Message for Robert Scruggs: Dear Robert:
We were delighted to receive your email asking for details about your father, Raymond Scruggs. Although we are not able to give details on all requests, we can on this one.
Ray was a rifleman in the 3rd Platoon of G Company. During the Bulge, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion S-2 section. Our TO&E (Table of Organization and Equipment) did not call for an S-2 section. In order to fill this vacuum, the rifle battalions borrowed men and officers from the companies. So, Ray always was a G Company man even when in the S-2 section. Since I was first assigned to G Company’s 3rd Platoon as the assistant platoon leader (Ed McKillop was platoon leader) I knew Ray well from my first day with the 517th. Five and one-half days a week (and frequently twenty four-seven) we did our best to prepare ourselves as individuals and our units, in concert with the others, for combat. From time to time Col. Walsh assured us, "Men of 517th, you will see combat". Believing him, we trained together on a daily basis, frequently jumping on training exercises. By the way he performed, we knew your father was a high school athlete. He dedicated himself to the tasks at hand and excelled in what he did. Like many of our young high school athletes, Ray spent his time off participating in athletic events or preparing for the rigors of the next week’s training, rather than spending it in "sin city". He was always ready to go on Monday morning.
Whether on patrol or in the attack, your father was always out in front. He usually served as point man for the platoon. He did the same on patrol. The fact that he lived through the war without serious injury is a result of his skill as an unflinching rifleman. His and my prayers as well as some from home deserve the consideration of believers.
There are several patrols that deserve mention. The first is a humorous incident that occurred in Southern France. It was an intelligence patrol rather than a combat patrol. The objective was to locate the enemy and find out what he was up to, rather than to attack him. We had located the enemy and were observing. In this situation we made no noise, not even a broken twig. Ray pulled back. A few minutes later I heard him exclaim. It sounded louder to me than it did to the Germans who were a few feet away. When we got out of enemy range, I asked Ray what was up. He took off his helmet and produced a packet of toilet paper that came in K rations. (We carried it in our helmets to keep it from being sweat soaked) He proclaimed, "This toilet paper was manufactured in my home town, Chester, PA!!"
The next patrol was from Ridge X, to the left of Col de Braus. Joe McGeever and Willis Woodcock had been killed a few days earlier in an attempt to link up Companies G & H situated on Ridge X with I Company on Mount Scandeous. A company of Germans in well prepared fortifications occupied the intervening territory. We planned a three company attack to jump off early the next morning. The objective of the G Company night patrol was to locate the German dugouts so the attacking troops could zero in on them in the first phase of the attack. Your Dad was on that patrol as were Elsworth Harger (eharger@chartermi.net) And a number of the 3rd platoon men. When Ray was between German positions, an alarm went off. He was sure he had tripped a wire. He froze and awaited results. It was an alarm clock signaling a change of the guard. The next morning Ray was one of the point men in the attack. When the artillery let up, we fired bazookas that had the same impact as the 460th’s 75s. That kept the Jerries in their holes. From the night before, Ray knew where the dugouts were and tossed white phosphores grenades into them. With a lot of the credit going to that patrol, we captured the entire German company, including the first sergeant who came down the hill with his hind side showing. A white phosphores grenade had burned off the rear side of his uniform. The attack helped make up for the men we had lost a few days earlier.
The next patrol was after we had attacked for several days south of Stavelot, Belgium. We were retaking territory from the Germans after the Bulge struck. Ray was part of my S-2 section at that time. Sgt. Kichin’s G Company squad was selected for the patrol. Ray went with us. Our mission was to make contact with the 75th and 30th Divisions respectively on our right and left. The snow was knee deep. Although the divisions and we had thirteen phase lines we were to cross simultaneously, neither division was any where near the thirteenth phase line. We hit the Germans on the highest ground, hill after hill and kept on schedule; they didn’t. We stuck out into the Germans lines, surrounded The patrol spent the whole day, from early morning until midnight, negotiating our entire front, running into Germans on both sides. We had the choice of going back through the knee deep snow or going down a packed down road that ran across the front. By unanimous consent, we took the road with your Father out in front as lead scout. We took off at a good clip. Ray was always ready for anything, but I noticed he had his M-1 slung over his back and his hands in his field jacket pockets. When we got back to G Company’s position I asked him what he would have done if we were confronted by Germans. He pulled his right hand out of his field jacket pocket with a loaded, cocked 45 ready for action.
Without qualification, I can say that your father was one of the finest soldiers in an outfit of heroes. To be sure there were a few others like him. The descendants of these men may be rightly proud of what their fathers and grandfathers accomplished.
Howard Hensleigh
P. S. Our highest regards to your mother. Three of our five S-2 men married Betties. At reunions we always enjoyed getting together with Betty Scruggs, Betty Castiglione and Betty Meline. George (Red) Meline and Jack Castiglione found out twenty years after the fact that they were married on the same day. HH
Cotton Nelson
Ben: here are two versions of photo of my
father for the web site. let
me know if this, the one I sent yesterday and
the other HQ 1st group
photo I will send later today are okay.
wished
I had sent these earlier but after my mother passed away my
father's things
got scattered between me and my sisters. my mother still
had his Purple
Heart, marksman medals and all his patches along with
these photos in her
storage trunk. cn
We will place photos on website - Ben