The German map for Lorraine. But for mud (too much) and gasoline(not enough), this would be much worse for the Germans.
The Colmar Pocket in Alsace:
Posted on 11/30/2014 4:55:51 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Thanks for posting - that’s quite a story! I had not realized that Seventh-Day Adventists’ beliefs were opposed to fighting.
SDAs and JWs were persecuted heavily by the Nazis.
I wonder if Mr. Kinman’s descendants know about the N.Y. Times coverage. Maybe we could track them down and let them know about it. It is possible they don’t even know about the tracheotomy incident. I tried a facebook search but no luck. And now I have to leave for brunch with F-I-L.
By fighting this series of engagements in Ormoc Bay, the U.S. Navy was eventually able to prevent the Japanese from further resupplying and reinforcing their troops on Leyte, contributing significantly to the victory in the land battle. The final tally of ships lost in Ormoc Bay is: U.S. — three destroyers, one high speed transport, and two LSMs; Japan — six destroyers, 20 small transports, one submarine, one patrol boat and three escort vessels.
Historian Irwin J. Kappes argued that naval historians have unjustly neglected the importance of these engagements, writing:
“In the end, it was the rather amorphous Battle of Ormoc Bay that finally brought Leyte and the entire Gulf area under firm Allied control. From 11 November 1944 until 21 December, the combined efforts of Third Fleet carrier planes, Marine fighter-bomber groups, a pincer movement by the Army’s 77th Division and the First Division plus a motley assortment of destroyers, amphibious ships and PT boats trounced the now semi-isolated Japanese in a series of skirmishes and night raids. And because of poor weather conditions air support for most of these surface actions was almost non-existent.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ormoc_Bay
There appears to be a good amount of coverage from the era but who knows if descendants are aware of it?
See page 6 article Battlefield Surgeon http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/ST/ST19450123-V72-04__B.pdf
They know. There have been recent posting of WW II coverage of the incident.
“This story comes from the 11 December 1944 issue of Time magazine and is titled “Medicine: Well, I’ll Be Damned.” A similar article was also printed in the Newsweek published the same date. “
http://wwii-letters-to-wilma.blogspot.com/2011/12/11-december-1944.html
And the Communists. A book I read by a survivor of Communist prison camps in Romania said that they always knew when it was Saturday, because the SDAs would refuse to work, and the guards would beat them.
Sabbatarian Christians are fairly well known for refusal to work on Saturday. Less well known are the non-Sabatarian Christians who refused Sunday work.
I remember reading of a German boy who was the son of an innkeeper. Sometime late in the war, a German army unit set up headquarters in the family inn. The commanding officer ordered the son to operate the phone system. The boy refused stating it was Sunday and he wouldn't work on Sunday. The boy was taken out and shot.
I imagine you are right. The photo on your link will appear in one of my posts sometime soon. I don't remember exactly what day, but soon.
Also, the Battalion's Thanksgiving rations, including fresh eggs, finally made it up the Ridge!
The German map for Lorraine. But for mud (too much) and gasoline(not enough), this would be much worse for the Germans.
The Colmar Pocket in Alsace:
“Foxhole Surgeon” - Love these kinds of heroic stories. Also love the way the newspapers actually reported such heroism in such detail. Look forward to seeing the re-run 0f the story.
I can feel the cold and damp and smell the mud just looking at those maps. (I’ve been on some ghastly campouts.)
Well, I don’t know. War is hell, but camping out is supposed to fun... :)
Found it. December 9.
You mean you've camped out without marshmallows?
The problem is that you have to plan your campout long before you know the weather forecast. Sort of like a war.
I have experienced the joy of tent leaks and of sleeping directly on the ground inside a tent situated on level ground that a rainstorm revealed to be in a depression of sorts.
The need to keep the area solid for the upcoming "Wacht am Rhein," yet still husband units earmarked for that offensive asked a lot of the Germans involved in the Aachen/Huertgen/Roer approaches battles; they were able to accomplish this to a surprising degree.
Not to disparage Charles MacDonald's work - he did yeoman work as a historian in addition to having been a combat veteran - but IMO, some of the more interesting books that give a picture of what was endured in the Battle(s) of Aachen/Huertgen/Roer River are either German or based on German sources, particularly ones that depart from "the larger picture" works. Hold the Westwall and Victory Was Beyond Their Grasp are both Wehrmacht-centric, but give a good idea of what the GI was facing.
Mr. niteowl77
I was in the scouts for 5 years. It rained/stormed every time we went camping. It stormed every time we slept in the woods when I was in the Army training. I have stood guard at night in the Delta south of Saigon during the Monsoon. Mud is no fun.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.