WINTER, 1989 - 70th Infantry Division Association

WarStory(Continued)deemed the target important enough for"TOT"- that's "time on target" . Eachartillery piece within range of the targetfues in accordance with its distance fromthe target. Theoretically, all rounds hit atthe same time.Each gun - there must have been closeto a hundred- fired four rounds. Excitement!Noise! Dust! Smoke! Confusion!The tanks, well protected by the nowbatteredstone house, finally limped andlumbered off.Later I was wounded in the chest andarm by a sniper with a burp gun. He wasconcealed at the top of the railroad embankmenton the outskirts of Forbach.Paul ConnellA and B/884 FAAn interesting second * thought:" I thought at the time that my happiestmilitary experience was receiving my dischargeat Fort Meade, Maryland on May16, 1946," recalls Addison Smith,G/276."Thinking back, though, it could haveeasily been the transition from civilian tosoldier during basic training at Camp Fanning,Texas."He came to Florida and worked as amachinist until 1951 when he joined theAir Force and served in Korea. Then hewent to the 56th Air Command Wing inNorthern Thailand. He and his wife Loviehave a son and three grandkids.In Wingen-sur-Moder * at dusk on January6, 1945 , Company G/274 was victimof a vicious counterattack by the 60thMountain Division (Nord). The companywas split and I was able to get most of mymen back to the edge of town and safety.However, I had to leave 28 men behind,their fate unknown .After regrouping, I asked Col. WallaceCheves, my battalion CO, to allow me togo back immediately to recapture the lostground and to rejoin my men left there.The wise colonel ordered me to wait till 9o'clock the next morning. That was thelongest night of my life. Fortunately Iselected as a CP a house where a machinegun squad from Company H was set up.The gun was manned by Sgt Harold Klineand Hy Schorr, both older than this22-year-old lieutenant. Their counsel andkindness, along with the comfortingSouthern drawl of Col. Cheves, over theradio, helped me through the night.When G Company finally got the goaheadto attack, I believe we could havebusted through to Berlin. We got our 28buddies back and to this day I don't blushabout the big kiss and hug I hung on MarkEverett, Elbert Feaster, George Krummeand the other G men.Fred CassidyG/274Just before he entered * Germany withB/270 Engineers, Forrest Moore met hisbrother who was with the 8th ArmoredDivision. That was his most memorableexperience in the ETO.Forrest joined the 70th at Adair, a fewmiles from his Corvallis home. He wasengaged in farming and mining in Oregonafter the war. With his wife Alice, he hastwo daughters, a son and fivegrandchildren.A letter to Cannon * Company, 275:I often regretted that I attacked withoutreserve on January 2 at Philippsbourg. Itwas contrary to all my training but it wasthe only way I could carry out my objective.I could not assume that the units onmy left would fail to attack.The Krauts were not slow in jumpingthrough the gap on our left front. Thosefour companies were really out on a limb.Philippsbourg was a mess. There wasnothing between P-bourg and open countryexcept Cannon Company and the 275thCP. If Cannon had failed to hold, the CPcould have done little to save VI Corps HQand its several divisions from "seriousembarrassment.''But Cannon laid its guns down and blewaway that Kraut battalion to hell . That, andthat alone, gave me time to find sometanks and send them in with Col. JackMalloy. Time was gained to bring up the1st Battalion of 274 and regain theinitiative.It was a close call. The fact that youstayed in there and slugged it out for thosesix tough days without a casualty, earnedyou plenty that was never granted.Col. Albert MorganHQ/276It isn't often that * an infantryman winsthe Air Medal , but Theodore Heck, 3rdBn HQ/274, won the rare distinction onFebruary 18, 1945.His citation explains:" Lt. Heck, then Battalion S-1, directedhis battalion in the attack on PfaffenbergHill, an outpost of the Siegfried Line atSpichern, France, from a cub plane.''Communicating with the groundtroops by radio and through an artilleryliaison officer, Heck controlled themovement of the troops, pointing out theobjectives and disclosing the position ofsome hundred German troops.''The attack was successful with surprisinglylight casualties solely because ofthe lieutenant. Flying at about 1 ,000 feetand exposed to small-arms ftre of the enemy,he was able to alter the original planand point out new objectives to the men onthe ground. The battalion held the hill forthree days against two severe counterattacksand then moved forward in a 4-dayattack that stopped at the dragon's teeth atSaarbrucken."Heck was just as effective on theground. The next day he won the BronzeStar at Etzling. Learning from a Frenchmanthat there were some 10 Germans inthe basement of a house, the lieutenantwent in alone, disarmed and took the Germansprisoner.W estern 'Blazers plan mini-reunion10Plan ahead!A Western States Mini-Reunion will be held at BuenaPark, California, Saturday, March 4. Paul Thirion, VP/West; Doug Jeffery, F/275, and Floyd Freeman, U275, aremaking plans.They've whipped up a dandy package at the EmbassySuites Hotel which includes an overnight in a suite, breakfastcooked to your order, a 120-minute happy hour and aFellowship Room and a chicken dinner at Knott's BerryFarm. All this for only $112 per couple.Space is limited (remember Nashville!) so deadline forreservations is January 30. Send your check to FreemanTravel Service, 8959 California Ave. , South Gate, California90280.70th Division Assn TRAILBLAZER