Received this from Howard Huebner, 82nd Airborne, 507th PIR. This is correspondence between a few people:
24 March 1945 was the defining moment for the troops of the 17th Airborne
Division. Not much was written about that event in history because someone
had tipped off the Germans on the date, time and place of our attack. Wounded
German prisoners under my care told me that they knew. We lost a thousand men
in that one day. In Iraq, we are losing 1000 a year!
Painful either way, but absolutely shocking in 1945. It was also embarrassing
to IKE and to our military command to have a mole (spy) embedded in their
headquarters..
Bill
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Flory, Lilly and Joe Somers: and others:
In 'ein Augenblick', it is now 62 years since the most desperate
time of our lives.
I appreciated hearing from you, and I thank you all for what you are
doing for the troops we had left behind. The average age of
them who had given up their lives in 1945 was about 21 years old.
Had they lived on, they would now all be over 80 years old. For the
value of your prescious freedom and our own, they had each given
up a lifetime of years for family, children, grandchildren, and the joy
of living into old age.
They must now all be in agreement that their sacrifice was worth it to
know that you all have regained your freedom and culture, and that
there had not been another war on your land for several generations
already, and, hopefully, for many more generations yet to come.
I am certain they would have all appreciated your dedicated efforts
of homage and honor to their remains interred in your land in your care.
I look forward to meeting those of you who plan to attend our final reunion.
I understand Real Desmarets is planning to come too.
I am the Hospitality Chairman at our reunions, and I look forward to meeting
and helping you in October 2007 when you arrive at the 17th Airborne
Registration Desk.
Sincerely,
Bill Tom
TFH Mail Call Editor.
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----- Original Message ----
From: Lilly Somers
Hello dear friends,
Today we remembered what happened 62 years ago. Together with some other friends of the 17th Airborne Division we visited the Margraten cemetery to decorate graves. This year the weather on Varsity day was very cold and rainy. In the Ardennes even is some snow on the ground.
Flory together with Mr. Pierre Ackermans and Mr. Joe Bisscheroux. We do meet them every year.
Flory Somers together with Mr. John Smeets, Luc Horc, Jos Bex and Pierre Ackermans.
All friends together at the cemetery entrance. Two other friends are not on the picture. From the left to the right:
Frank Bontje, Pierre Ackermans, Joe Bisscheroux, Joe Somers, John Smeets, Flory Somers, Luc Horc, Jos Bex.
Frank Bontje came whole the way from Amsterdam. And Jos Bex came whole the way from Arnhem to the cemetery.
Mr. Smeets, Horc and Bex are going to attend the next and last 17th Airborne Division reunion.
Sincerly,
Lilly, Flory and Joe Somers
