Other US

= personal recollection

Air ForcesMedicalOther

Three essential resources from CRIBA:

• US Units in the Battle of the Bulge, an exceptionally detailed list
• Order of Battle of the US Army, First and Third Armies (as of January 1, 1945)
• Forces Present on 16 December 1944

Air Forces

"Air Power in the Battle of the Bulge" by Col William R. Carter, Aerospace Power Journal (Winter 1989). This article goes beyond the clichés to show just how air power became a decisive favort in Allied success. Radar was a major factor.

"Had it not been for radar, the coordination of effective air-to-ground operations would have been 'incredibly difficult and impossible under the weather conditions' that prevailed."

Wally Hoffman (8th Air Force), "The 1944 Frustrated Christmas." Weather prevent them from helping the troops out.

Martin K. Presswood (390th Bomb Group) "'Battle of the Bulge' Fly-Over… December 24, 1944." Detailed recollection. Presswood and the 570th Bomb Squadron are ordered to fly over the battle as a morale boost; close air support was provided by 9th Air Force.

Medical

Viola Molloy, U.S. Army , "The Fifty-Sixth General" from The American Experience: Dispatches.

"The casualties came in so fast, nurses had to start blood transfusions, which only doctors had done before. Whatever needed to be done was done by everyone. There was no limit. I'll never forget those young patients, hurt so badly."

Grace G. Patterson, U.S. Army, "Women in Combat." Lengthy, touching on many subjects, from The American Experience: Dispatches.

Florence Heermance Wiechman, U.S. Army, "Jolly Good Sports!" from The American Experience: Dispatches.

"The army way of getting somewhere just to wait created an almost unbearable boredom among our camp."

Esther Edwards, U.S. Army, "Accomplishing Something Important." From The American Experience: Dispatches.

"When I tried to rest, I couldn't sleep, thinking of all those wounded patients and all that needed to be done for them. There were some I cannot forget to this day, like one whose leg was amputated, and when he was told, he was so furious he wanted to die."

Mary C. Pickett, 35th Evacuation Hospital, Third Army. The bulk of this is an interesting survey, by Major C.L. Bowers, of evacuation hospitals—how they were organized and worked, with schematic drawings.

"Medics in the Bulge" by Ralph Storm. This is a lengthy, well-written and informative article, starting with induction-center medics in the States, and moving on to operating procedures, shell-shock, self-inflicted wounds, the use of German medics, segregation, and other topics.

"An Ambulance Driver's Experiences in World War II: From Omaha Beach to the Malmédy Massacre" by Howard E. Nixon. The Battle of the Bulge starts on page 13.

Lieutenant Ruth Puryear (107th Evacuation Hospital), "The 107th Evacuation Hospital, December 1944"

"On the 16th December 1944, everything just happened. We left everything – all our clothes, all our supplies – we left everything but our patients. The wounded were loaded onto trucks and we began a race against the German Army."

Alain S. Batens, "The 42nd Field Hospital in the Battle of the Bulge"

James R. Van Allen, (99th Infantry Division) history of 324th Medical Battalion.

"Every available man, cooks, clerks, K.P.'s alike, grabbed rifles, grenades, bazookas and joined in the heroic stand. Everybody fought but the medics, and we had our hands more than full. … The human mind can never completely insure itself to seeing body after body, soaked in scarlet blood, and writhing in unbearable agony."

Other

Raymond F. Holstein, courier for the 1st Army H.Q.

Michael Accordino (299th Engineer Combat Battalion). The Bulge catches them off-guard and have to improvise:

"The thing that concerned me the most was that we were being led by a man who was in charge of the motor pool."

Eddie Maul (94th Infantry division), "The 94th Infantry division, 301st Infantry Regiment At Orscholz"

John J. Di Battista (4th Infantry Division), "With CC B / 4th Armored Division in the Bulge"

"On one occasion the Germans finished their normal barrage, waited a minute or so for us to emerge from the cellar and launched another salvo. After the first salvo, we were emerging from the cellar and I heard, I guess inner voice say 'Do Not go upstairs yet'. I also experienced that I was being physically held. It was very real to me. It is difficult to put into words. The second salvo hit. The man ahead of me on the stairs stumbled back down and said 'John, I'm hit.'"

Lou Novotny (Platoon Sergeant, unit not given) from The American Experience: Dispatches.

Joseph "Jack" Jagodinski, (unit not given) "Christmas Combat" from The American Experience: Dispatches.

Ronald N. McArthur, "Wounded in Action." from The American Experience: Dispatches. McArthur was shot through the face by a German sniper.

William J. McKenzie, "The Battle of Heiderscheid" from The American Experience: Dispatches.

Leland E. Cofer (105th Engineer Battalion), "The Bridge at Stavelot." A small Army team destroys the bridge at Stavelot, stalling the Germans.

"Tragic Christmas for the 563rd Ordnance Maintenance Company" on 12 US soldiers who died in an accident at Esneux, Belgium.

Tom Bailey, "The Parachuters Fate Near Aywaille" .

"The 635th Tank Destroyer Battalion during the Battle of the Bulge" by Carl Condon, Historian of the 635th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Exemplary summary of their action during the Battle of the Bulge, using contemporary documents together with personal recollections.

Joseph E.Galano (135th Ordnance Company), "My story with the 135th Ordnance Company"

Thomas F. Dole, "The 552nd Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company Tank In World War II"

Merritt B. Eells (980th and 3187th Signal Service Company)

Shawn Umbrell (35th Engineer Combat Battalion), "First on the Line." Detailed narrative ranges all along the battle.

William F. Brooks (26th Infantry Division). Died a hero.

Bob Van Houten (16th Field Observation Battalion). POW.

Robert D. Fahey (76th Infantry Division), "First Combat"

"I became envolved with the fighting in the Bulge quite by accident. My division, was still in England except for those of us who had been sent ahead with our vehicles."

"The Story of the 143rd AAA Mobile Gun Bn. and the Battle of the Bulge" by David Spitz, son of veteran Morton Spitz, with quotes from many others.

"Cavalry in the Gap: The 14th Cavalry Group (Mechanized)" by D. J. Judge (CRIBA).

Franklin P. Lindsey (14th Cavalry)

Edward W. Buttenhoff, "The 135th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Co. In Europe"

Stanley Hoglund, "Chronicle of the 296th Engineer Combat Battalion, in Belgium, before and during the battle of the Bulge"

Theo Lauter (3814th Q.M. Gas Supply) "December 18, 1944, between Spa and Stavelot." On the removal of dispersed fuel dump.

"I think if the Germans had captured the fuel dump, it certainly would changed the course of history."

Charles W. Heffner, "The 740th Railway Operating Battalion In France and Belgium." Detailed. This sort of stuff doesn't make the standard narrative histories (unless something goes wrong). See also his vignette Our Stay in Vise, Belgium.

"176th Field Artillery Battalion History" by Joseph Cerf Loeser (on CRIBA)

"Christmas in the Bulge, the Ardennes" Poem by Jim Hilton.

Glenn Faus (238th Engineer Combat Battalion), told by his daughter Susan Fritz, "Manhay, Belgium: 24–25 December 1944"

"The Garrison of Gouvy: 89th Quartermaster Railhead Company in the Battle of the Bulge 1944" author unknown, The Quartermaster Review (March–April, 1945)

"On December 24th the 89th Quartermaster railhead company reached First Army Headquarters-a proud bunch of guys! They had earned their right to the name of fighting Quartermasters."

Vincent Tuminello, "The 3892d Quartermaster Truck Company and the Gas Dump (Stavelot)"

Bruce Burdett (188th Combat Engineer Battalion)

"In His Father's Footsteps: The son of a soldier follows his father's path to Belgium and the Battle of the Bulge" by Frank Warner, Of The Morning Call. Was this fellow Airborne?

Alton Litsinberger, "The 257th Field Artillery Battalion '155mm Howitzer' In the Battle of the Bulge."

Christian W. de Marcken, (197th Anti Aircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion ) "A brief story about Edward O. Asselin"

Dwain L. Christofferson (771st Field Artillery Battalion)

Roy E. Connelly, told by his son, Michael Connelly (87th Mortar Battalion) "A Christmas Story, December 1944"

In memory of Ervin Daniel Schmidt (513th Parachute Infantry) by Debbie (Schmidt) Martin.

Ernest G. Somppi (188th Field Artillery Group)