Stories from the Battle of the Bulge
On 16 December 1944, the Germans launched their last major offensive of World War II. It was codenamed Wacht am Rhein (“Watch on the Rhine”) but would go down in history as the Battle of the Bulge.
This is a collection of three stories of servicemen who fought in that battle. One was wounded in action, one helped defeat the Germans at Bastogne, and one was a prisoner of war.
We’re eternally grateful for their service.
Private Leo B. Woods, Wounded in Action
Private Leo B. Woods, World War II veteran
Private Leo B. Woods, awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star with V, fought with the 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd "Thunderbolt" Division, during the Battle of the Bulge.
Private Woods was born 24 June 1925 in Bladen, NE. He enlisted in the Army three days before his 19th birthday, went to basic at Fort Leonardwood, and did his advanced training at Fort McCallan. On 4 Nov 1944 he was sent to Europe and assigned to the 329th and 83rd as an infantry scout. At the time, the 329th was fighting in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest and Private Woods was sent to the front line.
On 16 Dec 1944, Von Rundstedt's great offensive began, and, although north of the German target, the 329th faced fierce counterattacks all morning long. They held their ground and on 23 Dec 1944 were relieved by the 414th Infantry Regiment.
On 27 Dec 1944, Private Woods and the 83rd Recon Troop were sent ahead to Rochefort to make sure the area was clear. It was there the 329th played a critical role in the Battle of the Bulge by preventing the Germans from advancing beyond Rochefort.
During the Battle, Private Woods spent 13 days buried in the snow in the Ardennes Forest. He was left with severe frostbite and shrapnel wounds. He was sent to England to recover. The doctors wanted to amputate his legs but he refused. He rejoined the 329th just before they arrived at the Rhine River -- they were first to the Rhine on 25 Feb 1944.
Private Woods received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star with V for his service and bravery during the Battle of the Bulge. He was offered a Silver Star but turned it down when he learned his combat buddy wasn't going to be given one.
Tech 4 Harold Pollard, Defeated the Germans at Bastogne
Tech 4 Harold Pollard, World War II veteran
Technician 4th Grade Harold Pollard was a Radio Operator in the 25th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron Mechanized of the 4th Armored Division in General Patton’s 3rd Army.
Tech 4 Pollard was born 21 Jan 1920. He enlisted in the US Army in January 1942 when he was just 22 years old. He completed radio operator training at Fort Knox in July and was sent to England at the end of 1943 for more advanced training.
On 11 July 1944, Pollard and the Division landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France. They entered combat on 17 July as part of Operation Cobra during the Normandy campaign. They went on the fight in the campaigns for Northern France and the Rhineland – all before Dec.
On 16 Dec 1944, when the Battle of the Bulge began, the 4th Armored Division was enjoying some much needed R&R. It didn’t last long.
Word quickly reached General Patton that the outnumbered 28th Infantry Division and 101st Airborne were struggling to hold off the Germans at Bastogne. The town was soon under siege , causing the “bulge” that gives the Battle of the Bulge its name.
To make matters worse, harsh winter weather prevented Allied aircraft from resupplying Bastogne and performing aerial attacks on the Germans.
On Christmas Day, Patton sent the 4th Armored Division on a 150-mile race northwest to help relieve the soldiers trapped in Bastogne. They made it in just 19 hours and began their assault as soon as they arrived. Patton’s Third Army arrived later that day and, within 24 hours, the Allies broke through the German lines surrounding Bastogne.
After Bastogne, the Division drove its way through the Eifel Mountains, securing several key locations and capturing Bitburg. It then covered 65 miles in 48 hours to join the Seventh Army at Coblenz where it’d embark on the campaign for Central Europe. Pollard was there every step of the way.
Tech 4 Pollard was awarded the Bronze Star, Distinguished Unit Badge, and EAME (European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign) Medal with 6 stars for his service during World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge.
Private First Class John “Jack” Magee, Prisoner of War
RANK John “Jack” Magee served in the 423rd Mortar Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division – the first to be attacked by the Germans on 16 December 1944.
On 11 December 1944, the 106th was sent to relieve the 2nd Infantry Division in Schnee Eifel. It’s a heavily wooded area in Germany’s central uplands that’s part of the Ardennes Forest.
Just 5 days after the 106th arrived at Schnee Eifel, the Germans launched their offensive in Schnee Eifel at 0530. They put up a tough fight but were quickly overrun.
“The Germans came right at us on December 16. We were an untested unit and they surrounded us,” Magee said in an interview in 2017.
Magee’s unit was so close to the Germans that he could smell the fuel of the German tanks and hear them moving. During the battle, Magee was separated from his unit and spent 6 days alone in the dense forest in the coldest winter on record before he was captured.
Magee was taken to Stalag IV-B. It was a massive 25,000-person, 74-acre POW camp in Mühlberg, Germany. He was later transferred to Bitterfield Stalag near Leipzig with only 25 American POWs.
“We had been stripped of our outside garments. It was so cold we were constantly removing our shoes and rubbing our feet. They had taken our coats and boots and given us Russian jackets and wooden shoes,” Magee said.
Magee and the other prisoners were forced to work in an above ground coal mine. They were given a cup of coffee and a 500-gram piece of bread. That’s only about 1,000 calories a day but Magee was determined to live.
Seven months after he was captured, it was clear Germany was losing the war. Security around the camp became lax. Magee and two other American POWs saw an opportunity and escaped. They made their way to a farmhouse. The woman living there told them there were friendly troops about 5 miles away. She let them sleep in her hayloft that night and made them take her son with them in the morning. He’d recently been drafted into the German Army.
The group eventually found Camp Lucky Strike. Shortly thereafter, they were transported home on an American Liberty ship and learned the war ended when they were 3 days away from docking in Boston.
This December, we’re honoring Private Woods, Tech 4 Pollard, Rank Magee and the other brave service members with our Battle of the Bulge 5 Miler. Will you join us?
