tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13452874653625363492024-03-12T17:45:13.143-07:00Buddy's WarA series that over two years will follow the story of my father in World War II 75 years ago. I did this five years ago in the series Following the 10th Armored, but I have been doing more research and expanding the ideas. The beginning posts will set the stage for the events of 1944 and 1945 when he was in Europe as part of the 10th Armored Division's 80th Armored Medical Battalion.pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-82352650161991325882020-11-19T04:00:00.013-08:002020-11-19T04:00:00.795-08:00A Son's Reflection- Happy Birthday, Dad!This post was originally written for the final post of the Following the 10th Armored blog at the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is now the end of the 75th Anniversary. I have updated a few things, but it is generally as I wrote it five years ago.
Today,
November 19, 2020 is the 115th anniversary of my Dad's birth. Seventy-five
years ago today, on his 40th pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-13355773118861550862020-11-11T04:00:00.036-08:002020-11-11T04:00:00.205-08:00Veterans' Day 2020This was from my blog series Following the 10th Armored when I followed them at the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is five years later and we are at another Veterans' Day at the end of the 75th anniversary of that war. I have done a little bit of updating, but I present it here with an even deeper humility and awe at my Dad and his "greatest generation."
For
the past year I pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-66613060509659278212020-05-23T14:13:00.000-07:002020-05-23T14:13:43.611-07:00#60- A Mother's ReliefBack on VE Day, Beula wrote,
The war is over and O God just think of the mothers that their boys won’t be coming home.Today the underlying thought came out:
• Wednesday, May 23, 1945
Got up at 9:00. Went to the store and cleaned. Got a letter from Buddy that he wrote on VE Day. So now I feel better.
Diary, Beula Keller Lehman In the time between VE Day on MaypmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-43876630149514670492020-05-08T05:00:00.000-07:002020-05-08T05:00:16.970-07:00#59- VE Day ◆ 75 Years Ago Today
◆ May 8, 1945
Headline, Jersey Shore (PA) Herald, Buddy's Hometown Newspaper
• Tuesday, May 8, 1945
This is V. E. Day. The war is over and, O God, just think of the mothers that their boys won’t be coming home.
Diary, Beula Keller LehmanpmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-85400193424287985422020-05-07T12:17:00.000-07:002020-05-07T12:19:32.294-07:00#58- The Last Offensive[Note: It has been over a month since I last posted on the movement of the 10th Armored Division/80th Medical Battalion. A whole bunch of different things happened, like the pandemic and related consequences. I apologize for that. In this post, I will do a summary of the month of April which saw a great deal of movement for Buddy’s Company C. I will not be posting each day’s movement as you will pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-42499433176477397012020-04-04T11:37:00.000-07:002020-04-04T11:39:28.679-07:00#57- At the End of March ▪ 80th Armored Medical Battalion
▪ After Action Report: March 1945
Clearing Station Report
Personnel Casualties:
Killed: 0
Wounded: 1 officer, 2 enlisted men
Missing: 2 enlisted men
Reinforcements received: 1 officer, 34 enlisted men
And, as usual, what might be needed to make things better. This reflected the change pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-55176611585682176052020-03-25T18:04:00.000-07:002020-03-25T18:04:05.436-07:00#56- To the Rhine
✓ Company C Morning Reports
✓ 16 March 1945
Departed Trier 1015. Traveled 10.9 miles via motor convoy to Lampaden, Germany. Supporting CCB. Arrived 1145. Set up clearing station and billeted troops. Weather fair. (MR)Combat commands of the 10th Armored Division began passing through infantry of the 80th and 94th pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-84812274249341659982020-03-16T04:00:00.000-07:002020-03-16T04:00:02.902-07:00#55- A Brief Respite and More Background • Friday, March 16
Got up at 11. Did not feel so good. Wrote to Buddy.
Diary, Beula Keller Lehman
75 years ago today, the 10th Armored/80th Medical finished a four-day break in the city of Trier. In the two weeks prior to the break they had, as pointed out in earlier posts, cleared the Saar-Moselle Triangle, captured Trier, crossed the Moselle and did some pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-80478217816328581872020-03-12T04:30:00.000-07:002020-03-12T04:30:00.373-07:00#54- Beyond Trier • Thursday March 8
Got up at 10. Felt bad so I am not doing anything. Received a letter from Ruth. Wrote to her. It is a spring day.
Diary, Beula Keller Lehman
The 10th Armored and Company C of the 80th Medical Battalion remained at Trier from 2 March through 15 March. It was a clean-up time around and northeast of Trier. Originally, Nichols tells us, pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-46798560390216623602020-03-07T04:30:00.000-08:002020-03-07T04:30:06.220-08:00#53- Capturing Trier • Thursday, March 1, 1945
Got up at 10. Did not do anything. Went to club. Was awful tired when I came home. Received 3 letters from Buddy.
Diary, Beula Keller LehmanOn Wednesday, 28 February the assault on Trier has begun by the 10th Armored CC B. After capturing the hill east of the city they raced down the hill from the northeast. This night blitz, pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-88094444139782678542020-02-29T04:30:00.000-08:002020-02-29T04:30:04.284-08:00#52- A Busy Week ✓ Company C Morning Report
✓ 25 February 1945
Left Perl Germany at 1520. Traveled 9 miles via motor convoy to Kollesleuken, Germany. Set up Clearing station. Closed bivouac area 1620. (MR)
▪ 25 February: Press Communique
The Tenth Armored completely cleared the Saar-Moselle Triangle in four days of pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-48095390281350011732020-02-24T04:30:00.000-08:002020-02-24T04:30:03.637-08:00#51- With Skill and Daring • Monday 19 February
Got up at 9.30. Gee it is so lonesome. So I am not doing much. Wrote to Buddy and Dora.Diary, Beula Keller Lehman
Field orders # 11 and 16 were now implemented. The 10th Armored and the 94th Infantry Divisions were set to make their coordinated attack. The 10th had been at Metz for nine days. The headquarters would not remain that long inpmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-28595068182557934752020-02-18T04:30:00.000-08:002020-02-18T04:30:05.208-08:00#50- Back to the WarSince mid-January, the 10th had been in reserve in Third Army territory. The Third Army was made up of III, VIII, XII, and XX Corps. It was mostly in a “mopping up” role from the Bulge. Meanwhile, planning had been in progress to resume the drive toward the Rhine that had been stalled with the German attack in the Ardennes. Patton was worried that his Third Army might be left behind. Nathan pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-24472909469912186872020-02-15T04:30:00.000-08:002020-02-15T08:58:59.362-08:00#49- Surprises In the Earlier StoryWe are about to enter a very busy period in the activities of the 10th Armored Division and the 80th Medical Battalion. This post, though, is a momentary jump back to before they were in Europe and the uncovering of more mysteries from my dad's army years. I should have known there would be more. There are many skirmishes and battles in the whole of Buddy’s war.
Since I have been digging into pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-22631285322749388692020-02-14T04:30:00.000-08:002020-02-14T04:30:12.232-08:00#48- In the Greater WarWhile the 10th Armored and 80th Medical Battalion were refitting and recuperating from mid-January until mid-February, there were other events happening. Here are some of them. (Link)
75 Years Ago
January 1945
19: Hitler orders that any retreats of divisions or larger units must be approved by him.
20: The Red Army advances into East Prussia. Germans renew pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-4826572064121760542020-02-12T04:30:00.000-08:002020-02-12T04:30:01.562-08:00#47- The Hardest Job?In a hard war theirs may have been the hardest job of all. But together with Army doctors and Army nurses, [the medics] worked something very close to a miracle in the European theater.— Stephen Ambrose
Stephen Ambrose in his book, Citizen Soldiers gives a whole chapter to the medical corps, "Medics, Nurses, and Doctors" Buddy was a surgical tech, which I assume meant he was not at the front but pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-57892004374825927092020-01-31T04:00:00.000-08:002020-01-31T04:00:00.810-08:00#46- More Prep, More Waiting • January 17, 1945, Wednesday
Got up at 10. Went to the store. Did some cleaning. It is a beautiful day.
Diary, Beula Keller LehmanNot a great deal happened in January for the 10th as a whole. CC-A and CC-R spent the first 16 days at Metz. During that time, Nichols tells us in Impact!, that
The Division’s battalions, which had been shot up during the Bulge, pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-81141809019623058352020-01-27T04:30:00.000-08:002020-01-27T04:30:14.120-08:00International Holocaust Remembrance Day
By pzk net, CC BY 3.0, Link
The Auschwitz concentration camp was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II and the Holocaust... The camps became a major site of the Nazis' Final Solution to the Jewish Question.
As the Soviet Red Army approached Auschwitz in January 1945, toward the end of the war, the SS sent pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-46433848261737365622020-01-23T04:30:00.000-08:002020-01-23T08:55:56.880-08:00#45- The End of the Bulge • January 1, 1945
New Year. It is a terrible day. It rained and snowed all day. Mabel and Carl came for dinner. Carl went back to Hornell on the train. • January 2, 1945
Got up at 11. Did not feel so good. Father is home. Wrote to Buddy and sent him a box of cigars.
Diary Entries, Beula Keller LehmanSo far for Co. C and for pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-23652759760300529742019-12-31T04:30:00.000-08:002019-12-31T04:30:03.695-08:00#44- The Siege- and the Year- End • December 25, 1944
Got up at 8. Put the turkey on. Had dinner. We just talked. [Ruth and Fred were there and then left on 6.10 bus.] It is raining. It is awful lonesome.
Diary Entry, Beula Keller Lehman
75 Years ago
26 Dec- The siege of Bastogne, for purposes of historic record, may be considered ended at 1645 on 26 December when the 326th Airborne pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-61075590694271460592019-12-24T04:30:00.000-08:002019-12-24T04:30:00.768-08:00#43- No Truce in the ArdennesThirty years before the Battle of the Bulge the “miracle” of the impromptu Christmas Eve truce made history in the trenches of World War I. No such “miracle” occurred for the men in Bastogne and the Ardennes in 1944. It had been a week of continuing hell! Between December 19 and 24 Combat Command B (CCB) of the 10th Armored had fought its way around and into Bastogne. Words like “chaos, panic, pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-91095975728306835522019-12-23T04:30:00.000-08:002019-12-23T04:30:09.506-08:00#42- A Critical TimeMy goal in this blog is not to tell all the war stories of the 10th Armored Division and its Combat Commands in the Battle of the Bulge. To reconstruct the movements of the 15,000 troops of the Tiger Division would take far more time and words than I can even begin to write. There are many, many books already doing that. I will not even try. Instead, I am looking at a very small part of the pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-10986442297314274272019-12-17T03:30:00.000-08:002019-12-17T12:57:53.633-08:00#41- A Serious Affair Indeed75 Years Ago
16 Dec - 18 Dec 1944
The Battle of the Bulge Begins
16 Dec-
All units of the 10th Armored Division were alerted for movement north with the mission of counterattacking a major German drive. Little more than this was known at Division Headquarters in the little town of Apach on the Moselle River just south of Perl.
17 Dec-
At 0330 orders were received attaching the pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-4569913462960358572019-12-11T04:00:00.000-08:002019-12-11T04:00:07.092-08:00#40- Regrouping30 Nov - 16 Dec- Regrouping in the Saar-Moselle Triangle
30 Nov – 1 Dec- Combat Command B (CCB) had almost reached its mission objective- the bridge over the Saar at Merzig. Just as they arrived, the Germans had blown it up. The next day,
December 1, 1944 CCB cleared Hilbringen, just west of Merzig, and continued to straighten its lines. Company C of the 80th Armored Medical battalion hadpmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345287465362536349.post-72152360067534725142019-12-03T04:00:00.000-08:002019-12-04T09:17:41.775-08:00#39- End of the First MonthAfter Action Report
80th Armored Medical Battalion
10th Armored Division
1 Nov – 30 Nov 1944
There were 33 officers and 364 enlisted men. During the month one of the battalion was killed and five wounded. Five replacements were assigned. [Note: The member of the battalion who was killed was not in Company C. No death is noted in the company's morning reports.]
At all three clearing stations pmPilgrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426657674375376465noreply@blogger.com0