Відео

Will do, Kevin!

Yes it is - thank you for your comment.

@94thinfantrydivision You are welcome

Thanks for your response! There are many more and I'm sure there are more videos that are better than this one, but I thought it would be fun to post it anyway. Normally I focus this channel entirely on the history of the 94th Infantry Division and its affiliated units. But with the 80-year commemoration of the Ardennes Offensive, it felt a little strange not to focus on it, even if the 94th Infantry Division was not directly involved. Take care, Happy Holday Season! Wim Schelberg

Das war es auch! Auch ich war dieses Wochenende mit Freunden dort. Das Museum habe ich schon letztes Jahr besucht, also haben wir es dieses Jahr ausgelassen. Aber es gab ziemlich viele schön restaurierte Fahrzeuge und die nachgestellte Schlacht war beeindruckend! Alles Gute unfd Frohe Weinachten! Wim Schelberg.

@94thinfantrydivision Wir werden nächstes Jahr wieder dort sein. Immer zum Jahres Abschluss von unseren Ivents.

@@helmutmoritz2863 Toll! Vielleicht sehen wir uns dann wieder!

No, that certainly doesn't seem easy - and with all those explosions, the pieces of earth were flying through the air. They even landed in the audience! Hugely impressive. Take care, Happy Holday Season! Wim Schelberg

That's amazing! I am working on a book on Company I (will probably publish in 2025). If there are any stories still in the family, photos or other memorabilia, I'd be interesten in seeing digital copies or photos. Do you still have his paperwork? What was his name? You can also reach me at 94thinfantrydivisionbooks@gmail.com Thanks for your comments, stay safe & kind regards, Wim Schelberg

@@94thinfantrydivision How can you figure out their regiment?

@@teresaellis7088 You might want to look in a soldier's discharge papers, or other documents, photos, etc. dating from his time in the Army.

Hi Teresa, I am sorry, but you will not find a glimpse of your dad in this video. I used WW2-footage of men leaving England. However, these are 29th Infantry Division troops and US Army Air Force men. I have not been able to retrieve footage of the 94th Infantry Division leaving England during my research in the National Archives. So, the video explains what actually happened, but it is not supported with 94th Infantry Division footage. What company was your father in? If you still have paperwork, I might be able to help you out. Take care, and if you like the channel, please subscribe! Wim Schelberg.

@ thanks.I am not sure.I subscribed!I am trying to do some research.I know he got 2 bronze stars and there was a letter that it may be in.I passed it onto son so hopefully can find it.

@@teresaellis7088 Thanks for subscribing. It's good to do research! If you run into any puzzles, you are welcome to contact me at 94thinfantrydivisionbooks@gmail.com You could also check out the facebook page. Take care, Wim

His company and regiment would do the trick in tracking his route. Having the regiment alone would give you a fair indication. If you still have his wartime paperwork and send me scans or good quality pictures of it, I am happy to go through them and let you know what's in there! If you like the channel, please subscribe! Thanks! Wim Schelberg.

@ thank you.I will try to locate.I also know he spent time in Poland maybe in a hospital for frozen feet so I am not sure how he met up with company again.Might do some digging after holidays.

The Germans used all kinds of foreign captured equipment and ammunitions. They had German typenames, plus a letter designating the country they originated from. So, you had (r.) for Russian, (f.) for French, (t.) for Czech (Tschechei in German) etc. I mislabeled them 'German' in the video.

Amazing! Both the Walther P38 and the iconic Luger P08 were prized souvenirs.

Thanks Phil, thanks for you comment, which got me thinking. Indeed. It is visible from the shoulder sleeve insignia as well. No footage was shot when the 94th Infantry Division and so many others crossed. It would however not be of much interest to tell the story against a black background of nothing, with the occasional moment of me telling something as there's enough 'talking heads' out there ;-) I mentioned it in the description as well. The story, however, is 100% 94th Infantry Division. And the funny thing is: during and after WW2, this footage was used and recycled over and over for all kinds of documentaries. You always have to work with what's available. Not all US divisions were 'blessed' with the attention the 29th got with Balkoski leading the way, historically. I have been considering to add all the footage I use for the small narrations like thise in the 'From the Archives' section of the channel, though that obviously leads to videos on other subjects than the 94th Infantry Division. And perhaps I should make mention of it in the footage itself. Will chew on that for a bit. I took a look at you channel just now - much Cornwall history there! Kind regards, Wim Schelberg.

@@94thinfantrydivision Hi Wim, thanks for your detailed and thoughtful reply. It's the age old conflict between the historian wanting to accurately portray the past and the documentary maker needing to visually stimulate their audience. I agree with your comment on talking heads, though I can find nothing in the description that says the footage is of the 29th, merely "archival footage of troops departing England from 1944, Wim follows the voyage of the 94th". Similarly in your 'Destination Europe' video your commentary talks of troops being in Wiltshire whilst showing footage of Truro, Cornwall. Here there is no mention of the US29th in the credits. While as a video maker I have full sympathy with your conundrum, the historian in me is concerned at the erosion of fact and how that could be exacerbated by future generations. I accept your comment on the film footage that historians of the 29th are blessed with, but that was due to their role in and around the events of D-Day. One assumes there are still photographs of the 94th that could be used to enhance the story telling. Any way, keep up the good work of keeping the story of the 94th alive. It is vital work, not just for their descendants and historians, but for all of us to realise the effort and sacrifices made in securing us our freedom and the peace we enjoy today.

You are welcome Kevin! There will be more in the coming months as I am planning my 80th Anniversary series ahead. Every 'Thank you' is much appreciated and I am very pleased with the way the number of channel subscribers steadily grows. And if you ever consider additional ways to support my research, let me know! Have a great day, kind regards, Wim

Interesting

Hi Don, thanks, you mentioned this story earlier and elaborated on the details as well. So, I took note of it and it might definately be something to research. Would be interesting to see if any mention was made of it in any of the local papers? Thanks again for sharing & conneccting! Have a great day, kind regards, Wim Schelberg

@@94thinfantrydivision Hi, my name is Cliff Leverette. My dad and I found the skull when I was four (I have an above average memory, remembering things from infancy like nursing at the breast of a black woman named Mary when I came home from the hospital). This was in 1959, and I can tell you, I had nightmares about that skull for several years afterward. The skull was missing all three jaws, in case you don't know we all have three, two on the top, the big one on the bottom). We were out in a huge pasture behind my grandparents' home on the edge of Duck Hill. There was an area full of blackberries and the accompanying stickers and this was the place where dead cows were taken so there were bones everywhere. But my dad noticed a round bone and picked it up. It was definitely a human skull with the nose hole, eye holes and the hole where the spine and nerves sticks into the skull. Dad took it to his father who in those days was a town official, and alderman and he took it but never said anything about it after that. I did research in the closest town that had a newspaper, Winona, Mississippi, but found nothing and back then I was an avid researcher spending a lot of time at the Mississippi State Archives. In 1985 I went to work at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in the publications department where we took students notes and photos and turned them into proper monographs. My very first job was to do a report on the Lafort Fracture. This happens primarily in people whose lower face and mouth hit a steering wheel in an accident AND in facial gunshot wounds. A few years later my wife and I were at my grandmother's house at Duck Hill, and we were listening to her tell stories. My aunt Eleanor Grace came by. As a 17 year old she went to work at Camp McCain and remembers the Americans leaving and the German POWs being brought in. McCain became a satellite POW camp of the Camp Shelby POW camp system. She talked about the night that there was a shooting. She said that while McCain was training soldiers women would come and rent any structure they could to be close to their husbands or for other purposes. My Grandmother's property included a one acre pasture that had fences on three side but the southern side had no fence for the cow because there was a very deeply eroded creek that flowed about 15 feet below the surface of the pasture. At the west side of the acre was a small barn and a very large chicken yard that was fenced on all four sides. An officer's wife had rented an abandoned 1860s era house just on the other side of that deep bed creek. There were no electric lights, only candles, and the officer had come with his pistol. While he and his wife were engaged in a conjugal visit, he noticed someone peeking in through the window, watching them and he quickly grabbed the pistol and fired. There was no scream. Back at my Grandmother's house they heard the shot and then a lot of racket coming from the chickens. After it had died down my grandfather went out with a flashlight and talked across the creek to the officer. The officer found a trail of blood leading from the window to the creek, down in and across the creek, up to the southern end of the chicken yard. He and my grandfather tracked the blood across the chicken yard in a northwestern direction until it came to the western fence of the chicken yard. The trail continued into the pasture so that is two wire fences that this man had crossed while wounded. They followed the blood trail as far as it lasted but then they had no idea where he could have gone. Well, from that description my Aunt gave, that means he would have ended up in the blackberry patch. There ends the story but as you can see, more than ten years later, my dad found the man's skull. If you want this in writing on a piece of paper, I would be happy to do this and take it to a notary and swear that I am telling the truth and then send it on to you.

You are welcome! There will be a follow-up small documentary later today on 3 September 2024 about the preparations for crossing the Channel. And after that: landing on UTAH beach! More to come! Have a great day, kind regards, Wim

@@patricksansome7334 it is actually the same oak indeed!

Thanks for this nice comment! Is there a family link to the 94th Infantry Division? Kind regards, Wim Schelberg

@@94thinfantrydivision No Sir, My Grandfather fought in the Pacific. I always have been drawn to the struggle of the average soldier ,sailor and marine, airmen. The command level at sharper end of the stick. People with hopes and dreams that found themselves entangled in events larger then themselves. The men of the 94th are one of the many stories in this war. I think of the many kids who sacrificed their lives in the greater struggle. The replacements who were fed into the battle. I know my Grandfather was affected by his service. This was a defining and galvanizing moment in the men who made it through to live out their lives.

@@jollyharris1857 This is exactly why I wrote the book on Lauren B. Marks after I saved his letters from being sold piecemeal on the internet. The 94th Infantry Division was one of so many divisions fielded in the ETO, grinding their way forward one foxhole at a time. After every river came new hills and forests and rivers, and yet more hills and forests. They had to go on until the end of the war or until their own end, as either wounded or killed. I plan to release more video documentaries in the coming years. There's so much more history to share. Kind regards, Wim Schelberg

Amazing. Any more stories, photos, or paperwork in the family? I for one would be very interested in learning more about his role in the fight for Nennig. Thanks for your comment, kind regards, Wim Schelberg

@@94thinfantrydivision one photo in Nenning, book cover written by a grunt in the unit, squad pic type like band of bros in Germany, Düsseldorf pic, other training pics. He did get his Luger/holster. Didn’t talk much about till my brother and I both left for service in June and Sept 69.

@@JoeTurek-g4l Thanks. Again: I'd love to learn more about his wartime service, and see those photos if possible. If you want to share more, you can reach me at 94thinfantrydivisionbooks@gmail.com Perhaps we could do a short video about him on this channel, or use his story in one of my future books on the 94th Infantry Division. Kind regards, Wim Schelberg

@@94thinfantrydivision combined fire missions

You are welcome! I am planning on doing more in the coming time. Kind regards, Wim Schelberg

@@jacobross9271 that depends on what you already know. What company was he in? Do you have his discharge papers, photos or other memorabilia? Kind regards, Wim Schelberg

@@edkania9020 Well, I for one am happy these things are gone. I've seen and reported lots of UXO in these woods. Mortar shells, US hand grenades, and larger caliber duds as well. It's a comforting thought that these woods are safer now than they were 75 years ago!

​@@94thinfantrydivisionwas there any active effort to de-mine or take care of UXO after the war in that area?

@@jollyharris1857 Yes, there was. Firstly, many civilians cleared fields themselves, as soon as they started returning to their homes. In the Saar-Moselle Triangle, there were extensive minefields. Also, minefields were cleared using one or two UXO-specialists (usually former German army engineers, occasionally overseen bij US troops) and German POWs or townspeople. Sometimes, even kids helped out. The woods are another story: fighting had been intense, and because of the shelling, the woods were still strewn with UXO and human remains. Kids playing in the woods were ofttimes killed or maimed for life as a result of UXO. I have heard many stories by the older local townfolk who were between 8-10 years old when the war ended about fathers, mothers, family members of childhood friends suffering from the war in the post-WW2 era.

@@jollyharris1857 LeTissier is okay. He quotes much from the official 94th Infantry Division History by Byrnes and rearranges is. Nathan Prefer's Book is excellent as well, and heavily relied upon by LeTissier. If you want to understand what the fighting was like, read Bill Foley's Visions from a Foxhole. Kind regards, Wim Schelberg

You are welcome! I am currently working on a resources publication on the 301st Infantry. No release date as of yet though. Do you know what company your father was in? Any chance you might share some of his stories, photos or paperwork with me to put faces to these histories? If so, please email me at 94thinfantrydivisionbooks@gmail.com . Thanks! Kind regards, Wim Schelberg

My grandfather was in the 301st as well. Company B.

Who knows, James. I am not a specialist in V-1 or V-2 flying bombs or rockets, but I think that the chances are very slim that your grandfather heared a V-1 buzz-bomb while in Brittany or in the Saar-Moselle Triangle. Londen and Antwerp were targets, and V-2 launching sites were in the Netherlands and in France. In France huge bunker launching sites were built. In the Netherlands, mobile sites were used. So, it does not at all seem unlikely. Any idea in which unit your grandfather served within the 94th? Do you still have photos or paperwork you might care to share with me digitially for use in future research? Thanks and kind regards, Wim Schelberg.

@@wallemon06 You are welcome! What unit of the 94th did your father serve in? I am always looking to learn and gather more personal stories and memories. Thanks again! Kind regards, Wim Schelberg

He did! If I remember correctly, he was in 3rd Battalion, 376th Infantry, and mention of his actions can be found in the divisional history. I am very happy you commented on this video, as I would love to be in touch with you on your father. Would be great to do a 'Honoring Heroes' documentary on him. Please send me an email at 94thinfantrydivisionbooks@gmail.com if you have any material and/or stories you are willing to share digitally. Thanks, kind regards, Wim Schelberg, historian/author.

Thank you!

@@steveatkins2564 Thanks. Why the caps? Why not at least try to be polite?

@@chrissimone4916 thanks! Bob was a wonderful man and a dear friend! I feel privileged to have been able to talk to him! Thanks for watching and have a great day! Wim Schelberg

@@josephmitchell1513 That's an amazing discovery! Then you should definitely read the book I wrote about Lauren B. marks, a member from Company B, 376th Infantry! You can reach me through 94thinfantrydivisionbooks@gmail.com . I am curious to learn more about him, his name, etc. Have a great day! Wim Schelberg.

Terrific stories! Would be nice to research the McCain timeframe more thorough, as the 94th Infantry Division history does not expand on that too much. Thanks for your kind comment on the video. I will try to keep up the good work!

You are welcome Pavel! Like doing these videos and hope to do many more on the subject!

It is safe to presume he was there if he was with the 302nd Infantry in January through early February 1945. Pillingerhof was established specifically for 1/302nd, which means Companies A through D would have made use of it, plus Headquarters I presume. The old farm complex offers ample space. Would easily ge big enough to house several hundred men.

@@94thinfantrydivisionyour videos mean a lot to me. I often wonder what I would have done in my Grandpa's shoes. I'm not great with computers I'm having my sister email you a copy of Grandpa's Silver Star Citation.. Thank You Wim

I have never been there Tony. However, I want to thank all of you members of the grounds team, and other attendants for their superb work. I've been in several European ABMC sites, as well as Arlington. These hallow grounds all look pristine, thanks to people like you and so many others, who do their work ofttimes unseen. Thank them all for their service to keep the legacy of these fallen men and women alive. www.abmc.gov/Cambridge

I was there in there in the seventies. You guys do great work.

One of many who brought the ultimate sacrifice 😞 He was KIA 20 March 1945, only days before the fighting days for the 94th Infantry Division would be over. He was a member of 94th Infantry Division Recon Troop. On 19 March, the Recon Troop was ordered to move to the division front and reconnoiter the routes of advance of the two leading combat teams, plus maintain a connection betweeen all advancing units. By 0900, 21 March 1945, the Recon Troop was at the banks of the Rhine River. During the drive spearheading the assault on Ludwigshafen, your uncle brought the ultimate sacrifice. I'd be interested in learning if there are still photos or documents in the family? Let me know! Let us never forget these men!

Hi, no he was a member of Company F, 376th Infantry, 94th Infantry Division. You are referring to the 442nd Infantry Regiment / 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

True. I was present at the exhumation of one American and several German soldiers. It is immensely sad.

This is so very true! During the speeches on the cemetery this past Saturday, much attention was given to the current state of afffairs in the world. We have to be mindful and need to tread carefully, I think. And it all starts with our own everyday actions, I think. Thanks for your comment!

Thank you for your comment David. What dedication. The burden must have been immense. And, to me personally, stories like these pinpoint one of what made this generation the Greatest Generation: their utter dedication to preserve values we so easily discard nowadays. I am not sure if we are already connected through any of my other social media channels. However, if we are not, I would like to learn more about your father's service to possibly add his story to that of so many others in my research and writing on the 94th Infantry Division. Thanks, and have a great day, Wim Schelberg

You are welcome. We must have seen each other then. Can't believe we didn't meet! I would have been happy to. I left about 330PM 🙂

I for one will not! Thank you for you comment. I hope we will be able to identify Ikebe's and Zelnis' remains some day, so they can have a proper burial with honors.

Thank you for your comment! Yes, they were truly the Greatest Generation. Did your father share some of his wartime stories with you or others?

@@94thinfantrydivision He probably shared more stories with me than anyone,I’m the youngest of six children and I was always very interested in the History of WW2. He didn’t really talk about his experience in the war with outsiders, I did ask him a question when I was young, “dad how close were you to bullets flying and things blowing up”? He was quiet for a moment and he replied, “I was close enough to see other GI’s getting run over by tanks”. This really made me think about some of the terrible things he experienced as young man. 18,19,20 years old.