Just in time for the Memorial Day weekend, I received a copy of my Uncle Bob Angsten's account of his experiences in WWII. Bob was assigned to the 1252nd Engineer Combat Battalion, a part of General Patton's Third Army. After nearly getting killed during the Battle of the Bulge, 
he rode with a fleet of tanks across the Siegfried Line, 
overran a V-2 rocket launching site, 
passed through the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, 
dropped in for a visit to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, 
and celebrated his survival with a two-week "Rest & Rehab" gig in Paris.
he rode with a fleet of tanks across the Siegfried Line, 
overran a V-2 rocket launching site, 
passed through the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, 
dropped in for a visit to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, 
and celebrated his survival with a two-week "Rest & Rehab" gig in Paris.Time to head home, right?
Not yet.
"In July, '45, we were sent to Marseilles, France to be completely re-outfitted with new vehicles, arms, clothing, for our intended re-assignment to the CBI (China, Burma, India theater of operations) to help end the war with Japan. Everyone knew that, since the 1252nd single-handedly ended the European war, we would be needed to do the same thing to Japan. On August 23, 1945, we left Marseilles heading for the Panama Canal. Three days later, "the bombs" were dropped on Japan and our troopship abruptly changed course for Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts. In the Boston harbor, by this freakish and undeserved turn of events, we happened to be among the first, if not the, first troopship to return to the States. In the craziness and jubilation of the moment we were escorted into the harbor by anything and everything that would float, including several fire-boats shooting water over our bow. No other experience on earth could match the emotional intensity of that moment when 2,500 grown men aboard were bawling like babies!"
Uncle Bob went on to serve in the Illinois National Guard before embarking on a career in the auto industry, marrying, and eventually raising six children. He ends his humble tale with this:
"All of my still-surviving buddies of the 1252nd agree on one thing: we would never want to go through anything like WWII again, yet we wouldn't have missed the experience for all the world! Note that not wanting to go through it again is a lot different than refusing to go. Living in freedom is well worth the price."
I'd appreciate hearing from Bob Angsten whether he recalls an Army buddy from the 1252nd Engineers, John L. Mangan of Kingston, PA. John is my father's brother; he died prematurely, after the war, in February 1946. Any recollections by Bob of my Uncle John would be greatly appreciated. Dan Mangan, Fairfield, PA, e-mail: danmangan@mac.com
ReplyDeletejust found this reference to the 1252nd - my father, Harold L. Ulmer was in Company C - he passed away 7 years ago and i occasionally search to see what i can find about their exploits - if Bob Angsten is still with us, hopefully for him and his family - i would love to hear from him - the narrative sounds familiar to dad's experience - harold d. ulmer - wwemdo@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather, Ed Davidson, was part of the 1252nd. He passed away in 1990. I suppose most of his buddies are gone now, but I'd love to know more about this part of his life.
ReplyDeleteHi all, my name is Tom Angsten. My dad was Bob Angsten. He passed away in Oct 2010. Of his 6 children only 4 of us are left. Dad never once mentioned anything about his time in the service. Just before he passed he finally put together a brief 6 page summary of his years in the army. Very interesting read indeed. After his passing I came into a very detailed document detailing the 1252nd’s city by city travels beginning in Camp Swift Texas and ending in Germany. This document also contained photographs of various endeavors including the bridge building and Hitlers Eagles nest. Wikipedia has a good article on the “Malmedy Massacre”of 84 American POW’s. When they were in St. Vith Belgium, they missed that massacre by only 2 months and were only 9 miles away. Extraordinary men indeed.
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