Easy to look at it as I lay in bed with flannel sheets and a big warm comforter and two pillows with central heating. Can't imagine sleeping, working, fighting, eating and peeing in that for weeks on end. Brrrrrr!

I cannot imaginehow tough that was

I thought I was seeing double when I looked out the window...what an eerie feeling

Marion:-

If this posting is too gross please feel free to delete it. Comparing my posting vs. yours reminded me of a truly serious problem I had that affected my men.

For several reasons, I had certain men that were prone to having the dysentery in the setting that the above picture portrays. One guy managed to get extra Long-Johns and wore them at the same time to "contain the problem".

What none of us knew,until our Medic(s)(God Bless Him/Them) pointed out after the fact, that the soiled Long-Johns would freeze and compound the problem(s). The guy above had to be sent back due to the fact that the act of freezing to his body created another serious problem that required Medical attention.

Would you believe that I had to argue and give him a direct order (surprised he obeyed it)to get him to go back to a Field Hospital for treatment? He actually went AWOL from the hospital and came back up on his own because he was afraid he was letting the rest of the squad down!!

I say this in all sincerity, what you described doing last night was the dream of almost every guy on the line. There were times when some of us felt we would never be warm again.

As I said above,I don't know how today, we ever did that back in those days!! Sorry if I got maudlin.

Sgtleo

Sarge:

Gosh, I thank you for being graphic and honest. What do people learn by mincing words? Nothing. This is a World War II forum and therefore I want the truth about how things were, not some comic book illustrations and captions.

I am looking for these kinds of things for my book. Saying it was cold, does nothing for one's imagination. Describing what you have makes the point.

If anyone is offended then they need not visit my site or forum from now on. We state things as they are here.

I have posted a few vets' memoirs on the main site and some contain fowl language. Not for the sake of swearing but because this is exactly what they said at that point in time. It was part of the story as it happened.

I also have some Patton speeches and I have chosen not to delete or substitute the words. What would be the point. Patton didn't stand in front of his men and say, "Oh golly gee willikers men, let's get those Germans!"

So say it as it is. The truth is always welcome here!

Oh before I close I found a site a couple of years ago that would blot out words such as NAZI! I am not joking. It got to be ludicrous so I stopped posting and visiting that site.

I have been taken to task a couple of times over on the Military.com Forums because I called the Germans "Krauts". That is what we called them and I don't intend to have some half a***d amateur historian take exception to that word. I will tell like it was unless or until I am stopped by a banning or by direction of a Moderator.

I truly feel with some of the German "user names" they have been using indicates to me that they are very sympathetic to the Krauts and we weren't "making nice". That's why I am so glad j3rdinf(Joe) clued me about your forums.

One of my sons-in-law travels to Germany for the Space Industry and he has said that there is a growing sub-culture,especially in Southern Germany and Austria(home of the little corporal(Hitler) to the extent that certain groups have been banned from the radio. Also he has been warned about places unsafe for an American!!

"Nough said

If I can manage to get the enough free time,and I'm sure Joe and Roque will bear me out,I'll tell you how hard it was to unbutton your coat or to unbuckle your cartridge belt with fingers of iron. In some instances,a normal body function became a major project to perform

Sgtleo

The only reason I would ever ban someone is if they just started swearing or yelling for the sake of swearing or yelling. That is not appreciated. But if we are talking in context then how can you alter someone's words? I consider myself an historian, so I will portray things accurately. I do not beleive in revisionism, period! And I certainly can't relate to a 30 year old telling me how things were in WWII! You guys were there, he was not! Nuff said!

Now little boys and girls who can't handle the truth; go home, brush your teeth and take a nap!

Holy Mother of God if you know how to use an aspirate "h" and correctly use the word "Revisionism" I'm ready to shout "Kamerade und Ich habe mein Hand Hoch!!"

Bitte nichts schiessen!! Der Kreig is alles

You are correct about Gen. Patton that guy could singe your hair from 50 yards away and if you censored his speeches and/or communiques he would have had little to say!!

Uberfeldwebel Leo

Thank you for the compliment. What can I say, I was on the honor roll in grade school. High School, well we won't talk about the first two years because I was just goofin' off. I was on the Dean's list for 4 years at EMU. I liked school!

I better have my act together because I'm writing my book. Hopefully my editor will have an easy job and I won't keep him up nights with bottles of aspirin and boxes of red pens!

As far as Gen Patton... I didn't wan't his ghost coming back to haunt me. He'd make the Ghost of Christmas Past seem angelic!

Recently I was watching an episode of "Shoot Out" on THC. One of the Vets being interviewed mentioned having diarhea during the Battle of the Bulge, and he said he didn't mind...in fact it was the only warmth in his body at the time. That's real life, and does not offend me at all, nor do period expressions for the enemy that are used by these men. For cryin' out loud, they were trained to try and kill each other!

Jim

Marion:-

Since we have been kicking around the Battle of the Bulge I have been bothered by a lot of lousy recollections but here are two that might interest you and I can say had a happy ending.

A close friend of mine from Basic to the Bulge got blown out of a Jeep by a Mortar Shell and most of the damage was to his face and I kid you not this guy was a good looking man. Went back to the Field Hospital to see him and the Charge Nurse pointed out his bunk after I had walked by him twice as he was bandaged like a mummy.

Saw him after the war and he pulled my chain because he knew I had walked by him but you could only see his eye,nose and mouth holes in the bandages. It took the Doctors back Stateside 21 months to reconstruct his face and the only evidence was a thin white line that ran from ear to ear. Until I heard him speak and he insulted me as was his usual joking?? way of speaking to my(even though I was his Top) I could/would have walked by him on the street. Told him those GD Irish had hard heads!!! I ought to know!!

___________________________________________________________________

The other story involves a Wehrmacht Kraut I was interrogating in a building and following SOP we separated them into different rooms because some Wehrmacht Units had SS embedded in them for Political Reasons and to make them toe the mark but this way they were more apt to speak the truth to us.

After we got in the room the Kraut, IN PERFECT ENGLISH WITH A SLIGHT NEW JERSEY ACCENT,asks if he could borrow my Boot Knife which I carried like all the other Intel Guys here did. He said that he needed it to show me something but I cautioned him that any BS and you are TOT(dead).

Ever so carefully he inverted his coat and proceeded to cut open a seam and extract a small packet wrapped in some kind of water proof waxed paper. Inside this packet was a Social Security card(beat to hell but still legible) and a drivers license from NJ. He then proceeded to tell me that he had gone back to Germany to go to school and was living with and Aunt and an Uncle when he got drafted and if he didn't report for duty those relatives would be taken away to the Camps.

I knew this was out of my league so I got a Captain involved and we kept this Kraut away from the others - boy were they ever curious. Two days later we get the word he is to be transported to England for further questioning but the powers that be were sure he was legit and sure enough a week later we were told he was on a ship back to the States.

Remember how the comedian Red Buttons had the line "Strange Things are Happening" well it applied here. Oh by the way he did give us some good data on Krauts units in the area.

____________________________________________________________________

Marion see how you can open Pandora's Box??

Sgtleo

Here is an original piece of memorabelia from Bastogne which is being auctioned on ebay now. It's the prayer request/Christmas card from General Patton to the men of the 3rd Army in Dec.'44. Wish I had the dough!

...the flip side with the General's signature*

 

Roque:-

 

Here's a photo for you - it will warm your heart - or freeze your arz!!

 

 

I still get cold when I look at this picture!! How we did it, I don't know looking back.

 

Sgtleo

Sgtleo, only one thing different, NO TREES WHERE I WUZ AT. AND YOU'RE RIGHT IT DIDN'T WARM MY HEART BUT MY A-- WUZ COLD! Thanks, it did bring back memories. Rocky

Easy to look at it as I lay in bed with flannel sheets and a big warm comforter and two pillows with central heating. Can't imagine sleeping, working, fighting, eating and peeing in that for weeks on end. Brrrrrr!

Peeeeing were'nt bad but releiving yourself was a might disturbing. Rocky