Hellcat News, (Heidenheim, Germany), Vol. 3 , No. 5, Ed. 1, Saturday, June 16, 1945 Page: 1 of 4
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12th ARMORED DIVISION
Mellcat News
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 5
Ord Given
Star; Award
152nd Also
HEIDENHEIM, GERMANY
SATURDAY. JUNE 16, 1945
The 134th Ordnance Mainten-
ance Battalion, which was the
first unit in the 12th to win the
Meritorious Service Unit Plaque,
recently became the first unit in
the division to be awarded the
Star to the Plaque. Both awards
are made at the direction of the
President.
At the same time, the Meritor-
ious Service Unit Plaque was pre-
sented to the division's 152nd Ar-
mored Signal Company. Lt. Col.
Paul H. Wood is commander of
the ordnance battalion and Capt.
John T. Hagood is commander of
the signal company.
Ordnance won the award for
"superior performance of duty
and outstanding efficiency of
operation in supporting the 12th
Armored Division during the
campaign in Eastern France and
Southern Germany from Decem-
ber 1, 1944 to May 31, 1945."
Supreme Test
The citation accompanying the
award further states that "the
supreme test of the battalion
came on March 18 when the di-
vision Jciiod the Third Army -aid
plunged into the Saar Region,
and continued until May 5 when
the division ended its campaign
in Central Europe with all enemy
resistance at an end. In all of
this operation the battalion rend-
ered such continuous and aggres-
sive support that the division
could make maximum progress
and its combat mission was ma-
terially enhanced."
Concerning this "supreme test",
the citation also points out that
"the superior supply of replace-
ment ordnance items during the
final stages of the war enabled
the division to finish its combat
mission with 99,3 % of combat
(Continued On Page 4)
Discharge For Aungst
Will Please Supply Sgt.
When they give Pfc. Ray Aungst
an over-age discharge, they'll
make two men very happy in
Sv Co, 714th Tank Bn.
One will be Aungst.. and the
other will be his supply sergeant.
Aungst is 6 feet, 4 inches tall,
weighs 240 pounds, and v^ears
size 14-EE shoes and size 18 shirt.
Luckily for the supply NCO, he
was 40 last month.
12th Had 2,479
In Casualties
Infantry casualties in the 12th bat, according to a report completed
were more than double those of, by the AG and division surgeon's
tank units for five months of com-; office.
Digging 'Em Out
m
When a Jerry sniper took refuge in a house in Dillingen while it
was being cleared by A Co of the 66th AIB, he was chased down
by the infantrymen who are seen climbing through the windows as
their buddies cover them.
Training Program
To Be Intensified
Reduction of the 12th's security
area to two Landkreises this
week, will result in an intensifi-
cation of orientation and training
programs, according to G-3.
More than half of the targets
guarded by the 12th since ces-
(Continued On Page 4)
92nd Votes Drive To
Rhine As Best Mission
By Pfc. George Schulman
Men of the 92nd Recon Squad-
ron agree with few exceptions,
that their swift, hard hitting drive
which carried them to the Rhine
River from the vicinity of Trier,
was the best combat job per-
formed by the Squadron.
At the same time, the men hold
that the action fought in the vi-
cinity of Bischwiler, and Rohr-
willer in the Herrlisheim area,
was the toughest combat assign-
ment the Squadron received.
The concensus:
1st Sgt. Herbert L. Short, A
Troop, — best job —- Drive to
Rhine; toughest job — Rohrwiller.
S/Sgt. Alvin E. Ross, A Troop,
— best job — Drive to Rhine;
toughest job — Rohrwiller.
Sgt. Salvatore L. Diodato, A
Troop, — best job — Drive to
Rhine; toughest job — Rohrwiller.
S/Sgt. John G. Pinedo, A Troop,
— best job — Colmar; toughest
job — Rohrwiller.
Sgt. Melvin Henrich, B Troop, —
best job — Drive to Rhine; tough-
est job — Herrlisheim area.
Sgt. Edward M. Berry, B. Troop,
■ best job — Drive East of Rhine;
toughest job — Herrlisheim area.
Sgt. John Donike, B Troop, —
best job — Drive to Rhine; tough-
est job — Herrlisheim area.
Sgt. Bill Walker, B Troop, —
best job — Drive East of Rhine;
toughest job — Martinsheim.
Sgt. George T. Gross, B Troop,
— best job — Drive to the Rhine;
toughest job — Herrlisheim area.
S/Sgt. William S. Maggio, C
Troop, — best job — Drive to
(Continued On Page 4)
Div VD Rate
Climbing
As the division's venereal di-
sease rate continued to climb
steadily, Hellcats this week were
urged-to use common sense and
adequate medical measures to
remedy the undesirable trend.
Lt. Col. Alf T.
Haerem, division
surgeon, pointed
out that laxity on
the part of indi-
v i d u a 1 s, plus
greater opportu-
nity for exposure
incident to less
activity and more
passes, are se-
rious factors working against re-
duction of venereal disease.
Man Not Punished
Since science has provided
swift effective cures, Col. Haerem
said, cases treated promptly do
not seriously affect duty efficiency
of an organization, and it is no
longer the practice to punish a
man for contacting a disease.
However, those concealing infec-
tion will be liable to punishment.
Col. Haerem revealed that this
week's rate in the 12th is ninety
cases per thousand per annum,
the highest in its history and
nearly double the previous high.
Last year's rate was 14 per thou-
sand per annum.
Largest percentage of new
(Continued On Page 4)
Wounded comprised 8.35 per cent
of total infantry strength, while
only four per cent of tankers were
inactivated by wounds.
The total number of battle casual-
ties was 2,479, or 3.75 per cent of
the entire command.
56th Had Most
56th AIB reported the highest
number, 694. The 17th AIB had 494,
and the 66th, 412 casualties. Highest
number of wounded reported from
tank battalions was 187, in the 23rd.
The 43rd and 714th Tank Bns were
next, followed by cavalry, engineers
and artillery units. Div Hq Co re-
ported the lowest number.
Percentage of total strength killed
in action was 1.66 for infantry and
1.05 for tank units. Percentage in
missing in action reports was 1.78
for doughs, and 1.55 for tankers. A
total of 507 KIA's were reported,
and 565 MIA's for the period De-
cember 8, 1944 to May 12, 1945.
""The greauwt number of battle
casualties occurred in April, with
nine hundred evacuations listed. The
next highest month was January,
when the Herrlisheim action was in-
cluded. On January 17, during that
battle, 196 men were eva(5uated, the
most of any day of combat.
Trenchfoot constituted a great
casualty menace in winter months.
During the week the division fought
near Rahling, France, 190 men were
evacuated with the ailment. Factors
were, inexperience of troops in
combat life, and lack of proper foot-
wear.
Both were corrected with urgent
measures, which included proper
instruction in care of feet, and
supply of waterproof shoe-packs and
dry socks to frontline units.
Men returned to their units through
hospital channels numbered 1,601,
after treatment for both battle and
non-battle wounds.
MG Sends
DP's In Area
To Homeland
Under the supervision of Lt. Coi.
Edward F. Seiller, Div MG officer,
5,600 displaced Italians and Rus-
sians in camps in the division's
area were started on the trip to
their native lands.
The Italians, numbering about
1,200, were taken all the way to
Bolzano, Italy, in division trucks o»
a journey that took a day and one-
half.
The Russians were taken in con-
voy to Gopfingen where they were
turned over to the Seventh Army
and placed on trains which took
them the rest of the way home.
Col. Seiller said the operatio*
was accomplished by moving as
many as 1,000 displaced persons i®
one day. Thirty-five trucks were
required to move each 1,000.
Before being started on the jour-
ney home, Col. Seiller and his sec-
tion had to process each individual.
Everyone of them had to be given
a physical examination, be dusted
with flea powder, and provided
with shoes and clothing if needed.
The convoys were under the con-
trol of Lt. Charles Roach, of MG,
and Miss Doreen Tylecotte, of
r liV_r cfcOuCv*
personal representatives.
Spirit of the former Nazi "slave
workers" upon being returned to
their native lands was demonstrated
most profoundly by the Italian®
who yelled themselves hoarse with
joy when the trucks crossed the
German-Italian border.
Col. Haerem
28 More Hellcats
Discharge Bound
Twenty-eight more Hellcat men
started the long journey back to
the states and discharges on
Wednesday when they left the
division for the 14th Reinf Depot.
This is the first group composed
exclusively of men with 85 points
or better.
They are: Pfc. Gaetano Silv-
erio, Pfc. Leroy A. Kennedy, Pfc.
Emile V. Schumert, Pfc. William
L. Lancaster, Pfc. Walter A. Gard-
ner, 66th AIB; Cpl. Richard A.
Short, 23rd Tk Bn; Pfc. Benjamin
J. Shimer, Pfc. George F. Dunlap,
Cpl. George F. Claypool, 43rd Tk
Bn; Pvt. John Shutt, Jr., Cpl.
Joseph B. Cook, Sgt. Levi H.
(Continued On Page 4)
Plan Unit
Libraries
Nearly six hundred selected books
were made available to Div Hq per-
sonnel this week, when I and E
opened the first of a series of
libraries planned for the division.
Plans call for furnishing each unit
with a similar library, and establish-
ing larger collections of from 1,500
to 2,500 volumes in the major com-
mands.
In addition to the book-lending
service, I and E in Heidenheim ha*
furnished a reading room with re-
ference material of interest to I and
E officers and non-coms throughout
the division.
The reading room also includes
the latest wire news, from Signal
Corps teletype service, and is ope*
from 1600 to 1700 and 1900 to
2000 daily.
DOWN-BEAT ON WHEELS
It's lucky that Cpl. Dale
G a f k e n, dosen't play a man-
dolin. While he's jeep-driving for
Div Hqs, he often feels the need
for musical inspiration, pulls out
his harmonica and bats out some-
thing like "Lamplighting Time"
— which he can do using only
one hand. He's been doing it
ever since the 12th was on ma-
neuvers in the States.
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United States. Army. Armored Division, 12th. Hellcat News, (Heidenheim, Germany), Vol. 3 , No. 5, Ed. 1, Saturday, June 16, 1945, newspaper, June 16, 1945; Tennessee. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth410265/m1/1/?q=12th%2520Armored%2520Memorial%2520Museum: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.