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TALKING ABOUT THE LONGEST WINTER, ANY COMBAT INFANTRYMAN
HAD THE LONGEST WINTER. MINE WAS WINTER OF '44 UP IN THE
MOUNTAINS OF ITALY. LOT OF PATROL DUTY. COLD AINT THE WORD
RATIONS WHENEVER THE MULE TRAIN GOT THERE. EVERY MAN SUFFERED
HIS OWN WAY. Roque
Yes Rocky, it was a very LONG winter for most of the guys in 44 in Europe. No matter if it was Italy or France or Belgium. I can't imagine it. 
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"
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How true. This was not only a long winter but a exceptionally cold winter for all of us.
The Vosges mountains in France that winter was very bad winter. Much frostbite, frozen feet and hands, pneumonia and the likes plus the usual battle casualties.. I dont think anyone in the lines had it good anywhere.
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How true. This was not only a long winter but a exceptionally cold winter for all of us.
The Vosges mountains in France that winter was very bad winter. Much frostbite, frozen feet and hands, pneumonia and the likes plus the usual battle casualties.. I dont think anyone in the lines had it good anywhere.
I DEFINETLY SAY AMEN TO THAT, MARION AND JOE, JOE IF THE
3RD HAD ADDED A 4 TO THE DIVN. NO. WE WOULD HAVE BEEN
BUDDIES. 
BUDDIES
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Roque: Just different places in some of the same bad times. Same conditions though.
Enjoy your 34th Div reunion.
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I must share one part of this book, towards the end, when the men of the 394th are finally liberated from the POW camp. Patton comes riding up in a jeep with a big American flag and instructs the men to remove the nazi flag and replace it: "Take that Son-of-A-Bitch down right now...and the man who does it...wipe your ass on it!" 
PS- The General had a way with words, didn't he? 
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I am a huge Alex Kershaw fan, believe I have read every one of his works and some of those I consider my favorite books ever. My friend Ralph (rwrich51) gave me his copy of "The Longest Winter" several years back to read, loved it! It is a great book, definitely recommend to put it on your reading list. Lt. Lyle Bouck, the leader of the 394th's I & R platoon, is a native of the St. Louis area and is still living but in declining health. I saw this excellent article earlier this year about him in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/he-battled-world-war-ii-now-a-hero-battles-old/article_2a44d609-0158-5dd1-80c7-f37feda77f70.html
