Sunday, February 14, 2021

Back to the Front

National Archives

The column was advancing through territory that the veterans had seen before, they skirted the Hürtgen Forest, passing to the south of that area. 2nd Lt. Stephen Hernandez couldn't help but think that not too far north of here, back in December, he'd still been a sergeant, 2nd Platoon's platoon sergeant as a matter of fact, the job now held by S/Sgt Jack Wilson. Of course, back then Nathan Paddock had been the platoon leader. Hernandez wondered how his old lieutenant was doing these days.

Paddock had been hit back on the 8th of January, which seemed like a lifetime ago to Hernandez. They'd lost other men that day, good men, killed with no hope of any future. Last he'd heard, Paddock was still in hospital in Belgium. Though his wound could have been very serious, it wasn't bad enough to get him back to England then back to the States. Lots of other casualties had left him behind, he was a fairly low priority compared to the men who would probably be crippled for life. Hernandez hoped that he and Captain Edith Parsons were getting to spend some time together.

He'd had a letter from another Army nurse, Beth McGee, who he'd met at Christmas time when he'd taken Paddock into town to get him drunk. She had written of the many wounded which had come in from the fight in the Ardennes and how busy they all were. She asked him to write back, which he hadn't done yet. He'd have to make time for that, he had fond memories of the lady.

"Hey, L.T., you awake over there?" S/Sgt Wilson was on the other side of the halftrack taking them deeper into Germany.

"Yeah, Top, just thinking."

"Yeah, you looked like you were in another world for a minute."

"I was." Hernandez looked at the sky, he figured they would be stopping for the night at the next small village. After a glance at his map, he figured that their next stop would be Bergstein, not far from the Roer River which, he understood, was where the front was at the moment.

He stood up, the terrain was still snow-covered, to his front was one of S/Sgt Brad Woodstock's tanks, the halftrack that the platoon headquarters was riding in was towards the middle of the column of five tanks and five M3 halftracks. The road was winding and muddy, the temperature hadn't been as cold the past couple of days.

Looking to the rear, he saw another tank, the tank commander waved at him, he recognized Sgt. Doug Harrell, his crew had had their tank knocked out at the Battle of the Crossroads, but through the miracle of American industry, they had gone to the rear and been issued another.

Their second tank had been a refurbished vehicle, one wag in the platoon said they should've named their new tank "Refit." The one they'd lost had been called "Misfit." The refurbished tank was named "Misfit II." Not clever perhaps, but Harrell's crew liked the "Misfit" name, so they kept it, simply adding a number.

Hernandez waved back, then looking forward again, he could see that they were coming up on a village, probably Bergstein. He hoped so, he was cold and hungry, getting inside a building would be a good way to spend the night.

When they rolled into the remains of the village, Hernandez realized they'd be sleeping in and around their vehicles again. The village was a wreck, most of the buildings were identifiable only by the remains of their chimneys, the rest were hollow shells, the interior open to the sky.

"Alright, looks like we're where we're supposed to be. Jack, get the men to start setting up camp for the night. No fires, I have no idea how far away the Germans are or even if they have any artillery, but I'm not taking any chances. Have Cat and Stump set up listening posts, tell Cruz I need to talk with him."

"Got it L.T., are you gonna be here?" Wilson asked.

"No, send him to Woodstock's tank, I need to talk with Brad. Need his advice on where he wants to post his beasts for the night. Hell, even tankers need to sleep sometime. Or so I've heard." Hernandez said this as he stretched and climbed over the side of the halftrack.

Leaning into the driver's side of the track, he asked Pvt. Fred Strickland, who had been driving the halftrack, "So Fred, did ya need to hit every pothole?"

Strickland laughed and said, "Sure L.T., I figured you guys in the back would mark 'em on your map so the engineers could fill them in, ya know so that the rear area types get a smoother ride!"

Hernandez laughed then looked around, "Park her over there, Fred. Next to that building which might have been a pub in happier times."

"Got it L.T., looks like we can set up shop in there, no roof, but the walls are intact. We'll rig up a tarp or something."

"Thanks Fred, get something to eat first, okay?"

"You got it Sir, you want something?"

"I'll eat after the men have, I need to plan our defenses for the night and figure out where we're going tomorrow. Now move out."

Strickland drove the halftrack over to the ruins of the village's Gasthaus¹ and parked it. The platoon guide, Sgt. Woody Sherman had the Basic Duty privates and the platoon messengers busy setting up shop as soon as they'd dismounted.

As Hernandez went to talk to Woodstock, he felt a drop of rain on his face.

"Wonderful." was all he had to say.





¹ Gasthaus, an inn, often the location of the village pub.

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38 comments:

  1. Wonderful - for some reason I'm hearing Dirty Harry's 'Swell' in the background.
    Frank

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  2. Me thinks the majority of both sides in the field are ready to get back home. Too bad there will still be another almost three months of war in Europe.

    One typo, Sarge: "...identifiable only be the remains of their chimneys" should be "by the remains"

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    1. Most of them have probably been ready to go home since day one.

      D'oh! Fixed it ('e' isn't even that close to 'y' on the keyboard).

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  3. There are few things in this world that I hate more than ice cold mud.

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    1. Ice cold mud, AND it's raining. (But yeah, I hate Communism more than that.)

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  4. So.... "Misfit II"....can remember reading a number of US pilots going the same route when they lost their original aircraft. C'mon 2nd Lt., get that letter off!

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    1. Robin Olds and "Scat" comes to mind. (I believe "Scat XXVII" was the last, an F-4C Phantom.)

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  5. Thanks for not doing the time-honored ploy of killing the guy who's dreaming about the girl. I would have had to tell Mrs. Andrew that she'd be alone for a few days while I went and killed a certain writer.... ;)

    I can think of fewer places more miserable than a cold camp in a rain/sleet storm. Been there, done that, and only by the miracle of modern tenting and 2 wool blankets each did we survive that miserable bastige of a night.

    Been telling people for years when they wonder why I live in Florida because "Ermagerd, der Hurricanes!" that you can sleep in wet warm weather, barely, without electricity or AC. Now try that in reverse and see what it's like to try to sleep in cold and wet weather when it's around or below freezing and there are no utilities. (That, and the area I live in doesn't normally see hurricanes. (Great, I just cursed myself...))

    I thought Paddock's injury, though severe, wasn't severe enough to send him back to the States. Survivable with recoup in England maybe. And now you have him recouping in Belgium. Well, they could always put him to use in some HQ somewhere pushing papers while he gets his strength back.

    Good story. And, yeah, Misfit II, how... droll, how... American.

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  6. Hey Old AFSarge;

    I like the "Village Gasthaus" touch, That is a little detail that a lot of people miss, only someone that has been there in Germany or has done a lot of research will add to a story. Cold, Snow and mud...*Shudder*....been there, done that and had the frostbite to prove it.

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  7. It is odd, Sarge, as I deal with moving my parents, how time compresses or expands almost at will. For Hernandez it has only been two months since the events you relate - but yes, a lifetime.

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    1. I know you're going through some tough times there, best of luck with that.

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    2. Thank you Sarge. Thank you for providing something to take my mind off it, even if only for a few minutes.

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  8. Ever have a dream of a beautiful woman and then you wake up before anything can happen? ;-) Never understood why my father never cared to take me camping until my mother told me of his Korea service.

    That halftrack - it just occurred to me that those slats in front of the radiator were movable - closed during weather like this to allow the engine an easier time to warm up.

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    1. Yes, camping. No, thank you.

      Slept under a cannon once, with just a blanket to keep me "warm."

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    2. Also closeable when approaching combat as they are armored slats.

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    3. I didn’t think of that before beans but it certainly makes sense. Hou just punch a hole in the radiator and you disable the whole thing

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    4. Way late reply here - dreamed of a beautiful gal, and we were getting along just great, and my dream self wondered if she'd like to meet my son. You know you're a parent when.....
      Frank

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    5. William - And that would ruin your whole day!

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    6. Frank - I'll take "Growing Up" for $500, Alex. (Though sadly, he's no longer with us...)

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  9. I am impressed by the paint job on the half track! Somebody went to the trouble of spinning the ditch roller, while painting.

    Creighton Abrams got at least as far as THUNDERBOLT IV, an M4A3(76mm).

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    1. The streaks on the side make the camo more effective too in places like the Ardennes.

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  10. NCOs eat next to last; officers eat last and they eat the same food as the enlisted do. That way you can be sure that officers will take care there will always be enough warm food for the men. In the German armed forces this time-honored principle was hammered into leaders since time immemorial. Woe to the young NCO or cadet who was found at the head of the chow line.
    It is the meticulous attention to small details like these which makes reading your texts so enjoyable. Thank you for my daily reading pleasure!

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    1. It's what good NCOs and officers do!

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    2. That is good leadership Martin and you were absolutely right about his attention to detail

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  11. Another great installment, Sarge! I feel like I know these guys, and yes, my feet are cold....again!

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  12. "Their second tank had been a refurbished vehicle, one wag in the platoon said they should've named their new tank 'Refit.' The one they'd lost had been called 'Misfit.'"

    As the likely wag in question, I appreciate the shout-out. ;-)

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  13. Paddock and Parsons. I know they're both O's, but it makes me think of all those movies where the G.I. falls in love with the nurse. Probably just Hollywood, or was fraternization not something that was frowned upon since there were so few women in service?

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    1. It was very much frowned upon, not just because of how few women there were in uniform but because nurses were officers. Enlisted/officer fraternization was really frowned on. Another thing is that most nurses tried very hard not to develop any sort of relationship with their patients. They still do, if they're smart!

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    2. Hollywood- that figures. Gotta throw some romance into the story I guess.

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