Winsor War Notes-Luther Snow Winsor's WW II experiences

Jan 31 Surveyed into Setz- shell holes everywhere-still roaring over hill- 7 P.W.s just brought in from Schoenburg (still fighting) by 435th Infantry 87th Division boys. One had on G.I. overshoes-made him take them off. (one of our boys needed) Made him walk with rags around his feet. Marilu -I get from this that Lu observed or heard about the incident with the overshoes, not that he personally made the POW give up the boots and wrap rags around his feet. 

Same view of St Vith after it was taken by Germans and re-taken by allied forces.  Jan 30 Control. St Vith towards Schoneburg (German Held) St. Vith unrecognizable. Some streets not even there. No buildings left standing. Girls in house sewed on stripes and patches (8th Corps) for us. Lot of fun. They speak good English. Finy & Sidey Lu, in Ray Hight's book: Toward the end of January, we went back through St. Vith , so different now from the last time we'd seen it on December 17. The town had been essentially leveled, with not much left standing. I remember trying to find some of our survey stakes along what used to be the main roads, without success. The feelings about the devastation of war were already a part of my being, so St. Vith was just one more shock. Here was a town that had been a fairly serene part of our lives in October, November, and early December. Now there was nothing left. Cliff Hope When I wrote home at the end of January, I

Jan 29 Control to St. Vith. Cats & Dynamite clearing debris of RR underpass. Oudler not too badly hit. Aldrigen & Maldringen bad. Stand in old school house & look at sky. Marilu: If you recall, the old school house was where they stayed for sometime, their spot being a kitchen in an upper floor.  Cliff Hope The next day brought us back through St. Vith. We had last seen it on 17 December while it was intact and still the headquarters for the 106th division. "Saw St. Vith from the top of an embankment--the most destroyed sight I've ever seen," I wrote in my diary. The railroad bridge had been blown up, the track sagging but still hanging together. Engineers were blowing up debris; a bulldozer was hung up on the rubble. It was cold as blue blazes and we stayed out most of the day, although we put in only one station. In doing so we found several of our old stations beneath the snow. We ate partially warmed C-rations. Bliesmer and I were called to Sur

Jan 28    Control-Lengler to Oudler. Stuck in convoy. New division vehicle  #s all covered (think it's 4th Div) Some of those guys were in New York Jan. 8th! Flat tire-schrapnel. Cliff Hope We surveyed on the Trois Vierges-St. Vith highway from Lengler to Oudler on 28 January. It was very cold and we were stopped once by heavy snow. I did absolutely nothing, nor did the computers, except for going back to bring out chow. "What the sense of all this is and why we didn't wait to come in for chow beasts the hell out of me." I wrote in my diary that night. "We have enough men to alternate on plenty of jobs." As we neared Oudler, there was a  five-minute German screaming meemie barrage. Infantry men reported that 40 German prisoners were captured in Oudler the day before. By the side of the main road there were 60 mm mortars, and the road itself was clogged by the 87th and 90th Divisions moving up with plenty of artillery. We saw a new outfit with

Jan-27 Froze all day. Got nothing done. Negro tankers going by. Dead Hinies and equipment everywhere. From:  http://www.sarahsundin.com/blog/ What happened today in WWII history Jan. 27, 1945:  Soviets liberate Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau; about 7000 prisoners remain. Child survivors of Auschwitz, 27 Jan 1945; Still photograph from Soviet film of the liberation of Auschwitz, taken by the film unit of the First Ukrainian Front (public domain via United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Belarussian State Archive of Documentary Film and Photography)

Cliff Hope We were out near Huldange most of the next day doing nothing. Gindele and the tapers went back to bring chow for the rest of us. What we didn't eat we gave to some hungry men from a detachment of the 17th AB Division. they said they had 250 men left out of the first battalion. Marilu: A battalion consists of 300-800 soldiers

Jan 26 Survey to Haut Balleny. Deep snow. Mess kit argument with Little Caesar. Used Halseys, ate with A Btry- Moved to Troveires. Marilu -Cliff refers to one of their leaders that he really doesn't like as Little Caesar.

Cliff Hope We put in a full day of survey near Limerle to Hautbellain. I computed with Giulio. The 87th (Acorn) Division, which we last saw at Libramont, was moving up in convoys all day. When we got back to Tavigny, we found the battery had moved east, into northern Luxembourg, to Trois Vierges, where we were to stay into early February. So, in blackout convoy, we moved too. At Trois Vierges, we quartered on the second floor of a good house---it had only a few bullet holes. The family was still there. Bruno and I shared a single bed. It was nice to find Trois Vierges mostly undamaged.

Jan 25 Stayed in-cleaned up. Cliff Hope : The official end of the Battle of the Bulge was 25 January, the day when the American lines were restored to approximately the same position they were on 16 December. Of course, we didn't know this at the time. Our party didn't go out, so I chopped wood, washed and shaved for the first time in three days, bringing water from the pump at the mess hall about a quarter of a mile away. Spots in front of my eyes, probably from the snow, made reading impossible. The man and woman in the house where we stayed said the Germans stole all their food, looted their household possessions, and burned what they didn't take. They also killed good livestock and shipped it to Germany. From various reports, this apparently occurred everywhere in the Bulge as a matter of policy.

Jan 24 Moved to Tavigney. Nice house but crowded. Cliff Hope: We moved again on 24 January, this time to Tavigny, northeast of Rouette and a short distance southeast of recently recaptured Houffalize. This move dispelled rumors that the VIII Corps was moving to Strasbourg or The Riviera. Our party shared two upstairs rooms and it was really crowded. After the beds or mattresses we had in the last three villages, the floor was very hard. The temperature slipped to two degrees. We had to melt snow to have water. Bruno, Elting, Ziegler, Okie and I missed the setup we had at Rouette. In my diary I wrote that Kindel was driving everyone crazy with his imitation of Ned Sparks. "Everyone's becoming slightly wacky anyway." Ned Sparks was a Canadian-born character actor of the American stage and screen. Sparks was known for his deadpan expression and deep, gravelly voice.   Wikipedia Want to see a compilation of "Sparkletts"? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

Luxembourg Jan. 23 '45 Dearest Mom, A little mail dribbled in tonight. All "V" mail which seems to be the fastest coming over now. I got yours of Jan. 3rd. (typing was very clear) one from Lela Nelson and one from a buddy in Germany. I'm glad to hear Bea and Mike are home. What's bothering Bea now? I hope nothing serious. I'll bet it seems more like having a family around you now. Dad's last letter was dated December 19th. He was quite worried about the breakthrough and I hope he has the letters I sent as soon as I was able. I sent him a picture of Lynne and Leona as soon as they reached me and he was certainly tickled to get it-claims Lynne is a Winsor through and through. I still don't have the latest pictures Leona is sending but they should come soon. --- I hope. Dad says that he still intends to come home just as quickly as he can get someone to take over and judging from the snapshot of himself that he included I hope it is soon. I'

January 22nd Stayed in. Head cold. Made sheath for knife.

Jan 21 Survey-Rachamps to Wande Bourcy. Column of armor moving up. Sherman tank fired accidentally. Blew off top of pine 5 yds. away from + 30 feet above me. Knocked me down and splinter hit right cheek, but only drew a little blood. Jeep & half truck of 41st cavalry hit mines on hill top. Lu, From Ray Hight's book: It's hard to put on paper the mixed emotions I had during the times we were close to the heavy fighting, especially during the Bulge. Fear and apprehension were close companions, although we were fortunate in not needing to face the kind of fear the infantry soldier did, when death was on all sides and survival could seem remote. Our assignment was to work close to the action but not to take chances that would jeopardize our work. Cliff Hope: The next day I stayed in with a temperature, but I sawed firewood in the morning and afternoon. That evening I received three copies of Life magazine, something new to read. Our party stayed out all the next day,

Jan 20 - To Rachamps.  Cooked a little extra supper. Ate Aunt Dee's fruitcake. Cliff Hope : On 20 January my party surveyed from the cut-off on the Bastogne-Houggalize road to Rochamps. the road was under German observation but everything was quiet. It was extremely cold out in the blowing snow. Back in the room Okie gave me a haircut and I looked forward to taking a sponge bath, waist down.

Jan 19 - Survey on out of Vaux.

Marilu- I am posting this a little late, on January 21st 2020 which as it happens is Grandpa Luther Murkins Winsor's birthday. He would be 136 today...He was still in Iran at this time working on water and irrigation.  January 18 1944 ( The context of this letter makes me sure that Lu's dad automatically wrote 1944 when it was actually 1945. Who of us hasn't done that?-Marilu) My Dearest Son Luther,  I am away from headquarters and therefore have no means of knowing whether or not there is any further word from you. The last I had was written Dec. 6, post marked Dec. 9, so you may know how anxious I am about your welfare. You have been in a "hot spot" these last few weeks. Of course I don't know just where you are, but ---------- God grant that you are safe, and that you and your companions will soon be relieved from the terrible ordeals of war on the fighting front. You will never in this life be entirely relieved from the effects of w

Interactive map 1/18/45 We moved from Sibret to Rouette on 18 January and I was back to bitching in my diary. I could see no logical reason for the move to the partially destroyed village northwest of Bastogne. We were still about 10 miles from the front, no closer than we were at Sibret. Elting, Okie, Ziegler, Bruno and I had a room above the aid station, about a block away from Thompson and the rest of the party. Okie nailed up a window and we sawed wood for the stove and got a coal oil lamp. a lot of the time we just sat in the room and stared into space. I decided we were all beginning to suffer from a sort of fatigue. The weather was terrible. Standing guard for an hour or more in the dark in a blizzard wasn't anybody's favorite thing. We'd start out to survey, drive about half a mile and come back. The visibility was 20 feet or less. In between attempts to go out, I read Time. (Magazine)

While surveying in the morning and early afternoon from Foy to Noville and off on a side road to Vaux, we saw some disturbing sights. There were numerous deserted Tiger Mark IIIs and IVs and Sherman tanks. Noville, for all practical purposes, was destroyed. Hitler Jugend (youth) signs were in evidence everywhere. Giulio and I saw what appeared to be a trash rubble pit near a shell hole at the side of the main road. In it was a battered arm, all that remained of what was once a man.  On the way to Vaux, we came upon many dead Germans. Private Blank, the GI I had guarded two months before, acted like a mad man as he tore around looting the bodies. "That guy!" Giulio commented wryly, " I expect to see him howling at the moon some night." My hands and feet felt frozen as I went back toward Wideumont in the late afternoon with Shelton, Bruno, and Elting. Supposedly we were to pick up a tire and get things out of our duffel bags. The real purpose was to see Christine. O

From Lu's WWII scrapbook, Lu on the right From Lu's WWII scrapbook, Lu on the right Photo from Cliff Hope's book-Lu is the upper right in the photo The next day we were out to survey from Longchamps to Recogne in the morning and early afternoon. Since Bliesmer was down with a cold, I computed with Guilio, and didn't do too badly, considering it was my first real try at it since plougastel. Everywhere htere were remints of German and American battle lines---shell holes near the road, a knocked-out Sherman tank. The 11th Armored and 101st Airborne Divisions were occupying the towns. None of the U.S. tank fire was returned by the Jerries. We saw our white phosphorus shells landing near Noville, which was still held by the Germans, and we passed a knocked-out Tiger tank when we returned by way of Foy and the Bastogne-Houfflalize road. Houffalize and Cherain had been recaptured. Being busy helped us all. The arguments about Christine subsided somewhat. On gua

Interactive map 1/15/45 On 15 January I poured out my thoughts, filling several pages of my diary. Once again, I admitted out good fortune We had just learned that the main German spearhead had reached Champlon several hours after we left on 19 December. What a slaughter there would've been had we remained another night!  But I was in a surly mood---Gindele, Abney and Bruno found a variety of reasons to go back to Wideumont. There wasn't room for me in the jeep. Bruno managed to get himself a farewell kiss from Christine. She and her uncle and aunt asked about me and wondered why I hadn't come. That helped a little. I pulled out of the dumps long enough to wash out a pair of socks and a handkerchief. That night Elting went to Wideumont again and came back bragging about how Christine was head over heels in love with him. I decided to write about war..."The stupidity of it is increasingly brought home to me day after day. Heard two more reports of the beating the 17

Jan 14 Surveyed in Mande St Entiene in morning-all houses burned, cows dead everywhere, flattened like pancakes where G.M.C.S. have run over them. Surv. in Long Champs in afternoon. Big battle on a few thousand yds. off. Wounded brought in on jeeps. Prisoners marched in. Shelton wounded by mortar frag. Shell hit tank front. (See Lu's diagram of where he was when this happened) Got Purple Heart, but only grazed. Punctured 2 tires on C. Car. (Carters). Cliff Hope: When we didn't go out on survey in the morning, I sawed wood. Two men from the photographic unit downstairs were seriously wounded the day before when they were taking pictures atop tanks in a battle near Foy. One suffered head injuries, and the other, the one who had taken our pictures only the night before, got it in the back. One day after going out on the Marche road from Bastogne, we came upon Mane St. Etienne, a thoroughly wrecked town. There were 17th Airborne Division units in town. Equipment, ours

Belgium, January 13th 1945 Dearest mom & all,  Yours, Kens & Pats Christmas day letters came yesterday and they were truly wonderful. Also got Leona's Christmas letter and a long one from Dad dated Dec. 8th  I guess I should have cabled you just as soon as I could after this little ruckus started but the birthday cable you sent which came a month late gave me such a scare that I was afraid if I'd sent one it'd have the same result on you.  I know what you mean by the pioneering life in Juarez. It's very much the same over here. In normal times I think they have more electricity available but right now it's quite a luxury. Modern plumbing is rare except in large cities which is the most unattractive aspect of life in the country out here-I never did care for outhouses.   For a few nights now we've had power in the house we're staying in, and a radio to boot. This is the first chance I've had to listen to the radio in the evening

Jan 13 Sawed wood. Slight touch of G.I.'s. Wrote mom and dad. Several of signal boys wounded while out today. Cliff Hope: Tanks and armored vehicles rumbled by all night long on 13 January.

Battalion History: We'll remember of the overall picture, the general German withdrawal toward Houffalize to escape an allied trap, the enemy counterattack which regained Noville and Foy, the American attack which retook Noville, the original objective of the corps in this area. Houffalize was taken by First Army troops and Corps' new objective became Limerle. The Germans began to withdraw toward the Siegried Line. Limerle and Echo were taken. The First Army retook St. Vith. VIII Corps troops pushed on through Trois Vierges, Luxembourg, went on to take Burg Rowland, and reached the Our River on a braod front. Bridgeheads over the Our were established and enlarged. Winterscheid and Sehonberg fell to corps troops.  Poor weather made sound and flash ranging results almost negligible. And the buck privates who didn't want to go to war in the first place wondered if spring would ever come. The folks back home complained about meat shortages and said, "They say all the m

Jan 11 Sun AZ at noon. Poor refugees starving and freezing-gave part of my meals to little girl-some poor kids have frozen feet. 101st airborne still in front lines. Signal off & E.M.s downstairs. Put in power line to us. They take signal photos at front. Lu, in Ray Hight's book: So many of my memories are of the civilians and what they went through. One bitter night in mid-January 1945, when the 16th was supporting the VIII Corps Artillery in pushing the Germans back out of the Bulge, our survey crew found shelter in a badly torn-up small village. We laid out our bed rolls in one room of a stone house that was still partially standing. A number of families were also using the house for shelter, and several small children were crying during the night. They were in much worse shape than we were, and I'll always remember the sadness of not being able to help them. Cliff Hope: Party One (Lu's party?) had a refugee mother and six little kids at their house. The

Jan 10th Survey on N 4 Hwy west of Bastogne. Gliders in fields all over in various states of completeness. Moved to Siberet in afternoon. Window of house w're in are full of bullet holes or completely out. Moved to Sibret Jan 10 Packages. Mom-Airmail stationary. Sept 14.  Amy-Raisin cookies Oct 12 Leona-2 Hershey Bars, Cocoa, Tiddley Winks, TALK (talcum) powder Bouillon Cubes, comb, laces, handkerchief, spam, mik, (milk?)  peaches, ink. 5 letters. Stayed in all day. Shaved. 290th signal company boys took pictures of us in evening. Cliff Hope: We surveyed for three kilometers on the Marche road out of Bastogne on the morning of 10 January. In the afternoon we moved to Sibret. Elting impressed Christine again. I left Wideumont with a heavy heart. I told all about it in my diary: "Elting starred with Christine again, and I muffed an opportunity for kissing her goodbye. I don't know how to say it exactly, but I really fell for Christine---beginning with that fi

Jan 9th Washed clothes. Last dance in evening. Elting seems to top Hope in Christine's affections-Hope rather downcast... Cliff Hope: For a couple of days, we just kind of hung around, wondering when we'd be moving on. One night, Elting began moving in on Christine. "I Guess I must be losing my grip," I confided in my diary. "Of course his knowledge of French has something to do with it."

Jan 8th Went out North of Bastogne. Snowing heavily. Flat tire- Young prisoners under fifteen. Really froze myself. Party 1 was shelled. Hope had shoe torn. Church at A battery. Saw Hollyfield.  Buchanon got back ok. Gabe Appleman now in the infantry Battalion History: Then with the new year hardly a week old came the battalion's share in the Battle of Bastogne, when GI's fought the weather about as much as they fought the enemy. It was concentrated hell.

Jan 7 Visited dentist 10th armored-put temporary filling in-took sponge bath. Cliff Hope: (In other survey party ) It was late afternoon when we started to Bastogne on January seventh for a couple of Tie-in shots. As it was getting dark when we got there, we couldn't locate the forward point. Then guns cut loose with about the greatest artillery barrage I had heard so far. We spent about half of our time hugging the snowy ground. No one was hit. Back at our temporary home, I spent the evening in the kitchen with Bruno, Elting, Christine, and her aunt and uncle.

Jan 6 Stayed in again today. Got haircut from Paula down at medics-she's a beauty operator (10 francs) (Cliff Hope was in the other Survey Party) Cliff Hope: It was mid-afternoon when we went the next day to turn three angles north of Bastogne to tie in to the 101st Division Artillery. There was dancing again in the evening but no such luck as the night before. For my big moment, I had to settle for being asked by the aunt to go across the street to get Christine for supper.

While we were putting in a triangulation base near Bastogne the following afternoon, 10 to 15 shells landed on the road a few hundred yards behind us. As note keeper, I stood next to the transit operator to record the angles turned and the distances taped in the surveyor's book. At the end of the day back in Wideumont, Christine's aunt and uncle, with the help of Elting, pulled a great gag on me by telling me Christine had gone back to Arlon. I'm sure my reaction amused them, but Christine and I danced to records again and we managed to escape the surveillance of Christine's aunt for about 30 seconds. Just long enough to give her a kiss--Christine, that is, not her aunt!

Jan 4 Traverse up Hwy N-15 to Bastogne-Town shot to pieces. Shells still landing at intervals-Civilian came by carrying mortar dud-German prisoners working in wreckage- G. S. tried to tell me I forgot to write down an angle so I blew my top. Hope brought the record player over to our place in Wiedmont station. Listened to records and danced with Cristine till 11:00 Darn cute gal & dances as well as any I've ever danced with. Cliff Hope : My diary entries for the next several days contain a curious mixture of reports about Bastogne and its environs, the snow and bitter cold, and, of course, Christine. On the third day of the year, survey started out in the morning but dense fog turned us back before we had gone more than a block. "Spent the day doing nothing--what a heavenly feeling, " I told my diary. I also spent a lot of time with Christine and her aunt and uncle. At midnight I stood guard for an hour out in the cold, a strong wind driving the fallin

Belgium Jan 3, 1945 Dearest Mom, Just a note to tell you I'm OK and doing all right. I don't remember whether I told you before-but your package came through with the fruitcake (delicious) Salami, Peanut brittle, deviled meat, tuna, soap, socks & toothpaste. It was very much appreciated. Speaking of packages, I got one from Aunt Dee & Uncle Norman Shirtliff  containing candy, nuts, and an unmarked can which is packed where I haven't been able to get it for quite some time now, but I think it's a canned fruit cake. Anyhow, I lost their address in the hustle & bustle of things over here-I think it's just plain Overton Nevada, but I'm not sure, so will you write and thank them for me? The cold isn't bothering me much these days except for my feet-they about freeze off every day in spite of the warm wool socks you sent. I've got just a slight touch of trench foot but I'm not going to let it get any worse. if the numbness in my toes d