I was a replacement the day after Christmas. I was made a machine gunner, 30 caliber liquid cooled. Four days later, on New Year’s Eve, the Germans attacked. They were all dressed in white. This was my first introduction to combat, and it was the Battle of the Bulge. We did not lose one inch of territory, but the Germans lost plenty. We recaptured the Maginot Line, crossed the Iller River, the Danube and the Rhine.
We were crossing the Iller River when the Germans sent in an armor piercing shell that landed about 20 feet from our assault boat. Our boat capsized and I had to swim in the icy water to the German side. It was so cold that if I took off my pants they would have stood up by themselves. Later that night, the engineers, with the help of a tank, put a tree across a blown out bridge two miles down from where we were. Some riflemen came and got us. Then we had to inch across the tree using our arms and legs, holding on for dear life until we reached our side again. I was immediately taken to a field hospital for about ten days. While in the hospital, our battalion was caught in the Fern Pass in the Alps, and we lost half our men.
When I got out of the hospital, I rejoined my company in the Brenner Pass. We went into Italy and linked up with the 10th Mountain Division, which ended the war for us. We were then told to go to Otz, Austria, until we were sent home. We were scheduled to go to Japan for the invasion there, but the atomic bomb was dropped, thus ending the war. The 44th Division was de-activated and I was discharged.
Joe’s citation for his Bronze Star
OFFICE OF THE COMMANDING GENERAL
44th INFANTRY DIVISION
CAMP CHAFFE, ARKANSAS
17 NOVEMBER 1945
GENERAL ORDER
NUMBER 65
SUBJECT: AWARD OF BRONZE STAR MEDAL
CITATION: PFC JOSEPH A. MINTO 31469604
On the 15th of February 1945 in the vicinity of Remeling, France the 71st Inf. of the 44th division attacked the strongly fortified town of Remeling. M Co. was to be the leading Co in the attack. During the first hour of the attack M Co was held up by four German Royal Tiger tanks. It was at this time that Pfc. Jos. Minto, a machine gunner of M Co abandoned his machine gun temporarily and picked up the bazooka of a fallen comrade. Crawling forward under the intense fire from the 88’s and machine guns of four German tanks Pfc. Jos. Minto at great personal risk worked himself into a favorable position and open up on the four Tiger tanks with his bazooka. After 10 minutes of concentrated bazooka fire three of the German tanks were knocked out and the fourth was forced to withdraw. It was then that M Co could resume its advance and Pfc. Jos. Minto could return to his beloved machine gun which he had sentimentally named “Hun Killer”
But his gallantry was not to end, for three hours later that morning after half of Remeling had been taken by the 71st Inf. the Germans launched a strong counterattack. It was during this counterattack that Pfc. Jos. Minto disregarding all personal safety mounted his gun on the roof of the city hall where he was exposed to all enemy fire but where are all the enemy was exposed to his fire. It was here that Pfc. Jos. Minto broke up the enemy counterattack by killing 78 Germans and wounding almost 100 more. It is men like Pfc. Jos. A. Minto who stand out in the annals of the United States Army and who are a tribute to their army and country.
By Order of Lt. General Reese
Commanding Gen. 44th Inf. Div.
CR/JD