Heroes: the Army

 

"...we were in Linnich returning to our nice, safe cellar when we heard an awful sound that is almost impossible to describe. If you can imagine Superman pulling a dozen grand pianos across an oak gym floor and the squeal and squall of their scraping on the floor magnified a hundred times - that is close..."

 

 

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 James R. Harris

  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit: Co. K., 407th Regiment,
    102nd Infantry Division
  • Dates: 1942 - 1945
  • Location: European Theater
  • Rank: Sgt., Silver Star Medal
  • Birth Year: 1923
  • Entered Service: Acme, WV

 

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 Wilfred G. Reist

  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit: Co. K., 407th Regiment,
    102nd Infantry Division
  • Dates: 1942 - 1945
  • Location: European Theater
  • Rank: PFC
  • Birth Year: 1924
  • Entered Service: Seneca, KS

 

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 William L. Shaible

  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit: Co. K., 407th Regiment,
    102nd Infantry Division
  • Dates: 1942 - 1945
  • Location: European Theater
  • Rank: PFC., Purple Heart
  • Birth Year: 1925
  • Entered Service: Elgin, IL

 

 

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On the Front Lines at Lindern and Linnich

407-K Co. 2nd Platoon

 

     Lindern is a small village that had been part of a five-village stronghold that played a key role in the German's strategy for the Westwall fortified zone. After bitter fighting (described by Leinbaugh and Campbell in their book, "Men of Company K")

     Lindern had been captured and held by the 84th Infantry division. When the Battle of the Bulge broke out, the 102nd Division took over the 84th's front. Two weeks later, when Company K, 407th Infantry came to Lindern on New Year's Day, the situation there was fairly quiet but tense. The Company occupied defensive positions that faced north across the frozen fields toward enemy-held concrete fortifications around Brachelen.

     While the Platoon was on the front at Lindern, Schaible and Reist narrowly escaped becoming victims of shells from a captured.German cannon. (This episode is described a bit later under the heading "Friendly Fire on a Snowy Night".)

     Schaible remembers the weather. "We found the weather from mid-December through the entire month of January caused many casualties. It changed the life of the infantry soldier, living in the open day and night, from the usual miserable experience to almost unbearable. Later we were informed that this was the most severe winter experienced in northern Europe in years. We swapped mud and trench foot for frozen earth and frostbite." Nevertheless, Schaible adds, "We had become hardened infantry soldiers. We were issued better winter clothing. Shoepacs -- boots with rubber lowers, which made your feet sweat -- did keep the water out. White camouflage suits were made from what appeared to be bedsheet material. Helpful but not very serviceable nor of the quality with which the Germans were equipped."

     Harris recalls our first acquaintance with one item of German weaponry. He tells it this way. "It was during the time of our stay in Linnich that we first encountered 'Screaming Meemies.' One afternoon I was with a patrol passing through Linnich. I forget what the mission was at the time, but we were in Linnich returning to our nice, safe cellar when we heard an awful sound that is almost impossible to describe. If you can imagine Superman pulling a dozen grand pianos across an oak gym floor and the squeal and squall of their scraping on the floor magnified a hundred times - that is close. Then down the street a building blew up with a thunderous explosion. Six times in rapid succession -- then silence. The Germans had a six-barreled rocket launcher that was mobile. They fired six rockets, then moved the launcher before our artillery could respond. This became a daily event. Six rockets, then move the launcher. Needless to say, the sound of those 'Screaming Meemies' did more damage to our morale than the actual rockets did to our front lines."

     Wannamaker tells about his reaction. "The first time I heard them I was heading back to our cellar, I had no idea what the weird sound was, but figured it was a good idea to seek cover. I tried to run through the open door of a building and was literally thrown back by a web of communication lines draped across the door. The rockets hit a couple of blocks away and shook hell out of the area. Nothing was going to keep me from getting in that house, I put my rifle up vertically in front of me and charged as hard as I could into the doorway. The wires broke and I slid down the hallway clear to the back of the house. They didn't fire any more rockets that night. Whatever else damage they did, they caused at least 20 of our units to lose their communications."

     Throughout the twelve weeks (December 2, 1944 to February 23, 1945) that the Roer River formed at least part of the front between the Ozark Division and the Germans, numerous reconnaisance and combat patrols crossed the river during the nights. Company K made its share of them. One became widely known because of the wound Lt. Dewey Decker received while leading it. The boat carrying the patrol ran into concertina wire sunk in the water's edge along the far bank to ensnare the assault boats before they could land. As the patrol was retreating they were raked by machine gun fire and Lt. Decker was hit. The location of his wound stimulated a lot of wry humor among the troops who remembered how, in Stateside training, especially on the infiltration course, Decker would never fail to shout "Keep your G- D- butts down" When he came back to the Company from the hospital, we used to quip (to one another, of course) "Ask the Lieutenant where he was wounded." (Five decades later, in the movie "Forrest Gump," the hero is wounded in the same spot as was Decker.)

     Just getting across the river in the nights was risky. Scouting the German defenses and especially trying to bring back a prisoner for interrogation were even more hazardous. In January the 407th Infantry recruited and trained a special unit of volunteers, "Rogers' Raiders," for just these purposes. The Raiders began their patrols about the end of January and climaxed this part of their history by going over the Roer in advance of the massive river crossing on February 23. Pfc Carl Christine of the Second Platoon was one of Lt. Rodgers' men.

     On the night of January 24-25 the German troops quietly abandoned their positions on the west side of the Roer, downstream from Linnich. After silently pulling back across the river, they blew up the remaining bridges. Reist recalls that he, Valdez and Tedrow were chosen to set up a listening post near the river, some 400 yards in front of the foxholes, in what we had been calling "the Roer Pocket." His account appears later under the title "Snowy Outpost in "Roer Pocket."

     Another Unnich outpost episode involving Harris, Reist and Schaible is described under "A Flood in the Night."

 

----- 407-K Co., 2nd Platoon

 


 

(Editor's note: Attempts were made throughout the text of the following story to place full names to the men listed in the story. For the most part, this is an educated guess and some names may very well be mistaken in their identy. The names were all taken from the division history book: With The 102d Infantry Division Through Germany, edited by Major Allen H. Mick. Using the text as a guide, associations with specific units were the basis for the name identifications. We are not attempting in any to rewrite the story. Any corrections are gladly welcomed.)

 

  • image of WWII Logo

    image of NEW12 January 2005.
    A photo of
    Co. A., 2nd Platoon, 407th Regiment, 102nd Division. This image is on a page that is dedicated to Mr. Edward Marchelitis, Sr., by his daughter Carol. Most of the men in the photo taken on December 20, 1943 are identified on the back of the image.

    To view the photo of Co. A., 2nd Platoon, 407th Regiment as well as other photos of Edward Marchelitis, click on the image above.

    The family of Mr. Marchelitis is seeking information on his platoon.

    A special Thank You is extended to the daughter of Edward Marchelitis, Sr., Carol Marchelitis Heppner.

     

     

    Interested in some background information?
    Check out the related links below...

    United States Army, 102nd Infantry Division

    102 Infantry Division

    History of the 102nd Infantry Division

    Attack on Linnich, Flossdorf, Rurdorf - 29 Nov -- 4 Dec 1944

    Gardelegen War Crime

    image of NEWGardelegen: April 13, 1945:
    Massacre at the Isenschnibbe Barn

    American Battle Monuments Commission: WWII Honor Roll

    National World War II Memorial

     

     

     

    The above story, "On the Front Lnes at Lindern and Linnich", 407-K Co., 2nd Platoon was published in the 102d Division "Ozark Notes", Vol. 53, No. 1, October/December 2000, pp. 4-5.

    The story is re-printed here on World War II Stories -- In Their Own Words with the kind permission of the 102d Infantry Division Association, Ms. Hope Emerich, Historian. Our sincerest THANKS for the 102d Infantry Division Association allowing us to share some of their stories.

    We would also like to extend our sincere THANKS to Mr. Edward L. Souder, former historian of Co. F., 405th Regiment. His collection of stories of the "Kitchen Histories Project" series entitled, Those Damn Doggies in F, were responsible for bringing the stories of the men of the 102nd Division to the forefront.

     

    Original Story submitted on 2 November 2004.
    Story added to website on 5 November 2004.

     

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