Mosley threw down his mortar, (which was useless at this point), and began attending to the wounded. He was later awarded the Bronze Star for his actions.
As we came nearer, the smoke was clearing and some Germans were raising their hands in surrender. They took off their helmets and walked through our lines. We allowed them to pass since the company in reserve would take them as prisoners.
When we reached the trenches, we saw that they had been heavily manned. They were full of the dead and the dying. A few were still able to come out with their hands up. On the back side of the trench were hundreds of German bodies. They had been killed while attempting to reach the safety of the houses behind them. All were lying face down, having been shot in the backs. None got far from the trench. With all of that hot lead coming at them, they didn’t have a chance. I don’t think a single one made it more than ten or twelve feet from the trench.
Capt. Sylvester reached the trench and drew back his bayonet to plunge it into a victim, but the G.I. next to him shot and killed the German before Sylvester had his chance. The captain's bayonet would remain unsoiled.
By this time there was a lot of confusion. Lt. Benjamin suddenly yelled a warning, then darted around a shed. I went around the corner looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
When I came back around, everyone had disappeared. Before going back around the building, I noticed many G.I.s running along the back of the houses to the left.
I had gone down about four houses when I saw, at the convergence of the "L", a German tank supported by a platoon of infantry. This was the counter-attack. We hadn't gotten any anti-tank guns into the town as yet. There were only two bazooka gunners with our attack...and where could they be?
Being caught out in the open all alone, I panicked. I tore through the back yard fences, trying to get to the others and warn them. If the tank reached the corner of the "L", we would be trapped.
But a heavy machine-gun squad had already set up and started firing. He was no match for the tank, but if he could scare or kill the supporting infantry, the tank would be more vulnerable.
Article comments
1 - SFC SKI
Fantastic account, your father had a real eye for detail. Thanks for this post.
2 - HW Saxton
That was an excellently detailed post on
the realities of battle. My own paternal
grandfather fought during WWII in the
Pacific theatre, participating in the
liberation of the Phillipines.
When asked by myself,uncles,cousins and
other mainly male members of the family
as to what it it was like and what he
did he would NEVER give us any details
on battle experiences. All he would ever
say was he missed my grandmother and he
did a hell of a lot waiting only to be
re-deployed for more waiting.I guess it
is fairly common amongst veterans from
what I have read and similar stories
from friends about their own fathers and
or grandfathers war service. Obviously,
these must be quite horrific memories if
even some forty years later they are
still unwilling or unable to discuss the
facts after all this time.
3 - Bennett
Great reading, and a proud tribute to your father. Thanks for this Shark.
4 - Shark
Thanks, guys. It feels good to share.
==========
HW, this is almost universal: my dad never mentioned a thing about his war experiences when I was growing up.
One day, I found a trunk in the attic filled with all of his memorabilia, including his helmet (with a bullet hole through the top), a german lugar, a german helmet, a giant nazi flag, a nazi party knife, a german officers cap, an unbelievable fairy-tale newspaper account of his first contact with the FFI in liberated France, and a few hundred excellent photos. He finally acknowledged that he was in "the war", but that was about all he'd say.
Late in life, he had health problems, and I asked him just to give me a list of the places he'd been -- maybe in chronological order.
About a month later, he dropped a huge, hand-written MS into my lap; beautiful, detailed, articulate; he'd remembered EVERY single detail almost by day -- from Omaha in late June 44 --- up to his return and discharge in the fall of 45 -- straight from a haunted memory.
It was like it had happened yesterday, and I know that it was cathartic; he witnessed some horrible things, done to his friends, done to the Germans, done to the civilians -- and he did a few himself.
One can't imagine the full horrors of war until one reads a detailed account from the grunts in WWII, either theater, btw.
Unfortunately, his experiences were shared by literally thousands of American boys.
PS: re. "heroes" -- although he was officially deemed a 'hero three times by the Army, he despised that word; he said that in the heat of battle, you never knew how you would react -- and he never took credit for his instinctual actions -- or blamed anyone for theirs, even if it was to *hide and cry like a baby.
*which many of his associates did.
5 - HW Saxton
Shark, once again that is one hell of a
post and tribute to your pop.He sounds
like a hell of a good guy. I'm glad you
clued me in more on the why's of why a
lot of(nay,most)WW2 vets won't talk.
I honestly can't even begin to imagine
the shit these guys went through.Then it
is even more mind boggling knowing many
were what like 16,17 when they went in?
Faking their ages a little was common I
understand. Wow. Very intense.
6 - SFC SKI
What Shark writes about veterans and heroes meshes perfectly with what I have been told by vets. I was in a writers' seminar with vets from WWII on, and they all downplayed anything they personally did, but the tales they told were incredibly heroic. It is one thing to read about the Battle of the Bulge, another thing to meet someone who fought in it, was taken prisoner, and lived to tell about it.
I am really glad that your father took the time to write all of this down before he died, Shark. Far too many vets never do.
7 - dietdoc
Shark: The "Greatest Generation" (and no better description has ever been proffered) was a truly magnificent group. I proudly count my own father as one of these. What they did for this country and this world has never and, clearly, will never be fully appreciated, ever. And it just started with the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific. It is they who made us the country we are today (at least the good parts) and we owe them a debt we are running out of chances to repay.
Your tribute was very appropriate and I wish we all could have all personally thanked your father and all the others who sacrificed their youth and came home to, humbly and quietly, build our nation. No complaints, no second-guessing, no grandstanding, no puffed-out chests - just living and glad to be doing so.
While I pray there will never again be a requirement for such a national sacrifice, for I am quite sure we will not be up to it, I am in awe of those who did before. They are my heroes, even today, in a nation and a world that has far too few.
Cheers,
Ron
8 - SFC SKI
The Huertgen Forest campaign is a little known period in WWII for most people, any plan to publish your father's memoirs?
9 - Cerulean
Once again, my work anticipates the news.
I know just how confusing the dichotomy between the Catholicism and Wicca can be :)
That's why I wrote my articles Catholicism vs. Witchcraft Parts I and II.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/03/072724.php
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/19/181950.php
Judge Bradford, I dedicate these works to you.
10 - Cerulean
I posted the above comments to the wrong thread in error. Sorry. Please ignore the above.
11 - Shark
Ski: "The Huertgen Forest campaign is a little known period in WWII for most people, any plan to publish your father's memoirs?"
Ski, thanks for asking. I think I'll try in the next year or so. From the many memoirs I've sampled, my dad's are some of the best overall; his experiences aren't 'that' unique to infantry in Europe, but his memory and writing are.
re: Hurtgen - yes, little known, but one of the worst battles with some of the highest casualties -- mostly from treetop artillery bursts.
Hurtgen was the longest battle the American Army has fought in history.
* 24,000 American casualties from enemy fire
* 9,000 casualties due to sickness and friendly fire.
* 12,000 German dead
=====
What's ironic: since my dad's unit had been in constant contact with the enemy since June 44, they were removed from the Hurtgen for a short R & R period.
They were sent to... you guessed it, a place called "*The Ardennes Forest" -- where things were really calm and peaceful.
bad luck, that -- and not a heckuva lot of R&R occurred.
* site of The Battle of the Bulge
12 - Shark
DietDoc: re. The Greatest Generation: (bears repeating)
"..It is they who made us the country we are today (at least the good parts) and we owe them a debt we are running out of chances to repay..."
Truer words were never spoken.
I'm amazed that these men could witness so much destruction and horror -- and yet return to build an entire civilization (the good parts!) -- with hardly any reference to the past, anger, or retribution.
They got married, had babies, created companies, industries, arts, etc. -- and not a peep from them about their suffering and sacrifices. (Unlike today, self-pity was not admired in American life.)
And as a generalization -- they were (possibly) the *last generation of American "Gentlemen" who not only had character, morals, and manners, but had an incredible amount of personal integrity.
My pop damn sure did -- and I've met hundreds just like him.
* sadly, they're either gone, or in their late 80s -- early 90s.
13 - Shark
RIP, Dad.
xxoo
Shark