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75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE - THE GOLDEN LIONS


KASTAUFFER
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On this week of the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, I decided to put together a tribute to the men of the 106th Infantry Division who were captured and became POWs during the action.
While there were some veterans within its ranks, “The Golden Lions” were a division new to combat. They arrived in their positions in the Schnee Eifel on December 11th 1944, relieving the 2nd Infantry Division in that sector. It was supposed to be quiet there. It turned out to be anything but quiet.

 


This is a quote from Wikipedia:
“In the Ardennes-Alsace Campaign, the Germans attacked the 106th on 16 December 1944. The 106th division's 422nd and 423rd Infantry Regiments were encircled and cut off by a junction of enemy forces in the vicinity of Schönberg. They regrouped for a counterattack, but were blocked by the enemy. The two regiments surrendered on 19 December. The Germans gained 6,000 prisoners in one of the largest mass surrenders in American military history. Nearly 50% of the division's strength was brushed aside in the first days of the Battle of the Bulge.
The remnants of the division were reinforced by the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division and withdrew over the Our River and joined other units at Saint Vith. Along with the city of Bastogne to the south, St. Vith was a road and rail junction city considered vital to the German goal of breaking through Allied lines to split American and British forces and reach the Belgian port city of Antwerp. A scratch force of 106th Division personnel, in particular the division's 81st Engineer Combat Battalion, was organized and led by the 81st's 28-year-old commanding officer, Lt. Col. Thomas Riggs, in a five-day holding action (17–21 December) on a thin ridge line a mile outside St. Vith, against German forces vastly superior in numbers and armament (only a few hundred green Americans versus many thousands of veteran Germans). For this action, the 81st Engineer Combat Battalion was later awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for gallantry. The defense of St. Vith by the 106th has been credited with ruining the German timetable for reaching Antwerp, hampering the Bulge offensive for the Germans.”
It was one of the largest surrenders of American troops during WWII. 6697 troops from the 106th Division surrendered. 78,000 troops surrendered on Bataan in 1942.
These men fought bravely. For many of them their struggle had just begun since they would be spending the rest of the war in German POW camps. Of all the US POWs captured during WWII, those captured during the Battle of the Bulge received some of the worse treatment.
Decorations
Unit recognition
· Distinguished Unit Citations
· Belgian Fourragère 1940 (424th Infantry cited per DA GO 45, 1950)
· Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes (424th Infantry cited per DA GO 43, 1950).
· Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at St Vith (424th Infantry cited per DA GO 43, 1950).
I am posting 6 groups to members of the 106th Division. This thread is dedicated to the men of the 106th and is in their memory.

 

FIRST GROUP
Medal group to the Col. and Commanding officer of the 422nd Infantry, 106th Division. His officially hand engraved Bronze Star was awarded for specific actions during the actions of the 106th. He was held at Stalag XIIA . He was captured after he surrendered his regiment, which he saw as a way to save many hundreds of lives in the face of overwhelming opposition.

 

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Medal group to the ONLY West Point graduate to have been a POW prior to entry into the USMA. He was captured December 16th 1944 while serving as a PFC with HQ Co 422nd Infantry. His Bronze Star was awarded as a CIB conversion award. He was held as a POW in Stalag IVB.
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Medal group to a Sgt. from Co. L. 422nd Infantry. He was captured and wounded December 16th 1944. He was held at Stalag IVB. His Purple Heart and Good Conduct medal were engraved at a separation center after he was liberated.
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Medal group to a Pvt. from HQ Co 423rd Infantry. He was captured and wounded December 16th 1944. He was initially sent to Stalag 9B (Bad Orb), but based on the fact he was Jewish he was transferred to a much worse POW camp at a location called Berga. It was basically a death camp. He survived, but many of his fellow POWs did not.
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Medal group to a Sgt. from Cannon Co. 422nd Infantry. He was captured and wounded December 16th 1944. He was held in Stalag IVB and later retired from the Army as a Lt. Colonel. His Army Commendation medal was for service as an officer after the war.


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Lastly, a Posthumous Purple Heart to a 2nd Lt from Cannon Co. 423rd Infantry. He was captured 12/19/44 and was killed on 12/23/44 when the train he was being transported in was bombed by allied aircraft.
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