


          * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
          *                                                         *
          *            THE WAR MOVES INTO A NEW YEAR                *
          *                                                         *
          * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

          The arrival of the new year found me still in Luxembourg.
          Although we continued to follow the terrible fighting to the
          north of us, there was nothing we could do but wait for
          orders. Command changes made as a result of the German
          offensive left us in Patton's Third Army, a new experience.
          Well aware of his reputation for driving his troops hard, we
          wondered when he would call upon us. While waiting, I
          found time to exchange views with my parents about the
          German offensive. From their letters and the press, it was
          clear that this had come as a rude shock to the American
          public. After our successes during the summer, it had
          decided the war in Europe was all but over.
          
          As the clock passed midnight, I wrote a short letter home.
          
          Dear Folks, 00:15 January 1, 1945, Luxembourg
          
          The New Year is here. Let me send to all of you wishes for
          the best possible happiness during the coming year.
          
          Love, John
          
          In mid-morning, I was driving along a road when I saw an
          infantry unit conducting an exercise. As a part of simulating
          an attack on the town of Wecker, which was well behind our
          lines, it was shooting up flares. Suddenly a group of
          American aircraft began to bomb and strafe the town.
          Fortunately, the bombs fell short of the houses, and there
          were not many casualties.
          
          If there was any doubt that the war had not ended, Hitler
          soon erased it. He chose January 1 to launch Northwind to
          the south of us, an offensive less well known than the one
          in the Ardennes. Unfortunately, the French forces had failed
          to eliminate a pocket of Germans in the Colmar area, south
          of Strasbourg. These coordinated an attack with one by
          German forces north of Strasbourg. At one point,
          Eisenhower seriously considered abandoning that city. This
          invited another threat from de Gaulle to withdraw French
          forces from Eisenhower's command. It proved possible,
          however, to defeat the German attack without precipitating
          a crisis in French-American relations.
          
          We were at the time unaware of these political maneuvers.
          Since the fighting did not affect me directly, I was more
          concerned with my father's efforts to adjust to civilian life.
          Then approaching fifty, his years in China (as adviser to the
          Chinese on railway construction), Alaska (where he
          commanded a railroad), and North Africa (where he selected
          railway targets for the Air Force) had been too much for
          him. After a lengthy hospitalization at Valley Forge, the
          doctors decided that his health would not permit him to
          continue in the army, and he was retired. 
          
          Dear Dad, January 2, 1945, Luxembourg
          
          Your letters of December 12 and 14 have arrived. I noted
          especially your change of jobs to make a climb up the
          ladder of the railroad business with some pride. Certainly
          you would be foolish to fail to capitalize on your World War
          II experience.
          
          Your negotiations with the firms interest me no end. By all
          means, do keep me informed on developments. You know,
          I'm promoting your return to China like wildfire. Besides,
          this gives me a continuous thread on which to tie myself
          when things don't go well here.
          
          Boston, Richmond, New York. Well do I remember that trip
          with you when I was a child. The Woolworth Building, the
          subway, the Holland Tunnel, many exciting moments for a
          small boy.
          
          From the clipping I sent mother, you will see that our unit,
          after a difficult fight in Hurtgen, took the left wing of the
          offensive and held it. But that's the sort of thing that's duck
          soup for our men. They love to get a Jerry coming across an
          open field, with them in the hole, for once. We worked them
          over quite well.
          
          Many of us feel that had we been at the center of the
          German drive, they'd probably have gone through us as they
          did the others, but we'd surely have given them a tussle,
          believe you me. But, as it was, we had to be content with
          catching only the poor buzzards who were making the
          containing attack on the flank.
          
          General Patton has said this was our best action. If he
          thought that, he ought to have seen us on a couple of our
          others.
          
          Incidentally, I was interested in learning of your job as rail
          bombing officer in the Mediterranean. I had not known of
          this before.
          
          Your son, John
          
          Dear Folks, January 10, 1945, Luxembourg
          
          The packages have been literally rolling in. All of them have
          been excellent. Glad you included tea balls in your last. I
          was out of them.
          
          Did I tell you I gave a T/Sgt. Stockely your address and
          phone number? He's on his way home on furlough, after
          being in a rifle company since D-day, the only one in his
          company who has not been wounded. He lives in
          Kensington. You might invite him out when he calls. He
          could tell you much of what we've been doing.        


          HOW TO APPROACH A WAR THAT SEEMS TO GO ON FOREVER

          Dear Dad, January 5, 1945, Luxembourg
          
          One time you said that one should approach each battle as
          though it would be the last, and one day this would be so.
          For five fights, I've lived and fought in hope that it would be
          the last. None have been. Each just paved the way toward
          the next. Each was harder than the last. This factor alone
          insures that some day one of us must break.
          
          The German offensive in the Ardennes was a set-back. We
          may be able to turn it to advantage by destroying
          Rundstedt's forces, but it was an effective blow nevertheless.
          Personally, I feel sure it is either the first of a series of such
          attacks, or it is the only attack he could muster, and he is
          using strong patrol activity and small scale attacks to make
          us fear another, while he digs in for the next fight.
          
          But this is beside the point. What I wanted to say was this.
          For myself I am about to conclude that the wisest approach
          to this business is a resignation to many more fights, many
          more months of war. If this should prove over-pessimistic,
          anything less would be bonus. But I feel I need to adopt a
          little more realistic and a harder approach to the whole
          subject.
          
          This war will not end because it is difficult and inconvenient
          for me. Whether I get back to school or even survive to do
          the many things I hope to matters very little. It will only be
          when we have fought hard enough and long enough that we
          shall crush the German army. And I truly believe this is the
          only way we shall end this struggle.
          
          There is nothing to indicate the war will end with less. And
          there is little to indicate we can end the war for many
          months.
          
          If this sounds reasonable after further consideration, I shall
          set next summer as the time to look forward to. Our spring
          offensive will be the one to finish Hitler off. A winter
          offensive into Germany is still possible, but more remote. To
          be sure, we are not above destroying German forces in
          Belgium, but I am dubious. Jerry surely is capable of one
          more such drive, especially if he sacrifices inferior forces and
          extracts his best forces from the Bulge. Anyway, the
          Wehrmacht's recuperative powers are amazing. There are
          many unknowns in this that only tomorrow will reveal, but
          the bald facts don't permit a rosy picture.
          
          Meanwhile, fighting Jerry at times becomes almost a
          pleasure. An admiration for cleverness almost turns to a
          dislike for ruthlessness. Killing them becomes a game - a
          pleasure. No doubt they feel the same way. We shall see.
          
          Your son, John
          
          Dear Folks, January 11, 1945, Luxembourg
          
          Sounds to me as though the late German Ardennes offensive
          has somewhat depressed you all. What an inaccurate
          impression to have. Let me give you a few reasons.
          
          As the war was going, we were only making satisfactory
          progress in the number of Jerries we were killing. This may
          have led to a breakthrough, but maybe not. As things
          developed, we probably inflicted as many casualties on them
          in the Ardennes as any other place.
          
          To be sure, they stalled our hard won Duren opportunity
          and perhaps others. But as to whether that is good or bad
          remains to be seen. The most they got out of this attack
          was time. The land meant nothing and is being taken back.
          If they hoped to do more, they failed.
          
          Certainly, if they hoped to discourage our soldiers, they
          failed miserably. You should have watched our men's
          reactions. Many regretted not being more in the direct path
          of the offensive. It was a real opportunity to get Jerry out of
          his hole. As it was, we had to be satisfied with holding the
          left wing of his attack. Surely, no one was the least
          concerned, all being quite confident the push would be
          stopped before it could do much damage.
          
          We realized the war wasn't over when we made first contact
          with the Germans in Germany. We knew there were several
          fights ahead. Our leaders knew this also. If it wasn't
          recognized, it was by John Q. Public. He was buying civilian
          cars, looking for civilian work, preparing for V-E Day. A few
          men here will suffer for this, but what is done is done.
          
          The war here will go on indefinitely. At least one more
          difficult fight lies ahead. Perhaps the winter will be spent in
          small attacks to regain lost ground and positions. Maybe a
          big drive can be made before spring. We shall see. Germany
          is not beaten. We have not earned a victory. But don't worry
          about it. Our nation went to war, knowing this. If they
          didn't, let them remember it next time.
          
          Love, John
          
          Dear Folks, January 15, 1945, Luxembourg
          
          Wanted to send you the enclosed newsprint. It's the division
          news bulletin, which comes out every day. In addition to
          this, we receive the Stars and Stripes only a day after it is
          published in Paris. My Time reaches me about eight days
          after printing. Thus, I am pretty well able to keep up on the
          situation.
          
          Saw a good GI stage show last night. A bunch of men from
          an aviation engineer regiment put it on. I've been seeing
          several movies lately. None particularly good, but who am I
          to be particular?
          
          The news about the world sounds better than it did this
          time last month. We've got to work on the Bulge, and it
          shouldn't be too long before things are going a bit more our
          way.
          
          The Burmese campaign seems to be progressing. The Luzon
          landing begins a long, difficult fight there, and no one
          should expect it to go fast. However, we're back where we
          started and much better set in materiel than several years
          ago. General Marshall visited us about four days before the
          Leyte landing and told us a landing was coming up there
          that could cut off many Japanese troops in the Indies, and
          it surely did.
          
          All goes well. My love to all of you.
          
          John
          
          Dear Dad, January 26, 1945, Luxembourg
          
          You seem concerned with our welfare during the German
          attack. All outsiders seem to think we had such a bad time
          of it. This was not true. It was a mild action compared with
          some in which we have engaged.
          
          For myself, with the action now over, I feel that the German
          army gave us a definite setback in the Ardennes. That is,
          they halted the First and Third Army offensives. But this
          must be looked at from several sides.
          
          If the war of attrition were going to continue for several
          months, the Jerry offensive was a break, since I believe
          we've killed more enemy and destroyed more materiel in the
          Bulge than we would have on line. Thus, he may have
          thrown himself sufficiently off balance to permit us now to
          effect a penetration and breakthrough.
          
          However, if the First and Third Army drives were about to
          push more rapidly, he dealt us a terrific blow by stopping
          them. But when all is said, if this was a victory for us, it
          was a negative victory, giving us no credit for brilliance.
          
          Yes, we learned much from the experience with that
          breakthrough. Next time, if there is a next, our defense will
          be better. However, don't forget, we held them at the 4th,
          and we feel that, if we had been in the center of it, we'd
          have given them a much better fight. Perhaps not.
          
          Frankly, I don't think much of all these boys at the rear
          headquarters. No doubt some of them work hard, but the
          rest don't know what it's all about. You don't have to get
          very far behind the lines to see a soft approach toward the
          war. The rear echelons live in comfort, are well paid, and
          are often in no particular hurry to end the war. I often feel
          that, if we could get all headquarters out into the snow, this
          war would end a hurry.
          
          So you wanted us to go to the Rhine. That's what we
          wanted when we got to Germany and through the West
          Wall. The fighting troops were ready, but supply services
          weren't. This probably wasn't all their fault, but an 8 hour
          day attitude didn't help.
          
          Russia - I'm pessimistic. Looks more like a German
          withdrawal than a breakthrough. Hope I'm wrong, but surely
          the Germans will hold them at the Oder.
          
          Let's all hope this thing will soon end. We are expending all
          our youth, which cannot be replaced.
          
          John                                                 


          A ONE DAY PASS TO LUXEMBOURG CITY
          
          Many letters have been rolling in. Now that we have
          completed our latest attack, it is possible to write to you all.
          Our last operation was a river crossing, as you no doubt
          know. This is a very difficult and risky maneuver. However,
          we were quite fortunate, lucky, and quite successful.
          
          Last evening Capt. Joe Gude, commander of C Company, Lt.
          Bill Woodruff, his executive officer, and I got together and
          made a trip to Luxembourg City. As always, we had an
          excellent time, real fun and relaxation. These are great boys.
          Woody has been with us since D-day, twice wounded. Gude
          (pronounced Goody) joined us at Cherbourg, has been
          wounded once, has the Silver Star with two oak leave
          clusters. I always feel proud to be in their company.
          
          We got into the city about 14:00. There were a few bad
          hours when we were trying to find a place to sleep.
          However, by five we not only had a very nice room in a
          private home but dates with Red Cross girls for the evening.
          
          How we got the room is cause for a story. You see, in any
          such city as this all the hotels are taken over by the army.
          If you are on orders, its OK. On pass, it's a different matter.
          So - we tried everything. We were driving by a group of
          houses, and I suggested, "Surely in such a place of this size
          there must be a place where we can stay."
          
          Just then an elderly couple emerged from a house. "There.
          They should have a room for us." We stopped the vehicle. I
          approached the couple. "Trois officiers desirent une chambre
          pour ce soir. Est-il possible?"
          
          "Mais non. Nous n'avons pas une chambre. Mais - "
          
          Well, while they didn't have one, their neighbor did. And
          what a room. Positively luxurious. And that bathroom. And
          a flush toilet. The lady of the house was very kind. She
          made us feel right at home. Woody and Gude were
          overjoyed. They hadn't seen such comfort since they were in
          the hospital.
          
          We cleaned up and dressed. Having rushed away from our
          area, we had had no dinner. The first thing to do was to
          eat. We got out a ten in one ration, and the madame cooked
          it for us. The old gent donated a bottle of white wine. And
          we feasted.
          
          Dinner over we went to the girl's home. It was a private
          home that had been requisitioned. The other half of our ten
          in one, a bottle of scotch, a bottle of cognac, the radio, the
          rug pulled back, and we had an excellent party. As the
          other girls would drift in they'd drop by us, and all had a
          fine time. They were a fine bunch of girls, all very pleasant,
          congenial, and unusually attractive. I've been on passes
          before, but Joe and Woody haven't.
          
          We slept late, had breakfast, and returned to our work.
          There's nothing like a break like this to help one's
          disposition and attitude. Without them, I feel I should go
          completely off at times. They're infrequent, but it helps to
          get away.
          
          Now they are giving passes to Paris, leaves to the States,
          and talk of leaves to the Riviera and England. One of my
          men left today for the States. Really tickled. I hope one day
          to get a pass to England and would prefer this to Paris. We
          shall see.
          
          All my love, John
          
          As I reread this letter, it makes me sad. Gude survived the
          war, but Woody did not. Just before the end, he was
          walking by a tank. Suddenly, its turret blew off and landed
          on him. After all the combat he had seen, what a strange
          way to die.                                          


          SOME CONSEQUENCES OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE

          On January 28, the German offensive was declared officially
          over. It did not actually end, however, until January 31. On
          that day, Private Eddie Slovik was executed. He was the first
          American soldier executed for desertion since 1865 and the
          only one during World War II. During the bulge, there had
          been a great many desertions and self-inflicted wounds in
          the 28th Division. Eisenhower decided that an object lesson
          was needed. The only unit informed of Slovik's execution at
          the time was the 28th. Had I not read about it in David
          Eisenhower's book about his grandfather, I would not know
          about this event even now.
          
          Another casualty of the Ardennes was Maj. Gen. Raymond
          O. Barton, commander of the 4th Division. His ulcer finally
          got the better of him, and he returned to the US for medical
          treatment and retirement. Brig. Gen. Harold W. Blakeley,
          until then commander of the 4th Division Artillery, replaced
          him and got another star. Barton was well respected in the
          Division. What a terrible combination, responsibility for the
          lives of thousands of men and an ulcer.              


          THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE A HALF CENTURY LATER

          With a perspective of nearly half a century and experience
          after the war with military matters, my views regarding the
          Ardennes offensive can be reduced to a few simple
          statements: First, I can understand Bradley's decision to
          leave the Ardennes lightly defended, so he could concentrate
          his forces in more favorable terrain. I can also, if barely,
          forgive US intelligence for failing to detect what was going
          on. What I find inexcusable is the failure of commanders to
          insure that the divisions in the Ardennes had as strong a
          defense posture as possible. If they had, they probably
          would have been overrun anyway. It would have taken the
          Germans, however, longer to do it. This would have given
          more time to deploy forces to counter the penetration. It
          could also have reduced casualties, which were extremely
          heavy. (There were about eighty thousand, with about ten
          thousand dead.)
          
          As always with such things, there was plenty of blame to go
          around. No one above division level lost his command.
          Nevertheless, Maj. Gen. Troy H. Middleton, commander of
          the VIII Corps, should have insured that the artillery was in
          a defensive posture. Furthermore, he should have verified
          that bridges were prepared for demolition.
          
          Eisenhower was right in handing over US forces north of the
          bulge to Montgomery temporarily. It is just a pity that this
          testy general had to gloat publicly. Had it not been for
          Churchill's praise of US forces in the House of Commons,
          Montgomery's untimely press conference could have seriously
          disrupted the alliance. (Montgomery made no reference in
          his memoirs to the disputes over strategy and command.)
          
          There is no way of knowing how the war would have gone
          had Hitler not ordered this offensive. The reality, however,
          was that the German Army was not able thereafter to put
          up a serious defense, and the generals knew the war was
          lost. As Danny S. Parker notes in his Battle of the Bulge,
          even Hitler lost interest in the western front and
          concentrated on the eastern.                             