11/9 This is it! Started out rainy. Big tank battle. Then what a symphony! Thousands of heavy bombers. The air was full of them. What a beating the Krauts are going to take today! We hit a regular blizzard. The going is pretty tough. Ran into the ditch. Had a flat tire. Lots of P 47s. Spent the night in a “deserted village.”
11/11 Armistice Day. Visited CCB. A number of casualties came in today. Germans counter-attacking pretty hard — but not hard enough.
11/12 Moved out again early this morning. Everything is smashed and everything is German. Stopped quite a while in Lemhoff (Lemoncourt) where everything is “Caput.” Snowed for several hours. Getting cold. Snowed all night.
11/13 Getting in some dead ones in bad shape — but we are still pushing ahead. I think there is mail from home.
11/15 There are all kinds of farm animals around that the GIs are caring for. They milk the cows, feed the horses (and a little calf). Got a good GI bath. All we are getting in is frozen feet and Trench Foot cases. Got three letters from home.
11/18 Things change rapidly. CCB has moved to Courbesseaux, and 46-B to Drouville. Wonder what is in the wind now. The folks are fixing a little package for me of assorted edibles. Made rounds. Reterned to my “2nd family” for the night.
11/21 Moved to Dieuze (Duss). Immediately after arrival found a young woman and one day old baby in indescribably dirty basement hole. I got Steve, and held the flashlight while he baptized the baby and administered the “last Sacrament” to the mother. Heresy! Found Reformed church in good shape. Doug D. played the organ for a little while.
11/26 Service in Luth. Ch. at Mittersheim. Big shell hole right over the altar. Two signs on either side of pulpit: “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen Herr Zabaoth.” (How lovely are thy dwellings, Mr. Zabaoth) and “Lasset das Wort Christi unter euch reichlich wohnen” (Let the Word of Christ dwell among you richly). Big picture of bro. M.L. (Martin Luther, I presume) beside altar. They use the crucifix. A few casualties drifted in all day. 53-A took a shellacking.
11/30 Returned to Fenetrange. Dick came over, and we sang a little.
12/1 Move to Wolfskirchen. Met the old pastor — Denzler. Took him to adjacent town to bury a young boy. Got shot at a little. Had good services in his church. Sang various German songs with our hosts. When we sang “Ein’ Feste Burg” (translation is “A Solid Castle.” It’s the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”) they wept. They had been singing it in the basement during the shelling.”
12/7 Pearl Harbor Day. Rumours all over the place.
12/11 No mail. Gen’l. Patton dropped in on CCB. Emmet, Steve and I took a ride. They spent night at the monastery; I at the Boulangerie. Took Noel paquets pour toute la famille (packages for the whole family). They almost wept. Swell folks all…
12/13 Church at Mittersheim. Here I discover a much more tolerant attitude between Evangelisch (Evangelical) and Katolisch (Catholic) than in the U.S.
The Battle of the Bulge started Dec. 16 and lasted more than a month. Uncle Frank’s unit joined the battle.
12/19 0200 Started for 1st Army front to try to stop big German counter attack. Drove 151 miles into Belgium and Luxembourg. Cracked up twice.
12/20 Krauts are capturing hospitals, map depots and small tactical units wholesale. What now?… Retreated quickly about 15 miles.
12/21 Nazi tanks are in Bercheaux. We were yesterday. 78th is just No. of us now. I went back to Bercheaux with “Manny” because “Si” was afraid to. Nothing happened.
12/22 First thing I heard this morning was petite Colette: “Bonjours, Americaines.” We are advancing, but not fast.
12/23 We are taking some pretty heavy losses, but are stopping their advance. Germans are using American tanks, vehicles, uniforms, dog tags, gas, rations, etc… Saw my first “buzz bomb.”
12/24 Three services, incl. a candle light service at CCB in a Germ. beer hall. Three Germ. prisoners sitting in the corner joined in singing “Silent Night.”
12/25 Two services. Moved to Fauvillers.
12/26 Drove to Haraucourt to pick up my blouse and pinks, etc… Had a delightful time with family… Got lovely photo of Simone.
12/29 Visited Luxembourg with Joe Bowman. Krauts bombing us pretty much.
12/30 Germans counter attacking again with tanks and planes.
12/31 Two N.Y. services. Krauts bombed Arlon. B-17 dropped two 1000 lb bombs outside Wittry — I wasn’t far…
1/1/1945 New Years Day. Arlon got it again.
1/4 Krauts keep on counterattacking. Dick Cook hit.
1/5 Shelled from 2300 to 0200 last night. I slept through it all.
1/6 Dull day. Made rounds. Tried to find Dick Cook. He is in England already.
1/10 Four packages: cookies from Teregawas; coffee and candy from Helen; robe, peanut butter and candy from Florence…Very secret move…all insignia removed or covered. Spent night out of convoy — after sitting for six hours.
1/11 Found rest of units. Saved about 6 1/2 hours on the road. We are in Third Army reserve. Hope it means a rest.
It did mean a rest. Though the next couple weeks included a couple references to shells hitting nearby, Uncle Frank recorded no references to heavy combat action, writing mostly about religious services and visiting with natives. A couple times he wrote “lazed around.” Highlights:
1/17 Two services. Am falling in love with Annie, my five year old neighbor girl, who waits for me morning, noon and night.
1/21 Three worsh. services and three comm. services. Si sang at Bettembourg. George, Dick and I sang “Lead Kindly Light.” Col Olbon came to church “for the first time since being in the Army.”
1/25 Returned. Brrr! 16 below. What a day to ride in a jeep!
1/27 Made the rounds. Got a Bronze Star Medal.
1/28 Four services. Played a little chess in the evening.
1/30 Went back to Bettembourg on business. Nothing much…Two alcohol poisoning cases came in — one dead.
The next and final installment will take the diary to V-E Day and beyond, including the liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp.
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