Hellcat News, (Heidenheim, Germany), Vol. 3, No. 2, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 26, 1945 Page: 1 of 4
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12th ARMORED DIVISION
Hellcat News
SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1945
HEIDENHEIM, GERMANY
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 2
2 Corps CGs
Laud Division
For Actions
Doughnut Girls Still
Making The Rounds
Maj. Gen. Roderick R. Allen and
officers and enlisted men of the di-
vision were commended recently by
Maj. Gen. F. W. Milburn, command-
er of the XXI Corps, for their
"spirit, aggressiveness, and valor"
in the Battle of Germany while at-
tached to the Corps.
In his commendation, Gen. Mil-
burn said:
"To you and to all the officers
and enlisted men under your com
mand I wish to express commen-
dation and appreciation for the
spirit, aggressiveness, and valor
with which the 12th Armored Di-
vision so successfully performed its
every combat mission while opera
tionally attached to this headquar
ters from 31 March 1945 to 5 May
1945.
"From your initial action in For-
bach and Styring Wendel through
the attack and capture of Wurzburg
and Schweinfurt where you gave
magnificent assistance to the 42nd
Infantry Division, the turn south,
the capture of Feuchtwangen, to
the seizure of the bridge over the
Danube at Dillingen, all tasks were
a da si. 3M p*
pertness that bespoke superlative
leadership and initiative on the part
of all. These qualities continued to
bo outstanding as you continued on
to the east, effecting the crossings
of the rivers, Weilach, Lech, Isar,
and Inn.
"These are accomplishments in
which the entire 12th Armored Di-
vision may take deep pride and that
always will reflect great honor upon
the organization."
More Commendations
Fowarding the commendation to
men of his command, Gen. Allen
said: "It is with the most sincere
appreciation of your efforts and
with the utmost pride in your ac-;
complishments that I, who was pri- (
vileged to command you in this
operation, foward this so richly
deserved commendation to each of-
(Continued On Page 4)
Prepare to eat doughnuts with
your chow at least once every
two weeks from now on.
Miss Jane Umstad, captain of
the Red Cross Clubmobile attach-
ed to the division, has announ-
ced a schedule whereby the girls,
operating as two crews, will visit
every unit in the 12th every four-
teen days.
One complete circuit has al-
ready been made since the di-
vision came off the line. To
accomplish the job, each crew
had to roll a distance of about
1,500 miles in order to service all
units.
Besides Jane, there are the Mis-
ses June Lindner, Marguerite M.
Palmer, Lois Stone, and Grace
Dotson.
12th To Stage Three
Weekly
Beginning Frid -y,. June 1st, the
division will inaugurate a series of
three weekly, recorded radio
shows—one half-hour variety show
and two 15-minute music and vocal
programs — to be broadcast over
the 7th Army Station.
It will be the half hour show
which will have its first airing at
2000 Friday according to Cpl.
Bernard Sackett, division SSO, en-
tertainment technician.
Each week the three shows will
USAFI Courses
Slill Available
Courses in the U. S. Armed For-
ces Institute are still open to GIs,
the I. and E. Section pointed out
this week, with a temporary restric-
tion on enrollment in certain courses
due to shortages of materials.
Both enlisted and officer person-
nel may take advantage of the four
t,vnp<! r>* atndy programs offered
be recorded in the area of some
unit in the division so that even-
tually each battalion will get to see
the "live" show.
First cutting of the three shows,
an hour's entertainment, will be
held in the Heidenheim Concert Hall
at 2000 Thurday, 31 May. Every-
one able to attend is invited.
Music for the shows will be pro-
vided by the division band and all
other personnel appearing on the
program will be drawn from units
4 More Win
Silver Stars
by USAFI. Special provision is
included in the education program
now being set up to form USAFI
classes in addition to the organi-
zational schools, providing enough
men are enrolled.
Many courses are planned to
award high school or college cre-
dits. Others are for the advancement
of the individual on a self-teaching
basis. The USAFI provides means
of determining what is needed to
get high school or college diplomas,
or for testing the educational ex-
perience of the individual.
In most instances a large part of
the c<ost for enlisted men will be
shared by the Army.
Unit I. and E. officers will aid
those desirous of studying under
the USAFI program to obtain the
most beneficial courses.
A 17th AIB half-track gunner
who lost his life while voluntarily
covering his platoon's retreat to
safety, has been awarded the
Silver Star, posthumously.
S/Sgt. Norman D. Smith, of
Monaco, Pa., was cited for his
supreme sacrifice at Althausen,
March 31, when Ms platoon was
pinned down by accurate enemy
fire.
Silver Stars went to three other
Hellcats for gallantry in action.
Capt. Ogden R. Fox, com-
mander of Co C, 66th AIB, was
named for holding a precarious
position against superior enemy
forces.
"Staff Sergeant White success-
fully repulsed the counter-attack."
Thus reads a citation with the
Silver Star awarded to S/Sgt.
Glenn R. White, of Co B, 43rd
Tank Bn, who held his tank in
position in the face of a strong
enemy counter-attack, although it
had been twice hit by panzer-
faust and once by anti-tank fire.
His bravery enabled his company
to secure the town of Ettleben,
April 8, according to the citation.
The high award also was given
Col. Bradley
Leaves 12th
Maj. Harry E. Malcolm, division
ordnance supply officer, has been
appointed division G-4 to replace
Lt. Col. John M. Bradley, Jr., who
has been transferred to SHAEF
Headquarters to become chief of the
building materials section of the
industrial production control,
With the 12th since its activation
Col Bradley was commissioned in
January, 1931, and was ordered to
active duty in June, 1940. A native
of St. Louis, Mo., he attended St.
Louis University.
Supply officers of the division
held a farewell party for Col. Brad
ley in Heidenheim on Tuesday night.
Maj. Malcolm received his com-
mission on July 30, 1942
within the division. Any man with
radio experience interested in ap-
pearing on the program should
contact Cpl. Sackett at SSO.
U.S.O. Shows Coming
Good news for everyone is the
fact that next week there will be
two U.S.O. shows touring the divi-
sion area. One unit is composed
entirely of French personnel while
the other comes to us from the
U.S.A.
Soon to make the rounds of the
division is a special recording
machine complete with 200 hours of
the finest radio programs ^ fclje
U.S.A. The recordings feature the
outstanding bands of the nation and
also some of our leading comic and
variety artists.
Movies Circulate
In the meantime, movies are still
being circulated throughout the
division at such a rate that every
man should have available to him
at least one picture a week. if not
more.
Thp 1? film«-vfrw. %»?king_lb/>
rounds of the divisiur include:
to Sgt. Thomas E. Boos, of Co C,
17th AIB, for his actions when his
half-track exploded and burned
as the result of enemy fire. Sgt
Boos saved a panic stricken com-
rade whose clothing Was afire,
and directed the remainder of the
squad to safety. He rendered first
aid to the wounded, until ordered
to the rear by his platoon leader.
"Woman in the Window" with Ed-
ward G. Robinson and Joan Ben-
nett; "To Have and Have Not" with
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Ba-
call; "Meet Me In St Louis" with
Judy Garland; "Sunday Dinner For
a Soldier" with John Hodiak and
Ann Baxter; "The Thin Man Goes
Home" with William Powell and
My ma Loy; "Experiment Perilous'*
with Hedy Lamarr and Paul Lucas.
Also on the list are "Winged Vic-
tory" with Lon MacAllister and
Jean Crain; "Christmas in Connecti-
cut" with Barbara Stanwyck; "None
But the Lonely Heart" with Cary
Grant and Ethel Barrymore; "Minis-
try of Fear" with Ray Milland;
"Here Comes the Waves" with Bing
Crosby and Betty Hutton; and "Ca-
rolina Blues" with Kay Kyser and
Ann Miller.
Herrlisheim Toughest Job, Say Men Of CCR
• ♦!,« t/4 TrtrV F! Rodds. A Co. 23rd: carried the battalion into th<
Which was the toughest job the
division performed in combat?
Which was the best? In the follow-
ing article are the opinions of
men of CCR. What men in the
other combat commands think
about it will be told in subsequent
issues of Hellcat News.
By Pfc. George Schulman
A small Alsacian town situated
on the table-top terrain a stone's
throw from the Rhine River will
forever be remembered by the
tankers and infantrymen of CCR
as the scene of their most diffi-
cult combat action, according to
a recent poll taken of men of the
17th AIB and 23rd Tank Bn. The
town of course was Herrlisheim.
This operation, the most costly
in men and equipment to the two
battalions, became a yardstick
by which all other operations
were measured.
Opinion as to the best job per-
formed by the two battalions
was a bit more varied, almost
every operation receiving at
least one plug.
The concensus:
S/Sgt. Henry B. Sadlo, C Co,
17th: Toughest job — Herrlis-
heim; best job — Herrlisheim.
Pfc. Walter H. Steininger, A Co,
17th: Toughest job — Herrlis-
heim; best job — Drive aftei
crossing the Rhine.
1st. Sgt. William J. Kelly, A Co,
23rd: Toughest job —< Herrlis-
heim; best job — Drive to the
Rhine through Trier and southeast
to the river.
Sgt. Morey H. Gephard, A Co,
23rd: Toughest job — Herrlisheim;
best job — Drive to the Rhine.
Pfc. Donald J. Eckrich, Hq Co,
17th: Toughest job — Herrlisheim;
best job — Day battalion drove
60 miles down the autobahn to
the foot of the Alps. (See story
on Page 2).
Sgt. Charles A. Witham, Hq Co,
17th: Toughest job— Herrlisheim;
best job — Drive which carried
Bn from 3rd Army sector to the
Rhine.
S/Sgt. Max Bowman, A Co, 23rd:
Toughest job — Herrlisheim; best
job — Breakthrough to the Rhine.
T/4 Jack E. Rapps, A Co, 23rd
Toughest job — Herrlisheim; best
job — Drive to the Rhine.
Sgt. Clyde Robertson, A Co,
17th: Toughest job — Herrlisheim;
best job — Colmar operation.
Pvt. John H. Korver, A. Co, 17th:
Toughest job — Herrlisheim; best
job — Drive through hills to Ans-
bach.
1st Sgt. John Griffin, Hq Co 23rd:
Toughest job — Herrlisheim; best
job — Drive to the Rhine.
T/4 Edward Trinque, A Co, 23rd:
Toughest job — Herrlisheim; best
job — Breaking up of the enemy
counterattack which developed
out of Herrlisheim.
T/5 Edwin J. Fucshtman, A Co,
17th: Toughest job — Herrlisheim;
best job — The last drive which
carried the battalion into the
Alps.
Sgt. Christian Wahl, Hq Co,
17th: Toughest job— Herrlisheim;
best job — Drive to the Rhine.
T/Sgt. Edward L. Bellett, Hq,
17th: Toughest job — Herrlisheim;
best job — Day Bn moved down
the autobahn 60 miles to reach
the edgei of the Alps.
T/5 Ernest Wallander, A Co,
17th: Toughest job — Herrlisheim;
best job — Drive to Rhine.
T/5 Charles Hatch, A Co, 23rd:
Toughest job — Herrlisheim; best
job — Drive to Rhine.
T/5 Robert Clark, Hq, 17th:
Toughest job — Herrlisheim; best
job — Sixty mile drive down
autobahn in one day.
o<£>%.©oZ
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United States. Army. Armored Division, 12th. Hellcat News, (Heidenheim, Germany), Vol. 3, No. 2, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 26, 1945, newspaper, May 26, 1945; Tennessee. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth410171/m1/1/?q=%22~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.