December 16, 1944

[Larry Heider]

Today marks another anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. It would be great if members of this MB would log in and say a few words about the man or woman that brought you to this treasure trove of information paying tribute to the 106th Golden Lions. Let's acknowledge their efforts and keep this Discussion Group alive.

[blauchie]

This morning, 12/17/44 James Blauch 423/A was “in the thick of it” The Jerry’s were pushing hard. “We would charge and then fall back. On one of the charges I was shot in the leg below the knee. My Sergeant, Jacob Kurcz told me it didn’t look too bad and will find me on Christmas“. Taken to an aid station, little did James know, it wouldn’t be the last he would witness death and destruction in December 44.

[connie]

December 16, 1944 Lt. Gerald S. Pratt of the Service Battery of the 590th Field Artillery Battalion was stationed in Heuem, a little village just west of Schönberg. He began the day with a run to Division Headquarters in St. Vith. St. Vith was being hit with shells from railroad guns at the time. He returned to Heuem just after the hilltop position for the battery had been hit. Two men had been examining the spot where the first shells hit outside the makeshift kitchen when another shell hit in the same area. One man was killed. The man beside him escaped with only a scratch.

Note, the 590th was the 105mm howitzer firing battery that fired in support of the 423rd. The firing batteries were on the Schnee Eifel and in Germany, but the Service Battery was some 7 miles west of them (by road) and in Belgium. During Tennessee Maneuvers Dad had been in A Battery of the 590th. So he knew some members of the firing batteries well. He was close to Jack Pitts who was killed in the shelling of A Battery on the 16th...

PS. "Ace" and :Blauchie", thanks for starting and keeping up this line of thought. Hope others will follow suit. I'd like, too, to ask some questions related to Blauchie's post and carry on a bit of a dialogue, too... in a bit!

[blauchie]

Dec. 18 1944 My Dads shattered leg is being tended by medics from Co B 331st medics in the vicinity of Oberlasheid,/ Buchet? He can hear fighting in every direction.

The morning of Dec. 19 1944 is met by incoming artillery. He is hit in the chest by shrapnel. After it’s over a Medic pulls the iron out of his chest and tells him he is lucky, only a broken rib. He is also told about LT Col. Craig being wounded that day also. I’m not sure if he was in the same barrage or not.(location)?

The same day, he is moved to a house/ barn? There are many wounded. One of the wounded brought to the door is his sergeant Jacob Kurcz, shot through the chest by machine gun fire. (I would assume he was still in the fight with the lost Co A men under Sandra Helms) He later died with my Dad in his presence. (When my Dad told about this event, tears were rolling from his eyes).

Although Jacob’s DOD is listed as 12/21/44, matching my Dad’s account and his diary dates, I’m sure it was Dec. 19 1944..

Plot G Row 7 Grave 28
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery

[connie]

I find myself awaiting more day-by-day details of the story of James Blauch of the 423rd...

Meanwhile, Lt. Gerald Pratt of the Service Battery of the 590th has been west of James Blauch and moving further west. The night of the 16th, after time spent in St. Vith and Schönberg with time at his base in Heuem in between, after a conversation with 590th HQ on the Schnee Eifel Jerry sleeps safely in the farmhouse where he is quartered.

Early the morning of the 17th a vehicle from a unit to the north east comes flying by announcing that there are German tanks behind them. The Service Battery receives march orders and gear is rapidly thrown into trucks. Pratt makes several trips to collect gear but leaves one bag behind. As trucks pull out he and a Sgt. stay behind to disable a Service Battery vehicle that is mired in the mud. Then the pair take off on foot up into the wooded hillside behind their quarters and westward along the ridge.

[blauchie]

Dec. 21 1944 Along with the other wounded James is captured. A German Doctor removes the bandages from his leg and does some painful probing, he says something like “nicht gut”. Some of the wounded were thrown onto trucks and taken away. Dec. 23 he is loaded onto a hospital train. James said “I was one of the lucky ones” He was bound for a civilian hospital in Ibbenburen Germany. During the journey he uses the extra pair of socks he had tied around his neck while in his fox hole as bandages.

[connie]

I'm a bit behind Blauchie in keeping up with the current date. And I'm about to go backwards. While, on the 17th of December 1944 Lt. Gerald Pratt and a Sgt. (both from the Service Battery of the 590th Field Artillery Battalion were traveling on foot westward toward St. Vith along the ridge above the St. Vith-Schönberg Road and much of the Service Battery had just made the journey to St. Vith along that road, there were some missing members of the 590th Service Battery. On the 16th several men from the Ammunition Train had volunteered to make a second ammunition run to the firing batteries of the 590th. All but one of the trucks reached their destination. The last truck in the line, along with its driver, never made it. He had been captured by the Germans. The others were unable to return back to the Service Battery position in Heuem. They would remain with the firing batteries of the 590th and would be surrendered along with the members of the 423rd Infantry Regiment.

Note related to posts on James Blauch:
"Blauchie" speaks above of Jacob Kurcz 423 A who spoke to James Blauch when he was first wounded and who was later 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4271/thread fatally wounded himself. Thanks to Blauchie for helping preserve the story of this comrade of his father's who lost in action. I have added his name to the board's Site Soldier's Index and also started a thread on him: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4275/thread