* Matthew K. Rozen, 423rd/I--know him?

Thank you for your help, Connie. I've scoured your fantastic 106th website, and also found his POW# and found he was in Barracks #31 in Stalag IX-B. We've requested his military records too. Yes, as far as I can tell he surrendered on the 19th. A couple of questions:

1) What type of weapons did he carry into combat? We have lots of photos of him from Camp Atterbury, and he notes on the back of several that he is carrying a "bigger gun" than he had when training in Camp Breckenridge. The bigger gun has a bayonet on it.

2) Mr. Szpek's book notes that my grandfather, with three others, "pulled guard duty" every 2 hrs, on and off, for 7 days from the 12th through the 19th on the front lines. What does this mean?

3) Mr. Szpek's book mentions my grandfather's foxhole, "on the highest mountain there," came under mortar fire for the first time on the 18th--and they slept under mortar fire. On the 19th, they "battled all day" in the "counterattack." However, it never says they were shooting at anyone, even though explosions were going on around them. Does anyone know--it it really possible that battle was all around them, but they were in an isolated pocket with no one specifically to shoot at?


Susan

Hi Susan,

A lot of soldiers actually never got to fire their gun in combat. The battle on the 19th was taking place around the Belgian town of Schönberg. When the troops were moving through the forest overlooking the town, reaching the treeline looking into Scönberg itself they were zeroed in with artillery, mortars and flak guns. The attack failed and the regiment was forced to surrender. It's true that many men were not able to use their weapon 'up close and personal' because of the chaos.

Guard duty is probably something Floyd can chip in on ;-)

Greetings from Belgium
Carl

Hi Floyd and Carl,

Hope you can see this uploaded photo. It's my grandfather from Camp Atterbury. Does this show his M-1 rifle?

This might be helpful: in the Wayman Troxel diary entry from Mr. Szpek's book, where it describes the situation for my grandfather and his fellow soldiers in the foxhole, it reads:

Dec. 12th: Taken back to the lines and pulled guard with Arnold, Rozen and Billek, pulling 2 hrs. on and 2 off. This went on for 7 days with 2 poor meals daily.

Dec. 16th: Were attacked by the Jerries and they broke through our lines at "C" company.

Dec. 17th: Had chow early that morning and pulled out to fight the Jerries.

Dec. 18th: Seen my first Jerry- was under mortar fire at noon, at 5:00 was under machine gun fire and slept under artillery fire all night and next morning pulled out under artillery fire. Nothing to eat since leaving the line.

Dec. 19th: Battled all day and was surrounded and surrendered at 4:00 p.m. Marched 8 mi that night without food or water and slept in mule lot out in the freezing snow and sleet.

I am wondering if you can explain what this all means?

Thanks,
Susan

Susan:

The rifle is an M1 Rifle. Based on that I almost sure that your Grandfather was in one of the following platoons in I Company 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.

It sounds as if I Company was overwhelmed from all sides.

It's getting late, so, I'll respond to your question later.

Floyd
424th Regiment

Floyd,

This makes sense. The diary I quoted also stated those four men "were on the highest mountain there." He says they could look down and see the Germans coming out of their foxholes. "One morning I came out of my foxhole, we had these doors on them, and there was a big thud from a bullet hitting into it. So there was somebody watching. Snipers were out there."

He also says, "the last day when we tried the counterattack there was a halftrack, boy it started firing and knocking down trees as big as your leg."

It certainly sounds like those four men were under attack but there was probably no target for my grandfather to shoot at.

That's really helpful--thanks, Carl!

I've also ordered the book, originally published in the late 1940's, I believe, called "St. Vith: Lion in the Way: The 106th Infantry Division in World War II" by R. Ernest Dupuy which is supposed to be pretty accurate about what happened in the Battle of the Bulge.

Thanks for the links! A couple more questions-- according to the back of some military photos I have, Rozen was drafted in the Spring of 1943 and started off in Camp Breckinridge (Kentucky?) and spent 7 months living out of his pup tent in Tennessee (Tennesee maneuvers?). Then sometime in '44 he went to Camp Atterbury. Does this mean he started out in the 423rd, Company I? Or did that happen at Camp Atterbury? I only see the lion patch on his uniform in photos from Camp Atterbury. Here's a photo from Tennessee:

Susan,

You do appear to have access to a treasure trove of great photos! (This one's cute!)

Carl covered the ground well-- as usual.

The 106th Infantry Division was activated on March 15, 1943 at Fort Jackson South Carolina and the men with the division at the time did their basic training in that region. Your grandfather had to have been with a different division when he first enlisted in the spring of 1943 since locations do not mesh.

The next question is when he joined the 106th. As Carl pointed out the 106th was on its Tennessee Maneuvers from the later part of January to the later part of March of 1944. You have information that your grandfather was in Tennessee longer than 3 months. So, as Carl noted, he probably was with a different division for at least part (if not all) of his time in Tennessee.

The fully trained units of the 106th only expected to be at Atterbury a brief time before shipping out. But the need for manpower in other divisions ended up leaving this division plundered of manpower and waiting for its own replacements.

I don't know if any replacements were inserted into the division during its Tennessee Maneuvers. But I do know that about half the division's numbers were replaced while at Camp Atterbury. The odds are in favor of your guess that your grandfather joined the 106th Infantry Division there. But this is still just working with the odds, not the facts. If you have letters from your grandfather the return address would be the best indication.

As to the unit assignment within the division, I can insert a few more questions. Since your grandfather was a PFC, I am guessing that it is most likely that from his assignment to the division to the time of his captivity he remained with the same unit. But with the fluid state of affairs while the division was at Camp Atterbury, some men were shuffled within the division while at that location. I am guessing that most of that assignment to different units happened with the officers. But I know from my father's experience that it did happen.

Bottom line best guess without further verification is that while it might (??) have been possible that your grandfather joined the division during its Tennessee Maneuvers, the odds are in favor of his being assigned to this division during their time at Camp Atterbury. And, while some reassignments within the division also happened while there I think that it is most likely that your grandfather was with the same unit within the division for his full time with the division. Carl and I assess things the same way but I take more words to say so!

It can be fun to have an open probability in the back of your mind. If you don't have questions, you might not see the answer when you stumble over it. You'll be able to celebrate when you finally find confirmation for your probabilities.

Hello Susan:

The Army Insignia 2 shoulder patch on your Grandfather's sleeve means that he was in training with the US 2nd army. That is basically what the 2d Army did was train recruits. I believe they were based in KY Evidently he was an MP (Military Policeman) in that Army. When your Grandfather Completed basic training (about an 18 week period) he was then eligible to be placed in another Army unit.

If I remember correctly, the 106th Division was not "drained" of most of its' men until after "D" day; June 6th 1944. (the Allied invasion of France on the Normandy coast.) Your Grandfather most likely joined the 106th in July or August 1944. Many Soldiers joined the 106th in August That's when I was assigned to the 106th; along with over a thousand other men.

The picture of him in Indianapolis, in front of the fountain, was taken at the Soldiers and Sailors monument on the Circle, in downtown Indianapolis. The one that says "Souvenir of New York was taken after the war. That's why he is wearing a Combat Infantrymans badge above the ribbons on his shirt.

Floyd,
424th Regiment

Good news. Can anyone here help me decipher a DD 214? Although his records were probably destroyed in the 1973 fire (I won't get search results from eVets until after 2/21), my local county clerk and recorder's office has my grandfather's DD214 and sent it out to me today! I should have it in a few days, but will probably need help understanding it.

Also, I found a newspaper clipping saying Rozen entered military service (drafted) in May of 1943 and did his basic training at Camp Breckinridge, KY. I have some photos from basic training dated June, 1943 saying "one month of service so far."

1) The pup tent photo below says on the back, "This tent was my home for seven months of misery." Was it 7 months of Tennessee Maneuvers that he went through in the pup tent? It couldn't have been 7 months of basic training, right?

2) The Stick Em Up photo says on the back, "Tennessee Maneuvers."

3) The last photo on the bottom says "Aug. 4, 1944, Camp Atterbury." All Camp Atterbury photos I have look like they were taken around the same time. Floyd is therefore probably right--makes sense Rozen went to the 106th in July/August 1944!

sorry--misspelled Grand instead of Garand

I have been giving this some thought and I have come up with another possibility. On some of the pictures your dad (and his buddies out in the field) is wearing the patch of the US 2nd Army. The 2nd Army had it's HQ in Memphis, TN. They were one of the large army formations that were responsible for training forces in the Service Command areas and to conduct field maneuvers to evaluate the training. Later on they also assumed responsibilities to prepare troops for overseas combat. The maneuvers the 106th participated in (also at Tennessee) were overseen by the 2nd Army. These were the fifth in a series of meneuvers in the area. It is probable that your dad spent time in Tennessee with the 2nd Army, was transferred to the 106th and then participated in another series of maneuvers.

PS Yes those infantry weapons are quite heavy. Really gives one a sense of the machinery the GI's had to luge over difficult terrain day in day out. "This weapon is my best friend". I have a BAR at home and picking that gun up is a great way to get a hernia if you're not careful.

Greetings
Carl

Floyd-- the website address isn't showing up. I'd love to read the story!

I have done quite a bit of research and found stories of other POWs from the 106th who went to Stalag IX-B. Their stories seem to match what I know of my grandfather's experience.

Carl, I do believe he started out in the 2nd Army. I have the number 2 patch. I found a newspaper clipping saying he did basic training at Camp Breckinridge. My deceased grandmother had written that she went to see him in Camp Breckinridge, TN by train and "all that were on the train were wives and soldiers." She then says "he was then transferred to Lebanon, TN" and she became pregnant there with her first child (my Aunt).