I didn’t think it appropriate to share my maternal grandmother’s story about living through WWII German Occupation without also writing a brief piece on my paternal grandfather’s story about fighting for the USA during WWII. After all, she felt that she had gone through “nothing compared to him” (which is hardly the case). Unfortunately, he rarely ever spoke of his experiences and since he passed in 2005, I have to rely on the limited information I have on him and the few stories that have been passed down.
As a child, I was especially curious about his experiences and once did a school project on him to find out more. My limited questions caused tears to come to his eyes and I remember feeling terrible for asking him to bring up those painful memories. I’m sure that this new project on him would have much the same effect. Though I’m sure he would like to avoid being called a hero and avoid the limelight, I would hope that he would approve if it allowed us to learn from the experiences he had.
John Melvin Gilbert, Jr. was born May 11, 1922 in a small town in Virginia known as Saltville. He was only 20 years old when he was drafted into the United States Military – specifically he served in the Army as part of the 99th infantry division. As far as my family and I know, he was not eager to serve in the war. The division trained at Camp Van Dorn in Mississippi beginning in 1942 and sailed to England in September of 1944. Not soon after, they made their way to their first official station in the European Theater which was Aubel, Belgium, a small farm town. Prepared or not, they were entering the front lines of the Ardennes Counteroffensive, more commonly known as The Battle of the Bulge. As many of them had never been to Europe before and none had seen battle, the 99th infantry division received the apt nickname “Battle Babies”. (99thinfantrydivision.com, n.d.)
According to the booklet, "Battle Babies": The Story of the 99th Infantry Division, less than a week later, they were involved in combat in deep snow (ETOUSA, 1945). Reports The Information and Education Division, ETOUSA, “It was a long way from the hot training grounds of the deep south to the misty, snow-hung Ardennes Forest, smack up against Hitler's vaunted West Wall”. Not soon after they began to probe the Siegfried Line, or the West Wall, they were engaged in heavy combat. Writes the ETOUSA(1945), “[The German Field Marshall’s] plan was simple: to strike a thinly-held line of a green, untried division with an overpowering force. Behind the 99th was the highway to Eupen; paratroopers would drop there in strength. Panzers would follow SS troops, hook up with paratroopers, and strike for Liege before the Americans could shift their forces.” Although John and his division were surrounded by German troops and cut-off from communications, the 99th “was one of the only divisions that did not yield to the German attack, and held their positions until reinforcements arrived.” (99th Infantry Division (United States), updated 5/10/2020, para.9) Continues ETOUSA(1945), quoting Gen. Walter E. Lauer:
The men carried out missions without orders when their positions were penetrated or infiltrated. They killed Germans coming at them from the front, flanks and rear. Outnumbered five to one, they inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. With ammunition supplies dwindling rapidly, the men obtained German weapons and utilized ammunition obtained from casualties to drive off the persistent foe. Despite fatigue, constant enemy shelling, and ever-increasing enemy pressure, the Third Battalion guarded a 6000-yard front and destroyed 75 percent of three German infantry regiments.
This kind of battle would have been difficult for any group of men, no matter how hardened to warfare, but I know it was particularly shocking to a group of new soldiers, who just weeks before had arrived in Europe for the very first time. Another veteran from the 99th infantry division, Samuel Notkin, recalls, "I remember being afraid...during the actual struggle for survival...am I going to kill him or is he going to kill me?" He goes on to explain his feelings of fearful optimism, "...I have to confess a secret feeling that, that it won't happen to me, which was harder and harder to maintain when you saw it happening to other people".
"After five days and nights of hell, the Germans, tired of beating their heads against the 99ths stone wall, turned south...The Bulge was becoming a complete bust. Constantly hammered by artillery and bombings, the Bulge was flattened out until it ran parallel to the line so valiantly held by the 99th in front of Elsenborn", triumphantly declared ETOUSA. Gen. Walter E. Lauer sang the division's praises when Gen. Frederick Black came into command:
The 99th Infantry Division received its baptism of fire in the most bitterly contested battle that has been fought since the current campaign on the European continent began... Your organization gave ample proof of the fact that it is a good hard fighting division and one in which you and each and every member of your command can be justly proud.
The troops took to digging foxholes to maintain safety and recover whatever warmth they could find underneath the frozen ground. In one story, related to us on Christmas Eve for many years, John would recall that he and his division hid in a barn on Christmas Eve with little food and cold bodies (particularly their feet). Though the largest part of the battle had been won, the war wasn't over and the men still found themselves fighting for their lives nearly every day. Based on John’s recollections, in early January 1945, he and a convoy of men drove back to camp to get more arms. Before they made their way back, the battle lines had changed, as they did frequently with each day's battle. Without up to date information, they drove right through across the German lines! That was it; they were captured. As soon as they could, they broke their weapons so the Germans wouldn't
be able to use them. A telegram was sent home to John’s mother to inform her that he was missing in action. I can only imagine the sickening feelings she must have had in receiving it. One of his first experiences as a POW was being lined up in a quarry in front of a German panzer. He believed that he and the rest of his convoy would all be shot. Thankfully, he and his convoy made it out of that location alive. They were made to march in the snow the long way to Stalag IVB Muhlberg, which was appx. 664km, or 413 miles. The German soldiers took John’s shoes to wear themselves and so, his long journey was made barefoot and caused frostbite in both of his feet.
Stalag IVB Muhlberg was the largest POW camp the Germans used, it was roughly 74 acres and held appx. 30,000 inmates (Stickings, 2018). His specific camp was Sachsen N/E 51-13 and was detailed to coal work during his imprisonment. I don’t know much about his personal experiences from the 5 months he was detained in Stalag IVB, but I know being treated like a prisoner would be degrading, frustrating, and terrifying. One story that we do know is that he was made to bury deceased German officers as a POW and on one occasion he found a German officer’s diary. The first half of it was written, presumably, about the officer’s experiences in German. John kept it and began to write about his own experiences in English. Sadly, somewhere along the way, the diary was lost. I wonder what could have happened if both of the officers realized how much they had in common. Each night they were fed a basic broth unless they received something from a Red Cross delivery. He and his friends were very hungry so they took turns sneaking under the barbed wire fence to steal potatoes from the farm next door so they could all benefit from the extra food. Since there were guards at the ready, they ran a high risk of being shot, but for whatever reason, they were spared. My dad and I wondered if they could get beyond the line for potatoes, why didn’t they escape? He told my dad that he was without a weapon, had no decent clothing, he was weak, and he had no idea where he was. It was a better idea to stay in prison than to try and break free.
John was finally liberated on May 15, 1945 (exactly 75 years ago). Whether he knew it or not, he had played such a large part in the liberation of countless others: liberation for those in his own camp, liberation for other prisoners in concentration camps, liberation of the countries severely involved, and liberation of the other soldiers experiencing the same horrific experiences of war. He was awarded The Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in ground combat. According to medalsofamerica.com(2019), “It is the fourth highest award a service member can receive”. I don’t know all the specific reasons why he was awarded it, but I do know he felt proud to be a recipient.
When he returned home, he was reunited with his family, his brother,
shown here, was also a WWII hero(he received the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart for his actions in Operation Dragoon) and his dad a WWI vet. He was skinny as a rail and even more introverted than before the war. Though I am sure he wasn’t ready, less than two months later, he was married to my grandmother Mabel Hammond. John and Mabel had dated a little in high school before the war began when John was somewhat of a football star. The culture of that time expected him to re-assimilate back into society without much trouble. As I’m sure he tried to do just that, it would have felt terrifying
to have the struggles of PTSD, which wasn’t even an official diagnosis until the 1970's. Putting myself in his shoes, I would have questioned why I couldn't just "get back to normal". The price of freedom weighed heavy on his shoulders until the day he died. John lived in fear and guilt and had terrible nightmares because of what he saw and did during WWII. He self-medicated with alcohol, at first to help him sleep, which turned into an addiction that pulled him away from his home for many years when my father was growing up. He was a good friend to those he listened to at the bars he frequented. Everyone liked him because he wasn't loud or pushy. He sat and listened to the problems of those around him. I personally wish his fears and guilt could have been relieved in a more positive way. His marriage to my grandmother didn’t last and regrettably, many of those side effects also caused trauma in the life of my father. 40 years later, after he’d given up alcohol, he moved to Colorado to be with his only child and family (that’s me!). This was really the first opportunity for John Melvin Gilbert, Jr. (my grandfather) and John Michael Gilbert (my father) to have a close relationship. He even lived with us on a couple of different occasions before his passing in 2005. My family lovingly looks back on the time we spent with him. He was quiet, but very kind. He didn’t have much, but he would give whatever he had to you. He spent every Christmas Eve and morning with our family and those are memories I look back on with fondness. His thoughtfulness was visible in the presents he purchased and in the words of the cards he would send. That was his way of saying he loved you without actually having to say the words.
Though his story was hard to tell, it was time. It is important to me that we tell it. It is important to me that his family believe in his heroism so that it doesn’t die in vain. Here’s to his memory and to the thousands of other heroes that helped restore peace to a world where it seemed to have vanished. May we always remember what was sacrificed for the greater good.
References
99th Infantry Division. (n.d.) Home. https://www.99thinfantrydivision.com/
99th Infantry Division (United States). (2020, May 10). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)
The Information and Education Division. (1945). "Battle Babies": The Story of the 99th Infantry Division. Paris, France. Stars & Stripes. http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/99thinfantry/index.html
Thornley, Y. (2015, March 12). Samuel Notkin. 99th Infantry Division. https://www.99thinfantrydivision.com/393rd-infantry-regiment/
What is a Bronze Star? (2019, Dec. 15). Medals of America. https://www.medalsofamerica.com/blog/what-is-a-bronze-star/
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