28th Infantry Division (The Iron Division)
109th Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company I World War II PFC Wilmer H. Gretzinger
by Richard C. Gretzinger October 2015
Table Of Contents Preface
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Chapter 1 Induction and Assignment
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Chapter 2 Battle of the Huertgen Forest
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Chapter 3 The Battle of the Bulge
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Chapter 4 The Colmar Pocket
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Chapter 5 The Battle for Schleiden
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Chapter 6 Occupation Duties
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Chapter 7 Demobilization
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Chapter 8 Relatives' Military Service
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Preface I never thought of our family as a "military family." family." However, as I began to write this narrative about my father's WW II service, I was reminded of other family members who served in the military. In addition to my father, I served in the United States Army during the Korean War (some say it was only a "conflict"). My brother, Ronald Gretzinger, served in the United States Army in a Land, Sea and Air Air Rescue team stationed in Hawaii. Hawaii. The last chapter of this narrative lists some of my relatives who served in the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War, WWI, WW II and Vietnam. I still recall the day in early March 1944 when my father left for the US Army induction center to be processed for assignment to a basic training location. location. We spent the previous day at my grandparents home and sleep sleep there that night. I knew my dad was to leave early the next morning. morning. Since I was only only ten years old, my sister nine and my my brother seven, my mother said she would not wake us because my dad was to leave very early in the morning. The next morning I woke just as my dad was getting into the car. I believe it was his older brother who drove him to the railroad station where he was to catch a train to the induction center. I don't recall the rest of that day. When my father returned from WW II, he spoke very little about his experiences. Consequently, I knew almost nothing about his service. After his death, I contacted the military National Personnel Personnel Records Center in St. Louis; however, I was advised his records were lost in a fire at the center on 12 July 1973. All they could provide was a certification of his military military service dates. I did locate his company executive officer, Captain William M. Pena, who had written his his memories titled, As Far as Schleiden. I also corresponded with my dad's company commander, Captain Bruce W. Paul. Much of the following narrative was obtained from these two officers. This narrative makes reference to various Army unit names and their size, from Squad to Division to Corps to Army. The following is a summary of the units that made up an Army in WW II. The abbreviations in brackets are the accepted versions for each rank. The basic unit is the "Squad" that is composed of 8 to 24 men commanded by a Sergeant (SGT). I do not know to which Squad my dad was assigned. A "Platoon" is made up with 2 or more Squads totaling 16 to 50 soldiers commanded by a 1st. Lieutenant (1LT). I believe my dad dad was assigned to the 1st Platoon commanded by 1LT William M. Pena before he was was promoted to Captain. A "Company" is composed of 2 or more Platoons with 100 to 250 men lead by a Captain (CPT) or Major (MJ). My dad was assigned to Company I, commanded commanded by CAP Bruce W. Paul. 1
A "Battalion" is composed of 4 or more Companies with 400 to 1000 soldiers commanded by a Lt. Colonel Colonel (LTC). Company I, my dad's Company, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion. Two or more "Battalions" are assigned to a "Regiment" with 1000 to 2000 men led by a Colonel (COL). The 3rd Battalion was assigned to the 109th Regiment commanded by LTC James E. Rudder, and the 109th was assigned to the 28th "Division." The 28th Division had 3 Regiments, the 109th, 110th and the 112th and had a total of 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers. The 28th Division was was commanded by Major General (MG) Norman D. Cota. MG is a "2 Star General." MG Cota Cota reported to a "Corps" commander. From March March 1944 to November 1944, MG Cota reported to the XIX Corps Commander, Commander, MG Charles H. Corlett. Note that Corlett was not a Lieutenant General (LG, a "3 Star General"), the normal commander of a Corps. The Corps commanders reported to General (GEN) Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike was promoted to a "4 Star General" on 11 February 1943. In December 1943 he was was appointed Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces. He received his his "5th Star" on 20 December 1944 with the rank of "General of the Army," The 28th Division was originally nicknamed the "Keystone Division," as it was formed from units of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard; Pennsylvania being known as the "Keystone State." During World War II, it it acquired the nickname the "Bloody Bucket" division by German forces due to its red insignia. But today the 28th Infantry Division goes by the name given to it by General Pershing during World War I: "Iron Division." The 28th is one of the most decorated infantry divisions in the United States Army.
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Chapter 1 Induction and Assignment My father, Wilmer H. Gretzinger, entered the US Army on 7 March 1944. He was 32 years old, was married with a wife and three children. Because of the military build-up for the invasion of Germany in June 1944, I always believed he was drafted even though he had a wife and three children. Since his father, my grandfather, was a member of the local draft board, I also believed it would have been extremely hard for him to drat his son. As I researched various records and corresponded with others, I was told that, because of the number of dependents, my dad should have been able to obtain a draft exemption. If this were true, my my dad would have volunteered for active duty to serve in the Army. Since his military military records were lost, I have not been able to verify if my father was drafted or if he volunteered. After induction, my dad was sent to a camp for infantry basic training somewhere in one of our southern states. I have not been able to determine the specific specific location. After his basic training (probably 16 weeks), he came home on a two week pass. After basic training, he returned to camp and was assigned to the 28th Infantry Division. He left for Europe in early August and arrived in in Scotland, England on 25 August 1944. Since D-Day (the invasion invasion at Normandy, France occurred on 6 June 1644, my father was not in the invasion. Because many Germans were hiding in the city, DeGaulle requested GEN Eisenhower to have the 4th Division move eastward through the city and the 28th Division Division to march down the Champs Elysees. Elysees. DeGaulle wanted a show of Allied Allied force in the liberated streets of Paris. All three regiments (109th, 110th and 112th) of the 28th Division marched on 29 August 1944. The picture on the next page shows the 28th Division marching down the Champs Elyses.
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Champs Elysees Liberation of Paris Parade 28th Division 29 August 1944
As noted above, my dad landed at Scotland on 25 August 1944, five days before the Paris Liberation Parade. I have not, however, confirmed that he marched in this parade. He did mention that he rode in a truck through Paris, probably when he was on route to be assigned to the 109th Regiment in September. The following chapters discuss my dad's WW II service. PFC Gretzinger participated in four campaigns. The first was in the Huertgen Forest, the second in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), the third in the Liberation Liberation of Colmar, France and the last in Schleiden, Germany.
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Chapter 2 Battle of the Huertgen Forest
In September 1944 , the109th Regiment was under command of COL William Lee Blanton, the 3rd Battalion was commanded by LTC Trapani and Company I, my dad’s unit, by 1LT Wilfred A. Dulac. CPT Harry M. Kemp commanded M Company of the 3rd Battalion (he retired at the rank of Colonel and lives in San Antonio, Texas). On 18 September 1944, one of the replacements assigned to Company I was 1LT William M. Pena. He was assigned commander of the 1st Platoon of Company I. He also is retired (at the rank of Captain) and lives in Houston, Texas. Through a contact on the Internet, I found both Kemp and Pena and corresponded with them. I learned that they wrote books about their WW II experiences. They both sent me a copy of their books, which I have used to detail my dad’s WW II experiences. COL Kemp detailed the sequence of operations for the 109th Regiment in his book, The Regiment. COL Kemp enlisted in the 109th in 1937 and served “The Regiment” through five battle campaigns in Europe until September 1945. CPT Pena was a ROTC graduate from Texas A & M College and commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on May 16, 1942. He graduated from the Officer Basic Training Course and in August 1944 was assigned to the European Theatre of Operations. Pena's book, As Far As Schleiden, details his experiences in WW II. As noted above, I used both books to follow the operations of my dad’s unit, the 109th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company I. Neither Kemp nor Pena remember my dad, but Pena did locate a picture of a group of soldiers taken in Germany that included my father. The picture was in the possession of CPT. Bruce W. Paul, Company I commander. That picture appears in Chapter 6. I learned that CPT Paul died in 2000 at age 78. . On 13 September 1944, the 109th was ordered to advance from Breidfeld, Luxembourg across the Our River (the river was the boundary between Luxembourg and Germany) to Sevenig, Germany, thus becoming the first US unit to enter Germany. The objective of the 3rd Battalion was to take Hill 515, known as “Purple Heart Hill,” just east of Sevenig. On 18 September, the Germans counterattacked and the battalion commander, LTC Trapani, ordered a retreat. When word of the retreat reached MG Cota, 28th Division commander, he was furious as the 6
battalion was ordered to hold its position. Cota relieved Trapani and replaced him with MAJ Harold S. Martin. The regimental commander, COL Blanton, was also relieved and was replaced by LTC Strickler. The map below follows the 109th from September through November 1944.
Huertgen Forest Campaign
109th Regiment Operations, Sept. 1944 to Nov. 1944 Between 13 and 29 September, replacements arrived—40 new officers and 981 enlisted men. Company I was still under the command of CPT Dulac. His platoon leaders were: 1st Platoon 1LT William Pena and 2nd Platoon SGT Edward Parks. Since my dad arrived in Scotland on 25 August, it is probable that he was one of the enlisted men replacements and was assigned to the 109th Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company I. The Battle of the Huertgen Forest would be fought under conditions as bad as US soldiers ever had to face. The forest was filled with fir trees 30 to 40 feet high about four feet apart. It was so thick that the sun never reached the forest floor. It was always cold and wet. The 28th Division had two major objectives. The first was to seize the eastern ridge of the forest from Bergsten to the town of Huertgen. The 7
second objective was to capture the town of Schmidt. The assignments of the three regiments of the 28th were: the 109th would drive north beyond Germeter toward Huertgen; the 112th would drive toward Kommerscheidt and the 110th would drive to the town of Schmeidt. At 8AM on Thursday, 2 November 1944, the 28th Division moved out of their foxholes into the misty woods. It was a cold and foggy morning. The forest was so thick that it was difficult to see more than a few feet in any direction. The US soldiers were not trained to fight a battle in dense forest conditions. Their tanks were essentially useless. And it was impossible to call in artillery because the enemy could not be seen. German artillery, however, knew the 28th was coming and opened fire. The shells would hit the tops of the trees and so called “tree bursts” resulted in a deadly shower of wooden splinters. Our infantry soon discovered it was not advantageous to lie face down on the ground during these tree bursts as they exposed too much of their body to the deadly splinters. It was better to stand erect exposing as little of their body as possible to the overhead tree bursts. During the initial fighting, Company A of the 1st Battalion lost half of their riflemen. Company I of the 3rd Battalion (my dad’s unit) found a path through the minefield on the road from Wittscheidt to Huertgen. However, none of the remaining soldiers in the unit would advance toward Huertgen so Company I returned to Wittscheidt. On their return, they captured fifteen German soldiers and made them walk in front of them through the minefield. Many of the mines were encased in wood making them very difficult to detect. As noted above, my dad was assigned to Company I. Thus, he may have been in the unit that captured these Germans. He would tell us later that he did serve as an interpreter as he could speak German. He may have interrogated some of the fifteen prisoners that Company I captured. On the second day of the battle, 3 November, CPT Dulac, Dulac, Company I commander, was wounded and replaced by CPT Bruce W. Paul. The commander of the 3rd Battalion, MAJ Topping, ordered two of his companies, I and L, to assist the 1st Battalion who had suffered heavy losses. On 4 November, the 2nd Battalion also suffered heavy losses. They had hit a nest of German bunkers and couldn’t capture them. The 3rd Battalion encountered bunkers protected by double-strand concertina wire and deep anti tank ditches. Reinforcements were needed. On 7 November, the 12th Infantry Regiment assigned to the 4th Division, 8
VII Corps, relived the 109th Regiment north of Germeter. The 3rd Battalion of the 109th was reassigned to the battle west of the Kall River. MAJ Topping ordered his battalion to secure the road from Schmidt to Kommerscheidt. The 3rd Battalion took a position on the west west bank of the Kall opposite the town of Kommerscheidt. Company L crossed the river but lost twenty men and MAJ Topping was wounded. Heavy losses continued and MG Norman D. Cota requested that his troops be allowed to withdraw to the west bank of the Kall River. In November there were major command changes in the regiment. MAJ James H. McCoy replaced MAJ Topping, who was wounded by a German sniper, as commander of the 3rd Battalion, and on 8 November, COL Jesse L. Gibney replaced LTC Strickler as the new commander of the 109th Regiment. In addition, replacements began to arrive on 9 November and the troops had three hot meals and beer. The 28th Division had suffered appalling casualties in the first two weeks of November, a total of 5,684 losses, or about one out of every three soldiers. The 109th lost half of its 3,000 men. On 9 November, GEN Eisenhower met with MG Cota, commander of the 28th Division. On 11 November, the Germans asked the 3rd Battalion to surrender. The battalion refused. My father mentioned to us after the war that at one time he thought the Germans Germans would capture them. This may well have been that time. On 18 November, the 12th Regiment, 4th Division, replaced the 109th Regiment. The division was motored south 150 miles to relieve the 121st Regiment. The 109th established its command post at Bettendorf, Luxembourg. However, in less than a month, the 28th would be called upon to do battle in the Ardennes, a wooded plateau in Northeast France, southern Belgium and Luxembourg. The next Allied offensive was to begin in mid-November. GEN Eisenhower was planning a big push that would break the back of the German army. Most felt that the war would be over by Christmas.
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Chapter 3 The Battle of the Bulge By early December, the Allied forces totaled two million men with 45,000 vehicles. Coordination and supply of this extensive Allied front, however, had become very difficult. Hitler saw an opportunity for a counterattack. He ordered General von Rumstead to advance from the Ardennes toward Liege and ultimately to the port of Antwerp in Belgium. Von Rumstead knew he did not have the troops and supplies to complete the objectives of this counterattack. But, he was a professional soldier, and he obeyed Hitler’s orders. General von Rumstead began his counter attack at 5:30 AM on 16 December with 13 infantry divisions and eight armored divisions totaling 1.3 million million men. The German plan was was to smash through the relatively inexperienced 1st Army and push on to Antwerp. His forces would advance 50 miles into Allied territory by Christmas. Also in early December, there was another major change of regimental command. LTC James Earl Rudder replaced COL Gibney, who was just appointed the previous month. COL Gibney was transferred to a command post assignment. The 3rd Battalion, 109th Regiment, held a position in Bettendorf, Luxembourg (see map insert) that was part of a 25-mile defensive line in this region of the Ardennes. Each of the three battalions of the 109th had about eight miles to defend. This distance, eight miles, was much too long to be adequately defended by one regiment, particularly in view of the German counterattack that began on 16 December. The 352 Volks Grenadier Division attacked the 109th Regiment. Company I had a defensive position on the high ground over looking the Our River. The Germans were held back for two days, but on 18 December, the regiment was ordered to regroup at Dietirch, about four miles west of their present position. In the first two days of the battle, Company I had lost one rifle platoon.
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Battle of the Bulge
109th Regiment Operations, December 1944 Under intense enemy pressure, the 109th was again ordered to regroup at Ettelbruck, about two miles further west. Because of heavy losses, the 3rd Battalion had to reorganize into three task forces- L, K and I. Task Force I was commanded by CAP Bruce W. Paul. He replaced 1LT Dulac, who was wounded on 2 November. Company I (my dad’s unit) was assigned to this task force. 1LT Tropp commanded Task Force K and CPT Fossum commanded Task Force L. Task Force I took a defensive position about one mile east of Ettelbruck. The weather was so bad that the Allied planes could not support our ground troops. At first the battle went well for the Germans. They pushed the US 1st Army back creating a bulge in the line. This attack became known as the “Battle of the Bulge.” However, the 110th Infantry Regiment with 2,000 men stopped four German regiments with over 10,000 men. German General Kokott later praised the 28th Division for delaying and stopping the German assault. 11
Much of the fighting was done in foxholes. The GIs spent most of their time living in these cold and wet holes. Snow began falling before Christmas and continued into February 1945. In In January, the temperature dropped to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The front line soldiers were never warm. Vehicle engines froze, as did weapons. One solution was to urinate on the weapon to unfreeze it. A major problem was trench foot. First, the toenails fell off, then the foot turned purple, then black, sometimes leading to amputation. The only solution was to keep the feet as dry as possible. possible. Many soldiers carried two pair of socks, wearing one pair and keeping the second pair around the neck to keep it dry. My father often mentioned that it was very difficult to keep his feet dry. By 21 December, Company I was down to 50 men from an authorized level of 289. Allied reinforcements were brought in, and the weather cleared. Patton’s 3rd Army moved in to relieve the regiments of the 29th Division. Patton’s army would continue its move north to relieve the city of Bastogne, Belgium that was surrounded and under heavy attack by the Germans. Relief of the 109th Regiment was completed on 23 December, and the regiment was ordered from Ettelbruck to Moestrof, Luxembourg. The commander of Company I, CPT Paul, was ordered to send a patrol into Moestrof to determine if the enemy was still in the town. The Germans, however, had evacuated the town so it was relatively quiet for the 109th for the next few days. Christmas Day, a Monday, for the regiment was a special day. The troops were served a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. The tide of the Battle of the Bulge turned. The weather cleared, and air support was possible. On 26 December, the 109th was relieved and motored to Libramont, Belgium and on to Sedan, France, arriving there on 3 January 1945. CPT Pena had a picture that was taken on the move to Sedan, France. That picture appears on the next page. The Bulge was over for the 109th. The regiment lost 1,174 men of a total authorized level of 3, 257. Company Company I lost an entire rifle platoon. General Von Rumstead was unable to advance any further because his major supply route, Bastogne, was now in Allied hands thanks to Patton’s 3rd Army. The German counterattack ended in defeat on Sunday, 28 January 1945, with the loss of 200,000 men. This battle proved to be the last German counterattack of World War II.
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Libramont, Belgium - 27 December 1944 Five men from Company I, 109th Regiment, 28th Division Standing first from the right, PFC Wilmer H. Gretzinger Standing first from the left, 1LT William M. Pena If you look closely, note that my dad has a stub of a cigar in his mouth. In many of the "Care Packages" we sent to him, my grandfather always included a box of cigars. Because of his cigar habit, my dad's nickname was "Churchill."
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Chapter 4 The Colmar Pocket Having sustained a devastating 15,000 causalities, the 28th Division withdrew in early January to refortify. But within three weeks weeks the Division was back in action. It was moved south to the area around Colmar, France, some 75 miles southeast of Luxembourg. The Division was temporarily assigned on 20 January to the French 1st Army under command of Gen. Bernard Lattre de Tassigny. The 28th, along with the French 1st Army, was assigned to the area around the city of Colmar. The 109th reached their positions on Tuesday, 9 January. Initial positions were in the Vosges Mountains outside the city of Colmar.
Colmar, France 109th Operations January 1945 to February 1945
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The German army with about 50,000 troops occupied the area around Colmar. It was known as the “Colmar Pocket.” The objective of this battle was to retake the city and to eliminate the German-held position in Colmar. The 3rd Battalion established a command post at Plainfaing in the Vosges where it snowed almost every day. The snow was an average of 20 inches deep. The 20th French Moroccan Mule Team Company brought supplies to the front line troops by mule, as trucks were useless on these narrow, mountainous, snow covered roads. Supplies were moved at night because they were obvious targets during the day in the snow. The Germans occupied Colmar because it was a key transportation center. The city dates back to 825 AD when it was founded as a royal villa. In 1226 it became an imperial city and in 1681 it was annexed to France. Germany annexed the city in 1871, but it was given back to France at the end of WW I in 1919. Now, the Germans once again occupied Colmar. Its population was 40,000. On 28 January, the division’s operational control was reassigned to XXI US Corps. Four days later, the attack on Colmar began at 11 PM. By 3AM on February 2, Company I of the 3rd Battalion had reached the northern outskirts of the city and thus was the first unit to arrive in Colmar. As planned, the French Armored unit would then sweep through the city. By nightfall, Colmar was liberated with only 125 casualties. Allied losses were so low because the night offensive completely surprised the enemy. A victory celebration took place on Wednesday, 8 February. Company I of the 3rd Battalion, 109th Regiment was chosen to lead a parade through the city of Colmar (see picture on the next page). The regimental and battalion commanders, LTC Rudder and MAJ McCoy, headed the parade. Since my dad was assigned to Company I, he undoubtedly marched in this parade. The parade was referred to as “Little Paris” to distinguish it from the parade in Paris on 29 August 1944, when the 28th Division marched to celebrate the liberation of Paris. I obtained a copy of the Colmar picture of the parade from COL Kemp.
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Colmar Parade, 8 February 1945
109th Regiment Company I During the battle, my father’s Regiment, the 109th Infantry Regiment, distinguished itself and on 27 March 1945, Gen. Charles de Gaulle awarded the regiment the French Croix de Guerre (War Cross). The next page displays a photo of the "War Cross" and the citation. The 109th action led to the liberation of Colmar, the last major French city in German hands. On 12 February 1945 the 109th was relieved. On 18 February, LTC Rudder was promoted to Colonel. The next day the regiment was moved north 165 miles by motor and rail to a position overlooking the Olef River about one-half mile from the city of Schleiden.
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French Croix de Guerre
For distinguished service in the Battle of Colmar, France The 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division was awarded the Croix de Guerre (War Cross) by the Government of France. The citation was awarded on 27 March 27 1945 by General Charles de Gaulle, President of the Provisional Government of France. Citation A select Regiment which demonstrated its tactical worth and fighting spirit under all circumstances. Under command of its chief, Colonel James E. Rudder, it participated from 28 January 1945 onward, in close collaboration with the French armored formations in the operations and siege of Colmar. During all the time of the hard engagements against a tenacious enemy, its efforts and sacrifices contributed in a great measure to the success of the maneuver, which was to end 2 February 1945, in the capture of Colmar, and spared the city of the consequences of street fighting. It fought side by side with the French units, and demonstrated a comradeship in all instances, which gave the best example of fellowship in arms and community ideals. The last page of this chapter summarizes COL Rudders's military service. 17
James Earl Rudder Birth: 6 May 1910 Eden, Concho County, Texas Death: 23 March 1970 College Station, Brazos County, Texas Burial: College Station Cemetery, College Station, Brazos County, Texas James Earl Rudder was called into active military military duty in 1941. Rudder took part in the D-Day landings as Commanding Officer of the United States Army's 2nd Ranger Battalion. His U.S. Army Rangers stormed the beach at Pointe du Hoc and, under constant enemy fire, scaled 100-foot (30 meter) cliffs to reach and destroy German gun batteries. The battalion's casualty rate for this perilous mission was greater than 50 percent. Rudder himself was wounded twice during the course of the fighting. In spite of this, they dug in and fought off German counter-attacks for two days until relieved. He and his men helped to successfully establish a beachhead for the Allied forces. Seven months later, Rudder was assigned to command the 109th Infantry Regiment, which saw key service in the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Colmar, France. Rudder became one of the most decorated soldiers of the war, with honors that included the Distinguished Service Cross, Legion of Merit, Silver Star, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, French Legion of Honor with Croix de Guerre and Palm, and Order of Leopold (Belgium) with Croix de Guerre and Palm. By the end of the war, he was a full Colonel and was promoted to Brigadier General of the United States Army Reserves in 1954 and Major General in 1957.
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Chapter 5 The Battle for Schleiden As noted in the previous chapter, in February 1945 the 109th Regiment took a position overlooking the Olef River about one-half mile from the city of Schleiden.
109th Regiment Position February 1945 One-half mile from Schleiden
Between 20 and 26 February, the regiment launched numerous patrols toward Schleiden to find and determine enemy positions and strength. On 3 March, it was determined that the enemy was leaving its positions and moving east across the Olef River. Company I and G were ordered into the city but found no Germans. The buildings, however, were mined and heavily booby trapped with explosives. The next day, the entire 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 109th crossed the Olef River and moved into Schleiden. They did not realize it, but on Tuesday, 7 March, the shooting war for the 109th was over!
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Chapter 6 Occupation Duties On 19 March, the regiment was moved to Nickenich, 15 miles west of Koblenz. On 22 March, they were trucked to Koblenz to relieve the 87th Division. The 109th reached Koblenz at 10:30 AM and assembled in several large commercial buildings located a few blocks from the river to wait for the exchange with the 87th. Orders, however, were changed and the 109th was ordered to return to Nickenich the next morning. At 7 AM the next day, the regiment was ready to depart Koblenz, except one company was missing. A senior NCO was dispatched to find the unit. It was found and the NCO informed the regimental commander that the company would be ready in 15 minutes. Later, it was learned that the missing company had discovered a large cache of fine wines in the cellar of their building. The company slept very soundly that night! The 3rd Battalion was moved on 27 March to Dirmerzheim, Germany (in the area south of Remagen) for occupation duty and was attached to the 23rd Tank Destroyer Group as were the 1st and 2nd Battalions. This duty involved searching for weapons and establishing guard posts at bridges, key crossroads and supply points. The remaining units of the 109th, the HQ, HQ Company, the Anti-Tank Company and the Service Company remained under the command of COL Rudder. On 29 and 30 March, Rudder’s remaining units moved about ten miles south to Honningen and crossed the Rhine River on an engineer-built pontoon bridge and established a Command Post (CP) at Hershbach, about 20 miles east of the Rhine River.
By April 7, it was clear to higher headquarters that the 28th Division would not be needed in the final fighting. On April 10, the detached units of the 109th (1st , 2nd and 3rd Battalions) were returned to regimental command. These units were already west of the Rhine on occupation duty. On that day they were joined by the remainder of the regiment, which crossed the river from the east. COL Rudder established his CP at Bardenberg, Germany and took occupation responsibility for the area north of Aachen, Germany adjacent to the German-Netherlands border. By 18 April, it became definite that the 109th would be on the move again. On 19 April, the regiment began a 215-mile motor and rail move to the south to a new occupation area. COL Rudder established his regimental CP in Kircheimbolandem, Germany, about 17 miles west of Worms, Germany. The 3rd Battalion of the 109th had tactical control of the areas 20
around Frankenthal, about five miles south of Worms, and Ludwigshafen, about ten miles south of Worms. A key area of control was the Ludwigshafen-Mannheim Bridge across the Rhine. Control of the bridge was directed by a combination of key military government men directed by the Regiment and German-speaking soldiers of the 109th. Since my father spoke German, he may have been involved in this activity. Company I established a command post in the town of Weidenthal. A map of this occupation area follows below.
Occupation Duties Company I Command Post Weidenthal, Germany Weidenthal is located about 20 miles west of Worms, Germany. Through my correspondence with CPT Pena, he informed me that there was a picture taken of the command post soldiers in Weidenthal and that my dad was in the picture. He said the picture was in the possession of CPT Bruce W. Paul, the commander of Company I. CPT Paul was retired, at the rank of colonel, and living in Laguna Hills, CA. He sent me a letter with six pictures taken in Germany. One of these pictures was the staff at the command post in Weidenthal. A copy of that picture is on the next page.
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The picture is identical to the one my dad brought home. My dad identified some of the soldiers in the picture as noted above. CPT Paul said in his letter that the picture was taken in front of the command post, which was the best house in town. A doctor owned the house. I estimate that this picture was taken in late April or May of 1945. CPT Paul also said in his letter that Company I had responsibility for Weidenthal and three other surrounding towns. The company’s main concerns were sabotage and the rail road tunnels in their occupation area. CPT Paul mentioned in his letter that they had no cameras or film. They found both in bombed out buildings. He did not know how the pictures were developed. He said that sometimes it didn’t pay to ask questions.
Company I, 109th Regiment, 28th Infantry Division Weidenthal, Germany, April/May 1945 Standing, left to right: Greer (Kentucky), Johnson (South Carolina), Gretzinger (Pennsylvania), Alvord (California), Snow (Massachusetts) Kneeling, left to right: Beish (North Carolina), Fagan (Maryland), Keller (Wisconsin), McNulty (New York)
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In June 1998, my wife and I were on a Rhine River cruise and sailed under the Ludwigshafen-Mannheim Bridge. We also passed within 17 miles of Weidenthal. Unfortunately, I was not aware of my father’s occupation activity in this area when we were in Germany. It would have been great to take pictures of the bridge and the town of Weidenthal, and to look for the doctor’s house that became the command post. The end of my dad's occupation duties came on 7 May 1945 (Victory in Europe, or V-E Day) when the Germans surrendered to the Allied forces. The war in Europe was over for the 109th.
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Chapter 7 Demobilization After V-E Day, some GIs would return home. But there was still a war in the Pacific, so not everyone would be going home. A point system, called the Adjusted Service Rating (ASR), was established to determine which of the GIs would be going back to the US. Points were given for length of service, time overseas, combat decorations and number of dependent children. An ASR of 85 or greater meant that the soldier would return home and be discharged. My dad had an ASR of 86. He was going home! Re-deployment of the 28th Division began in early July 1945. Those who had low ASRs were to depart Europe for leave in the US and then on to the Pacific. The high ASR men from the 28th Division were to be transferred to the 106th Division in exchange for low ASR men. On 1 July, the division moved by rail and truck to a camp (Camp Pittsburgh) near Reims, France. They arrived on 8 July and from that time to 28 July, they prepared for the ocean trip to the US. Their port of departure was LeHavre, France. The first to leave was my dad's unit, the 3rd Battalion of the 109th Regiment. The battalion left LeHavre on 28 July on the ship Escelsior. I obtained from COL Kemp a copy of a picture showing the 3rd Battalion boarding the ship. My father is probably somewhere in the mass of soldiers waiting to board the ship (see picture below).
3rd Battalion, 109th Regiment Boarding the ship Escelsior 28 July 1945, LeHavre, France
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COL Kemp reported in his book that even though space on board the ship was sparse, the food was good and plentiful and the seas were calm. The regiment arrived in Boston on Saturday, 4 August to a tumultuous welcome. They were moved by train to nearby Camp Miles Standish where a huge steak dinner with all the trimmings was served. In the next few days, all the troops were on their way home assigned to 30-day temporary duty at home, including my dad. While on leave, a picture was taken of him with his brother, Ralph, and his sister, Myrtle. The picture (see below) was taken in the back of his father’s house, Charles H. Gretzinger’s, in August 1945.
Left to Right-Ralph Gretzinger age 36, Myrtle (nee Gretzinger) Hartwich age 29 and Wilmer H. Gretzinger age 33 August 1945
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While my dad was home on leave, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Monday, 6 August 1945. The next day another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, and Japan surrendered on Tuesday, 14 August. After his leave was over, my father returned to the separation center at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania and was discharged on Wednesday, 12 September, and returned home to Trumbauersville and his family. His Campaign Awards* are listed below. It is somewhat ironic that my father went to Germany in 1944 to liberate oppressed people, and his great-grand father, Lewis, may have left Germany 94 years earlier because of the oppression he experienced. It is also interesting to note that when my father’s unit, the 28th Division, was in the battle to liberate Colmar, France, he was only 91 miles from Reutlingen, the town where his great-grandfather, Lewis, had emigrated in 1848.
___________________________________ ___________________________ ______________________________________________________________ *Campaign Awards My dad’s discharge papers, which are filed at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown, listed his decorations and citations. He was awarded the European Service Medal with Four Bronze Stars. The stars represent four campaigns. To my knowledge, they were (1) The Battle of the Huertgen Forest, (2) The Battle of the Bulge, (3) The Colmar Pocket and (4) The Schleiden Campaign. As noted in Chapter 4, his Regiment was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre for their service in the liberation of Colmar, France
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Chapter 8 Relatives' Military Service The following is a list of my relatives who served in the military. military. The dates shown are those that include the involvement of the United States in that war. Revolutionary War (1775-1783) Heinrich (Henry) Huber, my 6th great uncle, was born in Switzerland and immigrated to America in 1747. During the American Revolution, he was appointed Captain of the Milford Militia in Pennsylvania and served from 1775 to 1780. Henry died at the age of 79 in 1798 in Lower Lower Milford Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. His burial location is not known.
Civil War (1861-1865) My maternal great-grandfather, Henry K. Trumbore, served in the Civil War. He enlisted at age 19 and was assigned to Company E of the 50th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry and was stationed in Washington, DC. His granddaughter said he was a guard to President Lincoln. (I could not verify the accuracy of this assignment.) He was discharged discharged in Washington, DC on 30 July 1865. He died at age 85 and was buried at St. Andrews Union Cemetery, Perkasie, Bucks Co., Pennsylvania on 29 January 1931. Daniel L. Dubbs, my 1st cousin five times removed, enlisted in the Union Army on 12 September 1862 in Philadelphia at age 23. He was assigned to the 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery Regiment, Company D. On 28 April 1864, he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and was assigned to Fort Ethan Allen. Daniel's regiment was pressed into battle at Petersburg as infantry around May/June 1864. During the initial siege of Petersburg, Daniel was wounded in both hips on 17 June 1864. He was moved from City Point field hospital by either steamboat or railroad to Finley Military hospital in Washington, DC. He died at age 26 in Finley hospital of his his wounds on 7 July 1864. Daniel was buried at Miamisburg Cemetery, Miami Township, Montgomery County, Ohio. He never married.
WW I (1917-1918) & WW II (1941-1945) My 1st great aunt, Ethel Trumbore, married William William C. Barrett. Barrett. Before they married, he enlisted in the United States Army in 1917 at age 20 and served in WW I. Esther died in 1927 and William William remarried and relocated to Reading, Pennsylvania. Around 1940, he enlisted in the Army and served in WW II and was assigned to the 28th Infantry Division, 109th Regiment, Co. A. William William attained the rank of corporal. Of interest (especially to me) 27
was his military military assignment. My father, Wilmer H. Gretzinger, served in WW II and was assigned to the same 28th Infantry Division, 109th Regiment, but was in in Company I. I doubt that my father ever knew William, but I will probably never learn if they had meet or knew each other. William died at age 68 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia in Section 13, Grave 7432-C. A picture of his his tombstone on the website showed he served in the US Army in both WW I and WW II.
WW II (1941-1945) Clyde L. Trumbore, my 1st cousin once removed, is a grandson of Henry K. Trumbore (my great-grandfather) is a veteran of WW II. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) in the US Air Force and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia at age 77 on 21 August 1992, Section 3-R, Row 24, Site 4. To my knowledge, he never married.
Vietnam (1965-1973) Lee Scott Adams, a grandson of Oswin K Huber (my great-grandfather making Lee my 2nd cousin), was born in 1947 and enlisted in the United States Army on 27 September 1966. His Vietnam tour began on 24 March 1968 and was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, B Company. He attained the rank of Second Lieutenant. Lee was killed in action in Quang Tri Province on 6 April 1968. He is listed on the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in Washington, DC, Panel 48E, Row 26. Lee is buried at Highland Memorial Park, Pottstown, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania. He died at the age of 21 and was single. Robert Ernest Diehl, my 8th cousin, was born 14 September 1948 and enlisted in the United United States Army and served in Vietnam. Vietnam. He attained the rank of Private First class and was assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. PFC Robert Ernest Diehl tour in Vietnam began 6 December 1968. He died on 2 March 1969 in Pleiku Province, Vietnam. The cause of death was multiple fragmentation wounds. At the time of his death Robert was 20 years of age. He was from Prospect Park, Pennsylvania. Robert is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Panel 30W, Line 12. The decorations earned by PFC Diehl include: the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Unit Citation. He is buried at Saints Peter Peter and Paul Cemetery Cemetery Springfield, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. ,
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