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Hall of Famer [22334]
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"I'm the 82nd Airborne, and this is as far as the bahstads
Dec 15, 2022, 9:05 PM
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are going." This story has been verified by multiple sources. Americans are in full retreat after Hitler's surprise offensive at the Battle of the Bulge.
Late on the night of December 23rd, Sergeant John Banister of the 14th Cavalry Group found himself meandering through the village of Provedroux, southwest of Vielsalm. He'd been separated from his unit during the wild retreat of the first days and joined up with Task Force Jones, defending the southern side of the Fortified Goose Egg. Now they were in retreat again. The Germans were closing in on the village from three sides. American vehicles were pulling out, and Banister was once again separated from his new unit, with no ride out.
A tank destroyer rolled by; somebody waved him aboard and Banister eagerly climbed on. They roared out of the burning town. Somebody told Banister that he was riding with Lieutenant Bill Rogers. "Who's he?" Banister wanted to know. "Will Rogers' son," came the answer. It was a hell of a way to meet a celebrity.
An hour later they reached the main highway running west from Vielsalm. There they found a lone soldier digging a foxhole. Armed with bazooka and rifle, unshaven and filthy, he went about his business with a stoic nonchalance. They pulled up to him and stopped. He didn't seem to care about the refugees. "If yer lookin for a safe place," he said, "just pull that vehicle behind me. I'm the 82nd Airborne. This is as far as the ######## are going."
The men on the tank destroyer hesitated. After the constant retreats of the last week, they didn't have much fight left in them. But the paratrooper's determination was infectious. "You heard the man," declared Rogers. "Let's set up for business!" Twenty minutes later, two truckloads of GIs joined their little roadblock. All through the night, men trickled in, and their defenses grew stronger.
Around that single paratrooper was formed the nucleus of a major strongpoint.
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110%er [8000]
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Re: "I'm the 82nd Airborne, and this is as far as the bahstads
Dec 15, 2022, 9:09 PM
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What as awesome story! Regardless of the situation people often just need someone to lead and they will rally around said leader
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All-In [46504]
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This is how you draw the line.
Dec 15, 2022, 9:16 PM
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Orange Blooded [2908]
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I love our grandpas.... God bless those tough _____ mo______s
Dec 15, 2022, 9:49 PM
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We're still here...
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Orange Blooded [3456]
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The 82nd was an elite unit with a tremendous
Dec 15, 2022, 10:17 PM
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Esprit de Corps. It was my first permanent assignment in November of 1964. We had one company always on 15 minute alert with the battalion on 1 hour alert. That meant you were on the planes to wherever they said with in that time frame. Only the field grade officers and above were over 30 years old and as you remember at less then 30 you knew you were invincible. The troops weren't the smartest (I had one man in my platoon, other than myself that had graduated from high school), but they were hard workers and would take on whatever they would told to do. Never came close on active duty or reserves in being in a more elite thinking unit.
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CU Medallion [50946]
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If I had strapped a bayonet to my shin, I would
Dec 15, 2022, 10:23 PM
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have lasted about an hour before the medic was called in.
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Hall of Famer [22334]
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I grew up around men like this, as did everyone my age. My dad,
Dec 15, 2022, 10:48 PM
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my friends dads & uncles, all of my uncles, etc. They were all in WW2. I was always fascinated listening to their stories. And I'd give anything if I could've recorded some of it. But they rarely talked about it. You had to pull it out of them. They just didn't want to talk about it, and it pizzed em off if you kept asking questions. They would just completely shut down. And you better shut up, boy. Yes sir, I'm sorry. LOL
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All-TigerNet [10782]
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Re: I grew up around men like this, as did everyone my age. My dad,
Dec 15, 2022, 11:47 PM
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one of my favorite uncles was a tank commander with the 643rd tank destroyer battalion.took part in the bulge.after the fighting was over,his unit had to help clean up at least one of the concentration camps.my dad said my uncle was brought to tears when he mentioned that experience to him.he very seldom mentioned anything to us kids.and yet he always seemed to have a good sense of humor.
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110%er [9903]
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Commissioner [923]
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They don’t make MEN like this anymore …..it’s a shame***
Dec 15, 2022, 10:49 PM
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All-TigerNet [10782]
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Re: They don’t make MEN like this anymore …..it’s a shame***
Dec 15, 2022, 11:32 PM
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wonder what these wonderful brave men would have to say about the woke members of today's military.
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All-In [36410]
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As a Young Officer in the 80s My Senior Non-Comms Were
Dec 15, 2022, 11:45 PM
[ in reply to They don’t make MEN like this anymore …..it’s a shame*** ] |
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Viet Nam vets, mostly tough as nails. I learned leading a Platoon from a man named SFC Gall. He intentionally chose to disobey an order in front of the Platoon on my 10th day as Platoon Leader to see if I had the balls to stand up to him.
I was more afraid to call him out behind the motor pool building and lock him up than I ever was when crazy mujahedeen and Serbs were rocketing and mortaring me. Turns out old Duane Gall did it on purpose to "build his Lieutenant into a man" He told me 15 months later when I left the Platoon to become the Troop Executive Officer in another unit that it was how he learned to train butter bars.
To this day, I'm glad no one babied me or didn't let me experience decision making and it's consequences. I do hope the young troopers these days are not being so woke they forget how to be tough when needed.
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Hall of Famer [24110]
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Re: They don’t make MEN like this anymore …..it’s a shame***
Dec 16, 2022, 8:13 AM
[ in reply to They don’t make MEN like this anymore …..it’s a shame*** ] |
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Slow yer roll 20030. There are a lot of GREAT young men and women in the services today. Don’t lump ‘em all in with the woke crowd. True, some of the leadership is failing them - especially our political leaders and those at the highest echelons whose positions, tenure and advancement - which depends on politicians - have gotten political, themselves.
Since Desert Storm, I have had the honor to have served with - and as an older fart, mostly in a supporting role - some of the world’s finest in all branches of our military.
God Bless em and watch over them all.
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All-In [36410]
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But but he didn't have a "Safe Space" to hide in ?
Dec 15, 2022, 11:37 PM
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How did he brew his Chai latte? or get his Twitter Feed?
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All-In [25393]
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My Dad commanded an Army Artillery Battery in the
Dec 16, 2022, 3:51 AM
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invasion of Okinawa and was tough-as-nails, and when he learned I had completed the Airborne School and was assigned to an Airborne Mechanized Infantry unit in Germany, he said, "Holy Mackerel, I knew those Airborne types, and they were some hell-raising, fight-provoking, hard-living characters! No one messed with them."
He nor my Mother ever understood why I opted for that school, which I did on a dare and to see if I had the guts to unasss in the sky a perfectly fine airplane capable of landing, and me simply walking out the door! It remains the best school I completed in the Army.
I'm also proud that three of my nephews followed my lead and became paratroopers. Their Mother, my sister, blames me to this day for encouraging them. lol.
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All-Conference [402]
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Imagine
Dec 16, 2022, 6:32 AM
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If the leaders of our country were like this man.
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Trainer [30]
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Re: Imagine
Dec 16, 2022, 7:47 AM
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My father got to his unit in Belgium two days before the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. He was wounded two days before the Battle of the Bulge ended. Most people do not have a proper understanding of the cost and trauma of war for our soldiers. My Father was a wonderful man who loved his family and protected them at all costs. His devotion to his wife and children set an example for me that gave me a standard to try to live my life by. Not enough men around like my Dad.
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CU Medallion [51550]
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Biden was in Bastonge on Christmas '44 with the 101st.
Dec 16, 2022, 11:03 AM
[ in reply to Imagine ] |
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He'll tell you all about it.
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110%er [6474]
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Re: "I'm the 82nd Airborne, and this is as far as the bahstads
Dec 16, 2022, 8:16 AM
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I don't doubt the story is true, but tanks outrunning fuel trucks is what stopped the Nazi offensive.
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Hall of Famer [24110]
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What a special world you must live in 357
Dec 16, 2022, 8:20 AM
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nm
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110%er [6474]
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Re: What a special world you must live in 357
Dec 16, 2022, 8:32 AM
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That is what stopped the offensive. The Tigers and Panzers ran out of fuel. It is well documented. An old Vet that used to hang out in barber shop used to talk about it. Told how much fun they had fueling a Tiger 2 up, figuring out how to drive it, and playing with it.
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Hall of Famer [24110]
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Re: What a special world you must live in 357
Dec 16, 2022, 10:46 AM
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Perhaps it had something to do with weather clearing and our air support finally was able to hammer the advancing armor and troop columns? Also, while actions such as the famous 101st Airborne’s stand at Bastogne, many more actions by smaller and less publicized units/actions such as this played a role in stopping and repulsing the German offensive.
Check some of the explanations from scholars and military historians here:
https://www.quora.com/How-did-America-win-the-Battle-of-the-Bulge?ch=15&oid=62826892&share=9b28a961&srid=hm4krk&target_type=question
My apologies for my prior snarky comment, as I don’t know you - nor should I speak to/on your vet friend - as no doubt his experience was legitimate, as the Germans did run out of fuel. But the reason was that the American counterattack stopped them, THEN they ran out of fuel. However, I just found or felt your response would seem to be made to diminish the actions of some very brave Americans.
Have a good one my friend,
Bill
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110%er [6474]
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Re: What a special world you must live in 357
Dec 16, 2022, 10:57 AM
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I didn't intend it as disrespectful at all. The counteroffensive that stopped the Germans did not stop until the German mechanized infantry outran it's supply chain and had to stop. I on no way intend that to diminish anyone's courage. Our command got caught sleeping and had to retreat to prevent a full break through. As the old vet in the Barbershop used to say, "We should have divided and let them break through, cut their supply chain, then kill them.". He was more than a grunt. He was on Patton's staff.
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CU Guru [1511]
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Re: "I'm the 82nd Airborne, and this is as far as the bahstads
Dec 16, 2022, 9:25 AM
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I got this print out from my grandfather at a young age and it stayed posted on the wall Of my room my whole childhood!
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Hall of Famer [22334]
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Just to clarify, in one of my posts it reads like I grew up
Dec 16, 2022, 1:42 PM
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listening to my dad tell these stories. I did not, he was a lineman after the war and was electrocuted when I was one year old. It was my uncles and my friend's dads and whoever... heck, any of those guys that age. My dad was in the Pacific in the Navy, he got the "pig and rooster" tattoos on his feet, you can google what that meant.
I also was exposed to a lot of WW2 stories at my mom's restaurant. She opened at 4am, so there were always a lot of truck drivers, policemen, etc. in there early. There would be a table of em sitting around drinking coffee and smoking cigs, and occasionally there would be a conversation about their WW2 exploits. Man, I was a wide-eyed kid soaking all that in...
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Orange Blooded [3663]
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God Bless them all for the freedoms we have today***
Dec 16, 2022, 1:51 PM
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