Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutArnold H. Foltermann, Brazos Valley HeroesBy Bill Youngkin Special to The Eagle All World War II veterans have their memories. Some have their souvenirs. But Arnold H. Foltermann, now of Bryan, has a souvenir that served him well during the Battle of the Bulge, and it's something he continues to use today. "I was born on December 30,1924," he said. "On my birth certificate it says Brenham, Texas, but I was really born in the middle of a cotton patch at Gay Hill, Texas." He attended grammar school in Lyons, where his family had moved, and high school in Somerville. "On June 19, 1943, I was drafted and sworn in at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. After swearing in, they sent us home for about 10 days. It would be a long time before I would make it home again. I began basic training at Camp Callan, California, then to Ft. Bliss and then to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. On the way by train to Camp Chaffee, we passed through Caldwell. That was the closest I would get to home until the end of January 1946. On August 12, 1944, I sailed for England aboard an old freighter -now troop ship -with about 500 other guys. In the hold of that ship it was hot, stuffy and about everyone there got sea sick. It was not pleasant for days." Foltermann landed in England and was quickly transferred to Le Havre, France, landing on Omaha Beach. From there they were sent to another assembly point on the Mossell River. "Just before we were assigned as replacement troops, I got to take a bath in a cold irrigation .canal in a field in France. It would be the last bath I would take for almost four months. I was assigned as a permanent replacement to the Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division, of the 3rd Army, General Patton's Army. "It was there at the Mossell River that I had my first experience as to what goes on in the infantry under actual combat conditions. We were moved to a small town by the name of Brat. I was assigned to help the ammunition truck driver deliver ammo to our guys when we became stuck in the middle of a beet field. The Germans saw our disabled vehicle and decided to call in a mortar strike on us. "They wounded the driver and I had a minor wound in my back from mortar fragments. The driver, despite being wounded, managed to back us out of the field and drive into the village. The Germans kept after us with the mortars, managing to set the truck on fire. We escaped from the truck, but my extra pair of pants I was issued burned up in the truck. Not only did I not have an opportunity to bathe for several months, I wore that same pair of pants the whole time. Fortunately, the !! Army did supply us with fresh underwear and socks. "On the night of November 9,1944, we waded over !! the Seille River, which was flooded. At times the water was up to our armpits. How we all got across without `"' the Germans on the other bank hearing or seeing us is still amazing to me. We pushed on against the Germans until December 4, 1944, when we were relieved. We had been in continuous contact with the enemy for 102 '-. days. What was so special to me was we got to take a '! hot shower and were issued a clean set of uniforms and boots. My old pants were now worn off at the tops of my combat boots. , "On the 18th of December, we were relieving another infantry division and were to star. on an offensive to breach the Siegfried Line. During the process, our orders were changed. We were loaded onto trucks and the guys we were relieving were sent back to their ; foxholes. Little did we know that the Battle of the Bulge ; had started and we were being sent to help. ,a "We traveled 150 miles in the back of those trucks 3 that night with the trucks running with full head lights, which was something you never did. We thought Patton was trying to get us all killed. When we left, it was a `` light rain which became a blinding snowstorm. We were ? all about to freeze to death, so we pulled our raincoats :!' out and put them on. It helped break the wind and the cold somewhat and allowed us to survive that cold ""' night. When we arrived most of us had to be helped `'. out of the trucks because we were so cold. I kept the !' raincoat on throughout the Battle of the Bulge. I still have that raincoat and I keep it in my truck and use it when I need to. , "We had reached Ettelbruck, Luxembourg, a day "', before the Germans, who had no idea we were there. We had all the roads and approaches zeroed in with our artillery. When they arrived it was almost a slaughter. I actually began to feel sorry for them but realized if the positions were reversed, it would have been us doing the dying. After that we assisted the 4th Armored Division to liberate the 101 st Airborne, which had been surrounded at Bastogne. "After that, it was drive the Germans out of Belgium and across Germany. We captured a German POW camp for British airmen near Nuremberg. They were no more than walking skeletons. Our advance finally ended at Inn River at Braunau, Austria, the birthplace of Adolph Hitler. The mayor had the whole town turned out to welcome us." Foltermann was discharged on January 26, 1946. He returned to Lyons but soon moved to Bryan. He eventually was employed by Southwestern States Telephone Company and retired from there 41 years later. "People don't realize how good we have itinAmerica. It was worth fighting for then and is worth fighting for now." Foltermann's grandson, Scott Foltermann, is a Marine currently serving in Iraq. Arnold Foltermann s name can be found on the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial. For more information, to make a contribution, or if you know a World War ll Veteran whale story needs to be told, contact the BWM at www. veteransmemorial.org or Bill Youngkin at (979) 260-7030.