From: <Av8r1103@aol.com>
To: <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: K Company, 112th IR, 28th ID in Hurtgen
Date: Thursday, January 20, 2005 7:34 PM

Dear sir,
I have to say I was thrilled to find your web site and all the great information about the battle. My grandfather, Joseph Mack, was part of the group of
young soldiers assigned to the 28th Infantry Division in order to reduce the average age of this National Guard unit prior to it's deployment to England.
He landed in Normandy and fought through France and was wounded several times during the Hurtgen battle.

After reading several books about the battle I have enjoyed talking to him about what he remembers. He recently recalled for me the withdrawal from
Schmidt as he and another K Company soldier were hunted by a German tank. Occasionally stopping to fire a bazooka round at the tank - which did no damage. The last time they stopped his buddy's head jerked back and he fell to the ground. A German machine gun bullet had penetrated his helmet but stayed just inside the steel and split his helmet liner about in two... without wounding him. A P-47 took out the pursuing tank much to their relief.

After being wounded several times in the next few days and evading German capture they fell in with walking wounded and Red Cross ambulances evacuating men across the Kall Trail. He spent (I think) 6 weeks in a hospital in France before returning to the 28th. He still carries a piece of shrapnel in his chest. Any information you might have regarding the 112th and maybe K Company would be greatly appreciated.
Keep up the good work.

Patrick Mack

From: <Av8r1103@aol.com>
To: <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: K Company, 112th IR, 28th ID in Hurtgen
Date: Thursday, January 20, 2005 11:07 PM

Ernie,
I think that would be fine... the hospital he went to was in Liege (sp?) which I think might be in Belgium. He was processed also through Camp Lucky
Strike before coming home at the end of the war. I'm still trying to piece that all together as I learn more. On another note - he mentioned to me that he is in a book - that he was interviewed during the war but he can't remember the title of it. I'm still looking for it. If you or any of your web site visitors have any information on K Company, 3rd Battalion of the 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division - that they might share - I would be grateful.

The P-47 pilot who wrote you about their involvement in the Hurtgen battle - I can tell him that my grandfather spoke very highly of them. That his and
his buddies lives were saved several times by Thunderbolts - and not just in the Hurtgen. He specifically mentioned that when retreating from Schmidt a
P-47 took out a tank that was hounding him and his buddy. The pilot apparently radioed that he didn't want to fire on the tank since there were so many GIs running around near it - but the ground controller told him they'd rather take the chance on friendly fire than let the tank continue mowing down the GIs. He took out the tank and in the process may have saved my grandfather. For that I am eternally grateful. When I was in the Air Force my grandfather told me that one of the most beautiful sights he saw during the war was when the Thunderbolts would come in and give the Germans hell.

Keep up the good work! Love your web site.
Sincerely,
Patrick Mack
 

From: "John Milner/UES" <JohnMilner@uesfl.com>
To: <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Hurtgen Forest "The Worst of the Worst"
Date: Monday, December 06, 2004 10:05 PM

Ernie,

I am doing some research on my dad, Willis J. Milner III, as he survived the Battle of Hurtgen Forest and fought with the 4th. I have a newspaper
clipping from the Atlanta Journal indicating he was fortunate enough to make it into Luxembourg for Christmas - 1944. He landed on Utah beach;
D-Day. He was a Lieutenant and ended up with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. I would love to have his name displayed on a web site, so anyone who might have known him could contact me. I am sure that is a long-shot but, stranger things have happened. Do you have any suggestions? Supposedly, his service records were destroyed in a major fire.

Anyway, thanks for the information as it really helped me understand (at least to a small degree) what he must have experienced.

God Bless!

Best regards,

John Milner
United Electrical Sales, Ltd.                                                        http://www.uesfl.com
1020 Shady Lakes Circle                                                           Direct Voicemail: 1-888-557-1582
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418                                                 Home/Office: 1-561-626-4863
EMail to: johnmilner@uesfl.com                                                  Home/Office Fax: 1-561-626-2970
                                                                                                  Cell: 1-561-248-4308 Nextel: 162*132274*17

Reply:  John,
 
    It would be an honor to place the information about your father onto my website. At this late date the possibility of a reply would appear rather slim but hope springs eternal in the human breast. I will check using the Google search engine to explore the possibility of an additional course of inquiry.
 

 

From: <IrvSmo@aol.com>
To: <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Received pictures
Date: Thursday, January 16, 2003 3:24 PM

Hi Ernie,

The reason I sent you the pictures of Hemingway and Pyle was as a personal gesture of thanks for what you are doing to keep the memory alive of the sacrifices made by the combat soldiers in WW II. They share a common first name with you. Incidentally, Hemingway, in a play on words would frequently refer to himself as "Old Ernie Hemorrhoid, the poor man's Pyle."

The story below is a D-day story. Peter was the chief of number one gun section when B battery was reconstituted after we, along with the 8th and 79th Divisions, liberated Cherbourg. I was the cannoneer in the number two gun section which adjusted fire for the battery and battalion and actually fired the piece.

I had made plans to meet Peter in New Orleans at the dedication of the D-day Museum. When I phoned him shortly before the dedication I learned of his somewhat sudden death from a heart attack.

The Great Pinochle Game
By Peter Russo
C and B Batteries
29th Field Artillery Battalion
4th Infantry Division

D-day minus three, found the crew of this Artillery Battery crammed aboard a Navy landing craft tank. A landing craft tank resembles and is about the size of a sand-carrying barge. Carefully squeezed into its hole were four self-propelled 105 mm howitzers, one supply truck and one jeep. Walking between vehicles was next to impossible. Little walking would be done during the sea voyage. We were barely out of the English Harbor when the greater part of the gun crew succumbed to sea sickness. There was a mad scramble for position on this small craft.

The men who were not the fastest and the strongest were to take up topside resting areas. The winners nestled near two toilets, one on the starboard, and the other on the port side of the bow. All but the Pinochle players remained wet throughout the trip. If the drizzle did not keep one wet, the sea spray did. The great Pinochle Game began as soon as we reached deeper water. Four of us chose partners, ducked under the truck tarp and began the game which was to last three days. We preferred the outdoors and bright lights but the weather, sea spray and vomit kept the game under the tarp.

 On the evening of June 5, 1944, a meeting was called. The few able to attend, gathered around to hear of the postponement of the invasion. Word was passed on to the sick men and eventually a rumor was spread about. Some color appeared to return to the faces of the sick when the word of a return to England reached their ears. In short order, the paleness returned along with the sea sickness, regardless of the good news, The Pinochle game continued.

One more crummy day passed into night and the sea was as rough as ever. Another meeting was called during the early morning hours. Again, those able to attend gathered around. This time the word was "Go". The Invasion was on for this day, June 6, 1944. All at this meeting were briefed as to the enemy strength, our landing spearhead force and the beachhead assigned. We were directed to pass this information on to the others when possible. There would be no return to England. The spearhead infantry was ours and we would land on their backs on H Hour. Back to the game for the Pinochle players.

Daylight was now approaching and the volume of planes flying overhead was noticed. Bombs were landing on the beach, in hopes of destroying enemy guns emplacements. The Navy guns joined in pelting the same area. We stopped the Pinochle game to watch the rocket-carrying craft speed in front of us. A few hundred yards off our port side, the rockets were unleashed. We looked on as the tiny lights of the fired rockets created a Coney Island fireworks scenario.

Our attention was diverted by a large boom to our left flank and not more than 50 feet to our center. The boom was followed by a huge puff of smoke. B Battery was leading the Battalion Artillery toward the landing site on Normandy. It struck a mine in the water and was gone. We could see very little debris and a few bodies as we rode by. All on our landing craft tanks were up and looking at what was left of B Battery personnel, the landing craft and the equipment. Sea sickness was replaced with horror and fear. We were introduced to our first combat exposure. We focused on the enemy artillery rippling along our landing zone and thought about the losses to be added to that of B Battery.

Not a sound was to be heard on this craft until we landed. We became seasoned veterans before one round was fired in support of our Infantry. The Pinochle game was over.
________________________________________________________________________________________-

The two sections below were added by me when I read this story at a Memorial Day ceremony.

There were 60 men on board the LCT carrying B Battery to Utah Beach. Thirty-seven of those men were killed in the explosion and the twenty-three others were severely wounded. Many of those who died that day were my buddies. The bodies of most of those who were killed were never identified or recovered. Their names are memorialized for all eternity on the granite walls of the Garden of the Missing in the cemetery overlooking the Invasion Beaches. There are more than 1500 names on that wall from all branches of the armed services. Virtually every panel in the rotunda has at least one name of a soldier with whom I had served.

The ultimate sacrifice of those men is a constant reminder to me as it should be to all that "Freedom is not Free."
 

From: <IrvSmo@aol.com>
To: <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Hürtgen Forest Tour
Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 12:50 PM

Hi Ernie,

I am attaching to this e-mail the entire text of a book written by John Ausland who had been, throughout our time in combat, liaison officer with our 8th Infantry Regiment. He functioned mostly as a forward observer. After we returned to the States and were supposed to prepare for the invasion of Honshu in the late spring or early summer of 1946 he became my new battery commander. Of course, that invasion was never necessary and I was discharged on October 21, 10 days shy of my 21st birthday but I had already lived what amounted to a lifetime. In 1993, I met him at a 4ID reunion in DC. He had written his book and published it himself and left the entire text on an Internet site.

 A friend who used to do my e-mailing for me before I purchased and learned to use my own computer downloaded it from the Internet onto a floppy disk and made a copy of the disk for me. It takes about a minute to upload and another minute to download. I would suggest that you download it on a floppy. Because it is all text it fits easily on to a floppy or if CDRom is now your favorite type of disc you might choose that. Of course you could download it directly on to your hard drive.

John had become my friend after I first met him but he died somewhat unexpectedly of non-Hodgkins type Lymphoma. The site on which he had left the text is now defunct. I think he would approve of your putting it or excerpts from it on your website.

There were some pictures in his book of two famous Ernies that I will attach to other E-mails. I am not sure if your server enables you to download multiple compressed zip files. If it does it will make it more convenient for me to send you the Ernie pictures and some others that might be of interest to you.

Irving    Note: Irving, I did download the story you listed and will see if it is possible to provide the material, or at least some of it, to this site.  Readers can check out the site if they wish as it is listed below.                Ernie

Here are pictures of Ernest Hemingway (right), Robert Capa (left) and jeep driver Olin Tomkins with Ernie Pyle in second picture taken in France in July of 1944 provided by Irvin Smolens
B Battery 29th Field Artillery Battalion, Fourth Infantry Division.

From: <IrvSmo@aol.com>
To: <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Hürtgen Forest Tour
Date: Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:57 PM

Hi Ernie,

I fought in the Hurtgen with the Fourth Infantry Division. Below is the URL for the American Heritage Publication's American History Illustrated containing a story by General James Gavin who commanded the 82nd Airborne Division in WW II. If you are not familiar with what he had to say about that battle you might want to read it and add some of it to your own website.

In the list of places to which Ron took the tour group he did not mention Grosshau which our 22nd Regiment finally took and then broke through the forest to some of the high ground overlooking Gey. We did that at the end of November 1944 before being relieved by the 83d Infantry Division. Three members of my division were awarded the Medal of Honor for their roles in that battle and my friend Jim Flannigan was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for an action in that battle.

Just as Gavin had asked why the divisions that had attacked into the forest were given the orders they were given and received no answer I would like to know why once we had broken through the forest the troops that replaced us did not mount a flanking attack behind the German positions in the forest to cut them off from their supply sources. Instead of doing that they continued to mount frontal attacks against the German defenders with often disastrous results.

Our Ivy Division had the only real success in the earlier stages of the Battle in the forest and suffered more casualties in that battle than any other division that fought there yet most of the accounts of that battle written by outsiders give minimum coverage to our role in that battle. It's as if the writers have determined to focus on the failures of command decisions so that they can point fingers of blame at our Army Group, Army, and Corps commanders. Those commanders from Eisenhower on down deserve to be called to account but not with the degree of relish shown by such writers as Charles Whiting, an Englishman.

Below is the URL which I mentioned earlier.

http://www.hurtgen1944.homestead.com/AmericanHeritageStory.html 

 I would appreciate your sending me the URL of your site.

Irving Smolens
B Battery 29th Field Artillery Battalion
Fourth Infantry Division
 

From: "régine villers" <regine.villers@skynet.be>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Fredrick Vallini
Date: Monday, January 08, 2003

Dear Ernie,

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

I am so happy you've found me back ! How did you manage to by the way ?

A few months ago I changed Internet providers and had to change my e-mail address as well but just before that, I had changed from Windows Millenium to Windows XP and lost a big part of my address book (your address was in that part). I never thought you would contact me again !  Thank God you did.

 

Thank you very much for putting Fred's story on your site.  If you don't mind, there are a few things I'd like to correct, for the veracity of it all. His real name is Fred VILLANI (you spelled it Villano or Vallini on the site), but to the army he was known as Frederick, which is strange because his complete firstname is actually Alfred.  Anyway, everybody in his family called him Fred.

 

Then I saw a message I sent you on your site in which I say that I've found Fred's parents and that their names are Anthony and Josephine.  Well, I was right about the mother but the father's name was not Anthony.  It was Prisco.  I just gave away the information too soon, it had not been checked yet at that time.

 

I don't remember if I told you but I have learned a lot on Fred thanks to his last surviving sibling, his kid sister Carmella (83 years old !).  She sent me a copy of Fred's last letter, some paper clippings of him just before the war somewhere in New Jersey, and a beautiful color studio portrait of him in his uniform. I call her about every month.  It's great !

 

My husband and I have also adopted two more GI's in Henri-Chapelle.  One who was also in the 28th Division and one who was in the 85th Cavalry Reconnaissance Sq. 5th Armored Division (he also died in Hurtgen).

 

It's winter now so we don't go to the cemetery as it's in a very windy and cold area.  The last time we went was for Fred's death anniversary (November 8).  A little earlier, in October, we had the chance to meet a group of 28th Division veterans, led by William Hickok, who were touring France, Germany and Belgium.  We met them at Henri-Chapelle.  Most of them followed us to Fred's grave and took pictures of us in front of it.  They were all so sweet !  It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life, honestly.

 

Anyway, I could just go on and on and on...

If you want to, you can publish a text I wrote in which I tell the whole story of my adopting Fred. I think it will tell more than my short messages and hopefully, it will help your fellowmen realize that what their fathers and grandfathers did was not in vain.  We still remember them, and we love them for all they accomplished. It's up to you.  I am joining the text to this message.

 

I will also send you Fred's studio portrait.  It will look great on your site.  I also have some pictures of Hurtgen and of the Kall Trail we took when we went there last summer.  You can also use them if you want to. Finally, I will send you the article that was written on my story in the Newark Star Ledger last April.  I don't remember if I sent it to you or not at the time.

 

Let me know if I am doing too much ! I just feel like my "meeting" with Fred is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and that guy is a little like my big brother now.  I feel like I know him...

 

OK, that's all for today. Ernie, thank you again, let me know about all the stuff I am sending you, and let me know if you'll use it on the site.

 

God bless you and your family,

 

Régine.

 

----- Original Message -----

To: regine.villers@skynet.be

January 06, 2003 Subject: Fredrick Vallini

 

Dear Regine,

 

    So glad to have your e-mail address again. I had sent you a message requesting your permission to put your story on my site but the address was no longer valid. Knowing that the purpose of the story was to honor Fredrick and to acknowledge your contribution, I placed the story online. You can view the story at the second address listed below. Just click on it and you should be able to go there.

    I hope you have been well and have had a nice holiday season. Here we did especially well as we traveled out west to visit our daughter and son-in-law. It was a long trip but well worth it.

    Hope to hear from you. Again, thank you for your wonderful service to the American servicemen.

 

    Ernie Herr

   

From: "Ron van Rijt" <bullfrog@xs4all.nl>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: adopted soldier
Date: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 3:20 AM

Hi Ernie.

No, a Wienerschnitzel is not a sausage Ern, it's more like a sort of steak. -- (really great stuff).

I read about the Belgian "Godmother". --- Her adopted soldier was from the 112th /28th ID who was killed on November 8. Her soldier could have been one of the soldiers that Fritz saw digging in at the Kommerscheidt woods line the day before he attacked along the east-slope of the Kall-Valley.
Her soldier could have been one of the dead soldiers on the Kall Trail that Fritz touched with his feet. Her soldier could have been the dead American under the Weasel track. Maybe her soldier was the dead soldier that scared the hell out of Fritz when Fritz jumped on top of him in his foxhole.  I'm glad to hear that he found someone who takes care for his grave.

Best; Bullfrog
 

From: "Ron van Rijt" <bullfrog@xs4all.nl>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: tank track
Date: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 3:20 AM

Hi Ernie.

Here is a picture of the tank-track lying at the Kall-Trail. This is where the 3 Sherman tanks of the "Fritz-story" were standing. -- Seen from this side the third tank would be right in front of us. -- This third tank was the German Company command post where Fritz found the peanuts. --- Behind this tank downhill on the trail were the second and the first tank. -- Barrels pointing downhill. The tank-track that you can see on the picture is from the second tank.
The Weasel with the dead American soldier under one of the tracks was standing right behind the track when you look from this side. -- Fritz says that it looked as if they had tried to turn the Weasel and that it got stuck on the edge of the trail.

Here you are my friend; -- Hürtgen Forest History on the square yard !!!

 

From: "Ron van Rijt" <bullfrog@xs4all.nl>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Fritz Story
Date: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 2:32 AM

Hi Liberator.

Aha, there he is !!!
Good to hear that you received the "Fritz-story". -- What do you mean with "Typos" ? -- Hey, that's an "Authentic Bullfrog-translated story" which had cost Blood, Sweat and Tears !!! ---- Can't you change the writing errors in the Fritz story that I sent you ?
I have adopted several American WWII graves; -- You think I'm "The Godfather" ?
Maybe I'm a sort of "Godfather" for all the soldiers that were killed at the Hürtgen Forest.
Yeah, those guys from the 106th ID are really great. - I like them a lot.
Here is a picture of old Fritz who lived 3 weeks in the American Sherman tank at the Kall-Trail. -- Fritz is wearing "the wrong hat", but in November 1944 he even was wearing an American Tanker-helmet.
If you ever should come in this area, you really should meet Fritz. -- He's a great guy.

Hang in there and keep that site going; Best, - Bullfrog
 

For readers who might like to see Fritz and Ron, presented here are their pictures. To see them in person, a trip to the Huertgen Forest might be necessary. Fritz's story of his battle in the Forest is included on this site.

From: "Ron van Rijt" <bullfrog@xs4all.nl>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Fritz
Date: Sunday, December 29, 2002 12:09 AM

Hi Ernie.

Check out this attachment. -- Never published before, not even in German language.

By the way: - I saw on your website that you still have that picture of Hans Falkenstein on, telling the young generation about his experiences at the entrance of the Kall-Trail. -- Yep, that's the guy who wrote the story that I sent you.

Now here is the story of Fritz. -- Many people know that there's still a Sherman track lying on the Kall-Trail, but not many people know the story behind it. Also attached is a picture of a part of a Weazle track that I found last year few yards from the forest road.
Fritz told me that the Weazle still had it's tracks on in November 1944. -- I can recognize that this part of Weazle track was not ripped off but that someone must have used a saw to cut it off. -- Fritz thinks that maybe someone saw it off to recover the dead American under the track before they dragged the Weazle out of the forest after the war. -- The rest of the Weazle track is still lying on the Kall-Trail.

Best wishes: Ron

 

From: "régine villers" <regine.villers@skynet.be>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Fredrick Vallini
Date: Monday, January 06, 2003 7:01 PM

Dear Ernie,

HAPPY NEW YEAR !
I am so happy you've found me back ! How did you manage to by the way ?
A few months ago I changed Internet providers and had to change my e-mail address as well but just before that, I had changed from Windows Millennium to Windows XP and lost a big part of my address book (your address was in that part).  I never thought you would contact me again ! Thank God you did.

Thank you very much for putting Fred's story on your site. If you don't mind, there are a few things I'd like to correct, for the veracity of it all. His real name is Fred VILLANI (you spelled it Villano or Vallini on the site), but to the army he was known as Frederick, which is strange because his complete first name is actually Alfred. Anyway, everybody in his family called him Fred.

Then I saw a message I sent you on your site in which I say that I've found Fred's parents and that their names are Anthony and Josephine. Well, I was right about the mother but the father's name was not Anthony. It was Prisco. I just gave away the information too soon, it had not been checked yet at that time.

I don't remember if I told you but I have learned a lot on Fred thanks to his last surviving sibling, his kid sister Carmella (83 years old !). She sent me a copy of Fred's last letter, some paper clippings of him just before the war somewhere in New Jersey, and a beautiful color studio portrait of him in his uniform. I call her about every month. It's great !

My husband and I have also adopted two more GI's in Henri-Chapelle. One who was also in the 28th Division and one who was in the 85th Cavalry Reconnaissance Sq. 5th Armored Division (he also died in Hurtgen).

It's winter now so we don't go to the cemetery as it's in a very windy and cold area. The last time we went was for Fred's death anniversary (November 8). A little earlier, in October, we had the chance to meet a group of 28th Division veterans, led by William Hickok, who were touring France, Germany and Belgium. We met them at Henri-Chapelle. Most of them followed us to Fred's grave and took pictures of us in front of it. They were all so sweet ! It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life, honestly.

Anyway, I could just go on and on and on...
If you want to, you can publish a text I wrote in which I tell the whole story of my adopting Fred.  I think it will tell more than my short messages and hopefully, it will help your fellowmen realize that what their fathers and grandfathers did was not in vain. We still remember them, and we love them for all they accomplished. It's up to you. I am joining the text to this message.

I will also send you Fred's studio portrait. It will look great on your site. I also have some pictures of Hurtgen and of the Kall Trail we took when we went there last summer. You can also use them if you want to. Finally, I will send you the article that was written on my story in the Newark Star Ledger last April. I don't remember if I sent it to you or not at the time.

Let me know if I am doing too much ! I just feel like my "meeting" with Fred is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and that guy is a little like my big brother now. I feel like I know him...

OK, that's all for today. Ernie, thank you again, let me know about all the stuff I am sending you, and let me know if you'll use it on the site.

God bless you and your family,

Régine.

For reader information, here is a picture of Regine Villers as she places flowers at the gravesite.

----- Original Message -----
From: Ernest Herr
To: regine.villers@skynet.be
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 8:01 PM
Subject: Fredrick Vallini

Dear Regine,

So glad to have your e-mail address again. I had sent you a message requesting your permission to put your story on my site but the address was no longer valid. Knowing that the purpose of the story was to honor Fredrick and to acknowledge your contribution, I placed the story online. You can view the story at the second address listed below. Just click on it and you should be able to go there. I hope you have been well and have had a nice holiday season. Here we did especially well as we traveled out west to visit our daughter and son-in-law. It was a long trip but well worth it. Hope to hear from you. Again, thank you for your wonderful service to the American servicemen.

Ernie Herr
 

http://vl.herr.home.att.net
http://e.herr.home.att.net
http://www.angelfire.com/ak5/combat/Index.html
 

From: "scorpio" <scorpio001@yucom.be>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: The story of Frederick F. Villani.
Date: Sunday, January 05, 2003 5:58 PM

Hello Ernie,

On 12-13-2002 you wrote:

Patrick, forgot to mention that I sent an e-mail to a "Belgian lady who was a "godmother of war" to an American soldier Fredrick F. Villani of New Jersey but it bounced. Guess she just changed her address or gave up on e-mail. She found out about Fred from the Newark Star-Ledger newspaper and I sent them an email to see if they would be interested in an update to her story with the picture that you sent of Fred's gravesite.... Pal, Ernie

Today I came across this website: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/message/5538/localities.northam.usa.states.newjersey.counties.essex/2833

and read this message:

I have adopted the grave of PFC Fred Villani, from Newark NJ, 112th Infantry, 28th Division, KIA in the Hurtgen Forest (Germany), buried in the American Cemetery of Henri-Chapelle (Belgium) near the place I live. After a lot of research, I have found Fred's family (83-year-old sister) and everything is great, except for one thing. There is a WW2 memorial in Newark, Fred's city of residence, called the "Ironbound Memorial", listing all the WW2 victims who came from Newark. Well, according to someone who helped me in my search for Fred's family, Fred's name doesn't appear on it.I have tried everything : writing to the mayor of Newark, to the American legion,... NO ANSWER !

What I promised myself is that, somehow I would manage to have Fred's name added to that memorial. It would be easier for me to do that if I were there, of course, but I am sure I can make things move from here in Belgium. I think this memorial is located in a park but I'm not sure.

Could you help me out on this ?
It would mean a lot. Fred shouldn't be forgotten.
If you need any more information, don't hesitate and write to me.

THANK YOU

This message was written by Regine Villers on December 3th, 2002.
This is her e-mail address: regine.villers@skynet.be

Greetings

Patrick aka P. Marlowe detective of the world wide web.
 

 

From: "Ron van Rijt" <bullfrog@xs4all.nl>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: German Hürtgen Forest Report
Date: Friday, December 20, 2002 6:00 AM

Hi Ernie

You have some space on your website for a Hürtgen Forest report of a German 89 ID Veteran ?
The Veteran translated his report into English few weeks ago so it is "fresh from the press", and never published anywhere before. --- "Le Premiere".
Here is the first page; -- The whole report is 10 pages long.
I think the German Vet did really his stinking-best to translate his report as good as possible and I think he did a great job, but still it needs to be checked.
His report is focussed on the German counterattack on Vossenack. -- It's a great story.
Just let me know if you want me to send you the other 9 pages. -- I didn't scan them in yet.

Cheeeerioooo; Bullfrog from Holland
 

 

From: "Ron van Rijt" <bullfrog@xs4all.nl>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: the Dutch Wienerschnitzel guide
Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 11:42 AM

Hi Ernie.

The friend of Patrick from Belgium just called me.
He wants to come over to the Hürtgen Forest on January 11th.
He probably thought that I was kidding with my "Wienerschnitzel and coffee". --- Hey, you will get plenty guiding for only a Wienerschnitzel and coffee.
Maybe that's the whole problem; -- I'm too cheap, so maybe people don't take me serious as a Hürtgen Forest guide. --- Maybe I should ask 100 bucks, ..... Hahahahahaha.
But no kidding; -- I do this work to keep the History of the Hürtgen Forest alive. -- To keep the History of my Veteran friends alive. -- Maybe even more for the young soldiers from both sides that lost their lives at the Hürtgen Forest.
I simply refuse to ask a WWII Veteran to pay for my guiding; -- Without you Vets I wouldn't even be able to do this job. -- You American Vets even risked your life for my freedom.
Guiding a Veteran is an easy job for me anyway because you Vets won't walk several miles through the forest anymore. -- I always tell the guys from the post-war generation to wear good shoes and old clothing because they will get dirty when they follow me on hands and feet up the steep muddy slopes of the good old Hürtgen Forest. -- I finish them off completely, but my guests are always very satisfied about my guiding.
Maybe I should ask the guys from the younger generation a little money for my guiding. -- It sure would help me to keep my work going.
By the way; -- That Belgian told me that he read plenty good advertising about me on the website of Ernie Herr. --- Yes, your website sure is good advertising for me and it already brought some very interesting things for me. ----- (Hey, without your website I never would have met my new girlfriend). -- Thank you Ernie !!!!
Yes, of course you can place the pictures that I sent you on your website.
You have a high-speed computer ? --- Last Friday I received an email, but after three quarter of an hour it still was not downloaded. -- My whole email-business was blocked through the weekend and yesterday I called my server to get that enormous email removed from my mailbox. --- My computer is 5 years old but it already is "pre-war-dated". --- It has to do however because I don't have the money to buy me a new computer.
Two weeks ago I received a CD from the 116 Panzer Division; -- Enclosed were over 200 pictures that they made during their Russia-tour last September.
It was the very first CD that I used during the 5 years that I have this computer. -- Don't ask me how I did it, but somehow I even managed to get the pictures on my screen.
If you think that I can handle your CD as well, I sure would like this. --- But ofcourse I expect you to come over for a Wienerschnitzel !!!!
Hang in there; -- Auf Wienerschnitzel; Ron.

PS; -- Look what I made. -- The 78th ID will come over again to the Hürtgen Forest next year to visit their friends from the German 272 Volksgrenadier Division. -- I made these plaques for the Veterans that will come.

Hey; tonight I will be on German radio !!! -- It's about the Hürtgen Forest.


   

From: "Ron van Rijt" <bullfrog@xs4all.nl>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Pictures
Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 2:57 AM

Yo Ernie.

A German Veteran who is playing "Lili Marlene" on his harmonica ? --- That's my friend Fritz from the 89 ID.
I don't think that I will be able to find back the pictures you wrote me about, but don't you think that you should replace some of those pictures anyway after they had been on your site for several months ?
Don't get me wrong my friend; -- YOU are the webmaster so you decide how to make your website.
I only thought that some "fresh pictures" from time to time would only help to show the visitors of your site that your site is kept "up to date".
Here is another picture of Fritz. -- It's about the same as the picture you wrote me about. -- This picture was made several weeks ago. -- Fritz is standing on the Sherman track at the Kall-Trail. -- He is explaining the younger generation (from a re-enactment group) about the 3 weeks that he lived in one of the 3 Sherman tanks that the US 707th Tank Battalion left on this very spot. -- This happened in November 1944.
Fritz found a can of peanuts in the Sherman. -- Few years ago I told this story to my friends of the 707th Tank Battalion, and Ray Fleig sent Fritz ....... more than half a century after the war, ........ a can of American peanuts !!!!
The second picture shows old Fritz wearing an American helmet. --- In November 1944 Fritz was wearing an American Tanker-helmet.
Patrick (Scorpio) from Belgium wrote me few weeks ago. -- He asked me for Veterans-stories for his website.
I offered him to visit me or to visit the Hürtgen Forest together. -- That way I would learn to know him personally and see what I can do for him.
I'm always willing to help people but I hope that you can understand that I'm a bit carefull with sending stories to people that I don't know. -- I've had some very bad experiences with it.
Patrick wrote me back that he can understand that I'm a bit carefull, but he probably doesn't want to visit me.
One of his friends wrote me few days later. -- He wanted to visit the Hürtgen Forest so I offered him also to guide him and his friends around at the Hürtgen Forest. -- It will cost them a Wienerschnitzel and coffee at the end of the tour. -- My guiding is for free.
He accepted my offer and we will do this Hürtgen Forest tour one of these weeks.
Patrick could also come over and he would get plenty stories for his website. -- It's up to him.
My computer crashed few months ago and the few Veterans-stories that I had in my computer were lost. -- I only have them printed on paper now.
I'm not a rich guy Ernie, I'm early retired and I'm really scraping the barrell to reach the end of every month, and my lousy financial situation is only growing worse thanks to the introduction of the new Euro money.
I don't know how much longer I will be able to keep on doing this work, but I do know that I want to spend the few Euros that I have for my American and German Veteran friends. -- I can't use my money on copies and stamps for the post-war generation in Belgium as long as my Veteran friends are still there.
There's a good chance that I even have to cancel my email-account soon. - I simply can't effort it anymore.
No need to say that this email to you is confidential; -- I only wanted to let you know what's going on over here.
Take care over there. Your friend from wooden-shoe country.

Bullfrog

 

From: "scorpio" <scorpio001@yucom.be>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Check the Forest Site
Date: Thursday, December 12, 2002 1:20 PM

Hi Ernie,

The Forest Intro page looks great. The links on this Forest Intro page and the Huertgen Forest page doesn't work yet. Still some work to do. I will advice you to include the (updated) Huertgen Readers pages because these contain very good stuff.

Carry on building your new website . . . Patrick
 

 

From: "Ron van Rijt" <bullfrog@xs4all.nl>
To: "Ernest Herr" <e.herr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Medics at Kall-Trail
Date: Thursday, November 28, 2002 5:12 PM

Hey Ernie.

Here's a real nice picture of the Kall-Trail.
I made this picture yesterday.
Bullfrog

From: "Patrick" <scorpio001@planetinternet.be>
To: "Ernie Herr" <ernieh1@earthlink.net>
Subject: The Maine Potato Incident
Date: Thursday, October 03, 2002 6:44 AM

Hi Pal,

Look what my daughter has made for you.   I only helped her with the translation.

Patrick