75th Infantry Division: Ardennes, Central Europe, Rhineland

TURNER PUBLISHING COMPANY

Publishers of America’s History

412 Broadway•P.O. Box 3101

Paducah, Kentucky 42002-3101

(270) 443-0121

Editors: Bill Schiller & Lisa Thompson

Designer: David Hurst

Copyright© 1999 Turner Publishing Company

All rights reserved

Publishing Rights: Turner Publishing Company

This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the publisher and/or author.

Library of Congress Catalog No. 99-076455

9781618587442

LIMITED EDITION

Printed in the U.S.A.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

75TH DIVISION WOMEN’S AUXILIARY

75TH DIVISION VETERANS ASSOCIATION

PAST CONVENTION SITES - OF THE 75TH DIVISION VETERANS ASSOCIATION

75TH INFANTRY DIVISION HISTORY

75TH INFANTRY ROLL OF HONOR

75TH INFANTRY SPECIAL STORIES

GENERAL PORTER’S FAREWELL ADDRESS

75TH INFANTRY VETERANS

INDEX

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the MEN of the 75th Infantry Division who were called to serve their Country in World War II. The division was activated at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, April 15, 1943 with VERY YOUNG MEN from all parts of our Great Nation to train for Military combat. They were - Career Soldiers - Enlisted men and mostly the Draftees who trained in various Units for the defense of Freedom and Democracy. Their personal Biographies, their Remembrances and their photos are recorded for their Families and for future generations to read. Also listed are the names of 937 Men who have given their ultimate and supreme sacrifice for the Nation. After the War the Veterans organized the 75th Division Veterans’ Association and their Wives organized the 75th Womens’ Auxiliary for the continuance of your friendship and comraderie. The 75th Colors were reactivated on November 15, 1950 as a US Army Reserve Unit and after various other assignments it is now known as 75th Division (Exercise).

George (Tkachuk) Tachuk

Historian

PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE

In a speech delivered to Congress, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt predicted the final outcome of World War II by saying that No matter how long it may take us to overcome . . . the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory. The date was 1941, a time when no one could accurately predict the time it would take, the toll it would consume, or the strength of our resolve. And yet, for FDR, two things were brilliantly clear: the absolute correctness of our nation’s involvement and the courageous tenacity of our nation’s soldiers. In time, the world’s attention would be drawn to the horrific battlefields of the Ardennes, Colmar Pocket, and Ruhr valley. Suddenly, an assurance of victory was realized, and then reinforced. The 75th Infantry Division provided the hope and the heroes which guided our nation through the War in Europe. The 75th is one of the few divisions that best exemplifies the phenomenal caliber of our men in the Armed Forces. Fresh out of training from Kentucky’s Camp Breckinridge, troops from the 75th went on to battle the elements of nature and the enemies of freedom. Their sacrifice was great and, perhaps, only exceeded by the greatness of what this particular division represented - absolute victory.

On that note, I can only say that it has been this company’s absolute honor to publish this tribute to the men, missions, and memories of the 75th Infantry Division. Though we are grateful for the abundance of photos, stories, and memorabilia provided by 75th Association members, permit me to extend a special note of gratitude to Mr. George Tachuk, whose direction, diligence, and devotion proved critical to the completion of this endeavor.

Dave Turner, President

Turner Publishing Company

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

With sincere thanks and gratitude I acknowledge the assistance I received from very many men that volunteered to help me compile the contents of the History Book. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order and apologize if I missed anyone.

Beckstrom, Victor; Bos, Jan (Holland); Brum, Edward J.; Barke, William SGM Ret. 75th Div Exercise; Carney, Harry; Cerrito, Albert & Marianne; Dufrene, Warren; Ellis, Paul; Fary, Ray; Ingles, Ernest; Kuhn, Darrell; Lindstrom, Harold; Merkel, Jerone; Mulvehill, James; Pildner, John; Podriznik, John; Posnak, Ira J.; Rasmussen, Ross; Ratliff, Donald; Romine, Ralph; Rosenbaum, Martin; Roxburgh, Alfred; Rylander, Wesley; Schur, Leonard; Sferry, Tony; Steffensen, Albert; Turkington, Martin; Verga, Lawrence; Warmouth, James and Ruby

75TH DIVISION WOMEN’S AUXILIARY

It was thirty years ago (1969) when a group of women started the 75th Women’s Auxiliary. It started as a fan club, something to keep the women busy during the time the men held their general assembly. The women were at loose ends and would look in on the men’s meeting, sometimes disturbing them. Needless to say, this small beginning took off and became the Women’s Auxiliary.

In 1973 we started awarding silver necklaces,.Women of the Year Awards, to women who gave more than just attending meetings. They were hardworking, dedicated ladies. They worked the registration desk at reunions, and sold hats and shirts with the 75th insignia on them. They also made the N.E.C. party-like, serving brunches, drinks, and goodies. We felt it was one way to keep the group together, so that we could swap war stories or the latest family doings. We were formed to help make the organization run smoothly, but more than anything we have enjoyed the comraderie and the lasting, loving friendships that we have established through the years.

Marianne R. Cerrito

5/20/99

CURRENT OFFICERS

Mary Parke, President

Charlotte Lindstrom, 1st

Mary Kay Sopher, 2nd

Ruby Warmouth, Secretary Treasurer

Marianne Cerrito, Corresponding

PAST PRESIDENTS

Jane Richards

Ruby Warmouth

Marianne Cerrito

Ann Jacobs *

Barbara Leight

Joan Baker *

Virginia Niklas

Betty Drasdo

Marguerite Carney *

Kitty Kuhn

Gloria Lang

Laura Stephan

Dora Borracchini

Kathryn Hall *

Mary Parker (current)

PAST WOMEN OF THE YEAR

1973 Betty Sferry *

1974 Jane Richards

1974 Sally Remes

1975 Ruby Warmouth

1975 Ann Jacobs *

1975 Dottie Winkler

1975 Marianne Cerrito

1976 Betty Grasso *

1976 Lee Iaciofano

1977 Barbara Leight

1977 Joan Baker *

1978 Virginia Niklas

1978 Virginia Hallmark

1978 Betty Drasdo

1978 Ethel Merkel

1979 Stella Anders *

1979 Jeanne Angel

1980 Marguerite Carney *

1980 Enola Dufrene

1980 Mary Wille

1981 Delilah Dounis

1982 Betty Wallace *

1982 Kitty Kuhn

1983 Doris Briggs

1983 Estelle Tachuk

1984 Pat Vedeloff

1984 Arless Van Deussen

1985 Gloria Lang

1985 Pat Glick

1985 June Bryan *

1986 Marie Mudd

1986 Helen Plank

1987 Paula Blincoe *

1987 Hazel Sferry

1989 Laura Stephan

1989 Kathy Furlong

1990 Beryl Brown *

1990 Fern Usher

1990 Vivian Green

1990 Gloria Blettner

1991 Dora Borracchini

1991 Cora Lee Meier

1991 Marie Jordan

1992 Carmin Rodriguez

1992 Margaret Harer

1992 Phyllis Leopold

1992 Kathryn Hall *

1993 Helen Nolen

1993 Ann Flint

1993 Millie Ward

1994 Laverne Fischer

1994 Marietta Hubbard *

1994 Charlotte Lindstrom

1995 Evelyn Creasy

1995 Cle Wallace

1995 Vera Eden

1996 Louise Lowery

1996 Jewel Post

1997 Mary Parker

1998 Lynette Pildner

1998 Velma Black

1998 Mary Kay Sopher

1999 Barbara Davies

1999Frances Sosebee

* Deceased

75TH DIVISION VETERANS ASSOCIATION

PAST PRESIDENTS

Alfred E. Gluckstal

Harry P. Wiseman

James E. Warmouth

Harold Baker

Theodore F. Richards

Robert F. Niklas

Albert A. Cerrito

Richard Jacobs *

Al Leight *

Benjamin I. Twigg

Darrell Kuhn

Vincent Grasso

Harry Carney

W. Alfred Drasdo

John P. McBurney

Robert H. Justice *

Claude L. Yoakum *

Peter Dounis

Frederick E. Preusker *

Carl S. Friedas

Lawrence Iaciofano *

John Remes *

Joseph D. Feeny

Burrell L. Hall

Frank Hlavalcek *

Robert P. Lang

Ernie Ingles

Hobert Plank

Angelo Borracchini

Paul C. Stephan

PAST MEN OF THE YEAR

1964 Frank Hlavalcek G 290 *

1965 Ervin Schweig C 289

1966 Howard Kaufman F 290

1966 Claud Yoakum SVC 289 *

1966 John Remes G 289 *

1967 John Eden L 289 *

1968 Eugene Drouillard G 291 *

1969 Palmer Sferry HQ 291

1969 Lawrence Iaciofano M 289 *

1970 Vincent Grasso H 289

1970 B.L. Hall 275 Eng.

1971 Wassel Borodko SV 730 *

1971 Ted Richards A 291

1972 Alfred Drasdo G 290

1972 James Warmouth HQ 289

1973 John Stringos K 290 *

1974 Jerry Merkel HQ 289

1975 Harold Baker G 289

1976 Louis Romano Med 291

1977 Pete Dounis G 291

1977 Benjamin Twigg FA 899

1977 Robert DuVall A 289

1978 Al Cerrito FA 898

1978 Richard Braack A 291 *

1978 Bob Niklas Med 289

1979 Al Leight F 289 *

1980 James Hallmark HQ 291 *

1980 Bob Stratton HQ 289 *

1980 Bill Angel I 289 *

1981 Darrel Kuhn Med 375

1981 Jim Briggs K 290

1982 Harry Carney K 290

1982 Warren Dufrene C 291

1983 Neil Wallace FA 899 *

1984 Bob Lang 275 Eng.

1984 George Tachuk 575 Sig.

1985 Carroll Lundeen E 291

1985 Angelo Borracchini HQ Div

1986 Russ Elliott G 289 *

1986 George Van Deusen CN 290

1986 Russ Vedeloff H 290

1987 Guy Mudd 897 FA

1987 Hobart Plank E 290

1988 Bill Blincoe F 290

1988 Elwood Brown K 289 *

1989 Tom Furlong I 289 *

1989 Paul Stephan I 289

1990 Scott Beasley 575 Sig.

1990 George Edwards 575 Sig.

1990 Harland Evans 575 Sig.

1991 Ernie Ingles AT 290

1991 Augie Meier K 291

1992 Buckner Conn G 291

1992 Lawrence Glick HQ 289

1993 James Dowd E 291

1993 Carlos Ward E 290

1993 Robert Justice E 291

1994 Paul Ellis K 290

1995 Harold Lindstrom F 289

1995 Al Roxburgh CN 289

1996 George Sosebee B 291

1996 Jesse Creasy L 289

1997 Orville Jordan B 289

1997 Donald L. Ratliff 375th Medic

1997 Geoffrey Parker 75th Recon

1998 Billy Black AT 290 *

1998 John Pildner AT 290

1999 Bill Owen 899 FA *

1999 Bill Leopold C291

1999 Ted Davies T289

1999 George Stavich E291

* Deceased

Charlie Kneisley and Al Plessen, Charleston, SC, after almost 50 years.

PAST CONVENTION SITES

OF THE 75TH DIVISION VETERANS ASSOCIATION

Major General Fay B. Prickett

Major General Ray E. Porter

Major General Arthur A. White

Brigadier General Gerald St. C. Mickle

COMMANDERS

UNIT COMMANDERS

GENERAL STAFF OFFICERS

75TH INFANTRY DIVISION HISTORY

THE STORY OF THE 75TH INFANTRY DIVISION

Christmas Eve 1944: In the biting, stinging cold of the Ardennes, men who never before had seen a German soldier came to grips with the Nazis in a slashing bayonet duel.

These were green troops, fresh from the States, these men of the 75th Infantry Division and they suffered many casualties. But their hold was tenacious. Founded here in this icy battle of life or death was the 75th’s tradition: Always Get There Somehow. And the 75th always has gotten there somehow from this first engagement until the Germans surrendered unconditionally May 8, 1945.

Doughs of the 75th could little more than anticipate war’s savage fury when they sailed from New York in November 1944 en route to the Western Front. Behind them were 18 months of vigorous training, training in the Louisiana maneuver area, at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky and at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where the 75th was activated 13 April 1943. Thirty-five hundred men from the ASTP and the Air Corps replaced a duplicate number of reinforcements who went overseas immediately after maneuvers.

1943. Barracks 958, 7th Inf., 290th, Co. C. Bottom front, S/Sgt. Drews, Capt. Little, Commander, S/Sgt. Wormanski. Middle, left, S/Sgt. Don Willis.

After pausing in Southern Wales for a month, the division boarded LSTs and LCIs for the channel crossing, debarking at Le Havre and Rouen. First stopover on the Continent was Yvetot, 50 kilometers northeast of Le Havre where rains had made a quagmire of the sunny France bivouac area. The 75th was keyed for action and it wasn’t disappointed. But instead of traveling 300 long, cold miles for an assignment with Ninth Army, orders suddenly were switched.

The Wehrmacht surprisingly had launched a surging offensive and von Rundstedt was pile-driving the Nazi juggernaut deep into Belgium. The objective was to split the Allied armies in half, cut communications and push all the way to the channel.

Time was a crucial factor. Tired Yanks needed assistance, reinforcements. They were to have both. The 75th, fresh and untried, switched its motor columns and trains in First Army’s direction and sped more than 250 miles to the rescue. by 20 December, the division was in Belgium and the CP set up at Tongres. This was combat area!

Next day, additional orders sent the 75th to the vicinity of Ocquier and the 289th, 290th and 291st Regimental Combat Teams moved into assembly areas a few miles from the advancing Germans. Confusion reigned during the motor march that night; no one knew exactly where the enemy was driving.

Camp Breckinridge, KY, 1944. Cpl. Ed Curtis, Bob Green, Alvie Maher. HQ Btry., 730th FA Bat.

Belgium, Jan. 13, 1945, Battle of the Bulge. Gun crew and medic of 772 BN around fire.

Attached to an armored division, the 290th RCT was the first 75th element to make contact with the Germans. The 289th also joined in the battle, hooking up with the 290th near Grandmenil. Together, they smashed ahead to cut and clear the Hotton-Soy road.

On Christmas Day, Company K, 290th supported on the flanks by Companies I and L, made a direct assault on a high hill controlling the approach to Hampteau. Although pinned down by withering machine gun and mortar fire, these units seized enemy positions, thus ending the threat to Hotton. The high water mark of the German drive on Liege had been reached.

At least five panzer and four infantry divisions, the cream of the German Army, were spearheading the Bulge drive towards Liege. The eyes of the world were focused on this geographical point against which the two combat teams threw their might. There could have been no more historic moment for the men of the 75th Division to join battle.

Up to now, the division had been farmed out to other units as support or extra strength. It had fought well but never as a complete team. On 27 December, the 75th was attached to the XVIII Airborne Corps and the CP moved to Villers Ste. Gertrude on the northern flank of the Bulge. Within two days, all component parts were back under division control.

At first, the situation was defensive with all efforts directed at stopping the enemy’s night infiltration and sabotage tactics. Many Germans were dressed in American uniforms, and confusion, as well as damage, was prevalent throughout First Army’s area. The 75th resisted every attack and hung on. The days still were critical as the relative calm of the moment merely presaged another storm.

A message from Major General Matthew B. Ridgway, Corps Commander, read:

I want every man imbued with the idea that here in this sector is where the decision of this war will be reached. Every man will contribute his utmost to putting the 75th alongside the best divisions in the American Army.

GREEN TROOPS INTO SEASONED VETERANS

With the New Year, at the stroke of midnight, every gun in the Corps sector opened up with a three round time-over-target on the German area. Nazis who lived through the experience probably never will forget the 75th’s New Year greeting.

Although the next few days were comparatively quiet, the war progressed. Men still were cold, freezing; shelling never stopped.

Reassigned to VII Corps, the Corps that always attacked, the division was not surprised when the 290th RTC was called to support another division in its plunge across the important Ourthe River. The 289th and 291st screened the attack and strengthened their positions while Division Artillery continued to maintain close support.

Although the 75th went into First Army reserve, little rest was forthcoming. Relief of another division was imminent and the 75th went back into the line to take over the 82nd Airborn’s sector. Attached now were the 750th Tank Battalion, 772nd TD Battalion, and 440th AAA(AW) Battalion. The last two stayed and fought many months with the 75th Division.

Immediate objectives were the strongly-defended towns of Salmchateau and Vielsalm. Their capture was imperative and the division, with the exception of the 290th which still carried out its previous assignment, took up positions along the Salm River.

Patrols pushed through the snow to cross the river in endless succession. Men sometimes swam the icy currents to gain valuable information. They lay in snow drifts for hours to watch the enemy.

When the 290th RCT returned to division control, the entire team was ready to roll. The jump-off was but a few hours away.

Until now, the Ardennes had been a defensive fight for the Americans. Every effort had been directed at stopping the Germans. A new chapter was about to be written. The 289th and 290th RCTs were battle-tested. Many of their veterans were sick from the cold and needed a rest but there wasn’t time to pause.

At 0914 on 14 January 1945, a terse message was received by the 75th:

Your division attacks tomorrow, H-Hour: 0300.

General Ridgway sent the following:

Now we propose to attack, attack and attack until a final decision is reached on the Western Front. Tomorrow morning begins the final challenge by German brutality, venality and inhuman warfare. Behind us stand 90,000 of the best manhood in the world. The outcome is certain. I should like to impress upon the mind of every individual the stake for which he fights - the future of the United States of America.

The enemy was firmly entrenched along the bank of the Salm. His bunkers were built of timber and camouflaged with snow. He lurked in cellars and stone buildings of every town and waited - waited to be ferreted out. This was an enemy composed of elements of three divisions that knew it was now or not at all.

Artillery, tanks and Tds heralded the attack with a devastating 10-minute barrage beginning at 0250. Promptly at 0300, the 75th smashed across the river in the pitch darkness. Second Battalion, 289th, crossed over quickly, by-passing Salmchateau and taking Bech in the east. Against sturdy opposition, the first mission was completed. Third Battalion, meanwhile, captured Salmchateau, and the engineers immediately began throwing up a 50-foot Bailey bridge across the Salm.

First Battalion stormed the high ground commanding the area north of Bech. Against murderous fire that accounted for many casualties, doughs got the job done.

Company A, 291st, was pinned down in a draw by automatic weapons fire. The lead platoon, several hundred yards to the front, was cut off. One dough, volunteering to go for help, raced across open ground under a hail of fire. Miraculously, he got through, and the platoon was saved.

The attack still roared on 16 January. German tanks were knocked out, prisoners taken by the score. Yet, Nazi defenders grudgingly counted inches, making the 75th pay for every step it advanced. When the division forged ahead during the early hours of the next day, the Germans had lost their punch. The 75th had broken through decisively. Patrols probed the minestrewn streets of Vielsalm by nightfall. Simultaneously, Company C, 291st, launched an attack on the villages of Prisemont and Ville du Bois.

By 17 January, the 290th had seized Petite Thier, Patteaux and Neuville. More than 700 prisoners were taken in the 75th initial drive, but this, or the river crossing, or the taking of six towns, fails to tell the story of the withering 88 and mortar barrages thrown up by the desperate enemy. Doughs, tankers and TD crews fought unflinchingly. Visibility always was poor. Mines were rendered useless only when an alert soldier found and deciphered an enemy mine chart.

Every type of resistance was encountered. In the Grande du Bois area of the Ardennes, Germans were dug in the deep snow and accounted for many casualties with small arms fire. Snow filtered into the tops of American boots. Clothing became soaked, there was no opportunity for change. Many casualties resulted from frostbite and trench foot. Against nature’s white background, ODs were obvious targets. Still, no one thought of anything but going forward.

Aid men scurried about; aid men like Private Carlo Salvo, who dragged three wounded tankers from their burning vehicle, administered first aid and guided them to safety.

A new attack aimed against Commanster, Braunlauf, Muldingen and Aldringen was launched 22 January. Artillery softened up the opposition with a gigantic barrage, but the Germans, fighting like cornered rats, had to be weeded out of each house, each cellar. Considerable booby traps and anti-personnel mines were encountered. The towns finally were cleared by a systematic house-to-house grenade campaign.

The capture of Aldringen and the severing of the vital north-south road spokes from St. Vith brought to a close the battle of the Ardennes. The Bulge was no more. The threat to the Allies was ended and the Germans driven back behind the Siegfried Line.

The 75th had fought with the finest divisions in the American Army. It had engaged the best in the Hitler fold and had emerged victorious, an integral part of the Allied team. Green at the outset, but veterans at the finish, men of the 75th never will forget those cruel, freezing days during January 1945. Nor will any ever forget the glorious fight and the spirit of their comrades.

In the House of Commons, Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared that this would ever be a famous American victory, and that the eyes of the world would long gaze at the heroic men who had fallen there.

On 24 January, the 75th learned with regret that the general who had steered them through these difficult combat days was leaving. Major General Fay B. Prickett, who had been recalled to a hight headquarters, wrote:

I look with confidence to the future of this great fighting division and am sure that its history will be enriched with victory.

Major General Ray E. Porter, a veteran of the African campaign and later War Department G-3, then assumed command of the 75th.

CLICKS WITH PRECISION

The 75th not only was tired after its first campaign, but it sorely needed reinforcements. Higher headquarters agreed and decided to send the division to a rest area near Liege to reorganize and be brought up to full strength.

However, the German High Command planned otherwise. Striking this time at the opposite end of the front, at Strasbourg in Alsace Lorraine, the Nazis counter-attacked in force. The line, thinly defended by troops of the American Seventh and French First Armies, required immediate reinforcement. Again, the 75th was called to help flatten another bulge. Passes were cancelled, vehicles and trains loaded for what was to become the most difficult journey anyone could remember.

Moving a division isn’t an easy matter even in peace time. Under ideal conditions it is a difficult job in war time. Add the coldest weather of the winter to the overall picture and the move becomes a nightmare.

This was the situation as the weary 75th headed south to help take Colmar and throw the Germans back across the Rhine River. Snow was falling when the division left Belgium and flakes still fell when the 75th arrived in Alsace two days later.

Doughs, loaded to the hilt with gear, piled into the 40-and-8 cars, tried to keep warm. Jolting wheels on worn road beds made sleep impossible. Men concentrated on a single thought: to keep from literally freezing to death.

The remainder of the 75th moved by motor convoy which totalled more than 1400 vehicles. Roads were icy and mountain passages were made more treacherous by the necessary blackout. Sleep was virtually impossible. The nightmare ended with the troops’ arrival at the edge of the Colmar Pocket, high in the Vosges Mountains.

The division was assigned to the French First Army for tactical purposes and to the American Seventh for administration. XXI Corps, to which the 75th now was attached, was given the mission of seizing the ancient walled city of Neuf-Brisach and blocking off the German escape route across the Rhine.

The role of the 75th was to jump off from a point just south of the Colmar Canal and forge ahead along the Horburg-Andolsheim-Appenwihr-Wolfgantzen axis. When these strategic places were taken, the objective would be to close up along the west bank of the Rhine. D-Day was 1 February 1945; H-Hour, 0700. Under cover of darkness, the 289th and 291st moved up to the kick-off position, relieving the 3rd Infantry Division.

Mountain snow had transformed the valley into a lake of oozing mud. Artillery and vehicles found the going rugged, but the infantry got away on schedule. As the two regiments advanced abreast. 1st Battalion, 289th closed on Horburg and immediately engaged in a fierce house-to-house struggle. Germans were in every cellar; even a church steeple was a snipers’ nest. Several rounds from a bazooka eliminated the riflemen in the steeple and the town was cleared after doughs went to work with grenades.

The 289th was clicking with a fine precision as it roared through Wihr-en-Plaine and on to Andolsheim, which was buttoned up after a tremendous artillery barrage had swept the streets. Meanwhile, the 291st, spearheaded by 2nd Battalion, made rapid progress towards the important Neuf-Brisach road.

But enemy resistance stiffened and the regiment found itself in the midst of a strong counter-assault. Waves of German infantry, tanks and self-propelled guns were flung at the 291st. Second Battalion did itself proud by holding its ground, repulsing every thrust.

The battle raged for three hours. Then, 1st Battalion rushed forward, slicing its way to the east. Tiger tanks slowed down the battalion’s rush but couldn’t completely stop the hard-charging doughs - doughs like Staff Sergeant Erich Schwartz, Chicago, Company A, who knocked out a pair of machine gun nests with grenades; or Lieutenant (then Tech Sergeant) Odilo N. Bonde, Valders, Wisconsin, who captured 23 prisoners single-handed. Sometimes, bazookamen fired at tanks only 10 yards away.

Enemy aircraft used every trick in the book to knock out supply line bridges. The 440th AAA was ever alert and its marksmen, driving off constant threats, blasted from the skies one of the first jet-propelled planes shot down on the Western Front.

The mission may not have been spectacular, but the fighting was. Eventually the division cleared the entire northern and eastern approach line to Colmar. Elements of the French First Army drove on to capture the city proper.

Meanwhile, 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 289th, struck toward Appenwihr. The 2nd Battalion worked into the heart of the town, but the Germans threw in a heavy concentraion of artillery, followed by tanks and infantry, and doughs were forced to pull back.

Two members of the 289th Medical Detachment, Captain William T. Leslie, New York City, and Corporal William I. Sloan, Los Angeles, wrote a stirring chapter in the 75th’s book when they braved enemy fire to drive back into the town and set up an emergency aid station. These medics went from house to house administering first aid and then loaded wounded aboard a truck for evacuation. Their job completed, the pair walked out of the town.

Getting support from the 290th, the 289th again trained its sights on Appenwihr. This additional strength turned the trick and the regiment moved back in to stay.

HOLLAND OP IN AN EASY CHAIR

A record 3,000 rounds was fired into the town of Wolfgantzen, reducing it to rubble. Even then, the 291st couldn’t move into the city because its entrance was blocked by heavy German fire. The Germans resisted fanatically, because, only by defending Wolfgantzen could they hope to keep open the escape route to the Rhine. Nazis, crouched in concrete dugouts ringing the town, put up a defense that was equal to their savage reputation.

Many doughs fought beyond the call of duty as the 75th redoubled its efforts to crack the defenses. Staff Sergeant Samuel W. Cathcart, Long Beach, California, Company I, 291st, despite a painful wound, fired from the hip to lead his squad in eliminating several machine guns nests. When his ammunition was exhausted, he leaped into an enemy position and rifle-butted its occupants to death.

When it seemed impossible for 1st and 3rd Battalions to take Wolfgantzen, a ruse was employed. Information revealed that Germans had set up their defenses along the south and west edges of the town. By feinting in these directions and sending one company along the canal to the east, while simultaneously hitting the city from the remaining directions, the 291st was able to move in.

The enemy was unable to fight in all directions at the same time. The 291st was. The difference spelled victory for the doughs. The 289th and 290th continued their sweep, crossing the Rhine-Rhone Canal. Overpowering several villages, the 290th swung east and closed on the Rhine. Infantrymen looked across the river and saw German soil for the first time.

The enemy had been driven out of eastern France. It was a great moment and from General Delattre de Tassigny, French First Army Commander, came the message:

...I have not allowed you any respite, and night and day have ordered you harshly en avant! This had to be done. No task was more imperative nor more lofty than saving Strasbourg and finally, liberating Alsace. You understood this and, covered with mud, numb with cold, exhausted, you found in yourselves the supreme strength necessary to overcome the desperate resistance of the enemy.

Thanks to you, my beloved American comrades, who had brought us your courage and who have spared nothing to help us - neither your arms nor your blood. The German has been driven from the sacred soil of France. He will never return.

Two campaigns in seven weeks entitled the 75th to a well deserved rest and it enjoyed a short breather, followed by a not too difficult assignment in Holland. Guns were cleaned, vehicles loaded and the division moved to the vicinity of Luneville for a few days’ break. There were baths, clean clothes and Red Cross clubs. But it didn’t last long. Orders were received by the 75th to report to the opposite end of the line. Another long trip was in prospect.

D Co., 290th.

Children always received tender treatment from sympatheitc American soldiers.

The winter had lost its bitterness by now and the division, imbued with self-confidence and high in spirit, had time to reflect as it took the long journey in stride.

When the 75th was activated at Fort Leonard Wood back in 1943, it was not only the first division organized in Missouri, but it also was the Army’s youngest. Men of the 75th averaged 21.9 years of age. Major General Willard S. Paul was the original division commander with Brigadier General Gerald St. Clair, Mickle, the only general officer still with the division, as assistant commander.

Cadre came from the 83rd Infantry Division, then stationed at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Training in the rugged Ozark Mountains began 19 April, and proceeded vigorously until 24 July when the conclusion of the Mobilization Training Program was marked by inspection of all units by XI Corps. General Paul wrote at this time:

Throughout unit training, during our combined training, and finally during combat, let us cherish and keep alive this spark, this 75th’s way of doing things. I give you a battle cry: Over, Around, Under or Through.

A cadre of officers and men from the 5th Infantry Division, stationed in Iceland, arrived for temporary quartering 1 August and later was absorbed by the division. On 18 August, General Prickett took over command of the 75th. Approximately a year later, with the final polish of Louisiana maneuvers and a stay at Camp Breckinridge added, the division shipped overseas.

Now, as the 75th set its sights to the north its assignment was to relieve the British 6th airborne Division near Panningen, Holland, and to take up positions along the west bank of the Maas River. By 21 February 1945, relief of the British troops was complete and the 75th occupied a 24-mile stretch of front. The position was strictly defensive, the object being to keep the Germans from spanning the river and, by use of patrols, to gain any information.

Patrols crossed the Maas nightly for information on German actions and plans. Psychological warfare was carried on with Division Artillery firing occasional broadsides of leaflets and surrender propaganda on German positions.

Doughs lived in reasonably comfortable homes along the edge of the river, within sight of the enemy. There were observation posts in upper story windows where men sat in easy chairs and looked over window sills at German emplacements.

The Holland campaign was easier than anything experienced thus far by the 75th. During this phase, the division served under the British Second Army. In its short two and a half months of combat operations, this was the fourth Army and third nation to which the 75th had been linked.

ACROSS THE RHINE INTO THE RUHR

Although the fighting in this period had been particularly vicious, the 75th had yet to battle on German soil. The Ardennes, Alsace-Lorraine and Holland had seen the division in action, but these were all friendly countries. Now, with Ninth Army’s drive to the Rhine complete, the 75th shifted into position to take over a large part of that area.

The division was assigned to a sector which extended from a point opposite the town of Wesel, later seized by British commandos, to Duisburg. Doughs were to play both a vital offensive and defensive role.

Attached to XVI Corps, the 75th’s task was to help liquidate the important Ruhr industrial area where 80% of Germany’s coal, iron, stell, synthetic rubber and chemicals were produced. Here were the great war plants that nourished the Wehrmacht. With out the Ruhr, Germany could not hope to continue the war.

Nazis knew the score. They also knew that if Ninth Army attacked across the Rhine, elements undoubtedly would launch the attack from the area now held by the 75th. In order to set up a defense, Germans had to know American plans and strategy. Adequate defenses could spell disaster for Allied crossing attempts.

The job of veiling operations, to prevent the enemy from learning the methods to be employed, fell to the 75th. So far as is known, no German patrol ever returned across the river with any information concerning the movements of XVI Corps. Not only did the division successfully screen all troop movements in the rear, but 75th patrols, sent out by division G-2, were vitally successful as the enemy’s were unproductive.

Night after night, small groups crossed the Rhine’s swift currents to probe enemy defenses. Patrols learned the disposition of German pillboxes, mortars, 88s, wire entanglements. It was dangerous, daring work and the swirling waters tossed the tiny assault boats around helplessly. Black nights and freezing water made missions double dangerous. On the far shore, the presence of sentries made landings difficult; further in, man-made obstacles made even Indian tactics a touch-and-go affair. Experience gained from the many patrol missions along the Maas in Holland eventually turned the trick. The framework for spanning the Rhine was complete. This patrolling soon would realize a pay-off.

24 March 1945: Surging forth on the heels of one of the largest artillery barrages ever recorded, the 30th and 79th Infantry Divisions swarmed across the Rhine. Much of this curtain of fire was laid down by the 75th’s artillery. Altogether, 55 artillery battalions took part, many of which came under the control of the 75th Fire Direfction Center. Guns blazed until they were too hot to handle. Barrels were changed; whole guns were replaced by ordnance crews.

Meanwhile, engineers constructed and launched an anti-submarine boom across the river. Made of materials found in the area, Jerricans, wire, timber, the boom stretched more that 1200 feet. Enemy fire cut down several attempts to stretch it across the river, but after three days and nights of work the job was completed.

On 26 March, the 290th crossed to the east bank to support the 8th Armored Division. Hunxe was cleared, followed by the important assault on Dorsten. Artillery slammed in shell after shell, then the 290th sliced in behind the armor to take the ruined town. Familiar house-to-house fighting raged. After a careful reconnaissance by the division recon troop, the remainder of the 75th moved into an assembly area near Imloh four days later. The 30th and 79th Infantry Divisions were tiring and the attack into the Ruhr had begun to slow. It was time for the 75th to go into action again.

With regiments abreast, the division advanced on a line towards the Dortmund-Ems Canal. Huls, the Die Haard Forest, Kol Brassert, Oer, Alt, Horneburg were cleared. Hundreds of thousands of slave laborers were freed, prisoners of war released and Volkssturmers sent home. Factories, refineries, one of the world’s largest synthetic rubber plants, all vital tools of Hitler’s war machine, were seized. Never before had the division seen such a booty.

ALWAYS GET THERE SOMEHOW

Even rain and poor visibility couldn’t stop the 75th now. The canal system was bridged. Supplies rolled forward. Tanks moved in for support and doughs climbed aboard jeeps to keep pace with fast-moving Cps. Although there was still some heavy resistance, the Volkssturm ofen threw down its arms, begged to go home.

Every factory, village and crossroad was a potential strongpoint for snipers and anti-tank guns. Each had to be reduced; the 75th not only was willing but able. At higher headquarters, officers and correspondents watched the 75th’s ever shifting phase lines. But they couldn’t see the bristling guns in the Ruhr or the 50 or more bridges blown by the retreating enemy. They did know that the engineers somehow repaired these bridges so that lumbering QM trucks could roll to the front.

Aftermath of action in the Ruhr section.

Second Battalion, 291st. closed in on the important town of Datteln 2 April. Fighting until their ammunition was gone, Germans surrendered in droves. Lieutenant Stephen G. Lax, Philadelphia, Company L, reported that as we closed on the town, two German 40mm AA guns fired point blank. Despite six casualties, 1st and 2nd platoons rushed into the town. The