Author Topic: Looking for WWII After Action Report  (Read 1962 times)

Offline Golfer

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Looking for WWII After Action Report
« on: October 09, 2008, 11:38:46 AM »
I know there are a lot of very in-tune folks here when it comes to all things history so I'm looking to you for assistance.  I sent this information off to a friend of mine who is into this sort of thing but I owe it to the person I'm trying to help to at least see if anyone here can assist as well.

I'm looking for an After Action Report from Co.B 1st Batllion 395 Infantry 99th Division V Corps.

Action would have taken place from 13-16 December 1944 Hasselpat Trail Rocherath Belgium.

PMs, Emails (in signature) and posts are all welcome!

-Thanks!

Offline Angus

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Re: Looking for WWII After Action Report
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2008, 11:58:47 AM »
pewww. That's tough.
The national archives?
This may not exist, since much of ww2 military archives burned down in the 70's.
It was very interesting to carry out the flight trials at Rechlin with the Spitfire and the Hurricane. Both types are very simple to fly compared to our aircraft, and childishly easy to take-off and land. (Werner Mölders)

Offline Golfer

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Re: Looking for WWII After Action Report
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2008, 12:08:37 PM »
Tell me about it.  Both of my grandfathers had their records destroyed in the fire.  Which I don't have to tell you really really really sucks  :(

Offline Obie303

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Re: Looking for WWII After Action Report
« Reply #3 on: October 09, 2008, 01:08:06 PM »
That may be a real tough one to find.  May I suggest a PM to Widewing. 

Another place you might find some information would be to see if there might be a group of vets that still get together for reunions.  Going to the VFW would be a place to start for that info.  (I know that the 10th Mountain Division has yearly reunions)  It also might not hurt to try and find a history buff at the Army recruiter's office.  You might get lucky.  Good luck!

I did find this.  It's not an AAR.  But it might contain some information that you may be searching for.  Oh and it's from the 3rd Batallion and not the 1st.
https://www.infantry.army.mil/monographs/content/wwii/STUP2/FabianichKeith%20P.%20MAJ.pdf
« Last Edit: October 09, 2008, 01:18:15 PM by Obie303 »
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Offline Yenny

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Re: Looking for WWII After Action Report
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2008, 01:10:22 PM »
damn AAR from wwii is gunna be hard to find =/
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Offline Hangtime

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Re: Looking for WWII After Action Report
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2008, 01:20:51 PM »
The price of Freedom is the willingness to do sudden battle, anywhere, any time and with utter recklessness...

...at home, or abroad.

Offline humble

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Re: Looking for WWII After Action Report
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2008, 03:04:10 PM »
Best source might be Vernon Swanson who served with C company and was on hill 88 and wrote a book.
David Roath, director of the U.S. Army Memorial Affairs Activity Europe in Landstuhl, Germany is another possibility, just googling there are still 33 Americans listed as MIA from that action...

From what I can see there is very little specific to the 395th, this is all I could find...

German prisoners volunteered praise of the 99th's effective work. A Nazi lieutenant colonel said the division was the best American outfit he ever had faced. At the 99th's PW cage in Linz, a German lieutenant asked his interrogator the name of the "elite" American unit that had defended Hofen during the Battle of the Bulge.
This regiment, the 395th, had allowed his company to come within nine feet of its lines before opening up with such terrific small arms and machine gun fire that the Germans couldn't even remove their dead and wounded in their rapid retreat.

The AAR report of the medical detachment can be found here...
http://143.84.107.69/booksdocs/wwii/MedDet395thIRDec44.html

No specifics for the unit in question beyond the following (that I saw)...
 c.    On the 13th of December 1944, at 0830, the lst Battalion advanced at right flank and abreast of the 2d Division, astride a road running generally on an azimuth of 20º, and the 2d Battalion to the right and rear of the 1st Battalion.

        1.    The 1st Battalion Aid Section advanced immediately behind its unit. They were not allowed to use their vehicles because of heavily mined reads. The station equipment was loaded on the back of the men and they advanced approximately 3000 yards. The personnel were fatigued; nevertheless, the aid station was dug in and the men dug their fox holes. The aid station functioned immediately upon bellybutton rival for evacuation and treatment of numerous casualties from Company B. The terrain consisted of hills avenging 500 yards in length and. slopes of an avenge of 50º, covered by snow, and under enemy observation and artillery fire. A call was sent to the Division Surgeon for litter teams and five were immediately dispatched from the 324th Medical Battalion to this section to assist with evacuation. By 1900 the road bed was cleared of mines by the Engineers and a lane opened. An advanced ambulance loading post was formed, ambulances  were brought to the aid station and evacuation began during the late afternoon. Evacuation was completed in early evening. The nation evacuated directly to Collecting Company C, 324th Medical Battalion with the many severely wounded men suffering a minimum of shock. The following day the vehicles were brought up. Because of the difficult terrain, however, it was impossible to use the ambulance Jeeps to assist with evacuation. The litter bearers performed excellently under the hardships and evacuated all casualties. The company aid men performed their duties gallantly, never once shrinking under the terrific strain and danger. The command of this section was excellent.

Here is a URL to a possible source but no detail is provided...
http://www.worldwarbooks.co.uk/world_war_books/world_war_book_summary.php?BOOKCODE=15710

This is a good overview of the overall action but with minimal mention of 1st Battalion...http://books.google.com/books?id=-hoOcxQU7EYC&pg=PA312&lpg=PA312&dq=395th+Infantry+Regiment&source=web&ots=CWDwBY5NLQ&sig=ZHYWYrRCQvEKJvYpQpAzZDXRn8Q&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPA318,M1

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Offline Scherf

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Re: Looking for WWII After Action Report
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2008, 03:30:41 PM »
Can't give you an AAR as such however maps of the area might help.

(World's longest link follows, I can't make it work any other way):

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=gmd&action=browse&fileName=gmd5m/g5701m/g5701sm/gct00021/ct_browse.db&displayType=3&maxCols=3&recNum=0&itemLink=r?ammem/gmd:@field(NUMBER+@band(g5701sm+gct00021))&title2=HQ%20Twelfth%20Army%20Group%20situation%20map%20%3a%20[Battle%20of%20the%20Bulge--France,%20Belgium,%20Netherlands,%20and%20Germany]%20%2f%20prepared%20by%20the%20Engineer%20Section%2012th%20Army%20Group.&linkText=Back+to+bibliographic+information

That takes you to a day-by-day map of the front in northwest europe.

Keep clicking the Next Group button until you come to the days you want.

HTH


Edit - cut and paste the whole string into a browser window, clicking won't work. I'd also recommend you download the entire image you want, as it's a pain to scroll in the window. There is a link to free software if your current package won't open the map.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2008, 04:37:53 PM by Scherf »
... missions were to be met by the commitment of alerted swarms of fighters, composed of Me 109's and Fw 190's, that were strategically based to protect industrial installations. The inferior capabilities of these fighters against the Mosquitoes made this a hopeless and uneconomical effort. 1.JD KTB

Offline Tango

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Re: Looking for WWII After Action Report
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2008, 07:47:34 PM »
I uesd to work for a photographer who had a map of northern France and Germany on the back wall of his studio with ALOT of pencil marks on it. I asked him where he got it from and he told me it was his Dad's. It was one of the navigation maps form when he was a navigator on a B-17 in WW2.
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