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Charles R. Hughes |
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| Company
"E", 379th Infantry Regiment |
The 95th Infantry
Division dubbed "The Iron Men of Metz" by German
officers at Metz, France. Iron was a strong symbol for the
German military as evidenced by its use in the Iron Cross
- Germany's highest military award. This site is rather
new but is being added to by those of us who are still
here to contribute. The people of Metz honor the 95th.
Inf. Div. As their liberators and rightly so for our
division suffered great losses at Metz!
The
City was surrounded by a series of seven well built forts
- the largest being Fort Jean D'Arc where our regiment,
the 379th Inf. Reg. Suffered great losses. The city was
connected to these forts by underground railway and thus
provided strong resistance to our attacks. The city of
Metz had not been taken by force for over 2000 years -
even though this area, known as Alsace Lorraine, was
fought over by the French and Germans for many years. It
was here that World War I ended in November 1919 and it
was here that the 95th Div, pushed off on "Armistice
Day" in November 1944 hoping that another
"armistice" might be declared before this, our
1st major battle. The Forts surrounding Metz were built by
the Germans shortly after WW I. They were constructed of
reinforced concrete and could withstand aerial
bombardments as well as direct artillery fire. They were
well planned to provide devastating cross fire by both
small arms and artillery weapons. After all of those years,
trees, brush, etc. Grew up and the forts actually looked
like ordinary hills, rather than massive forts.
It
was here at Metz that General George S. Patton's advances
were suddenly brought to an end at the request of a
British General Field Marshall Montgomery who was jealous
of Patton's successes that brought embarrassment to him.
All supplies were immediately cut off to Patton,
Montgomery's request, even though Patton had the enemy
reeling on their heels, and thus, thanks to Montgomery,
the Germans were given time to reinforce this area and
were well prepared for the 95th when we were commanded to
take the area. Thanks to Montgomery's jealousy, many
American lives were lost here because Gen. Patton would
have kept assaulting the enemy and the area would not have
become the stronghold that Germany was permitted to
fortify and recoup because of the "politics of war."
After being severely wounded at the end of the war with
Germany I was flown to the States and hospitalized at Fort
Dix, New Jersey in the Army's Tilton General Hospital for
1 and 1/2 years. One day I found an area in the hospital
where the patients could register their names and outfits.
I found the name of Sgt. Paris of "Easy" Company,
379th Inf., 95th Inf. Div. And couldn't believe he was
still alive because he was reported killed at Metz. He and
Lt. Crabbe and I were on our company's first combat patrol
before shoving off at Metz. I found his hospital ward and
discovered that he was truly alive, but blinded by the
lack of nutrition (given potato skins to eat) during the
time spent as a prisoner of war. He had been captured by
an SS unit at Fort Jean D'Arc and was forced to serve them
by carrying water and supplies and also by riding a
bicycle set-up generator system to provide electricity to
the fort. He, under guard, got to see the fort, and
especially the exposure our troops were subject to as he
observed us through several of the firing ports of the
fort and stated he was surprised that any of us got
through there alive. The fort was three or four stories
deep and had special quarters for the German officers,
many of whom had their wives or girl friends with them.
All the German soldiers had access to the theater where
movies and other entertainment was provided. They ate very
well and had comfortable living quarters.
About 25 of us got past the fort and through an enemy mine
field that for some reason wouldn't detonate and dug in on
a small hill overlooking a town below. We were completely
surrounded and cut off from the rest of our Division. We
had very little ammunition and weapons and several wounded
- no water or food except for the small amount of water in
our canteens. I, as a 1st scout was ordered to scout
around for an artillery observer who was to direct rings
of artillery fire around us to protect us from
counterattacks. I wandered some distance from the hill
through a wooded area and heard a group of German soldiers,
led by an SS officer, who were also scouring the area.
Fortunately for me, I saw them before they saw me and I
started for the hill where our small company group was dug
in. They all opened fire on me - even the SS officer with
his Schmeizer Machine Pistol ("burp" gun)- but
thanks to our Heavenly Father I was able to escape to the
safety of our men who opened fire on them. This was a
blessing I was not aware of at the time and it occurred
many times during combat until the terrible day that I
couldn't avoid being wounded. Against all odds, I was
protected so many times. I was constantly being exposed to
concentrated enemy fire as a 1st. Scout in crossing fields,
in street fighting and on evening and sometimes daylight
patrols. We were stranded on that hill for almost a week
and fortunately the artillery observer found us and
protected us with rings of artillery.
We
had very little ammunition, no food and only a few sips of
water, no blankets and several wounded. When you go three
days without water, you get into serious problems
health-wise. You dehydrate and start to hallucinate - so
something had to be done. Another 1st scout and I decided
to infiltrate into the German held town below our hill to
find some water. We gathered several canteens and the
evening of the third day on the hill slipped carefully
into the town. Fortunately there was no moonlight that
night and the starlight provided enough light for us to
fumble through the enemy outposts. We found an old hand
pumped well that was rusted and needed priming but we were
able to pump enough water to fill the canteens. We walked
erect and were undisturbed in our pumping because the
enemy supposed us to be some of their comrades. We got
back to our men on the hill and took water around to each
man to quench his thirst.
After
the fifth day of being stranded, one of our artillery
"grasshoppers" (a small Piper Cub observation
plane) flew over our hill and dropped blankets, morphine
and medicine for our wounded. The next day they dropped
D-bars (Concentrated chocolate bars) as nourishment and
the next day they dropped boxes of ammunition, one of
which rolled down the hill and hit me in the middle of the
back (which over the years has naturally fused and given
me a lot of pain and discomfort). The next day some of our
regiment attacked and overran the hill and we were saved
from our isolation and enemy counterattacks. Many of the
boxes of supplies rolled down the hill into enemy
territory but the other 1st scout, a hill-Billy from
Tennessee, went down after them. He was very much like
Sgt. York of WWI and a great guy to work opposite in
street fighting and as a companion on combat patrols. He
was my hero! Well - that is part of my Metz experience.
I want to
thank Charles R. Hughes for his great testimony and his
photographs.
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Rhineland 