Digs throughout the Bulge

[connie]

In the days following the onset of the German offensive, the established shelters of the "quiet sector" were left behind... For some there may have been no sleep for days on end. For some cat naps may have been caught on the back of a truck. I guess there was some digging in going on in places, too. It was cold. Was the ground frozen... Any memories to share...?

[floydragsdale]

I'ts me, Floyd again. We were always short on sleep. I remember going to sleep while hiking. Sometimes a group of men (five or six) would form a huddle, with arms around each other while leaning toward the center. Then we'd try to get a cat- nap. When the opportunity presented itself we dug slit-trenches about as long as our body and 1 & 1/2 ft. deep; then put pine branches over the top to help hold body heat. If there was snow on the ground, digging was much easier that if the ground was bare. More often than not, mother nature would call when a person get settled down in the trench; that simply brought on one more problem. - - - when it come to having some chow (during the bulge) we ate where ever we were & when ever we got hungry. A hot meal was rare & usually ice cold by the time it got in our mess kits. Cristmas day our dinner was brought to us. I had ice cold turkey & mashed potatoes w/gravy & a cold "hot" vegetable. Some men sat on the bodies on dead (frozen) German Soldiers. I ate mine from the back-end of a manure spreader. No oder however, every thing was froze. I recall going without food for several days; the Germans dusupted our supply lines - - - so we ate whatever we could get our hands on.

Every winter I remember these things as if it happened last week.

Hope this helps you.

Floyd

[roger]

Floyd

Just want to let you know how much I appreciate you sharing your experiences.....something that may not be exactly easy. However, your experiences bring "living color" to history for those of us who were not there, but have enjoyed and benefitted from your sacrifice and that of our fathers.

I salute you!

Roger

[floydragsdale]

Hi Roger:

Thank you for your kind comments.

A number years ago, our local library (Chief Librarian) asked if I would write my WWII memories. I was reluctant to do it, yet I finally agreed write them. It took a while; maybe several years. We (the wife & I) visited the camps where I was stationed.

During the fighting, I tried to be as human as possible toward German Soldiers. Nevertheless, I had to remember why we were there. It wasn't always easy, nonetheless under the circumstances, I have no regrets about decisions I had to make.

During basic training in the States, we were shown a movie with the title, "Kill or be Killed." That film left no doubt in my mind as to why we were in the Infantry and what we had to do to survive the real thing when we had to face it.

During the "Bulge", I spent about a week in the hospital. About the time I was ready to go back to the front lines a German Soldier was brought in. He was really shot up and needed blood. Nobody wanted to give him any.

An Army Nurse inquired of me, would I consider giving him blood? Yet she said, "I'll understand if you refuse to give blood to an enemy soldier. I looked at the Soldier and thought, "How would I feel if I were in his shoes! I gave him a pint of blood before I left the hospital.

War is an ugly business. It always has been and it always will be just that.

Floyd

[connie]

Floyd,

This one is a hard act to follow. After this depth, any further notes seem mundane.

Being able to reach deep and find humanity in the midst of the insanity of war in a gesture as simple as giving blood to an enemy soldier was not a simple thing to do...

I wonder sometimes if it wasn't acts like this (and other simple human acts of caring) that helped soldiers retain their sanity and their humanity.


Connie

[floydragsdale]

Hello Connie:

Understanding what you wrote is difficult for me.

I sure remember that incident. The German Soldier had lost alot of blood & was full of shrapnel. He needed surgery, however the Drs. couldn't operate because he had lost so much blood.

American personnel still remembered "the Malmedy massacrer". We were about five miles from where it happened. Not one person in the hospital would give him blood. I was ready to leave there when an Army Nurse informed me of the situation.

I looked at that poor Soldier & had compassion for him. I laid beside him while blood was taken from me and given to him. It was a live or die moment for him and I wanted to be of help. I never knew if he survived. It was back to the front lines for me and more war.

Floyd