Hello veterans and friends of the 75th Division !
There were two typing errors in the last newsline. "I am especially
great..." should mean "I am especially happy" and "emial" should be "email".
Sorry. (sh.. happens when typing in the middle of the night..)
In this newsline, we have some memories of veterans. Only if written down,
these memories are kept for the future. If published here, maybe other
veterans recognize, that the story was also their story, and can put in some
additional information. If this happens, the 75th Vets are writing their own
history book, their own "Shoa".
Please send your memories to share them with the other members of this list,
you might find someone that was there too. (The stories of Dan Shine are in
writing what "Private Ryan" was as a movie.)
Please also tell us, what contacts to old buddies developed from this
newsline.
I would like two repeat two questions:
- Does anybody know of a source to buy a 75th Div flag ?
- Does anybody know the new email-adress of James Roxbourgh ?
Stay healthy !
Rolf G. Wilmink
"German by birth, american by heart, P.I. by profession".
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For your calendar:
Next 75th N.E.C. meeting: May 12-16 1999
Shoney´s Inn
2420 Music Valley Drive
Nashville, Tennessee 37214
615-885-4030
Rates: $ 72.00 Single or Double + 8,25% sales tax and 4% room tax.
Events: Boat for Dinner
Grand Ole Opry
Next 75th Div reunion: Houston, Texas, 1999
75th Div reunion year 2000: Peoria
(more infos as soon as we have them or contact the
75th Div Vets. Assn. President Parker, see adress below).
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
List of contents:
1.) Feedback regarding newsline No. 24 ( 15 Nov. 1998 )
2.) Who knew William Carr, B 291 ?
3.) Capt. Donald Applegate and Lt. Bill Fleisher found !
4.) New member Frank Zavorka
5.) Sgt. Gayle E. Keltner, 289th
6.) Frozen Hell
7.) *** ON THE LIGHTER SIDE ***
\\|//
(o o)
----------------oOOo-(_)-oOOo----------------75th DIVISION online
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DON'T BE A LURKER... GET INVOLVED... YOU ARE A MEMBER... MAKE THE MOST OF IT
******************************************************************
(actual count: 125 members online worldwide !)
1.) Feedback regarding our newsline No. 24 ( 15 November 1998):
From: "Pamela Lane"
subject: 75th Inf Div newsline no. 24 (15 Nov. 98)
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 08:37:55 -0800
Dear rolf,
Please change my e-mail address to one_smart_girl@yahoo.com . I also want
to thank you for everything you and everyone on the newsline has done to
help us find my father's buddy from the 897th, Ronald "Gib" Gibson. My dad's
birthday is next week, and we have not been able to find him yet, but the
search continues. Just curious, are there any vets from the 897th field
artillery on the newsline?
Also, just want to let Dan Shine know I enjoyed reading his stories. As a
writer, I am inspired to do the same with my dad, so our family can preserve
his memories.
Thanks again,
Pamela Lane
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Louise F. Perkins" bodacious1@foothill.net
subject: Newsline #24 and picture
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 16:04:12 -0800
Dear Rolf:
Winter greetings from not so sunny California.
I am finally getting all of the back issues of the newsline, that I wanted
to read.
I was reading newsline #24 and came across item #4 Page 6 from Eric Hejink,
about 2 photos of the 75th Div., the first photo was of S. Sgt.Minicozzi.
I had one shot at getting the photo, but when I tried a few hours later to
download another copy, the photo was not available. I've had 3 friends in
California and Oregon try downloading the same picture and we all got the
same answer-no picture.
If you have a full view of both photos, I would appreciate a copy. If know
of someone other than yourself who has these photos maybe they could send
them to me via e-mail.
S Sgt. Minicozzi was in the squad in our same Anti-Tank Platoon. I am sure
its the same person. Not many people are named Minicozzi.
Regards,
Reg Perkins
Foresthill, CA.USA
--------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Eric Heijink
To: "'bodacious1@foothill.net'"
CC: "'mkw-detective@t-online.de'"
subject: picture
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 13:48:53 -0600
Hello Reg and Rolf,
I had no problem downloading the picture. I don't know what went wrong when
you tried it.
Anyway, here is a copy of the Minicozzi picture attached as jpg-file.
It is rather large, so I hope you can download it.
Eric
*********************************************************************
2.) Who knew William Carr, B 291 ?
From: BANSAGART@aol.com
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 13:53:10 EST
subject: lookin' for help :information:
to whom it may concern:i've been lookin' for anyone that may have
ANYinformation on a;WILLIAM [NMI]CARR CO.B291st INFANTRY. HE WENT IN @ FT
LEAVEN WORTH KS, 11DEC.,1939 OUT-2OCTOBER1945,JEFFERSON BARRACKS,MO. SERVICE
NUMBER #69-347-55 .'BILL' WAS FROM KELLIHER, MINN, DOB-16 AUGUST 1918 DOD16
APRIL1974 ALAMEDA,CA. HE MIGHT OF TALKED ABOUT HIS BROTHER,PRESLEY. ALSO HE
HAD GOOTEN INVOLVED WITH AYOUNG GIRL THEN FROM SCOTLAND, PEARL O'CONNELL,
THERE WAS A BABY GIRL BORN12 DEC.1945 DUMFRIES,SCOTLAND. WELL I FOUND THE
MOTHER AND MY 1/2 SISTER.BUT LOOKING FOR ANY PICTORIAL MEMORIES,BOOT CAMP
PHOTOS, ANYTHING WOULD BE OF GREAT HELP. I 'M THE 2ND DAUGHTER TO WM.CARR,
BUT I NEVER KNEW HIM. IWOULD BE EVER GREATFUL FOR NAY ASSISTANCE. PLEASE
EMAIL ME @ BANSAGART@aol.com
THANK YOU,WITH KIND REGARDS,PAULA BILL'S PARENTS WERE BILLSR. AND
PEARLWILLIAMS CARR.
From: BANSAGART@aol.com
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 12:47:07 EST
subject: lookin' for help :information:
Greetings Germany!! :) FROM TEXAS! Thank you for your reply, i did appreciate
it very much. In my hasre, when i typed out that message, i forgot to include
wm. carrs's passing, he past away in april of 1974, would you also include
that in yer newline?? He passed away a yr. after his brother Presley Carr,
that much i have learned, again,THANK YOU KINDLY,for your reply.
with kind regards,
Paula Carr
PS: HOW'S YOUR WEATHER THERE???
*********************************************************************
3.) Capt. Donald Applegate and Lt. Bill Fleisher found !
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 16:00:49 -0500
From: "Philip S. Pelletter" napa@netsync.net
subject: Claire Liebenstein
Hi Rolf,
First of all let me thank you for all the effort that you put into the
newsline.When I tell my friends about you, they can't believe it.
Just before the attack on Appenwhir we were lucky enough to be in a barn
with a hayloft, which seemed like the Hilton to us. I was a 19 year old
squad leader of the 1st platoon K Co 289th.
Someone called out to me in the dark stating that he would be in my squad.
I told him that I would see him when we pushed off in the morning. We were
called out at 2 AM so I didn't really get to talk to him. I was slightly
wounded that day and after I went to the aid station they discovered that
my feet hands and ears were frozen and I was sent to the hospital.
During the summer while I was still in France I received a V mail from
Mabel Liebenstein asking about her son who was killed in the woods outside
of Appenwhir on 2/3/44,his first day in combat.
The day before Veterans Day this year I received an eMail from Martine
Hofmann from Nurnberg Germany who stated that her father still lives in
Appenwhir and that her Father-in-law was a German soldier in Appenwhir
during the liberation.
What is more amazing is that she asked me if I might have known Claire
Liebenstein who was killed in Feb 44 in Appenwhir.
This really shook me up and got me to thinking about those times and so
I got on the net and looked up Bill Fleisher and found his phone number.
I was lucky enough to get him the first time I tried.He was a Sgt. promoted
in the field to a Lt. We talked for about an hour and he told me that
Claire was his bazooka man when he was killed.
I had such a good time talking with him that I decided to press my luck and
try for Capt. Applegate my CO. You might remember that he was reported
killed in an earlier newsline story.Before I could reply the report was
corrected. At any rate my luck held out and I did reach him.He couldn't
believe that I had found him and we chatted for about an hour.
He can be reached at dapple@solarstop.net
(Dorothy Applegate). His wife is on the net .His first name is Donald and
he is going in for surgery soon.
Although I wave been a member of the 75 Div Veterans Association for many
years , and I think that it is a first rate organization, I think that what
you are doing helps to keep the few of us that are left in touch and maybe
if we can talking to each other (all the world) we'll stop fighting each
other. .. .
It is evident by this article that I didn't make my living by writing or
typing , but I hope that my pride at being associated with such a fine
group shows !!!!..
Regards
Phil Pelletter
Nov.17,1998
********************************************************************
4.) New member Frank Zavorka
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 20:30:13 -0800
From: Dan Zavorka zavorka@freewwweb.com
subject: web page
Thank you for the web page. While visiting my son in texas, I was able to
enjoy the 75th web page. As a "bulge buster" from company "C", I appreciate
the fact that the history is preserved.
Sincerely, Frank Zavorka; Torrington, WY 11/24/98
********************************************************************
5.) Sgt. Gayle E. Keltner, 289th
From: GoddessBQ@aol.com
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 11:37:53 EST
subject: Father's 75th Div. Experience
Hello Rolf,
I just found your 75th Div. homepage this week and have been "lurking" ever
since, reading all the newslines. I feel like I know you and many of your
regular contributors already. My father was in the 75th, 289th Rgt,
2nd Battalion, Co. ?. He was Sgt. Gayle E. Keltner. The 75th was such an
important part of his life that had he been on-line before his death
(June '97), I'm certain yours would have been his home page. I know he
would have wanted me to convey his deep appreciation for all your efforts
to bringtogether members and share the history of the 75th.
I just started researching his war experience as part of the grieving
process (you never realize how much of an inspiration your parents are
until you lose one). It all started with my happening to catch part of
the PBS special on D- Day and the Bulge. I had no idea it was on and just
channel surfed into it. Not five minutes later I was astonished to see
a still photograph of my father. I know this might sound strange, but
I saw it as a sign from him that I should continue trying to know this
man, even though he could never quite "let me in" while he was alive.
I'm sure what he experienced in WWII deeply affected him and contributed
to this. (There is a new book out on how males deal with trauma/stress/
depression and how the traditional male role encourages men to hide trauma,
etc. from their families because of their upbringing. I would encourage
anyone who loves a vet to look into this theory and post-traumatic stress.
The VA says many from WWII are just acknowledging PTS due to recent
retirement - no job to distract them from painful memories.)
Enough amateur psychology -
I would like to hear from anyone who knew my father during his service
and/or from his many years of attending the 75th conventions (often with
me and siblings in tow). Back then I regarded it as boring, now I wish
I remembered more. Another aside, before I go. After my dad died, my
mother was considering attending the convention in Kansas City to be
there for the 75th's tribute to members who had died within the past year.
I encouraged her to go because I thought it would give her a better chance
to say goodbye after the shock of Dad's sudden death. She and my oldest
brother flew there just to attend that evening's ceremony and dinner.
Tired from the flight - they decided to take a nap before the event, but
didn't think they'd need a wake-up call, and overslept. With just enough
time to get ready and get there, the front desk called the room by mistake.
Pretty astronomical odds against that happening since most hotels
computerize that service these days. When my mother told me that - I just
knew that my father had found a way to wake her up without scaring her out
of her wits.
And that he attended at least one more 75th Division convention . . .
proudly.
When my mother asked me what symbol we should engrave on Dad's headstone,
it was a no-brainer - The 75th Div. emblem still honors my father. When
I read the letter you reprinted from that young boy in Dayton it sparked
another warm memory of the refreshing dignity sometimes displayed by
today's youth. On the way to the cemetary, Dad's funeral procession passed
a local park/ballfield. When they saw the flag coming, every adult and
child on that field stopped, placed their cap over their hearts and remained
so until the entire procession had gone by.
I hope my stories are enjoyed by others. I would really appreciate hearing
from those whe knew Dad. My name is Brenda J. Keltner, e-mail is
GoddessBQ@aol.com.
********************************************************************
6.) Frozen Hell
Date: Fri, 04 Dec 1998 09:19:01 -0500
From: Dan Shine danshine@iconn.net
subject: Frozen Hell
Frozen Hell
Near Salmchateau, Belgium
1500 hours January 14, 1945
A young soldier cautiously approached Item Company's line of snowy foxholes
as the afternoon sky began to darken. To the men nearby he looked like
a rookie; he was clearly timid about entering this place of death and
destruction. His uniform was still almost spotless. No doubt he'd been
eating hot "C" rations and sleeping under cover right up until now.
They observed him casually. A battle veteran could usually tell whether
a new man would crack under fire, just by looking at him, and you didn't
want a guy to crack up while he was sharing your foxhole. This particular
guy had a baby face, and probably hadn't even started to shave yet.
He couldn't be more than eighteen. The occasional German mortar shell that
fell nearby made him jump.
From his foxhole, Sergeant Gilbert spoke to the new private and pointed to
an open spot in the line of foxholes. The replacement turned and made his
way to the appointed spot. He leaned his M-1 up against a tree, and took
out his entrenching tool. In moments, he was chipping at the frozen surface
of the Belgian soil.
Over the next twenty minutes, the sounds of chopping and digging filled
the air. Twice as he dug, the replacement slipped and almost fell into his
unfinished foxhole. The men watched silently as he glanced around and tried
to regain his dignity.
Finally, his hole complete, the replacement grabbed his rifle, climbed in,
and took his position on the line. No doubt he was trying to figure out
what would happen next.
He probably never heard the fluttering sound of the approaching mortar
shell, but the men around him did, and they ducked deeper into their
foxholes. An abrupt explosion shook the ground and threw bits of something
through the air; there were the sudden smells of burned cordite and singed
flesh.
The soldiers looked in horror at the foxhole of the new replacement. Smoke
billowed out of it, and pieces of bloody flesh were everywhere. Tattered
bits of his uniform and a length of intestine hung from broken tree branches
above the burned foxhole, and next to the tree lay a boot with part of
a leg still in it.
That was it, thought Private Daniel R. "Bob" Shine as he sat in his foxhole
watching the day turn into night. One minute you're alive and all in one
piece; the next minute you're gone and nobody has even had the time to
find out who you were. And God knows where your dog tags were blown to...
Although he and the other men had seen this kind of thing happen before,
nobody ever really got used to it. Night fell, and it began to snow, masking
the frozen pieces of what had once been a man.
In the early morning hours Item Company assembled for their attack of
Salmchateau. Today they would be facing elements of the 326th Volksgrenadiers
and remnants of the 62nd Volksgrenadiers.
Shine was the bodyguard to Lieutenant Rocco Durante. He and the lieutenant
led their platoon through the snowy predawn darkness and the day's first
light. As it became fully light, they left the forest and followed a dirt
road into the village. This was usually the moment when things began to
happen, and as the second man in the advancing column, Shine was frightened.
As was often said, "Any man who wasn't frightened at these moments would
have to be insane".
They had almost reached a bridge leading into town, when there was a sharp
"crack" to their right front, and the lieutenant went down. Shine, following
him about three paces back, rolled Durante over and saw a bullet hole
cutting the lieutenant's belt loop just to the right of the belt buckle.
As he took the lieutenant's pants down, he saw the point of the bullet just
breaking the skin near the lieutenant's groin. Evidently the bullet had
ricocheted off of a bone.
To remain stationary in a spot such as this was to invite disaster. Shine
and the others moved forward, and left the lieutenant for the medical
corpsmen who would be following.
To the foot soldier of WWII, nothing was more reassuring than the feel of
an M-1 rifle in his hands. It promised power and accuracy at the squeeze
of a trigger. It also promised to be a heavy burden on a long march. The
M-1 rifle weighed almost ten pounds--about twice the weight of an
M-1 carbine. In the infantry, enlisted men carried the rifles and officers
carried the carbines.
Behind Shine, Private Krizan eyed the M-1 carbine dropped by the lieutenant.
Like most riflemen, his arms ached from carrying the heavy rifle; here was
something more attractive. He picked up the carbine and resumed his advance.
That was the last mistake he ever made.
There was another sharp "crack" from the high ground on their right, and
Krizan went down and rolled over on his back. Shine looked back at Krizan;
he lay there with a small, neat bullet hole right between his glazed eyes.
Beneath his head, a crimson stain began to spread in the white snow. The
sniper, seeing a carbine in Krizan's grip had mistaken him for an officer,
and killed him.
About this time Shine figured his number was coming up. He ran and caught
up with the squad as they prepared to clear the first house on their side
of the street. Private "Snuffy" Toth went into the front door, fragmentation
grenade in hand with pin pulled, threw the grenade and turned to get out.
As he turned, he slipped on the ceramic tile floor and fell. Before he
could get up the grenade exploded. Snuffy staggered out the door and went
down again. He was badly shaken up, and the squad left him behind for the
medics as they advanced through the town from house to house, clearing
them as they went. Most of the Germans had fled. There was no further
sniper fire, but still some incoming artillery and a few pockets of
resistance from the houses.
Late in the evening, they found three or four Germans holed up in a cellar
at the far edge of town.
One of them made a menacing move and the three Americans facing them fired
at once. The result was devastating.
Item Company spearheaded the attack on Salmchateau and won the town, thus
meeting their objective. Their ranks had been thinned that day by deaths,
wounds and frostbite cases.
Snuffy Toth was finished as a front line soldier; the explosion of his
grenade had left him shell-shocked. He was eventually evacuated. Lieutenant
Durante was also evacuated, and they didn't see him again.
Shine's squad spent the night billeted in the stucco and stone houses of
Salmchateau, while outside, the dead of both armies froze into grotesque
positions. And as the dead and the living
slept, again it began to snow...
*******************************************************************
7.) *** ON THE LIGHTER SIDE ***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Retirement Plan
The pentagon recently found it had too many generals and offered an early
retirement bonus. They promised to any general, who retired straight away,
his full annual benefits PLUS $10,000.00 for every inch measured in
a straight line along the retiring general's body between two points he
chose. (Something Congress came up with!)
The first general accepted. He asked the pension man to measure from the
top of his head to the tip of his toes. This was 6 feet. He walked out
With a check for $720,000.00.
The second general asked them to measure from the tip of his outstretched
hands to his toes. This was 8 feet. He walked out with a check for
$960,000.00.
Meantime, the first general had tipped off the third. When he was asked
where to measure, he told the pension man, "From the tip of my penis to
the tip of my balls." The pension man said that would be fine but he'd
better get the Medical Officer to do the measuring. The Medical Officer
attended and asked the general to drop 'em. He did. The Medical Officer
placed the tape on the tip of the general's penis and began to work back.
"My God!" he said, "where are your balls?"
The general replied, "In the Ardennes."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Telling Stories With Paratroops:
Three old paratroopers were sitting around the fire one night and began
telling lies.
The first advised he had just wrestled a bull to the ground BARE-HANDED.
The second jumper said, "I was walking down the creek the other day when
a 15' rattler slid out in front of me and demanded satisfaction. I grabbed
that SOB with my bare hands and bit the head off the mother. I sucked all
the poison out and I'm alive today.
The third trooper stood up, dropped his pants, stirred the red coals with
his penis and hollered, "AIRBORNE!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some Old Chinese Proverbs
"Soldier who run in front of car, get tired"
"Soldier who run behind car, get exhausted"
"Passionate kiss like spiders web - soon lead to undoing of fly."
"Foolish Soldier give wife grand piano. Wise Soldier give wife upright
organ."
"Soldier who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok"
"Soldier who scratches ass should not bite fingernails."
"Panties not best thing on earth, but next to it."
"War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who's left."
"Wife who put husband in doghouse soon find him in cat-house."
"Soldier who sleep in cat-house by day, sleep in doghouse by night."
"Soldier who fight with wife all day, get no piece at night."
"Soldier who tell one too many light bulb jokes soon burn out."
"It takes many nails to build crib, but one screw to fill it."
"Soldier who drive like hell, bound to get there!"
"Soldier who sit on tack get point?"
"Soldier who lives in glass house should change in basement"
"He who fishes in other man's well often catches crabs."
"Baseball is wrong, Soldier with four balls cannot walk."
======================================================
***************************************************************************
And in the next newsline...............
........your feedback to this newsline !!!!
Greetings from Germany
Rolf G. Wilmink
75th Inf Div WWII Veterans Association Unofficial homepage
www.mknet.de/75th
**************************************************************************
**************************************************************************
Who are you? What's your specialty and/or interest? Let us know about your
unit... What would you like to see on the list? Post it. Let us know... Do
you have something to contribute? We'd like to hear it...
We want to know EVERYTHING and ANYTHING about the 75th Division and
Plettenberg, Germany, the last command post of the HQ in 1945. ...
Remember: who, what, where, when, how & why... we want ALL the details...
(If there are developments in the today´s 75th Division (Exercise), that are
public and could be interesting for the veterans of the Division, please
e-mail the info also to us. )
Do you have a question? Post it... A little free time? Help a member...
With the INCREDIBLE brain power on this list, someone should have the
answer ;-)
P.S. Don't be a LURKER... Members take the time to post info for us all...
give something back... Don't just take... Your input/knowledge is valued...
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If you want to become a member of the 75th Div Veterans Association, please
contact the president of the Association:
Geoffrey Parker (75th Recon)
1104 Tanner Rd.
Plant City, FL 33756
USA
Phone: 1-813-752-6988
..The Simple Rules of the 75th Div List...
The 75th Div List Owners may remove a list member for violation of the
following rules. The list owner may also reject any posts that are/contain:
1) Info Unrelated to 75th Division in WWII and today, or WWII in the ETO.
2) Flames or Negative posts (if you must flame do it in private)...
3) E-Signatures that are considered excessive...
4) Advertisements not DIRECTLY related to the list topics...
5) Attached Files... (sent them, but we have to see how to include them)
6) Oversized Posts... (May be edited to save room - )
7) Spamming list members will result in removal from list.
8) Thou shalt not lurk ;-)
***************************************************************************
The information transmitted on this list may not be reproduced, reposted or
forwarded to any non-list member without expressed written permission of the
List Owner. (Everyone can be a member, and if we have informations about
each recipient, we can bring members with special interests together).
(The 75th Div newsletter "Bulgebusters", secretary Jim Warmouth, hereby has
the permission to print everything out of our newsletter, as long as we as
the source are mentioned with e-mail and internet-adress)
Violation of U.S. copyright law is a criminal and civil offense...
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The List Owner will make EVERY effort to protect subscribers from spam...
The membership list is NOT available for loan, sale or rent. It is private.
All Rights Reserved...
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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