basic training, practicing
gun drill with their primary weapons, and assimilating the rudiments of
military discipline. And after With the de-activation of the 608th Coast Artillery Regiment in the middle of January 1943, the Battalion was redesignated as the 203rd Coast Artillery Battalion (AA). Basic training was completed and the Battalion embarked upon long and arduous training in preparation for a combat assignment. The men studied the nomenclature of the 40mm antiaircraft gun, practiced gun drill with power plants and directors, emplaced and camouflaged gun positions until squads and gun sections were highly proficient in the use of their weapons.
There
were new tactical problems to consider, new weapons to learn and new
gunnery problems to be solved. Driver training was of paramount
importance, and the halftracks were driven hundreds of miles up and down
the Pipeline Road until the drivers became thoroughly familiar with the
handling of the vehicles. The high mobility of the self-propelled guns
demanded increased efforts in the emplacing and camouflaging of the
halftracks, and on field problems, men sweated and strained, digging in
gun positions only to move a few minutes after the guns had been emplaced.
Blackout convoys over the desert sands taught convoy discipline, and radio
communications demanded long hours of practice and training.
By
the middle of June tactical tests were conducted under the Antiaircraft
Training Command, and demonstrated the progress of the Battalion; and the
high state of training reflected credit upon the officers and men of the
Battalion. The long hours of gun drill, the field problems, the
inspections, the practice firing had not been in vain, for the Battalion
had completed its training and was ready for assignment to a theater of
operations.
For
most of the men, the past six months had been an arduous and monotonous
grind of training, liberally sprinkled with hours of recreation and
enjoyment in El Paso and Juarez. The war was far away and the men grumbled
at the amount of physical labor demanded in training. The digging in of
gun emplacements, of foxholes., of camouflaging halftracks seemed foolish
and useless under simulated field conditions. But most of the men
appreciated the need for this training, and anticipated the time when
adeptness in just such. training might mean the difference between life
and death.
Louisiana maneuvers stimulated interest in the tactical employment and
deployment of halftracks working with Infantry, Artillery, and the
Engineers. There was a vast difference in the field problems at Fort Bliss
and the simulated conditions of warfare in the Louisiana maneuvers. The
firing batteries found new problems and difficulties which had not been
hithertofore experienced, but by the time maneuvers were concluded, the
officers and men had a better understanding of the tactics of the
Infantry, Artillery, and Engineers, and had devised new methods of
deployment when attached to these units.
Amphibious training at Camp Pickett, Virginia brought the men in contact
with the problems and practice of invasion training. The men climbed
debarkation towers, scaled landing nets, jumped in and out of landing
craft, crawled through barbed wire fences, probed for and neutralized land
mines, and practiced abandon ship drill. The work was novel and
stimulating, and this business of preparing for an invasion caused much
comment among the men of the Battalion. Further amphibious training
carried the Battalion to Camp Bradford, Virginia, where, under the
supervision of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, the men trained on the shores of
the Chesapeake Bay. Firing batteries waterproofed vehicles and drove them
into the surf, halftracks were loaded and unloaded from LST's, assault
boat landing exercises were conducted, and lectures on amphibious landing
procedure were given by naval instructors.
The
future was still uncertain, but most of the men felt that the time of
departure from the States was drawing near. Fully trained and fully
equipped, with the recent naval training still fresh in the minds of the
men, the Battalion awaited movement orders to a port of embarkation. Four
thousand miles away, an invasion army gathered on the tiny isle of
England, and it seemed certain that the Battalion would join that army and
take part in what would surely be the most momentous assault in history.
The people of Leek and Buxton made the Battalion welcome with warm hospitality as the men went on passes into town and made friends wherever they went. After a short time, the men were able to compute and understand the English monetary system of pounds, shillings and pence; had learned to order "bitters" and "nutbrown" instead of Budweiser and Schlitz; had become accustomed to tea in the place of coffee; and had tuned their ears to the sharp trill of the English tongue. "Got any gum, chum" was the battle cry of the swarms of youngsters who pounced upon any unsuspecting soldier in the streets, but the men soon learned to counter this plaintive call with, "Got a sister, mister". It was confusing at first, this tall{ of "pubs", "ironmongers" and "gramaphones"; this reference to "bobs", "skittles", and "chips", but in course of time, the Battalion became acclimated in the British custom and tradition.
Early in April, movement orders were received, sending the Battalion to Camp Blandford, Dorsetshire, to work with the British Mobile Training Command in the preparation of a Standard Operating Procedure for self-.propelled antiaircraft battalions. With this purpose in view, the Battalion busied itself with continuous field problems, emphasis being placed on column movement, deployment into position, camouflage, tactical problems, and radio procedure. Both new and old methods were tried, and either discarded or adopted, and in the final phase of training, a three-day field problem was devised to test the newly developed S. 0. P. This test, which was to evaluate the speed of column movement, and effectiveness of deployment under changing conditions, was highly successful, and the S. 0. P. was sent to the AA Section of the European Theater of Operations where it was approved by the Commanding General.
Early in May, the
Battalion was ordered to move to St Agnes, Cornwall, and conduct practice
firing on the AA range under the supervision of British instructors. The
men welcomed the opportunity to test their new weapons, which had never
been fired, and to sharpen their shooting eye on a moving target. The
firing range was located on a huge cliff overlooking the sea and provided
perfect fields of fire in all directions. The courses flown by the British
fliers were excellent, and gunners and deflection setters quickly proved
their state of training by knocking down every sleeve that was fired upon.
The crews practiced "out-of-action" and "stoppage" drills until all squads
were able to work smoothly as a team, despite unforeseen accidents.
When the Battalion
returned to Camp Blandford, there was an increased amount of troop
movement in the southern part of England, as armor and infantry moved to
marshalling areas. The Battalion was alerted by the First United States
Army and ordered to make immediate preparations for combat duty. Every
effort was made to secure additional equipment, and all vehicles were
waterproofed and made ready for the Channel crossing. Practice loading
exercises were held, radios were waterproofed and tested, and rosters of
men and lists of equipment were prepared in accordance with existing
instructions.
"D-Day!" The morning of
June 6 found the Battalion still preparing for movement to the marshalling
area. During the previous night, the constant drone of planes overhead
gave some indication of the vast operation which was taking place on the
coast of France, and on the following day, the men could still see
continuous flights of C-47's with gliders in tow, an endless stream of
Fortresses and Liberators, and countless fighter sweeps of Thunderbolts
and Mustangs. The news was good, and the Battalion, like the rest of
the world, was electrified at the announcement of the long awaited
invasion of Europe.
As the day went by, the
fighting in Normandy became tougher, but the American troops forged slowly
ahead, and finally the
The weather raised a serious problem. The worst storm in 20 years broke on
the Channel, and caused a serious delay in the shipment of men and
materiel to the man-made ports on the beaches. For 3 days the Battalion
lingered in the marshalling area, waiting for the storm to break, while
the infantry edged closer to Cherbourg. Finally, on the morning of the
25th of June, the Battalion moved from the marshalling area to Weymouth,
where two LST's were waiting to carry the men and equipment across the
Channel to the beaches of Normandy .The storm had abated, the ships were
there, and the Battalion was ready!
The
convoy, which was composed of LST's, LCT's and Liberty ships, extended for
miles across the Channel, and those boats which were out of sight of the
naked eye could be located by the barrage balloons which flew from the
superstructure of the ships. The convoy continually changed course in a
zigzag manner in order to confuse any enemy submarine or torpedo boat
which might attempt an attack, and gunners stood by the antiaircraft guns
really to forestall any sudden sweep by the Luftwaffe.
The
shore of France was sighted on the afternoon of 26 June as the convoy
stood off Utah beach, waiting for the beachmaster to call the ships in to
unload cargo. The shallow approaches to the beach gave mute evidence of
the terrible conflict and high cost of the invasion. Masts of LST's and
Liberty ships protruded from the water; sunken barges and small landing
craft lay half submerged near the shore; a huge breakwater had been formed
to the north by the voluntary sinking of some 50 ships* of various tonnage;
tanks, trucks and jeeps were wrecked and burned along the sand dunes as
far as the eye could see; ugly barbed-wire obstacles and vicious pronged
iron snares were visible in the water, and clusters of mines still clung
to these monstrous obstructions. [* Webmaster's note: 14 ships
were partially sunk at Omaha Beach and another 10 at Utah beach.
Following the storm, another 10 ships were sunk to reinforce the
breakwater.]
The
LST's came into the beach late in the afternoon, rammed into the soft
sand, and when the tide subsided the landing doors through which men and
vehicles streamed ashore were opened. Forming in convoy, the Battalion
moved through the sand dunes and proceeded to an assembly area near St.
Mere Eglise. A heavy rain began to fall and the men settled down to an
uncomfortable night in halftracks and trucks. The dull boom of artillery
in the distance and the sharp crack of rifle fire by nervous sentries in
nearby areas kept the Battalion in a state of imaginative excitement
during this first night in a combat zone.
The
following day dawned bright and clear as the Battalion, with firing
batteries in the lead, moved from the assembly area to Cherbourg, where
the infantry still fought in Fort De Roule and the naval arsenal. Through
battered Monteburg and past Valognes, which had ceased to exist as a city,
the Battalion rolled on to the outskirts of Cherbourg. Though the city had
not yet fallen, Capt Watkins took Battery "B" into the heart of the port
and set up the tracks around the harbor bases, while Capt Johnson led
Battery "C" to the assigned positions in the naval arsenal, where the
infantry still battled isolated pockets of Germans in house-to-house
combat. Enemy snipers were active throughout the night, and though the
German garrison had officially surrendered, fanatical groups of Nazis
continued to fight until dawn.
Although Cherbourg had fallen, the harbor forts were still controlled by the Germans, and mine sweepers were unable to proceed with the business of clearing the port until these approaches were secured from the enemy. Thunderbolts dive-bombed the forts, and field artillery, emplaced along the beach, fired at point-blank range into the harbor islands. After two days of merciless bombardment from the air and from the beach, the German garrisons hoisted the white flag, and these important forts fell into American hands.
These
were days of watchful waiting as the enormous task of reconstruction
on the fort began, but the Luftwaffe came over only at night, and even
then did nothing to hamper operations. Minesweepers swept the harbor
daily, and huge founts of water spouted into the air as the mines drifted
against the island forts and exploded. Engineers blew the pillboxes along
the beach and began the construction of landing docks and piers along the
waterfront. There was a frantic hubbub of activity at the Hotel Atlantique,
where Army Officials worked night and day to bring order out of the chaos
which is the inevitable result of war in a city.
Cherbourg was rapidly returning to normalcy; and by the middle of July a
Red Cross club was opened, movie theaters were showing nightly, and tiny
bistros allover the city provided nightly entertainment and recreation for
the soldiers. There was a new language to be learned, and the readily
adaptable GI's picked up enough stock phrases to make themselves
understood whenever the occasion demanded it. Cognac and calvados became
staple drinks for those soldiers whose asbestos-lined stomachs and
cast-iron heads permitted indulgence in such liquid dynamite, while other
less toughened souls assuaged their thirst with wines of all types and
vintages. Sun bathing became a popular pastime and men with gun positions
along the beach found fishing an agreeable sport, as well as a means of
bringing variety to the daily ten-in-one ration. Meanwhile St. Lo fell to the 29th Infantry Division, and rumors began to form concerning a new assignment for the Battalion. This much was known, the 203d AAA AW Battalion was scheduled to join an Armored Division. But what Armored Division? Where? When? No one knew! And so the Battalion hopefully watched and waited.
A 36-hour convoy carried
the Battalion into Avranches, through Fourges, past Laval, and on to La
Ferte Bernard, where the Division was already moving east to attack the
city of Chartres. Battery "D" was assigned to provide AA protection
for Division As the armored column moved along the highway to Chartres the liberated people of France lined the streets and roads cheering the advancing Americans. Men and boys, women and girls, stood along the route frantically waving to the men in the column. Young girls threw bouquets of flowers into each passing vehicle, while glasses of wine and cider were offered by eager hands; and kisses feely bestowed by lovely mademoiselles to any and all soldiers fortunate enough to halt beside them. Gifts of fruit and eggs were tendered by the joyous French people, and the American soldiers reciprocated by throwing chocolate and cigarettes to the surging crowds. It was a triumphant parade in many respects. and amply demonstrated the eager appreciation and gratitude of the people of France.
On ahead, the Combat Commands raced to Chateau Thierry, the famous city where the Marines made history in World War I, and the city was liberated by the tanks of the Seventh Armored Division on the 28th of August, when advanced elements of' a combat command seized a bridgehead across the Marne River. Battery "A" was hurriedly dispatched to Chateau Thierry to provide antiaircraft protection for the two bridges across the Marne in the city. After a long march, the tracks arrived late in the evening, and went into position just as enemy aircraft swept down to attack the bridges. The light was poor and the planes were almost invisible, but Battery "A" opened fire, aiming by occasional glances at the silhouettes as the planes passed overhead. After a brief engagement, the German planes dropped their bombs which landed outside the city, and then returned to strafe the bridges. Battery "A" opened fire at the green gun flashes in the sky and succeeded in driving the planes away without damage to either the bridge or defending halftracks.
The combat commands
rolled out of Verdun, smashed into the strong defensive positions, and
were repulsed with heavy losses. Strategically placed artillery, elaborate
mine fields, and well-prepared and camouflaged fortifications gave the
Germans every advantage. Fall rains turned the highways and fields into
muddy morasses, which hampered armored operations and prevented the use of
air power during the assault.
An enormous
concentration of artillery was emplaced in the area and Battery "A" and
Battery "D" were detached from the Seventh Armored and placed under Corps
control. These batteries accompanied the artillery across the Moselle
River and went into position on the high ground in front of Metz. For five
days, Battery "A" and Battery "D" were under continuous counter-battery
fire, which necessitated living in muddy foxholes half filled with water.
The Division crossed the
Moselle and for two weeks battered its head against the stone wall of
Metz. Casualties in men and materiel were high, and progress was measured
in yards as the infantry, supported by the artillery, moved slowly forward
each day. Sloughing through the mud and slime, the infantry attacked each
defensive position and paid a high price for each yard gained. The
Division came out of the line on 25 September, with orders to move north
into Holland where the British fought along the approaches to Antwerp.
The British Army still
battled on the approaches to Antwerp when the Seventh Armored Division was
ordered from Metz, and sent to Holland to protect the exposed right flank
of the British Second Army. The Battalion followed the Division route
through Arlon and Huy, past Hasselt, and went into bivouac in a pine grove
outside Eysden, Belgium. For three days the Battalion busied itself with
maintenance on vehicles and equipment as the Division prepared for a
combat assignment.
The Division moved to an
assembly area near the vicinity of Asten, Holland, and on the 1st of
October the Combat Commands moved out on a mission to seize and hold the
small village of Overloon. It was rocky going through the forests outside
the town, for the fields and woods were littered with minefields, machine
gun nests and foxholes held by the German infantry. German artillery
blasted at the tanks and infantrymen with 88's, mortars and "screeming
meemies", but after seven days of hard fighting, Overloon fell to the
Seventh Armored Division. After the capture of Overloon, the Division went into a defensive position extending 28 miles between Weert and Duren, and outposts and roadblocks were set up along the canal. Battery "B" was attached to Combat Command "B" and its tracks were placed as outposts in the northern part of the Division sector. Battery "C" was attached to Combat Command "R" and established roadblocks in and around the village of Meijel.
The second section of
Battery "C"'s first platoon, which was on outpost duty east of Meijel in
support of the 38th Armored
On October 27th a large
scale German counter-offensive, designed to relieve pressure on the
Germans in the Scheldt Estuary, was directed at the over-extended Division
Front. An entire Panzer Army massed across the canal, and struck at Combat
Command "R"'s positions in Meijel. Desperate and heroic fighting took
place as the Division met the threat of the overwhelming Nazi power.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the Division was forced to fall back as
overwhelming pressure was exerted by the Germans in the area of Meijel and
Leisel, but the delaying rear guard action of the 87th Cavalry
Reconnaissance Squadron enabled the Division to conduct an orderly
withdrawal to consolidated positions in the rear. Immediate reinforcements
by the British Second Army arrived in time to contain the German offense
to limited gains in the Meijel area.
Battery "B" went into
position around a bridge across the canal, over which the Combat Commands
were to withdraw on
Upon
being relieved by the British, the Division was highly commended by
General Dempsey for its heroic stand in the Meijel sector. The Division
then moved to a bivouac area southeast of Maastrict. Battalion
headquarters was established in an apple orchard east of Eysden, Holland,
and the firing batteries reverted to battalion control, and assembled in
the surrounding area. For three weeks the Battalion stayed in this static condition while adverse weather conditions hampered operations, and the continual rain and cold made life in the field almost unbearable. The mounting rate of trench foot in the Battalion caused serious concern, as the cold and damp weather produced the most favorable conditions for contracting this disease. Buzz bombs passed overhead, both day and night, and the men learned to wait for the roar of the motors, and "sweat out" the sound until it had passed overhead.
The Battalion moved to
the vicinity of Heerlen, Germany, and established headquarters in a
farmhouse near Heerlerheide.
Five Focke-Wulf 190's
circled the Division area on 1 December and were engaged by Battery "A",
Battery "C" and Battery "D". The planes were driven off with no damage
done to Division installations, and Battery "D" claimed one plane as the
result of the engagement.
Battery "A " and Battery
"C" were in position near Geilenkirchen where Division Artillery was
giving support to the infantry
Christmas season was
drawing near, and from all indications, the crossing of the Roer would be
delayed until after the first of the year. The Battalion settled down to a
period of maintenance and training, when the Western Front erupted into
activity on the 16th of December in the Ardennes sector.
There was a lull on the European front in the middle of December as the Allied armies stood poised along the border of Germany from the Maas River to the Swiss border. Rain and mud hampered operations in the north where the Ninth Army was massing for the crossing of the Roer, and the First Army still battled in the Hurtgen Forest, which guarded the approaches to the Roer Dams. Metz had fallen to infantry of the Third Army and now armor was pressing forward into the Saar Basin. But heavy rain and fog brought aerial operations to a standstill, and with the Roer Dams still in enemy hands, it seemed likely that the Roer offensive would be delayed until the first of the year.
On the 16th of December, the Division was alerted and subsequent instructions ordered a movement on the following day to an assembly area near St. Vith, Belgium. There were rumors of a German offensive in the Ardennes sector, and enemy paratroopers had been dropped in the night, but it seemed unlikely that the German attack constituted a serious threat to the American lines. The Seventh Armored Division moved out on the following morning, with the Combat Commands and Division Trains following Route "A" through Belgium, while Division Artillery, with attached troops, moved down Route "B" inside the German border. For the march, Battery "B" was attached to Division Trains, Battery "A" and Battery "C" moved with Division Artillery and Battalion Headquarters, with Battery "D", traveled behind Division Artillery.
South
of LaRoche, Battery "B" established a roadblock, and on the evening of
December 19th, a German column, led by an The following morning German infantry and armor attacked Samree where the Division gasoline, ammunition, and food dumps were located. Halftracks from Battery "D" and Battery "B" outposted the town and engaged the enemy at the beginning of the attack. One section of "Battery "D" engaged two German Mark IV tanks and destroyed them by firing AP ammunition at a short range into the lightly armored sides of the tanks. When the crews attempted to escape from the burning tanks, the machine guns of the M16 mowed them down.
Perhaps the bitterest fighting was at the road junction held by five
halftracks of Battery "D". On December 20th a German bicycle patrol of
fifteen men came out of the fog and attacked the position. The roadblock
opened fire and wiped out the entire force of Nazi cyclists. The following
day the road block was reinforced by the arrival of three 105 field pieces
of the 106th Infantry Division, and this tiny group was the object of an
intense artillery and mortar barrage, which lifted only long enough for
the German infantry to attack. The men took cover in foxholes during the
barrages and rushed to their tracks when the infantry began to advance
across the field, and though two tracks were knocked out by artillery
fire, the German infantry was unable to dent the position. Ammunition ran
low, and an ammunition train from Headquarters brought a new supply under
cover of darkness. On the 22nd of December the road block was further
reinforced by five tanks from the Third Armored Division, and a group of
infantrymen from the 82nd Airborne Division. The following day, Nazi SS
troopers made an all-out attack, and though the small garrison fought
until their ammunition was exhausted, the position was overrun on the 23rd
of December. Fourteen members of Battery "D" were able to infiltrate
through the German lines and rejoin their organization, but three men were
killed, fourteen men missing in action and five halftracks lost in this
operation.
Increased pressure on the Division's front forced a withdrawal from St.
Vith, and the Division, flanked on both sides, with supply lines cut at
the rear, began an orderly retreat. Battery "A" Battery "C" stayed with
Division Artillery and were among the Christmas Eve found Battalion established in a chateau near Aywaille, while firing batteries continued to support elements of the Division, still in contact with the enemy. The German air force came out in strength on Christmas Day, and Battery "C" engaged and downed a FW 190 which strafed their position.
Within two weeks the Battalion had drawn sufficient personnel and
equipment to bring it almost up to full strength, and when the Division
moved to an attack position near Waimes, Battery "A " and Battery "D" were
attached to the Artillery and Battery "C" went with Combat Command "R".
The
Division was given the mission of re-taking St. Vith. The German Bulge had
been hammered and smashed by Allied units, and though the fighting was
bitter, and weather conditions difficult, the Germans had slowly withdrawn
out of the Bulge. As the Seventh Armored Division jumped off at Waimes, the snow and ice of the Belgium winter hampered operations. Roads were covered with ice, and snow drifts covered extensive fields of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. The old "bug-a-boo" of trench foot reared its ugly head, and an increasing number of men suffered from frozen feet. Tracked and wheeled vehicles slithered along the roads, and passed with difficulty through the snow covered fields. But despite the handicap of adverse weather conditions, almost one month to the day from the time the Seventh Armored was forced to withdraw from St. Vith, tanks or the Seventh Armored routed the Germans from that vital road junction and triumphantly took possession of the town.
The
Battle of the Bulge was over. It had been a tough fight t - perhaps the
toughest the Battalion had seen since being in
By
the end of January, the German salient in the Ardennes had been hammered
flat, and the line was restored along the German border; but the cost in
men and materiel was high, and the Seventh Armored Division, which had
borne the brunt of the attack for five bitter days, moved to Eupen for a
much needed rest while reorganizing and regrouping for future operations. The long delayed Roer offensive began in the middle of February, when the First and Ninth U. S. Armies jumped off across the Roer, and drove swiftly towards the Rhine. After the infantry broke through the outer crust of the German defenses, armored spearheads raced across the plains, routing the Germans from fortified positions, and by the end of the month, Cologne and Düsseldorf were in American hands.
Not
since D-Day had any single area been such a high priority target for the
Luftwaffe! For nine days German airmen tried
It
was a happy hunting ground for the gun crews of the Battalion. For nine
long months, through France, Belgium, and Holland, gun sections had stood
alert by their guns, watching and waiting for the Luftwaffe to appear in
the skies. But save for single plane raids, enemy air activity had been
extremely light over the Battalion area. Now at last there were enemy
planes in the sky; so many that the gunners could hardly keep ammunition
in the machine guns, and observers were hard pressed in keeping track of
the enemy planes making passes at the bridge. The operations section was
snowed under with claims for enemy planes destroyed and ammunition
expenditure reports. The final score of the operation resulted in claims
for seventeen Category I's and six Category II's. Meanwhile, German long range artillery blasted the area, causing nine casualties in the Battalion, and on March 18th the firing batteries were on the receiving end of two V-2 Rocket Bombs which caused considerable damage.
The
front appeared to be crumbling, and burning German vehicles along the
highway marked the route of advance. White
Task
forces of armor and infantry drove towards Geissen, a city strongly
defended by German artillery in prepared defensive While the Battalion was in bivouac on the outskirts of Heskin, Germany, a flight of Focke-Wulf 190's came out of the east to attack Division installations. Battery "A", Battery "B", and Headquarters Battery engaged the enemy planes which were attempting to strafe the highway and bomb bivouac areas. The German pilots took evasive action in the face of this heavy concentration of antiaircraft fire, and bombs were dropped outside the Division area. One plane was seen to burst into flames as it glided towards the enemy lines, and Battery "B" submitted a claim for one Category I and one Category II as a result of the action.
There was a brief halt after this operation, as the Division assembled near Frankenau. Battery "D", was guarding the prisoner of war cage at Division Trains and thousands of prisoners were processed and sent to the rear. Each day combat commands gathered prisoners from the woods and fields in the area and prisoner of war figures for the Division mounted daily.
By
the end of March the Ruhr Valley was isolated and a German army trapped in
the packet. The Division was given the mission of attacking the pocket
from the east, and Combat Commands made preparations to attack.
The
terrain was ill suited for armored operations; steep hills with narrow,
winding roads, and thick forests on either side made it difficult for
tanks. The Germans had an abundance of artillery and anti-tanks guns and
fought desperately to stave off the inevitable defeat. Spring rains bogged
the roads, and the infantry and artillery bore the brunt of the attack. Battery "A", Battery "C", and Battery "D" were attached to Division Artillery for the drive into the pocket. Near Schmallenberg, German counter-battery fire caused considerable damage and casualties to Battery "B" and Battery "C" as the artillery moved up in close support of the infantry. Task forces continued to drive west, and as Allied Armies applied pressure on all sides, resistance suddenly collapsed as armored spearheads captured the town of Menden on the 16th of April.
Meanwhile American Armies moved forward to the Elbe River, and in the
south, armored spearheads crossed into Austria and Czechoslovakia. The
Russians were fighting in Berlin and the linkup was expected momentarily.
The sands of time for the Nazi state were running out!
After
a brief rest the Battalion moved north into the British Second Army area
and was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps
An
incredible sight greeted the men of the Battalion as the halftracks rolled
off the pontoon bridge. A convoy of German vehicles of all kinds, packed
with German soldiers and civilians, stretched for miles along the highway.
There were no guards, and the Nazi soldiers still carried their weapons
and the sight of these thousands of German soldiers marching into
surrender gave an indication that the end of the war was near. Trucks,
halftracks, ambulances, horse-drawn wagons, motorcycles, and bicycles were
used as a means of transportation by the Germans who came willingly to
surrender to the Americans. The Battalion moved with difficulty along the crowded highway to the assembly area, and on the following day moved out in convoy to the Baltic Sea. The war was virtually over in this sector, and the firing batteries established road blocks and check points along the highways to direct and collect prisoners of war who were roaming through the countryside attempting to surrender. There seemed to be no end to the number of Germans in the area, and the Division prisoner of war cage was filled to overflowing.
The war officially ended on the 9th of May 1945, but to the men of the Battalion, the news was almost an anti-climax. For two weeks the Battalion had been established in Boizenberg, Germany, collecting prisoners of war, feeding and housing displaced personnel, and administering to German communities, and the official announcement only served to confirm what was already a reality.
...to the members of this command who lost their lives in combat and in training:
Denis K. La Paille (Louisville, Kentucky) Edward Kasmarski (Port Chester, New York) Charles R. McKinney (Spruce Pine, North Carolina) Michael L. Manzolillo (Brooklyn, New York) Gabriel C. Gonzales (San Elizario, Texas) Egidio G. Prior (Bronx, New York) Joseph J. Kabala (Yonkers, New York) Charles F. Adams, Jr. (Fairmont, West Virginia) Walter F. Brown, Jr. (Tipp City, Ohio) Leo G. Berube (Woonsocket, Rhode Island) Vernon I. Ray (Galveston, Texas) Charles A. Reed (St. Albans, Long Island, N.Y.) Ira G. Cooke (Iaeger, West Virginia) Thomas J. Mahoney (Dorchester, Massachusetts) Louis Vroble (South Fork, Pennsylvania) Robert L. Weissenberger (Maumee, Ohio) Nick Fizet (Girard, Ohio)
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To the Officers and Men of the 203rd AAA Auto Wpns Bn (SP):