The Watcher
New Member
great read about one of the battles in wwii.
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German infantrymen pass burning American vehicles during the Nazi drive into Allied lines in December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. This photo was taken by German forces and later captured by American troops.
GIs recall epic battle of WWII
Allied forces fought Nazis, frigid cold
It was a brutally cold morning. The Allied troops had knocked out a German tank. Jack Garrity approached the disabled machine and saw the dead operator. His jacket had a fur collar and fur lining.
"I was going to take it because we didn't have anything," said Garrity, recalling the moment 60 years ago in Noville, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.
As he debated the idea, a bullet whizzed by and a sliver ricocheted off the tank and pierced his lower lip.
Under heavy German fire, he retreated with his comrades into the woods before he could get the jacket. But he was happy to be alive.
He had another close shave in Noville, about four miles northwest of Bastogne, when shrapnel hit him in the left side of his head. He put a patch on the wound and kept moving.
With all the death and destruction he saw around him, he didn't consider his injuries worth reporting.
Garrity was awarded a Bronze Star for bravery for dismantling U.S. anti-tank guns while under heavy enemy fire in Noville to prevent them from falling into German hands.
Two Allied soldiers who were stationed at his outpost died in the onslaught, and another who was shot in the mouth lived to tell his story.
Garrity is among the dwindling number of surviving World War II veterans from South Jersey who fought in the historic battle. It was the largest land engagement the United States had participated in, and lasted from Dec. 16, 1944 to Jan. 25, 1945.
Full Article
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m121204a.htm#
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German infantrymen pass burning American vehicles during the Nazi drive into Allied lines in December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. This photo was taken by German forces and later captured by American troops.
GIs recall epic battle of WWII
Allied forces fought Nazis, frigid cold
It was a brutally cold morning. The Allied troops had knocked out a German tank. Jack Garrity approached the disabled machine and saw the dead operator. His jacket had a fur collar and fur lining.
"I was going to take it because we didn't have anything," said Garrity, recalling the moment 60 years ago in Noville, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.
As he debated the idea, a bullet whizzed by and a sliver ricocheted off the tank and pierced his lower lip.
Under heavy German fire, he retreated with his comrades into the woods before he could get the jacket. But he was happy to be alive.
He had another close shave in Noville, about four miles northwest of Bastogne, when shrapnel hit him in the left side of his head. He put a patch on the wound and kept moving.
With all the death and destruction he saw around him, he didn't consider his injuries worth reporting.
Garrity was awarded a Bronze Star for bravery for dismantling U.S. anti-tank guns while under heavy enemy fire in Noville to prevent them from falling into German hands.
Two Allied soldiers who were stationed at his outpost died in the onslaught, and another who was shot in the mouth lived to tell his story.
Garrity is among the dwindling number of surviving World War II veterans from South Jersey who fought in the historic battle. It was the largest land engagement the United States had participated in, and lasted from Dec. 16, 1944 to Jan. 25, 1945.
Full Article
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m121204a.htm#