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West Point Honors Battle of Bulge Vets
By Spc. Eric S. Bartelt
Army News Service
November 19, 2004

WEST POINT, N.Y. - Thirty World War II veterans were honored Nov. 6 at the Army-Air Force game as West Point observed the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.

 

During halftime at Michie Stadium, before the Black Knights fell 31-22, the Battle of the Bulge veterans stood out in front of the 40,000-plus applauding spectators.

The veterans were members of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Battle of the Bulge and the P-47 Thunderbolt Foundation. They listened to radio reports of the day recounting the German onslaught and eventual demise, as well as three musical pieces of the time in a 15-minute halftime presentation.

"At this stage of my life, it gives me an uplifting feeling to be recognized by people and appreciated for what I did," said Stan Wojtusik, president of the Delaware Valley Chapter of Philadelphia, Pa. "I hope the cadets and the leadership at West Point realize what these men pulled off -- it was nearly impossible."

Wojtusik was an 18-year-old corporal with the 106th Infantry division, 422nd Regiment, which was commanded by West Point graduate, Col. George Deschneax.
 

The 106th was a new division with many inexperienced Soldiers when the Germans attacked them.

"We held off as many Germans as possible, it wasn't until three days later (into the battle) that their Tiger tanks blasted their way through to us," Wojtusik said. "I was wounded in the shoulder and face from a shell shot.

"After that I was captured and spent six months in a German prison camp, that was one of the tough parts of the war," he added.

The German offensive through the heavily forested Ardennes region on the German-Belgian border turned out to be the largest land battle of World War II. Between the U.S. and Germany, the battle had the equivalent of 60 divisions coming to blows.

The Battle of the Bulge also produced the worst casualty count -- more than 81,000 casualties – that the Americans suffered through any part of the war.

The 106th Infantry Division was credited for holding the action of the Germans so they couldn't get to the port of Antwerp, which would have devastated the Allied supply lines. The delay allowed the 106th and 101st Airborne Division to receive much-needed supplies once the bad winter weather cleared.

The VII Corps airdrops enlarged the U. S. line and allowed Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's Third Army to counterattack and break the German encirclement at Bastogne.

Lt. Ken Glemby was part of the 406th Fighter Group that helped support the C-47s supplying those Soldiers on the ground.

"I was a fighter pilot and we flew many missions, I flew the P-47 -- it was a remarkable plane," said Glemby, whose fighter group protected the C-47s and bombed German supply lines. "When we started our missions after the weather cleared, our infantry units were bottled up by the Germans.

"Along came a line of C-47s about 200 feet off the ground without any armor as they came over Bastogne," he continued. "They were kicking supplies out the side doors, flying so low they were continually getting shot down.

"They were so brave," added Glemby, whose plane "The Paula" was named after his wife of 60 years. "I was so proud of the ground troops at the battle, it was tremendous."

One of those Soldiers, Wojtusik, was liberated by the Russians after his six-month captivity, then spent other 10 days as a Russian prisoner because they thought he was a German dressed in an American uniform.

Wojtusik said he tries to get to West Point as often as he can because he loves what the academy stands for.

West Point's overall record so far this year is 2 - 7 with wins against Cincinnati and the University of South Florida. Army plays the University of Alabama, Birmingham this Saturday. The Army-Navy game is scheduled for Dec. 4 in Philadelphia.