ARMY DAZE – A FEW MEMORIES OF THE BIG ONE AND LATER RETURNS
By John R. Schaffner
PREFACE
The following narrative of my time spent with the 106th Infantry Division is made possible, in part, as far as dates and times are concerned, by reference to a short history of the 589th Field Artillery Battalion written not long after the end of the war by Francis H. Aspinwall, who was assigned to Headquarters Battery, and either kept a diary and/or had access to records prior to writing his booklet titled “History of the 589th Field Artillery Battalion”. I also used part of Frank’s text as a reference where other units and events are mentioned that I had no knowledge of at the time. We all were cautioned to not keep a journal of our activities, lest it slip into enemy hands and give them intelligence about our unit. A totally unnecessary precaution in my opinion, since upon our arrival at the front we were welcomed to the war by a radio broadcast direct from Berlin. The Germans probably knew as much about us as they needed to, long before we got there. I often wished that I had disregarded this order and written a daily account of my activities. I trust that Frank will not begrudge me the use of his historic material for reference.
The interview is in the 2nd Armored Division Bulletin – December 2011 issue
James E. Triesler, a history and government teacher at Clover Hill High School in Chesterfield County, VA has 14 years experience as an educator and holds dual endorsements in English and history/social science. He also has coached softball, forensics, and debate and served as yearbook sponsor. Students often say they “hate history” but Mr. Triesler has found avenues for students to connect to history in a personal way. He brings in antiques, written documents, and artifacts to augment lessons and encourages students to engage in history by using the tools of historians such as census records, genealogical documents and special library collections.
A Trip to Belgium – September 2010 Imagine that you are a WWII Veteran planning a trip to Belgium, a country where you fought in the Battle of the Bulge, 66 years ago. You have made flight reservations and have paid the fare. The journey will not be a group tour. You will be going alone. At 85 years of age you begin to have reservations, concerning your judgment about that journey. The flight is not non-stop. A change of planes is required at Detroit, Michigan and Amsterdam, Holland. Flight time is four months away. Consequently there is plenty of time to fret about your decision of planning, a two-week, journey 6,000 miles from home. Why all the anxiety now that you have committed yourself to go? Reason No. 1 – Travel by Commercial Airlines is a 1st for you. Reason No. 2 – How will you get from point A to Point B at the Air Terminal in Detroit, MI and Amsterdam, Holland? Reason No. 3 – What if yon become sick along the way? After all you’re 85 years old. And if you do become ill; what then?
As departure time draws closer and closer, more doubts and questions pop up. Medicare, you learn, will not pay one dime of medical expenses outside the continental limits of the U.S.A. Purchasing insurance, which will cover medical & hospital expenses overseas, solves that issue. Advice is offered by someone with past experience, “Don’t take too many clothes and, be careful what you put in your carry on bag. At Airport Security Check Points, even a pair of fingernail clippers can be rejected.” You are advised, don’t forget to obtain a passport and, put it in something that will hang around your neck. As a soldier, going overseas in l944, details were so elementary that you shouted your name, rank, army serial number and up the gang plank you walked; no other questions asked. A week before your departure you, by chance, acquire a travel companion who is an experienced air traveler. Then for the 1st time in weeks, you have a good nights sleep. The day of departure comes and with a travel companion riding with you to the Air terminal, you feel very much at ease.
A puzzle is encountered at the Moline Airport; however, an extra fee of fifty dollars solves the mystery. A similar issue faces you at the first stop in Detroit, MI. Although the Airline personnel admitted the error was theirs, they only wanted $2,000 to correct their blunder. The situation, here and now, is your travel Companions’ flight, to Amsterdam in Europe, is four hours ahead of your flight The circumstance, of flying alone, has been dumped back in your lap. However, your would-be travel companion is a resourceful person, and not a bit shy. Locating the boarding gate for my delayed flight is accomplished and at once we go to that zone. Two fellows are already at the gate. Immediately, your companion asks them, “Where are you guys going?” “Amsterdam, Holland” was the reply. My friend said, pointing a finger at you ”So is he. Will you see to it that he and his carry on bag get on the plane; and look after his needs during the flight”?
They warmly agreed to be of assistance in any way they could. Bingo! A predicament is solved. “I’ll see you in Amsterdam, Holland were the departing words of your now ex-travel companion, who then scurried off to another gate for an earlier flight to Amsterdam. Now you have two travel companions plus four hours before flight time to get acquainted with them. One of them observes the words WWII Veteran on your cap and inquires, “Where did you serve during the War?” Apparently, your cap is an excellent advertisement. His question is a good base for interaction between you and your new fellow travelers. The three of you immediately became friends. Your new companions, are headed for Ukraine, Russia for the purpose of erecting some farm buildings in that area. They will change planes in Amsterdam. At flight time the three of you board the plane with no concerns. Before long, at 39,000 feet the earth below you looks like a plaything.
On the back of the seat in front of you is a monitor screen. It is displaying some interesting statistics showing the plane (an Air Bus) is flying over the Atlantic Ocean, at an altitude of 39.000 feet. The ground speed is 550 mph.; there is a tail wind of 70 mph and the outside temperature is minus 70 degrees; departure time from Detroit, MI is X number of hours ago and an E.T.A. in Amsterdam Holland is XX hours Amsterdam time. Curious about the Air Bus now, you ask a flight crew member about the passenger capacity of the plane. She replies, “255 passengers and a crew of 30.” In other words 285 people are zooming through the sky at 550 miles per hour. Scarcely a dream 66 years ago when you were crossing the same ocean at 23 knots an hour. Finally, that little screen in front of you indicates the plane is approaching the coast of Ireland. Before long, you will be in Amsterdam, Holland. As objects on the ground become more distinguishable coupled with the sound of the landing gear rumbling out of the belly of the plane it is apparent that Amsterdam is only minutes away. The clouds are hugging the ground, yet glimpses of the runway meet the eye as the huge Air Bus makes its9 final approach to the Amsterdam Air Terminal.
Wow, here you are, in Holland. Your two companions assist in carrying your hand luggage off the plane. You bid them farewell and they blend into a crowd of people as they seek their next flight gate. Success! There’s your original travel partner coming to welcome you to Holland. Before long, by pre-arrangement, another couple from the state of Washington arrive at Amsterdam on another flight. Now your group is complete. There is a two hour wait for another flight to Luxembourg, a city only a few miles from Belgium. An airline, named City Hopper, flies the four of you to the Luxembourg airport where a car is rented and away you drive to the country of Belgium.
Road signs, along the way, point to towns whose names you became acquainted with 66 years ago. Transportation modes for civilians in 1944 were by two wheeled open aired carts drawn by oxen or horses. In most instances people were fleeing a war zone. Fathers would lead the cart and mothers were walking along side of it; looking after the needs of their children, who were bundled up inside, surrounded by the family’s possessions. A scene that, easily, brought a lump to your throat and tears to your eyes. An infantry soldier usually hiked, by road, or across country. Often his path would be through mine fields, and over open country with artillery missiles exploding overhead and on the ground in every direction. What a contrast compared to Belgium and now.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the Ardennes Forest and the terrain. It reminds you of the Smoky Mountains back home. Yet, in Belgium the Ardennes forest is probably 90 percent fir-trees that are very tall and erect. The first item on our schedule is getting settled at the Bed & Breakfast Home, just a few miles west of St. Vith, Belgium, where reservations were made several months ago. What a delightful reception the proprietors give you. Soon all are located in spacious, comfortable rooms. Then you assemble in the inn’s reception room to become familiar with the area. A schedule had been prepared in advance that will permit all to tour the Battle of the Bulge region of 66 years ago. Several days are left open in case extra time is needed in some sectors.
However, a good nights sleep is necessary to recover from jet lag. Your first night in Belgium, 66 years ago, mother earth was your mattress. Your cover was an inadequate sleeping bag. An unwelcome wet snow added to the misery of the night. That wasn’t an evening a person cares to remember, nevertheless, many years later it is still permanently etched in your memories. In the morning of your first day in Belgium all of you go to St. Vith, a small city six miles from your home base. St., Vith was the Headquarters location for your Division in December 1944. In the center of St. Vith there is a visitor center where a friendly attendant is a great help in outlining points if appeal, in and around the area. On your to do list that morning is to exchange some dollars into Euros which is accomplished at a nearby bank.
Before noon your party, now nine people, is motoring to Malmedy, Belgium; a small village were ninety some American soldiers were massacred by German troops during the B.O.B. A museum there portrays some very authentic scenes of that tragedy. In an open field nearby a monument verifies the site where the outrageous event came to pass so many years ago. Your Army outfit was only about five miles from Malmedy when that atrocity occurred in 1944. In less than 24 hours most American troops up and down the front lines became aware of that incident. If anything, it certainly solidified your resistance to the massive German offensive against your Division.
It’s now lunch time, consequently, before touring Malmadys’ museum the nine of you break for lunch. Earlier, you observed that restaurants in small Belgian towns are only open for several hours at meal time. After your museum tour all of you visit the massacre site just a short distance away. On the itinerary is a plan to locate your first foxhole in the early days of the B.O.B. While driving to that area, you pass through the small hamlet of Wereth, Belgium. A ceremony is about to be held there for eleven black Soldiers whom the Germans massacred in December 1944. Your party paused long enough to attend the event and take part in the procession to the site of the atrocity. A lunch was served afterward and all of us were invited to attend. That afternoon you arrive at the site where your Army Outfit was when the B.O.B. commenced. In about 15 minutes you locate your first foxhole.
Floyd standing in his 1944 foxhole
Although the elements of nature partly filled it in you have no trouble recognizing the site and while standing it, you describe the action that happened there 66 years ago to your group.
This region of Belgium and Germany is situated in very hilly country and is named Schnee Eifel, which stands for “Snow Mountain” in German. In the wintertime, it is a popular ski resort. A burst of German gunfire almost terminated your life during the Bulge Campaign, yet you survived the incident. Consequently, you were hospitalized for a while. Just before going back to the front you are in a convalescent hospital in Dinant, Belgium; a beautiful location on the Meuse River. Dinant is on your itinerary and the next day four of you sojourn to that city. You have fond memories of the hospital in Dinant because the luxury of shaving and bathing every day was yours. That hospital was where you discovered fifty-four holes in your clothing caused by German machine gun fire. That incident and your dream for-wantng of the event is still very vivid in your mind.
The town of Dinant, Belgium is situated at a beautiful location in the Meuse river valley. The day is ideal for lunch at a sidewalk cafe alongside the river. We enjoy viewing the scenic river sights in addition to the sheer cliffs that rise as high as several hundred feet above the town; a sight which you were not able to admire many years ago when you were in the hospital there. Monday the 27th of September a surprise awaits you at the Burgemeister’s office in St Vith Belgium. He has been made aware of your presence in the area; hence he prepared a presentation concerning St. Vith for for your group to view. You are invited to his office for coffee. That’s all you know. The surprise is a slide presentation regarding the town of St. Vith, Belgium from December 1944 to the year 1958.
December 1944, St Vith, a town of 10,000 inhabitants, became a focal point in the B.O.B. Five major roads led in and out of this community. The German Army desperately needed to seize the town because of those principal thoroughfares. The American Army was determined to stop the German advance right there in St. Vith. When the B.O.B. ended there were only four buildings left standing in the community. St. Vith, once a thriving city, was a pile of war debris when the battle ended. The Burgemeister’s slide presentation pictures the story of rebuilding the city from 1946 to 1958; in a period of twelve of years St. Vith is restored almost like it had been before WWII.
Saturday the 23rd of September three of your party drives to Henri Chapelle Cemetery where almost 8,000 American soldiers, most of whom died in the B.O.B are buried. A ceremony by Belgian officials, honoring those Soldiers, will take place that morning. Surprisingly, yon and two additional American WWII Veterans become involved in the program. Although it is done in the German language, you recognize your name as well as those of the two other American WWII veterans when it is read; then the three of you are guided forward to place a huge wreath in a designated place on the cemetery grounds. When the ceremony ends, you visit the grave site where some of your fellow soldiers are buried.
The Burgemeister of Veilsalm, Belgium, a town your outfit liberated in 1945 requested you and your group to visit his office. As your group proceeded to that municipality, you thought this was part of the itinerary. Consequently, as your party entered a Municipal Building there you automatically assumed it was to obtain some brochures about the area. However, all of your group is escorted into a very official looking majestic like office. A gentleman entered the room and introduced himself as the Burgemeister of the town. He then declared that the reason for this rendezvous was for the intent of recognizing a person present in his office to be named as an Honorary Citizen of Vielsalm, Belgim.
As your name is read you are surprised and overwhelmed by this proclamation. The composed words read in part: Certificate of honorary citizenship. In recognition of his involvement and his sacrifices for our liberty, the communal College of Vielsalm has awarded the Veteran FLQYD RAGSDALE. G. Company. 424t’ Infanry Regiment. 106 Infantry Division the Honorary Citizenship of the Town of Vielsalm the 26th of September 2010.
After the formalities, refreshments, consisting of beer, wine and cheese are served to everyone present. Indeed, even at eleven of clock on Sunday morning, everyone participated in the festivities. You glance at a wall clock and tell yourself at this hour back home, ” You would be in church.” Although you kept a journal each day that you were in Belgium, at the moment, you are hesitant to elaborate on details about those days, except for one matter.
The cap you wear indicates that you are a WWII veteran. Because many folks in Belgium can read and speak English they acknowledged you as such when they observed those words on your cap. Many days a Belgium citizen shook your hand and said to you, “Thank you for giving our country and freedom back to us. That in its-self made your trip to Belgium in September 2010 worth the effort to go it alone.
The trip home was a good one, yet jet lag was just as much a problem as when you flew to Belgium two weeks before.
On September 16th, 1944, Hitler had five confederates swear to his last offensive plan through the Ardennes to split the Allied powers.
He promised fifteen hundred tanks, one hundred trains of ammo and a force of 275,000 men to strike in November’s waning hours.
Everyone available from cooks, to U-boat sailors, to band members were to be retrained for this unholy crusade Without its’ success to sue for peace, the Nazi movement of “Gott Dammerrung” would fade.
All new equipment from Albert Speer’s factories build with slave labor would come into
play Finally, these troops were posed to strike on a sixty mile front on December’s 16th day.
With overcast skies the 106th and 28th Infantry Divisions received the starting thrust at the German border.
Allied engineers slowed the German advance by blowing many bridges to stem the initial slaughter.
At a conference in Verdun, General Patton stepped forward with a plan to disrupt their
infantry and tanks,
The 4th Armored, 80th and 26th Infantry Divisions would attack their vulnerable southern
flank.
The German plan was to move on the main highway through Bastogne toward the
Meuse River, splitting General Bradley’s command in the west,
The 101st Airborne stood in its’ way at Bastogne and this held up any chance for
success.
This surrounded town, the key to the German salient, was relieved by the 4th Armored
on Christmas day,
The skies cleared and 3,700 planes, bombers from England and pursuits from France
came into play.
The infantry and artillery followed the tanks while the quartermaster delivered the
needed supplies for an endless fire power display.
The German supply train of depots beyond the Rhine were bombed and the front line
strafing took many lives,
Artillery batteries fired nonstop with a tremendous pounding from 155s and 105s.
On the northern sector Stavelot and St. Vith’s, stubborn resistance hurt their panzers
thrust, plus a critical shortage of gas.
Colonel Peiper’s brutal killing at Malmedy is as an example of frustration after the initial
clash.
The 82nd Airborne having motored to Marche led a steadfast defense causing a German
offensive halt,
Their efforts were hampered by superior power, air attacks and leadership faults.
By mid-January the Bulge was a narrow salient through Hauffalize with the Germans in the jaws of the U.S. Army’s vice,
The remnants of General Von Mantueffel’s panzers were in desperate straits to save their lives.
There is one phase of the battle that U.S. leadership regrets, a stain for life,
For the first time ever American troops were under the orders of Britain’s General
Montgomery for the northern sector’s fight.
The former German colossus was badly beaten and should have surrendered to the
Allies.
Instead the following three months only increased the devastation and agony for
everyone who survived.
This dictatorship was stomped on the aurora of arrogance and superiority acquired
since the time of Fredrick the Great and it did not last.
Finally at the Bulge its’ invincibility on the battlefield came to pass.
Jacob G. Zimmerer 39th Signal Corp. 26th Infantry Division
The story of the Langenstein-Zweiberger Concentration Camp in the Harz Mountains of Germany – by Bernard Metrick, 8th Armored Division, 78th Medical Battalion, Company B
The longtime Weymouth, MA resident was one of many troops who were hurriedly sent to Belgium’s Ardennes Forest in December 1944 to stop a desperate German desperate offensive. But Marks was among a handful who took a secret weapon – radar.
Now 88, he fought the war as a radar operator with the 126th AAA (anti-aircraft artillery) battalion, one of a few special Army units stationed in England and then Antwerp, Belgium, to shoot down German V-1 rockets.
Prior to the Battle of the Bulge the last time the two brothers saw each other was in 1943 when Daniel was shipped over seas to England in preparation for the Normandy invasion. Richard was shipped overseas late in 1944. Each knew the unit in which their brother served. In January of 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge the 7th Armored Division, in which Daniel was assigned, arrived in Luxembourg. Daniel recognized the markings on several supply trucks as belonging to the 99th Infantry Division, the division in which Richard was assigned. He asked if Richard, his brother was here and shortly thereafter the two brothers met.
Pankop recounts combat experience at Battle of the Bulge By Danielle Smith, The Paper-Wabash, IN – June 1, 2011
Gerald Pankop, 85, is one of the lucky men that returned home after spending time in combat at the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium during World War II. After being injured by a mortar, he was honored with the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his bravery and sacrifice. Pankop voluntarily enlisted at 18 years old in 1944. “They rushed me through training and sent me over to the Battle of the Bulge,” Pankop said. “They needed men because they were losing so many.” Pankop entered the First Army, 99th Division, 393rd Infantry, as a buck private and came out as a private first class. He explained that part of the reason he moved through the ranks so quickly is because they were losing soldiers at such an alarming rate.
“There are 2,000 men in a regiment, we lost about half of our men,” he said. Pankop credits his survival to his short stature. He was offered an opportunity to make sergeant, but that would have required him to move to the front of the platoon. Surprisingly, the officer allowed him to decline the offer, which earned him the right to stay in his safer position in the back. “I was short so I was always in the back, sergeants are up front in danger,” he explained. Short men were placed in the rear of the platoon because they tend to walk more slowly. “That’s probably what saved my life is being in the back all the time.”
During his time in Belgium, Pankop only received three hot meals, two of which were boxed meals. The third was on Christmas Eve. An officer sent Pankop and other men to a church where they were served a full Christmas dinner, complete with steak and mashed potatoes. Following the meal, Pankop complimented the cook. “I said ‘That’s the best meal I’ve had for I don’t know how long’, and the cook said ‘Oh, you like horse meat, huh?,” Pankop recounted. A disbelieving Pankop looked behind the church where he was greeted with the sight of the heads, skin and bones of the horses they had just consumed.
Pankop also recalled seeing a steam-powered truck traveling up a hill in Belgium. The truck had wooden wheels and a boiler in the back to contain the fire that powered it. Pankop and his companions watched as the driver exited the truck and threw more wood on the fire to allow the truck to continue up the hill. “I said ‘Man, we don’t have anything like that back home,” he recalled.
During Pankop’s time in Belgium, they slept in snowdrifts and never had an opportunity to change their clothes. He was there in December during intense combat. He recalled an instance where he and some comrades were standing nearby while some , searched a recently captured German bunker in the ground. “There were seven or eight of us standing outside leaning on our rifles and the Germans threw a big mortar shell in there and it knocked all of us on the ground. I had two phosphorous grenades and it knocked the bottom off of one of them. Phosphorous burns you something terrible, you can’t hardly stop it. I was laying there and I hurt so bad I couldn’t even throw it away and I kept hollering for someone to come get it. Finally one guy did come over and grab it and throw it as hard as he could,” he recounted. “After things quieted down a little bit the medics came up and they only took two us and left the rest of them lay.”
After 30 days in combat, Pankop returned home. “There’s a Henri- Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium that has 9,000 of our troops that got a Purple Heart but didn’t get to come home. I don’t know why but I think of that so often. I guess I just got a little blessing along the way and I got to come home and get married and raise four children,” he said. Much of Pankop’s war memorabilia is on display in the Northfield Jr./Sr. High School’s library.
On May 3, 2011, it was a honor for me to meet and help T/5 Warren Schmitt, 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion B who on December 17, 1944 escaped from the Massacre at Baugnez crossroads. Warren was presented a gift from the Malmedy town council while his family looked on.
Information and photos submitted by Henri Rogister, Associate Member, Liege, Belgium
from left to right: H. Rogister, Warren Schmitt and M. Steffens (owner of the Baugnez’s Museum)
Warren with the gift he received from M. Andre Denis, Mayor of Malmedy
Mrs Warlant (member of council of Malmedy), Warren, and M. Andre Denis, Mayor of Malmedy
