"ANTI-ANYTHING ARTILLERY"

486th Antiaircraft Artillery (AW) Battalion (SP)

10 June 1945

     To the Officers and Men of the 486th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion Self-Propelled, for whom and by whom this book is published, I want to say again that all of our successes have been the direct result of your highly commendable cooperation and teamwork. Our record has been consistent in all activities - second to none. The splendid spirit and unbounded enthusiasm with which all have entered every enterprise have overcome the many obstacles encountered in our training and combat experiences. We have fought together and played together always with the same unity and singleness of purpose, it is highly gratifying to look at the records and feel that every endeavour has been accomplished to the complete satisfaction of ourselves and our higher commanders.
   

      I find it difficult to enumerate the highlights of our career for everything has been outstanding. Suffice it to say that future members of the 486th "Anti-Anything Artillery" will find rich tradition and high standards toward which to strive. The facts support me in saying to every man in every position in the unit - the quality of your efforts may be equaled, but never surpassed.

(signed)

Raymond E. Dunnington

Lt. Col., CAC

Commanding

Index

PREFACE     ACTIVATION     TRAINING AT CAMP DAVIS   MANEUVERS     TRAINING AT CAMP HULEN

PORT OF EMBARKATION     MOVEMENT OVERSEAS     LIFE IN ENGLAND     NORMANDY

NORTHERN FRANCE and BELGIUM     THE RHINELAND     THE ARDENNES SALIENT

THE RHINELAND AGAIN and CENTRAL EUROPE     CONCLUSION     CREDITS     DEDICATION    

PREFACE

     In preparing this book the editors and artists have used the official records of the unit as well as numerous interviews with the officers and men who actually made the history herein written. It is not our part to assume credit for any accomplishment, for our sole duty has been to assemble the facts and figures into a logical sequence - to lend continuity to a narrative written by sweat and toil on the minds of every member of the battalion. Though the words that follow are written to cover the entire group, we have endeavored to make the book for you as an individual as well as an integral part of a great fraternity. 

     Words, we find, are wholly inadequate to completely express the heroism and unselfishness with which every man has made his contribution to the final result. The pictures will serve to refresh your memory on subjects, places, and individuals who have been such a potent influence in your lives over the two and one half years covered here. The complete volume emerges as a device to commemorate your graduation from a school of experience which will have an undeterminable effect on your life.

     It is difficult to express our appreciation for the splendid cooperation we have received in the preparation of the book. There were many people involved whose names are not mentioned. We are deeply indebted to each individual who contributed and wish to thank everyone for his part. As in everything hat the battalion has done, this book is the result of the enthusiasm and spirit of many, rather than a small group.  We the editors, have only served as a representative group and have drawn on information from the spring of knowledge which spouts in each of you. The highest praise that we could receive would be to know that our words have depicted the history as it happened and expressed your thoughts in a material form which will live and endure as an unforgettable portion of your life. 

ACTIVATION

     On December 10, 1942, the 486th Coast Artillery Antiaircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion (Mobile) was activated at Camp Davis, North Carolina. This was the official beginning of the battalion as a unit, though forty-one officers had been making preparations for the activation some weeks before. Of these officers, fourteen had just completed the refresher course at the Antiaircraft Cadre School, and the remaining three, two medical doctors and one dentist, formed the basis for the medical detachment.

     Having officially emerged from the state of dormancy, the unit plunged into activity. On the date of activation, an enlisted cadre of ninety-six men arrived from the 601st Coast Artillery Antiaircraft Regiment. As had been true in the case of the officers, many of these men were more or less strange in the jobs to which they were assigned. Here the spirit of enthusiasm and cooperation that has made this unit distinctive overrode the lack of experience. The challenge of new fields to conquer was
accepted by men and officers alike, with all efforts being bent towards preparations for the newly inducted filler personnel that would some day swell the ranks of the unit.

     The men who formed the "old cadre" still talk about their first meal in camp. The chow was put out by the officers, with Capt. Champagne assuming the role of mess sergeant. All other ranks from Lt. Col. to 2nd Lt. performed the menial tasks of K.P. To top it all off the resulting meal was good!

     Almost immediately both officers and men were engaged in the difficult task of procuring supplies. Upon the shoulders of Lt. Ollen R."Tally out" Cobb and James G. "Tally in" Greenwood, fell the main brunt of this important task. The spirit of cooperation which has always typified this battalion's endeavors again came to the fore and all ranks pitched in. It was a common sight to see a Major wheeling a "six by six" and a detail of Lts. hauling the many and sundry items which ran from beds to office supplies.

     On the eve of activation, at a meeting of the officers, Lt. Col. Paddock had proposed a motto for the battalion, "Every Man A Commando". Col. Paddock, a Regular Army Officer, was definitely a man of action and athletic aggressiveness. The weeks that followed contained a program of physical training that was designed to harden the cadre in both mind and body. The training was conducted under the guidance of Capt. Fisher, the Battalion S-3 and an excellent athlete.

     That was the general trend of things in the 486th during the remainder of the year. There was much hard work, many hours of physical conditioning, and technical training, and a little time left over for recreation.

     With the new year, 1943, came an increase in the intensity of training of the cadre. On January 14 information was received that five hundred enlisted men were scheduled to leave Camp Devens, Massachusetts on January 15 and would arrive at Holly Ridge, North Carolina the next day. The men arrived as scheduled and were moved by truck to the battalion area, their home for the strenuous period of basic training that was to prepare them for combat. It was a memorable night for those men, so newly removed from civilian life. The weather was cold and raw, it was late, and they were arriving in a strange place under the supervision of strange officers. Their unfamiliarity with the army caused misgivings as to their future lot. It was a subdued group of men that wearily stumbled into assigned barracks and fell onto the first vacant bed in sight.
 

     Sunday, normally a day of rest, found the battalion full of activity. After a brisk jaunt around the block, the men were taken on an orientation hike. Though the total distance was comparatively short, the resulting aches and blisters spoke eloquently of the poor physical condition of the men.

     They also made the acquaintance of an animal native to these parts, the mosquito not an ordinary mosquito - but a type that has been referred to as the forerunner of our present day P-47.

     The befuddled recruits also came in contact with the terra-firma of Camp Davis. It wasn't very "firma". Many a Saturday morning (before inspection) the men stepped confidently from their barracks only to sink knee-deep in mud. It was rumored for a time that two men who were believed AWOL actually...well it's a hard story to believe.

     Followed then two days of violent shuffling, during which every effort was made to place the men in the position for which they were best fitted. This task hadn't been fully completed when information was received that two hundred sixty men were to arrive on January 19th.

     Again there was a period of readjustment for these new men, but fortunately there were some "old hands" of better than a week in the Army who were over willing to assist the "recruits". The task of indoctrination in the rudiments of military training and discipline began with a two weeks restriction to the area. This was a shock to many of the men as they had never been
restricted in such a manner before. It was soon discovered that they could have the run of the camp during off duty hours as soon as basic knowledge was acquired. This acted as an incentive and the metamorphism from civilian to G.I. became apparent. Striking among the changes that were affected during this period was the hair. The policy of the unit called for short hair, a sharp contrast to the former civilian mode. Hair fell to the right and left as barbers, both professional and amateur went about the task of making the command uniform. Came also during this period the alteration and pressing of newly issued uniforms. Strange equipment and manners of dress rapidly became second nature as non-coms and officers pressed home the regulations regarding personal appearance. It was a busy time.

     Nor was this the only phase of training. There were lectures on orientation, lectures on military training, lectures on the mission of Coast Artillery, and the Army as a whole, and then of course there were a few little lectures by the first sergeants.
 

     The medical detachment was also busy. There were myriads of "shots" to give. No one was immune to the needle of Capt. Gianquinto, the battalion surgeon. The startling change in climate produced its share of colds even as the accelerated athletic program produced a bumper crop of blisters and sprains. The medics took this all in stride with the hope that some day things would ease off a little.

     Major Saugstad, the original battalion executive officer, left the unit for a new assignment and Capt. Fisher assumed the duties of executive officer. Capt. Bullard moved from Battery B to the job of S-3. Lt. Smith assumed command of Battery B. Capt. Fagan left and Lt. Abele assumed command of Battery D.

     Lt. CoI. Paddock then was relieved as commander of the unit by reason of his special capabilities for another job. Lt. CoI. Dunnington arrived and assumed command of the battalion on the 24th of January 1943.

TRAINING AT CAMP DAVIS

     Spring found the unit ready to learn about their primary mission. It was 40 millimeter guns then and the men began to discover the mechanical details of the weapon, the functions of the various crew members, and the tactics of employment. Just as progress was being noted in this specialized line of thought, the unit was redesignated as the 486th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion Self Propelled. Neither the officers nor the men had any idea as to the nature of the equipment. Morale and unit pride began to rise - here was something. We were a special type of outfit, one of the very few battalions chosen to train and experiment with this new equipment. It was a thrill and a challenge.

     The physical condition of the men was such now that long hikes and frequent field problems were a welcome respite from the classrooms. There were overnight bivouacs in the swamps with all the realism of actual combat that could be fabricated. There were competitive engagements - problems pitting the skill of one platoon or battery against the skill of another. Friendly rivalry began among the batteries. Preliminary training for the firing of small arms was conducted. Leisure moments were spent at the service club on the post or in the nearby cities of Wilmington and Kinston. There was also a place called "Boomtown" - remember?

     As the officers learned the capabilities of their men, they were picked to fill jobs they held later in combat. Further up the channels of command, officers watched and were pleased - here was a coming outfit! The 486th was starting its reputation. "Every Man a Commando" became common talk all over the Camp.

     Though the nights were still cold and disagreeable during April the weather had cleared up to a great extent. The arrival of the new equipment called for long and patient study. The cleaning and assembling of these strange guns and carriages was in itself no small task. Though there were other units on the post with similar equipment, the zeal and enthusiasm displayed by the men and officers of the unit was such that the 486th became the center of information and training in this phase of antiaircraft. The various sections of the Antiaircraft School, the Antiaircraft Board, and the Post Ordnance Office were interested in everything the unit could accomplish and any information that was discovered. There was little actual information available on the Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M-13 and M-15 and tactical had not been thoroughly determined.

     A standard drill on the MGMC M-13 was devised and perfected by Sgt. Smolnisky of Battery A. The crew that was instrumental in the development of the drill were justly proud of their ability and were able to demonstrate it before Major General Green, the Commanding General of the Antiaircraft Command. The demonstration resulted in a formal commendation for  Sgt. Smolnisky from General Green. A training film was also made for self propelled units with 486th men as the actors.

     The physical condition of the command had steadily improved.  On the 28th of April the unit completed the Physical Proficiency Test with a score of 68.21 percent, a score that topped by 10 points any score that had previous1y been made on the Camp Davis course. The men remembered all the long hikes and grueling conditioning, and were proud of their achievement.

     May found the unit engrossed in firing the primary arms. They were no longer new weapons, for the men had studied them until every peculiarity and limitation was well known. First there came the test firing to determine if the mount was everything that the books had told us it was. There was no doubt in the minds of the men as they came back from the range. Here was a mighty weapon! Later in the month the opportunity to shoot a practice fire was presented. As in all previous challenges, this one was accepted with all the vigor and determination that a young outfit filled with young men could muster. The results were tabulated in a rating of Excellent from the Antiaircraft Artillery Training Center. It was a good start on the long shooting career of the 486th.

     The physical training program reached its peak with the ten miles in two hour hike. All batteries accomp1ished it without incident. During this time the battalion was called upon to furnish "commandos" for testing other battalions' readiness of overseas service. The majority of these raids fell to C and D Batteries, although all four Batteries had their share. Typical of one of these raids was the night that D Battery attacked the 464th AAA emplaced near Sears Landing. The men blackened their faces and armed with blank cartridges and flour bag grenades they attacked the unsuspecting "enemy" from an entirely unexpected direction. Two provisional platoons attacked across the inland waterway using borrowed oyster boats (two of which sank). Another provisional platoon attacked up the mainland and the combined result was chaos. Another victim was the 409th Gun Battalion which suffered three continuous days of our harassing near Catherine Lake. When this operation was finished almost every "commando" had his own jeep and submachine gun. The "enemy's" road guides were picked up and replaced by our own who sent at least two batteries of the disrupted 409th forty miles out of their way. For these problems Col. Bailey of the 12th AAA Group commended the aggressive spirit and ingenuity of the members of 1he 486th.

     The Field Exercise Test came during the latter part of May. It was a training test embracing all of the various phases of field training that the unit had completed in months past. The long marches, the tactical dispositions, the administrative problems, the staff functions, all were excellently portrayed. Again a rating of Excellent entered the records of the unit.

     Once again there were changes in the command organization of the unit. Capt Champagne was transferred to the Antiaircraft School and Lt. Arend took his place as Headquarters Battery Commander. Capt Smith was transferred from the unit and Captain Walker moved to command Battery B, Lt. Watkins assumed command of A Battery. Later in May, Capt. Cogswell took Major Fisher's place as Executive, Capt. Walker moved to S-3, Lt. Pfalzer took command of Battery B, and Lt. DeFranco took over Battery C.

     With June came the climax of the unit's training at Camp Davis. Two days of anti-mechanized fire at Fort Fisher, North Carolina produced a rating of Very-Satisfactory. It was the first opportunity that the men had to see their weapons against ground targets. How well they were to know this sensation. when they went into combat. A record antiaircraft practice with the primary arms was fired as the nineteenth week of the mobilization program passed into history.
 

     Extensive field problems kept the unit on its toes and polished off the rough spots in the field training.

MANEUVERS

     Then orders were received to move the battalion to Camp Polk, Louisiana for maneuvers. The unit had just completed a reorganization under changes in the Tables of Organization and still had much work to do before the time of departure. The thought of going on maneuvers made all this work have a definite purpose. Lt. Spencer, the motor transportation officer, supervised the loading of the equipment on flat cars. The long train ride was uneventful, but not boring, because the route
took us through many interesting places. The battalion arrived at Camp Polk, unloaded, and bivouaced in some pine woods just outside the post. We began to prepare for our part in the coming maneuvers. There were still some shortages of equipment, the main ones being radios and command vehicles. The command halftracks were not available, one half ton truck being procured as a substitute. With this equipment the unit was completely mobile, though there was no radio communication provided.

     Little more than six months had passed since the day of activation, but the battalion was already welded together as a fighting team. Rough spots existed, yes, but they served only as a reminder of the ever-present need for improvement. With self-confidence and growing ability, the men and officers were ready and eager to enter the advanced training phase.
 

     Flag exercises started on the 23rd of June, with the battalion attached to the 11th Armored Division. Everything was new and strange - the organization of the armored division, the terrain, the problems of supply and evacuation, and all of the details that go to make up the operation of a modern army in the field. Flag exercises were a great assistance in familiarizing the
staff and batteries in these necessary techniques. At last the 486th was away from the - Mother Antiaircraft Training Center - it was on its own as part of a tremendous fighting force.
 

     On the first of July the unit was.attached to the 120th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, but for all practical purposes the battalion worked with the 11th Armored Division for their training and problems and were controlled by the Division Commander.
 

     Col. Dunnington established his C.P. at Division Headquarters (Forward) keeping in close communication with Division G-3, and advising that section as to the disposition of the battalion for different situations. Headquarters Battery, consisting of maintenance, supply and battery headquarters sections traveled with trains under the supervision of the trains commander. The line batteries were shifted around from Artillery Battalions to Division bivouac protection, from the Reconnaissance Battalion to Division Trains. Several river crossings on the Sabine provided good wading as well as tactical experience.
 

     The maneuver training period was hard and difficult. Climatic conditions tested to the fullest extent the physical capabilities of the men. Long will the "old timers" of this unit remember the torrential rainstorms, the blistering heat, the dust filled roads, all night convoys, traveling through deserted towns, and the difficult problems of messing that arose from quick movements. Despite all of these there were compensations - luscious watermelons and passes to Alexandria or Shreveport where Southern hospitality was exhibited to an Nth degree.

     The battalion then bivouaced on the banks of the Sabine and washed all of the vehicles. The men had great time swimming and washing the accumulated dust of Louisiana from their clothes. Then the battalion returned to the vicinity of Leesville, Louisiana, to make preparations for movement to Camp Hulen, Texas.

     Due to transportation difficulties, it was necessary for the battalion to remain in this area for approximately two weeks. Out of a clear blue sky, Col. Dunnington announced that furloughs would be granted. After the first wild moments of exhilaration had passed away a sobering thought came over the men "what are we going to use for money"? A mad dash was made for the telegraph office in Leesville, and soon frantic pleas were wired to many states. Once again the "Esprit de Corps" rose, a battalion radio net was set up which notified the men when their money arrived. Eventually, two hundred twenty happy men and officers went home for fifteen days!

     During the period from 15 August to 22 August a combined training test was performed by the 12th Antiaircraft Group. The report of the inspecting officer sent a glow of pride through the organization. In the closing remarks of his report he stated, "The morale of this unit is very high, the spirit and pride of all members in their organization is commendable. It is typical of many old regular army units, and speaks well for the young officers of the command".

     Further honors followed as the battalion was commended by General Brooks, Commanding General of the 11th Armored Division. The battalion also received a rating of Very Satisfactory for the combined training test and a rating of Excellent for the entire maneuvers.

     It was not until the fourth day of September that the battalion was able to take off for their new station. Needless to say, not many tears were shed as the unit slowly moved out of Louisiana. All other thoughts were expelled, however, as the next adventure lay ahead. Questions began popping into everyone's minds would we fire - will Hulen be another Swamp Hollow - are the girls in Texas as beautiful as certain members of the cadre claimed?

     Another major training phase was complete. The experience of the unit was beginning to show in the conduct and bearing of the men. They were no longer civilians on temporary duty in the Army - they were carrying themselves and thinking as soldiers for their background of training had gone far toward preparing them to fight. Hardened and spirited veterans moved into the new camp to meet whatever experiences were in store there.
 

TRAINING AT CAMP HULEN

     Almost immediately the unit and camp took a mutual liking and respect for each other. The men appreciated the clean living quarters and adequate recreational and bathing facilities of the camp.

     The battalion was then assigned to the 34th Antiaircraft Group for administrative control. It was during this period that "beaucoups" firing was done at the Turtle Point and Wells Point firing ranges. Soon the staccato cough of the .50 caliber and the decisive thump of the 37 millimeter reverberated over Matagorda Bay. Friendly, though serious rivalry existed between the respective batteries, and many claims and counter of firing prowess were made and disputed.

     Then came the rains, so heavy in fact, that on the 16th of September the battalion was ordered to evacuate their camp quarters and set up temporary "house" at the Wharton Fair grounds. The expected hurricane did not develop, so on the 19th of September the battalion returned to camp. One sad note was struck during this period. Major Arthur E. Fisher, who done so much to make our motto "Every Man A Commando" a reality, passed away. To the officers and men of the battalion his death was a great blow. Major Fisher was a splendid officer and a fine man.

     All work and no play can be very boring, so the battalion Special Service Officer, Lt. Powell, made arrangements by which seventy-five girls from Houston were invited to attend a dance at the Service Club and later to share our mess. The battery mess sergeants outdid themselves in elaborate decorations and meals. As a consequence, the dance and supper plan became a weekly practice. For the rest of men, the neighboring cities of Wharton, Bay City, and Palacios furnished entertainment, etc!
 

     On the 8th of October the unit received its readiness date for shipment overseas and was assigned its shipment number, 9961-FF.
 

    Then there were showdown inspections and more ordnance inspections. All during this month the "midnight oil" burned at Battalion Headquarters, officers and men worked continually preparing for the movement. Officers classes were held with P.O.M. one of the main topics of discussion. Officers and men attended night and day classes, "brushing up" on weapons, map reading, and many other varied duties. Service records were checked and personal matters were attended to by all.

     On the 15th of October our date of readiness was changed to November 5th. The men sensed and felt that their training had been stepped up considerably. Rumors were rampant. Speculations flew fast and furious. The M-15's and M-13's were continually engaged in practice firing. On the 31st of October the bulk of the command went to Indianola Range for firing practice at air and ground targets. There, despite rainy weather, we got in some good shooting at rockets, OQ 2-A's, and moving ground targets. The battalion was commended by Brigadier General Allen, Commanding General of Antiaircraft Artillery Training Center, Camp Hulen, and by Lt. CoI. Bray, Commanding Officer of the 34th Antiaircraft Artillery Group for their splendid showing during the inspection. The officers and men felt proud. Their spirits and morale were "tops". The following Saturday night the men danced with more gusto, if not grace, in the USO club in Wharton.

     Tech. Sgt. Harrison, who had been in the Supply Section of the battalion since its activation, and a member of the original cadre, received his warrant as Supply Warrant Officer, continuing his duties in the supply section of the battalion. The battalion was alerted for movement overseas on the 7th of November. The officers and men were restricted to the battalion area; Lt. Prewett delivered several lectures on censorship, security, and explanation of the 28th Article of War. Night classes in aircraft recognition and weapons were continued. For the first time outgoing personal mail was censored. Excessive equipment was turned in and the buzzing of saws and pounding of hammers could be heard throughout the day and late into the evening as equipment was packed into boxes and marked for the Port of Embarkation. The sum total of our basic training, of our maneuver training, and our advanced training had now reached its terminus.

     On the 9th of November, Lts. Cobb and Powell, Sgt. Pantaleo and Cpl. Burke as an advance party, left Camp Hulen for Fort Hamilton, New York. Everything was in readiness for movement to the Port of Embarkation. On the 12th of November word was received to proceed by rail to Camp Shanks, New York.

     Our last night in Camp Hulen was a memorable one. Gathered in front of battalion headquarters we received the Chaplain's blessing, and then to the strains of "Over There" played by the post band, the first serial loaded on the train for the first step in what was to prove to be our greatest adventure.

PORT OF EMBARKATION

     The long trip by rail was quite comfortable. Most of the men played cards, wrote letters, or just talked. The train roared northward across the country, and on the 18th November at 0200 hours the first serial arrived at Camp Shanks, New York. At 1830 hours of the same day the second serial pulled in. At Camp Shanks the battalion was assigned barracks and immediately put through an indoctrination period consisting of "shots" and physical training. After two ten mile hikes in the mountains of New York we were almost certain that our combat mission was the Alps.

     Passes were granted and although they were only good for twelve hours most of the personnel were able to see their loved ones before embarking. It would be ambiguous to add that after spending so much time in the "Dry South" that the sudden reconversion to a very "wet" New York did not have the expected effects. On the 23rd of November our advance party left on the
Queen Elizabeth from Pier 90, New York, and arrived at Greenock, Scotland, November 28th.

MOVEMENT OVERSEAS

     Time was fast slipping by - each moment was utilized to its fullest extent. On the 1st of December at 0800 hours the first serial of our unit proceeded by rail and then by ferry to Pier 90, North River Terminal, New York City. The second serial left Camp Shanks on the 3rd of December, boarding the boat on the same day. From the time we had left the ferry until the time we had settled in our assigned quarters on the Queen Mary it seemed as though we had climbed thousands of stairs, carrying or dragging our heavily laden barracks bags.
 

     December 3rd, 1943, 1120 hours -a date and time that is deeply imbedded in our minds, for on that day, at that time the Queen Mary came to life. Her engines began throbbing, the small powerful tugs began pushing their noses against her sides as they maneuvered the great ship onto the shipping lanes. We were finally on our way - on our way for duty in the European Theater of Operations. Officers and men crowded the deck railings, all straining for a last look the Manhattan skyline and that Grand Old Lady.

     CoI. Dunnington had been appointed Commander of the Red Troop Area with Lt. Greenwood as his Adjutant. The men were assigned to various duties on the ship such as K.P. and M. P. details. Some of our men manned the antiaircraft guns for the protection of the ship and personnel during the trip.
 

     During the crossing the USO provided entertainment for the men, putting on shows in the large dining hall. One evening a group of "our" boys gathered on the Promenade Deck and to the musical strains of a guitar began to sing many old favorite songs. In a very short time officers and men from other units joined the gathering and began raising their voices in song. Many a soldier in the gathering crowd who had felt lonesome and homesick lost that feeling as he began to sing. When the informal gathering disbanded for the evening many of the men felt more at ease and less restrained. There were also some WAC's on board - that is all.

     The morning of December 9th dawned bright and clear, and at 0700 hours the Queen Mary, having completed her crossing of the Atlantic with her precious cargo, dropped anchor in the harbor of Greenock, Scotland. Men swarmed the decks of the ship and gazed upon the low, rolling Scottish hills, so reminiscent of many sections of the United States. This was our first glimpse of foreign soil.
 

     How well many of us remember walking, slipping or falling down flights of stairs carrying our packs small-arms, and those eternally heavy barracks bags, to the tender that was alongside the Queen Mary to take us to the docks. The voyage had been made in good order and it felt good after six days at sea to stand again on solid ground, though many of us still had "sea legs".

     We were comfortably seated in the train when Red Cross workers distributed hot coffee, doughnuts and cigarettes from one end of the train to the other. At about 1230 hours, with a shrill blast of its whistle, the train slowly began its journey, carrying the unit to its new home in England.

     As the train rolled through the beautiful Scottish countryside, through cities and towns, some of the men began singing, others played cards and still others watched the landscape disappear from view. We stopped twice during the trip to enjoy hot coffee and the famous English "pork pie". The night settled fast, blackout curtains were drawn, and the men settled in their seats for forty winks. The singing had died down. The card games had disbanded, and in their places could be heard the heavy breathing of the sleeping men and the shrieking, shrill whistle of the train, which broke the stillness of the night. At 0530 hours on the 10th of December the train came to a slow stop at Semley Station, Wiltshire, England. The men were awakened and disembarked from the train, shuffling sleepily into the waiting trucks that took us to our first overseas camp - Hayes Camp, Semley, Wiltshire. The camp was commonly known as Hayes House.

     Our advance party, which had arrived at Hayes House on 4 December formed our welcoming party. The officers and men were in good spirits and anxiously awaited the appearance of daylight in order to see our new surroundings. We were assigned to barracks - the majority of the men to Nissen Huts and the officers and office personnel in Hayes House.
 

     On the date of arrival at Hayes House, 10 Dccember, the battalion was a year old, and within that time men who had never fired a gun had become well acquainted with them. Their civilian habits had been replaced by military customs and manners. In one year the unit had completed the basic training and had arrived at an overseas station - awaiting combat.


LIFE IN ENGLAND

     There was much to be done at our new station. It is fitting to express our sincerest thanks to the 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion for furnishing men in preparing the camp for our occupancy. Soon our own details policed the grounds and buildings, and Hayes House had its floors and windows washed regularly. The details furnished for Hayes House called their work "housekeeping" instead of policing because of the similarity of work they had seen performed in their own homes.
 

     In the early weeks of December B and D Batteries moved to Clouds Camp in East Knoyle, which was a short distance from Hayes Camp. This separation of the battalion was made to overcome the crowded conditions at Hayes House.
 

     Within a few days after our arrival our training began anew. Classes were conducted in aircraft recognition, chemical warfare, self-defense, first aid, and use of weapons. Training films were shown in the enlisted men's mess hall. Physical hardening exercises, infantry drill, and gun drill were stressed.
 

     Upon arrival in England the battalion was assigned to the First United States Army. On December 15th the unit was attached to VII Corps, and on the 16th we were attached to the Third Armored Division for operations, training, and administration.
 

     Orders and memorandums were received requesting men from the unit to attend Swimming, Chemical Warfare, Intelligence, and Liaison Officer schools in addition to the many other schools. Our quotas were dispatched to these schools and the men received Very Satisfactory and Excellent ratings.

     Religious and entertainment activities were not neglected. Religious services were conducted in our large mess hall. Through the cooperation of Canon Cross and Father Hyndal, Protestant services were held at East Knoyle and Catholic Mass at Wardour Presbytery. Many men will remember historic Wardour Presbytery - the groups of small boys laughing as they marched in columns of twos from their dormitory to the church under the watchful eyes of the accompanying Nuns.

     Through Capt. Shaw's efforts motion pictures were shown in our large mess hall on alternate nights during the week. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights dances were held at the "Hut" in Shaftsbury, and at the "Church Hall" in East Knoyle.

     How well we' recall those night passes into Shaftsbury and East Knoyle, especially our first night pass when we couldn't distinguish anything in the total blackout, walking into buildings and people we couldn't see. But it wasn't long before many of us could distinguish our favorite pubs no matter how dark the night. Many of us still carry pleasant memories of happy and enjoyable hours spent in "The Hut", "The Church Hall", "The Two Brewers", "The Mitre", "Seymour Arms", and "The Fox and Hounds".

     Within the first week of our arrival at camp our PX was established in one of the wooden huts where we were to spend many hours purchasing personal items, drinking beer, and playing ping-pong and darts.

     The raw December winds added their share to the damp cloudy British climate as the month wore on. December 25th, Christmas Day, saw the battalion settled in both camps. Religious services for all faiths were conducted at East Knoyle, Wardour Presbytery and in our large mess hall. Practically every man in the unit attended services that day. It was the first Christmas that many of us had spent away from our families, and it was spent on foreign soil. Yet, a true holiday spirit prevailed among officers and men. Each man received a pound box of chocolates which had been purchased through our PX and paid for out of our battery funds. That evening many of the men gathered in the PX hut and sang their favorite songs to the accompaniment of a piano.

     Christmas 1943 passed into the annals of time, and on the following day our training program was resumed. We were operating on a forty-eight hour week schedule.

     On the 27th of December word was received from higher headquarters that officers and men could be granted forty-eight hour leaves and passes to visit Bournemouth, London, Reading, and Torquay. The following day our first quota "took off" for a visit to these cities. The quota on leave or pass was not to exceed seven percent of officers and seven percent of enlisted men's daily strength. Through the formulation of a leave and pass system each battery allowed its quota to leave each day.
 

     The personnel status at the end of the year was as follows: thirty five officers, two warrant officers, and six hundred sixty eight enlisted men.

    The cold clear dawn of January 1st, 1944, heralded the beginning of a new year - a year in which future events were to be written with the sacrifices of human endurance - of the full and comprehensive meaning and understanding of life and death - of incidents and escapades from death - and of the performance of men knitted into a combat team which thrived upon cooperation and unlimited faith in each other and in their officers.

     So on New Year's Day 1944, we were primarily interested not in the future but the present. It was a day of relaxation - no duty - just a day to visit our favorite pubs in Shaftsbury and East Knoyle or spend the day and evening in our PX, listening to the radio, playing ping-pong or just enjoying the top favorite position of a G. I. - proning. The following day our routine continued - training, drilling, and road marches.

     The Walt Disney Productions submitted an insignia for the battalion. It was a design of "Pluto" in a ferocious attitude, helmet on head, holding a destroyed German plane in his mouth. The insignia was submitted to the staff, but its adoption as a battalion insignia was postponed pending the submission of other proposed insignias.

     On the 6th of January fifteen Officers and two hundred eighty five enlisted men left for Camp Penhale, Cornwall to engage in antiaircraft firing. It was the first but not the last visit of our platoons to British antiaircraft camps, for in the ensuing months the whine of their .50 caliber bullets was to be frequently heard over the Atlantic. These platoons engaged in target practice until January 14th. The Firing Director at the camp reported that "The 486th AAA (A W) BN (SP) is fit for an operational role - that both Officers and men are ready". Of the two hundred eighty five men who fired their machine guns, two hundred sixty one of them qualified as machine gunners, giving the battalion a ninety two percent qualification.

     For five days and nights from the 10th and 15th of January units of the battalion participated in the Third Armored Division Trains Field Exercise which was conducted over the cold, wind swept, low-rolling hills of the English countryside. Only too well do we remember the bitter, penetrating, raw winds pouring forth their icy breath upon us as we lay huddled in our blankets on the hard, frost-covered ground.
 

     The narrow, winding, twisting roads of Semley and East Knoyle echoed to the marching feet of the men as they treaded their way, laden with full field packs, through the blackness of the English nights on their regularly scheduled three hour night hikes.

     With the usual moaning and groaning, shuffling of tired weary feet, the Officers and men hiked over the many roads surrounding the camp. The majority of the men in the battalion were now wearing their Good Conduct Medals which had been awarded to them "in recognition of their fidelity through faithful and exact performance of duty, efficiency through capacity to produce desired results and whose behavior has been such as to deserve emulation".

     Throughout the cold, damp months of February and March our training continued on an ever increasing pace. Classes on Chemical Warfare, Combat Intelligence, and Radio Procedure were conducted with special emphasis on aircraft recognition and physical training. There were frequent problems in the field with the unit maneuvering with the Third Armored Division. These problems tested our physical fitness severely, but the men were already tough. The battalion also engaged in various other training activities during this period. On the 14th of March A and B Batteries furnished protection for an Ordnance demonstration at Tilshead, Wilts. Two days later, the 16th, all drivers, assistant drivers, and mechanics participated in salt water wading and landing operations at Weymouth, Dorset. Antiaircraft protection was furnished for this operation by a system of reliefs which divided the duty equally throughout the battalion. Several Officers and men attended Division Schools on Pioneering and Field Expedients. March 21st marked the end of antiaircraft protection for salt water wading operations, and all batteries returned to camp. On the 22nd C and D Batteries plus a skeleton section of Headquarters Battery took part in a Division Field Exercise Problem, their mission being protection of an engineer bridge and field artillery positions. On the morning of the 28th, without warning, A Battery executed "March Order". The entire organization was combat loaded in every detail, and out of the battalion area in less than two hours. On the last two days of the month D Battery and Battalion Staff personnel participated in a Division Field Exercise with infantry units, their specific mission being protection of Field Artillery positions.

     Our training continued in this vein during the remainder of our stay in England. The standard army training was interrupted frequently by special assignments which called for use of the physical and technical skill of all personnel.

     The next two months brought a startling increase in specialized training. Schools of many and varied types were attended by many of the personnel. From the 4th through the 6th of April A, B, and Headquarters Batteries participated in a Division Field Exercise. The battalion then fired qualification of the M-1 rifle at the Mere Rifle Range and test fired the carbines and submachine guns. The middle of April all batteries moved by convoy to the assault training center at Woolacombe for special training. Another convoy moved them to the antiaircraft range at St. Agnes. Despite inclement and "soupy" weather, seven days of excellent firing was completed, and all batteries returned to base camp on the 24th. There was a bustle of activity throughout the camp as news of the visit of Lieutenant General Omar Bradley became known. General Bradley arrived at our area at 241600 April. The unit put on a demonstration of gun drill and aircraft recognition that was highly commended.

     Field problems remained the main theme of our training. A and C Batteries supplied protection for the 406th Field Artillery Group while B and C Batteries furnished AA protection for the 258th Field Artillery Group. With the termination of this problem on the 29th of the month all batteries returned to base camp.

     The month of May brought little if any respite from the strenuous training of the past two months. If we knew then what we know now we could have seen that this was the final grooming for combat. A Demolition School was conducted by the 23rd Engineers and attended by seventy five Officers and men of the unit. On the 8th of May the battalion moved by convoy to Minehead and started anti-mechanized firing at the British Armored Vehicle Range. On the morning of May 9th the battalion finished anti-mechanized fire and returned to base camp. All phases of this exercise were considered Excellent.
 

     Although our training took up most of our time the unit did manage to spend some pleasant moments. In addition to the passes into Shaftsbury there were shows given by various units of the Third Armored Division. We especially remember a show given by the 32nd Armored Regiment, "Pass In Review", a hilarious and well acted comedy.
 

     From May 20th to the end of the month a normal training schedule was followed. We were very near ready for the big things to come.

NORMANDY

     June 1944 will go down in history as the beginning of the end for Germany. Increasingly heavy and destructive air raids continued to pound shore installations. Communications and supply systems were systematically destroyed. The stage was set; this was it. Meanwhile the 486th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion was ordered to proceed to a concentration area - a field just outside of Hayes House. On June 6th, the day that the whole of the civilized world had been waiting for, came the invasion of Europe. Names like Omaha and Utah Beach, the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions and 101st and 82nd Airborne became main topics of discussion.

     As we listened to the news from the front, the realization that soon we would become part of this gigantic struggle became apparent to us. Our stay in the land of "mild and bitters" was drawing to an end. On the 19th of June our unit moved by convoy to the marshalling area at Weymouth. Two days later, the 21st of June, the 486th boarded LST's and LCT's and sailed on the 22nd from Portland Harbor. The trip across the channel was uneventful. Many of the men partook liberally of the anti-seasickness pills and went to sleep. At 1510 hours on the 23rd day of June all elements of the 486th landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, France. Here they paused briefly to remove water-proofing and immediately joined Field Artillery elements of the Third Armored Division, then part of the XIX "Tomahawk" Corps. With the exception of D Battery these attachments were to continue throughout the struggle. A Battery was attached to the 391st Armored Field Artillery, B Battery was attached to the 54th Armored Field Artillery, and C Battery was attached to the 67th Armored Field Artillery. For the first few days D Battery remained unassigned, then later went with the 58th Armored Field Artillery, a veteran outfit of North Africa and Sicily.
 

     At this time the battalion was situated on the banks of the Vire River just south of Isigny. Soon A, B, and C Batteries moved south to St. Marguerite sur Elle in support of an attack by Combat Command A. Battery D, remaining with Combat Command B, waited in division reserve. The men were seeing Normandy and the results of the bloody struggle that had raged over the ground just a few days before. Discarded equipment, burned vehicles, and scattered corpses - all the ugly leftovers of battle were here.

     The Third Armored Division was first wholly committed in the attack across the Vire River on the 7th of July 1944. The division was then in support of the 29th and 30th Infantry Divisions: the objective was to be the cutting of the St. Lo -Periers highway. After an intensive artillery preparation, and when the combat engineers had bridged the river the division rolled across, and A, B and D Batteries were with it. This was their real baptism. German artillery was accurately registered on all roads and bridges, and when our men passed through Airel they saw war at its worst. The first thing they saw was the dead - dead Americans, dead Germans, and dead horses and cows, most of them not a pleasant sight. It was dark and bewildering, and the sounds of the incoming artillery were terrifying. That night the bridgehead was secured, and in the morning C Battery crossed the river. It was here that we sustained our first casualties. Just south of St. Jean de Daye a D Battery M-15 commanded by Sgt. Richard Hopkins felt the impact of a barrage of 88 millimeter shell fire. Pfc. Harvey Poupart was killed. Sgt. Hopkins, Cpl. Allen, and Pfc. Bourden were wounded. Two M-16's of A Battery were hit by artillery with no casualties. One of these, commanded by Cpl. Henrickson, was hit by a shell which landed on the center of the star on the hood, cleaned the top off the motor and miraculously missed all the crew who were under the vehicle at the time.
 

     Now we wheeled south, and this movement placed the battalion near Cavigny. It was slow, hard pushing for the tankers and doughs which meant that the armored field artillery battalions were always busy. We normally stayed in one position for two or three davs; the men dug their halftracks in deeply and built good covered fox holes. On July 11th Cpl. Tracia's M-15 from A
Battery set a precedent that was to be followed many times in the coming months. This gun was in position slightly forward of a battery of the 391st Armored Field Artillery. Cpl. Tracia heard an explosion near a house about three hundred yards away from him. Three men crawled down the hedgerows to investigate but withdrew quickly when the only voices they could hear were speaking German. When about half way back to their position they were fired upon and immediately took cover behind the hedgerows, then one by one they dashed back to their gun. An enemy patrol consisting of tanks and infantry had succeeded in infiltrating into this position and were picking off thin skinned vehicles nearby. Cpl. Tracia backed his halftrack up to a hedgerow and opened fire. The Germans returned this fire with machine guns and small arms and this duel lasted for three hours until American Infantry relieved the situation. Statements by the infantry returning from the encounter showed that about twenty Germans had been killed by the M-15 crew. Cpl. Tracia was awarded a Silver Star for his actions.

     Lt. Thomas B. Fifield, Executive Officer of D Battery, located and assisted in knocking out a Mk IV tank four hundred yards south of his battery's position. These two incidents were later discovered to have been part of a defensive action to repel a strong German thrust to retake Isigny.

     Our normal function of antiaircraft came to the fore when on July 15th B Battery fired on a FW -190. Hits were observed and the plane was seen smoking. The Third Armored Division then passed into the Seventh Corps and was notified that preparations were being made for a big breakthrough out of Normandy. The batteries went into assembly areas west of St. Jean de Daye, studied maps, and packed their equipment for this great operation. A large scale false Gas Alarm was spread allover the beach head. On the 25th of July one of the most awe inspiring sights we have ever seen passed directly over us. On that day the Germans felt the full weight of our air power in close support. This was to be what was called a saturation bombing. Thousands of Liberators and Flying Fortresses came over in endless waves, and soon the ground was reverberating from the mighty explosions. The first day was a dry run, and the next day the Air Corps repeated their magnificent performance and we broke out. All we saw as we passed through the saturated area was burned tanks, huge craters, and what had been Germans. We passed towns, or rather shells of towns with names like Marigny, Montpinchon, Roncey, Cerisy La Salle, and Gavray. The days were filled with movement - dusty convoys, little sleep, and K rations. Every night had its "bed-check Charley", who would drop his flares and light the way for the growling, throbbing JU-88's. We suffered casualties from their strafing and anti-personnel bombs. Passing through Villedieau Ies Poeles and Brecey the Seventh Corps was hit by a last determined effort by Von Kluge to separate our First and Third Armies. This attack hit the Third Armored Division near Juvigny le Tertre, just west of Mortain. It was here that Major General Leroy H. Watson left the division, and Brigadier General Maurice Rose became our new division commander. The 486th was heard from in the battle of the Mortain pocket.

     It was here that our battalion got its first sure plane on the evening of the 27th of July. C Battery had just been shelled, and then at approximately 2030 hours just as dusk was falling they heard the erratic sound of the Luftwaffe. Flares were dropped, anti-personnel bombs fell in the area. Suddenly about a mile to the north a great explosion lit the sky. That was what Sgt. Little and Cpl. Cavanaugh were waiting for. Clearly outlined against this glare was a JU-88 and Sgt. Little's gun engaged it. Almost immediately the plane exploded with a sharp crack, a burst of flame, and came hurtling to the ground. There was no disputing their claim because the plane fell in the field just next to the division C. P.

     During the night of the 31st of July Capt. Philip Shaw, commanding B Battery, discovered a Mk V tank while on a reconnaissance. This tank was parked just over the hedgerow from Capt. Shaw"s battery position. Crawling under the tank, Capt. Shaw attempted to blow it up with a hedgerow breaching charge, but this was thwarted when the tank started up and slowly began to move away. Capt. Shaw and two men jumped onto the rear deck of the tank and attacked the crew. An incendiary grenade was a good enticement for the Germans to abandon the vehicle. One of the Germans was killed with a hatchet, a traditional American weapon. Up rolled some of B Battery's M-16's and soon the dusk was streaked with tracers as the chattering machine guns began their destruction. By the time this action was over several halftracks, volkswagons, numerous ammunition and gas trucks, and a regimental command post had been destroyed. The fires could be seen twenty miles away.

     Meanwhile C Battery was having hard times. They had just entered Le Tieulleul when trouble broke out on their left. Immediately a screening force was made up to go to Barenton to hold that sector. This task force consisted of battalion of tanks, a company of infantry, some Engineers, Tank Destroyers, and one battery of the 67th Armored Field Artillery. Attached to this battery of the 67th were Sgt. Little, Sgt. Wisner (now Lt.), Sgt. Croughwell (now Lt.) and their crews. The task force moved up but not far. Overwhelming superior forces were met. Digging in and fighting savagely, the doughs and tankers held but could not advance. Heavy enemy artillery fire was falling all over the task force when the news came that they were cut off. They could see the enemy tanks on the next hill cutting off their road to the rear, and soon the quadruple 50's and 37's were raking the woods to keep out the supporting infantry. After five days of severe fighting and five restless nights of heckling by the Luftwaffe they were finally relieved and rejoined the Third Armored Division. On this last day, the 12th of August, C Battery's guns had a chance at their primary mission - twenty one German pursuit planes attacked the task force - only to be met by the withering fire of C Battery's guns. Three of the planes fell smoking while the rest took off.

     Near Juvigny our halftrack ambulance and five of its crew were captured. Capt. William Gianquinto had to crawl five hundred yards to escape. On August 10th B Battery claimed a Category I for a destroyed Messerschmitt 109. To the north of this great pocket A and D Batteries were doing their part. Lt. Hall directed artillery fire on five Mk V tanks and destroyed them. The second platoon of D Battery, supporting the 87th Armored Field Artillery Battalion repelled an attack of approximately two hundred infantrymen and five tanks. Sgt. Plumer, Cpl. Denico, Lt. Doherty, Lt. Tonet, Sgt. Rogers and Sgt. Coventry and many others fought as infantry to repel this attack. Again the M-16's four machine guns proved a deadly weapon against ground troops. It wasn't just weapons that were doing a good job. Uncommon bravery was a common virtue among Third Armored men, and the men of the 486th earned the thanks and respect of many divisional units.

     From Mortain the Seventh Corps slipped around the south of the German pocket and bit into it again some forty miles to the east. The men will remember names like Ambrieres les Grandes, Laval, Mayenne, Pre-en-Pail, Ranes, and Fromental. It was just north of Fromental that tankers of the Third Armored Division met British Tankers coming south from Falaise. This sealed off what was left of the great German attempt to cut our beachhead in two. Typhoons of the RAF smashed the retreating German columns with deadly rockets. It was here that the division adopted the name "Spearhead Division", and well they might for they were to continue spearheading the First United States Army's drives across France, Belgium, and Germany to within
fifty miles of Berlin. Now began the mad race across the rolling sunny countryside of Northern France toward Paris. This was good armored country, and the Germans knew it and wouldn't fight.

     The battalion was able to look back at the preceding month and the Normandy campaign with pride. For a green outfit we had done well. Our orientation was over. We suffered casualties in personnel and material, but our morale was high, and we looked toward the future with confidence.
 

NORTHERN FRANCE AND BELGIUM

     On the 21st day of August the Third Armored Division received orders to proceed to an assembly area south of Dreux and prepare to cross the Seine River, the division moved swiftly and crossed the river without incident. On August 29th seven ME-109's flew over installations protected by Battery C near Braine. In the ensuing engagement one Category I was claimed. Sgt.
Butler, Tec. 5 Albert Riccio, T/5 Nareau, aud Pfc's Pomerleau, DeGrasse, and Condon will long remember the town of Braine for its efficient train service. Tipped off by a member of the FFI that a trainload of Germans was due, Sgt. Butler trained his M-15 on the tracks. Approximately fifteen minutes later the train came puffing into view. The crew fired on and penetrated its engine with the first round, causing it to stop. Capt. DeFranco, Battery Commander of Battery C, then ordered Sgt. Butler to rake the train with fire which Sgt. Butler did with devastating effect. Seventy prisoners were taken, thirty were wounded, and much equipment including a Mk IV tank was destroyed. Capt. DeFranco, Sgt. Butler, Cplr. Sargent, Pfc's DeGrasse, Condon, Pomerleau, Tec. 5 Riccio and Nareau were all awarded the Bronze Star for this action.

     The Corp objective was Sedan. Suddenly orders came to change direction - we wheeled to the North. The Seventh German Army was attempting to escape from Calais and Dunkirk across Belgium to the protection of the Siegfried Line. The Seventh Corps, spearheaded by the Third Armored Division was going to stop them. As we passed through Maubege, Col. Dunnington predicted that soon the 486th would see plenty of action, and he was right. Near Longeville, Cpl. Laden's section of A Battery was escorting a column when they were cut off. After a vigorous fire fight in the streets, in which several German armored cars and trucks were destroyed and a sniper shot from a church steeple with a rifle grenade, his section was able to break out and rejoin their friends. We crossed the Belgian border on the 2nd of September and rolled into the sleepy, peaceful town of Mons. Unknowingly, the division had stopped astride the main German escape route. Down the roads they came, bumper to bumper (although much of their transport was horse-drawn). The division's artillery battalions were firing through 360 degrees, there were Germans to the right, to the left, just all over. Prisoners began to pour in. On the 2nd of September Lt. Donald H. Russell's first platoon of D Battery, attached to the 991st Field Artillery Battalion, captured four hundred Germans. Lt. Russell, later wounded, was aided in this fight by Lt. Max Frucht, S/Sgt. Elmer Gracie (now Lt.) and S/Sgt. William Pike. In addition to this the guns of Sgt. Henry Dewley, Sgt. John Krysuik, and Sgt. Robert Cosgrove knocked out two halftracks, two self-propelled guns and seven trucks. All the other batteries were shooting up the Germans too, a platoon of B Battery led by Lt. George Wilson mopped up a patch of woods and bagged two hundred fifteen prisoners, A Battery scored hits on several enemy vehicles and took two hundred twenty five prisoners. Meanwhile Capt. DeFranco and two of his men captured the Commanding Generall of Namur District, Belgium. No one has ventured to guess how many supermen were killed by our depressed guns. Hardly pausing to eat, the division pounded forward. Another mad race was on - Charleroi, Namur, Liege, .Verviers, and Eupen all slipped past in the next few days. From the time we had crossed the Seine River until we went through the Siegfried Line's first defenses only eighteen days had lapsed. The Belgian people were even more fervent and enthusiastic in their greeting than were the French. All night long while the clattering tanks and rattling halftracks passed through these friendly Belgian towns, the people stood out in the streets and cheered and wept. Everyone wanted to kiss the American liberators. Many a soldier was kissed by an elderly Belgian male, usually needing a shave. They couldn't understand why the soldiers couldn't stop there
instead of always moving on. In Eupen there was no welcome - only cold stares greeted us from behind closed shutters. We were now standing on Hitler's doorstep. At 1451 hours on the 12th of September, sections of A Battery crossed the German border and immediately were called upon to fire upon a pillbox with an M-15. Their fire was highly successful, as eight rounds of HE entered the aperture. The other batteries crossed the border soon afterward. The flush of victory was hot upon our cheeks. Little did we know or realize that many more months of hard and bitter fighting lay ahead.

THE RHINELAND

     The division ground to a stop in the Stolberg-Aachen sector. Men and machines could have gone farther, but higher headquarters gave orders to stop and reorganize. We had been on a sustained drive for many weeks, so the men welcomed the break. Perhaps we could have gone on to the Rhine, but that was not for us to say. By now the supply lines were so drawn out and the front so fluid that to go on would have been a risky undertaking. A Battery was in Breinig, B Battery was in Mausbach, C Battery in Stolberg, first platoon of D Battery near Brand, second platoon of D Battery in Busbach. We guessed that we would stay here for a long time - some people said we would be there for the rest of the winter. About this time C Battery was to give us another "first". On September 18th a small flight of enemy planes attacked the 67th Armored Field Artillery positions southeast of Brand. Cpl. Zyza opened and after firing two hundred seventy five rounds a FW-190, smoke pouring from the motor, took a sharp dive, crashed and burned. War had come home to the Luftwaffe. The First United States Army awarded C Battery credit for shooting down the first German plane with guns emplaced on German soil.

     About all there was to do was sit and wait for air activity. Although we were sporadically subject to artillery fire, the intense ground activity of the past months was wholly lacking. Showers, movies, and passes were provided, and the men began to look around for fairly comfortable billets. A, B, and C Batteries established rest camps in their areas, and D Battery, established one in Oberforstbach which allowed the men three day breaks. Battalion Rear was set up in Raeren, and the forward C.P. in Stolberg near the Division C.P. in the Prym House. On the 26th of September, during a counter-battery concentration, Pfc. Donald Behring of D Battery was killed. On the 29th of September Pfc. Carlo Pellici and Pfc. Thomas Logue of C Battery were killed, and Cpl. Ptak seriously wounded by a bomb. The weather became cold and wet, and we needed more clothes badly. Just in time, the battalion was authorized combat suits, and these began to come in together with sweaters, overshoes, gloves, and mackinaws. It was a cold, miserable, let alone boring job to stand in a turret for hours on end, waiting for planes that very seldom came. When we say that they very seldom came, we are speaking of the daylight hours only, for a regular feature every night was a visit from the groaning machines of the German Luftwaffe. So active did they become that a system of prearranged night firing had to be developed. First we fired at 90 millimeter bursts, and although no results were recorded this system knocked some of the cockiness out of the enemy pilots. Eventually a system of roughly calculated elevations and azimuths was used for barrages. The first night that this was used, all the ack-ack in the First and Ninth Armies pushed their firing pedals almost simultaneously, and the result was almost unbelievable. The murky, cloudy sky was pierced by thousands of tracers so that it seemed there was not an inch of space not containing a deadly missile.

     Men learned that what goes up must come down, and several soldiers throughout the area were wounded by falling flak. Six enemy planes, one an obsolete JU-87, were found crashed in the division area the following morning, proof of the effectiveness of the system. After a few nights of this firing the impotent Luftwaffe stopped bothering us in such large numbers. One of the good effects of this night firing was on the morale of all the ground forces. An air raid is not nearly so nerve-wracking when one can. shoot back. One C Battery gun manned by ex-mess Sgt. Stephenson and Cpl. DeFrancisco got a JU-88 at about 2300 hours one night.

     Now daylight sorties began to come more frequently. On the 5th of October a mixed flight of fifteen FW-190's and ME-109's were engaged over Kornelimunster by all batteries. On the 3rd of December, seventy-two German fighters appeared over the area. The battalion had a field day, claiming sixteen Category I's and one Category II. Out of all those planes First Army Antiaircraft accounted for all but eight. There were no friendly planes in the area at the time.

     From time to time the Third Armored Division would support various infantry divisions in the attacks toward the Roer River. Hastenrath, Gressenich, Eschweiler, Langerwehe, and Hurtgen Forest were all taken at a frightful cost. Near Stolberg 1st Lt. George W. Wilson was killed by a mine which also wounded Sgts. George Rinkevitch and Jerome Cutone of B Battery. There we lost one of the most popular leaders of the battalion. The war had taken on a foreboding cast, and it looked as though we were stalemated for the winter.
 

THE ARDENNES SALIENT

     On December 17th the division was placed on a four hour alert. Over the radio had come word that Field Marshall Von Rundstedt had smashed through the First Army line near Monschau and was swiftly exploiting his initial gains. The Spearhead Division took off from the Stolberg area to help stem this tide. C Battery left on the 18th of December when the 67th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, part of CCA, moved to the vicinity of Eupen to mop up German paratroopers. The 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion at this time was detached from the division and sent south toward a then unknown town called Bastogne. Here they were to later lose every gun in their battalion and suffer heavy casualties. D Battery moved to the Soy-Hotten area with the division reserve and was then attached to the 83rd Armored Field Artillery. The Third Armored Division was under control of the XVIII Airborne Corps until the VII Corps moved south.

     The Spearhead Division, accustomed to biting off large objectives, hurled itself into the very tip of the German salient. But they met the cream of the Wehrmacht and too many of them, for they were ground to a stop along the line Manhay - Amonines - Soy - Hotten. Task Force Hogan was completely surrounded at Marcouray, and with him was a section of B Battery under 1st Lt. Robert A. Weatherford.  CoI. Hogan had been pushed back from LaRoche and set up a defensive position on the high ground east of the Ourthe River. B Battery's men shot up quite a few enemy infantrymen trying to get into their position. On the night of the 23rd of December, they heard that help was on the way - none came; the same thing happened on Christmas Eve. Supplies that were supposed to be dropped from the air landed several miles to the north. Then came the order to destroy all equipment and prepare to move out on foot. Since fire and noise were prohibited, everything had to be smashed. Radios were smashed, tires and tracks chopped up, transmissions were filled with water, and ammunition buried in an old well. Then out they came on Christmas night. They walked for fourteen hours and covered about twenty three miles; passing through a German artillery battery where they could hear the battery executive giving firing orders. Sgt. Sawtelle was the only B Battery man missing at the end of the march; he came out alone three days later. We had lost one M-15A1, an M-16, one quarter-ton truck, and all the equipment on them.

     Meanwhile, Capt. Ralph W. Abele had four guns of D Battery working under Task Force Orr, holding the key town of Amonines. These tracks were in support of two platoons of the 36th Armored Infantry Regiment and four tanks of H Company, 33rd Armored Regiment. On the night of December 22nd a German armored column came up the road from Dochamps only to lose their first thirteen vehicles to the guns of Cpl. Phillip Andrade, Sgt. John Rogers, Sgt. Lawrence Trainor, and Cpl. Lorenzo LaRose. These four guns stayed in Amonines for six days and helped Task Force Orr to frustrate all enemy attempts to break through. The doughboys really appreciated our multiple gun turrets. At night trip flares were strung in front of our positions, and these proved the undoing for many German night patrols. In all the time that these men were fighting only two of them were
slightly wounded; Sgt. Swanson and Cpl. Caruso. A 210 millimeter rocket burst on the window sill of Capt. Abele's C.P., destroying it but miraculously injuring none of the eleven men that were in the room at the time.

     The rest of the line batteries were seeing much action at this time too. C Battery was in Marche, the rest were helping Col. Richardson hold back a dangerous Panzer drive through Manhay, Grand Menil, and Briscol. Several instances found the infantry dug in behind our halftracks. This, however, was an unusual situation, immediately corrected. Finally, the bulge into our lines was contained, and the division moved back to the. Ouffet-Clavier sector to regroup and prepare to eliminate that bulge.
 

     On the 3rd of January, with combat commands abreast, The Third Armored jumped off to the south and east. Towns with the names of Malempre, Lansival, and Lierneaux fell in quick succession. Near Manhay, Sgt. Trainor's M-15 hit a mine. It was rugged going then - cold, slippery, and few houses were available for billets. Snow drifts covered extensive fields of anti-tank mines and the hard ground made fox hole construction a nightmare when shells were falling. What would have ordinarily been beautiful scenery was really the worst possible terrain in whim to fight.

     At last Task Forces Kane, Hogan, Lovelady, and Welborn took some towns on the Houffalize - St. Vith highway, while the Second Armored Division, 83rd and 84th Division working with us met Third Army troops coming from the south. The Ardennes campaign finished, our batteries moved back with the division into assembly areas. A Battery was at Borlan, B and C at Petit Han, first platoon of D Battery at Andennes, the second platoon in Septon. Major General Rose presented some awards to members of the battalion in a ceremony at Phalanges. S/Sgts. Elton MacGuarn and Elmer J. Gracie received battlefield commissions as 2nd Lieutenants.

     Then the division moved back to its old battle grounds. On the 7th of February practically everyone was back in the Stolberg - Gressenich area. Enemy air activity increased considerably as the Germans tried to slow down our preparations for crossing the Roer River. Jet-propelled aircraft were the most prevalent, D Battery engaging several ME-262's in Langerwehe.

THE RHINELAND AGAIN and CENTRAL EUROPE

     About this time spring came to Germany. The frozen ground thawed out bringing back familiar seas of mud. Winches were used. Some of the winter clothing we could have used before began to come in.

     At last came the jump-off. At dawn on February 26th the First Army crossed the Roer at Duren and began a swift drive across the Cologne plains toward the Rhine. Ground action for the battalion was negligible in this push. Just short of the Erft Canal, near Bergheim, the Luftwaffe caused some damage in a night raid. Colonels Richardson and Hogan raced across the Erft Canal and began to take town after town on the way to Cologne. Some guns of A Battery's second platoon, under Lt. Harris, while protecting a bridge across the Erft, were emplaced ahead of an infantry mortar section and provided overhead fire for advancing infantry.
 

     Within twenty four hours after crossing the Erft, the 991st Field Artillery Battalion was throwing 155 millimeter shells into Cologne.

     The German defenses crumbled, and although they continued to pour artillery, mortar, and rocket fire on us, they were driven back to the Rhine. Elements of the 83rd Armored Reconnaissance BattalIon were the first units of the First Army to reach the Rhine - they captured Worringen at 0400 hours on the 4th of March. On the 5th of March, Task Force Doan entered Cologne and cleaned it up.

     Meanwhile, to the south an unexpected streak of good luck was being exploited. A bridge had been found intact at Remagen and First Army troops were pouring across the Rhine. While this bridgehead was being secured, the Third Armored Division went into an assembly area just west of Cologne. The batteries all supplied themselves with power plants from the Ford factory there - other things were obtained in this area also. The first platoon of D Battery was relieved from attachment to the 991st Field Artillery Battalion and attached to the 83rd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.

    CCR crossed the Rhine with the 1st Infantry Division on the 20th of March at Remagen. With them was the second platoon of B Battery. They had been protecting CCR from frequent air attacks near Bonn for several days. Three days later the remainder of the division crossed the river.
 

     In spite of the enemy's attempts to contain and even destroy our bridgehead we began to grind forward. We began to break through their thickest crust at Altenkirchen. The weather was nice now, few people looked for houses in which to live anymore. Suddenly the Third Armored broke through and went directly east to Marburg. Here was to begin the greatest encircling movement in history. The Ruhr valley and some three hundred thousand German troops were to be cut off. Prisoners began to roll in, the division taking three thousand one day. Sgt. Taylor's section from A Battery captured ninety five near Marburg. On the 30th of March B Battery destroyed seven enemy vehicles, and on the same day Task Force Walker and his operations section captured one hundred seventeen prisoners. Actually the historic day was the 29th of March when the 83rd Recon
jumped off in three columns and galloped more than one hundred miles that day. Cpl. Repinec of D Battery, traveling with the 83rd, knocked out a German troop train and captured one hundred prisoners near Obermarsburg. In the task forces behind the reconnaissance battalion more resistance was met, for by that time the Germans had begun to realize what was happening. Frankenburg, Korbach, Drilon, and many other towns were taken in rapid succession. Finally just three miles from the division objective, Paderborn, the resistance stiffened as we ran into elements of an SS Panzer Training Regiment equipped with Tiger Royals and Panther Tanks. During this drive, four halftracks from B Battery were taken into a town from which bazooka and small arms fire had been received, and wiped out this thorn in their side.

     Task Force Welborn, while fighting strongly dug in infantry and tanks just north or Etteln, had his column cut by some marauding German armor. Cut off with them was Major General Maurice Rose, who as usual was with his leading elements. Here we lost our dashing, masterful leader who had led the Spearhead Division during all of its glorious campaigns. General Rose was shot to death by a German tank commander. Command of the division then fell upon the able shoulders of Brigadier General Doyle O. Hickey, formerly or CCA.

     About one mile south of Paderborn Sgt. Nevers and Sgt. Cunningham of C Battery cleaned out a woods full of fanatical SS troopers who had been firing panzerfausts and schmeiser pistols at the 67th Field Artillery's men. Here Capt. DeFranco mopped up a machine gun nest, a self-propelled gun, and evacuated many wounded into a safe area. Approximately three hundred German troops had been in this woods, but our quadruple mounts changed their minds about fighting anymore.
 

     The Ninth United States Army led by the Second Armored Division was coming across the top of the Ruhr to meet us. Task Force Kane drove swiftly to a historic meeting with them at Lippstadt, forming what is called the "Rose Pocket". With this task force went the 67th Armored Field Artillery and our attached C Battery. Firing as they went, reminiscent of wild west days, the column rolled across to the west, bypassing strong resistance. Sgt. Sullivan, Cpl. Sargent, and Sgt. Nevers worked over quite a few German doughs. M-16's were a necessary part of every supply column trying to get through. This was another good use for our weapon - despite the fact that they couldn't depress their guns over the cabs, the M-15's and M-16's made good protection for the convoys, both against air attack and ground forces. Lt. Col. Berry, C.O. of the 67th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, when asked if he needed some light tanks with his trains, refused them, saying that his ack-ack was enough.
 

     Now at long last began the final drive of the war in the west. Jumping across the Weser River we broke through the last of organized resistance and began another mad dash to the Elbe. Everyone was dashing; the Ninth, Third, and Seventh Armies were racing forward, and from the east our Russian Allies were coming to meet us. Long lines of German prisoners passed unnoticed; large groups were bypassed and practically forgotten for the time being. We began to liberate Allied prisoners of war and thousands and thousands of displaced persons of all nationalities streamed back to the rear.

     Ironically enough the battalion suffered quite a few casualties in the closing days of the war. Just before reaching the Elbe and the Mulde Rivers the second platoon command car and jeep of D Battery were hit by an 88 millimeter high explosive from a concealed gun two hundred yards from the road. Miraculously, the only casualties resulting were some burns. On the 14th of April Sgt. John Rogers' complete crew became casualties - Tec. 5 William Weaver and Tec. 5 Cecil Howard were killed, three others wounded. The second platoon of A Battery under 1st Lt. Clinton L. Harris was given the mission of protecting a bridging operation across the Mulde. This operation met with heavy resistance, and in the ensuing battle an M-16 was hit by bazooka fire causing the death of S/Sgt. Elmer Smolinsky, Pfc. Clyde Smith, and Cpl. William Bradley. C Battery's M-2, "Three Baker",
was in a fire fight with about a company of krauts, in which several 486th men were wounded and Pfc. George Abrams killed.

     These incidents do not represent the full scope of the ground action encountered by the battalion during this period. Rather it is but an example of the role we played during the division operations. On the 25th of April the division moved to an assembly area around Sangerhausen. The battalion was assigned the mission of supplying protection to vital assembly areas and points of concentration within the division. For the first time since its arrival on the continent the battalion, including Headquarters Battery, assembled in one area. In this period, from May 1st to the official cessation of hostilities, the battalion did not engage the enemy on the ground or in the air. For us the war in Europe was "kaput". On the 12th of May the battalion moved by convoy to the Frankfurt-Darmstadt area, with Battalion Headquarters residing in Grafenhausen, Batteries A and D residing in Erzhausen, and Batteries B and C in Wixhausen.

CONCLUSION

     The war in Europe over, everyone wondered what would be his individual future and what would happen to the 486th. This was answered in away by the battalion being put in Category II reserve, which meant that we would continue to train as a unit for the war in the Pacific. The point system was announced and not long after we had been in the Frankfurt-Darmstadt area, we began to lose 85'ers. When the War with Japan suddenly ended in August,1945, the possibility of any more combat was erased and we all awaited our turns to go home. As this is being written, many of the battalion have returned to their homes, many are still waiting. Those who wait yet reminisce.
 

     As we look back over the past two and one half years we find that there were many harrowing experiences that will always command a prominent place in our memories. The days of training seemed hard and difficult at the time, but we soon came to realize that it was this rigorous preparation that brought us through our five campaigns in such good form. Each of us can remember untold stories of heroism and sacrifice - stories that reflect the strength of each individual in the unit.
 

     It is fitting to mention the splendid spirit with which every man entered in all activities, be it a softball game or a sniper-hunt. Many months we spent in forging a mighty fighting machine, and when the final test came we could look upon the results and feel that the job had been well done. Yes, it was difficult to stand with our eyes in the skies and our feet in the mud, but character and the knowledge that our cause was right overcame all obstacles. Anything the Germans gave us for targets -planes, armored vehicles, trains, or church steeples, we engaged, fired, and destroyed.
 

CREDITS

Editors: Major John K. Walker, Jr. and Capt. Ralph W. Abele

Business Manager: 2d Lieutenant Elmer J. Gracie

Composition: Tec 4 Tyrus R. Davis, Tec 4 Raymond E. Finfgeld, Cpl. James Nibbio

Artists: Sgt. Wilfred T. Sanders, Tec 5 James V. Kelly, Pfc. Nick J. Pavia        

Photography: 1st Sgt. Alva D. Conner, Tech. Sgt. Harold Cohen

DEDICATION

TO THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THIS UNIT WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES THAT FREEDOM MIGHT LIVE, THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.

Major Arthur E. Fisher

1st Lieutenant George W. Wilson, Jr.

Staff Sergeant Elmer S. Smolinsky

Staff Sergeant Kenneth L. Yates

Corporal William J. Bradley

Corporal Nicholas Perino

Corporal Hollis Ramsdell, Jr.

Corporal Lloyd Slover

Tec. 5 Frank G. Chase

Tec. 5 William H. Estes

Tec. 5 Cecil K. Howard

Tec. 5 William C. Moody

Tec. 5 Anthony C. Paoletti

Tec. 5 William W. Weaver

Pfc. George Abrams

Pfc. Thomas F. Logue

Pfc. Annibale A. Petrarca

Pfc. Harvey M. Poupart

Pfc. Clyde J. Smith

Pfc. Thomas Sypula

Pvt. Donald R. Behring

Pvt. Dorion Kerr

Pvt. Edward S. Nowicki

Pvt. Edmund J. Patrician

Pvt. Carlo Pellicci

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