V. L. AULD
TIMELINE OF MILITARY SERVICE
IN THE U. S. ARMY
August 1942 to August 1974

Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Enlisted in U.S. Army in August 1942 and spent 17 weeks in basic training at the Field Artillery Training Center. Completed Officer Candidate School graduating in February 1943.

Pittsburg, Kansas
Reported to Pittsburg, Kansas, in February 1943 and completed liaison pilot training, then returned to Fort Sill for the tactical phase of the course.

Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Trained in techniques of short field take offs and landings, one-wheel takeoffs and landings, how to land on roads, how to evade enemy aircraft, and how to fire on targets from the air. On completion of the tactical course for liaison pilot, I was assigned to the 909^th Field Artillery Battalion of the 84^th Infantry Division.

Camp Howze, Gainesville, Texas
The 84^th was being activated at Camp Howze near Gainesville, Texas, where I had completed my pilot training at Gainesville Junior College before enlisting in the Army. The camp had dirt streets and more tar paper buildings like we had at Ft. Sill. I was assigned as the first air officer of the 909^th and was given the job as Battalion Air Officer. The Division went through many field exercises and reached its full complement; however, we had to go through the Louisiana Maneuvers to pass certain tests and receive more training.

Louisiana Maneuvers
From Camp Howze, the 84^th went to the Louisiana Maneuver Area for eight weeks of large-scale games beginning 19 September 1943.   We had our first accident during these maneuvers. Our commanding officer, Major General Stonewall Jackson, was killed 14 October 1943 when flying with a liaison pilot to observe the troops in training. There were several administrative changes made, and our assistant commanding officer, Brigadier General Nelson M. Walker, temporarily replaced General Jackson. However, General Walker was transferred to another unit and moved to Europe for the D-Day Invasion and was killed at Normandy. On 15 June 1944 General A. R. Bolling took command of the 84^th Infantry Division and served in that position for the rest of the war.

Camp Claiborne, Louisiana
On 15 November 1943, the Division moved to Camp Claiborne, a temporary post close to Fort Polk, Louisiana, and continued to train until August 1944 when they began to prepare for overseas movement.

Camp Kilmer, New Jersey
After orders were received to move overseas, the Division reported to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, then moved to the port of embarkation about 18 September 1944. The 335^th Infantry and units of the Division Artillery boarded the Sterling Castle (an English ship). They were in a collision with another ship at sea during the first night out and had to return to port for repairs. The accident ripped a hole in the bow about 40 feet high, and all 7,000 soldiers went back to Camp Kilmer while the ship was being repaired. Then, they re-boarded the ship and headed for England.

South Hampton, England
The Sterling Castle docked at South Hampton, England, and we joined with the Division in the southern part of England. Spent one weekend in London with my brother Joe Auld, who was stationed in England in an Air Force Glider Unit. We managed to get a room in the Savoy Hotel. After cleaning up, we went hunting for a restaurant—finally found one in a basement. About the only thing they had to offer was something made out of powdered eggs (I think), but we were glad to get that. We went exploring and found the famous Piccadilly Square, the Queen’s Palace, and the famous Cathedral. We parted and that was the last time we saw each other in Europe.

During this period, a change in the table of organization was made, and Liaison Pilots became the Air Section of the Division Artillery Headquarters. We were authorized to have a Division Artillery Air Officer and an Assistant, and my job changed from Battalion Air Officer to Assistant Division Artillery Air Officer.

Our aircraft had arrived in England in crates so we assembled the planes and checked them out. We were authorized to have ten liaison airplanes (L-2’s), but we had eleven pilots. Major Paschall, the Division Air Officer, did not want to ride an LST across the English Channel, so we gathered up parts from all over the United Kingdom and put together the eleventh airplane so all could fly across.

Omaha Beach, France
The first units of the 84^th Division landed on Omaha Beach, France, on 1 November 1944 with the remainder arriving the next three days. An English amphibious plane accompanied us across the Channel, and my plane began to smoke during the flight. That made for an exciting trip, but no fire broke out. The smoke came from some heaving packing grease on the engine that did not get removed before assembling the plane.

We found the Germans had put up long polls (about 8 feet in height) on the beach to prevent planes and gliders from landing, so we landed on a road. My flight was to a strip called A-23 that was on the Cherbourg Peninsula. The wind was too strong for my plane to land so two jeeps were sent out to help; they ran along beside me and grabbed my struts to pull me down.

Gulpen, Belgium
The 84^th Division moved through France into Belgium and Holland in record time; most of the Division spent less than 48 hours in France. Our units were put into the line somewhere near the little village of Gulpen, Belgium, and the Liaison Pilots were given the assignment to fly and orient themselves in finding our front lines and observing the enemy.

Siegfried Line
After our initial assignment, the 84^th Division became a part of the Ninth Army. We worked with the British, the 2^nd Armored, and the 102^nd Infantry Division during the capture of our section of the famous Siegfried Line. It was a tough job to crack, and we finally had to use flame throwers and direct fire to destroy the pill boxes. According to Lt. Theodore Draper’s book, THE 84^TH INFANTRY DIVISION IN THE BATTLE OF GERMANY, it took seventeen days from 16 November to 2 December 1944.

Aachen (located on the famed Siegfried Line) was extremely important strategically and was considered to be the doorway to the heart of Germany. In flying our sector we could see Aachen and Geilenkirchen from the air. Our 333^rd and 334^th combat teams were assigned to start the campaign, and Geilenkirchen was taken in about ten days. According to history, Geilenkirchen was secured between 18 and 24 November 1944.

I was flying in the vicinity of Geilenkirchen when I was shot. A round came through the bottom of the fuselage and hit me in the lower back.   I managed to get my plane behind our lines, spotted an aid station, and landed. Lt. Bonnett, my observer, assisted in getting me out of the plane and took me to the 91^st Evacuation Hospital where I spent about three days. The war would have been over for me if it had not been for my persistence to return to my group; Sergeant Harrington, a native of Henderson, Texas, came to pick me up. On returning to duty, I found my fellow pilots had obtained “stove lids” to sit on to protect their hind parts; I slept on my stomach for several nights. I was the first in my unit to get hit but not the last.

The 2^nd Armored Division encountered the 9^th Panzer Division on or about 17 November. They were on our right flank, and I happened to be flying a regular mission when the German tanks came to my attention. Under normal procedure, we would adjust on a tank and fire for effect. That was probably about three volleys of battalion fire, or 36 rounds. In this case, however, more tanks came into my field of fire, and I was reporting them as fast as I could plot them on a map.

Unknown to me this battle was raging and our armor was no match for the tiger tank. The Division Artillery S3 came on the air and told me to fire the whole Division Artillery on the tanks until they told me to stop. This turned out to be a serious threat to the 2^nd Armored Division and possibly to our right flank.

For the better part of my flight, I was firing 36 guns at a time on these tanks. The best the 105 Howitzers could do would be to make them button up and hope for a lucky hit, but we did help the 2^nd Armored Division get into position to get direct hits on the German tanks and win the battle. This was the largest, longest, and continuous fire mission that I believe I directed.

After breaching the Siegfried Line, the next major obstacle for the 84^th was the crossing of the Roer River which proved to be quite an obstacle. We were closing in on the Roer on 16 December 1944 when the Germans launched their biggest offensive in the battle of Western Europe known as the Battle of the Bulge.   We continued to accomplish our objective in our assigned sector, and our planes would fly over the front lines from daylight till dark looking for targets and communicating with our Infantry.

Our planes were popular targets for the Germans because they knew we could observe their movement. We could adjust on them faster than our observers on the ground; our position in the air added a third dimension to the adjustment. They shot at us with just about everything they had from rifle fire to 88mm cannons and mortar fire.

Marche and Hotton, Belgium
Around 18 or 19 December 1944, the 84^th Division was ordered to take up positions around Marche, Belgium, and establish a line of defense between Marche and Hotton. I took the Air Section’s only 6-by-6 truck and three or four of our crew, and we joined the advance party to go south toward the Ardennes in search of our front line. We arrived just outside the town of Marche at the same time some German tanks drove up to the outskirts of Marche from another direction. They did drop a few rounds on the town, but, fortunately for us, they were not daring enough to enter the town. By the next morning, elements of our Division started rolling in. The troop shortage was so bad that even our Division Commander General Bolling was directing traffic.

On 21 December 1944, I took my crew and truck, and we back tracked about 2000 yards looking for a landing strip. The terrain was hilly and covered with snow, but we finally found a place on the side of a hill. We had to land by putting the plane into a slip over a bunch of tall popular trees so it was a tricky place to land and take off.

The night before our planes arrived from the Geilenkirchen area, there was a tank battle down on the other side of the hill from our selected air strip. It turned out that this battle was the farthest point the Germans were able to penetrate during the Battle of the Bulge. It was the 24^th of December, and my small crew and I were very grateful when the tank battle was over. After our planes arrived and we set up our schedule, we began to fly the line between Marche and Hotten, and I recall flying the line on Christmas Day.

We moved our air strip several times during the Battle of the Bulge, and, at one point, we had moved back from the front to a place just outside of Liege, Belgium. We occupied a chateau with about 20 bedrooms, and it turned out to be right in the line of fire of the buzz bombs. The Germans were trying to hit our big ammunition dump close to Liege. They never did, but one bomb landed about 15 feet from my plane and twisted it up like you twist a newspaper.

As the battle continued, we had to move along to be accessible to the troops. Generally, we fought toward Bastogne which was the area where the Germans had the 101^st Airborne Division bottled up. This is the famous place where the Germans had sent a messenger to tell the Commanding General Anthony McAuliffe to give up. The General sent back his answer: “Nuts.”   As we were gradually pinched off by the 3^rd Army on the right and other troops on our left, we were relieved to return to our positions in the north part of Germany in the vicinity of Geilenkirchen and the Roer River. 

Roer River
Now our attention had to be returned to crossing the Roer River which varied in width from 60 to 260 feet and from 2 to 12 feet deep. The Germans managed to open the gates of the Hemback Dam and blow up Erft Reservoir, so the Roer was at its maximum height and width for about all of February.

The Air Section resumed the job of flying the front and engaging targets of opportunity or on any targets we might be directed to fire on by the Fire Direction Center of the Division Artillery, or of one of the Battalions. By doing this, we helped to force the enemy to keep their movements to a minimum. The 84^th Artillery and our attached Battalions, which at times were as many as 36 battalions, pounded the far side of the Roer to prepare the way for our eventual crossing. The forward observers and air observers made it very costly for Germans to move around. The Infantry crossed the Roer under cover of darkness so we could not fly across, but we had helped to soften up the enemy during the daytime preparations.

Once we had our Infantry across the Roer, we moved in a generally north direction. From the Roer to the Rhine, it was move, shoot, and communicate, and we moved our air strip several times reaching the Rhine River about 5 March 1945.

Rhine River
Our front became the Rhine River, and we flew this path every day. We shot at everything that moved on the other side of the river for about a month while our Infantry rested. We were located directly across the Rhine from Duisburg. Dusseldorf was just south of Duisburg, and the whole east side in this area was industrial. Every time a train would try to move during the day time, we would fire on it with our Artillery.

Our Division did not have the job of establishing the bridgehead on the other side of the Rhine. The 79^th Infantry did that for us, so our Division crossed in the day time on the pontoon bridge established by the engineers.

Elbe River
The plan was for the 5^th Armored to drive toward the Elbe River with the 84^th close behind to clean up any pockets of resistance, but we still had to cross the Weser River before the Elbe.

General Eisenhower had ordered leaflets to be dropped with a message that if the Germans would display white flags, we would not shoot up their villages. As my observer and I were flying well beyond the leading elements of our troops to determine compliance with his request, I spotted the Weser River.   We flew up over the river, and I had quite an eerie feeling about the territory down below. Just as I banked the plane to turn around, we caught a concentration of machine gun fire. I straightened up the plane and pushed forward on the stick to go down to a lower altitude, but nothing happened. They had shot out my elevator cables. Fortunately, I thought about the trim tab and used it to maneuver the plane.

When they hit us a second time, they knocked out our radio, and my observer got hit with several pieces of metal in the back of his head. How they managed to miss me, I’ll never know. I guess that fellow upstairs decided it wasn’t my time. The plane was damaged badly and could hardly fly, so I started looking for a place to land. I eased the plane down using the trim tab, helped the observer out, and we walked over to a small civilian hospital (German). Luck was still with us as no German soldiers were around, and the hospital personnel took care of my observer. Then, we started walking down the road toward our lines. After a while, a jeep came along and took us back to our air strip.

As the Division moved up to the Weser River, the front stabilized for a few days. Hanover came into view from the air, and the enemy was defending more vigorously since the river gave them a good barrier. We pushed across the Weser and to the outlying area of Hanover. After we took Hanover and passed it by, our air strips were being moved forward toward the Elbe River. Near each air strip selected, we found German POW Camps and camps for displaced persons who were literally starving to death.

After we moved up close to the Elbe, a large building came into view and a large sign on the building disclosed that it was a Singer Sewing Machine manufacturing plant. I believe it was the town of Willenburg on the east side of the Elbe. General Eisenhower had made an agreement with the Russian Command to allow the Russians to take the territory on the other side of the river, so we sat there for several days since we beat them to the Elbe.

Heidelberg, Germany
The war was over for us about 8 May 1945. Our Division was moved to an area near Heidelberg, Germany, and we began a phase of military occupation while higher headquarters established guidelines on who would go home. For our occupation duty, the Air Section became a courier service, more or less. The 7^th Army Headquarters had moved into Heidelberg so it became a busy place. I also worked with the local mayor (burgomaster) to settle problems between the civilians and the soldiers in our Air Section. 

Marseilles, France
Finally, it came my time in November 1945 to start back to the States, and I was assigned about 200 men. We were sent to Frankfort, Germany, where we boarded boxcars (forty and eights) and headed for Marseilles, France. On the trip we were put on a railroad siding in Lyon, France, and sat there for about a day and a half. The little children would crowd around and beg for food, chocolate, and cigarettes. Sometime after reaching the camp just north of Marseilles, we moved to the port and boarded a ship for home.

Mediterranean Sea
We moved through the Mediterranean Sea during darkness, and I could see the northern shore of Algeria and Morocco and the lights of the towns along the shores. We moved through the Strait of Gibraltar and headed for New York and back to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.

Camp Kilmer, New Jersey
Finally, at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, I was assigned at least 200 more troops for a train trip to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, for separation from active duty. After a short stay at Camp Chaffee and some more paper work, I boarded a civilian bus for the final leg of my journey home.

Tishomingo, Oklahoma
I arrived home in time for Christmas 1945 and went to work with my parents, Virgil and Jeanette Auld, in the dry cleaning business in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma National Guard
In February 1946, I was officially relieved from active duty having achieved the rank of Captain.

The Army was still high on my agenda, so it wasn’t long before I was headed for Oklahoma City and the 45^th Infantry Division Headquarters. The 45^th Reconnaissance Troop was being reactivated in Tishomingo as part of the National Guard for the State of Oklahoma, and I was given the assignment as Commander for the next four years.

Army Active Reserve
In the fall of 1950, I was relieved as the Commander of the Reconnaissance Troop in order to continue my education at the University of Oklahoma. At that time, I was transferred to the Army Active Reserve and was promoted to Major since I had been a Captain for 5 ½ years.

From the time that I entered college as a full-time student in 1950 until my retirement in 1974, I served in various reserve schools, completed the Advanced Artillery Course, the Command and General Staff College, the Adjutant General Course, and other short courses. As I completed these various courses, I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and then Colonel.

I attended summer camps at various places every year serving as an instructor several times. I worked in the Adjutant General’s Office at the Forrestal Building in Washington, D. C., for three summers. Since I enlisted on 12 August 1942 and was retired in 1974, I was credited with 32 years of active and reserve time.

I had the privilege of serving at the following posts, camps, and stations in the United States:

• Fort Sill, Oklahoma
• Pittsburg, Kansas
• Camp Howze, Texas
• Camp Claiborne, Louisiana
• Fort Polk, Louisiana
• Camp Kilmer, New Jersey
• Fort Chaffee, Arkansas
• Fort Bliss, Texas
• Fort Lewis, Washington
• Camp McCoy, Wisconsin
• Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
• Fort Meyers, Virginia
• Fort McNair, Virginia
• Office of Adjutant General, U.S. Army Administration Center, St. Louis, Missouri
• Office of Adjutant General, Forrestal Building, Washington, D.C.

In addition, I worked at armories located in Tishomingo, Oklahoma; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Lafayette, Louisiana.

Service Recognition
During World War II, Liaison Pilots were awarded an Air Medal for 36 missions or sorties to the front line to do their job of directing fire for the Artillery and reporting targets of opportunity and other information observed while on a mission. I completed 123 missions during the European Theater and was awarded three Air Medals.

In addition, I was shot while on a mission somewhere over Geilenkirchen and was awarded the Purple Heart. Other awards I received for service were: European Theater Ribbon with Three Battle Stars, European Occupation Ribbon, and the Good Conduct Medal.

Story and photos submitted by Lorene Auld, Associate and wife of V. L. Auld

When my father returned from WW II, he spoke very little about his experiences. Consequently, I knew almost nothing about his service. After his death, I contacted the military National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis; however, I was advised his records were lost in a fire at the center on 12 July 1973. All they could provide was a certification of his military service dates. I did locate his company executive officer, Captain William Pena, who had written his memories titled, As Far as Schleiden. I also corresponded with my dad’s company commander, Captain Bruce W. Paul. Much of the following summary was obtained from these two officers.

My father, Wilmer H. Gretzinger, entered the US Army on 7 March 1944. He was 32 years old. After basic training, he was sent to Europe and was assigned to the 28th Infantry Division, 109th Regiment, Company I. He arrived in England on 25 August 1944. PFC Gretzinger participated in four WW II campaigns. The first was in the Huertgen Forest, the second in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), the third in the Liberation of Colmar, France and the last in Schleiden, Germany.

In early December 1944, the regimental commander, Colonel Jesse L. Gibney, of the 109th was replaced by LTC James Earl Rudder. The 3rd Battalion of the 109th Regiment held a position in Bettendorf, Luxembourg that was part of a 25-mile defensive line in this region of the Ardennes. Each of the three battalions of the 109th had about eight miles to defend. This distance, eight miles, was much too long to be adequately defended by one regiment, particularly in view of the German counterattack that began on 16 December.

In the first two days of the battle, Company I had lost one rifle platoon. Under intense enemy pressure, the 109th was ordered to regroup at Ettelbruck, about two miles further west. Because of heavy losses, the 3rd Battalion had to reorganize into three task forces– L, K and I. Task Force I was commanded by Captain Bruce W. Paul. He replaced First Lieutenant (1LT) Dulac, who was wounded on 2 November. Company I (my dad’s unit) was assigned to this Task Force. 1LT Tropp commanded Task Force K and Captain Fossum commanded Task Force L.

Task Force I took a defensive position about one mile east of Ettelbruck. The weather was so bad that the Allied planes could not support our ground troops. At first the battle went well for the Germans. They pushed the US 1st Army back creating a bulge in the line. This attack became known as the “Battle of the Bulge.”

However, the 110th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Division with 2,000 men stopped four German regiments with over 10,000 men. German Gen. Heinz Kokott later praised the 28th Division for delaying and stopping the German assault.

By 21 December, Company I was down to 50 men from an authorized level of 289. Allied reinforcements were brought in, and the weather cleared. Patton’s 3rd Army moved in to relieve the regiments of the 29th Division. Patton’s army would continue its move north to relieve the city of Bastogne, Belgium that was surrounded and under heavy attack by the Germans.

Relief of the 109th Regiment was completed on 23 December, and the regiment was ordered from Ettelbruck to Moestrof, Luxembourg. The commander of Company I, Captain Paul, was ordered to send a patrol into Moestrof to determine if the enemy was still in the town. The Germans, however, had evacuated the town so it was relatively quiet for the 109th for the next few days. Christmas Day, a Monday, for the regiment was a special day. As reported in Pena’s memories, the troops were served a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

Companies I, J and K of the 109th Regiment were on the move by truck from Moestrof to Sedan, France by way of Libramont, Belgium. My dad’s company (Co. I) arrived in Libramont on 27 December. The picture on the next page was taken in Libramont that day. Five men of Company I are in the photo. My dad is standing and is the first person on the right. Also standing is 1LT William Pena, the first man on the left. Pena was later promoted to Captain and served as the executive officer of Company I.

As previously mentioned, I located Capitan Pena who was then retired from the military and living in Houston, Texas. He sent me a copy of his memories and a picture, but said he did not remember my father, and he did not recall the other soldiers in the photo. In many of the “Care Packages” we sent to him during the war, my grandfather always included a box of cigars. Because of my dad’s cigar habit, he was nicknamed “Churchill” by his Army buddies.

The tide of the Battle of the Bulge turned. The weather cleared, and air support was possible. After leaving Libramont, Belgium, my dad’s unit arrived in Sedan, France, on 3 January 1945.

The Bulge was over for the 109th. The regiment lost 1,174 men of a total authorized level of 3, 257. The Germans, under the command of General Von Rumstead, were unable to advance any further because their major supply route, Bastogne, was now in Allied hands thanks to Patton’s 3rd Army.

My dad’s regiment went on to fight in the battle of the “Colmar Pocket” whose objective was to liberate the city of Colmar, France, a key transportation center. The German army with about 50,000 men occupied the area around Colmar. The attack on Colmar began at 11 PM on 1 February and by 3 AM on 2 February, Company I of the 109th was the first unit to arrive in the city of Colmar. As planned, a French Armored unit then swept through the city and by nightfall on 2 February, Colmar was liberated. There were only 125 Allied casualties because the night offensive caught the Germans off-guard.

A victory celebration took place on 8 February. Company I was chosen to lead the parade through Colmar that was led by LTC James E. Rudder.

Ten days after the parade, LTC Rudder was promoted to Colonel. He was born in 1910. In 1957 he was promoted to Major General in the United States Army Reserves. Rudder died in 1970 and is buried at College Station Cemetery, Brazos County, Texas.

For the distinguished service in the Battle of Colmar, the 109th was awarded the Croix de Guerre (War Cross). The citation was awarded 27 March 1945 by General Charles de Gaulle, the President of the Provisional Government of France.

After the liberation of Colmar, the 109th was moved north 165 miles by motor and rail to Bransfield, Germany, over looking the Olef River, about one-half mile from the city of Schleiden. After numerous patrols toward Schleiden, the 109th discovered the Germans were leaving the city and moving east across the Olef River. They did not realize it, but the shooting war for the 109th Regiment was over.

On 19 March, the regiment was ordered to Koblenz to relieve the 87th Division. The following day the 109th was ordered to Nickenich. At 7 AM on departure day, one company was missing at roll call. It was later learned that the missing company discovered a large cache of fine wine in the cellar of the building to which they were assigned. The company slept very soundly that night.

By 7 April, it was clear to higher HQ that the 28th division would not be needed in the final fighting. On 19 April, the 109th began a 215-mile motor and rail move to an occupation area. The 3rd Battalion of the 109th Regiment was assigned to areas around Frankenthal, about 15-miles north of Ludwigshafen.

A key area of occupation control was the Ludwigshafen-Mannheim Bridge over the Rhine River. (In 1995, my wife and I sailed under this bridge while we were on a Rhine River cruise.) Occupation control of the bridge included German-speaking soldiers from the 109th. My dad, who spoke German with his parents back home, did say he served as an interpreter during the war, and it may have been here where he was involved in this activity.

Company I established a Company Command Post (CCP) in the town of Weidenthal, about 20-miles southwest of Worms. In a letter, Captain Pena informed me that a picture was taken of several men at the CCP. He also said that Captain Bruce W. Paul, commander of Company I, was retired at the rank of colonel and was living in Laguna Hills, California. I contacted Colonel Paul and he sent me a photo of the staff assigned to the CCP. He said the picture was taken in front of the CCP, a home owned by a local doctor. Captain Paul was born in 1922 and died in 2000. He is buried at Fairhaven Memorial Park, Sana Ana, Orange County, California.

The photo sent to me by Captain Paul is the same one my dad brought home from WW II. On the back of my dad’s photo, he wrote the surnames and home state of several CCP staff.

The war in Europe ended on 7 May 1945 (V-E Day) with the surrender of Germany. To determine which of the GIs were going home, a point system, called the Adjusted Service Rating (ASR), was used. Points were given for length of service, time overseas, combat decorations and the number of dependent children. An ASR of 85 or greater meant the soldier would go home.

My dad’s ASR was 86. He was going home!. He arrived in the United States on 6 August and was given a 30-day leave. While on leave, atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, which lead to Japan’s surrender on 14 August 1945. After his leave, my dad was ordered to the separation center at Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation. He was discharged there on 12 September 1945.

My father, Wilmer H. Gretzinger, had survived WW II. He died 18 years later on 30 July 1963. He is buried at Christ Union Cemetery, Bucks County, Trumbauersville, PA.

Summary by:
Richard C. Gretzinger
July 2015

The 809th Field Artillery Battalion was activated and assigned to General George Patton’s 3rd Army. I, Joseph Santropetro, was a PFC serving from July 24_r 1943 to February 28_r 1946; and was attached to the following units. I completed my basic training in Anti-Aircraft on 90mm guns at Camp Edward in Massachusetts. Then, I requested a transfer to the Army Air Force passing the written test and medical exam. A month later I was notified that the Army Air Force did not need an AA or Air Force pilots and there was a need for Heavy Artillery Specialists, My entire Battalion was then transferred ta Camp Butler, North Carolina where we trained to use a 155mm Howitzer gun.

I served in Battery C of the 809th Field Artillery Battalion; our Commanding Officer was a West Point Colonel. The Battalion contained about 1000 men divided into four Batteries. The four Batteries were listed as A, B, C, and D referred to as Able, Baker, Charlie and Dog. There were 16 Howitzer guns in a Battalion, each Battery had four Howitzer guns and four Track Prime Movers. I belonged to Battery C which was made the Registering Gun for the Battalion. The Registering gun would go forward first to obtain the target coordinates needed to coordinate all 16 guns to fire on the targets. I was also a Track Prime Mover driver.

We left USA on a British Ship convoy for England; it took approximately 14 days. Three months later our artillery landed in Southampton, England.   Our equipment was checked and then loaded on a ship to cross the English Channel to France; landing in France on December 18, 1944. We were ordered to go to the First Army in Belgium, We moved out immediately reaching the Germany border Christmas Eve 1944; and began firing on the Germany target on Christmas Day. I remember being in it open field and venturing out in waist-deep mow In front of the registering gun to line up the two aiming stakes used for coordinate calibration that required an adjustment so all the guns could line up simultaneously to fire at the same target The two aiming stakes; were about 100 ft. out, I was standing up driving down the two stakes and “screaming meemies” were landing all around me sinking in the snow. My buddies were trying to alert me but I was so deep in concentration that I did not hear them nor the “meemies” landing all around me, completed my tasked returned crawling or my stomach   I remember another time when the Track Prime Mover I was driving hit a mine and the chain blew; we were OK, exited the vehicle and awaited for another vehicle to move the Registering Gun.

We found ourselves firing in a 360-degree circle, indicating we were in a pocket.   We were aware of Malmedy where 85 captured artillery American soldiers were shot dead after surrendering to Germany forces. The Captain then ordered to pack-up and retreat. Thanks to God, good luck and the Captain, we managed to get out. As we retreated. General Patton’s 3rd Army was coming to help the 101^st Air Borne, also known as “The Band of Brothers”. At Bastogne we were assigned to General Patton’s 3^rd and the 809^th Field Artillery Battalion remained in combat with them up until May 8, 1945, V.E. Day. The 809^th Field Artillery Battalion received three battle stars; THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, THE BATTLE OF CENTRAL EUROPE, and THE BATTLE OF THE RHINELAND.

After V. E. Day, before the atomic bomb, our Colonel volunteered to go to Japan with his 809^th Battalion. The Battalion was then split up and sent to different outfits. There was a point system that determined the order of which the soldiers could return home first. Soldiers received points for number of System Battle Stars earned, and if they were married or if they had children. While I was waiting to return home I was assigned to the 14^th Infantry. I lived in Augsburg, Munchen, Germany for six months where I worked in a post office. I was finally shipped out on the liberty Ship, New Bern Victory. I arrived in the USA on February 22,1946, and was honorably discharged in Fort Dix February 28,1946.

The 109^th was not a combat unit but it certainly had its rough times as it was near the front most of the War. I should mention that it had 39 officers of which about half were surgeons. There were 40 nurses and 217 enlisted men. The unit was formed and completed basic training at Camp Carson, Colorado in June 1943. It went overseas in April of 1944 and landed on Utah beach in Normandy in1944.

The 109^th Evacuation Hospital was a 400 bed unit, usually housed in tents, and called semi mobile since it could be dismantled, loaded onto trucks, moved, and set up again in a few hours. It was a complete hospital since it had surgical staff and equipment to do any type of surgical procedure necessary in combat. During the invasion of Normandy the hospital had landed on Utah beach and supported Patten’s 3^rd Army as it moved across France.

In the later part of 1944, the front was moving rather fast and the 109th was ordered to move to an area near Boulay, in Alsace-Loraine on December 4^th. The weather had turned very cold so the unit set up in some buildings previous used as a prisoner of war camp hospital. The place looked like a prison, which it was, with barbed wire fences and pillboxes. Pot-bellied stoves made life good and the men got to sleep inside for the first time since landing in Normandy. Causalities were about what had been expected ranging from about 50 to 100 each day.

On the afternoon of December 22th the hospital was notified that it would again support Patten’ 3^rd Army as it moved north to relieve the pressure of the German break through. It was a go, go. Within hours the hospital was retreating back to Metz, where it bivouacked until all of the supporting unit got organized for the Patten’s move north.

On December 28th the 109th moved into some French Military Academy buildings in Montmedy, France. Montmedy was about six miles south of the Belgium border and causalities were very heavy. Other supporting surgical teams were called in to help. Treatment was difficult because of several complicating factors. The ward medics were faced with as many as 40 wounded in each room coming out of anesthesia, the Germans had dropped paratroopers behind the lines, so some of the medics had to do guard duty. Also a number of the enlisted men were called up to serve as first aid men in various infantry units in the area, and there were several heavy snow storms. Because of the heavy casualties, both German and American GI’s had to be placed in the same area and this did not work as one would expect. Regardless of all the problems, nearly 3000 causalities received surgical treatment while at this location with a very low death rate.

On 29 January the 109^th moved to a former Children’s Air and Sun School, Institute de Ode near Sprimont, Belgium, just ten miles from Bastogne. The fighting was over but the results were overwhelming in terms of casualties and equipment. The 109^th admitted more casualties and had the lowest death rate of any Evacuation Hospital in Europe. It received five battle stars. Meritorious Unit Commendation, and European Theater streamer.