This is the 68th anniversary of the day my great-grandfather was wounded in Belgium. His time in Europe was brief. His service has been something of a mystery to his family for decades. Now I’ve cobbled it together, somewhat.
That’s my great-grandfather, circa 1944, with his oldest, my grandfather.
Because my great-grandfather always changed the subject about his time in the war the entire family learned as much about his experience in the war at his funeral as anytime in his life. His quiet choice means this brief bit of history focuses on the unit(s) rather than the personal.
He was attached to some element of the 137th Infantry Regiment. Without knowing which battalion or which company he was a part of this can only be a regimental overview with some movements down to the company level.
If you click the pins (which run from Dec. 6 to Jan. 11.) in sequence you can get an approximate sense of where he was. It features time near the border of France and Germany, Christmas in Metz and then Belgium during the Bulge, specifically at Villers-la-Bonne-Eau. All of the markers are rough estimations and meant only to be illustrative. Their placements are derived from the unit history, found here and here. The lightly edited text and photographs found with the pins are from the same unit history. The summary accompanying the final pin is derived from this unit overview. Any errors would be mine alone.
Click the links either above or below the map to see the entire presentation in a new tab of your browser.
View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map
View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map
A note of gratitude: None of this research would have been possible without the help of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs. Finding his discharge papers allowed me to figure out what unit he served in. That document was uncovered by the persistent and passionate help of Ms. Peggy Marquart, who was almost as emotional about the find as I was.
