Into the Belly of the Beast

Seventy years ago on this date, March 9, 1945, a small cog in the Allied war machine penned a limited note to his only sibling, his sister, Anita. Written by my Father, Roy Bernard Hovel who was a member of the Counter Intelligence Corps attached to the 83rd Infantry Division, the letter gives a few clues as to something big having occupied his time for several days. First, just below the date, was headlined “Germany.” Second, he noted that he had not written to “Mother and Dad …in the past 10 days (it was actually longer). I hope they won’t be worried due to lack of mail.” It is the next paragraph that provides some basic information, he wrote: “We are kept very busy now days. From the newspaper & radio broadcasts you should know where are at as there was a lot of publicity concerning the division.” Correspondence to the home front was subject to censorship. His letters contained a little information on the trials and tribulations of war, gave a broad geographic notation like country, but nothing on movements passed or planned. A mother with a son in a war zone is likely to be concerned from having not had any mail. If one is looking for details beyond mundane living conditions you will not find much direct information in the letters. What was going on that concerned his division and would occupy his time?

Roy B Hovel
Source:  family photo

One only need to turn to the news around that period of time. The March 2, 1945 edition of the “The Wisconsin State Journal” blares out in its lead headline—“U.S. TROOPS SMASH TO RHINE.” The US war machine had reached the Rhine. This feat was accomplished by elements of the 83rd Infantry Division at 1000 hours on Friday, March 2. The 83rd was in the belly of the Beast, next stop the heart of the Beast--Berlin!

Wisconsin State Journal, 2 March 1945
Source:  Newspaper archive

The race to the Rhine had started among regiments of the 83rd at 1400 hours the previous day. But, the march was not a straight line. The battle started on 23 February 1945 after having crossed the Roer River, and for a division who thought they would be held in reserve for this movement the moment of glory would be theirs. The move to the city of Neuss was not to be a straight line, but, as described in the “9th Army Overview of Operations, May 1944-May 1945” (declassified NND 735017) they would be required to “execute a vast wheeling movement to the north” and wheel once again, a bizarre movement later described in the "Overview of Operations" report as a “crooked figure S.” After having reached the Rhine, the division spent much of the next day taking the city of Neuss.

Map showing Allied troop movements
 from "Wisconsin State Journal" 2 March 1945
83rd Infantry was part of US Ninth Army

Today it seems like no big deal, but to those involved in World War II reaching the Rhine was a BIG deal. The Rhine was the last bastion of a natural defense feature before Berlin. The Rhine is the river which the Nazi propagandist, Goebbels had noted the Allies would never reach. The banks of the Rhine was home to cities producing the armaments for the failing German Wehrmacht, SS, and the deflated Luftwaffe. Not only did the Allies control the skies, they now were at the Rhine, and things were not going well for the former corporal who thought himself more knowledgeable of war tactics than those men of the German high command that were under him. Adolph Hitler and only a few within his inner circle would not believe the end was near. Instead, at this point they believed their own words that the German people would not allow their enemy to get past the Rhine. German propaganda was regularly reported in the newspaper of the 83rd Division, and they relished having turned the tables on the propaganda by turning up on the east bank of the Rhine.

Sign commemorating 83rd reaching the Rhine
Source:  Google images

After having survived three weeks of continuous battle in the bitter cold and deep snow found late December into January in the Ardennes Forest, commonly known as the "Battle of the Bulge," the 83rd Infantry had a training interlude for part of February to prepare for the push to and beyond the Rhine. The Rhine was indeed a prize of the war. British Field Marshall Montgomery hearing that allied troops had reached the Rhine on that early March day noted that the events of the previous 12 hours “are the most significant of the war in the west since D-Day.” The 83rd, was commanded by Major General Robert Macon, which was part of the U.S. Ninth Army under the command of Lieutenant General William Simpson. The allies had five armies streaming toward Berlin from the west, which was complimented by Russian troops heading for the same prize from the east.

Roy Hovel overlooking a European Mountain
Source: family photo

Under the banner headline, the “Wisconsin State Journal” article for that day has two front page stories, the first is a news account with the headline “Ninth Army Rips Front in Half; Trier, Venlo, Krefeld Fall” which recounts the events leading to the Rhine, and the second is an “Eyewitness” account titled “U.S. Guns Loose Hell Over Rhine” by war correspondent Clinton Conger. Conger’s account begins with a simple lead-in letting every reader know which division had reached the prize: “WITH THE U.S. 83rd DIVISION ON THE RHINE….” I am sure not only did Roy’s sister see the story, but so too did his parents. One only wonders what thoughts were going through his mother’s mind wondering if he had been injured, was he in some sort of mess, or was he simply busy. Personal communication was by letter.  Pieces of basic war information could be had by radio or newspaper. It was not unusual for letters to arrive in a different order from date written. Not unlike the Christmas cookies that were sent in early December, but arrived in February, although still reported by her dutiful son to be “tasty.” Either he was being polite, or they were good.  Compared to army food two month old cookies may indeed have been tasty. (Although I have to think with my grandma's baking, they were still good.) Without Facebook, tweets, and email a mother’s worry today is not the length of mother’s worry seventy years ago. Having lived with my wife for her 23 + years as a mother, I know that is what a mom does—worry-- it becomes part of their DNA.

General Eisenhower visiting 83rd With General Simpson
83rd commander, Gen. Macon showing the way
Source:  "83rd Spearhead" 10 March 1945

With stateside mothers worrying about their sons the men would move on to the Rhine. A Ninth Army spokesman would report “rapid progress against light German resistance, which in some sectors could be called a rout.” Tanks and troops of the 83rd were the first to drive a wedge to the Rhine. While reporters and commanders may make it seem easy, it was not always a rout. Congar, in his eyewitness account, quotes a solider from Eagle River, WI who said the 83rd position “consists of practically nothing but flanks.” Not a good way to run a military operation. Confederate General Lee was a master at turning Union flanks and winning battles with significantly lesser forces. The March 10, 1945 issue of “83rd Spearhead”, the division newspaper, provides an account of two companies in the division of having been surrounded by the enemy. In one case, the Germans thought they had killed all  in the unit, only to find some had survived and they surprised the Germans and would win their way through the encirclement. The other company was in more dire straits, and it saw success in a manner not unlike that in the movie “Saving Private Ryan” where near the end of the movie as Captain Miller (Tom Hanks’ character) lays dying, P-47’s come in to handle the German tanks. So too was it in early March 1945 for a platoon of the 83rd. The platoon, which was fighting in another part of town, was surrounded by enemy tanks and infantry. Let us pick up from the Division news account: “By this time P-47's were on the scene. Nothing appeared more beautiful to the men on the ground in the middle of enemy armor and infantry than these planes roaming in and dropping their eggs on Nazi tanks and then returning to strafe the fleeing supermen scrambling from their burning tanks.”

US Soldiers clearing out German Soldiers
Remains of tank and German Soldier due to P-47 attack
Source:  Regimental newspaper TTF, 10 March 1945

As elements of the 83rd division approached the west bank and city of Neuss, which is opposite the east bank city of Dusseldorf, the artillery and unimpeded air flights would pound both cities. But yet the infantry would go through Neuss block by block, dwelling by dwelling. Those German soldiers that had not departed for the protection of the Rhine by going to the east side were said to have easily given up in town. Among the rubble of war, civilians by the thousands could be seen coming out of their cellars and air raid shelters. Allied estimates placed up to 20,000 persons in air raid shelters. The German propaganda of every child of the Fatherland fighting to the last to keep the Americans from reaching the Rhine did not happen. Many of them knew the war was lost and would rather give up to the U.S. than face the Russians. The division news would, in a special edition recognize the achievement by writing: ”that Dusseldorf, once great industrial producer for Germany, is finished as a source of material for the Wehrmacht. Whether the Allies cross the Rhine now or later, artillery falling 24 hours a day makes impossible the operation of factories since workers are forced to remain in cellars.”

German tank hit by P-47
Source: "83rd Spearhead" 17 March 1945

The primary activity of the CIC, as noted in its history “was to secure our forces from espionage, sabotage, and subversion and to destroy all enemy intelligence services.” It is the refugees, evacuees, and civilians who pose threat to security of forces, because there were so many one could easily get lost in the shuffle. A common German trick was to have German soldiers change into civilian clothes and mingle with the hordes of humanity being released from the bondage of fascism. Some of these German soldiers would stay behind as agents. The CIC were charged with sifting through the hordes of humanity to find the bad actors. They not only had to set up systems of security, but capture saboteurs and spies, investigate and question local residents, and evacuees to find collaborators,enemy soldiers and infiltrators. They were the spy catchers. The CIC history notes that as some divisions were moving 20 to 30 miles in one day, the detached CIC personnel, like Roy Hovel, had to “devote themselves to the neutralization of communication between Allied and enemy territory, the arrest of Nazis and other Germans whose presence in the area constituted a threat to the security of Allied operations.” They also had to tend to sealing party buildings and preserve the records therein contained for later use by the occupying forces.

Cover of the History of CIC
Source:  Google images

Over 16 days the 9th Army had captured over 29,000 POW’s, and were on the west side of the Rhine and within shelling distance of the Ruhr industrial complexes. The document of the 9th army, notes that U.S. casualties were under half of what was expected. It is here that we can pick up a longer letter Roy had written to his parents on March 11, the first letter to his parents since February 25. In the middle of the letter he acknowledges something that would concern any mother (perhaps that is why he buried it in the middle of the letter). He writes: “We are still busy and everything is fairly quiet. My guardian angel saved me again last night I’m sure. The 2nd closest occurrence of my stay over here and I know someone’s prayers must be answered. However, it is just one of those things that goes with war and if you are at the wrong place at the wrong time its (sic) a matter of bad luck or just that your time has come.” Later he would comment that he was not able to attend mass the past Sunday, but did find a chapel later in the week and was able to attend a high mass. There are no atheists in foxholes.

German Soldiers, and Civilian evacuees, near Neuss Germany
Source:  "83rd Spearhead" 17 March 1945

A simple letter to his sister written seventy years ago today sent me on a journey of discovery for details of this event. I had recalled hearing of my Dad’s close encounter with death while traveling from a trial of accused spies in Luxembourg back to his unit. A blog account of this was posted last December. But, as far as I know, he never shared the story of his second close call that occurred on March 10, 1945. I never knew that he would write the March 9 letter to his sister as part of a division which was not just at the front line, but was for that time the leading edge of the Allied front. They were heading into the belly of the Beast.  Within two months the Allies would have secured the unconditional surrender of Germany. Adolph Hitler would have killed himself, and the work to rebuild Germany would begin. In between there would be more events to capture the imagination of the home front. More stories to be told.  More lives to be lost. Mothers with but one desire to once again squeeze the cheek (Grandma like squeezing the checks of us grandchildren) of her son. A man who would say little about his experiences overseas. The giant war machine that became the U. S. Army was dependent on the duties of thousands of small cogs, each doing their duty to finish off the Beast and get back home.

War is also full of some odd occurrences, this also reminds
me of a scene in "Saving Private Ryan"
Source:  "83rd Spearhead" 17 March 1945