Post by floydragsdale on Dec 23, 2013 19:11:47 GMT -5
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day on the Front Lines 1944
By Floyd D. Ragsdale,
Co. G, 424th Regimentt., 106th Division
Sixty-nine years after The Battle of the Bulge a day by day account of the engagement, after the first three days, will not fall into place from memory; yet, many incidents remain permanently etched in my memories. Some American Soldiers referred to that Battle as “forty one days and nights of freezing hell. That is a good reason for anyone not to remember that campaign in exact order. However, they will be described as reminiscence retracts them but not exactly in order.
Much has been written about the Battle of the Bulge yet, it is the individual story that gives a personal touch to that engagement. Those tales relate what the individual Soldier had to withstand. Not only in fighting against extreme odds in numbers but the bitter cold weather also.
A simple decision concerning matters at hand could save ones life, or take it away. One night, after resting for several hours in a bunker, it was my turn and that of a fellow soldier to stand watch for several hours in the foxholes. As we approached our battle stations he said to me, “Which fox-hole do you want?” “It doesn’t matter, I said; one is just as cold as the other one.” Then I thought it best to take the one near our mortar position in case a flare needed to be fired. That decision saved my life but took his. In another hour he would be killed by a direct hit from an enemy artillery burst.
This is a story with a better ending. It happened Christmas Eve and the following day; approximately five weeks before that Battle would be brought to a conclusion.
Imagine that you are there; the year is December 1944, You are in Belgium and you have been battling the German Army and the frigid weather for a week in the Ardennes Forest. You are battle weary and hungry
Christmas Eve your Infantry Company hiked into a tiny Belgian Village (Haare) seeking some sorely needed rest and warmth. To a man, everyone was exhausted from continuous battle conditions for the past seven days. Your officers arranged, with local civilians, to accommodate your Company with a nights lodging in their homes. The Company Commander announced that your outfit would be there until morning and, company officers would assign you temporary sleeping quarters. Then he said, “Merry Christmas men, and have a good nights sleep.”
Most of you did not know it was Xmas Eve.
The platoons, 1st through the 3rd were dispatched to short-lived quarters; however they over looked the heavy weapons platoon; the platoon you were assigned to. Calling this to the attention of an officer, he said to you “Find a place where-ever you can.” At every dwelling the word was, “There’s no room here.” Consequently, you roamed the Village searching for warmth and rest. A Military Policeman, guiding traffic in the town circle, directed you to an American Anti Aircraft Gun outfit located just outside the village. They had 10 man tents with stoves and army cots; also they had their welcome mat out. “Come in and get warm” one of the men beckoned. Heat from the stove seemed like a luxury to you. One of the Gun Crew said, “It’s time for me to go on watch at our gun site, you can have my bunk while I’m on duty. Sleep came effortlessly to you.
A short time later shut-eye was interrupted by a voice saying, “Wake up soldier, your outfit is moving out.” Within minutes, you rushed into the village circle where the MP said, gesturing with his hand, “Your Company went that way.”
To say the least, bidding that little Village goodbye as you walked into the darkness of the night, alone, wasn’t on your Christmas wish list,.
Just a few minutes down the road, one of the Battalion companies was organizing for an advance across country. The Company Commander, learning of your dilemma said, “You can join our outfit for the time being”; he then appropriated you to be point man in one of his platoons. That sort of post was on the extreme right, or left of a unit. Somehow, as the company advanced, your contact with the platoon vanished, although you could hear the men exchanging words with each other. Your location, now in a wooded area, appeared to be a cluster of trees that in actuality was a forest. In this situation, repetition of sounds taught you a lesson. In hills and forest sounds echo from hillside to hillside making it difficult to ascertain what direction the noise was coming from.
“Good grief”, you thought; another night to spend, alone; in a forest trying to find a way out. For a while, the sound of two men chopping wood and conversing was most distinguishable. Their language, though quite audible, was not American or English. Consequently, instinct cautioned you to remain unobserved by them.
Daylight hours were welcome since the chances of locating a trail, or path that, would lead to somewhere, increased considerably. Warning! Some one was approaching from behind you. What a relief it was to recognize an American soldier, who of all people, was a Soldier from your company. His situation the night before had been identical to yours. However, he had a full night’s shut-eye and, discovered his circumstance while seeking something for breakfast the next morning. - - - After discussing your circumstance for several minutes. The two of you set out to locate your outfit. Selecting more heavily traveled trails, a path led you to a main road.
Near midmorning, along a roadside, you came in contact with an accumulation of GI's, a mixed variety of vehicles and several Sherman Tanks. It was the remnants of personnel assembled by Brigadier General Bruce Clark. They had been surprised by a German counter attack earlier that day.
At this moment you were reunited with your company. Your understanding from them was your Company had been ordered to counter attack the Germans in a nearby village late Christmas Eve. The encounter was successful; yet in the morning while the men ate their rations the Germans launched a surprise counter attack driving the Company from the hamlet. In the action your Company Commander was seriously wounded; several enlisted men had been injured and the German’s destroyed the company jeep. The Troops withdrew in absolute disorder. Clearly, the German action completely bewildered them. At some point, shortly after that episode, General Bruce Clark, with some of his armored vehicles, came upon the scene; quickly, he analyzed the state of affairs and restored order to the dilemma.
General Clark assembled a combat force that afternoon, giving pep talks and encouraging the men as he issued orders to everyone; then he gave a brief rejuvenating talk. He said “I’ve chased these bastards (Germans) all the way across France and we’re not going to run from them now. This afternoon we are going to re-take the ground that you men forfeited this morning”. Minutes later General Clark, overhearing you fussing about the mediocre accuracy of your carbine rifle, took a “Springfield 03” Rifle with a bandoleer of ammunition clips from his vehicle and, handing it to you said “Soldier you can have my rifle; I used it in France during World War I; take good care of it.”
The General squandered no time by turning a critical situation into a favorable one. Soon an advance to retake lost ground commenced. Again, by chance, your position was point man on the left flank of the company. The opposite point was near a road. Both posts were considered a risky place in a forward action under battle conditions. All of a sudden, you accepted the fact that surviving this war was not going to be easy. Your company encountered little resistance until someone spotted several enemy armored vehicles blocking the road. Two of your men, volunteered to put them out of action with a bazooka. Their first shot missed, alerting the German gun crew who pointed the gun turret toward them and fired point blank, killing both men instantly. Immediately the Germans fired a number of rounds toward the rest of your company. The terrain was hilly and comprised of dense forest. Hence, movement through the trees could be easily noticed. German artillery fire had a deadly effect on your advance. One man in the company lost his legs and begged the medics to let him die crying, “I don’t want to live like this.”
The advance, in that area finally dislodged the Germans from their battle stations, near Manhay. As late afternoon approached it was essential to dig in and secure our positions by establishing observation posts for the night.
As twilight faded to dark, the air turned bitter cold. Aware of “enemy searching artillery fire” bursting in treetops, in the near distance, you were prompted to commence digging a foxhole. It took some time to penetrate through the frost line and dig the hole head and shoulders deep. This activity produced good circulation that generated body heat. - - - Meanwhile, somebody passed out tins of rations, snatched from a Sherman Tank, that the troops welcomed. The ingredients, frozen by now, had to be held between your thighs to thaw it out. The nourishment turned out to be bacon-flavored spinach; which, believe it or not, tasted good. - - - Almost anything does when a person is hungry.
That’s the way it was for you Christmas Eve and Christmas day 1944 on the American Front Lines some where, in the Ardennes Forest, in Belgium, during WWII.
By Floyd D. Ragsdale,
Co. G, 424th Regimentt., 106th Division
Sixty-nine years after The Battle of the Bulge a day by day account of the engagement, after the first three days, will not fall into place from memory; yet, many incidents remain permanently etched in my memories. Some American Soldiers referred to that Battle as “forty one days and nights of freezing hell. That is a good reason for anyone not to remember that campaign in exact order. However, they will be described as reminiscence retracts them but not exactly in order.
Much has been written about the Battle of the Bulge yet, it is the individual story that gives a personal touch to that engagement. Those tales relate what the individual Soldier had to withstand. Not only in fighting against extreme odds in numbers but the bitter cold weather also.
A simple decision concerning matters at hand could save ones life, or take it away. One night, after resting for several hours in a bunker, it was my turn and that of a fellow soldier to stand watch for several hours in the foxholes. As we approached our battle stations he said to me, “Which fox-hole do you want?” “It doesn’t matter, I said; one is just as cold as the other one.” Then I thought it best to take the one near our mortar position in case a flare needed to be fired. That decision saved my life but took his. In another hour he would be killed by a direct hit from an enemy artillery burst.
This is a story with a better ending. It happened Christmas Eve and the following day; approximately five weeks before that Battle would be brought to a conclusion.
Imagine that you are there; the year is December 1944, You are in Belgium and you have been battling the German Army and the frigid weather for a week in the Ardennes Forest. You are battle weary and hungry
Christmas Eve your Infantry Company hiked into a tiny Belgian Village (Haare) seeking some sorely needed rest and warmth. To a man, everyone was exhausted from continuous battle conditions for the past seven days. Your officers arranged, with local civilians, to accommodate your Company with a nights lodging in their homes. The Company Commander announced that your outfit would be there until morning and, company officers would assign you temporary sleeping quarters. Then he said, “Merry Christmas men, and have a good nights sleep.”
Most of you did not know it was Xmas Eve.
The platoons, 1st through the 3rd were dispatched to short-lived quarters; however they over looked the heavy weapons platoon; the platoon you were assigned to. Calling this to the attention of an officer, he said to you “Find a place where-ever you can.” At every dwelling the word was, “There’s no room here.” Consequently, you roamed the Village searching for warmth and rest. A Military Policeman, guiding traffic in the town circle, directed you to an American Anti Aircraft Gun outfit located just outside the village. They had 10 man tents with stoves and army cots; also they had their welcome mat out. “Come in and get warm” one of the men beckoned. Heat from the stove seemed like a luxury to you. One of the Gun Crew said, “It’s time for me to go on watch at our gun site, you can have my bunk while I’m on duty. Sleep came effortlessly to you.
A short time later shut-eye was interrupted by a voice saying, “Wake up soldier, your outfit is moving out.” Within minutes, you rushed into the village circle where the MP said, gesturing with his hand, “Your Company went that way.”
To say the least, bidding that little Village goodbye as you walked into the darkness of the night, alone, wasn’t on your Christmas wish list,.
Just a few minutes down the road, one of the Battalion companies was organizing for an advance across country. The Company Commander, learning of your dilemma said, “You can join our outfit for the time being”; he then appropriated you to be point man in one of his platoons. That sort of post was on the extreme right, or left of a unit. Somehow, as the company advanced, your contact with the platoon vanished, although you could hear the men exchanging words with each other. Your location, now in a wooded area, appeared to be a cluster of trees that in actuality was a forest. In this situation, repetition of sounds taught you a lesson. In hills and forest sounds echo from hillside to hillside making it difficult to ascertain what direction the noise was coming from.
“Good grief”, you thought; another night to spend, alone; in a forest trying to find a way out. For a while, the sound of two men chopping wood and conversing was most distinguishable. Their language, though quite audible, was not American or English. Consequently, instinct cautioned you to remain unobserved by them.
Daylight hours were welcome since the chances of locating a trail, or path that, would lead to somewhere, increased considerably. Warning! Some one was approaching from behind you. What a relief it was to recognize an American soldier, who of all people, was a Soldier from your company. His situation the night before had been identical to yours. However, he had a full night’s shut-eye and, discovered his circumstance while seeking something for breakfast the next morning. - - - After discussing your circumstance for several minutes. The two of you set out to locate your outfit. Selecting more heavily traveled trails, a path led you to a main road.
Near midmorning, along a roadside, you came in contact with an accumulation of GI's, a mixed variety of vehicles and several Sherman Tanks. It was the remnants of personnel assembled by Brigadier General Bruce Clark. They had been surprised by a German counter attack earlier that day.
At this moment you were reunited with your company. Your understanding from them was your Company had been ordered to counter attack the Germans in a nearby village late Christmas Eve. The encounter was successful; yet in the morning while the men ate their rations the Germans launched a surprise counter attack driving the Company from the hamlet. In the action your Company Commander was seriously wounded; several enlisted men had been injured and the German’s destroyed the company jeep. The Troops withdrew in absolute disorder. Clearly, the German action completely bewildered them. At some point, shortly after that episode, General Bruce Clark, with some of his armored vehicles, came upon the scene; quickly, he analyzed the state of affairs and restored order to the dilemma.
General Clark assembled a combat force that afternoon, giving pep talks and encouraging the men as he issued orders to everyone; then he gave a brief rejuvenating talk. He said “I’ve chased these bastards (Germans) all the way across France and we’re not going to run from them now. This afternoon we are going to re-take the ground that you men forfeited this morning”. Minutes later General Clark, overhearing you fussing about the mediocre accuracy of your carbine rifle, took a “Springfield 03” Rifle with a bandoleer of ammunition clips from his vehicle and, handing it to you said “Soldier you can have my rifle; I used it in France during World War I; take good care of it.”
The General squandered no time by turning a critical situation into a favorable one. Soon an advance to retake lost ground commenced. Again, by chance, your position was point man on the left flank of the company. The opposite point was near a road. Both posts were considered a risky place in a forward action under battle conditions. All of a sudden, you accepted the fact that surviving this war was not going to be easy. Your company encountered little resistance until someone spotted several enemy armored vehicles blocking the road. Two of your men, volunteered to put them out of action with a bazooka. Their first shot missed, alerting the German gun crew who pointed the gun turret toward them and fired point blank, killing both men instantly. Immediately the Germans fired a number of rounds toward the rest of your company. The terrain was hilly and comprised of dense forest. Hence, movement through the trees could be easily noticed. German artillery fire had a deadly effect on your advance. One man in the company lost his legs and begged the medics to let him die crying, “I don’t want to live like this.”
The advance, in that area finally dislodged the Germans from their battle stations, near Manhay. As late afternoon approached it was essential to dig in and secure our positions by establishing observation posts for the night.
As twilight faded to dark, the air turned bitter cold. Aware of “enemy searching artillery fire” bursting in treetops, in the near distance, you were prompted to commence digging a foxhole. It took some time to penetrate through the frost line and dig the hole head and shoulders deep. This activity produced good circulation that generated body heat. - - - Meanwhile, somebody passed out tins of rations, snatched from a Sherman Tank, that the troops welcomed. The ingredients, frozen by now, had to be held between your thighs to thaw it out. The nourishment turned out to be bacon-flavored spinach; which, believe it or not, tasted good. - - - Almost anything does when a person is hungry.
That’s the way it was for you Christmas Eve and Christmas day 1944 on the American Front Lines some where, in the Ardennes Forest, in Belgium, during WWII.
