Hello; Seeking info on Reipertswiller (Jan '45)

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Having newly joined, let me tell you a bit about myself before describing my search. I am a former US Army aviator who served in Germany for most of his 20 years of active duty, as an aeroscout from '82 to '86 and as a liaison and staff officer from '94 to '01. When I retired in '01, I remained in Germany, where I am employed now as a Department of the Army Civilian (DAC) working US-German issues. I am fluent in German, and I can read some French.

Over the years, I have taken advantage of being in Germany by visiting a number of WWI and WWII battle sites, including Normandy, the Ardennes, and Ypres. I've also been to the concentration camps at Dachau and Bergen-Belsen. On my last military history trip in Jul '10, my wife and I visited Verdun, and I am currently reading personal accounts by British soldiers who fought on the Western Front to prepare for a trip or trips to the Somme battle area, which I hope to undertake in the next year.

Just recently, I have become aware of the fighting that took place in the vicinity of Wingen-sur-Moder and Reipertswiller, France. Since the area is only about an hour and a half or two hours away from where I live near Heidelberg and not that far from a portion of the Maginot Line - the Four a Chaux in Lembach, France - which I have visited a couple of times now, I thought I would do some background research and then go out and walk the ground.

This brings me to my questions: Does anyone know where I can get information on the US and German positions in the vicinity of Reipertswiller from 16 to 20 Jan 45, especially those with maps and graphics?

What information I've been able to gather so far is from the 45th Division web site (45th Infantry Division World War II Reenactors and Venturing Crew) - I'm still working my way through the personal accounts hosted there - and from Johann Voss's book Black Edelweiss. I have Zoepf's Seven Days in January, Zaloga and Laurier's Operation Nordwind 1945, and Engler and MacKechnie's The Final Crisis on order from Amazon. I've also read Lt Col (Ret) Hugh Foster's summary of the battle on the 45th Division site.

In addition to information on the battle, I am also looking for information on unit affiliation for Walter T. Bruce (ASN 34760399), a participant in the fighting. Where could I look for that?

Best regards,
hussar

 

I see that you have read Hugh Foster's account of the battle.

The Battle of Reipertswiller

Hugh is the authority on the battle.

Check this thread:

http://www.ww2f.com/new-member-foru...formation-my-grandfather-can-you-help-me.html

And this:

Yahoo! Groups

How do you know that Walter Bruce was at Reipertswiller?

By the way, I am the Moderator of the 45th Infantry Division Yahoo Group.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/45thinfantry/

My uncle was assigned to L Company, 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment,
after the disaster at Reipertswiller.



Dave

 

Thanks for the links. I've joined the Yahoo group now too with the username hussar_too. I'll be sending you a request there shortly for the S-2-3 journal you wrote about on the group in September.

I am assuming that Walter Bruce was involved in the fighting at Reipertswiller because his ID tags were found there about two years ago. (Not by me, however.)

Cheers,
hussar

 

I should also quickly mention that according to information I've seen, he was not KIA. So, he would have been WIA, captured or remained with his unit.

 

I didn't find Mr. Bruce in the POW Database of the NARA.

NARA - AAD - Fielded Search - World War II Prisoners of War Data File, 12/7/1941 - 11/19/1946


Dave

 

Thanks for the information and for that link. I was able to use the link to get to Mr. Bruce's partial record. It's interesting, although as you know, it didn't give me any info on his unit assignment and status during the battle.

I've gotten a good 1:25000 map from IGN.FR - Portail. They have a Carte a la Carte feature that allows one to order a map centered on any point in france.

hussar

 

Here's a link to a 645th TD Bn (attached to the 45th ID) report for Jan, 45. http://tankdestroyer.net/images/stories/ArticlePDFs/645th_TD_Jan_1-31_45_Battle_Rpt.pdf
It may contain some useful information for you. Some areas are tough to read though.

 

Natman, thanks for the link. You're right that some areas are tough to read, but what one can read is interesting. From the document it is clear that the TD and Rcn units were very busy, moving from hotspot to hotspot, keeping the roads clear and trying to keep units linked. In his book Black Edelweiss, Voss mentions the vehicular activity, noting US "...officers racing around in their compact little cars..."

Cheers,
hussar

 

Hello there Hussar and welcome.

 

Hi!

I´ve found the threads covering the events at reipertswiller during january 1945 while searching information for friend.

I´m into military history since about 15 years and started with battlefield archeology about 8 years ago when i realized that there was a lot of "action" just around my hometown. First, i went after the 17th SS Pz Gren Div in the Saar area, later on, i shifted my "area of operations" to the 6th SS Nord and the Nordwind campaign.

Reipertswiller was on of the main topics of interest to me, so i did a lot of research and i own most of the available literature about the fights in january 1945 in the vosges, regarding especially the "Nord".

Unfortunately, i did not have the time to visit the vosges battlefields this much. But during my rare trips, i checked most of the important sites around Hill 420, 410 and so on. I guess that i even found the position of Voss´MG-Group, from where he wittnessed the destruction of the tanks at the "bridge" and the following heroic actions by the american Officer....i think it was Sparks.

So, i´d be happy to answer any questions regarding that topic.

@Hussar: Feel free to ask for information about the sites you wanna visit.

 

Maybe this map could be useful:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Als...=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320835175&sr=1-3

 

Can you elaborate on the "available literature" you have?


Dave

 

Ok, lets see...dont have all books here, most of them are still at home in Germany....so maybe i miss one...

"Seven Days in January"
"Black Edelweiss"
"Battle of Wingen-sur-Moder"
"Winter Storm - War in northern Alsace" Lise Pommois
"When the odds were even"
"In Final Defence of the Reich"
"Into the Fire - Combat history of the 275th Inf.Rgt."
"Kampf unter dem Nordlicht"
"6. SS Gebirgsdivision im Bild"

and some selfmade copies of kinda rare books, which i only found in local libraries in france...author was francis ritgen, but i dont remind the books titles at the moment....i think one was just "Operation Nordwind".

I have to admit that by "available", i meant the books one can get without spending hundres of dollars or searching for them over years. Yet, most of them are purchased trough amazon US and ebay US....wont get most of them in europe.

 

I see. I have the first three books on your list.

If you would like the 157th Infantry Regiment After Action
Report and Battalion Journals for Reipertswiller, just let me know.


Dave

 

@RD3 - thanks for the link to the Michelin map. I've ordered a copy. I took a copy of their Normandy map with me a few years back on a trip to see the invasion area, and I found it to be quite good. So, I'm looking forward to seeing this map of Alsace.

@Pabstat - The Mannheimer Morgen or the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung carried an article earlier this year about a group in Rheinland-Pfalz that was working to preserve portions of the Westwall. Are you involved with them? If you'd like a copy of the article, let me know. I have a scan of it at work.

I went out to Reipertswiller at the beginning of October and hiked around Hills 415 and 363 (elevations from Voss). At the top of the Fliessthal, I went over the saddle just north of Hill 341 (Voss) and down into the Spielbach draw looking for Voss's position. Voss mentions a rock overhang, and I, too, think I found it. I've attached a picture of the rock formation, although I am not certain that it was his position, because I didn't see any bullet marks on the rocks.

View attachment 14882

My wife and I are going back out there tomorrow, weather permitting, and I'm planning to start by walking up the Spielbach draw past Voss's position to Hills 420 and 410.

Cheers,
hussar

 

@kerrd5:

Thanks a lot for the offer! Could you send the documents to "bliesgau1944-45@web.de"?

And regarding the coordinate system in these reports...how do i read them right? Do I need the corresponding US maps or is there a way to use them with normal maps?

@hussar:

I´m not quite sure, but could be that we mean the same place.

Regarding the positions mentioned by Voss, i had some problems to find the correct places back in the days. Seems that the woods especially around 410 and 420 changed a lot since 1945. If you move towards the 157th regiments positions on the crest in the center, you will see a lot of foxholes and stuff lying around, mostly from other diggers.

But be careful, there is also a lot of ordnace of all kinds. The french don´t really care about this.

To answer your question regarding the bunker guys...no, i´m not into bunker stuff.

But this map from michelin looks kinda interesting...when did they appear on the market? I was not aware of em....could have been a good help to my research. Would be nice if you could do a short review when you have it.

You have also to checkout the 70th Infantry Division´s website! Lots of information and really well presented! Theres a pdf file from an US Soldier, named Calihan ,back then based at Stuttgart, in which he describes his trips around 2002 to the battlefields around Phillipsbourg and near Reipertswiller.

Worth a look!

edit: forgot the link:

70th Infantry Division AssociationTrailblazers File Archives
Documents
Retun to the Fields

and a google earth picutre where i marked the hills....

View attachment 14886

 

You can use the MBS to plug in the coordinates from the
Journals:

Modified British System

The "Coordinates Translator"#


Reipertswiller - Nord de Guerre Zone. For example, WQ805366.

The Battle of Reipertswiller


Dave

 

@Pabstat - I've attached a scan of one of the maps I'm using now. It is a custom map that I ordered from the French national geographic institute IGN IGN.FR - Portail. On my visit I followed the hiking trail that starts at the Pulverbrücke, followed it northeast and then west along the southern sides of Hills 415 and 363, and then back down the Fliessthal after a short diversion to look for Voss's position.
View attachment 14887

Cheers,
hussar

 

Good luck on your search. My dad was stationed there with the US Army from 1971-1973 (I believe) and loved the country, I am actually surprised he didn't stay. Unfortunately at the time, he never thought to visit the WWII battle sites. Now we are hoping in the next few years to go for a long trip.
Krystal

 

We had a good trip out to Reipertswiller yesterday. We walked the hiking trail up the west side of the Spielbach draw and spent some time on the saddle between Hills 423 and 418 before walking back down the road at the bottom of the draw. I've uploaded pictures from the hike to flickr which you can find at this URL: Reipertswiller Nov 2011 - a set on Flickr

Cheers,
hussar