Reunions
From Bill Chatel
Our unit was very small so we have had few reunions or chances to meet each other. When I traveled with the motor home, I carried all the addresses that I could get. I was able to link up with several fellows over the years. I still am in touch with 3 or 4 constantly. Recently I had cause to update my list and found that 5 or more had passed on, but my buddy from Wisconsin is still here, although we have lost contact due to area code changes. He is coming in this summer so we can go to Philadelphia to see a Nazi flag we both signed while on that all expenses paid government tour of Europe. If things work out we may go to New Hampshire to see some of the last survivors. Not many of us left though.
________________________________
Memories and Times Gone By 877th Signal Service Co.
From Doc Ellis
Oh man, I'd love to see some of those guys from my WWII outfit again, and I know at my age I'll be seeing most of them kind of soon, considering the time that's past. The only guy I know in my old outfit, 877th Signal Service Co., 16th Air Depot Group, from England to Germany and home, is Second Lt. Chuck Cross who lives in New York State. He was my Communications Officer when I was a 19 to 20 year old Staff Sergeant. Chuck was a great officer who, when he knew it was the right thing to do, went to bat for us even when we were wrong. I hadn't seen him since coming home in 1945, but by golly, located him on the Internet. He's about 86 now and a retired Lt Col. who, like me, went back into service for a career. I surmise he and I are the only 877th guys still around; we only occasionally exchange e-mails and always holiday cards, but we both know we're temporaries now. I'd like to see him too, once more. I see myself walking up to him, saluting and saying, "Sir, Sgt. Ellis reporting for duty". Who knows, maybe that's the way it will be when the time comes. But then, I'm a sentimentalist.
__________________________________
First Army
From Bill Chalet
While old “blood and guts” Patton was playing with his rubber trucks and tanks up at the Pas de Calais, the First army under the command of Omar (the tent maker) Bradley and Monty the British Commander and the combined forces of Canada and England along with other forces of the occupied countries, stormed the beaches of Normandy and started the chain of events that would lead to the liberation of Europe. In spite of the obstacles that Normandy presented to the First army, the port of Cherbourg soon fell and the entire peninsula was under Allied control. The massive bombing at St Lo opened up the lines of the German resistance and provided a pathway for the Allied forces to sweep around to the rear of the German forces concentrated to the northern tier of France. The First army in conjunction with the other Allied forces undertook this task. Despite a delay in both forces linking up, massive amounts of German equipment was destroyed and many German soldiers were killed or taken prisoner. It was at this point that Patton and the Third army were brought into action and permitted to exchange their rubber trucks and tanks for the real things and go into battle. The lightly defended south central portion of France was given to the Third army. Amid much media attention, Patton swept through much of this lightly defended territory. After the crushing defeat of the Germans at the Falaise Gap the First army raced across France and Belgium chasing the remnants of the German army until they reached the borders of Germany itself. Fighting around the German city of Aachen was fierce but the First army persevered and the first large German city fell to the Allied forces. It was the First army who captured the bridge over the Rhine River and by not stopping to urinate in it, became the first troops on the east bank. Much more could be and should be said about the accomplishments about the First army but I will stop now.
__________________________________
Reply to First Army
From Milt Long
You are right, the First army did deserve a lot more credit than they got. The one fact about Patton and his “rubber trucks” was that the Germans held their reserve units, waiting for Patton to show. This delay permitted us to get our troops off of the beach and further inland. If you remember, Rommel said, “Where is dat son of bitch Patton?” He felt that Patton would lead the real invasion. So maybe Patton saved more lives by not being there on D-Day. If you remember, Ike gave Patton the mission to take Brest, which was defended by a lot of great German troops. In addition to going east, he also went north trying to cut off the Germans that were holding up Montgomery. So, a lot of things were taking place when the Third army took off on August 1, 1944. That’s the rest of the story.
________________________________
Patton’s Ghost Troops
From Marie daughter of a WWII vet
I lost my Father in 1994, and I never got to ask him some questions about his experience in WWII. I know that some of his last words were, “I wish that I could have one more beer and a cigarette with my buddies that were with me in the Army.” I’m sure that dad was met by some of those buddies when he arrived Home!!!!! Someday I would like to find out more about my father's experience in WWII. Maybe some of the vets from WWII could help me out. One site that you had sent, gave me some info on my father’s service dates. We did find a reunion letter while going through dad’s personal things and it says, “3rd Cavalry Group, 43 RCN, SQD. XX CORPS PATTON"S GHOST TROOPS and 3 RCN, SQD. 3RD U.S. ARMY WWII.” Dad did tell us some of the things that he went through. How he drove a motorcycle with out wheels on it - we have a picture of that; how he was told to go to a certain area, which, he didn't want to do because he knew that there would be trouble, which there was. Dad lost some of his men when he finally did obey orders and took his men to that area. Dad was a Sergeant, and lost his stripes a couple of times; he was a feisty little American Italian guy and thought that his men were worth more than a few stripes. Dad carried one of his men who was wounded back to the rear area and when they got back, the soldier that he was carrying had died. Dad was wounded a couple of times. He carried shrapnel in his lung and leg until the day that he died. Some of the stories that dad told made us laugh and some made us cry. One story that he told was how they ate instant potatoes then drank the water instead of mixing it first. The way that he explained how all their stomachs made growling noises and how they felt so bloated made us all laugh till we cried. Dad was wounded in France, and while he lay in his foxhole wounded he said that he saw himself lying there from above. Dad said that he had thought that he had an out of body experience. Dad had one last request and that was to be buried with his Purple Heart, which he was. So I have the utmost respect for all the WWII vets, and for all those who have served and are serving in all fields of the military.
_________________________________
Medals of Honor
From Rusty
More than 3,400 Medals of Honor have been presented to U.S. soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen since the Decoration's creation in 1861. Do you have an ancestor or relative among them?
See: "Medal of Honor Citations" http://www.army.mil
_________________________________
Published in U S Legacies Magazine June 2004
- Log in to post comments