War is Hell: Where he was

This letter was postmarked December 30^th, 1944. I was able to find the After-Action reports from the 87^th Infantry Division Legacy Association.  My grandfather would have been in the vicinity of St. Hubert, Belgium, when the letter was written and sent.[1] The combat he was referring to was the Battle of the Bulge.

The Ardennes Campaign lasted from December 16, 1944, to January 25, 1945. [2] My father told me that my grandpa was in this battle when I was a kid.  I never really knew much about it until I saw the Band of Brothers TV episode, which featured the 101st Airborne Division fighting in the town of Bastogne. When I think of “battle,” I think of a one or two-day fight, maybe five days at the longest. But it was constant days of shelling and shooting. It took place in the forest and in towns.

The Germans planned to attack during the coldest time of the year.[3] I thought that since my grandpa grew up in Northern Wisconsin, he would be used to the cold. He learned how to dress warmly from years of hunting in the forest outside the small town in Eau Claire where he grew up. He was also fond of winter sports. Under his name in the 1936 yearbook, his ambition was hockey.

The Army wasn’t ready to supply all the soldiers with the warm clothing and shoes needed for one of the coldest winters in European history. [4] The Army had distribution issues. And once the clothing reached the soldiers, it wore out much quicker than expected.[5]

Since it’s almost spring here now we have just received our winter clothes of mitts & packs. The packs are colder than the foot wear we had before. My clothes on the whole are okay so I guess I am all right that way.” February 12, 1945.

“I am keeping warm fairly well. I got a pair of combat boots that I can get three pair of socks in. I have overshoes but they are no good when water gets inside. I hear that we are getting the combat outer shoes or felt lined overshoes is what they really are. We are also getting the artic mitts too. So maybe we can get warm now.” Letter written February 5, 1945.

Arlo also had Trench Foot. He told my dad how he would do foot exercises to keep the circulation in his feet. Trench Foot occurs when the feet are constantly cold and wet, as if in a trench for days on end. The effects are like frostbite, but the feet are never “frozen”. Skin on the feet breaks down, often leading to infections. [6]

I think about how dysfunctional the U.S. Army was at times during the war. Grandpa sometimes lets slip his discontent with the Army, even though officials read his letters. But I don’t believe he ever expected the Army to look out for him. It’s as though with all the chaos going on around him, nothing would get done reasonably. He knew he had to make do with what he had at that moment. He still complained and waited for the right supplies to arrive. When they finally came, he accepted that this is how the Army worked.

Articles from the Stars and Stripes

January 30, 1945 Stars and Stripes https://www.fold3.com/image/713468700/30-jan-1945-page-10-us-stars-and-stripes-1918-1964

Stars and Stripes, 16 December 1944

Stars and Stripes, 16 December 1944

[1] 346^th November & December 1944, 87^th Infantry Division Legacy Association.

[2] Gawne, Jonathan, 2006, Finding Your Father’s War.

[3] Battle of the Bulge, The National WWII Museum.

[4] Laemlein, Tom, 2025, April 14^th. America’s WWII Battle Against Winter, The Armory Life, https://www.thearmorylife.com/us-army-cold-weather-gear-world-war-ii/

[5] Laemlein, Tom, 2025, April 14^th. America’s WWII Battle Against Winter, The Armory Life, https://www.thearmorylife.com/us-army-cold-weather-gear-world-war-ii/

[6] Bush, Jeffrey, Lofgran, Trevor, Watson, Simon; Trench Foot, 2023, August 8. National Library of Medicine at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482364/