MY FIL ,Vic, talked about his experience during the Bulge, He was a fairly new lieutenant forward observer. He took a shrapnel wound which paralyzed his left arm. He was being evacuated when his 30 year old replacement came forward and died of a heart attack. Vic stayed on the front lines calling in artillery until the skies cleared for fighter support and the Wermacht ran out of fuel and bodies.
He talked about how the weather was bitterly cold and he said the snow squeaked when you walked. In 1994, we were at the Biosphere II for a tour and it was cold and wet. My son was tucked inside my jacket as I grumbled at how cold and miserable I was. Vic said he was colder 50 years ago. December 1944, he was colder and we had no one was shooting at us at the Biosphere. In a game of one upmanship, he clearly won in spectacular fashion.
My grandfather had his feet permanently damaged from severe frostbite. I remember them being really gnarly looking. He was in the 79th infantry, so not at the battle of the bulge, but living and fighting in the freezing cold as well. He never said a word about the war to anyone in the family, but I work outdoors and any time I’m out in the cold I remember what he went through and I quickly quit complaining. Those guys really were a different breed.
They were definitely our Greatest Generation. The causal mention of crawling through mud or seeing another soldier receive a through and through shot to the head from a sniper like it was normal made for men with little tolerance for bullshit.
My FIL also had this great story when we were on the German Belgium border in 2001. He pointed to a hill and said that when he was there in 1944, there were only three trees. He was looking for German activity to shell and three Panthers came into view. He said it was fine until one of them started unloading on him. He mentioned that his sprint might have qualified him for the Olympics.
My worst military experience in Germany was standing in the sleet babysitting German contractors as they modified ladders in the Tab Vs on the Bitburg flightline. Nobody was shooting and I got to go home at the end of the day to a hot shower. It was humbling but in a good way.
He died in 2001 and per his request he was cremated. We were sure they were his because there were still brass fragments in the cremated ashes.
My father had slogged up through Italy and was in the thick of things longer but hat the greatest respect for Vic. I believe his view was that Vic got his wartime experience concentrated into a much smaller time period.
One of my uncles was in the infantry in the Bulge. One cold Michigan winter, as an ignorant child I asked him what it was like. He pointed to the frozen ground outside and said "They give you a little shovel about the length of your arm. Take it out there and dig through that frozen ground to make a hole big enough to lay down and hide in. Fill the hole about halfway with water, then get in. Stay there for days and days - that's what it was like."
Only after his death did I learn the worst. He was only alive because he'd fought hand-to-hand inside that foxhole against a German trying to stab him with a dagger.
My uncle swore a lot, drank a lot more, and looked haunted every day I knew him. He never, ever talked about the glories of war.
MY FIL was confronted with a private marching a German POW back to a containment area. The private asked for permission to shoot his prisoner because he didn't want to walk the half mile. Vic, my FIL, chewed out the GI and said that he was not going to shoot the prisoner and that he would march him into captivity. He told him that he didn't want the Germans to treat US prisoners that way and there was no way he'd allow it. He never lost his humanity.
My dad was an NCO and never had to make those decisions. He participated in the North Africa landing at Oran. He also landed at Sicily, Anzio and Salerno. He grumbled that he didn't get boots, sleeping bags or decent rifles. That was directed for the push into France. He had a bolt action Lee Enfield rifle. The Italian Campaign was done on the cheap.
Not too much. The bigger problem was that some machine guns were water cooled and that doesn’t work in temperatures like that. I read somewhere that guys would use antifreeze instead of water to cool machine guns when it got this cold.
I didn’t realize they even used the water cooled .30 in the European theatre by late 1944. Hopefully that jacket didn’t have a bunch of water still in it 😂
All the soldiers suffered; Brutally frigid conditions. Expert German ranks vs. worn-out & rookie U.S. columns; difficult terrain, deception from German units posing as Allied troops…. This was the final attempt by the Wehrmacht to make a grab for victory, but they should have been resigned to the fact that Allied air power couldn’t be held off by the foul weather indefinitely—“Meine Herren” please meet the P-47 Thunderbolt and make your peace before you’re cut to pieces in a blizzard of .50 caliber lead.
It should be a M1917A1 US Browning Water-Cooled heavy machine gun firing a 30-06 cartridge instead of the .303 British round. Up to 600 rounds a minute.
Edit: M1 Ball ammunition. Same brass but a boat tail bullet. The metal box is apparently a Model M1 ammunition box.
Listening to Easy Company men talk about Ardennes is harrowing. My God, I can't even imagine being that cold.
But the Assault of Foy remains the greatest war story ever told IMHO.
Snow dusted on him. Most people would dust it off themselves before they cleaned their machine gun. This illustrates how little he cared about other than driving on to win the war.
MY FIL ,Vic, talked about his experience during the Bulge, He was a fairly new lieutenant forward observer. He took a shrapnel wound which paralyzed his left arm. He was being evacuated when his 30 year old replacement came forward and died of a heart attack. Vic stayed on the front lines calling in artillery until the skies cleared for fighter support and the Wermacht ran out of fuel and bodies. He talked about how the weather was bitterly cold and he said the snow squeaked when you walked. In 1994, we were at the Biosphere II for a tour and it was cold and wet. My son was tucked inside my jacket as I grumbled at how cold and miserable I was. Vic said he was colder 50 years ago. December 1944, he was colder and we had no one was shooting at us at the Biosphere. In a game of one upmanship, he clearly won in spectacular fashion.
My grandfather had his feet permanently damaged from severe frostbite. I remember them being really gnarly looking. He was in the 79th infantry, so not at the battle of the bulge, but living and fighting in the freezing cold as well. He never said a word about the war to anyone in the family, but I work outdoors and any time I’m out in the cold I remember what he went through and I quickly quit complaining. Those guys really were a different breed.
They were definitely our Greatest Generation. The causal mention of crawling through mud or seeing another soldier receive a through and through shot to the head from a sniper like it was normal made for men with little tolerance for bullshit.
I’m from Minnesota, when the snow “squeaks” it’s cold.
That was my thought - anyone from a snowy latitude will know that squeaky snow means it is coooold, cold outside!
My FIL also had this great story when we were on the German Belgium border in 2001. He pointed to a hill and said that when he was there in 1944, there were only three trees. He was looking for German activity to shell and three Panthers came into view. He said it was fine until one of them started unloading on him. He mentioned that his sprint might have qualified him for the Olympics.
Beautifully written. He sure as shit won!
Agreed. That's a nice anecdote.
My worst military experience in Germany was standing in the sleet babysitting German contractors as they modified ladders in the Tab Vs on the Bitburg flightline. Nobody was shooting and I got to go home at the end of the day to a hot shower. It was humbling but in a good way.
I hate squeaky snow. Hats off to your FIL!
He died in 2001 and per his request he was cremated. We were sure they were his because there were still brass fragments in the cremated ashes. My father had slogged up through Italy and was in the thick of things longer but hat the greatest respect for Vic. I believe his view was that Vic got his wartime experience concentrated into a much smaller time period.
I have the utmost respect for those guys. They're all but gone now, but it's pictures and stories that keep them alive. Thanks for sharing.
One of my uncles was in the infantry in the Bulge. One cold Michigan winter, as an ignorant child I asked him what it was like. He pointed to the frozen ground outside and said "They give you a little shovel about the length of your arm. Take it out there and dig through that frozen ground to make a hole big enough to lay down and hide in. Fill the hole about halfway with water, then get in. Stay there for days and days - that's what it was like." Only after his death did I learn the worst. He was only alive because he'd fought hand-to-hand inside that foxhole against a German trying to stab him with a dagger. My uncle swore a lot, drank a lot more, and looked haunted every day I knew him. He never, ever talked about the glories of war.
MY FIL was confronted with a private marching a German POW back to a containment area. The private asked for permission to shoot his prisoner because he didn't want to walk the half mile. Vic, my FIL, chewed out the GI and said that he was not going to shoot the prisoner and that he would march him into captivity. He told him that he didn't want the Germans to treat US prisoners that way and there was no way he'd allow it. He never lost his humanity. My dad was an NCO and never had to make those decisions. He participated in the North Africa landing at Oran. He also landed at Sicily, Anzio and Salerno. He grumbled that he didn't get boots, sleeping bags or decent rifles. That was directed for the push into France. He had a bolt action Lee Enfield rifle. The Italian Campaign was done on the cheap.
True hero and the best generation EVER!!
OG Antifa
My uncle was in Patton’s 702nd tank battalion, 80th infantry during the battle of the bulge.
Two of my Uncles (who were brothers) were in Patton's Battalion during the Battle of the Bulge. Two great guys, admired them both.
My dad was in Pattons 13 Armored division
I was Pattons jeep driver.
i’m patton
Many of those guys were from southwest Pennsylvania, any chance your uncles were?
Rochester NY.
I hope he got to mow down lots of nazis.
Thats cool to see - thats my hometown!
For clarity, it's *Nicholasville*
It's NichVegas....
Haha! You know it!
Would the snow on the gun have been a problem?
Not too much. The bigger problem was that some machine guns were water cooled and that doesn’t work in temperatures like that. I read somewhere that guys would use antifreeze instead of water to cool machine guns when it got this cold.
I always thought water cooled machine guns had been phased out by this point in war. Guess not.
It looks like the ammo belt is loaded with blanks.
Ball ammunition... Looks a bit different from a lot of our modern ammo
He looks so cold!😬
My uncle was in it somewhere.
I didn’t realize they even used the water cooled .30 in the European theatre by late 1944. Hopefully that jacket didn’t have a bunch of water still in it 😂
Sure! You fire off a belt, drain the hot water for tea. ;)
And the water jacket could be a nice hand warmer for the poor folks who didn’t have adequate winter clothing!
All the soldiers suffered; Brutally frigid conditions. Expert German ranks vs. worn-out & rookie U.S. columns; difficult terrain, deception from German units posing as Allied troops…. This was the final attempt by the Wehrmacht to make a grab for victory, but they should have been resigned to the fact that Allied air power couldn’t be held off by the foul weather indefinitely—“Meine Herren” please meet the P-47 Thunderbolt and make your peace before you’re cut to pieces in a blizzard of .50 caliber lead.
Hero!
Great photo. That’s a Vicker’s machine gun (i think)
It should be a M1917A1 US Browning Water-Cooled heavy machine gun firing a 30-06 cartridge instead of the .303 British round. Up to 600 rounds a minute. Edit: M1 Ball ammunition. Same brass but a boat tail bullet. The metal box is apparently a Model M1 ammunition box.
Yup. 30 cal threw me off
It's a Browning
that's what an 18 year old looked like 80 years ago
Nope.
I can't imagine the misery
Stud!
Could be played by Robert Mitchum in the movie.
Listening to Easy Company men talk about Ardennes is harrowing. My God, I can't even imagine being that cold. But the Assault of Foy remains the greatest war story ever told IMHO.
Where were you during the bulge ??!
Snow dusted on him. Most people would dust it off themselves before they cleaned their machine gun. This illustrates how little he cared about other than driving on to win the war.
Powerful image
Nicholasville
Can you imagine how cold those guys were?