A quick search found a soldier who had lived in Chicago before the war and spoke fluent English. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. The stunning defeat of the German forces at the hands of the Americans should put quite a wrinkle in the discussion about the war being decided by either the sheer weight of Allied logistics support or of overwhelming numerical advantage. Their company commander, Standartenführer (Colonel) Helmut Raithel, took it back to a nearby command post. Cut off, Fleming hadn’t even heard the order to fall back. Company B was sent to clear those Germans out but was unable to do so. When the Finns dropped out of the war in September 1944, the division was ordered to withdraw through Norway. He saw the two tanks coming up the trail toward the bridge, the lead tank firing its machine guns. By mid-January 1945, the famous Battle of the Bulge, a massive and fatal failure for the Third Reich, was virtually over. Men were unable to get out of their holes, even without enemy infantry in front of them.”. Afterward, 24 men arrived from other companies to bolster them. Slowly, he and his comrades crept on through the dark, seeking to complete their encirclement. Talkington tried a new tactic. There have been countless thousands of published works devoted to all or of it. The thesis promotes an understanding that Army Group G fought a delaying defense in the Vosges Mountains. The real failure, however, is his constant insistence that there was combat equivalency between various German units and their opposing US forces. Fighting raged for over an hour before the Germans were repulsed; 50 bodies littered the ground in front of Company K. About half of them lay together in a group, killed by machine-gun fire. The advance continued until 12:30 pm. Before long, however, they were back on the front lines. January 19 began with more German shelling and small attacks by infantry designed more to keep the Americans in place than anything else. Visibility improved with the dawn as the snow stopped falling, leaving the morning air crisp and cold. Each time they returned from delivering supplies, they carried casualties. Originally a Colorado National Guard outfit, this long period of combat had changed the 157th. It was an experienced regiment in an experienced division and formed the core of a regimental combat team (RCT), a combined-arms unit with the infantry as its essential center with artillery, armor, and engineers supporting them, attached to the team as the need arose. His 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, known as the “Thunderbirds,” had been fighting since coming ashore at Sicily in July 1943. He also directed the gunner to open up with the tank’s long-barreled 76mm main gun. Most of the men were already wounded, some more than once. The 12th SS Mountain Regiment, part of the Nord Division, extended too far and became encircled by American troops from several regiments. After a short distance, both tanks began slipping on the icy trail. Hiding in his foxhole from relentless artillery strikes, he dozed and dreamed of becoming a farmer after the war. … The hard-hitting Germans managed to inflict heavy casualties and take many prisoners during the first week of fighting. After dark, Voss and his machine-gun crew were reassigned to a different company and again sent up the hill. The only cover Fleming could see nearby was a large hole made by a fallen tree. Fleming decided to send a runner to the battalion command post. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Whenever they pushed forward, it seemed only more artillery and mortar fire greeted them. Despite the artillery fire, around noon the next day the … Sparks was immediately taken to the nearby battalion aid station. Five companies of Americans were still trapped in the hills ahead, however. One of the battalion officers told O’Brien about Sparks leading the tanks on a rescue effort. © The details of the allies and their battles with the enemy really come to life, and are explained very thoroughly. The combined effect of the tank’s firepower suppressed some of the Germans, enabling other American soldiers hiding along the trail to fall back. The sergeant dashed to Neff and dragged him back to the hole. Two light tanks, M-5 Stuarts, went with them. The Division as a whole began the relief of the 45th at Baccarat, 5 November, assuming … Je suis le France, vous êtes l’Alsace. American casualties were heavy as well. The Germans showed Curtis their positions on a map to prove they were indeed surrounded. Food and ammo were running out. This move left two hills, 343 and 388, in the hands of the enemy. Although shaken, Turk and Johnson were miraculously unharmed. (8) (9) Turk was driving the jeep down a paved road covered in a few inches of fresh snow from the night before. He set to work translating the American transmissions. The attack order stood; however, the regiment would resume moving forward in the morning. The massacre of GIs at Malmedy was a recent event. In turn, this exposed the flank of another battalion of the attached 314th Infantry, 79th Division, forcing them back as well. It quickly fell apart. Voss viewed the man through his binoculars and thought he was an officer. No one was alive at the ambush site; the survivors had long since retreated. Ammunition and food were almost gone and there was little to be done for the wounded. There were indeed many replacements, not all of them trained as infantrymen. For Sparks the obvious choice was to open a path to his men and pull them back. Once the way was cleared for the M-4s, Sparks climbed aboard and led them up the trail toward his trapped and wounded men. On the morning of 14 January 1945, the 157th Infantry Regiment of th... e US 45th Infantry Division jumped off from the Reipertswiller-Obermuhlthal road in de Vosges Mountains and was immediately pinned down by German artillery, nebelwerfer, and mortar fire, most of which came from the Mouterhouse-Baerenthal Valley. A trailer was hooked to each tank to carry supplies. Johann Voss became a POW himself and, as a member of the SS, looked forward to an uncertain fate. The hills had commanding views and represented a solid position, but unfortunately the units on either flank of 3/157 had been unable to achieve their objectives and were far behind, leaving Sparks’s battalion dangerously exposed. This wasn’t a vital objective and didn’t require a “last stand.” He consulted with the regimental commander, Colonel Walter O’Brien, and suggested the withdrawal. At any second a burst of fire could cut Sparks down, but for some reason no one shot at him. Two tanks were used, but the Germans had dropped trees across the trails to block them. Even after the attack stopped, mortar fire kept raining down as Sparks’s men struggled to bring up ammunition. He ordered his men into it, gaining a temporary reprieve. All units would hold in place except the 179th soldiers and the 1/157. There are other books that fill that role. Voss had to be treated for frostbite to his toes. The 31 had been part of an SAS force of 80 men parachuted into the Vosges mountains on the French-German border in 1944 in Operation Loyton to help the French Resistance. The Germans would be watching them. Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2014. Sherman Tanks vs. Tiger Tanks: Which Was Best at the Bulge? The surviving 157th men took a vote. Read full review XHTML: You can use these tags:

. Like the American units, the 6th SS had problems with the quality of its replacements and little time to properly rest and reconstitute. Bullets snapped all around him; one even went through the fabric of his pants. Shortly before the attack, Lt. Col. Sparks climbed into his jeep to join his battalion; the young commander was known as an officer who stayed up front with his troops. Sparks’s act of bravery was not the end of the battle. Machine-gun sections from the weapons companies were attached to each rifle company for added firepower. The Vosges campaign was one of the overlooked episodes in the war. Voss remembered it as the worst he ever experienced: “Shells rained upon us like hail in a thunderstorm.” He couldn’t understand how the Americans could mass such fire in one place. He quickly returned to the front lines despite the harrowing artillery. The Colmar Pocket (French: Poche de Colmar; German: Brückenkopf Elsass) was the area held in central Alsace, France, by the German Nineteenth Army from November 1944 to February 1945, against the U.S. 6th Army Group (6th AG) during World War II.It was formed when 6th AG liberated southern and northern Alsace and adjacent eastern Lorraine, but could not clear central Alsace. The antitank platoon was recalled to form the battalion reserve. The next morning, January 20, was cold, and before long, heavy snow began falling. All the rest, including the entire platoon from Company E, were lost. Sparks did what he could to consolidate. facts are reported at the regiment or high level, so it is more about maneuvering forces. Enemy artillery fire was still heavy but the GIs kept moving. The attack went off as scheduled but accomplished nothing, the only tangible result being heavy American casualties. The Americans were given until 5 pm to surrender or they would be smashed. The soldiers who were present were often exhausted and in need of rest periods that were, by necessity, infrequent and short. Fresh bruises covered his body, and he was cut on his left knee and right hand. The fight took place in icy, hilly terrain near a small French town, and the battle, known only to a relative few, has since been known as the Battle of Reipertswiller. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Fleming told him to stay put. The attack petered out soon after, GIs falling back among the same trees they used as cover while advancing. It was a fairly easy read with great background information. Still, the order stood, and Sparks began trying to relieve his surrounded men. The mood on the American side was one of disappointment and anger. In addition, the RCT normally had a company of tanks from the 191st Tank Battalion, as well as engineer, tank destroyer, and medical assets at hand. A battalion of the 179th Infantry was coming up to help. These tanks moved up the trail apparently past Johann Voss’s position without being engaged. Temperatures were below freezing and showed every sign of staying there. Picking through the scattered equipment, they happened upon a working SCR-300 radio. Those who remained prepared for the next day. Witnessing Patton’s Failure: A Prisoner’s View of the Task Force Baum Raid, Rampage on the Riviera: Operation Dragoon, A Screaming Eagle’s Journey: The Story of Lud Labutka, Assault on Ludendorff Bridge: The First Allied Crossing of the Rhine. At 4:15 pm, a company of German troops counterattacked Company K, hitting hard on its left flank. It was understrength; the replacement pipeline had not kept up with the needs of an army in difficult, grinding action. It would not be until February 1945 that Hodges had control of the dams and was able to confidently place troops on the eastern bank of the Roer River. Artillery roared overhead from both sides, and both found it punishing. Shell bursts churned up the snow, mixing it with soil into a dirty brown color. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. A panzerfaust flashed out from the trees, and a round struck the tank on the turret with a loud bang. The breakout attempt was stopped cold. With him were his driver, Albert Turk, a runner named Carleton Johnson, and a translator, German-born 19-year-old Karl Mann, who had been in a machine-gun crew until being tapped to use his fluency in German. The 411th Infantry’s attack went in as planned but, like those before, achieved nothing. MAP: 100th Infantry Division, European Theater of Operations, 1 November, 1944 – 11 May, 1945 The 100th landed in Marseilles, France, on 20 October, 1944, and entered combat in the middle of November when they attacked the German Winter Line in the Vosges mountains of Northeast France, as part of VI Corps. A reply came back denying the request. Impressed by this selfless act of bravery by an officer for his men, neither Voss nor his fellow SS men fired at the American, who finished his task and left with the tanks the way he’d come. Voss recalled the tank came from up the hill. One tank slid on the ubiquitous ice and flipped over into a ditch. Suddenly a panzerfaust round came from somewhere. One such involved the encirclement and destruction of an American infantry battalion during five days of combat so intense that even veterans of Anzio were shocked by its ferocity. The mission, between 12 August and 9 October 1944, had the misfortune to be parachuted into the Vosges Mountains, at a time when the German Army was reinforcing the area, against General George Patton's Third Army.As a result, the Germans quickly became aware of their presence and conducted operations to destroy the SAS team. A good account of the struggle between the Americans and Germans in the Vosges mMountains during World War II with interesting details on the use of armor. Would any relative of any member of his outfit maybe have any info about my uncle Len? The Germans were so impressed by the courageous resistance their foe had offered, the prisoners were treated with full honors before they were marched off to captivity. When Sparks was recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on January 18, Frederick denied it. That tank suddenly spun on the ice and slid sideways; an enterprising panzerfaust gunner immediately lobbed a rocket into it. The Vosges mountains lie between the two French regions of Alsace and Lorraine in north eastern France. The two stayed off the trails, cutting through the woods to avoid the enemy. They were successful and spent January 12 defending the two hills from attacks by SS men supported by artillery. My moms’ older brother PFC Leonard F. Ordway Co. H 157 Infantry 45 Infantry Div. Sparks was thrown several yards away, flying through the air to land on pristine white snow nearby. After a month of hard fighting across Sicily, followed by the amphibious landings at Salerno and then at Anzio where the division prevented German efforts to split the Allied beachhead, the Thunderbirds were nearly worn out. Fortunately, German units were usually in no better condition. The Battle of Reipertswiller was a drama of courage, misery, and struggle. Fighting continued throughout the day. In the simple words of American battalion commander Felix Sparks, “The war slowed down.”. While the Americans were consolidating and reorganizing, the men of the 11th Regiment, Nord Division were advancing. These attacks were beaten back, but they distracted the Americans from the effort to relieve the five companies on the hills ahead. For the Americans, January 18 started with the loss of Lieutenant Talkington’s tank just after midnight, but the situation only got worse with the dawn. By June of 1944, when we landed in Normandy, it had deteriorated significantly further -- and the campaign Bonn uses to make his point, the battle for the Vosges mountains, started in October of 1944 and went into early 1945. Private Emmett Neff, a radioman, volunteered to go. Taken in the larger context of the war, this was a small engagement easily overshadowed by events in the Ardennes. O’Brien told the man to have Sparks stop the effort and wait for approaching reinforcements. Interrogations revealed that the unit had just relieved the 6th SS that morning. About the same time, Colonel O’Brien sent part of the reserve force composed of antitank soldiers and engineers to clear the area behind 2nd and 3rd Battalions. Before long German infantry were taking the exhausted GIs prisoner in large numbers. Finally, the tanks approached the bridge near the trapped GIs. Fighting still raged, but this company skirted around it to infiltrate around the American flanks and into their rear. Two battalions of the 157th––Sparks’s 3/157 and Lt. Col. Ralph Krieger’s 1/157––were sent to carry out this mission that morning. More tanks came up and blasted away with cannon and machine guns to no avail. There are moments in military history that forever alter the flow of human events. These thirty-one prisoners had been with the SAS force of eighty parachuted into the Vosges Mountains near the German border in 1944 as part of 'Operation Loyton', to aid the French Resistance. He recalled the punishing American artillery, which never seemed to cease. For many of the American soldiers in the Vosges Mountains that winter, January 1945 was their fifth month in combat since Operation Dragoon, the landings in southern France the previous August. Shock overcame him. When an author states categorically that he is writing a didactic work, he sets a high bar for himself. On January 14, the Americans were ready to start pushing back against the German onslaught. Sparks’s unit would be the main American combatant in the coming fight at Reipertswiller. With Keith David, Quentin Aanenson, Emma Belle Pelcher, Paul Fussell. In the afternoon several men evacuated earlier for exhaustion were reorganized and placed in the line to plug gaps. With those units in such exposed positions it was harrowing work, but they kept on through the night. In total, 600 American soldiers were dead, wounded, or captured. This time he noticed they were moving diagonally from their previous line of attack. Desperately hungry, the SS men searched Company G’s lost positions for food. Like the battle in the Ardennes, the Americans were initially pushed back, but their opponents could not sustain their effort, leading to defeat by the end of the month. The tank was still mobile, and the machine guns worked. Artillery fire was heavy, and soon two battalions of the 45th’s 180th Infantry had to fall back some 600 yards. By 3:40 pm, Company I had Germans behind it and apparently coming from the left flank. Krieger’s 1/157 tried to advance to close the gap on 3/157’s right flank, and Company B managed to capture a ridgeline but was quickly pushed back. But there’s NEVER been anything like THIS before. Since it was a relatively small battle coinciding with larger events, it received relatively little attention. One of Voss’s comrades opened fire with his machine gun. The SS officers also promised not to mistreat any prisoners. Just after midday the SS sent a group to the surrounded GIs under a flag of truce. A sergeant from Company K recalled, “It was the worst mess I ever saw. The young soldier took off at a sprint but got only 25 yards before a burst of fire hit him in the ankles, leaving him screaming for help on the icy ground. Attributing his passion for the military to his heritage as the son, grandson, and great-grandson of NCOs, Bonn was the author of several books on professional military topics. Please try again. Still, they held out, refusing to give in and praying for their fellow Thunderbirds to reach them. It was overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge, which took place at the same time. After refitting in Denmark, the unit was earmarked for the Ardennes but was instead sent farther south for Operation Nordwind where it engaged the Americans in the Vosges. Voss later wrote, “My gun’s position was on a steep forward slope, a clearing which fell down toward a trail on the bottom of a ravine leading up to a saddle between two hilltops, one of which we had passed. The German grip on the area seemed unbreakable. The trail steepened, making it hard to gain traction. Hiding, they watched it until an American soldier poked his head out from beneath it. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Johann Voss, a machine gunner who had been with the SS since Finland, remembered much the same things as his American counterparts, perhaps in reverse. The core of the 157th, including much of its leadership, were those who managed to survive Sicily, Salerno, and Anzio before invading France. Advance in the Vosges Mountains 246 Reaching the Meurthe River 254 The Advance to Strasbourg 267 Cracking the Winter Line 27$ Crossing the 111 and Fecht Rivers 304 The Colmar Pocket 306 Crossing the Colmar Canal 314 Isolation and Fall of Neuf Brisach 319 Smashing the Siegfried Line 335 Germany-Austria: 15 March to 8 May 1945 340 The deadly ambush had killed or captured all but two of the Americans. The assault had started relatively easily, giving rise to the nickname “Champagne Campaign,” as Allied troops quickly put the Germans to flight. One historian called the unit the best German infantry formation in the Vosges in early 1945, perhaps the best on the Western Front. If he was simply writing a history of the Vosges campaign, I would rate this book three stars, as he provides interesting information on TO&E, though his battle descriptions sound very much like the US Army official history (which is to say, dry-dry-dry) and include almost no personal stories to bring the event to life. Only a few men remained from the regiment’s muster in 1940. The first was about 50 yards away, shot in the chest and too heavy to carry, so Sparks dragged him back to the tank and managed to lift him onto it. This mission succeeded after a brief firefight and temporarily opened the road. The corporal gave his assent, cautioning the soldier to be careful not to draw friendly fire and to be back within a half hour. The problem is not the question of whether US units were better (after August, 1944, almost all US units were superior to their German counterparts), it is that his own words disprove his main thesis. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1981. They began pressing the Germans, and Voss feared they might break through. Up the trail, Sparks stood in the hatch of the leading tank, urging its driver forward. In the end the resistance decided not to attack, fearing reprisals against civilians. He felt more comfortable with a shotgun than a carbine or rifle; he didn’t feel he could shoot either as well. SS units were infamous for brutal treatment or execution of prisoners. Disregarding the order, Mathiason left the hole, running for the rear. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Please try your request again later. Thanks, this is such a long shot. Thank you Mr. Bonn! “You guys stay here. Voss settled in to wait for the inevitable action to come. “Wham! They reported they were beating back enemy attacks but the SS were still managing to infiltrate around them. ... 1944-1945. Equipped with 105mm howitzers, the 158th was a skilled unit able to respond quickly to calls for fire. After a while they reached their objective, a position directly behind Company I and near the trail the Americans were using to bring up supplies. On January 29, 1945, my late father Felix A. Cizewski was assigned as a replacement to the 45th Signal Company. The campaign to the Vosges Mountains, sometimes called the "Champagne Campaign," was over. The unit that the 157th would face at Reipertswiller had likewise traveled a long way to arrive in the Vosges Mountains in January. Only a few minutes passed, but they were long ones. By 6 pm, Company G finally linked up with Company K. For Sparks, it seemed his flanks were finally secure, and he had a defensible position from which to continue the fight. I’m going to get help,” he said. The young interpreter was lucky. The American position was completely overrun; only 18 men made it to the Company K lines nearby. The 103d Infantry Division did something that even Napoleon dismissed as suicidal; they fought a fierce defensive element of the German Army through the Vosges Mountains during one of the harshest winters experienced in that area in decades. Later it was redesignated the 6th SS Mountain Division “Nord,” or North. We emplaced our gun under a rocky outcropping and … started digging into the frozen ground.”. It was a resupply party, led by Company C’s supply sergeant the day before. German troops hit the 1st and 2nd Battalions while they struggled to link up with their trapped comrades. All 100, all that were left, voted to continue the fight. The morning of January 17 brought little relief for Felix Sparks and the men of the 157th. An American response didn’t take long. Rising, Fleming ran as fast as he could through a torrent of fire from the SS troops. In fact, 3/157 had advanced farther than any of them. Both Shermans made it back to the command post. The encircled GIs were slowly being pushed into an ever-shrinking perimeter. While the German shelling continued through the night, Sparks planned for the coming day. Then he found out the trapped Americans had surrendered. Company E, unaware its platoon was lost, assembled clerks and cooks for an attack that failed to make headway. This is apparently the attack Voss recalled, since it was at this point several GIs were pinned down near the bridge. By American troops from several regiments of 4.2-inch chemical mortars capable of firing smoke explosive... Falling as tired soldiers staggered back from their previous line of attack same problems as other RCTs in rocks! Paul Fussell in no better off, but for the men were unable to get back to different. The harrowing artillery Americans had surrendered excellent overview of the 179th infantry was coming up take... An operational failure, however and would eventually rise to command the Regiment was more less! 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