family « Kenny Smith | A remarkable thing happens …

family

family / history / maps — Comments Off
10
Dec 14

70th anniv – My great-grandfather’s war

This is the 70th anniversary of my great-grandfather’s service in Europe, so I’m bringing back this map I made of Tonice’s time as a combat medic. He was attached to some element of the 137th Infantry Regiment, which fought in the famed 35th Division. We don’t know which company, or even which battalion, so this is only a regimental overview with some movements down to the company level.**

So, then, for Dec. 10:

The 137th attacks, marching from its assembly area and across the Saar.

The 2nd and 3rd Battalions abreast, the 2nd on the left was to take Sarreguemines north of the river and attempt to seize the bridge that crossed the Blies River. The 3rd Battalion was to seize the high ground south of the Blies River. The 1st Battalion, from positions on the south bank of the Saar, was to support the advance of the 2nd. Anti-tank Company was to support the attack from positions on the Saar River.

On December 10, the attack moved smoothly with the 3rd Battalion and then the 2nd crossing the railroad bridge on the southeastern outskirts of Sarreguemines without receiving any enemy fire. The two battalions jumped off at 0730, the 2nd on the left and the 3rd on the right.

The 2nd Battalion met bitter resistance from the enemy in the Pottery Plant southeast of Sarreguemines. After a four-hour battle, Company F captured the factory and moved again into Sarreguemines proper. Company E was cleaning out the buildings north of Sarreguemines while Company F worked in the factory.

The 3rd Battalion operating on the right flank was receiving heavy fire and bitter resistance in its sector. They called for air support against enemy tanks in the town of Neunkirch. Company L moved off into Neunkirch and at 1500 had cleared the town. The 1st Battalion across the Saar was still in support of the 2nd Battalion and encountering sniper fire when darkness fell on the city. The 2nd hadn’t quite cleaned out the city and the 3rd Battalion was occupying Neunkirch.

View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map
View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map

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

family / history / maps — Comments Off
9
Dec 14

70th anniv – My great-grandfather’s war

I pulled this map together two years ago, but this is a good time to bring it back with daily updates. Tonice was a combat medic, but he never talked about his service, so this was all something of a mystery to most of his family for decades. He was attached to some element of the 137th Infantry Regiment, but we don’t know which company, or even which battalion, so this is only a regimental overview with some movements down to the company level.**

So, then, for Dec. 9:

The 1st Battalion of the 137th moved up from Hambach to Sarreguemines to occupy the town. The riflemen occupying the city proper were constantly bothered by snipers, who killed one man and wounded six. Service Company moved up to the town of Hambach and was closed in by 1130.

The 137th attacks, marching from its assembly area and across the Saar.

The 2nd and 3rd Battalions abreast, the 2nd on the left was to take Sarreguemines north of the river and attempt to seize the bridge that crossed the Blies River. The 3rd Battalion was to seize the high ground south of the Blies River. The 1st Battalion, from positions on the south bank of the Saar, was to support the advance of the 2nd. Anti-tank Company was to support the attack from positions on the Saar River.

View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map
View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map

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.

family / history / maps — Comments Off
8
Dec 14

70th anniv – My great-grandfather’s war

This is the 70th anniversary of my great-grandfather’s service in Europe, so I’m bringing back this map I put together two years ago. Tonice was a combat medic, but he never talked about his service, so it was always a mystery to most of his family for decades. Key help from the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and further research helped bring to light what we know, but even that is somewhat vague. He was attached to some element of the 137th Infantry Regiment, which fought in the famed 35th Division. We don’t know which company, or even which battalion, so this is only a regimental overview with some movements down to the company level.**

So, then, for Dec. 8:

The 137th Infantry Regiment moved by foot to approximately nine miles east, in the direction of Sarreguemines.

Regimental Headquarters, Anti-tank Company, and the 1st Battalion located themselves in Hambach. The 2nd Battalion moved into the Foret de Sarreguemines, just south of Siltzheim The 3rd Battalion closed into Neufgrange and the Service Company was located in Gueblange. The 1st Battalion then moved to Sarreguemines, to occupy the town and patrol the south bank of the Saar River.

All was quiet in the towns occupied.

View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map
View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map

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 — and later, through this project — as anytime in his life. This information is derived from the unit history, found here and here and from this unit overview. His quiet choice means that these markers are rough estimates and are meant only to be illustrative. Any errors are mine alone.

family / history / maps — Comments Off
6
Dec 14

70th anniv – My great-grandfather’s war

I pulled this map together two years ago, but given that this is the 70th anniversary of my great-grandfather’s service in Europe it seemed like a good time to bring it back with daily updates. Tonice was a combat medic, but he never talked about his service, so this was all something of a mystery to most of his family for decades. Key help, after he passed away, came from the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and further research brought to light what we know, but even that is somewhat vague. He was attached to some element of the 137th Infantry Regiment, which fought in the famed 35th Division. We don’t know which company, or even which battalion, so this is only a regimental overview with some movements down to the company level.**

So, then, for Dec. 6 and 7:

The 137th Regimental Headquarters opened in Hirbach with the 1st Battalion in Helving and 2nd Battalion in Bettring. No enemy artillery fire was received during the day.

View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map
View Tonice in the Bulge in a larger map

family / memories / photo / Thursday — Comments Off
27
Nov 14

Happy Thanksgiving

I wrote yesterday:

I’m pretty sure I developed my prowling and curiosity at my grandparents’ place. So many things you didn’t see all of the time, so many things that were different than what little you knew about anything. So many things that spanned ages of time — to a child at least. A lot of stuff got kept by my grandparents — and yet my grandmother also had a clean house.

But the storage building out back … well, I spent all afternoon in there today. We spent time in there as children, probably hide-and-seek and trying to figure out the boxes and stacks of things. I’m sure some of this stuff hasn’t been touched in years, or more. And today I glanced around a few rooms, but concentrated on the books.

I found a few other things too, but this was the first thing I found:

This was a pre-kindergarten gift I’d received. I could place that based on the sudden memories that returned. I hadn’t thought about this helmet in decades, and suddenly there it was in my hands. We were in the apartments at the time, so before I was in school. It explained why I liked guys like Art Monk and Gary Clark and why I’ve always found the Washington Redskins’ color scheme to be one of my favorite. Turns out I was programmed early. I believe this helmet, and some toy shoulder pads and a jersey and so on, were a gift from an aunt.

I’d literally walked into the outbuilding, turned right, stepped up into the first of two side rooms, walked through there and into the back room. You could walk a few short steps in before your path is blocked by boxes and such. I looked down in the first one and found that helmet.

“This was mine,” I said to my grandfather, “and I’m taking it with me … If you don’t mind.”

Of course he did not. I’d cleaned part of the storage area for him and took a few other things off his hands that he wouldn’t have to deal with, books and other things. I found some things he’d want and a few things my mother would like to have.

Later, she pulled out an old photo album, most of the contents inside being older than her. Inside were pictures of her grandparents:

I have a few memories of him, but not her.

Here’s another photograph that was inside that albums, my mother, my uncle, their parents and my mother’s father’s parents.

I found two letters from my great-grandfather, W.K., to his son, my grandfather, standing behind him in that photo. Aubra was away at college. In one note his dad was reminding him to write his mother. In the other letter he explained that he could not afford to give him a car and put him through school — the more things change, right? — and gently explained why he had said this or that about some choice the younger man was considering.

I found a book my mother and uncle gave to their mother when they were very young. They’d inscribed it for Mother’s Day. And Mom told me about the last birthday card she got from her mom, a little girl on a beach and the note she’d written in it, which fits pretty much everything.

And so on this Thanksgiving, difficult or joyous or perfectly routine, I suppose it isn’t enough to be thankful for what you have, but what you had and what you remember.