12-19-03

Dear Ms. Robanske:

I certainly admire your efforts to gain knowledge of your relative, Pfc. Holmes. Although time has dimmed specifics of Pfc. Holmes, the name ‘rings a bell’! I commanded ‘A’ Battery of the 302nd from late January, 1944 until after Germany surrendered. We were in Camp McCoy, WI for about 14 months before shipping out from Boston to Southampton in November, 1944.

While at McCoy, we participated in ‘war games’ near Watersmeet, Michigan, just below Lake Superior. Our base camp there consisted of Pine bough lean-to’s insulated by snow blocks and fallen snow on the roofs. From there, we held war games in the North woods, enduring temperatures as low as –36 degree F. That was in February, 1944.

We spent Christmas, 1944 in Bournemouth [Boscomb Hants, England] and crossed the [English] Channel to Le Havre [France] in January, 1945. We immediately convoyed to Belgium north of Bastogne. This was in the late stages of the Battle of the Bulge.

We then moved south [SE] into Luxembourg. The convoy moved out at midnight in temperatures of 0 degrees or below, total blackout. The roads were covered with packed snow that had partially melted, then frozen—challenging for drivers, particularly those driving the 2 ½ ton Gimmies pulling 105 [mm guns].

The 302nd was following the 304th Infantry Regiment. Despite the blackout, the full moon on the white snow gave us excellent visibility. I was in the lead 302nd vehicle and (as I recall) the 4 “A” Battery 2 ½ ton [Gimmies] pulling 105’s were immediately behind me.
The 304th column had pulled considerably ahead of us, but were making certain we did not leave the [105 mm] howitzers as we topped the crest of a hill my driver yelled “Oh my God!” Stretched before us was the entire column [of the 304th Infantry Regiment, which had] stopped for a ‘Pee Break’ on a 1 [single] lane road. As we slid to a stop some of the truck and guns jackknifed, but there were no serious wrecks and no injuries. The greatest scare was when the muzzle of one of the guns crashed the hood of the following truck right up to the windshield. There were some amazing fetes of driving!

When we reached our position near Eschweiler [Luxembourg], many of the men had frostbite, but drivers in the enclosed cab were best protected even though they occasionally had to lower a window to prevent frosting on the glass.
From those positions [near Eschweiler, Luxembourg] we were able to fire onto German soil for the first time. Into the [German Whermacht’s] Siegfried line—the ground was frozen so hard that we had difficulty digging the holes needed to absorb the recoil when the howitzers were fired. Several days later we crossed the Sauer River at Echternach [Luxembourg] into the [Whermacht’s] Seigfried Line. The infantry took heavy losses as the German [Whermacht’s] had their guns, placed on higher ground and trained right on the river. They fired flares that lighted the men in rubber [Pontoon] boats paddling across the swift running [Sauer] river and we [of the 302nd FA Bn] laid down a barrage of the German [Whermacht’s] emplacements.

Finally, a beachhead was secured and that allowed the 302nd Engineers to build a Pontoon Bridge that more infantry and the artillery [troops] could cross [the Sauer River to the German side].

We [the 302nd FA Bn] took positions on the east [North] bank [of the Sauer River and received orders] to rest and resupply. Lt. Col. Beck (302nd FA Bn Co. (now deceased) made several office changes. I was transferred from Executive Officer of ‘C’ Battery to Commanding Officer of ‘A’ Battery*. The Germans had retreated to the East side of the Rhine [River], so we [of the 302nd FA Bn] met no resistance crossing the Moselle [River] (north to south) which ran eastward into the Rhine. The capture of the [Ludendorf Bridge at] Ramagan was a Godsend. German troops were rushed north from Koblenz area in an attempt to contain that U.S. advance. The 76th [Infantry Division] secured both North and South banks of the Rhine [River at St. Goar and St. Goarhausen, Germany] and constructed a Pontoon Bridge across the River, which was at least ¼ mile wide—and seemed at least twice that.

A few years ago my wife and I were on a sight seeing boat on the Rhine and went by St. Goar where we crossed on the pontoon bridge. I wondered if I could recognize the spot. Suddenly I saw the cobblestone ramps on both the bank of the river. These were the ramps built for ferry crossings but were perfect anchor points for the [76th Infantry Division Engineer] Pontoon Bridges. That Pfc. Holmes drove across the Rhine [St. Goar to St. Goarhausen] pulling a 105-mm howitzer. This was about the end of March, 1945.

From the Rhine it was a mad dash almost to Chemnitz, near the Czech boarder. There were rivers to cross and towns to flush of German soldiers. We were often paired with armored units, and had two half-trucks with anti aircraft guns attached to the 302nd. I do not recall the date of Easter, but several of us accepted an invitation to attend a church in a small town. No German soldiers were there, of course, but we sat on one side with our canteens between our knees and helmets in our laps. The German civilian (all elderly) were on the other side.

There was no conversation between, but we shared communion [between German and American Mass participants]. After Germany surrendered I was transferred to the 30th Division. We were being rushed back for intensive beach landing training in preparation for the assault on Japan. Fortunately, the [Atomic] bombs were dropped [on Japan] and Japan surrendered the night before we bordered the Queen Mary [in Le Havre, France] for the return trip.

I hope I have provided some information that will be helpful, and best of luck on your book—and have a Merry Christmas.

Sincerely,

Heywood Clemons

[George Denver Holmes place of separation on February 6, 1946 at Ft. George Meade, Maryland USA.]

Addendum:
*Captain James Curtis had commanded ‘A’ Battery before my transfer [to the 30th Infantry Division]. He was an outstanding officer and I knew A Battery was an excellent unit. Jim [Captain James Curtis] married a girl he had met while we were at McCoy. They lived in Milwaukee. We remained good friends, visited each other and met at 76th Reunions until his death 2 years ago [2001]. During our entire time in combat we were in General [George S.] Patton’s Third Army.

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