Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Battle of the Bulge - Dec. 16, 1944

The first ground battle in the European theatre in which the VT (proximity) fuze was used, per the History Channel.

My dad was in Paris TX finishing up infantry training when it started. He had been drafted in 1942, but spent the early part of the war working in military hospitals on Air Force bases. The Air Force and Army were not separate at this time. He was transferred to the infantry in November 1944.

Dad said they never told him anything, but my guess is that they were training them for the planned invasion of Japan at that point. At any rate he was quickly put on a train then ship and got to Belgium about 1/2 way through the battle.

Because of his previous experience they took his Garand, painted a red cross on his helmet and attached him to a medical unit. He spent the rest of the war driving to forward aid stations and bring wounded back to the rear. He assisted DR's during surgery at times as well.

Dad never fired a shot but saw a lot of stuff he never would talk about. He said the scariest part of the war for him was driving across the Rhine on a pontoon bridge while the Germans were throwing everything they had at it. The trucks just kept moving.

Belgium, January 1945

At the end of the 1949 film �Battleground� as Platoon Sgt. Kinnie with his blanket wrapped feet tells his troops to fall in.
Then he grins and orders �about face.� They are leaving Bastogne.
�Hey Kinnie. What ever happened to Jody?�

You had a good home but you left / You're right
You had a good home but you left / You're right
Jody was there when you left / You're right
Your baby was there when you left / You're right
Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4!
You ain't got nothin' to worry about / You're right
He'll keep her happy until I get out / You're right
An' you won't get home til the end of the war / You're right
In nineteen hundred and seventy four/ You're right
Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4!

Stush, my Dad was in the 10th, too. They have a small website. www.tigerdivision.com.

I was in the 101st in the 90's, the Battle for Bastogne will never be forgotten on that post.

We did a DRB assumption run in 97, right before New Years, it had snowed like crazy the night before and was still snowing at showtime. The task commander stated that 53 years ago a little snow didnt stop the 101st with their Rendevous with Destiny, and it wouldnt on that day either.

Of course, it was cold as hell, and when they made us ground our sweats and jackets, no one was too happy. I still remember thinking, those guys in Bastogne wouldnt have ditched clothing. Those were some tough Americans to persevere in those conditions.

My Uncle Paul was a machine gunner on a half-track. He fought with Patton at the Battle of the Bugle.

My father was there with the 11th Armored Division. Their annual reunions have stopped but they keep a website.

My Grandfather was there, said he broke his spoon in a can of frozen hash for Christmas dinner 1944.

thanks for that tip, my copy arrived today.

Sycamore

"The Longest Winter" is a great read.

Hollywood couldn't write that much bravery into a script.

The smokejumper base in McCall ID) had three foremen, each of whom were WW2 paratroopers, each with 3 combat jumps. They also fought at The Bulge. Once in early September, we were working in the Central Idaho Wilderness (Now the Frank Church Wilderness), and it was snowing. I complained about being cold and wet. "You don't know what cold and wet is." was one of their replies.

My first cousin was a captain in an armored scout unit in the Battle of the Bulge... he brought back a 9mm German Luger and a dagger, but would never say a single word about the battle or his experiences in it. He also got some metals... and wouldn't say anything about them either.

He was a gentle person... easy-going and kind. But he would NEVER talk about the war (World War II) in which he served.

My wife's uncle served in the Pacific... island "jumping" with the U.S. Marines in the island jungles against the Japanese. Like my cousin, her uncle was TOTALLY silent about what happened on those islands and what he did.

I found a great many "veterans" who were like that... totally silent about what they did and what events they witnessed. I always figured they were the ones who did the most... and talking about it was just too painful and difficult due to the bad memories such talk brought back.

Those men must have gone through terrible situations... and the worse it was, the less they'd talk about it. I can understand that... those memories must have been like a terrible dream except they weren't a dream, they were REAL !~!~!

My Uncle was an amphibious engineer and was in the Ardennes during the Bulge.
Didn't say anything about it either.

He did talk about the Rhine crossings and witnessed the Ludendorff bridge collapse. He said when they were constructing one of the pontoon bridges,anything floating down the river was shot up.

My father was there with the 508 PIR 82 Airborne Division. He will be 94 this coming February. I accompanied him to many of the Regiment's reunions from the 70's to the last one in 2006. When these Vets would get together you could hear some of the real stories. Nothing was embellished as everyone else was there as well.
I feel honored to have met and talked with Leonard Funk C Company MOH Holtshiem Belgium.

As for reading material, I would recommend A Time for Trumpets. This book was written by Charles McDonald. He was Company I Commander 23 Infantry 2nd Infantry Division. Charles stayed in the Army after the war and became an Army historian. His book is a treatise on the Battle for the Bulge. It is long and takes a while to read but it is all there.

thanks for the recommendation.

Sycamore

My dad was there and taken prisoner went thru hell for months before finally escaping. He would not talk about it, my uncles told me after the war he was never the same. He passed away at 45 of heart failure.

I just found out on Christmas morning the a close friends father was KIA there. He had just read "Killing Patton" and said it was one of the best researched books on the subject he has read.

Just read it myself; highly recommended.

Best Regards

My father was shot and taken prisoner on this date in 1944.His unit was over run on the 16th,his plt.left him and Mr.Prager,did not tell them they were going.Dad and Mr.Prager headed North thinking they would hook up with other U.S.units,they kept running into the Germans.they went from Luxenburg to Belgium before they were caught.

Most of the men who were there didn't talk about it much. My uncle was there and all he would ever say is how cold it was.