The GMC CCKW

61 years ago today....Battle of the Bulge has begun

Caption....Infantry on the road to Vith

My Uncle Joe, who raised, me was a Ranger leading a patrol behind German lines when he was captured on Twenty December. I have the telegram to my Grandparents from the Secretary of War, that notified them that he "has been reported missing in action since Twenty December in Luxembourg." It was sent on 15 January 1945. Also have a newspaper clipping of the of his release from POW Camp. Uncle Joe was a quiet gentleman who rarely mentioned war stories, was a local business leader, and capable of beating the daylights out of most men, but did not bragg about it. He was part of the Greatest Generation. I have all of his Army Ranger School handbooks and diploma from 2nd Army Ranger School at Camp Forrest Tennessee in 1943, plus an SS Ring he brought back.

Momentous day and a great photograph.

Glad he came back. For all those that didn't, WE WILL REMEMBER

These are men of the 289th infantry regiment, 75th infantry division . They arrived in the Bulge on december 20th 1944. They fought then for the first time, as they were freshly issued form the training camps in USA.

If you want to know more about the 75th division and the 289th inf. regiment, follow this link

aka: The little wood wagon.

http://www.fleetowner.com/mag/fleet_her ... index.html

777 AAA wrote:These are men of the 289th infantry regiment, 75th infantry division . They arrived in the Bulge on december 20th 1944. They fought then for the first time, as they were freshly issued form the training camps in USA.

If you want to know more about the 75th division and the 289th inf. regiment, follow this link

Not to argue with a LEO but how do you know that is where the picture is from....I could not see any patches.

Bill

Elementary, my dear Watson!

I had found this picture on a website where it was titled.

I have no proof it's true. But if they said...

When many of the soldiers were retreating towards Antwerp, men of the 291st Combat Engineering Batallion stayed behind to blow up the bridges and hinder the German advance by manning towed 57mm AT guns.

This action and their building the Bridge at Remagen made me decide to stencil my HMVs (all that would apply) as being from the 291st in honor of what they did!

I actually got to talk to Col Pergin this year. He was the man in charge at both of these actions. I thanked him and sent him a picture of my HMV collections with the 291st stencil clearly shown.

Note the M-31C Mount on the damaged Jeep. When used with the .50 it will self destruct the Jeep in time. the .30 was convenient as more ammo could be stored on the Jeep.
Joel

War does have a humane side, on New Years Day, 1945, my uncle Joe was in a large warehouse full of dead German soldiers, ensuring that each body had a head, two arms and two legs to be buried with. His prison diet consisted of bread, water, and boiled potato skins. There was singing allowed in the barracks. He also slipped over the compound fence to the area the prison staff kept the cows, and was able to sip milk from a rusty can. He fought hunger by imagining he had just completed a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Rangers are tough, he also was fluent in German. (He also gave me my first CCKW and Jeep ride after WWII)

A little footnote to this story. We had German POWs at Military Bases in Maine, Dow and Houlton AAB come to mind.There were Christmas parties for children at those bases and thecPOWs made some of the gifts. In the Houlton area there are fond memories of miles of firewood cut and stacked neatly beside US Rt 2 by POWs. Some liked our hospitality and returned after the war to live in Maine and become US citizens.

Reference the lead picture, it makes one wonder their fate, where they will be bedding down and the end of their march or what their next meal will be like.

Good point Joel,I often think about that when I see a picture like this one.I wonder how many of them made it? even those who survived would be affected in some way.another point to remember is their average age,most would be in their late teens to mid twenties.

Matt.

Frost bite was the norm in that weather,as they could not always have dry socks and boots at same time. There was no relief from the misery caused by the cold. I do not believe that all enjoyed the noisy little GI Field stoves,(they were a dead give away to your position) or had a chow truck following them with eggs to order. Just imagine having to take carry a .50 and the Ammo, or load an M-1 Clip with cold hands, or rolling up a wet frozen bedroll when advancing. Imagine lying wounded on the frozen ground. The GI toilet paper came in those tiny flat 7 sheet packs, and was a joke to a GI who just crapped his pants.