405th Infantry Regiment

NOW! 96 STORIES
and Adding More All the Time!

Our Newest Story!

"From Krefeld to Gardelegen"
Robert E. Herrick, 1st Lt.
Co. F., 405th Infantry, 102nd Division

Story added on 14 June 2008.

"...As I turned I was hit in the upper arm by rifle fire. The bullet traveled down the upper arm and exited after taking off my olecranon process (elbow). It was like being hit on your crazy bone with a ball bat. I let out a yelp and all I knew was I was down. The arm immediately went numb. The sniper was still firing at me and managed to throw dirt on me, but I was as low in the shell hole as possible..."

"Experiences of Robert E. Herrick, Co. F, 405th"
Robert E. Herrick, 1st Lt.
Co. F., 405th Infantry, 102nd Division

Story added on 3 June 2007.

"...I don't remember the exact numbers, but it seemed we always had 3-400 men to feed three times a day. The small mess hall had a few tables and hot water facilities for each man to wash his mess kit..."

Robert Enklemann
Co. H., 405th Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division

Story added on 28 February 2007.

"...About 15 minutes later I heard the explosion of the mines, ran back to the house where I had been sleeping in the basement and realized that had I not been awakened 15 minutes earlier I would have been BURIED ALIVE when the building caved into the basement..."

"A Diary of My Experiences with 405 C-Company"
Charles R. Rose, Co. C., 405th

Story Added on 30 June 2005

"...I was lying on my left side digging with my entrenching tool trying to get underground when a mortar exploded right beside me. I felt like someone had thrust a red hot poker into my right thigh. I remember screaming with pain. The concussion numbed me and I thought both my legs had been blown off. I frantically reached down and found that I was still in one piece. The one fragment that had hit me had fractured my femur..."

"My True War Story"
Robert M. Lira, Co. F., 405th

Story Added on 30 June 2005

"...The cracking bullets and constant pounding of artillery kept reminding me of another episode when we were also pinned down. We had just entered the Siegfried Line and were advancing in the direction of Geilenkirchen. There had been one whale of a battle between the crack SS German Panzer troops and the forces of the 30th Infantry Division, plus some supporting elements, a few days prior to our relieving them..."

"Awesome and Horrible"
Robert M. Lira, Co. F., 405th

Story Added on 30 June 2005

"...I remember seeing human hands, legs and feet sticking out of a shallow mass grave. The SS troops had hastily dug it and buried their victims there. A great number of them had been machine-gunned and dumped in the grave, some of them probably buried alive..."

"The Bridge at Tangermunde"
Chet Twentyman, Co. C., 405th

Story Added on 30 June 2005

"...Early in May, 1945, in the evening, I met a German 1st Lieut. on the banks at the Elbe River. He said his commander wanted to pull his armored battalion out of Berlin and surrender to the U.S. 9th Army..."

"The American WWII Orphans Network"
Dave Stanek, son of Al Stanek, Co. L., 405th

Story Added on 30 June 2005

"...At the end of WWII there had been 16 million in uniform, 405,399 had died and 78,773 were missing in action. They left behind wives, and approximately 183,000 children were left fatherless. We were designated "war orphans" by the Veterans Administration..."

"New Year's Day, 1945 in Beeck"
John S. Rieske, Co. H., 405th

Story Added on 30 March 2005

"...The resulting explosion caved in the cellar allowing the brick wall above the cellar to collapse into it. The heavy truck was blown backward a number of feet and its driver was blown out of the machine gun mount and deposited none to gently on his feet..."

"Co. F., 405th: Group Photo: Jan 1, 1945"
Edward L. Souder, Co. F., 405th

Story Added on 30 March 2005

"...These men, all members of the 405th Regiment, Co. F., are in a rather quiet manner, befitting a church service and listening to the kind words of the Division Chaplain..."

"The Attack on Beeck, Pt. 3"
Fred Sutton, Med Det, 405th

Story Added on 23 October 2004

"...Just then two big shells came in up the street killing Cheek and Tunis of Headquarters Co. and almost getting Navarre who was standing in the doorway with his head out of the cellar telling us we better get downstairs..."

"Kulmbach Revisited"
Dick Fanstermacher, Anti Tank, 405th

Story Added on 23 October 2004

"...Several of them admired our white bread, something they had never seen due to its complete absence in Germany with its war restrictions..."

"The Kraut Major"
Ed Blackburn, Hq. Co., 2nd Bn., 405th

Story Added on 23 October 2004

"...We wound up with a stack of pistols, knives, daggers, hand grenades, etc. that would have easily filled the jeep trailer. We were in the process of shoving all this stuff in a nearby foxhole when a jeep load of Air Corps officers came driving up..."

"Wiring the River"
Ed Blackburn, Hq. Co., 2nd Bn., 405th

Story Added on 23 October 2004

"...I had a front row seat laying in the mud watching one of our light machine guns (firing about 250 rounds a minute) duel it out with a Kraut machine gun on the other bank (firing about 1250 rounds per minute)..."

"Return to Beeck"
Glenn Fisher, Co. C., 405th

Story Added on 23 October 2004

"...Lines of steel helmeted men, bayonets fixed, charged across the field. Incoming shells rumbled like freight trains. Explosions threw up dark cones of mud that changed into irregular, wind-sculptured clouds as the last fragments of mud and steel fell to earth..."

"A Special Ozark"
Juan Rebuffo, HQ Co., 405th

Story Added on 13 October 2004

"...The two had a couple of guns but they never ran into hostile Indians or wild animals. The exception was snakes. The Indian workers would kill these snakes by snaring them and chopping off their heads with machetes..."

"Adventures with the German Language"
Fred O. Hunsdorfer, Co. C., 405th

Story Added on 13 October 2004

"...two Jerries came out and surrendered. I put the two of them in front of me and my carbine and they led me through the mine field and back to the Roer..."

"Where Co C., 405th Fought Its First Battle"
Fred O. Hunsdorfer, Co. C., 405th

Story Added on 13 October 2004

"...Early Tuesday am we were up and about. This time I drew Street Car duty! The motorman and I (with three rounds in my carbine) set off for a run down to the shipyard. Masses of workers poured onto public transportation. My street car was bulging..."

"Attack on Beech, Pt. 2"
Fred Sutton, 405th Med Det.

Story Added on 13 October 2004

"...We passed a dead Gl almost half standing in a forward position, his face gray. We followed the road that lead out to an open field leading up to the house that was on the edge of the orchard..."

"War Memories"
Parke G. Hoover, Co. F., 405th

Story Added on 15 September 2004

"...I think were the first troop ship to land after that port was cleared. I believe it was September 23,1944. On November 23, 1944 we were just outside the German town of Immendorf, near the Siegfried Line of pillboxes, when I was hit in the back of the leg late at night..."

"Reaching Out"
by Daniel S. Ebeling , Co. I., 405th

Added on 4 April 2004.

"...Ebeling said the medic was about six or eight feet away from him in the trench, when he "heard the bullet hit his stomach," A bullet, he explained, "has its own distinct sound when it hits a body. It's sort of like taking a stick and whacking a pumpkin..."

"Looking for Assistance"
by Edward P. Pytlak, Ço. A., 405th

Added on 4 April 2004.

"...The only story that I know due to the fact that he discussed very little because of the awful feelings he had was when he had got a truck and someone was going to take it in Germany. He stuck a brick on the gas and let it smash into a tree. He wasn't going to give them a truck...no sir!.."

"Bastard Platoon of Co. H-405"
by Mitch Mitchell, Co. H., 405th

Added on 4 April 2004..

"...We would harass these areas 24 hours a day with 5Os, .30s and 81mm. mortars The next trip to the interrogation center would prove that we had excellent results. One prisoner stated that they hadn't been able to use the same route twice and several times supplies wouldn't get to them for three our four days..."

"Nov. 19 - 27, 1944"
by Wallace Katz, 3rd Btn HQ., 405th

Added on 4 April 2004..

"...I headed south down the ditch. About 100 yards down the ditch I ran into four other newly arrived members of my platoon heading towards where the wounded were. I was going in the other direction. I left the ditch and headed across the field that was being swept by rolling German artillery barrages, Fear had drained my strength and numbed my mind. I made no effort to avoid the shells except for a few minutes when I lay on my back in an abandoned German position, which was below ground level..."

"A Guiding Light"
by "Zeke" Cunningham, 405, Co. A.

Added on 2 December 2003.

"...Incidently, it was then that we noted that the 88s were fired in groups of three rounds, and out of the three one or two were duds. Found out later that this was probably due to sabotage by the prisoners and forced labor in the munitions factories..."

"The Philadelphia Strike"
by Fred O. Hunsdorfer, Co. C.

Added on 2 December 2003.

"...The trip to Philadelphia was fantastic. There were sandbagged machine gun emplacements at major intersections, and there were automatic weapons at water towers, municipal sites, transporta-tion centers, and shipyards, to name a few spots..."

"Room Service"
by Dave Parshall, 405th, Co. I.

Added on 2 December 2003.

"...He went to the corner of the basement and loudly called out "Hello, room service? Are you there? We have a couple of guys here who are very hungry. Will you please bring down dinners for two? T-bone steaks, potatoes and gravy, salad with vinegar and oil, rolls and butter and a nice bottle of wine. And hurry, these guys can't wait long..."

"Defending the Pile"
by Dave Parshall, 405th, Co. I.

Added on 2 December 2003.

"...Soon, someone in our headquarters command decided to bring in our own artillery on us, to counter the counterattack. A great barrage of shells landed all around us. I immersed myself into the friendly and beautiful manure. It shielded me from flying shrapnel, and I felt safe and warm there. I was suddenly grateful for the position..."

"Ninth Army Front Remained Quiet Today"
by Carl Main, 405th, Co. B.

Added on 25 November 2003.

"...As we moved toward the river in the early morning, the air was acrid with the smell of burnt powder and the sky was continually lighted with the bright flashes from the muzzles of about 2000 artillery pieces, and the larger but less brilliant flashes from the shells bursting on the other side of the river. The stillness of the night had been shattered at 0245 and to the ears of the men moving silently forward in a column on either side of the muddy road, the deafening reports were like the sound of exploding popcorn drumming on the lid of the popper, magnified a million times..."

"History Bits of Experience of Co. B., 405"
by Carl Main, 405th, Co. B.

Added on 25 November 2003.

"...Finally I decided on a solution to this problem. Pulling the pin on a white phosphorous grenade, I dropped it into the king-sized hole and scurried back..."

"Was I Scared? You're Darn Right!"
by Ed Merritt, 405th, Co. B.

Added on 25 November 2003.

"...I was going toward Hottdorf when I came upon a fellow GI shooting into the empty sky. I asked "What are you shooting at?" He said "Those Jerry paratroopers." I told him there were no paratroopers. He pointed them out..."

"Attack by Co. B...22-23 Nov 1944"
George Schroeder, Co. B.

Added on 25 November 2003.

"...It was then that most of the men discovered that their mud-covered weapons would not function. Some rifles would fire once and stop, and not even a kick would move the operating rod handle. It was estimated later that only about one weapon in four remained in working order..."

"A Night on the Town"
Bob Van Dyne, Co. M.

Added on 25 November 2003.

"...Meanwhile, in the town the tanks had been rumbling through the streets shooting, killing men, wrecking headquarters without opposition. Just after all the infantry got across the river, and before any anti-tank guns or other heavy artillery could get across, the Germans had bombed the bridge, leaving us practically defenseless against the supersonic 88 millimeter rifles of the German tanks..."

"War Respites"
Jack Brody, Cannon Co.

Added on 25 November 2003.

"...Picking a small beet field a short distance away, I dropped my clothing and squatted down. Before I had finished, Jerry decided to send some 'time fire' over, and the first shell exploded directly overhead. I hunched closer to thhe ground, and when the snow around me started kicking up, I upped my pants and headed for cover slipping on the snow and ramming my knee into a protruding rock..."

"The Siegfried Line"
Richard Altobelli, Co. E.

Added on 25 November 2003.

"...Our personal estimate of the contribution made by the ASTP men is confirmed by other sources. One writer notes, "The new divisions being committed in the autumn of 1944 often contained large quotients of men transferred from the Army Specialized Training Program...To the extent that divisions liberally laced with ASTP men performed exceptionally well..."

"Scared...H--- No!"
Bob Enkelmann, Co. H.

Added on 25 November 2003.

"...Just outside stood 8 recently recruited medics with a stretcher, helmets gleaming in the moonlight. As the only soldier in this motley group who spoke a smattering of German, I was ordered to accompany Radar at the head of this column as we began our hazardous escapade..."

"To Whom It May Concern"
Walter Ruff, HQ-2nd BN.

Added on 25 November 2003.

"...I yelled to all my buddies, "Look at those Spitfires." At that moment, one of them rolled his wings, and the black cross glared like a neon sign. We all scattered, but it was over so quickly that not a shot was fired by either side. Needless to say, my reputation and ability as "resident air-craft spotter" in my outfit thereafter was severely impaired..."

"Over the River"
by Howard K. Smith, Correspondant

Added on 17 November 2003.

"...When we were leaving the village, our barrage opened up at precisely 0245 hours. Almost instantly the navy blue sky turned into a dome of yellow fire as a thousand guns blasted forth. And they kept on firing, dotting the horizon behind and in front of us with momentary patches of red from the blasts of the guns and hits from our shells. They thundered and roared over our heads like a hundred express trains..."

"Down Memory Lane"
by Donald Larson, 405th, Co. H.

Added on 17 November 2003.

"...It has not been revealed until now just how close the German army came to complete annihilation at the hands of two platoon cooks. A shell hit the wall of Alphie Langlois' kitchen for the first platoon, and Walter "Cue Ball" Miller of the 3rd platoon. It ruined the coffee and stew they were brewing up for the evening meal. The cooks grabbed their cleavers and headed for the Kraut lines to make mince meat.. About 20 GIs grabbed them, and they stormed back into their kitchens mumbling dire threats to any Krauts that might fall into their hands..."

"The Best of Life"
by Les Nordlund, 405th, Co. B.

Added on 5 November 2003.

"...We heard a violent explosion, possibly a hit on our farm house CP. We rushed upstairs to a room filled with plaster dust. The window table had completely disappeared, indicating a direct mortar hit. We heard groans. It was difficult identifying bodies, except for Captain Estes, who still sat in his chair, limp and covered with gray dust. Blood trickled down the captain's forehead, indicating a serious or fatal wound..."

"A River Crossing"
by Eugene M. Greenburg, 405th, Co. F.

Added on 5 November 2003.

"...God, it was terrible. In spite of the darkness I could see quite a bit. Medics and stretcher bearers were all over the place. Engineers were bringing down more boats. The bulldozer was filling a shell hole with apparent disregard for the bodies lying about. I prayed that there wasn't a wounded man among those bodies. Equipment was scattered about and everyone seemed confused..."

"The Attack on Gardelegen"
by Lt. Jim Hansen, 405th, Co. F.

Added on 5 November 2003.

"...I passed on one side of the building and saw a large trench. Upon investigation, I saw bodies lying at the bottom. I heard shouts from the other side of the building and went there. The horrid scene unfolded in front of us. We saw heads and hands sticking out from under the doors. It looked like they had dug that far out with their bare hands..."

"Roer River Crossing"
by Samuel D. "Don" Egolf, Co. E., 405th

Added on 3 November 2003.

"...Our engineer in the aft section had his oar pointed in the bottom and was pushing as hard as he could to bring the port side of the craft to the bank. Observing his dilemma, I began to push in an effort to ease his load when I lost my balance and knocked our combat engineer into the icy water..."

"Saddle Up"
by Chet W. Edwards, Co. M., 405th

Added on 9 July 2003.

"...It seemed as though the German gunner was giving the two men a chance to get out before firing the killing shot, yet nothing happened; they could wait no longer. Then the top hatch finally flipped over, the tank commander climbed out, got one foot on top and started to jump just as a tremendous explosion blew a three foot hole through the center of the tank, right where the gunner was sitting..."

"War Memories"
by Ed Merritt, Co. B., 405th

Added on 8 July 2003.

"...A fellow I knew who loved Grand Ole Opry was passing me. He had one of those big bulky radios strapped to his back. He saw me getting up and said "Merritt, you should be dead." Before I could answer he took a direct hit from a German eighty-eight. The top part of his torso spinning up and forward about fifteen yards; the bottom just disappeared. Try as I may, I cannot recall what happened to the radio..."

"Enemy Weapons -- Friendly Fire"
by Ed Merritt, Co. B., 405th

Added on 17 November 2003.

"...About ten minutes and a lot of rounds later, we got word that our own people were being fired on from somewhere in our area. The rear echelon did not want to fire back because they knew we were in that location. They asked if we could try and find those guns and attempt to silence them..."

"One Angry Lieutenant"
by Ed Merritt, Co. B., 405th

Added on 17 November 2003.

"...Have you ever seen an infantry man who wasn't hungry? There were two fat pigeons on the peak of the house across the street. I figured I could hit the pigeons in the head, and a fellow GI said "Merritt, you hit that bird in the head and I'll clean and cook it for you"..."

"The Road to Krefield"
by Henry Roche, Co. I., 405th

Added on 7 July 2003.

"...Suddenly there was a terrific explosion. I felt a vacuum, then a pressure on my eyes, ears and body. This terrific pressure/vacuum lifted my entire body up off the ground and twisted me around facing the direction I had just come. I hit the ground on my knees, skidding along. The man behind me was hit in the head, the whole top of his head was off, and he was surely dead before he hit the ground..."

"The Attack on Beeck"
by Fred Sutton - 405th Med. Det.

Added on 5 July 2003.

"...I found a Mexican boy in a hole with a leg wound and a board on top of him. He had had no attention and I tried to put a Carlisle on him but did a bad job of it. Having no morphine I couldn't get him out of his misery and he was sobbing quietly. I left him and took off to the left and found a fellow in a tank track. I couldn't see him until I got right up to him because the track was a half foot deep and an 88 had hit him in the leg, tearing it half off. He could hardly speak, the concussion was so great. He whispered hoarsely that an 88 had hit the tank about 10 yards away and had hit him too. He managed to crawl to this tank track for a little protection and wasn't able to bind his wound..."

"405-I Company in November, 1944"
by Tom Franta - Co. I., 405th Reg.

Added on 1 July 2003.

"... A German sniper crawled through the beets to very near our hole without our seeing him. He pointed his burp gun in my face and fired. The recoil caused the gun to rise to the left. I was peppered with rocks from the dirt in front of our hole but, horribly, five shots went through Flora's head, even though he was only peeking out..."

Those Damn Doggies in F:
Stories of the Men of Fox Company, 405th Regiment

Added on 1 July 2003.

NOW! 28 STORIES
in this "Kitchen Histories" Collection!

 
"...A collection of stories submitted over about a year's time and contributed by the former historian of Co. F., 405th Regiment, 102nd Division [2nd Battalion] -- Edward L. "Ed" Souder. Some of these stories ended up in the Ozark Notes over the years -- while others did not.

The collection of stories was painstakingly compiled, edited,and put into readable format by Mr. Souder and then passed on to us at World War II Stories -- In Their Own Words over a period of about a year and a half. Excellent reading and most informative for followers of the 102nd Ozark Division..."

"Have You Seen This Stolen Nazi Flag?"

Added on 10 July 2003.

"...The Nazi flag was the usual RED background with a white center and in the center of the white was a black Nazi symbol -- the Z and bar this made a place about 10 inches round that had the signatures and most of these were signed with a pen and India ink so it wouldn't fade or wash off. There were a number of bullet holes and some holes caused by shell fragments. So It was official. It had a rope running through some edge and that was cut and frayed and torn..."