From: Bob Barrett
Sent: Thursday,
December 30, 2004 12:31 PM
To:
Subject: MAIL
CALL NO. 819 517TH PRCT -- DECEMBER 30, 2004
Ben is still AWOL
in Lake Tahoe, so I'm filling in again
with MailCall. If you have any news, continue to send it to Ben at
Ben517@aol.com,
and he will forward items to me. Ben
should return to his home computer -- the only one that likes him -- this
weekend, and he will be taking over MailCall once
again.
Bob Barrett
Save the Dates!
Annual
West Coast Party
2005
April 10-16, 2005
Palm Spring, CA
More info soon
2005 Biannual Reunion
August
15-19, 2005
Dear Ben & Bob,
On behalf of my good friend Mr. Jim Royer (HQ 3rd)
and myself, I am making an appeal to all Mail Call recipients for any current
information about Gonzalo Chico (HQ 3rd), last known living in Lancaster,
CA.
If anyone has any current information
regarding Mr. Chico, we would certainly be grateful for
it.
I wish everyone in the 517th family a happy,
healthy and prosperous New Year.
Still going over a great -T-Bolt issue.
Another job well done by that team (Bob Christie, Donna Hilliard, et.
al.)
Best regards,
Tom Reber
son of Lt. Bob Reber (HQ
3rd)
Please be advised that Arnold Hughson (Company D,
2nd Battalion, 517 -
PIR) recently lost his wife, Mary Jane after 47 years of
marriage. She
will be missed. Any further correspondence should
be mailed to him,
regarding Reunions, etc - He will be discontinuing the
emails. Thank
you.
Arnold A. Hughson
909
75th St Pkwy W
Bradenton, FL
34209
941-794-8188
Hello again Ben,
Just wanted to let Bob know that we are receiving
the e-mails and really do appreciate them - also Merry Christmas Bob too
and to all the 517th family.
Oscar & Martha Berg
Cynthia Craig and Larry
Simon, I am sorry that I cannot recall James Simon in particular even though he
was in Company C and I was in Hq company of the 1st Bn. Time has erased or
dimmed many memories. Hopefully some others in 1st Bn may recall
him.
However, one hallmark of the C
company was singing! Apparently their C.O. must have been a
musician for that company acquired the moniker of 'The Singing C's.' Good
luck in getting more personal info.
Walter W. Smith
Dear Mr. Barrett:
My husband and I would like to thank you for your
hard work in helping
people from the 517th to keep their memories
alive and pass them on to
friends and family. I lived in Europe as a
child and travel there
frequently. I am always so grateful to see the
peaceful, united, and
democratic Europe that has come out of the
sacrifice of our troops in World
War II, and in the courses I teach I
always include this period, so that
young people will appreciate what
they take for granted.
I'd like you to know that we have already heard back from Walter
Smith, Hq company, 1st Battalion, who tells us that C company was
known
as "the singing C's" for their musical accomplishments!
Thank you for helping to bring us this new insight into my
father-in-law's service! We wish you a very Happy New Year!
Cynthia
Craig
I have been so thankful to be on your mailing list
since I found your website and actually got dad (Roger Scherer) to admit this
was HIS unit. To all of the members of the unit and their children a
sincere wish for a healthy and blessed New Year. I have been again blessed
to have my father still here with his wife of 58+ years (Jeanne) with me for
another year. He may never talk to me about his days with the Buzzards but
I am sure that it helped to shape the strong and caring husband, father and man
he has always been. I am learning so much about all of you from the site
and the links. My son in law, a current member of the military, enjoys
learning of all the things I have found so I am confident you heroes will be
remembered by another generation as I see him passing on the memories to his
son.
Thanks again, Susan Scherer
Clark
Ben, On Wednesday, December 15, the
Maryland National Guard celebrated
the 60th Anniversary of The Battle of the
Bulge at the Fifth Regiment
Armory in Baltimore, Md.
The program
consisted of a light dinner, a Battle of the Bulge
documentary, a speech by
the noted historian, Bob Mullauer and talks by
veterans of the Battle of the
Bulge.
I was one of three veterans to speak on the Battle of the
Bulge. We
were each given ten minutes. Following our talks, members of the
Guard
and guests were given the opportunity to asked us questions.
Following the questions, Joseph Balkoski, Command Historian, MDNG,
presented
to the three of us who spoke, The Adjutant General's
Commemorative coin in
"Recognition of Service, Integrity & Excellence.
I was proud to be
present and to represent
the 517th PRCT. at this very special
event.
Jim Royer, Hq.
3rd.
517th PRCT
Dear
Stevin:
First, we congratulate you for taking the time and
having the interest in
learning more about the American soldiers buried in
the WWII cemetery in
the Netherlands. We of the 517th Parachute
Regimental Combat Team
appreciate your interest in the men we left behind in
that well kept
cemetery in your country. It will always commemorate
their sacrifice.
Secondly, you have my permission to use
anything I have written. I think
that goes for what is on the website,
but Ben might have something to say
about that. The Paratroopers' Odyssey is copyrighted, but our
Association
holds the copyright. One of our objectives is to perpetuate
the memory of
the Combat Team and its members. So, your use of any of
that material will
help us reach that objective. The portion of the
Odyssey on Bergstein was
written by Capt. LaChaussee who was in the hospital
at the time. I do not
recognize most of the details in his write up.
Thirdly, your question about Capt. Woodhull’s relation with the
101st is
perceptive. You caught that mistake; he was never in the
101st. Our
Combat Team was composed of the 517th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, the
460th Parachute Artillery Battalion (Woody's outfit) and the 596th
Parachute Combat
Engineers Company. In the States before overseas
shipment, we mere a
part of the 17th Airborne Division. We did all our
fighting as a
separate Combat Team. In Italy we were 5th Army troops.
In
Southern France we were the largest element of the First Airborne
Task
Force. In the Bulge, we were 18th Airborne Corps troops under
General
ridgway. We were frequently attached to other larger units
such as the
82nd Airborne Division. At the end of the fighting in
Europe, we became
part of the 13th Airborne Division and returned to the
States in that
status. We were scheduled to go as part of the 13th to
participate in the
invasion of Japan. The War ended as we traversed the
Atlantic on the way
home. The 517th was deactivated at Ft. Bragg, NC in
early 1946.
Fourth, Why were Woody and I out in front?
This also is a good question.
It frequently takes me a few days to recover
from thinking about that
morning to write about it. I often wonder how
we could have done things
differently to save Woody's life. He was a prince of a man.
He had been
assigned to the 3rd Bn. as our artillery liaison officer for a
long time.
He and his radio operator, Herbert Jeff, were virtually part of
the 3rd
battalion. From the jump in Southern France on August 15,
1944, I was the
Battalion S-2 responsible for obtaining information about the
enemy. We
did this mainly by patrolling. Woody and Herb went on
almost all of our
patrols. Herb, who passed away this last year, told
me that he and Woody
used to covet our combat infantry badges; they deserved
them. If we got in
too deep and were being pursued by the Germans,
Woody would call in
artillery to give us time to make it back to our
lines. Sometimes we had
the assistance of the 460th's L5 (Piper Cub) aircraft to cool things off.
Once on a combat patrol in Southern France we had a platoon of
Germans
partially surrounded. When I yelled at them to surrender and
several times
the Germans stood up with their hands up, their non com
fired his machine
gun to thwart the surrender. Woody crawled forward
with me to within a few
feet of the gun position where we silenced him and
captured the platoon,
all their weapons, ammo and equipment. The German
officer slipped away
when the fighting first started, as they were ordered to
do to preserve the
officer corps. Most good American combat officers
were up front where they
knew what was going on. This sometimes
resulted in their loss.
Now, to that morning. We
were new to the terrain around Bergstein having
just arrived there before the
attack. The Germans had been there for
several months defending that
terrain. They had laid extensive mine fields
and had machine gun,
mortar and artillery zeroed in to protect well
organized defensive positions.
From the outset, our attacking infantry
units were in serious trouble.
When they hit the mine fields, the
supporting enemy fire came in with
devastating effect. What Woody and I
were attempting to do was to give
G, H and I Companies artillery support in
their attacks. We got too
close that morning. Woody was killed and his
radio man, Riddle, was
wounded in the lower leg by the machine gun fire.
Herb Jeff was not with
Woody that day. George "Red"
Meline, one of my S-2
men, and I took over the artillery radio and knocked
out the machine gun
nest with a barrage of artillery fire. We remained
in that position all
day serving as a communications link between the rifle
companies and higher
headquarters.
All of the 517th men on
your list buried in the cemetery there lost their
lives in the attack in the
vicinity of Bergstein, Germany. Many more,
including Capt. Jim Birder
who sat on a shu mine, were returned to the
States for reburial
here.
Thank you for the opportunity to honor those
men. Howard Hensleigh
.
> [Original
Message]
> From: Stevin Oudshoorn <stevin@basher82.nl>
> To: <hhensleigh@earthlink.net>
> Date: 12/21/2004 4:54:44 PM
> Subject: Re: Anthony
Manley
>
> Dear Mr. Hensleigh,
>
> Thank you very much
for responding to my request that Ben ? put out on the
> Mailcall for
me.
>
> First of all I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you
for your efforts
> and sacrifices during the war in order to help
liberate Europe and my
> country. Please know that you and your
sacrifices are remembered as are
> those of the many who never
returned.
>
> I have been searching on the 517 website and found the
references to Capt.
> Woodhull. With your permission I would like to use
them on my website.
> Having read, I think, most of them, I do have some
questions. Would you mind
> answering a few? They mostly have to do with
when Capt. Woodhull was
> attached to the 517th and why you went with
him. With us in the army the FO
> job was/is done by a non-com, usually
with the protection of one or two
> troopers. Now, in WW2 it was
obviously a bit different, but wasn't it a risk
> having two officers so
far out between the lines?
>
> Also, Capt. Woodhull's grave states
he was with 460 FA Bn, 101st Airborne
> Infantry. Do you know if this is
correct? I mean the 101st Abn part?
>
> I am now trying to read up
on the actions around Bergstein. I have read
> before on the initial
attack on Shmidt, Vossenach and Kommerscheidt, which
> was devastating
to the forces involved. Now I know little about the final
> push for
these towns.
>
> Thank you again for replying to my request. I would
welcome the opportunity
> to ask you some questions at your convenience.
If there is anything I can do
> for
you, please let me know.
>
> My wife Christa and I wish you and your
family are very happy Christmas and
> a joyful new year!
>
>
Warm regards,
>
> Stevin Oudshoorn
> www.basher82.nl>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
"Howard Hensleigh" <hhensleigh@earthlink.net>
> To: <s.oudshoorn@zonnet.nl>
> Cc: "Ben517" <Ben517@aol.com>
> Sent: Saturday, December 18, 2004 2:43
AM
> Subject: RE: Anthony Manley
>
>
> > Dear
Stevin: I was beside Capt. Robert Woodhull when he was cut down by
a
> > burst of German machine gun fire at Bergstein, Germany. I
have written
> > about this and it may be on the website. He was
our 3rd Bn. artillery
> > observer. We were directing artillery
fire at the time. I commend your
> > efforts to honor these
men. Howard Hensleigh