In honor and tribute to my grandfather

Killed In Action during “The Battle of The Bulge” (Operation Nordwind) in Alsace, France on January 25, 1945, Age 24. 

On November 25, 1944, the 222nd Infantry Regiment was loaded aboard the troopship, USAT Edmund B. Alexander, to begin their 15-day voyage in a large convoy of 100 ships along with a Naval escort. They landed in Marseilles, France on 9 Dec 1944.

They convoyed North of Marseilles, and erected ‘pup’ tents into the frozen ground, which became their home away from home. By some accounts, it became a “rude awakening” for the brave men.

After a week to ten days, they were loaded onto train boxcars for a five to six day journey to Strasbourg, France. Located on the Rhine River, they spent Christmas, 1944, in concrete bunkers better known as pillboxes.

Just shy of New Years, 1945, their squad of 12 men was ordered deeper into Strasbourg to stand guard duty at Division Headquarters. Because their mission was to guard their Commanding General and his staff, this was considered to be the best assignment they had while in the war zone because of good beds and good food.

They soon returned to their Company ‘B’, North of Strasbourg, and took up duty on the Main Line of Resistance (MLR), which is the Front Line.

In their pillboxes, they could look across a large field about one mile away and see the German Main Line of Resistance. The Germans soon opened the second Battle of the Bulge on Jan 2, 1945 when they attacked across the Rhine River, driving back American Forces.

On 21 Jan 1945, after three weeks of bitter fighting, the 42nd Infantry Division retreated from their MLR to a location South of the Moder River.

On the early morning of January 25, 1945, outside the little French town of Uhrwiller, Company ‘B’ had been ordered to counter-attack a German force that had broken through their MLR for the third time. Twice, on January 24, they had crossed the Moder River, but were driven back. This third time they had broken through, and Company ‘B’ was ordered to stop their advance.

Under orders, Company ‘B’ proceeded to march in two columns out of Uhrwiller towards the Ohlungen Forest. Three or four hundred yards into the march, three enemy machine guns opened fire upon them. After exchange of machine gun fire from both sides, mortars began to rain down.

One of those mortars, believed to have come from ‘friendly fire’, exploded above PFC Charles William Kuebler Jr., resulting in wounds that proved to be fatal. Company ‘B’ lost eight men, and 17 others were wounded.

On April 29, 1945, the 42nd Rainbow Infantry Division went on to become one of the first to liberate Dachau, the infamous, and vicious concentration camp.

Victory in Europe, known as V-E Day, was declared on May 8, 1945.

Provided by Master Sergeant Rodney Young, United States Air Force