The Good War

2013 by Maggie Locke. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/16/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2240-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2239-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2241-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013901077

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Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

This book is dedicated to my Uncle Frank

who always inspired me and encouraged me in anything that I did.

This book is for you.

Prologue

On December 16th Hitler mapped out his counteroffensive. The intended target the Ardennes forest, his plan was to cross Meuse River and capture Allied Armies in the North. Thousands of soldiers were assembled at Cologne, most were intended to counter attack once the first and ninth arrived. A small force of English speaking Germans caused confusion throughout December 16th, three German armies totaling twenty-five divisions arrived they fought against six thinly manned American divisions. The German army made a considerable effort to seize vital roads in the north. In the center of the battle however the American armies were considerably under strength most of the soldiers fighting were recent arrivals from the states as well as hard fighting months before. Rallying from an earlier surprise attack, the Americans denied the Germans villages, defiles, bridges, and road junctions. General Eisenhower directed that General Patton call off ,his offensive of the West Wall in turn to strike the south shoulder of the German penetration. Here the German seventh army commanded by General Erich Brandenberger, charged with holding the south flank, lacked sizable armory components and failed to keep pace with the Fifth Panzer Armies advance.

Eisenhower put all the forces north of the bulge under the command of Field Marshal Montgomery, while Bradley retained command of the forces to the south.

Montgomery had troops of his own, the 30th corp. which was held in resave positions west of the Meuse to forstall a Germans attack of the River.

On Christmas Eve an armored spearhead got within three miles of the Meuse at Celles encountered the United States 2d division, which had hurried down from the pitched battle on Christmas Day, the American armor annihilated one German regiment in what proved to be the high-water mark of the counter offensive. The 2d Armored was part of General Collins’s 7th Corps, which, along with, the 18th Airborne Corps, General Hodges had committed to hold the north flank of the German bulge.

January 3rd, the 5th corps of the First Army and the 12th corps of the third had the Allied offensive to the east and headed toward St.-Viith. On January 22nd, Hitler ordered the depleted Sixth panzer Army to begin moving toward the Western Front to reinforce the east. By the end of January, the American first and third reached the German frontier to reestablish the line that had existed before Hitler’s armies reached Eifel. The net effect of the counteroffensive was to delay the Allied attack six weeks at a cost to the Germans of more than 100,000 casualties, 600 tanks and 1,600 planes. The Americans incurred approximately 76,000 casualties.

The Battle of the Bulge was the greatest pitched battle on the Western Front in World War 2 the total of 20 German and 33 allied (mainly American) participated. The Germans created a short lived bulge in the American lines 70 miles wide and 50 miles deep at its widest point. They had paid for it with the loss of priceless reserves that left the German Army ready prey for annihilation once the Allies resumed their offensive in earnest.

The 981st in the Bulge

On the 16th of August, 1944 the 981st departed from Camp Carson, thereby officially ending their period of training in the U.S.

On August 28th they said their good-byes and boarded the Queen Elizabeth for DESTINATION UNKNOWN. On September 3rd they entered the harbor, which were a few miles down the Firth from Glasgow. They boarded a ship and headed south. The next day they reached Bournemouth, England, a summer resort for the British Isles and the first to be opened during war-time to the public, They were quartered at the Whitehall Hotel here they spent twenty days drawing equipment and getting ready to depart the continent.

On September 23, they departed, spending the night at Camp Hoz while enroute to Weymouth. The 981st then boarded an LST(Landing Ship Transport) and an LCT (Landing Craft Transport). On September 27th the 981st landed on Omaha Beach D-day plus 3 months. They then assembled their companies and bivovacked a few days in an apple orchard.

Then they moved on to Les Pieux, France, located about ten kilometers from Cherbourg. At this time they were attached to the Ninth Army. At the end of October they left Normandy. They bivouacked at Chateauneuf on Tim south of Paris, and at Neufchateau on the second night, arriving at their destination, Verangeville, France late the next evening. The 981st was at that time attached to the XII Corps of the Third Army, operating under combat conditions. The war the soldiers saw left its mark on the towns they passed through and on the faces of the villagers still living in the towns. On the 22nd of November, 1944 they left St. Nicholas and arrived at their new area. They took over a brick kiln; the maintenance platoons and Headquarters sleeping in the kilns while Contact took over a house in the area. They were now heavily in a combat zone, as German SS’s fired shell after shell into the town behind them. They were delayed twenty-one days in the town of Morhange because of the bombing. They next arrived in the town of Saarguemines, where they sent an advanced party in with snowplows, the Germans threatened the town and they were forced to abandon the plows, and follow Patton north into Luxembourg to do their part in stopping the attack. The 981st arrived in Echternach, Luxembourg, located on the Sauer River. The river was directly below Hitler’s Seigfreg Line, and its pill boxes and dragon’s teeth were plainly visible from their side of the river. They stayed in what was left of a monastery. Where they and their Allies defended the town and bridge in the Bulge.

Chapter One

Winter 1944 (the out skirts of Brussels, Belgium)

The sharp wind blew at the tent, sending the lamp above swinging. Captain Nathan Wells of Brooklyn, NY looked up from his paperwork. His blue eyes trying to adjust to the sudden darkness, as the lamp came crashing to the hard packed dirt floor; he jumped up cursing. The flap of the tent coming open with a gust of cold air blowing papers this way and that. Corporal Alex McDowell of Dallas, TX stepped inside. Lighting another lamp he handed it to his captain saying, I heard the crash. Mine did the same thing just a bit ago. Captain Wells smiled, rubbing a finger under his slightly hawked nose, he liked this man. He’s a good soldier, he cares for his men; unlike that bastard Tarr, Wells thought. Wells cleared his throat saying, Thank you Corporal. McDowell nodded and saluted. Find the Sergeant and send him in. Wells said, as he bent picking up papers that were blowing across the hard packed dirt floor. McDowell saluted crisply saying, Sir he turned and left.

McDowell found Tarr in the doorway of the nurses tent Come on, he whined Just a little sugar ladies I promise I’ll be good he drawled sweetly, McDowell felt the urge to retch, he closed his eyes and swallowed Sergeant McDowell said loudly The Captain wants to see you Tarr turned scowling his smallish blue eyes disappearing in folds of flabby skin ‘‘Corporal’’ Tar growled Where’s your salute son Tarr snapped, McDowell crisply saluted as Tarr walked off mumbling about nurses and whores. The flap opened and the short fat sergeant strolled in and saluted the captain, Wells walked behind the battered desk, he unrolled a map, Wells took a sip of his coffee he regarded the Sergeant thoughtfully placing a finger on his freshly shaved razor sharp chin, he pursed his full mouth before he spoke choosing his words carefully lest the Sergeant take more into his expressions The Brass need us for a mission to go behind enemy lines, they’ve heard reports from scout planes and partisans that the Jerry’s are cookn’ something up Wells said matter of fact Of course they need us they always need us Tarr crowed, Wells closed his eyes breathing deeply as he said as he tried to tamp down the frustration That’s enough Sergeant, I need you to get the men ready can you do that. Tarr saluted saying Yes sir Captain Wells turned away mumbling dismissed Tarr walked away with the proud wobble he was known for. Wells studied the map for sometime before rolling it up and putting it in his bag, he sat behind the desk he stared lost in thought at the picture of his wife Diana, he could almost feel her gentle touch and soft voice, how he wished he was there with her and his four boys, he’d been away so much, but that’s how it is when you marry a military man and Diana knew that and excepted it, she’s the best wife a man could have he thought with slight smile curving his full lips .

The sun rose over the mountains and the trees as Hanns slid his arm into the stolen Nazi great coat, after buttoning the coat he bit into the small apple chewing absently before heading out the door of the cabin swinging the German sniper rifle over his shoulder, he breathed in the fresh pine smell of the woods, it was then that he noticed the blond teenager hunkered in the snow, he looked up smiling his blue eyes twinkling merrily.

Kurt stood up brushing the snow from his American great coat, he pulled the aviator helmet from his pocket pulling it over his blond curly hair, he slid the Lugar into its holster as he said Good Morning Hanns Hanns smiled as he said Good Morning Kurt, Rolfe told me last night that he was listening to American and German transmissions here and he thinks that they’re near here he said as he unrolled the map pointing with a long finger at the map And I think we might have some luck if we go towards them, you want to go shoot some Germans, Kurt nodded I’m up for a little target practice he said with a grin on his full wide mouth as he drew the knife and flung it hitting the tree, both men laughed.

The door opened and the short brunette walked over to her brother and Kurt as she slid green knitted wool hat over her long dark curly hair she smiled as she said cheerily Good Morning, Georg said that he would be by later with some eggs, maybe I’ll bake something both men nodded hoping that she would Good Morning Eva Hanns said and Kurt nodded shyly, he cleared his throat as he said Hanns was just saying that Rolfe heard transmissions, from where? Kurt said The American transmissions he figured were from near Brussels, but the Germans are a lot closer, I believe they’re on our doorstep.

A twig snapped and the three sprang into action, Eva ducked behind a log sighting with her English sniper rifle. Hanns bobbed and weaved several paces before sliding across the back of the pine tree; he placed the rifle on a low branch and waited. Kurt laid behind a snow drift his Lugar in hand and a wicked looking blade between his teeth. The tall slim blond stepped out from behind a row of pine trees, her blue green eyes darted to the left then to the right, it was too quiet, Maria thought, she pulled the dark blue mittens from her hands, she cupped her hands around her full mouth as she imitated a bird call. Kurt shouted Maria is that you?, Yes Kurt it’s me Maria said a bit winded, Hanns ran up the hill, he grabbed her kissing her soundly, they pulled back as the others reached them Maria what are you doing? Hanns asked concerned I heard something, it was tanks they’re down the road a ways. Maria turned walking back the way she’d come, the three following in her wake. They came to what was once a path, but now trees and shrubs were up rooted and the ground churned up by tank tracks, they tracked the way the tanks were going and the four noticed that they had stopped farther down at the crossroads where they waited.

The sun shone bright on the snow as the 981st Intelligence Unit pulled out, Corporal Alex McDowell drove the first jeep, beside him was Captain Wells and in the back was the Medic Thomas MacPherson of Kansas City, KS, Private Danny Bird of Los Angeles, CA, and Private Anthony Capaselli of Yonkers, NY. Sergeant Patrick Tarr of Boston, MA sat in the passenger’s seat of the second jeep, Private Josh Merick of Vicksburg, MS drove the second jeep, in back was Private Sam Featherstone of Philadelphia, PA, and Private Adam Thomson of Orlando, FL. The Jeeps bumped down the snow bound trail on their way to Headquarters to receive their orders. Captain Wells unrolled the map relaying the coordinates to the Corporal, he then said We have to stop by HQ to pick up our new radio man McDowell rubbed a finger under his slightly snubbed nose as he said I’ll be hard to replace Maguire, he was a good man he’s missed Wells nodded I hope this is the last of the battles. I don’t know about you but I could use a break both men laughed. Hey Cap, who’s this new radio man? Bird asked Michael Sunhawk Wells said as he stared down the road a mild twinkle in his blue eyes, Capacelli frowned pushing his helmet farther onto his head he sat there in a slump his arms folded over his chest, Bird shoved at him playfully, he pushed Bird away I don’t like that we have to replace MaguireCapacelli whined Got no choice Wells said as he stared through the mud splattered windshield Macpherson smirked What’s the real reason Yonkers, afraid of the injun do you think he’ll take that mop of yours as a trophy Capaselli jumped up turning towards MacPherson with a fist cocked ready to strike as he yelled I ain’t afraid of nothin’, Danny Bird looked nervously from side to side saying McD could you pull over I’m gettn’ out before these two kill each other and me, Wells turned in his seat leveling a blue ice stare at the men in his command as he said with annoyance My boys behave better than you, knock it off, MacPherson grumbled He started it Sure Cap as soon as Mac apologizes Capaselli said triumphantly MacPherson’s mouth dropped open in astonishment Me apologies to… Are you outta your ever loven’ tree MacPherson huffed, Wells leaned over placing his fist on his chin and his elbow on his knee, he looked over at McDowell who immediately stopped laughing, he cleared his throat as he looked sheepishly at the Captain.

The jeeps pulled up in front of the HQ tent, Captain Wells out of the jeep, he couldn’t wait to go home, but this is the life he chose, the military has been good to him and he remembered General Franks before he became a General, he walked towards the tent, he was met by one of the General’s aids, who led him into the tent where General Saul Franks sat behind an oak desk, he looked up from his paperwork as the Captain came in and saluted Captain Wells General Franks said as he answered the salute Coffee? the General asked as he motioned Wells to take a chair, Wells nodded and two steaming cups of coffee were brought in by the aid, So Captain I imagine you’re wondering why you’re here the General asked, Wells nodded Well the brass is frustrated that the Kruts keep figuring out our codes so they’ve come up with something new, the Navaho language What ? Wells asked confused Intelligence has developed a code based on the Navaho language and your getting one, the rest are going to fight the Japs Franks said "But