The Stories of Edward J. Geiser

For those who have been following my thread where I introduced Mr. Geiser, last week a local magazine came to interview Mr. Geiser and myself. After the interview one of his sons, handed me a nine page document containing stories that Eddie has shared with them over the years. In this thread I will first be posting an overview of his service from when he joined the service to when he returned home. Along with that, there are numerous individual stories of combat incidents during his service that I will post on a daily basis. I hope you all enjoy these stories as much as I have .

 

To start out, Mr. Geiser was born on June 1, 1920 in the north side of Cincinnati, as the youngest of eight children, 5 sisters and 2 brothers (both of his brothers died young, one as a baby and the other died at the age of 5). In the 1930's, his family moved several miles north of Cincinnati.

On July 1, 1941, Eddie was drafted into the army. This was the first date picked for the draft and was one of the youngest draftees in the service. On December 1, 1941 he received orders to report. On January 19, 1942 he reported to Fort Thomas, Kentucky.

When he entered the service, he joined the 106th Cavalry, Mechanized, Troop C. He became the company bugler.

Because he had experience with GM plant assembly work (he was employed at a GM plant before he left for the service), he became an automotive mechanic and trained in the cavalry motor school.

During the spring of 1943, his outfit was shipped overseas to England, while Eddie was in radio school. (Later on he would learn that his unit was hit hard during combat and it was believed that they were possibly wiped out during the Battle of the Bulge.) Because he was unable to return to his outfit and his friends, he volunteered for the paratroopers. However after his training as a paratrooper, he was found medically unable to jump as a paratrooper because of a whole in his spine. After learning of this, Eddie volunteered for service in the infantry. The unit he would join was Company G, 2nd Battalion, 253rd Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division, 21st Corps, 7th Army. The 7th Army was lead by General Alexander Patch. The 63rd Division was lead by Major General Louis E. Hibbs

On November 25, 1944, Mr. Geiser departed the United States for Europe and landed in the southern part of France on December 8, 1944.

For 125 days, the 63rd Division was in contact with the Germans in France and Germany. The division would be on the front line continuously, except for three days between the Siegfried Line breakthrough and the Rhine crossing. During these days, out of all of the men in his company when he arrived in Europe, Eddie and seven others would be the only remaining original members to last the entire campaign. During his service Mr. Geiser would be a Staff Sergeant and a squad leader

Fast forward to February 17, 1945, the 63rd Division crossed the Saar River into Germany with Mr. Geiser's squad leading this attack. During this attack they were suddenly caught in a friendly artillery barrage that was part of the attack. Despite this incident, the attack was a success.

During March 15-21, 1945, the 63rd Division was the first division of the 7th Army to break through the Siegfried Line. On March 24-27, Mr. Geiser and the 63rd, crossed the Rhine River. After the crossing there was a three week period, in which Mr. Geiser and his unit was in continuous day and night fighting with the Germans.

On April 8, 1945, the 253rd Regiment battled the 17th SS Panzer Division. After the fighting, the 17th SS Panzer Division was forced to retreat.
[info on the 17th SS Panzer Division: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_SS_Panzergrenadier_Division_G%C3%B6tz_von_Berlichingen]

On April 9, 1945, the 253rd Regiment would fight in the battle of Stein am Kocher. It was during this battle that Mr. Geiser's actions would earn him the Bronze Star.

April 25, 1945, the 253rd and 254th regiments fought across the Danube River. A week prior to this, the battle "consisted of combat over wide fronts, rugged terrain, long distances, deep river valleys, great fatigue, with sleepless days and nights."

The 63rd fought on all the way to Landsberg, Germany, where on April 29 the 253rd and 255th captured the city. Soon the 36th Infantry Division relieved the 63rd. After VE Day, the 63rd was given a rest and the men were informed that they were to be sent to the Pacific front to fight the Japanese.

Because of his large amount of combat experience, Mr. Geiser was transferred to the 143rd Regiment of the 36th Division. The 36th would become part of the army of occupation in the American sector stationed in Geislingen, Germany.

As the 63rd was en route to the Pacific the war ended and the men were sent home to the US. Eddie remained in Germany with the 36th Division.

As part of his duty in the army of the occupation, Mr. Geiser was assigned to oversee the Alder Brewery in Geislingen an der Stiege. During the occupation, Mr. Geiser was treated royally by the German people of the city where he was stationed and would form a great relationship with them.

Eddie was given a chance to sign to serve two more years in the army and stay in Germany with the occupation army. However Eddie was ready to head back home.

On December 7, 1945 Eddie departed Europe for the US and on December 20, Eddie arrived back in the States.

During his service Mr. Geiser received the following badges and honors:
Bronze Star Medal
Combat Infantry Badge
M1 Caliber 30 Rifle Marksmen
Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
World War Two Victory Medal
European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Stars

 

we read these articles and books that have dates and places...we quickly read them...we can't imagine the long, long fight...day after day...not much sleep and that, not restful ....month after month...no ice water...no hot food a lot of times....
he received orders Dec 1.....looks like he had Christmas at home before he left?, for how long, he did not know....... but he arrived back home just before Christmas 1945...3 years?? that's a long time to be away from home and a 'normal', safe life...a totally different, unimaginable life with horrors never seen before

 

Individual Combat Stories #1: Knocked Out By a Hand Grenade

During a battle while Eddie was in his fox hole, he was knocked out from the concussion of a hand grenade. Thinking that he was dead, his second in command of his squad took over. As the second in command was crawling from Eddie's foxhole, he was killed by a German soldier who had a bead on the position.

Mr. Geiser believes to this day that this man died in his place, and every day he prays for this soldier.

 

Individual Clmbat Stories #2: Knocked by Artillery Explosion

During a battle, an artillery shell landed near Eddie and the explosion blew his belt and his canteen clear off his body.

 

Individual Combat Stories #3: Waiting Behind a Tree to be Rescued

During one occasion, Eddie remained behind a tree while a German gunner continued to fire at the tree. The tree's bark was shot off before Eddie could be rescued and leave his position.

 

Individual Combat Stories #4: Crossing the Sarre River

Eddie's squad was ordered to cross the Sarre River to make their way past a small village on the other side and take up a position past the village. The order was to get to the predestined position before the whole front opened up with artillery for a major offensive. Before crossing the bridge, Eddie's squad has to go through a minefield. When they got to the bridge and were ready to cross the whole front opened up with artillery. This artillery was the planned artillery barrage and was friendly but was intense. It became so intense that Eddies squad had no resistance to it. They proceeded across the bridge, and Eddie and his men kicked open the doors of the village buildings and pitched in hand grenades and moved onto the predestined position all the while under friendly artillery fire. Miraculously, none of Eddie's men were killed. They soon found out that the artillery may have saved their lives, because the troops who followed after them discovered dead German soldiers who taking shelter from the barrage inside the buildings.

 

Individual Combat Stories #5: Reconnaissance Mission

Having been trained in the cavalry, Mr. Geiser was given numerous reconnaissance missions to seek out the enemy's position at night. On one occasion, Eddie along with two of his men went out on a mission to scout for the German positions. Eddie told his two men that he was going to crawl through a particular hedgerow and that if he did not come back they were to go back to their lines and to not wait for him. After crawling through the brush, he fell off a cliff and down an embankment in the pitch dark. He fell about 50 feet but was not seriously hurt since the bottom of the embankment rolled. His men disobeyed his order to leave him and instead they climbed down and helped him back up the cliff.

 

Individual Combat Stories #6: Dead Bodies And Death Everywhere

Prior to entering the front lines, Mr. Geiser and his men saw the bodies of soldiers "stacked up like logs on a wood pile." In combat he would see many more including men in his squad. During a battle, one of his men took a hit in the gut. He looked at Eddie and said, "Ed, it's been nice to know you," and then he died. On another occasion after a battle, Eddie picked up a boot that was lying on the ground. When he picked it up, a foot fell out of the boot.

 

this is the kind of details that can bring the combat a little closer to the imagination..... just think, someone is trying to kill you...firing and firing, so much that the bark of the tree you are behind has been shot off...what would you be thinking?? you see this in the movies but you think it's just movie stuff...

 

Individual Combat Stories #7: Civilians Kissed His Hand Holding His Rosary

Eddie always kept a rosary in his hand whenever possible throughout his time on the front line (he still does to this day). Having taken a village, the civilians were assembled together. The German people were taught that the American soldiers were barbaric. The townspeople got on their knees as if to plea for their lives out of fear of the American soldiers. When Eddie came up to the group of townspeople, they saw that he had a rosary in his hand. They ran to him and got on their knees and tried to kiss his hand saying, "Maria, Maria, Maria."

 

I.C.S. #8: Capture of SS Troops

In a battle, Eddie's squad captured two German SS soldiers. Because the SS were known to kill American soldiers and not take them prisoner, the Americans were likewise ordered to do the same with the SS. However after capturing the SS men, Eddie chose not to kill the SS prisoners back behind the lines to the support groups. He did not want to kill the SS prisoners, even though it was against orders.

 

I.C.S. #9: Ready to Take Landsberg

Eddie's squad and the rest of his regiment had driven all the way to Landsberg near the Bavarian Alps. When they got to the town however, they were pulled off the front lines for the first time. They were relieved in order to allow fresh troops of the regiment to take the town.

 

I.C.S #10: Liberation of the Concentration Camp

After having advanced through Germany and having approached Landsberg, Eddie's squad came upon a concentration camp, which is known as Kaufering. He always describes the sight "like those you see in history pictures with the prisoners standing at the fence in their prisoner outfits. They were skin and bones." Men of Eddie's outfit began rounding up the local German civilians to try to feed the prisoners. When some of the more elderly German civilians protested against this, the Americans made a quick threat of force and the civilians complied. They quickly brought food to feed the prisoners.

 

I.C.S. #11: Enough Men to Only Fill Two Trucks

After the campaign and days of combat, there were only enough men in Eddie's unit to fill just two trucks.

 

I would think the German civilians would know better than not to comply with the US soldiers

 

They probably didn't want to get their hands 'dirty' helping people that they probably still believed to be "untermensch." That's one way of looking at it. Then again we all have different reasons for acting the way we do. My other guess, is that their refusal just had selfish reasons.

 

I.C.S #12: In Paris the Night They Turned the Lights On

After having been relieved from the front for a furlough, Eddie went to Paris. He was there the night that they allowed the light to be turned on for the first time in years. He didn't have to spend a dime even if he wanted during the celebration. Because he was a combat soldier he was praised by the French and the American servicemen who were in Paris.

 

another aspect of the war was lights out.....darkness all over.....for civilians and servicemen....yes, they were not used to light.....it targeted them....WW2, a very different world than we know