We’re following along with my great-grandfather’s time in Europe. He never told us much about it, and we only found out the regiment after his death. I’ve cobbled together some general troop movements from the unit history and assembled the map, below. We don’t know which company, or even which battalion he was in, but you can get a general idea of the places the 137th Infantry Regiment occupied during the Battle of the Bulge.

So, then, for Dec. 26:

The 137th Infantry Combat Team moved through Arlon, Pontellange and into the vicinity of Nothomb, Belgium. Upon its arrival, the Regiment moved forward and relieved elements of the 6th Cavalry Squadron, in its zone.

Regimental Headquarters was established in Nothomb, while the battalions moved on into Luxembourg and the 1st Battalion closed into Roodtles Ell, southeast of Holtz. The 3rd Battalion billeted itself in Perle, and the 2nd Battalion in Holtz.

You can scroll around and click the pins in the map below to see other dates, as well.

This information is derived from the unit history, found here and here and from this unit overview. These markers are rough estimates and are meant only to be illustrative. Any errors are mine alone.

Christmas in France sounds better today than it did 70 years ago. Tonice was there as a combat medic in the 137th Infantry Regiment and we’ve been following along based on some research I’ve been able to cobble together. I did that so we could give it to my grandfather, his son, as a birthday gift last year. We got his dad’s medals, had a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol — on the anniversary of the end of the war, no less — and I put about 36 pages of documentation and maps and pictures together.

A lot of that started with the stuff you have been reading here. As I’ve said, we don’t know which company, or even which battalion he was in, because he kept all of those experiences to himself, so I have this view from a bit too high, but still it is more than we knew otherwise. Some of it is from other units altogether. Today you’ll read from a different medic, who was in a sister unit, just a few miles away.

When I gave all it to my grandfather I said, “I’ve put all this together like a diary, day-by-day. Some of this reading may be boring or dry. You don’t have to read it all, just promise me you’ll read through Christmas day. I think you’ll like what you find there.”

When he read that, he’d find this other medic Mike Linquata. He was young man from Massachusetts who found himself at peace in a strange place on this important day.

So, then, for Dec. 25:

The 137th remained assembled in the German barracks in Moulins.

The Regiment rested, and cleaned and repaired equipment. They also attended movies and washed clothes, uniforms, and spent Christmas in this location.

Another medic from the 134th Regiment wrote about Christmas in Metz:

Not far behind us, we hadn’t much noticed, was a French family, father about 40 years of age, his wife, a little younger, and two children, a girl about 9 years old and a boy about 6 years old.

As a family, they sang the same carols in French. We then sang together, they in French, and we in English.

We were then invited to their home, where we were each offered, and accepted, a glass of home-brewed schnapps.

That evening it was truly Christmas. We enjoyed a Christmas Mass, carols, snow and a family to remind us of home. That night we were at peace.

(Scroll to the north if you would like to jump ahead to December 26.

This information is derived from the unit history, found here and here and from this unit overview. These markers are rough estimates and are meant to be illustrative. Any errors are mine alone.