Wingen-sur-Moder
by
Frank H. Lowry

The afternoon of 7 January 1945 was freezing-cold and overcast when Company A, 276th Infantry left Wingen to pursue the enemy into the Vosges Mountains. Our bones, feet and backs ached, we were chilled to the core, our uniforms were torn, dirty and bloody, we had not eaten a hot meal for a week, we were weary from fighting and lack of sleep, and many suffered frostbite and trench-foot. After fighting for four days we lost nearly a third of our manpower. We suffered fifty casualties, of which thirteen brave men made the supreme sacrifice. Hardly a word was uttered to break the deep silence that prevailed over an area which, only a few hours earlier one could hear only the dismal sounds of warfare: A crescendo of. Rifle and machine-gun fire! Mortar bursts! Grenades and potato mashers! Screeching tank treads! Burpguns! Bazookas and panzerfausts! Sergeants shouting orders! Cries for help and for aid men! Then there was silence, but the acrid stench of stale gun-smoke that blanketed the area pierced the men's numb nostrils. As we walked away, I took one last look back at the dismal scene of our "baptism of fire" and the locale where the bodies of many of my comrades lay. What only a few days earlier was a quaint hamlet in a seemingly peaceful snow covered valley, had become a setting of destruction and smoldering houses in an area scared with bloody fox holes and black shell holes in the snow. The field was littered with abandoned equipment, shell casings, debris, ration covers, helmets and mangled bodies and parts of bodies.

Hitler's last major offensive on the western front, "Operation Nordwind," was launched one week previous by surprise attacks into the Vosges Mountains and the Alsace Plain. German troops struck in force from the vicinity of Saareguemines, Rimling and Bitche with the intention of linking up at Severne with forces driving north from Colmar.

On 3 January 1945, the Ist Battalion, 276th Infantry was in "Corps Reserve" in the Vosges mountains well behind the MLR. Company A was positioned south of the village of Wingen-sur-Moder, with two platoons deployed in an open field 100 yards from the edge of the village and the other two platoons were another 150 yards south at the tree line of the Kirchberg, a densely wooded forest. A foot of snow was on the ground and the temperature was near zero in what was the most severe winter in fifty years. Companies B and C were deployed in the forests north of the village, and 300 troops of the 179th Infantry, 45th Division were in Wingen. At the first light of day on 4 January, the enemy staged a surprise attack with intensive machine gun and automatic weapon fire. The vast snow covered fields between our bivouac area and the village were sprayed with tracers. Flares that were shot up from the north and drifted down on their parachutes, partially illuminated the area as they cast eerie shadows on the snow. We were dumbfounded by the rapid fire of the German's new MG42 light machine guns which the GIs soon labeled "burp guns." Two battalions of the elite 12th Regiment, 6th SS Mountain Division (Nord), had broken through the MLR, made their way unobserved through dense forests, ambushed and decimated Company B, and captured Wingen. Company A was face to face with the spearhead of the advancing Nazi troops whose next objective was the important Saveme gap to the south which would open the door to the Alsace Plain for panzer units.

Wingen, France. Suspected sniper position is hit by tracer bullets as troops of the 70th retake the town. Photo by Chester Garstki

Some of our dug-in positions south of Wingen were deployed in exposed fields in clear view of the SS Mountain troops who occupied the buildings at the edge of town. All day on 4 January, the Germans pounded those exposed foxholes with small arms fire, and from a church steeple, deadly accurate sniper fire hit several of our men. The men in the forward positions were pinned down throughout the day and suffered from the intense cold. Our casualties at the outset were heavy but we held our positions against repeated enemy attacks. Late in the afternoon, an enemy mortar shell exploded on the parapet of my foxhole and killed my foxhole buddy, Sgt. Bill Powers. A few minutes later I was laying down cover fire for Pfc Gerald Stonehouse who was attempting to get to a wounded comrade. Enemy burp gun fire shot the rifle from my hands and riddled Stonehouse with machine gun bullets. Two of my friends were dead in less than five minutes.

Later in the day, word came from Battalion Headquarters that Regimental Intelligence determined that there were only a few enemy soldiers in and around Wingen and Company A was to go in and recapture the town. (No one seemed to be aware that we were undergoing attack by two battalions of crack SS mountain troops) The following morning, 5 January, the CO, Captain Dean Hendrickson took one platoon to attack Wingen from the west where we hit them on their right flank. It was anticipated that the "few" Germans would be fully occupied exchanging fire with our men south of town and that we would have the advantage of the element of surprise. Instead we found the enemy soldiers to be strategically situated in basements and windows where they were able to look down our throats every inch of the way. We took machine gun, mortar and panzerfaust fire from all directions. Casualties were heavy, including two medics and the CO. Bloody street fighting from ditch to gutter and from doorway to doorway continued throughout the day as we inched into town. The constant ordeal continued without letup from early morning until late afternoon and was a tremendous challenge to men who were experiencing their first combat. There were a hell of a lot more than a hand full of Krauts in Wingen. We were locked in an attack against overwhelming odds and would not have survived without help from fellow Trailblazers, elements of the 2nd Battalion, 274th Infantry who arrived shortly before dusk to carry on the battle and to eventually occupy Wingen. Men of Companies F and G, 274th Infantry enabled us to get our wounded and dead as well as several SS prisoners out of town and back to the CP. Wingen was not recaptured on 5 January but we left a considerable number of dead and wounded SS Mountain troops in the buildings and on the snow covered cobblestone streets. That night the Germans made repeated attempts to break through Company A's positions, but as weary as they were, the GIs held their lines.

German prisoners being taken to a collecting point. Photo by Chester Garstki

Wounded infantrymen, after receiving aid from medics and wrapped in blankets, rest in a protective trench after battling through the night to retake the French town of Wingen from German mountain troops.
Photo by Chester Garstki

The vicious fighting continued, both inside and around Wingen, for the next thirty-six hours. Sometime during the early hours of 7 January, the beaten SS troops retreated into the mountains north of Wingen. About 100 wounded enemy surrendered to the 274th Infantry by mid-day. The Trailblazers liberated 300 GIs of 179th Infantry, 45th Division who were held prisoner in the cellar of the Catholic Church for over three days.

Company A paid dearly for it's part in the liberation of Wingen and stopping the Nazi spearhead. Everyone asked: why such a high price for such a little town in those remote mountains of Northeastern France?. We had not yet heard of Operation Nordwind and at that time we knew very little about the Ardennes Offensive, or Battle of the Bulge as it later became to be known. It was at Wingen and in the bloody foxholes in the Vosges that the Hitler's last major offensive of World War II came to an unsuccessful end. The elite SS Mountain Troops with years of combat experience were defeated by American GIs who, until then had not seen action. Unfortunately, we did not learn of the strategic importance of the victory at Wingen until long after the battle was over.

Frank Lowry joined the 70th in March 1944. He served as a squad leader with Company A/276th Infantry Regiment. He was a staff sergeant when the war ended. After the war he became a C.P.A. and is now retired. Mr. Lowry is also a veteran of the Korean War.

Company L/276 at Wingen

The following is from Gene Burtner's history of L/276.

(After studying the material contributed by Burton Lincoln, I believe some of the material is from the Company L/276 daily journal kept by Peter O'keefe. In fact, his signature appears on one of the daily activities. There are some discrepancies in dates and other details from that reported elsewhere, but such is not unexpected from reports (including the Morning Report) generated behind the lines of combat. Fortunately these differences have little significance. Regretfully, the activities for December to January 16 are not among Burton's discovery. - Gene (Burt) Burtner)

Following is a portion of the papers that Burton Lincoln found dated 26 May 1945...

Wingen

While it is not our contention to discredit the 274 Inf. Reg. for the work they did at WINGEN, FRANCE, we would like credit for the part played by Love Company and the Third Bn. 276th Inf Reg. We, of course, cannot claim credit for the capture of the village, but the action in which Love Company participated did contribute to an extreme degree toward that objective. Stated briefly and without elaboration, our case is as follows.

Early in the morning, 4 Jan. 1945, Love Company was ordered to move from the wooded heights above ROSTEIG, to WINGEN, to deal with an enemy of unknown size and composition. By dusk Love Company had singularly penetrated deep into WINGEN proper, had sent a force around the left flank of the village and in a costly attack, had driven the enemy from a most important and strategic position, and had, after being ambushed, made a bayonet attack on the right flank of the village that had sent a group of the vaunted SS to their grave or fleeing in disorder. As darkness closed in, contact was lost with the platoon in WINGEN proper. That platoon held out all night in the center of WINGEN and regained contact the following day. The remnants of Love Company, and a unit of HMG from Mike Company, were forced to consolidate and set up a perimeter defense to protect their gains. It was a long thin line of defense to hold against two battalions but it was one that was bravely manned.

Our actions were secondary in nature on the next day as more troops arrived but the fact still remains that Love Company was the first element to test her armor against Germany's best. While facing an enemy that was numerically superior by far, a sustained attack had been made and gains were conceded to us by the Germans. Not one man had withdrawn until ordered to do so and while casualties are no criteria of fighting excellence or "esprit de corps', we lost 34 men, including our company commander, and three platoon leaders killed or wounded.

We too had gone without sleep, food water. We too had suffered in the bitter cold and it is our belief that we too should share the credit for the fall of WINGEN.

Signed,