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Post by floydragsdale on Jan 15, 2013 12:21:00 GMT -5
19 men of G Company, 424th Regiment were on the side of a hill on the edge of a village called Ennal, in Belgium. We were pinned down by German machine gun fire. Some men were K.I.A, including our Company Commander, Lt. Tom Wilson. All were wounded. Fifty four holes penetrated my clothes by German machine-gun fire. I survived that incident with just flesh wounds and frozen feet. There's more to the story, however I'll stop here. Floyd Note from Connie 6-1-15: Please continue reading the posts to follow. According to note from Carl 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4056/thread Tom Wilson was killed on January 25 in action at Mendell. Floyd's memories of the attack at Ennal were vivid. But according to his own accounts he was hospitalized during the time of the attack on Mendell. Later learning of this death he may have assumed it happened on that hillside in Ennal 10 days earlier when so many were wounded...
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Post by floydragsdale on Jan 16, 2013 12:06:03 GMT -5
Here's the rest of the story, except the word YOU is used in place of me, myself and I.
January 14th 1945, a hole in the ground is your bed for the night. The sky is the roof and your body provides the source of heat for the night.
Thoughts of pleasant memories back home allow you to drift into slumber land. Before long a nightmare (or a vision?) causes you to wake up. In that dream, you observe an enemy soldier firing his weapon at you; the bullet entered your chest. A sensation of sinking towards death wakes you up. Needless to say, sleep avoids you for the balance to the night.
The next day your infantry company, including you, trudge through knee deep snow to liberate a small Belgian town. Hand signals halt the Company on the outskirts of the village
While waiting for a signal to continue on, the feeling that you have been there before is overwhelming.
You glance toward the village and the view appears to be similar to the one in your dream.
Then enemy gunfire begins. Nineteen American soldiers, including you, are exposed to a hail of bullets on the side of a hill somewhere in Belgium.
In a flash your dream comes to your mind. By instinct everyone on that hillside hit the snow. A mysterious voice commands you to lay motionless. Machine gun fire pierces your clothes across the chest, back and lower extremities. Nevertheless, you live through that engagement. Later that morning American Medics pick some of the wounded up and take you to an aide station. There you were examined, treated and sent to hospitals.
Several men have their encounter with death that morning and many are wounded.
Had the sites of that machine gun been set a fraction of an inch lower you wouldn’t be here today to tell this story.
At 87 years of age, I’m not hesitant to relate that incident to you today.
A Guardian Angel, I’m sure, was looking over my shoulder that day.
How else could I have survived that situation?
Floyd,
424thRegiment
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Post by connie on Jan 16, 2013 12:40:46 GMT -5
Floyd,
I believe it... and I am thankful that you are here today with us. Thank you again for sharing this...
Connie
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Post by mavel911 on Jan 21, 2013 11:40:05 GMT -5
Your words really sink into my mind and I can just agree with you, your guardian angel is still with you today.
Pat
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roger
Active Member
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Post by roger on Jan 22, 2013 11:08:48 GMT -5
I am thankful the sights of that gun were off that day, Floyd. And I tend to think that the angel that was looking out for you was doing so for a reason.....not by random chance!
Roger
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Carl W.
Active Member
Administrator
The Golden Lions
Posts: 265
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Post by Carl W. on Jan 22, 2013 15:15:26 GMT -5
Floyd, the way you tell your story gives such a vivid picture we are almost there with you. We cannot begin to comprehend what must have gone through your mind when the Germans opened fire on that fateful day. We are very thankful that you made it out alive thanks to your guardian angel. I will never forget that day in 2010 when you were back at that very same field in Ennal.  Greetings from Belgium, Carl |
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Post by floydragsdale on Jan 23, 2013 10:45:53 GMT -5
Hello Carl:
Thanks for adding the picture. The grove of trees, in front of Ennal, were not there back in 1945. I do remember a hedge like growth of something being there. Most of G Company was down the hill and off to the left side of the picture. Nineteen of us were further down the hill when the gunfire began. Our C.O. was about ten yards behind me when he was shot. He died later that morning an aide station
Someone from our Company shouted, "You men on the side of the hill; get moving!" A man from our machine-gun section then began a dash down the hill. His legs were shot out from under him. I saw him later that day in an aide station. He almost died from the loss of blood.
The heavy fog that settled in over the area that morning, I believe, was a gift from God. To add more to the picture, there was about a foot of snow on the ground. The entire scene, to this day, is very vivid in my mind's eye.
Floyd
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Post by Larry Heider on Jan 25, 2013 15:08:48 GMT -5
Floyd, the clarity of both your memory and writing skills is truly riveting. I hope your Guardian Angel can lead you to a good publishing agent so that everyone can share in your story.
Larry
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Post by connie on Jun 17, 2013 13:31:54 GMT -5
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Post by tomfwilson on May 26, 2015 21:20:36 GMT -5
I know this conversation is about two years old, but I thought I'd chime in. G company commander Tom Wilson is my great uncle. I have been casually studying up on the 424 for the last few years, and had recently came across a few things which led me to some of Floyd's comments. I believe I saw the Floyd is no longer with us. Prayers for him and his family. I am grateful that he was willing to share so much information over the last few years.
I was able to visit ABMC Henri Chapelle in 1999, to visit uncle Tommy's grave as my grandfather (46th Seabees on Guadalcanal) was never able to bring him self to go.
One thing I am confused about is that Tommy's official KIA date is Jan 25, while all of the accounts of Ennal are from Jan, 15th.
Would love to look up Carl of i ever get back to Belgium. My company is based in the UK so I am usually in Europe every 18 months or so. Is there anyway I can post photos to this board?
-Mark Massey
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Post by connie on May 26, 2015 22:12:10 GMT -5
Mark,
I'll alert Carl to your post. I was there with Floyd when Carl and his friends took us into the hills above Ennal to find the spot where he was fired on. On that same trip Carl also helped us locate the spot where 424 G was camped when the German offensive began...
I did note the difference in the official KIA date and that given by Floyd. Of course there may be errors in a remembered date. But I think another scenario is likely. My father witnessed the ambush in which a man in his Battalion lost his life, and there is no possibility of error in the date he remembered, but it differs from what is recorded on the grave. Carl has studied this sort of thing more than I and can verify or refute my conclusion, but I believe that the army officially recorded the date of death as the date that the body was retrieved and the death confirmed. For the fellow I was aware of, this was a matter of just a couple of days delay. But if the area under German control for some time before we retook it or if the body was in a remote location it could, I am guessing, have taken longer for that retrieval and confirmation of death... Accounts on the date of that encounter may be able to better confirm exact dates.
I am sorry for your family's loss. I know that for those who knew and loved your uncle, that loss was not something in the past but something they lived with daily. I am glad you got to visit Henri Chapelle and see the spot where he is buried... Did you know that locals work to adopt the graves there and learn more about the person buried there... Carl took us to witness a Grave Adoption Ceremony (a once a year event).If your uncle's grave has been adopted by a Belgian Citizen it might be possible to connect...
I am sorry you missed connecting with Floyd, but with you I am glad that he left his story here for you.
Connie
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Post by tomfwilson on May 26, 2015 23:25:42 GMT -5
Thanks Connie,
I'd love a chance to see what additional information Carl might have on my uncle or his company in general.
Really am enjoying this board. Thanks for your hard work and efforts.
Regards,
-Mark
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Carl W.
Active Member
Administrator
The Golden Lions
Posts: 265
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Post by Carl W. on May 27, 2015 13:29:01 GMT -5
Hi Mark,
Connie informed me of your post on the board. Welcome!
I have emailed you with some detailed information on your great-uncle. The date on his grave at Henri-Chapelle is correct. Lt. Wilson was killed during the battle for Medell, north of St. Vith on the morning of the 25th of January. I assume that Floyd's recollections about the Ennal and Medell battles mixed over the course of seven decades, which is of course understandable.
Best regards from Belgium,
Carl
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Post by tomfwilson on May 27, 2015 16:51:54 GMT -5
Thank you for your response Carl. I have replied to your email and am working on getting some photos scanned.
-Mark
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Post by connie on Jun 2, 2015 9:40:33 GMT -5
Mark, I am so glad you found some answers and more information from Carl. What I have uncovered since probably does not approach what Carl was able to provide. But if sites with info from Milton Schober T/5 424 F were not included in what Carl sent you may be able to glean some bits of information on your uncle's journey from the links on this thread: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4057/thread He gives an account of his unit's history from Dec. 16 onward during the Bulge. G Company's locations may not have been exactly the same but close. Often he mentions the location or actions of G company. And on the 25th at Mendell he mentions seeing the commander of G company being removed on a stretcher... maybe already dead. It's a sad, graphic picture. But focusing on the life, not just the loss, the history of places before Mendell can still be gleaned and may be of interest. If I remember correctly Floyd may have been in the hospital when the action in Mendell occurred. Both the unforgettable moments and the fog of war are realities in piecing together a story... I am glad you are doing this with your uncle's story... Connie |
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Post by tomfwilson on Jun 3, 2015 9:18:16 GMT -5
Thanks Connie,
Appreciate the link. Carl has been very insightful, and provided me with some great information as well. My Grandfather, Like so many others of his generation, never really spoke about his brother. My family is very pleased with what we have been able to find out about Uncle Tommy. Hopefully some day soon, I'll be able to make it to Belgium again and trace the steps that the 106th made in the winter of 44-45.
-Mark
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Post by connie on Aug 28, 2015 11:07:46 GMT -5
Please keep us posted on your discoveries... Your Uncle's history is a part of us all... Hope you do get to make the journey.
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Post by connie on Oct 9, 2021 13:34:37 GMT -5
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