In January 1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in for his fourth term as President of the United States. As the war in Europe rapidly approached its denouement, the Allies launched a counterattack against “the Bulge,” where the last major German offensive in the West had failed to meet its objectives. Operation Bodenplatte, the final attempt by the Luftwaffe to gain even local superiority in the air, was called off after only one day following the loss of 277 aircraft. The US and Great Britain continued a strategic bombing campaign that had already reduced most of Germany’s major cities into sky-lit catacombs. In the East, the Red Army captured Warsaw, and then hurled itself at what remained of German Army Group A. By the end of the month, the Soviets were only 43 miles from Berlin.

For seventeen months, the Allies had struggled up the Italian Peninsula. The Germans constructed a series of substantial defensive positions in the mountains. The Allies sustained high casualties in repeated attacks on prepared defenses, but every time they broke through one line, they found another one just as formidable on the next ridgeline. The Italian Front had been essentially static since the autumn of 1944, when the Allied summer offensive stalled at the German Gothic Line. The opposing armies watched each other from ridge tops across broad valleys still inhabited by Italian farmers. This silent snow-scape became the scene of an irregular and stationary type of warfare. When the 86^th Mountain Infantry Regiment first reached the front line, the unit was spread out over a 25-mile front in a thinly held portion of the line called “The Gap.” Defensive lines were based around villages and surrounded by strongpoints, usually a fortified farmhouse or a prominent feature of the landscape. L Company held positions around the village of San Marcello for almost two weeks. It was here that they mounted a series of patrols through no-man’s land, and were engaged in their first firefight with enemy forces.

A patrol under Lt. Ralph Meyer was sent five miles to the north, to the village of Pianosinatico. The purpose of the operation was to capture German prisoners for questioning, and to ensure that the enemy observation posts were kept at a distance. Sgt. Bill Morrison remembered the briefing. “Sgt. Kirchner I think it was, talked about “we’re gonna cut tedeschi’s ears off” and big talk like that.” After meticulous preparations and double-checking of equipment, L Company sent out its first combat patrol. Guided by a couple of Italian partisans, they departed at 2330 hours on January 14, 1945. Sgt. Morrison recalled the complete inexperience displayed during the operation.

The battalion officers did all the planning so that a good impression could be made on the regimental headquarters….it was decided that fifty-five men would go – many more than needed, but it was good morale for green troops who like companionship. (Sergeants) Archard, Sullivan and I were the squad leaders led by Lt. Meyer. Each squad had separate missions. Mine had 19 houses to clear – more than the other two and we thought we were to have our hands full. But such was not to be the case as we later found out. We wore mattress covers improvised as camouflage suits and carried snowshoes just in case they were needed.

Excitement ran high in the company and no one seemed to be worried. To us it just seemed like a game. When the time came we loaded into trucks by squads and moved out at five minute intervals so as not to appear too suspicious. Just short of Cutigliano we left the trucks. The night was clear, cold and silent. The snow was crunchy and we talked in whispers even though we were still not in enemy territory. After passing through town we were held up – an unidentified five man patrol was in the vicinity. The men tensed a bit, alert for them to be Germans. We soon found it was a friendly patrol and moved on.

The main bridge north of town over the river was destroyed by the Germans but there was still a footbridge that we used cautiously because we didn’t know what was before us. There were a few houses up over the bank and here our last outposts were located. Somebody’s rifle went off by mistake and we all dropped for cover. It did give us quite a start. The way that led uphill was too steep for snowshoes so we dropped them. Later we wished we had them. The moon was sinking lower as we climbed on. Progress was slow due to the deep snow. It became apparent that there wouldn’t be enough time to complete the mission before dawn. There was no sign of the enemy. Lt. Meyer radioed the CP to decide what to do. Major Hay gave the order to search out Caporetto even though it would mean doing so in broad daylight. Without steel helmets or sufficient ammunition to fight for any length of time, we were pretty burned up about the order, but we went.

It turned out the town was deserted, so no prisoners. There was evidence of recent shelling around the area so we didn’t waste any time chatting. We didn’t know why they didn’t shell us – they missed a golden opportunity. On the return spirits were high. The tension had vanished even though we were in no-man’s land. Perhaps the bright sun and clear blue sky helped a great deal. It was a beautiful valley. In a little shack we found a large pile of chestnuts, so we stocked up and ate roasted nuts for a week afterwards. 

The patrol arrived back at San Marcello at 1100 hours on the 15^th.

San Marcello in 1945

Following the failure of the first patrol to find the Germans or take any prisoners, Captain Bailey sent another patrol out to the vicinity of Pianosinatico. They departed in the evening, but did not return in the morning when they were expected. As the hours went by, headquarters became increasingly concerned. A three-man party was sent out to search for them, and had the harrowing experience of nearly getting lost between the lines in a snow storm. Though exhausted, both patrol and search party eventually made their way back to San Marcello.  

To capture a German prisoner was proving no easy task, so another patrol was sent out on January 19 with the same mission objective. 2^nd Lt. Robert Schultz led 51 men to clear the village of Pianosinatico. This was the first patrol comprised of a significant number of the newer recruits who had joined the 86^th at Camp Swift in Texas, had not participated in the training at Camp Hale, and were mountain troops in name only. Since many of them didn’t know how to use snowshoes, at 1700 hours the patrol set out on foot.

There was still two to three feet of snow on the ground and progress was slow. Without snowshoes, the soldiers in column stayed in the tracks of the men in front, who sunk in almost up to their waists. Nerves ran high. Pfc. Norman Goldenberg recalled that, “All went smoothly except for Ralph and his muffled cough. So many times on so many occasions I wanted to cut his throat.” It was nearing 0300 hours when the patrol came within sight of Pianosinatico. This was the third patrol L Company sent to this area, and the Germans were not oblivious to the fact that the Americans had begun to use the town as a base point for scouting.

The patrol was two-thirds of the way down the ridge in front of the village when a single muffled shot rang out in the distance to one side of the column. The troops in front veered in the opposite direction, and slowly continued down the slope. A short time later another shot echoed from the opposite side. The head of the column turned several degrees away from the source of the second report, and now the long, snaking file of marching soldiers formed a zigzag.

When the head of the patrol reached the bottom of the slope, the night suddenly exploded, and there were muzzle-flashes to the front. The crackle of machine-gun and MP40 submachine-gun fire resounded while bullets whistled and buzzed into the snow all around them. Pfc. Norman Goldenberg was directly in the crosshairs.

When the heavy MG, which was seventeen feet to my left started firing I instinctively fell on my back as the trail was steep and the snow deep. There was a large tree on my right with a sturdy branch under the snow. My left leg plowed into the snow under the branch, my right leg over. The branch rammed up into my crotch.

Bullets slammed into the tree. Boehm had dropped out of sight in a depression where he joined Patti, Van Vlack and the Lieutenant. A bullet cut his radio aerial which fell on me. It seemed the MG fired for minutes. I lay there waiting for bullets to plow through my brain. I had an image of an ice pick stabbing me in the head very fast.

The men hit the ground, and seemed to the Germans to suddenly disappear into the snow. They realized they had been funneled into an ambush, and some troops attempted to return fire, but most of their weapons jammed. Goldenberg’s anguish continued.

How was this possible? Bullets slammed into the tree over me. There was a fine spray of snow from bullets which passed below my body. Perhaps he was frightened and inexperienced. Later I theorized that he was in a covered bunker and fired alternatively high and low. I was between. He was raking the trail and also firing at the four below. Patti and Van Vlack were throwing forty-five caliber bullets from their Thompsons. Psychologically, the fact that I was stuck on that branch and couldn’t move was paralyzing. I couldn’t crawl away. I couldn’t burrow into the snow.

Flares floated on their parachutes. I laid in the snow as dead, not even moving my eyeballs. All his fire was now downslope. When the krauts fired down at Patti and company, I could now see his profile in a faint red outline. Patti shouted, “Someone give us some support!” I pulled the trigger from my shoulder. I put it in the gunner’s right ear. Because of the angle I suppose it exited over his left ear, the MG was silent.

German grenades and mortar shells began to explode around them. Pfc. Bob Krear recalled that,

Word was quickly passed back up the column to turn around and retreat, as we had obviously lost the essential element of surprise in the proposed attack on the town. We all crawled back up the mountain through the snow trench we had created coming down. Within a short distance we were far enough from the enemy that we could not be seen in the dark, so we got to our feet and moved quickly to the top of the ridge and to safety.

An enemy artillery barrage began to hit an adjacent draw in the slope which the Germans had identified as a probable avenue of retreat, but the patrol had instead followed the same route they had travelled down, and they continued rapidly up the slope away from Pianosinatico. As the German guns stopped firing, Goldenberg recalled,

How strange the silence. They were listening. I put a bullet in the chamber. I must have been goofy with all the unused adrenaline or maybe aglow with life after such an encounter. I felt so good and strong I wanted to do something. I shouted at the top of my lungs, “Schweinhunt!”

The quietness exploded with mortars exploding amidst and around us. MGs and rifles delivered a high rate of fire. Many mortars were duds. Canfield was hit by a round which didn’t explode.

Incredibly, nobody had been hurt. Had they worn snowshoes, they would have been cut to pieces on top of the snow, but as it was they were able to escape in concealment completely unscathed. Goldenberg had one more memorable experience when the march back to San Marcello was almost over.

The Lieutenant sent Glenn Bomgardner and I off to the right flank where there were strange shapes in the snow. They were only large boulders. We laid there looking around. Glenn was a chain smoker. He whispered, “I’m dying for a smoke.” Then he said, “Did you hear that kraut yell “Schweinhunt?” I broke up. Choking back the laughter I finally squeezed it out, “That was no kraut, that was Goldenberg.” I shoved my face in the snow to muffle my laughter.

So this was combat? They fire thousands of bullets plus mortars and we don’t have a single casualty. I fire one bullet and kill the gunner. Unbelievable. War was a “Piece of cake!”

The patrol arrived back at San Marcello at 0600 hours. To their horror, they discovered that only eight of their fifty-three weapons were in a serviceable condition. The rest were clogged with ice and snow. Pfc. Ned Peterson had a very near miss during the ambush. As he lay prone, a bullet passed through his clothing and left a small burn on the skin on his back. Sgt. Bill Morrison said that he was thereafter “kidded about doing better next time.” One month later, he was killed by enemy sniper fire early in the Monte Belvedere attack. Everyone in the patrol was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge.

This blog is part of a larger body of research culminating in the publication of the book ‘Heroes in Good Company: L Company, 86^th Regiment, 10^th Mountain Division 1943-1945’ which is available in select bookstores and on amazon.

Sources:

Bailey, Everett C. Letters to Doris Bailey, 1942-1945. Bailey Papers. Author’s collection.

Carlson, Bob. A History of L Company, 86^th Mountain Infantry. Self-published Manuscript, 2000.

Durfee, Horton K. World War II Memoirs of Horton K Durfee 1943-1946. Self-published, 1998.

Goldenberg, Norman. Unprocessed Personal Papers, TMD309, Box 3, 10th Mountain Division Collection, The Denver Public Library.

_____. Collected Post-war Writings, Transcribed by Susan Elliot, Sent to author in 2017.

Krear, H. Robert. The Journal of a US Army Mountain Trooper in World War II. Estes Park, CO: Desktop Publishing by Jan Bishop, 1993.

_____. 2003. Interview by Abbie Kealy. Interview C MSS OH 336, 10^th Mountain    Division Collection, Oral Histories, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO.

_____. Letters to author. 2015.

Morrison, William. 2003. Interview by Abbie Kealy. Interview C MSS OH 295, 10^th Mountain Division Collection, Oral Histories, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO.

_____. Letters to author. 2015.

US Department of the Army. G-3 Section, 15^th Army Group. A Military Encyclopedia, Based on Operations in the Italian Campaigns 1943-1945. Headquarters, 15^th Army Group.

_____. Company L, 86th Mountain Infantry Regiment. 1945. Morning Reports of 14 January through 22 January. Box 11, 10^th Mountain Division Collection, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO.

_____. Fifth Army History: Part VIII, The Second Winter. October 21, 1947.

Wellborn, Charles. History of the 86^th Mountain Infantry Regiment in Italy. Edited by Barbara Imbrie in 2004. Denver, CO: Bradford-Robinson Printing Co.,1945.