Dr. Walt’s Latest World War II Blogs

In the darkness after midnight, German armor freely roamed the fields around the Maison Rouge Bridge. General O’Daniel, 3rd Division Commander, informed Colonel McGarr [30th Infantry […]

Phil’s thoughts were interrupted by hearing and feeling the tremors from massive detonations. He looked back at Holtzwihr. Several buildings exploded while others erupted in fire. […]

At 0755 hours, General O’Daniel [commanding general, 3rd Infantry Division] radioed Colonel McGarr [commander, 30th Infantry Regiment], impressing on him the need for speed and the […]

Past midnight, Phil’s 3rd Battalion, commanded now by Major Robert B. Pridgen, trudged slowly through the deep snow, cutting southeast through a thick forest known as the Forêt […]

There was still a lot of war to fight since the Allies were still in France. The elimination of the Colmar Pocket was assigned to the […]

The Colmar Pocket was in the heart of Alsace, where most of the citizens spoke French and German. The Allied soldiers found it increasingly difficult to tell […]

On January 20, the 30th Regiment held its usual pre-battle awards ceremony, this time in a blinding snowstorm. Ceremonies usually marked the conclusion of one regimental […]

Phil was called to the regimental CP to meet with Colonels McGarr and Neddersen. They wanted him to go back to his previous command since the […]

Morale was raised another notch with the far-overdue arrival of winter clothes—mountain boots, fur-lined caps, fur-lined jackets, heavy-lined pants—and mountain sleeping bags. The men were finally warm![1]

During January, Phil’s 30th Infantry Regiment  instituted what the commanders called “Local Rest Camps,” but what the front-line men called “The Miraculous Tents.”[1]