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McCaslin, GeoLeroy Ardennes FB191219NancyMcCaslinMillerMoKo

20191221SevenSprings-
Nancy McCaslin Miller?Mosch-Kortz Family Descendants
December 19 · 2019

-Christmas During the Battle of the Bulge-
On December 16, 1944, German forces surprised American soldiers in the densely forested Ardennes region of Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, with a massive offensive also known as the Battle of the Bulge, or the Ardennes Counteroffensive. Germany pushed through an Allied line, creating a bulge in the Allied defensive lines. The deadly battle, which lasted until January 25, 1945, was the largest on the European western front during WWII and resulted in an estimated 1 in 10 American combat casualties during the entire war. It also meant that thousands of soldiers spent Christmas 1944 in temperatures that hovered around zero, in knee-deep snow, and with limited rations for Christmas dinner. On the home front, their families spent a nervous holiday season, waiting for word of their loved ones.

Cpl. Frank D. Vari spent Christmas Eve huddled in a foxhole as shells exploded around him all night long. “We could hear their guns going off and the shells landing at the same time. They were close. They almost surrounded the whole place. I remember Christmas Day. I got up, and we had a real bad night, with artillery and everything. The first thing I saw was the steeple of a church down in the valley. It was a beautiful day, the sun was just coming up over a little village at the bottom.” The clear skies allowed US planes to reinforce soldiers along the front. The break in the weather saved Vari’s unit.

Sgt. Metro Sikorsky woke up Christmas Day 1944 in a bombed-out building. He was 25-years-old and serving in Company B, 17th Tank Battalion of the 7th Armored Division. It was his first time away from home in Pennsylvania. All around were the bodies of the frozen and his job included picking up the dead. He said it was so cold that when a soldier died, in a short time the body froze where it lay. There were no presents and no Christmas dinner, but Sikorsky felt lucky to be alive. It was so cold that soldiers cut blankets into strips and wound them around their frozen feet.

Tech Sgt. Maurice Glenn Hughs remembered the terrible winter conditions during the battle. “Hundreds of people lost their feet because they were frozen,” he said. Hughs was hospitalized after the battle and doctors in Paris told him that his feet would need to be amputated. “My legs were painted up to my knees to be amputated. And then the doctors checked and said they wouldn’t have to be,” said Hughs.

Mattie Dickenson of Georgetown

Our father George Leroy McCaslin was in the Ardennes during the Christmas of 1944. He lost most of his men. Nancy McCaslin Miller
20You, Adam Wetzel, Jeannette Buck and 17 others
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Paul Lynn Gardner
Mom lost her first husband, Edwin D Gamble, 04 Jan 1945 Battle of the Bulge.
Like · Reply · 2d

Susan Piaget
Paul Lynn Gardner I heard so much about him from Aunt Evie Gamble.
1Like · Reply · 1d

Nancy McCaslin Miller
So sorry for your loss.
Like · Reply · 2d

Todd Barnett
Thank you for sharing. We sleep under a free moon because of the sacrifice these men made. Rest In Peace.
5Like · Reply · 2d

Ed Erway
Very nice tribute to those who sacrificed for our freedom today including Uncle Leroy. Thank you for sharing.
3Like · Reply · 1d

Debra Mosch Hunkele
Incredible story. Thanks for posting.
Like · Reply · 1d

Leslee Jane Masolotte
Thank you for sharing
Like · Reply · 1d

Paul Lynn Gardner
Many of us do not know the tragic details, but only the name of the battle. Thank God for the tenacity of the allied forces ability making this conflict a turning point in the war, not only for the Americans, but also for the innocent German citizens. We have to reflect on the lives of our German relative who remained in the old country, having no choice but to succumb to the demands of the dictator. The church in this story was a symbol of hope and a reminder that the outcome would eventually be peace for the Germans, the Jewish and the allies. Thank you Nancy McCaslin Miller for this story.
2Like · Reply · 1d

Larry Herbstritt
The pictures this story paints explains why my uncle Alphonsus Herbstritt would never, never talk about his experiences in this horrible battle. Thank you Nancy McCaslin for posting this evocative story.
1Like · Reply · 14h · Edited

Barbara Ellen Mosch We owe those soldiers so much.
1Like · Reply · 7h

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