This weekend in a village near Arras .

By chance I discovered this monument dedicate to the innumerable animals

who suffered and perished in the last wars .

Véronique

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more interesting/amusing info re the GHQ manuevers:

General McNair wanted no more manuevers in which "one man with a flag is a tank".

The first M3 tanks, 105mm howitzers, halftracks, jeeps, and modern combat aircraft

became available in time for the 1941 manuevers.

"To make the sound of battle even more realistic, the army authorized $15,000 for construction

of 7 loudspeaker-equipped sound trucks to broadcast prerecorded battlefield noises."

(HUH???? Where pray tell would they get prerecorded battlefield noises???)

HERE YOU GO MARION! MORE INFO ON THE FLOUR BAG GRENADES!

"General Drum's antitank preparations received an unexpected assist a few days before the manuevers when Gen MCNair issued a memorandum that granted infantry troops the capablility

of knocking out tanks by hitting them with simulated hand grenades in the form of small

bags of flour" (WHAT GENIUS THOUGHT THAT UP?????)

The Battle For The PeeDee River:

" First Army (Which included VI Corps) was to be in it's concentration area by dark on

15 November. General Drum, however, positioned his brigade size crossing forces directly on

the riverbank and then endeavored to conceal this infraction from General Headquarters.

When GHQ discovered these troops outside the concentration area, General McNair ordered them back. McNair also discovered that some of First Army's signal troops had taken the farsighted but illegal precaution of laying telephone lines across the Pee Dee for use during and after the crossings. One of the illegal circuits actually ran into a private home & tied into the Wadesboro telephone exchange."

"The 1st Armored Regiment prepared to leave Abermarle bivouac about 0630 on 19 November withorders to strike south toward Ansonville & Wadesboro. At the same moment, the commander of TA-1 Col. Kennedy, tired of waiting for GHQ-Y, decided to attack the armored camp alone. The two forces collided in a desperate battle that cost 1st armored approximately fifty tanks, not to mention numerous real casualties resulting from acid-smoke

bottles and flour-bag grenades reinforced with rocks"

(HEY! Ithought this was suppossed to be SIMULATED combat!)

"113 Red Army tanks fell victim to the nearly useless .50 caliber antitank machine gun and

another 47 to the highly unrealistic flour-bag grenade. General McNair was not entirely pleased with the Blue Army's performance despite General Drum's masterful handling of First Army and the magnitude of his victory. In a confidential critique, McNair reproved Drum for First Army's violation of concentration area instructions before the manuever. McNair was also

aware that Blue Army troops had utilized ration trucks, which were IMMUNE FROM CAPTURE

under GHQ rules, to conduct reconnaisance excursions deep into Red Army lines. One such truck apprehended by GHQ observers was found to contain one can of coffee, one box of sandwiches, and a half-dozed men."

AND I LOVE THIS ONE:

" VI Corps was fighting desperately on it's right flank. The 1st Armored Div launched three

columns against the western extremity of the Blue Army, two of which broke through minimal opposition and turned VI corps' flank west of Monroe. The 4th Motorized Div assaulted Monroe iitself and by nightfall occupied half the town. Monroe, which happened to be the site of GHQ directors' headquarters, became the scene of a formless confused brawl. According to a GHQ observer, 'They are fighting on the roofs of houses, they are fighting in yards, they've got the town jammed up with half-tracks firing blanks. The Fire Department had to come out twice on account of smoke pots. It is rather a difficult situation'. GHQ finally suggested that all the umpires raise red flags, thus halting the battle & declaring the town half Red Army and half Blue Army for the night."

I think it may well be that the example of the formerly innocuous flourbag grenades retrofitted with rocks is indicative of how we won WWII.

Mary Ann

Got a few moments so I thought I'd post this FYI:-

Was getting some data for someone else and I came up

with this data which is the type we try so hard to forget

even after 63+ years but it just won't go away!!

On September 1st, 1944 before the retreating SS left the

area of Plomion, France, they murdered townsfolk including

many innocent women and children, burning down houses

with incendiary grenades. Sadistic evidence was everywhere.

Plomion is almost on the France-Belgium border in the vicinity

of Hirson. The SS unit was not identified.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

F. Y. I.

Data on the Plomion Massacre:-

951st Field Artillery Battalion with 9th ID - (the first US Corps

to reach Belgium.)

The day before (August 31), German SS troops executed 14

males of all ages in Plomion.

Later on the morning of September 2, we started to leave this

position. A young Frenchman about my age came up to my jeep

with his World War I rifle. He lived in Plomion and had escaped

from the SS troops before the massacre. He begged me to take

him with us to help in the war, but there was no way we could

take a civilian. He was a very brave man and would have been

worth his weight in gold. He was one of the few male survivors

of Plomion.

In April 1996, Lt. Russell Kelch and I went back to Plomiom, France.

We were able to get the complete story of the Plomion tragedy from

two kindergarten teachers taking children on a walk. The teachers

knew of this event and showed us a document about the massacre.

The German SS were looking for someone who had taken a shot

at them, and when the SS couldn't find the sniper, they ransacked

and burned the village. When the villagers wouldn't turn anyone

over, the SS arrested 14 men and boys who had not fled the

village. The 14 were beaten and executed.

A monument has been erected in the meadow where this

atrocity occurred. As we stood looking at the monument, Lt.

Kelch said, "You know, there were times in my life when I

wondered if this really took place or if it was all a dream.

That's why I never spoke of it much." I replied, "And now

we know it really happened."

Originally published in 951st Battalion FA Newsletter, Fire Mission

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A monument was erected in the meadow to commemorate this

atrocity. Haven't been able to find a picture of if but the inscription

reads as follows;

Quote "Ce monument a été élevé vers 1950 sur les plans du

sculpteur R. Antoine et de l' architecte R. Cabet. Les 14 stèles

s' élèvent à l' endroit même où sont tombés, lors de la débacle

allemande du 31 août 1944, quatorze plomionnais victimes d'une

ultime riposte".end Quote

(MY Free Translation = This monument was erected circa 1950

using the plans of Sculptor R. Antoine and Architect R.. Cabet.

The bas relief was erected on the same spot where they fell at

the time of the German Massacre of August 31,1944,

14 Plomion people ,victims of an ultimate retaliation).

These memories just won't go away!! Reason #3 for absence!!

Sgtleo

Unfortunately when I sent out letters to all the members of the 540th this month, I got one sent back as undeliverable and unable to forward. This usually isn't good news.

I am trying to get in touch with any family members or friends of Harlan Holmer who lived on E 12th St in Des Moines, IA. He was a member of my dad's unit, the 540th.

Jim Hennessey sent this to me. A friend of his was published in a newspaper, and I am including that article here for all to see. Once again in life we relate past to present.

FDR Invoked Prayer For Troops

Marion's tip: When you click on it to read, it may shrink down as many large files do. Simply place your mouse over the image and you will see a small magnifying glass. Simply click on it to expand so you can read it.

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